US 12,490,691 B2Granted

Method and system for remote or autonomous cutting a ligno trunk

AssigneeAirforestry AB

InventorsMarkus Romar, Olle Gelin, Mauritz Andersson

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for remote and/or autonomous cutting at least a portion of a harvested ligno trunk, at least a portion of a ligno trunk to be harvested, at least a portion of a ligno trunk during harvesting or at least a portion of a ligno trunk during transporting, said system comprising: a remotely and/or autonomously controlled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (100), UAV, means for cutting at least a portion of a ligno trunk attachable to said UAV, means for detecting at least a portion of a ligno, means for detecting at least one ligno parameter of at least a portion of a ligno and/or at least one growing condition of at least a portion of a ligno, a base station (120) for communication with said UAV, and means configured for selecting at least one cutting position on at least a portion of a ligno trunk depending on the at least one detected ligno parameter and/or the at least one detected growing condition of at least a portion of a ligno.

Claims56

Dependent claims

A system (10) for remote or autonomous cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk, said system (10) comprising:

at least one remotely or autonomously controlled Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (100), UAV,
at least one means for cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk attachable to or integrated with said at least one UAV,
at least one means for detecting at least a portion of a tree,
at least one means for detecting at least one tree parameter of at least a portion of a tree or at least one growing condition of at least a portion of a tree,
at least one base station (120) for communication with said at least one UAV,
at least one means configured for directing said at least one means for cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk through a selected cutting position or a certain point in time or with a certain speed through said tree trunk depending on the at least one detected tree parameter or the at least one detected growing condition of at least a portion of a tree,
wherein:
said at least one means for cutting is configured for transporting by said at least one UAV at least once to at least a portion of a tree trunk to be cut by said at least one means for cutting or is configured for transporting by said at least one UAV at least once away from a cut at least a portion of a tree trunk by said at least one means for cutting or is configured for attaching to said at least one UAV at least once during a cut of at least a portion of a tree trunk by said at least one means for cutting,
said cut is at least one selected cutting position,
said at least one means for cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk is providing at least one cut on said tree trunk for directly or indirectly separating a first portion of at least a portion of a tree trunk from a second portion of a tree trunk, at least said first portion of a tree trunk being configured to fall in a predetermined direction due to at least said at least one cut,
said cutting position is selected for minimizing a time for indirectly or directly separating a first portion of a tree trunk from a second portion for one or a plurality of trees or for minimizing the time for transporting said at least one means for cutting to or from at least a plurality of trees to be cut, and
said means for cutting is configured to cut said selected cutting position at a certain point in time depending on tree parameter(s) or growing conditions.

9 more elements

A method for remotely or autonomously cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk, said method comprising the steps of:

controlling remotely or autonomously at least one Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, UAV, operating remotely or autonomously at least one means for cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk, detecting at least a portion of a tree of which the trunk is to be cut, detecting at least one tree parameter of said at least a portion of a tree or at least one growing condition of said at least a portion of a tree or detecting at least one tree parameter or at least one growing condition of at least one tree grown within a predetermined distance from said at least a portion of a tree,
directing said at least one means for cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk through a selected cutting position or a certain point in time or with a certain speed through said tree trunk depending on at least one detected tree parameter or at least one detected growing condition of said cut portion of a tree trunk or of a remaining portion of a tree trunk or of at least one tree grown within a predetermined distance from said cut portion of a tree or tree to be cut by said means for cutting,
transporting said means for cutting by said at last one UAV to said at least a portion of a tree trunk to be cut or away from said cut at least a portion of a tree trunk or attaching said means for cutting to said at least one UAV at least once during a cut of said at least a portion of a tree trunk, wherein said cut is one of said selected cutting positions, and
providing by said at least one means for cutting at least a portion of a tree trunk at least one cut on said tree trunk for separating a first portion of a tree trunk from a second portion of a tree trunk, at least said first portion of a tree trunk is configured to fall in a predetermined direction due to at least said at least one cut,
wherein:
said means for cutting is configured to cut said selected cutting position depending on tree parameter(s) or growing conditions,
said first portion of said tree trunk is configured due to said at least one cut to fall at a certain point in time, and
said means for cutting are configured to cut said selected cutting position a certain point in time depending on tree parameter(s) or growing conditions.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.