US 12,449,409 B2
Emissions estimate model algorithms and methods
Brendan James Smith, Lakeway, TX (US); Anders Andelman Nottrott, Santa Barbara, CA (US); and Andrew David Aubrey, Austin, TX (US)
Assigned to SeekOps Inc., Austin, TX (US)
Appl. No. 16/972,156
Filed by SeekOps Inc., Austin, TX (US)
PCT Filed Jun. 19, 2019, PCT No. PCT/US2019/038011
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Dec. 4, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/246280, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 26, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/687,147, filed on Jun. 19, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0255158 A1, Aug. 19, 2021
Int. Cl. G01N 33/00 (2006.01); B64D 47/00 (2006.01); B64U 10/14 (2023.01); B64U 101/26 (2023.01); B64U 101/35 (2023.01); H04L 5/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/0062 (2013.01) [B64D 47/00 (2013.01); H04L 5/0044 (2013.01); B64U 10/14 (2023.01); B64U 2101/26 (2023.01); B64U 2101/35 (2023.01); B64U 2201/104 (2023.01); B64U 2201/20 (2023.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system, comprising:
a processor having addressable memory, the processor configured to determine an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) flight path of a UAV, wherein the UAV flight path is a raster grid pattern flight path, wherein the UAV flight path is downwind of a trace-gas source, wherein the UAV flight path forms a flight plane substantially perpendicular to an average wind direction, and wherein the UAV is configured to fly the determined UAV flight path that is determined by the processor; and
one or more trace-gas sensors mounted on the UAV and configured to measure a trace-gas released from the trace-gas source while the UAV flies the determined flight path and generates a trace-gas data packet, wherein the trace-gas data packet comprises a trace-gas concentration data along the determined UAV flight path and a location data for the one or more trace-gas sensors, wherein the location data is obtained from a location sensor, and wherein the location data for the trace-gas sensor comprises a trajectory of the trace-gas sensor in space;
wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive the trace-gas data packet;
receive at least one Meteorological data packet from one or more weather stations, each weather station configured to generate a Meteorological data packet comprising weather data, wherein the Meteorological data packet corresponds to each trace-gas data packet generated along the determined UAV flight path;
combine the trace-gas data packet with a selected spatial and temporal Meteorological data packet;
determine a trace-gas emission rate of the trace-gas source based on the combined trace-gas data packet and the selected Meteorological data packet, wherein determining the trace-gas emission rate further comprises:
converting formats of concentrations in the trace-gas concentration data along the determined UAV flight path, from volumetric concentrations to mass concentrations;
multiplying the mass concentrations in the flight plane by the corresponding wind speed at each height; and
forming a mass flux through the flight plane by integrating the multiplicated values over the entire flight plane; and
display the determined trace-gas emission rate of the trace-gas source on a map.