Aerial Water Sampler

• US 20150268136A1
• Filed: 02/13/2015
• Published: 09/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NUtech Ventures
• Original Assignee: NUtech Ventures
• Inventors: Elbaum, Sebastian, Detweiller, Carrick, Ore, John-Paul, Zhao, Baoliang
• Granted Patent: US 9,606,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/16 with five or more distinct rotor axes, e.g. octocopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/20 Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/20 Rotors; Rotor supports
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/10 in the liquid or fluent state burettes, pipettes B01L3/02; sampling of ground water E02D1/06; metering by volume of fluids or fluent solid material G01F11/00, G01F13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 1/14 Suction devices, e.g. pumps; Ejector devices
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2001/021 Correlating sampling sites with geographical information, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/08 Systems for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S15/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/86 Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/30 Assessment of water resources

Abstract

In one aspect, a vehicle includes an aerial propulsion system, an altitude sensor system, a water sampling system, and a control system. The water sampling system includes a water sampling extension configured to extend away from the vehicle, one or more water sample receptacles, and a water pump. The control system is configured to perform operations including: guiding, using the aerial propulsion system, the vehicle over a water source; causing, using sensor data from the altitude sensor system, the vehicle to descend towards the water source so that the water sampling extension contacts the water source; and causing, using the water sampling system, the water pump to pump water from the water source into the one or more water sample receptacles through the water sampling extension while the vehicle is in flight over the water source.

Claims

1. A vehicle comprising:

an aerial propulsion system;

an altitude sensor system;

a water sampling system comprising;

a water sampling extension configured to extend away from the vehicle;

one or more water sample receptacles; and

a water pump; and

a control system configured to perform operations comprising;

guiding, using the aerial propulsion system, the vehicle over a water source;

causing, using sensor data from the altitude sensor system, the vehicle to descend towards the water source so that the water sampling extension contacts the water source; and

causing, using the water sampling system, the water pump to pump water from the water source into the one or more water sample receptacles through the water sampling extension while the vehicle is in flight over the water source.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the altitude sensor system comprises:

a plurality of ultrasonic rangers configured to face the water source; and

an air pressure sensor.

3. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein guiding the vehicle comprises determining that the altitude of the vehicle is greater than a threshold altitude and, in response, using the air pressure sensor to estimate the altitude of the vehicle and guide the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 2, wherein causing the vehicle to descend towards the water source comprises estimating the altitude of the vehicle using a Kalman filter and a plurality of ultrasonic readings from the ultrasonic rangers and a plurality of pressure readings from the air pressure sensor.

5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the altitude sensor system comprises a plurality of ultrasonic rangers configured to face the water source, and wherein causing the vehicle to descend towards the water source comprises applying a scoring heuristic to a plurality of ultrasonic readings from the ultrasonic rangers.

6. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein applying the scoring heuristic comprises discarding ultrasonic readings outside of a programmed maximum range of the ultrasonic sensors.

7. The vehicle of claim 5, wherein applying the scoring heuristic comprises scoring the ultrasonic readings based on a respective proximity, for each ultrasonic reading, to a current altitude estimate maintained by the control system.

8. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an unmanned rotorcraft including a plurality of rotors.

9. The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the control system is configured to autonomously guide the vehicle to a plurality of water sampling sites and cause the water sampling system to store a water sample from each of the water sampling sites into a respective water sample receptacle.

10. The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the operations comprise, after guiding the vehicle to a second water sampling site, flushing water from the water sampling system from a first water sampling site using water from the second water sampling site.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the altitude sensor system comprises:

a plurality of ultrasonic rangers configured to face the water source; and

an air pressure sensor.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein guiding the vehicle comprises determining that the altitude of the vehicle is greater than a threshold altitude and, in response, using the air pressure sensor to estimate the altitude of the vehicle and guide the vehicle.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein causing the vehicle to descend towards the water source comprises estimating the altitude of the vehicle using a Kalman filter and a plurality of ultrasonic readings from the ultrasonic rangers and a plurality of pressure readings from the pressure sensor.

11. A method performed by a vehicle, the method comprising:

guiding, using an aerial propulsion system, the vehicle over a water source;

causing, using sensor data from an altitude sensor system, the vehicle to descend towards the water source so that a water sampling extension of the vehicle contracts the water source; and

causing, using a water sampling system comprising a water pump, the water pump to pump water from the water source into one or more water sample receptacles through the water sampling extension while the vehicle is in flight over the water source.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the altitude sensor system comprises a plurality of ultrasonic rangers configured to face the water source, and wherein causing the vehicle to descend towards the water source comprises applying a scoring heuristic to a plurality of ultrasonic readings from the ultrasonic rangers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein applying the scoring heuristic comprises discarding ultrasonic readings outside of a programmed maximum range of the ultrasonic sensors.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein applying the scoring heuristic comprises scoring the ultrasonic readings based on a respective proximity, for each ultrasonic reading, to a current altitude estimate maintained by the control system.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the vehicle is an unmanned rotorcraft including a plurality of rotors.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising autonomously guiding the vehicle to a plurality of water sampling sites and causing the water sampling system to store a water sample from each of the water sampling sites into a respective water sample receptacle.

20. The method of claim 19, comprising, after guiding the vehicle to a second water sampling site, flushing water from the water sampling system from a first water sampling site using water from the second water sampling site.