Aerial agricultural management system

• US 9,776,717 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Spinelli, Charles B., Vian, John Lyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Mawari, Redhwan K
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hutchinson, Alan D
• Application Number:
  US14/873,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20170096222A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 27/08 with two or more rotors
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 33/00 Ornithopters
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/007 Helicopter portable landing pads
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 1/222 for storing aircraft, e.g. in hangars
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/00 UAVs specially adapted for particular uses or applications
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/40 for agriculture or forestry operations
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/30 Supply or distribution of electrical power
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/20 for releasing or capturing UAVs in flight by another aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/30 for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/90 Launching from or landing on platforms
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/25 for recharging batteries; for refuelling
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/86 Land vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus comprises a base vehicle, a takeoff and landing system, a rack system, a refueling system associated with the base vehicle, and a controller. The rack system comprises a group of racks with slots in which the slots receive unmanned aerial vehicles, provide refueling connections that facilitate refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots, and provide data connections that facilitate data transmission with the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots. The refueling system refuels an unmanned aerial vehicle located in a slot using a refueling connection in the refueling connections. The controller communicates with the unmanned aerial vehicle using a data connection and control the refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles by the refueling system while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the slot, enabling exchanging data with the unmanned aerial vehicle and the refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicle simultaneously.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a base vehicle;

a takeoff and landing system associated with the base vehicle including a catcher, a conveyor and a robotic arm system, wherein the catcher is configured to recover an unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the air;

a rack system associated with the base vehicle, wherein the rack system comprises a group of racks with slots in which the slots are configured to receive unmanned aerial vehicles, provide refueling connections that facilitate refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots, and provide data connections that facilitate data transmission with the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots;

a refueling system associated with the base vehicle, wherein the refueling system is configured to refuel an unmanned aerial vehicle in the unmanned aerial vehicles located in a slot using a refueling connection in the refueling connections; and

a controller associated with the base vehicle, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the unmanned aerial vehicle using a data connection in the data connections and control the refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles by the refueling system while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the slot, enabling exchanging data with the unmanned aerial vehicle and the refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicle simultaneously;

wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is a fixed wing aircraft;

wherein, responsive to the catcher recovering the unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the air, the robotic arm system places the unmanned aerial vehicle onto the conveyor for transport to the rack system, and upon arrival of the unmanned aerial vehicle at the group of racks, the robotic arm system places the unmanned aerial vehicle into the slot.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises:

a vehicle manager configured to communicate with the unmanned aerial vehicles using the data connections and control the refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles while the unmanned aerial vehicles are located in the slots; and

a sensor data manager in communication with the vehicle manager, wherein the sensor data manager is configured to receive and store sensor data from the unmanned aerial vehicles using the data connections.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control a flight of a group of the unmanned aerial vehicles over an agricultural region such that the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles generates sensor data about the agricultural region, download the sensor data from the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles over a group of the data connections for a group of slots in which the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles are placed after the flight of the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to identify an undesired condition in an agricultural region using the sensor data, and identify an action based on the undesired condition in the agricultural region when the undesired condition in the agricultural region is present.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the action is selected from a group comprising sending an alert, generating a report, analyzing the undesired condition, identifying a corrective action to reduce the undesired condition, generating a prescription to correct the undesired condition, and sending a command to control an irrigation system in the agricultural region.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the refueling system is selected from at least one of an inductive charging system, a conductive charging system, or a liquid refueling system.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the data connections are wireless data connections.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the takeoff and landing system comprises:

a movement system configured to move the unmanned aerial vehicle to the takeoff and landing system from the slot, and to the slot from the takeoff and landing system.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the takeoff and landing system further comprises a platform and a launcher.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to process sensor data received from the unmanned aerial vehicles to form images with identifications of features in an agricultural region.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller monitors health of the unmanned aerial vehicles and determines whether maintenance is needed for the unmanned aerial vehicles.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the rack system further comprises:

a conveyor system that moves the unmanned aerial vehicle on the conveyer system between the group of racks and the takeoff and landing system; and

the robotic arm system.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the base vehicle is selected from a group comprising:

a truck, a sport utility vehicle, a trailer, a train, and a semi-trailer truck.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the slots are configured to receive an airplane, a helicopter, an ornithopter, or a quadcopter.

15. An unmanned aerial vehicle system comprising:

a semi-trailer truck;

a launching and recovery system associated with the semi-trailer truck, wherein the launching and recovery system is configured to launch and recover unmanned aerial vehicles and includes a catcher, a conveyor and a robotic arm system, wherein the catcher is configured to recover the unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the air;

a rack system associated with the semi-trailer truck, wherein the rack system comprises slots in a group of racks configured to receive the unmanned aerial vehicles, provide refueling connections that facilitate refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots, and provide data connections that facilitate data transmission with the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots;

a refueling system associated with the semi-trailer truck, wherein the refueling system is configured to refuel the unmanned aerial vehicle in the unmanned aerial vehicles located in the slots using the refueling connections;

a controller associated with the semi-trailer truck, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with the unmanned aerial vehicles using the data connections and control the refueling of the unmanned aerial vehicles by the refueling system while the unmanned aerial vehicles are in the slots, control a flight of a group of the unmanned aerial vehicles over an agricultural region such that the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles generate sensor data about the agricultural region;

download the sensor data from the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles over a group of the data connections for a group of the slots in which the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles are placed after the flight of the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles; and

a door system on the semi-trailer truck that are moveable to facilitate launching and recovery of the unmanned aerial vehicles;

wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is a fixed wing aircraft; and

wherein, responsive to the catcher recovering the unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the air, the robotic arm system places the unmanned aerial vehicle onto the conveyor for transport to the rack system, and upon arrival of the unmanned aerial vehicle at the group of racks, the robotic arm system places the unmanned aerial vehicle into a slot.

16. A method for surveying an agricultural region, the method comprising:

initiating a flight of a group of unmanned aerial vehicles from a takeoff and landing system associated with a base vehicle, wherein the group of unmanned aerial vehicles flies over the agricultural region and generate sensor data about the agricultural region;

recovering the group of unmanned aerial vehicles after the flight over the agricultural region is completed using a catcher, a conveyor and a robotic arm system, wherein the catcher is configured to recover the unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the air, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle is a fixed wing aircraft, and wherein, responsive to the catcher recovering the unmanned aerial vehicle while the unmanned aerial vehicle is in the air, the robotic arm system places the unmanned aerial vehicle onto the conveyor for transport to a rack system, and upon arrival of the unmanned aerial vehicle at a group of racks, the robotic arm system places the unmanned aerial vehicle into a slot;

moving the group of unmanned aerial vehicles from the takeoff and landing system into a group of slots in the rack system;

downloading sensor data from the group of unmanned aerial vehicles using data connections while the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is in the group of slots; and

refueling the group of unmanned aerial vehicles using a refueling system while the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is in the group of slots, wherein simultaneous downloading of sensor data and refueling of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is enabled.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

identifying an undesired condition in the agricultural region using the sensor data, and

identifying an action based on the undesired condition in the agricultural region when the undesired condition in the agricultural region is present.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the action is selected from a group comprising sending an alert, generating a report, analyzing the undesired condition, identifying a corrective action to reduce the undesired condition, generating a prescription to correct the undesired condition, and sending a command to control an irrigation system in the agricultural region.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the refueling system is selected from at least one of an inductive charging system, a conductive charging system, or a liquid refueling system.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the data connections are wireless data connections.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the takeoff and landing system is selected from at least one of a platform, a launcher, or a catcher.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein a movement system is configured to move the group of unmanned aerial vehicles between the takeoff and landing system from the group of slots and to the group of slots from the takeoff and landing system and wherein the movement system is selected from at least one of the robotic arm system or a conveyor system.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the base vehicle is selected from a group comprising a truck, a sport utility vehicle, a trailer, a train, and a semi-trailer truck.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the group of slots are configured to receive an airplane, a helicopter, an ornithopter, or a quadcopter.