US 12,420,123 B2
Fire suppression and ignition with unmanned aerial vehicles
Carrick Detweiler, Lincoln, NE (US); Sebastian Elbaum, Lincoln, NE (US); James Higgins, Lincoln, NE (US); Christian Laney, Papillion, NE (US); Craig Allen, Crete, NE (US); Dirac Twidwell, Lincoln, NE (US); and Evan Michael Beachly, Lincoln, NE (US)
Assigned to NUtech Ventures, Lincoln, NE (US)
Filed by NUtech Ventures, Lincoln, NE (US)
Filed on Jun. 28, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/360,027.
Application 17/360,027 is a continuation of application No. 15/768,768, granted, now 11,045,672, previously published as PCT/US2016/057350, filed on Oct. 17, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/242,485, filed on Oct. 16, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2021/0322805 A1, Oct. 21, 2021
Int. Cl. B64U 101/47 (2023.01); A62C 3/02 (2006.01); B64D 1/02 (2006.01)
CPC A62C 3/025 (2013.01) [B64D 1/02 (2013.01); B64U 2101/47 (2023.01); B64U 2201/10 (2023.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method performed by a control system of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:
actuating, using an ignition system of the UAV, one or more delayed-ignition balls of a plurality of delayed-ignition balls stored in a container of the UAV over a site of a prescribed burn and dropping the actuated one or more delayed-ignition balls from the UAV onto the site of the prescribed burn;
while flying over the site of the prescribed burn, generating a temperature map of at least a portion of the site of the prescribed burn; and
navigating, using the aerial propulsion system, the site of the prescribed burn using the temperature map, wherein navigating the site of the prescribed burn using the temperature map comprises detecting a higher temperature and flying the UAV to a lower temperature to protect the UAV, and
wherein navigating the site of the prescribed burn using the temperature map comprises developing a new ignition pattern by altering an ignition path to keep the UAV over an unburned area of the site of the prescribed burn.