Fire suppression and ignition with unmanned aerial vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11045672-B2
Application number	US-201615768768-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 17, 2016
Priority date	Oct 16, 2015
Publication date	Jun 29, 2021
Grant date	Jun 29, 2021

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be configured for fire suppression and ignition. In some examples, the UAV includes an aerial propulsion system, an ignition system, and a control system. The ignition system includes a container of delayed-ignition balls and a dropper configured, by virtue of one or more motors, to actuate and drop the delayed-ignition balls. The control system is configured to cause the UAV to fly to a site of a prescribed burn and, while flying over the site of the prescribed burn, actuate one or more of the delayed-ignition balls. After actuating the one or more delayed-ignition balls, the UAV drops the actuated one or more delayed-ignition balls from the UAV onto the site of the prescribed burn.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) comprising:
an aerial propulsion system;
an ignition system comprising a container of delayed-ignition balls and a dropper configured, by virtue of one or more motors, to actuate and drop the delayed-ignition balls, wherein the ignition system comprises a sensor system configured for monitoring the one or more motors; and
a control system configured to autonomously control the ignition system using the sensor system and to perform operations comprising:
causing, using the aerial propulsion system, the UAV to fly to a site of a prescribed burn;
while flying over the site of the prescribed burn, actuating, using the ignition system, one or more of the delayed-ignition balls;
monitoring the ignition system using the sensor system; and
after actuating the one or more delayed-ignition balls, dropping the actuated one or more delayed-ignition balls from the UAV onto the site of the prescribed burn;

wherein the ignition system comprises a motor-controlled hatch configured to open and close to allow delayed-ignition balls to fall into the ignition system, and the motor-controlled hatch is controlled by one of the one or more motors, and wherein the control system is configured to use the sensor system to monitor the motor-controlled hatch for successful opening and to cease actuating a next delayed-ignition ball in response to detecting an unsuccessful opening of the motor-controlled hatch.

2. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the ignition system comprises a needle and the one or more motors comprises an ignition motor, and wherein actuating the one or more delayed-ignition balls comprises puncturing, using the ignition motor, the one or more delayed-ignition balls with the needle and injecting, through the needle, the one or more delayed-ignition balls with a chemical to initiate a chemical reaction for ignition.

3. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the one or more motors comprises a first motor for feeding a delayed-ignition ball from the container into the ignition system, a second motor for positioning the delayed-ignition ball against an actuator, and a third motor for actuating the actuator to trigger ignition of the delayed-ignition ball.

4. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the sensor system comprises one or more motor encoders or one or more limit switches, or both, for the one or more motors, and wherein the operations comprise monitoring the sensor system for successful operation of the ignition system.

5. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the control system comprises an ambient air temperature sensor, and wherein the operations comprise monitoring the ambient air temperature sensor and navigating the UAV based on monitoring the ambient air temperature sensor.

6. The UAV of claim 5 , wherein navigating the UAV based on monitoring the ambient air temperature sensor comprises one or more of: detecting a higher temperature and flying the UAV to a lower temperature to protect the UAV; and altering an ignition path and flying the UAV along the altered ignition path based on monitoring the ambient air temperature.

7. The UAV of claim 5 , wherein the ambient air temperature sensor comprises an array of thermal sensors configured to detect a temperature gradient in the ambient air of the UAV.

8. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the container is attached to a top of the UAV, the ignition system is attached to the UAV below the container.

9. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the ignition system is detachably attached to the UAV, and wherein the operations comprise causing the ignition system to detach from the UAV in response to detecting an abnormal condition.

10. The UAV of claim 1 , wherein the UAV weighs 55 lbs or less and is less than two feet long in at least one dimension.

11. A method performed by a control system of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:
causing, using an aerial propulsion system of the UAV, the UAV to fly to a site of a prescribed burn;
while flying over the site of the prescribed burn, autonomously controlling an ignition system of the UAV for actuating one or more delayed-ignition balls of a plurality of delayed-ignition balls stored in a container of the UAV, wherein the ignition system comprises one or more motors and a sensor system configured for monitoring the one or more motors, and wherein autonomously controlling the ignition system comprises monitoring the ignition system using the sensor system, wherein the ignition system comprises a motor-controlled hatch configured to open and close to allow delayed-ignition balls to fall into the ignition system, and the motor-controlled hatch is controlled by one of the one or more motors, and wherein autonomously controlling the ignition system comprises using the sensor system to monitor the motor-controlled hatch for successful opening;
after actuating the one or more delayed-ignition balls, dropping the actuated one or more delayed-ignition balls from the UAV onto the site of the prescribed burn; and
ceasing actuating a next delayed-ignition ball in response to detecting an unsuccessful opening of the motor-controlled hatch.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the ignition system comprises a needle and the one or more motors comprises an ignition motor, and wherein actuating the one or more delayed-ignition balls comprises puncturing, using the ignition motor, the one or more delayed-ignition balls with the needle and injecting, through the needle, the one or more delayed-ignition balls with a chemical to initiate a chemical reaction for ignition.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the one or more motors comprises a first motor for feeding a delayed-ignition ball from the container into the ignition system, a second motor for positioning the delayed-ignition ball against an actuator, and a third motor for actuating the actuator to trigger ignition of the delayed-ignition ball.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the sensor system comprises one or more motor encoders or one or more limit switches, or both, for the one or more motors, and wherein the method comprises monitoring the sensor system for successful operation of the ignition system.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the control system comprises an ambient air temperature sensor, and wherein the method comprises monitoring the ambient air temperature sensor and navigating the UAV based on monitoring the ambient air temperature sensor.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein navigating the UAV based on monitoring the ambient air temperature sensor comprises one or more of: detecting a higher temperature and flying the UAV to a lower temperature to protect the UAV; and altering an ignition path and flying the UAV along the altered ignition path based on monitoring the ambient air temperature.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the ambient air temperature sensor comprises an array of thermal sensors configured to detect a temperature gradient in the ambient air of the UAV.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the container is attached to a top of the UAV, the ignition system is attached to the UAV below the container.

19. The method of claim 11 , wherein the ignition system is detachably attached to the UAV, and wherein the operations comprise causing the ignition system to detach from the UAV in response to detecting an abnormal condition.

20. The method of claim 11 , wherein the UAV weighs 55 lbs or less and is less than two feet long in at least one dimension.

21. A system comprising:
an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV

Assignees

• Nutech Ventures

Inventors

• Detweiler Carrick
• Elbaum Sebastian
• Higgins James
• Laney Christian
• Allen Craig
• Twidwell Dirac
• Beachly Evan Michael

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• B64U2101/47

  for fire fighting · CPC title

• A62C3/025 Primary

  Fire extinguishing bombs; Projectiles and launchers therefor (launching apparatus for projectiles, missiles or torpedoes in general F41F1/00, F41F3/00, F41F7/00) · CPC title

• B64D1/02

  Dropping, ejecting, or releasing articles (jettisonable fuel reservoirs B64D37/12) · CPC title

• B64D1/16

  Dropping or releasing powdered, liquid, or gaseous matter, e.g. for fire-fighting (jettisoning fuel B64D37/26) · CPC title