Aerial Agricultural Management System
First Claim
1. An apparatus comprising:
- a base vehicle;
a takeoff and landing system associated with the base vehicle;
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.
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Accused Products
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.
104 Citations
25 Claims
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1. An apparatus comprising:
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a base vehicle; a takeoff and landing system associated with the base vehicle; 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An unmanned aerial vehicle system comprising:
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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; 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; anda door system on the semi-trailer truck that are moveable to facilitate launching and recovery of the unmanned aerial vehicles.
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17. A method for surveying an agricultural region, the method comprising:
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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 the unmanned aerial vehicles flies over the agricultural region and generate sensor data about the agricultural region; recovering the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles after the flight over the agricultural region is completed; moving the group of unmanned aerial vehicles from the takeoff and landing system into a group of slots in a rack system; downloading sensor data from the group of the unmanned aerial vehicles using data connections while the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is in the group of the 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 the slots, wherein simultaneous downloading of sensor data refueling of the group of unmanned aerial vehicles is enabled. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification