Forest sensor deployment and monitoring system

• US 9,251,698 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Vian, John Lyle, Spinelli, Charles B., Tillotson, Brian J., Roe, George Michael, Przybylko, Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): RUSHING, MARK S
• Application Number:
  US13/708,543
• Publication Number:
  US 20140077969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 340/521, 340/531, 340/577, 340/628, 340/999, 169/43, 169/52, 382/203, 705/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/00 Burglar, theft or intruder alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 17/005 for forest fires, e.g. detecting fires spread over a large or outdoors area fire fighting forest fires A62C3/02
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/40 using a wireless architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/80 Arrangements in the sub-station, i.e. sensing device
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/886 using energy harvesting, e.g. solar, wind or mechanical
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing a location. Soil sensor units are deployed in the location in a forest from a group of aerial vehicles. Information is generated about a number of soil conditions in the location in the forest using the soil sensor units in the location. The information is transmitted from the soil sensor units to a remote location for analysis.

Claims

1. A forestry management system comprising:

a forestry manager configured to;

receive information relating to a number of soil conditions for a location in a forest from a sensor system deployed by a group of aerial vehicles and

identify a mission based on the number of soil conditions,

wherein the sensor system comprises sensor units having a housing and pins weighted such that the pins penetrate a ground to generate the information from soil in the location;

wherein the pins include exposed portions and insulated portions such that the insulated portions localize measurements taken by the exposed portions at a desired depth under a surface of the ground;

wherein moisture is determined based on a measurement of a resistance between the exposed portions of the pins;

wherein the insulated portions localize the measurement of the resistance at the desired depth under the surface of the ground;

wherein the pins include a temperature sensor; and

wherein the sensor units comprise at least one of recoverable sensor units or disposable soil sensor units, the disposable soil sensor units configured to be deployed and not retrieved having housing comprised of material that is biodegradable.

2. The forestry management system of claim 1, wherein the mission is selected from at least one of a harvesting mission, a planting mission, a soil condition identification mission, a fire condition warning mission, a forest maintenance mission, or a forest inventory mission.

3. The forestry management system of claim 1, wherein the forestry management system is configured to coordinate operation of assets to perform the mission.

4. The forestry management system of claim 1, wherein the sensor system comprises:

a number of ground-based sensor units configured to generate the information from the soil in the location.

5. The forestry management system of claim 4, wherein the sensor system further comprises:

a base station configured to receive the information from the number of ground-based sensor units and send the information to the forestry manager.

6. The forestry management system of claim 5, wherein the base station is configured to send the information to the forestry manager through the group of aerial vehicles.

7. The forestry management system of claim 4, wherein a ground-based sensor unit in the number of ground-based sensor units is configured to generate information about a location of the ground-based sensor unit, a trajectory of the ground-based sensor unit, and an orientation of the ground-based sensor unit.

8. The forestry management system of claim 1, wherein an aerial vehicle in the group of aerial vehicles is selected from one of an unmanned aerial vehicle and a manned aerial vehicle.

9. The forestry management system of claim 1, wherein the number of soil conditions comprises moisture, a temperature, conductivity, nitrogen content, pH, calcium content, salt content, and a nutrient content.

10. A forestry management system comprising:

sensor units configured to be deployed in a location, generate information about a number of soil conditions in the location, and transmit the information using wireless communications links; and

a group of aerial vehicles configured to carry the sensor units and deploy the sensor units in the location,

wherein the sensor units have a housing and pins weighted such that the pins penetrate a ground to generate the information from soil in the location;

wherein the pins include exposed portions and insulated portions such that the insulated portions localize measurements taken by the exposed portions at a desired depth under a surface of the ground;

wherein moisture is determined based on a measurement of a resistance between the exposed portions of the pins;

wherein the insulated portions localize the measurement of the resistance at the desired depth under the surface of the ground;

wherein the pins include a temperature sensor; and

wherein the sensor units comprise at least one of recoverable sensor units or disposable soil sensor units, the disposable soil sensor units configured to be deployed and not retrieved having housing comprised of material that is biodegradable.

11. The forestry management system of claim 10, wherein the sensor units are configured to be air dropped from an aerial vehicle in the group of aerial vehicles into the location.

12. The forestry management system of claim 10 further comprising:

a base station configured to receive the information from the sensor units in the location over the wireless communications links and send the information to a remote location over another wireless communications link.

13. The forestry management system of claim 12, wherein the base station is powered by a solar power generation system.

14. The forestry management system of claim 10 further comprising:

a forestry manager configured to receive the information relating to the number of soil conditions for the location in a forest from the sensor units deployed by the group of aerial vehicles and identify a mission based on the number of soil conditions.

15. The forestry management system of claim 10, wherein an aerial vehicle in the group of aerial vehicles is selected from one of an unmanned aerial vehicle and a manned aerial vehicle.

16. A method for managing a location, the method comprising:

deploying soil sensor units in the location in a forest from a group of aerial vehicles;

generating information about a number of soil conditions in the location in the forest using the soil sensor units in the location; and

transmitting the information from the soil sensor units to a remote location for analysis,

wherein the soil sensor units have a housing and pins weighted such that the pins penetrate a ground to generate the information from soil in the location;

wherein the pins include exposed portions and insulated portions such that the insulated portions localize measurements taken by the exposed portions at a desired depth under a surface of the ground;

wherein moisture is determined based on a measurement of a resistance between the exposed portions of the pins;

wherein the insulated portions localize the measurement of the resistance at the desired depth under the surface of the ground;

wherein the pins include a temperature sensor; and

wherein the sensor units comprise at least one of recoverable sensor units or disposable soil sensor units, the disposable soil sensor units configured to be deployed and not retrieved having housing comprised of material that is biodegradable.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

identifying a number of missions using the information about the number of soil conditions, wherein the number of missions is selected from at least one of a harvesting mission, a planting mission, a soil condition identification mission, a fire condition warning mission, a forest maintenance mission, or a forest inventory mission.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitting step comprises:

transmitting the information from the soil sensor units to at least one of an unmanned aerial vehicle, a manned ground vehicle, or a control station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the transmitting step comprises:

transmitting the information from the soil sensor units to a transceiver; and

transmitting the information from the transceiver to at least one of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the manned ground vehicle, or the control station.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the number of soil conditions comprises moisture, a temperature, conductivity, nitrogen content, pH, calcium content, salt content, and a nutrient content.