AU2014100500A4 - Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed for remote agricultural livestock inspections and electronic fence testing - Google Patents

Abstract

Eric O'Bryan Peck, 2014 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed for remote agricultural livestock inspections and electronic fence testing Abstract A fixed wing Unmanned aerial vehicle platform, equipped to carry out remote property condition inspections; electronic fence condition inspections visually and using radio frequency transmitters and airborne receiver; damn and water storage level inspections (visually); and, accounting for livestock and plotting location both visually and by utilising Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or data tag check in. The UAV will be capable of fully autonomous flight through GPS waypoint navigation, autonomous take off and landing, with a backup first person view (FPV) flight mode. The UAV platform is to be based on a powered fixed wing aeroplane, a rotary wing helicopter or multi rotor design. Primarily the platform will be powered commercially available electric and carbon fuel based power sources. The UAV would be controlled from home base by VHF/UHF radio data link, or Satellite based Communication (SATCOM), depending on range required. Data and video feed can be viewed live or recorded and viewed on return at the ground station.

Description

Eric O'Bryan Peck, 2014 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) designed for remote agricultural livestock inspections and electronic fence testing Description and breakdown of technology required * Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) o Existing technology. m All components including the autopilot system, communication system, power system, flight control system, engine system and power source are all existing technology off the shelf (2014). m Petroleum engine powered or electrically powered with high powered batteries. - Commercially available HD cameras m Gimbal gyro stabilisation for steady image (commercially available, 2014) " Panning front mounted camera for FPV " Navigation * Preselected waypoint GPS navigation (commercially available, 2014) * Option for datalink to enable in-flight re-tasking (commercially available, 2014) * Points selectable by a maps overview, click to select function (commercially available, 2014) o Control / communication - Digital VHF, UHF, or SATCOM used to communicate with a centrally located home station (existing technology, 2014) m Autopilot system with integrated GPS (existing technology, off the shelf) o Livestock accountability m Visual location through HD cameras (commercially available, 2014) m RFID Data-tag wireless check-in (existing technology, 2014) * Each animal would be fitted with a unique RFID tag, capable of identifying that animal. The UAV would be programmed to fly in a pattern over a given property, and checking in each RFID tag as it flies in the vicinity of the tag; plotting its position and time. The onboard RFID tag processor would collect the information, and be transmitted back to the home station by VHF/UFH or SATCOM datalink by the main communication processing unit installed on the UAV. All Items are commercially available off the shelf. - Fence inspection * Radio frequency emitters connected in series onto electronic fence lines (commercially available transmitters, 2014) o If a fence is electrified, the transmitter emits a signed which can be picked up by the UAV (commercially available processor and receiver antenna, 2014) 1 Eric O'Bryan Peck, 2014 o The UAV logs which signals it receives, and transmits the data back to the ground station (commercially available processor and communication unit, as above, 2014) o Active and inactive fences can be distinguished according to which radio emitters were detected. 2