Material delivery systems and methods
AssigneeFMC Corporation
InventorsXuan Li, Edward Brinton Lang, Mark Jefferson Whitley, Darryl A. Meade
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Described herein is an aerial material delivery system, which includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a material dispensing assembly mounted to the UAV. The material dispensing assembly includes a rotary cartridge defining a plurality of channels extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rotary cartridge, each channel retaining a respective set of tablets therein, an indexing motor configured to index the channels, and a dispenser configured to dispense a single tablet at a time from the rotary cartridge to a target location. Methods of operating such a system are also described.
Claims17
An aerial material delivery system comprising:
- an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);
- and
- a material dispensing assembly mounted to the UAV, the material dispensing assembly comprising:
- a rotary cartridge defining a plurality of channels extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rotary cartridge, each channel retaining a respective set of tablets therein, wherein the rotary cartridge comprises a magazine, the magazine comprising a side wall and a plurality of radially extending walls extending from the side wall, wherein the plurality of channels are defined between respective adjacent ones of the radially extending walls;
- an indexing motor configured to index the channels;
- and
- a dispenser configured to dispense a single tablet at a time from the rotary cartridge to a target location;
- and an end wall having at least one opening therethrough, wherein the opening exposes a channel of the plurality of channels to the dispenser.
A method comprising:
- providing a material dispensing assembly including a rotary cartridge defining a plurality of channels extending parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rotary cartridge, each channel retaining a respective set of tablets therein, an indexing motor configured to index the channels, a dispenser and an end wall having at least one opening therethrough, wherein the opening exposes a channel of the plurality of channels to the dispenser and further wherein the rotary cartridge comprises a magazine, the magazine comprising a side wall and a plurality of radially extending walls extending from the side wall, wherein the plurality of channels are defined between respective adjacent ones of the radially extending walls;
- releasably mounting the material dispensing assembly to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);
- and
- dispensing the tablets from the UAV to a target location using the material dispensing assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.