Systems and methods for dispensing an insecticide via unmanned vehicles to defend a crop-containing area against pests

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10577103-B2
Application number	US-201715697860-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 7, 2017
Priority date	Sep 8, 2016
Publication date	Mar 3, 2020
Grant date	Mar 3, 2020

Abstract

In some embodiments, methods and systems of dispensing an insecticide to defend a crop-containing area against crop-damaging pests include an unmanned vehicle having a sensor that detects a crop-damaging pest in the crop-containing area and captures pest detection data, and an insecticide output device including at least one insecticide directed at the pest. The unmanned vehicle transmits the captured pest detection data via the network to the computing device and, in response to receipt of the captured pest detection data via the network from the unmanned vehicle, the computing device accesses an electronic database to determine an identity of the at least one pest. Based on the determined identity of the crop-damaging pest, the computing device transmits a control signal to the unmanned vehicle to cause the insecticide output device of the unmanned vehicle to dispense one or more insecticides specific to the identified crop-damaging pest.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for dispensing an insecticide to defend a crop-containing area against crop-damaging pests, the system comprising:
at least one unmanned aerial vehicle including:
at least one sensor configured to detect at least one pest in the crop-containing area and to capture pest detection data; and
at least one insecticide output device including at least one insecticide directed at the at least one pest;

at least one electronic database including pest identity data associated with the at least one pest; and
a computing device including a processor-based control circuit and configured to communicate with the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle and the at least one electronic database via a network;
wherein the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to transmit the captured pest detection data via the network to the computing device;
wherein, in response to receipt of the captured pest detection data via the network from the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle, the computing device is configured to access the pest identity data on the at least one electronic database via the network to determine an identity of the at least one pest; and
wherein the computing device is configured to transmit, based on the determined identity of the at least one pest by the computing device, a control signal to the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle via the network, the control signal configured to cause the at least one insecticide output device of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle to dispense the at least one insecticide.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle includes a video camera configured to detect presence of the at least one pest in the crop-containing area and to capture the pest detection data.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is configured to capture sound data representing at least one sound emitted by the at least one pest.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle includes an odor sensor configured to detect at least one of an odor emitted by the at least one pest and droppings generated by the at least one pest.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle is at least one of a radar-enabled sensor configured to detect movement of the at least one pest outside of the crop-containing area and a motion detection-enabled sensor configured to detect movement of the at least one pest in the crop-containing area.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit of the computing device is configured to compare the captured pest detection data received at the computing device from the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle and the pest identity data stored in the at least one electronic database to determine the identity of the at least one pest detected by the at least one sensor of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one insecticide output device includes at least one canister configured to hold at least one chemical adapted to one of: drive the at least one pest identified by the computing device away from the crop-containing area upon release of the at least one chemical from the at least one canister; put the at least one pest identified by the computing device to sleep upon release of the at least one chemical from the at least one canister; and kill the at least one pest identified by the computing device upon release of the at least one chemical from the at least one canister.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the at least one insecticide output device includes at least one dispenser nozzle in fluid communication with the at least one canister and configured to dispense the at least one chemical from the at least one canister in response to receipt by the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle of the control signal from the computing device.

9. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the at least one insecticide output device includes a first chemical toxic to the at least one pest identified by the computing device and a second chemical not toxic to the at least one pest identified by the computing device; and
wherein the control signal is configured to cause the at least one insecticide output device of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle to dispense the first chemical without dispensing the second chemical.

10. The system of claim 1 ,
wherein the control circuit of the computing device is configured to determine an identity of at least a first pest and of at least a second pest based on the captured pest detection data received at the computing device from the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle and the pest identity data stored in the at least one electronic database; and
wherein the control circuit of the computing device is configured to generate a control signal configured to cause the at least one insecticide output device of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle to dispense at least two insecticides, a first of the insecticides being directed at the first pest and the second insecticide being directed at the second pest.

11. A method of dispensing an insecticide to defend a crop-containing area against crop-damaging pests, the method comprising:
providing at least one unmanned aerial vehicle including at least one sensor configured to detect at least one pest in the crop-containing area and to capture pest detection data and at least one insecticide output device including at least one insecticide directed at the at least one pest;
providing at least one electronic database including pest identity data associated with the at least one pest;
providing a computing device including a processor-based control circuit and configured to communicate with the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle and the at least one electronic database via a network;
transmitting the captured pest detection data from the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle to the computing device via the network;
receiving the captured pest detection data from the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle at the computing device via the network;
accessing, via the computing device, the pest identity data on the at least one electronic database via the network;
determining the identity of the at least one pest via the accessing step;
transmitting, from the computing device and based on the determining step, a control signal to the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle via the network; and
dispensing, via the at least one insecticide output device of the at least one unmanned aerial vehicle, the at least one insecticide based on the control signal transmitted from the computing device.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of providing at least one unmanned aerial vehicle including at least one sensor includes providing the at least one sensor with a video camera configured to detect presence of the at least one pest in the crop-containing area and to capture the pest detection data.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of providing at least one unmanned aerial vehicle including at least one sensor includes configuring the at least one sensor to capture sound data representing at least one sound emitted by the at least one pest.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of providing at least one unmanned aerial vehicle including at least one sensor includes configuring the at least one sensor to detect at least one of an odor emitted by the at least one pest and droppings generated by the at leas

Assignees

• Walmart Apollo Llc

Inventors

• Cantrell Robert L
• Thompson John P
• Winkle David C
• Atchley Michael D
• High Donald R
• Mattingly Todd D
• Mchale Brian G
• O'Brien John J
• Simon John F

Classifications

• A01M7/00 Primary

  Special adaptations or arrangements of liquid-spraying apparatus for purposes covered by this subclass · CPC title

• B64D1/18 Primary

  by spraying, e.g. insecticides · CPC title

• A01B79/02 Primary

  combined with other agricultural processing, e.g. fertilising, planting · CPC title

• B64C13/00

  Control systems or transmitting systems for actuating flying-control surfaces, lift-increasing flaps, air brakes, or spoilers · CPC title

• G05D2201/0201

  Physics · mapped topic