Aerial agricultural management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776717-B2
Application number	US-201514873399-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2015
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

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 tak

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Spinelli Charles B
• Vian John Lyle

Classifications

• B64U70/30

  for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net · CPC title

• B64U2201/20

  Remote controls · CPC title

• B64F1/007

  Helicopter portable landing pads · CPC title

• A01B79/005

  Precision agriculture · CPC title

• B60P3/11 Primary

  for carrying aircraft · CPC title