CN112278299A - Multifunctional unmanned aerial vehicle equipment and method for plant pollination, farm and forest management - Google Patents

Abstract

A first drone equipped with an array of high-energy directional ultrasonic parametric speakers and a second drone equipped with a sonophoresis cannon are used to extinguish a wildfire. The first drone is remote from the burning flame, but close to the fire target. Both drones are guided by GPS to communicate with the remote operator. Once the target is locked, the first drone bombards the target with amplitude modulated ultrasonic waves. When the ultrasonic waves encounter a hot flame that is rich in charged ions, the ultrasonic waves self-demodulate to low frequency audio sounds. The reduced frequency sound rapidly pushes the flame forward and backward away from the combustion source, disconnecting the combustion source from the flame, so that the flame is immediately cooled and extinguished. The second drone bombards the flammable source with a powerful acoustic shock wave, further dispersing the still hot particles to prevent the source from being re-ignited.

Description

Multifunctional unmanned aerial vehicle equipment and method for plant pollination, farm and forest management

Background

Extinguishing fires is often risky and, to combat forest fires, surrounded by thousands of acres of combustible fuel for combustion, is a complete additional thing. Wildfires are inherently an unpredictable natural force. Wildfires can cross highways, generate wind itself, and move at a faster rate than humans can run.

Fire requires three elements to sustain itself: heat-oxygen-fuel. Absent any of these elements, the fire itself would extinguish. Air typically contains 21% oxygen. If the percentage of oxygen present in the air is less than 11%, the combustion process does not sustain the fire, which is a physical principle. Fire extinguishers are made to destroy one or more of the three elements by suppressing oxygen, or by covering a fire with a layer of powder or foam, or by cooling the combustible fuel.

However, in open environments, wildfires most often occur in hot and dry summer months, where water is difficult to obtain. Fire trucks often cannot reach their target in the wilderness, and therefore any fire extinguisher, fire truck, is useless. If not, the wildfire continues to burn until all combustible fuel is consumed.

Thus, aerial watering and fire retardants are often called upon to extinguish wildfires. This is a very dangerous activity because there are no air traffic controllers to guide the pilot and the dense smoke fills the sky, greatly reducing its visibility.

On the other hand, in most wildfires, dispatching ground firefighters to the vicinity of wilderness targets appears to be a suicide task. The present invention provides a more advanced solution to dealing with wildfires and fires that are generally inaccessible.

Disclosure of Invention

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVD) includes an acoustic wave generator configured to direct acoustic waves directly onto a flame source to extinguish a flame by compressional and rarefaction waves configured to push and pull the flame faster than the combustible source can maintain the flame in contact with each other. The UAVD additionally includes a sonic controller configured to control the sonic generator to generate a frequency for extinguishing fires, a harmonic frequency for pollinating plants by vibration, a harmonic frequency for interfering with hail formation, a harmonic frequency for interfering with pests, rodents, and subterranean pests. The UAVD also includes a control and communication module that includes an electronic Central Processing Unit (CPU), a wireless communication unit, an electronic camera and audio a/V unit, and a bus configured to interconnect all drone modules. The UAVD further includes a navigation module including a set of 360-degree obstacle avoidance sensors and a positioning unit (GPS) configured to autonomously guide the drone in flight to avoid obstacles.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVD) methods include directing sound waves through a sound wave generator onto a combustion source to extinguish a flame through compressional and rarefaction waves configured to push and pull the flame faster than the combustible source is able to maintain the flames in contact with each other. The method further includes controlling the sound waves by a sound wave controller configured to generate a frequency for extinguishing a fire, a harmonic frequency for pollinating plants by vibration, a harmonic frequency for interfering with hail formation, a harmonic frequency for interfering with pests, rodents, and subterranean pests. The method additionally includes controlling communication of the UAVD by a control and communication module including an electronic Central Processing Unit (CPU), a wireless communication unit, an electronic camera and audio a/V unit, and a bus configured to interconnect all drone modules. The method also includes navigating the UAVD by a navigation module including a set of 360-degree obstacle avoidance sensors and a positioning unit (GPS) configured to autonomously guide the drone in flight to avoid the obstacle.

Other aspects and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrated by way of example of the principles disclosed herein.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an illustration of a fire-fighting drone system including an array of directional parametric ultrasonic speakers and an acoustic shock wave annular vortex sound diffusing cannon to extinguish fires from a distance in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1A is a composite audio wave that mixes two ultrasonic waves to produce a heterodyne effect, according to embodiments of the disclosure.

Fig. 1B is an ultrasonic frequency modulation of an audio signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1C is an ultrasonic carrier frequency according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 1D is a fire-fighting drone system for use as a portable fire extinguisher according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 1E is an alternative fire-fighting drone system using a generic audio horn mountable on a drone, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a dual-drone fire fighting system operating in a push-pull bridge configuration with two self-demodulating audio waves tuned out of phase to improve fire control effects in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2A is an amplitude modulated ultrasonic wave according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2B is a pulse width modulated ultrasonic wave according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2C is an illustration of a left drone and a positive phase compression wave pushing a flame to the right, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 2D is an illustration of a right drone pushing a flame to the left and a positive compression wave, the flame oscillating too fast and the combustion source being unable to catch up with the flame motion causing the fire to extinguish, in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 2E is a conventional parametric speaker for listening to music or for crowd control during a disturbance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a drone system including an air horn for compressed air and an electromagnetic speaker horn for generating high pressure planar sound waves according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3A is a compressed air driven planar acoustic horn for repelling pests from plants and extinguishing small fires in close proximity in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3B is a voice coil driven electromagnetic plane wave speaker horn for repelling pests from plants and extinguishing small fires at close distances in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is an infrasonic drone that may operate by adjusting a high pressure propeller and an undershoot air flow to generate infrasonic waves for repelling underground agricultural pests, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4A is a conventional infrasonic wave generator.

FIG. 4B illustrates a method of generating infrasonic waves by adjusting the pitch angle on the fan blades as the fan rotates in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a plant pollinator drone that mimics a visiting bee to cause the plant to release its pollen, through a vibrating curtain made by sweeping over the leaves of the plant, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5A is a side view of a vibrating curtain assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5B is a curtain rod vibrating a blade upon an energized motion according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Fig. 5C shows a pollinator drone moving and imparting vibration to plants according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5D is a vibrator module driven by an audio signal through a voice coil similar to a speaker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a hail cannon drone according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, equipped with combustible gas, driving the cannon through a powerful acoustic shock wave that destroys the formation of the cloud to prevent hail.

Fig. 6A is an illustration of a schematic view of a shock wave in conjunction with formation of a vortex ring according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 6B is a side view of a moving vortex ring traveling at 200 miles per hour (330km) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of various functions performed by the present disclosure, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Throughout the description, similar and identical reference numerals may be used to identify similar and identical elements in the several embodiments and figures. Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is to be defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Description of reference numerals:

20. camera, 22, antenna, 23, obstacle avoidance sensor, 50, motor, 51, propeller, 52, drone housing, 53, drone structure holder, 54, motor shaft, 55, charged outer screen, 56, charged inner screen, 59, high voltage shielding cage, 320, pulse width modulated waveform PWM, 350, directional music sound system, 351, directional sound speaker, 352, ultrasonic transducer, 354, mixer, 355, audio input, 356, ultrasonic input, 357, music listener, 358, self-tuning audio, 13, winged insect, 1, drone support leg, 19, conductive tip for recharging drone battery, 610, vibrating screen magnet, 602, vibration direction, 669, vibrating screen coupling plate, 667, audio signal input lead, 656, mounting hole with curtain rod.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated herein, and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated herein, which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure, are to be considered within the scope of the invention.

The term "heterodyne" throughout this disclosure refers to the generation of a lower frequency audio wave or beat from the difference of two waves of compressed air and sparse air. The terms "infrasonic waves" and "ultrasound waves" refer to compressional and rarefaction waves that are slower and greater than the range of human hearing, respectively. The term "diffraction limit" refers to the minimum angular separation of two sound sources that can be distinguished on the sound wave according to the wavelength of the sound shock wave produced by heterodyne.

Sound propagates in air as longitudinal waves. If the width of the wave front is much larger than the wavelength, the acoustic wave is directional. In fig. 1E, speaker 221 is shown, speaker 221 having a throat 222 that is 8 inches (20cm) wide, a horn neck 223 of speaker 221 having a length of 178 inches (453cm) and a horn mouth 224 of speaker 221 having a length of 134 inches (340 cm). These dimensions produce a nominally directed wavefront at a frequency of 50 hertz. As the sound waves are dissipated in the air, it is important to have the source of the sound waves as close as practically possible to the desired target, and therefore to have drone transmissions.

In the present disclosure, sound waves are utilized to extinguish fires from relatively large distances for safety. With the above example calculated by physical principles, it is impractical to use the ordinary horn 220 of fig. 1E.

Therefore, ultrasound is used to extinguish fires. The ultrasound waves move directly towards the target in a much narrower beam and diffuse audio waves do not follow the inverse square law. The wavelength of the ultrasonic waves is much smaller-about 0.34 inches (8.5 millimeters) at 40 kHz-so a reasonably sized speaker will produce a directed wave front. In addition, the ultrasonic waves cause cavitation of the water, creating micro-bubbles and scattering mist in the burning environment.

Fig. 1 is an illustration of a fire-fighting drone system including an array of directional parametric ultrasonic speakers and an acoustic shock wave annular vortex sound diffusing cannon to extinguish fires from a distance in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 1 includes a drone 10, the drone 10 incorporating a high power (preferably 500 watts to several kilowatts) directional speaker 210, the directional speaker 210 bombarding a flame 299 of a room 278, the directional speaker 210 including an ultrasonic array 215 having a plurality of individual ultrasonic transducers 230. An ultrasonic wave W1240, superimposed with a frequency modulated ultrasonic wave W2250, encounters the house 278 in its path, producing a new sound wave 260 or beat of reduced audio from the heterodyne effect, which is the difference of the two waves. Low frequencies in the range of 50 to 100 hz are more effective.

FIG. 1A is a composite audio wave that mixes two ultrasonic waves to produce a heterodyne effect, according to embodiments of the disclosure. The sound waves 260 cause the flame 299 to oscillate forward and backward at high rates of fluctuation, causing the ionized flame 299 to separate from its combustible source and cool rapidly, thereby extinguishing the fire. Although the fire has been extinguished, the combustible source is still hot. The second drone 10 integrated with the acoustic diffusion cannon 280 comprises a horn neck 285 and a combustion chamber 281. The combustion gas canister 283 delivers gas to the chamber 281 through a hose 282. When the gas is detonated, the swirling acoustic shock wave 288 strikes the bell mouth 284 at a velocity of 200MPH (330km), further dispersing the still hot embers. Thus, the dispersed embers lower the ember temperature and prevent the combustible source from reigniting. The gas 270 may be acetylene or the like.

Fig. 1B is an ultrasonic frequency modulation FM of an audio signal according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Waveform W2 is modulated onto an audio frequency and produces wave 250. The cycles of higher and lower frequencies effect compression and decompression to produce shock waves for extinguishing fires.

Fig. 1C is an ultrasonic carrier frequency according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The audio wave of fig. 1A is modulated onto a fixed frequency carrier 240 to produce a frequency modulated wave for fire control.

The system 200 is lightweight and, as shown in fig. 1D, a firefighter, emergency responder, or even the general public can hand operate the system 200 to extinguish a ground fire with some description included according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The override mechanism is also used to manually operate various functions of the drone without radio or electromagnetic wave control.

Fig. 1E is an alternative fire-fighting drone system using a generic audio horn mountable on the drone, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The audio horn 220 includes a diaphragm 221, a throat 222, a neck 223, and a mouth 224. The audio horn generates wave interference capable of performing operations including resonance, pollination, and air blocking at a distance.

Referring to fig. 2, a fire fighting dual drone system operates in a push-pull bridge configuration and two self-demodulating audio waves are tuned out of phase to improve fire control effectiveness, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The dual system employs drones 300 and 360. The dual drone system connects drones 300 and 360 by radio to ensure that the two synthetic audio waves 380 are out of phase and achieve maximum force to manipulate the motion of flame 399. The system drone 300 includes an ultrasonic speaker array 315 and an ultrasonic transducer 330. The system drone 360 includes a speaker array 375 and an ultrasonic transducer 390. The two system drones 300 and 360 hover in opposite directions to aim at house 378.

Fig. 2A is an amplitude modulated AM ultrasound wave according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It is the amplitude of the AM wave 310 that is modulated rather than the frequency. The presence of other amplitude modulations depends on the nature of the interference expected from the drone. Figure 2B is a pulse width modulated ultrasonic wave according to an embodiment of the present invention.

During the positive cycle, the sound waves 380 are as shown in fig. 2C, fig. 2C being an illustration of a left drone pushing a flame to the right and a positive phase compressional wave, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The compressed air creates a higher pressure wave W3310 that pushes the flame 399 toward the low pressure, sparse air created by the counter wave W3370. In the next half-cycle, the wave 380 and flame 399 directions reverse, as shown in FIG. 2D, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The combustible source 388 cannot keep up with the rapidly oscillating flame 399 and the fire is extinguished.

Fig. 2E is a conventional parameter wave 358 for listening to music or for crowd control during a disturbance according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It has been found long ago that when short pulses of ultrasonic waves are transmitted into the water and then into the air due to the nonlinear air impedance as the sound propagates, the ultrasonic waves 353 naturally self-demodulate into audio sound 358, as shown in fig. 2E. Ideally, ultrasonic waves are used to bombard fire targets from a distance, allowing self-demodulated low frequency audio sound waves to extinguish the burning fire. Further, the directional parametric ultrasonic speaker array included in the fire-fighting drone is rooted to agricultural pests attached to plants, such as caterpillars 277. The idea is to project modulated remote ultrasound waves to the plants infested by caterpillars. The ultrasonic waves self-demodulate into audio waves that fluctuate widely and cause the plant leaves to vibrate. In addition to the audio waves, the residual ultrasound waves can cause the cavities in the caterpillar body to implode. When the bodies of the caterpillars resonate with the frequency of the sound waves, the caterpillars fall to the ground or die.

When a person vigorously shakes the match, he or she removes the flame from its fuel source. When one moves the match very quickly, the fuel source moves faster than the flame can progress. Furthermore, when the fuel source is removed from the flame by a person, the fuel source cools rapidly, and the combustion reaction is no longer sustainable and will not be able to reoccur.

Referring to fig. 3, the air horn drone system includes horns 400 and 450. The air horn 400 includes a vibrating planar diaphragm 410, an air chamber 413, a horn throat 412, and a horn waveguide 420. When compressed air is delivered through the hose 411, the planar diaphragm 410 resonates at a single planar wave frequency 433, and the single planar wave frequency 433 repels pests from plants and serves to extinguish small fires. In some cases, a wide range of vibration frequencies cannot be achieved using the air horn 400. For example, different ground pests respond to different frequencies. The electromagnetic planar speaker horn 450 can provide a wide frequency. The system horn 450 includes a voice coil 460, a planar horn diaphragm 462, a horn waveguide 470, and a frame structure 463. An energized audio signal 461 is fed into the voice coil 460 to produce powerful planar sound waves 455 to perform the same purpose as the system air horn 400.

Fig. 3A is a compressed air driven horn for repelling pests from plants and extinguishing small fires at close distances in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The compressed air horn includes a compressed diaphragm 410, a compressed air hose 411, a compressed air passage 412, a compressed air chamber 413, and a compressed air waveguide 420. The compressed air wave exiting the waveguide has a harmonic with a variable period to repel pests from the plant and to extinguish small fires at long distances.

Fig. 3B is a voice coil driven electromagnetic planar wave speaker horn for repelling pests from plants and extinguishing small fires at close distances in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The loudspeaker horn 450 includes a voice coil 460, an input waveform 461, a flat diaphragm 462, and a frame 463. Audio power amplification plus and minus the lead connections enables higher amplification at higher input power. A large array of parametric directional planar wave generators can be formed by grouping a plurality of planar loudspeaker horns 450. Each plane acoustic wave 455 merges with an adjacent plane wave 455 in air, running straight to its target with minimal attenuation.

Referring to fig. 4, an infrasonic device 500 is mounted to the drone body 10 by a bracket 501 to repel subterranean agricultural pests, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The apparatus 500 includes a throttle body 506, the throttle body 506 housing a throttle plate 505 supported by a throttle shaft 504. The shaft 504 is connected to a shaft driver 507. The speed and direction of movement of the actuator 507 is controlled by an electromechanical transducer 508. The transducer 508 may be a voice coil or a unidirectional motor or a bidirectional motor. When the apparatus 500 is functional, the apparatus 500 hovers near the soil surface. An audio power signal is sent to voice coil motor 508 causing plate 505 to move in the direction indicated by each arrow 503. High pressure down draft wind 502 generated by propeller 51 passes through throttle body 506 and plate 505. The frequency and amplitude of the generated infrasonic waves 510 depend on the input audio signal. Infrasonic waves 510 travel downward (indicated by arrows 511) and impact the ground. Underground small farm pests such as mice, weasels, snakes, centipedes, etc. are known to experience infrasonic waves through the earth in natural disasters and are interpreted as early warnings of escaping the area.

Fig. 4A is an exemplary infrasonic machine 530 driven by a fan motor 531. By varying the pitch 555 of the fan blades 533 as shown in FIG. 4B, the infrasonic frequency 544 is varied. The period λ is also varied by the fan blade 533 pitch.

FIG. 4B illustrates a method of generating an infrasonic wave by adjusting a pitch angle on a fan blade as the fan rotates in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The pitch 555 about the fan blade axis is represented by a double-headed circular arrow. Arrow 545 represents a clockwise rotation, but a counter-clockwise rotation is also used for the reverse pitch 555 on the fan blade.

Referring to fig. 5, a plant pollinator drone 600 includes a vibrating curtain 601 made of blades that sweep across the plant to mimic a visiting bee causing the plant to release its pollen, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The pollinator drone 600 includes a vibrating curtain 601, the vibrating curtain 601 being formed by a plurality of elongated blades 620. Each leaf 620 has a flat reinforcing sheet 621 of spring material laminated between the leaves 620. All of the blades 620 fixed along the shade bar 630 are mounted across the bottom of the drone. The width of the blades 620 is much wider than their body thickness to preclude the blades from tangling with each other and self-forming nodules during operation. Two voice coils 668 operate electromagnetic vibrator modules 644 attached on either end of curtain bar 630. The drone 600 hovers over the plant to gently land the shade blade 620 onto the plant while the drone 600 moves (as shown by arrow 631 of fig. 5C).

Some plants do not release their pollen until the proper mechanical vibration is detected. Voice coil 668 is capable of generating a wide range of mechanical vibrations to match different plants. Fig. 5A is a side view of a fixed curtain blade 620 and fig. 5B is a side view when the blade 620 is in vibratory motion, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The reference numerals used in fig. 5 above refer to the same and similar definitions in subsequent figures. Fig. 5C shows a pollinator drone moving and imparting vibration to plants according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The plant vibrates and spreads the pollen. Fig. 5D is a vibrator module driven by an audio signal through a voice coil similar to a speaker according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The audio signal is electronically amplified and converted to an air-compressed audio signal.

Fig. 6 illustrates a hail cannon drone system 700 equipped with combustible gas, the hail cannon drone system 700 driving a cannon with powerful acoustic shock waves that disrupt cloud formation to prevent hail, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. System 700 includes two hail cannons 780 for better balance during flight. Cannon 780 includes a neck 786, mouth 784, and combustion chamber 781. Gas tank 783 delivers fuel gas 770 through hose 782. The gas may be of any of the types listed in 770, but other gases and the like may be used. Hail cannon drone 700 is in radio connection with a local weather station to track possible hail formation activity at an early stage of hail formation. Once confirmed, the drone system 700 will take off to contact the cloud 710. The drone system 700 bombards the formed cloud 710 by detonating acetylene gas 770 in its combustion chamber 781. Detonated gases rush out of their mouth 784 at one-third the speed of sound and enter the cloud 710. This high velocity acoustic shock wave 788 propels and disperses cloud 710 to prevent the formation of hail.

Fig. 6A illustrates the formation of an acoustic shock wave explosion and rolling vortex ring 789 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. The rolling vortex ring creates a disruptive acoustic vortex at the explosive edge of the expanding shock wave. The rolling swirl ring also forms a travel in the opposite direction in response to the depicted rolling swirl ring.

Figure 6B is a side view illustrating a traveling vortex ring 789, sonic gas flow 799, and shock wave 788 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Like and identical reference numerals used in other figures denote like and similar definitions. Shock wave 788 is defined by disruptive vortices at the edges of shock wave 788. As the initial void 799 travels from the mouth 784, the attenuated shock wave dissipates the initial void 799. The mouth of cannon 784 is shaped to control the formation of vortices and the dissipation of cavitation.

Fig. 7 illustrates a number of functions performed with the present disclosure in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The functions include extinguishing small and large fires, such as forest fires, at long distances and short distances. These functions also include repelling pests from plants, repelling subterranean pests, pollinating plants, preventing hail, and operation of the reverse push-pull type twin drone. The modular assembly includes a mixer for setting ultrasonic waves and setting audio frequencies, a modulated ultrasonic generator, an acoustic diffusion cannon, an ultrasonic generator, a plane wave air horn and an electromagnetic plane speaker horn, an infrasonic generator, a pollinator curtain and a hail cannon.

Because the phase angles of the two synthetic audio waves generated from two opposing drones may not be completely out of phase, the phase angle difference may be changed by one or the other of the two drones. In addition, two or more unmanned aerial vehicles of synchronous radio connection produce the audio frequency wave of self-demodulation with tunable phase place to improve the fire control effect.

The user version of the disclosed fire-fighting drone is housed in a house. When a fire is detected or the owner is controlled through the Wi-Fi connection, the fire-fighting drone automatically takes off to extinguish the fire. Only ultrasonic unmanned aerial vehicle is needed for small fire in the house. Sound diffusing cannons are optional. The combination of ultrasonic unmanned aerial vehicle and acoustic diffusion unmanned aerial vehicle is used for forest wildfire application. The present disclosure describes a high power modulated ultrasonic generator drone that aims at a flame target until the flame is extinguished. The disclosed drone also positions the acoustic diffusion cannon module to bombard the combustible source with acoustic shock waves to prevent reignition of the fire.

The fire-fighting unmanned aerial vehicle queue and the fire-fighting unmanned aerial vehicle array are used for extinguishing large fire. Tens or even hundreds of fire-fighting drones are used to extinguish incandescent fires, including chemical fires and atomic fires. A plurality of fire-fighting drones, preprogrammed and remotely controlled, acting in concert, are able to deliver more powerful sound waves and larger wave fronts and variable frequency waves, overcoming the diffraction limit by varying the distance between drones.

Although the operations of the methods herein are shown and described in a particular order, the order of the operations of each method may be changed such that certain operations may be performed in an inverse order, or such that certain operations may be performed, at least in part, concurrently with other operations. In another embodiment, instructions or sub-operations of different operations may be implemented in an intermittent and/or alternating manner.

Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, the invention is not to be limited to the specific forms or arrangements of parts so described and illustrated. The scope of the invention is defined by the claims included herein and their equivalents or by reference to the related applications.

Claims (19)

1. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVD), comprising:

a sound wave generator configured to direct sound waves from at least one flat diaphragm speaker and a waveguide to produce directional parametric sound waves at a flame source to extinguish a flame by compression waves and rarefaction waves configured to push and pull the flame faster than the combustible source is able to maintain the flames in contact with each other;

a sonic controller module configured to control the sonic generator to generate a frequency for extinguishing fires, a harmonic frequency for pollinating plants by vibration, a harmonic frequency for interfering with hail formation, a harmonic frequency for interfering with pests, rodents, and subterranean pests;

a control and communication module including an electronic Central Processing Unit (CPU), a wireless communication unit, an electronic camera, and an audio A/V unit;

a navigation module comprising a set of 360 degree obstacle avoidance sensors and a positioning unit (GPS) configured to autonomously guide a drone in flight to avoid obstacles; and

a bus configured to interconnect the acoustic wave controller module, the control and communication module, and the navigation module.

2. The unmanned UAVD according to claim 1, further comprising two unmanned UAVDs configured to hover, separate, and bombard modulated ultrasonic beams from opposite directions on the same flame target in a bridge mode push-pull manner to rapidly extinguish a flame.

3. The unmanned UAVD according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of queues and arrays of unmanned UAVDs that hover and are spaced apart to cooperatively bombard a plurality of fire targets with modulated ultrasonic beams in a push-pull manner to extinguish the plurality of fire targets.

4. The unmanned UAVD according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of unmanned UAVDSs that hover and are spaced further apart than the wavelength of the acoustic shock wave to avoid diffraction limits on the same flame target in a bridge mode push-pull fashion to extinguish the flame.

5. The unmanned UAVD of claim 1, wherein the sound wave controller module is configured to generate a new self-demodulating reduced frequency audio wave from a plurality of sound waves.

6. The unmanned UAVD according to claim 1, wherein the acoustic wave generator and acoustic controller module are modular and removable, and configurable into a cartridge format, and are connected to the UAVD in an electro-mechanical docking port.

7. The unmanned UAVD of claim 1, wherein the acoustic controller module is configured to drive the acoustic generator to produce audible sound from the inaudible sound based on the nonlinear and passively demodulated heterodyne effect producing air impedance.

8. The unmanned UAVD of claim 1, further comprising a sound diffusing cannon module comprising a fuel tank of combustible gas configured to detonate and produce an acoustic shock wave and extinguish a fire.

9. The unmanned UAVD according to claim 1, further comprising a planar wave air horn and an electromagnetic planar wave speaker horn configured to repel pests from plants and extinguish fires.

10. The unmanned UAVD of claim 1, wherein the sound generator comprises at least one flat diaphragm speaker assisted by a plurality of rectangular waveguides, the sound generator configured to generate a planar sound wave through at least one voice coil and the flat diaphragm.

11. An unmanned UAVD according to claim 10, wherein the sound generator comprises an array of planar diaphragm loudspeakers and waveguides designed to generate directional parametric sound waves.

12. The unmanned UAVD of claim 1, wherein the sonic generator generates an annular vortex shockwave and a destructive sonic vortex by the shape of the sonic generator horn.

13. The unmanned UAVD according to claim 1, further comprising a vibrating curtain of elongated blades attached to a rod that causes the rod to vibrate via at least one electromechanical voice coil, the blades of the vibrating curtain configured to sweep across the plant to mimic a visiting bee, thereby causing the plant to release its pollen.

14. The unmanned UAVD of claim 1 further comprising a sonic throttle valve body and a sonic throttle plate configured to sonically modulate the high velocity air flow from the UAVD and to generate a subterranean pest dislodging sonic shock wave by hovering near the ground surface.

15. A method of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAVD) comprising:

generating, by an acoustic wave generator, a directionally parametric acoustic wave on a flame source directly through a waveguide from at least one flat-diaphragm speaker to extinguish a flame by a compression wave and a rarefaction wave, the compression wave and the rarefaction wave configured to maintain the flames in contact with each other faster than pushing and pulling the flames than the combustible source can maintain the flames in contact with each other;

controlling sound waves by a sound wave controller configured to generate a frequency for extinguishing fires, a harmonic frequency for pollinating plants by vibration, a harmonic frequency for interfering with hail formation, a harmonic frequency for interfering with pests, rodents, and subterranean pests;

controlling communication of the UAVD through a control and communication module, the control and communication module comprising an electronic Central Processing Unit (CPU), a wireless communication unit, an electronic camera and an audio A/V unit;

navigating the UAVD through a navigation module comprising a set of 360-degree obstacle avoidance sensors and a positioning unit (GPS) configured to autonomously direct a drone in flight to avoid an obstacle: and

the acoustic wave controller module, the control and communication module and the navigation module are interconnected by a bus.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising bombarding the combustible source with an acoustic shock wave through the acoustic diffusion cannon to prevent a fire reignition.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising demodulating the ultrasonic waves from the sound waves into audio waves having variable frequencies and variable amplitudes to cause pests including caterpillars to die based on the body's resonance with the frequencies of the sound waves.

18. The unmanned UAVD of claim 1, wherein the acoustic wave generator comprises an acoustic wave transducer array designed to generate a directional parametric acoustic wave array.

19. An unmanned UAVD according to claim 1, wherein the unmanned UAVD, after removal of the interconnected modules, is handheld in operation as a fire extinguisher by including a flat diaphragm speaker and waveguide array.

Images