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US 9,740,208 B2Granted
UAV-based sensing for worksite operations
AssigneeDeere & Company
InventorsRamanathan Sugumaran, Noel W. Anderson, Bradley J. Hitchler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sensor senses an attribute of a worksite at a location that is geographically spaced from a corresponding mobile machine. An operation is performed at the location, based upon the sensed attribute. An action signal is generated based on the effect data. An unmanned aerial vehicle communicates effect data, indicative of an effect of the operation at the location, to the mobile machine. The action signal can be used to control worksite operations.
Claims20
A mobile machine, comprising:
- a controllable mechanism that performs an operation on a worksite as the mobile machine travels over the worksite in a direction of travel;
- a communication system that receives attribute data indicative of a sensed attribute of a location of the worksite, and that receives effect data indicative of an effect of the operation on the location of the worksite rearward of the mobile machine in the direction of travel, after the controllable mechanism has performed the operation at the location, the communication system receiving the effect data from a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), over a communication link between the first UAV and the mobile machine;
- and
- a control system that controls the controllable mechanism based on both the attribute data and the effect data.
1 more element
A computer implemented method, comprising:
- receiving attribute data indicative of a sensed attribute of a location of a worksite, forward of a mobile machine in the direction of travel, generating a prescribed operation indicator, indicative of a prescribed operation to perform at the location, based on the attribute data;
- controlling, using a controller, a controllable mechanism, coupled to the mobile machine, to perform the prescribed operation at the location of the worksite, based on the prescribed operation indicator;
- receiving, over a communication link, from a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), effect data indicative of an effect of the operation on the location of the worksite after the controllable mechanism has performed the operation at the location;
- and
- generating, using the controller, an action signal to perform an action based on both the attribute data and on the effect data.
2 more elements
A mobile machine system, comprising:
- a first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV);
- a second UAV;
- and
- a mobile machine, comprising:
- a controllable mechanism that performs an operation on a worksite, as the mobile machine moves over the worksite in a direction of travel;
- and
- a control system that receives, from the first UAV, attribute data indicative of an attribute of the worksite sensed by the first UAV at a location forward of the mobile machine in the direction of travel, the control system generating a prescribed operation to perform at the location and controlling the controllable mechanism to perform the operation at the location based on the prescribed operation, the control system receiving effect data from the second UAV indicative of an effect of the operation performed at the location after the operation has been performed at the location, and generating an action signal based on both of the received attribute data and the effect data.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.