Mobile Station for an Unmanned Vehicle

• US 20120253581A1
• Filed: 06/14/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Anderson, Noel Wayne
• Application Number:
  US13/523,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20120253581A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/005 Precision agriculture
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0225 involving docking at a fixed facility, e.g. base station or loading bay parking aids B62D15/027

Abstract

A mobile station for an unmanned vehicle comprises a vehicular storage area for storing a vehicle during transit or at rest. A first wireless transceiver communicates a status or command between the vehicle and the mobile station during at least one of vehicular deployment and rest. A station controller manages a management plan of the vehicle comprising at least one of retooling the vehicle, loading a payload on the vehicle, and recharging or refueling of the vehicle.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A method for operating an unmanned vehicle, the method comprising

storing an unmanned vehicle in a mobile station during transit or at rest;

communicating a status or command between the unmanned vehicle and the mobile station during at least one of vehicular deployment and rest; and

the mobile station managing an integral management plan of the unmanned vehicle comprising at least one of retooling the unmanned vehicle, loading a payload on the unmanned vehicle, and recharging or refueling of the unmanned vehicle.

19. The method according to claim 18 further comprising:

managing coupling and decoupling of at least one implement to the vehicle within the mobile station to perform a particular task consistent with an agricultural management plan.

32. The method according to claim 18 further comprising recharging the vehicle with electrical energy.

33. The method according to claim 18 further comprising securing the vehicle to an interior portion of the mobile station and shipping the mobile station via freight at an end of a growing season.

35. The method according to claim 18 further comprising:

transmitting the integral management plan to the unmanned vehicle.

36. The method according to claim 19, wherein the agricultural management plan comprises at least one of applying irrigation to compensate for a detected water deficiency, applying a nutrient to compensate for a detected nutrient deficiency, applying a microbicide or fungicide to treat a detected plant disease or pathogen, and applying an insecticide to treat a detected infestation of harmful insects attacking a crop.

20-31. -31. (canceled)

34. (canceled)