METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR AERIAL ASSESSMENT OF GROUND SURFACES
First Claim
1. A hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:
- a fuselage;
a first wing and a second wing respectively coupled to the fuselage;
a first camera coupled to the first wing to obtain at least one visible spectrum image of a ground surface over which the UAV is flown; and
a second camera coupled to the second wing to obtain at least one near-infrared (NIR) image of the ground surface over which the UAV is flown.
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Abstract
A hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to determine various characteristics of ground surfaces. The UAV includes a lightweight and robust body/wing assembly, and is equipped with multiple consumer-grade digital cameras that are synchronized to acquire high-resolution images in different spectra. In one example, one camera acquires a visible spectrum image of the ground over which the UAV is flown, and another camera is modified to include one or more filters to acquire a similar near-infrared image. A camera mount/holder system facilitates acquisition of high-quality images without impacting the UAV'"'"'s flight characteristics, as well as easy coupling and decoupling of the cameras to the UAV and safeguarding of the cameras upon landing. An intuitive user interface allows modestly trained individuals to operate the UAV and understand and use collected data, and image processing algorithms derive useful information regarding crop health and/or soil characteristics from the acquired images.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. A hand-launched unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:
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a fuselage; a first wing and a second wing respectively coupled to the fuselage; a first camera coupled to the first wing to obtain at least one visible spectrum image of a ground surface over which the UAV is flown; and a second camera coupled to the second wing to obtain at least one near-infrared (NIR) image of the ground surface over which the UAV is flown. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification