100 may be configured as a single-rotor helicopter or a fixed wing, hybrid vertical takeoff and landing aircraft.

As shown in FIG. 2, the UAV 100 may include various components that permit the UAV 100 to take off and fly relative to one or more agricultural implements. Specifically, in several embodiments, the UAV 100 may include a body or frame 102 that supports a propulsion system 104. For example, in one embodiment, the propulsion system 104 may include four motors 106 (two are shown in FIG. 2), with each motor 106 coupled to the body 102 via a support arm 108. Each motor 106 may, in turn, be configured to rotationally drive an associated propeller 110. Additionally, the UAV 100 may include a plurality of legs 112 configured to support the body 102 relative to a surface, such as when the UAV 100 is at landed position. However, in alternative embodiments, the propulsion system 104 may have any other suitable configuration. For example, the propulsion system 104 may include fewer or more than four motors 106 and associated propellers 110.

Moreover, in several embodiments, the UAV 100 may include a location sensor 204 positioned therein. In general, the location sensor 204 may be configured to determine the current location of the UAV 100 using a satellite navigation positioning system (e.g., a GPS system, a Galileo positioning system, the Global Navigation satellite system (GLONASS), the BeiDou Satellite Navigation and Positioning system, and/or the like). In such an embodiment, the location determined by the location sensor 204 may be transmitted to a computing system (e.g., in the form of coordinates) and stored within the computing system's memory for subsequent processing and/or analysis. For instance, the determined location of the UAV 100 may be used to guide the UAV to the agricultural implement(s) from its home or current position and then relative to the agricultural implement(s) as the UAV 100 flies along the flight path(s). Additionally, or alternatively, a guiding sensor different from location sensor 204 and mounted on the UAV 100 may be utilized to guide the UAV 100 relative to the agricultural implement(s) as the UAV 100 flies along the flight path. For example, the guiding sensor may be utilized to guide the UAV 100 relative to the agricultural implement(s) as the UAV 100 flies along the flight path during loss of satellite signal of the location sensor 204. The guiding sensor may correspond to the operating condition sensor 56 or any other suitable sensor mounted on the UAV 100.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2, the UAV 100 includes the operating condition sensor 56 mounted or otherwise supported on the UAV 100. In general, the operating condition sensor 56 may be configured to generate data indicative of the operating condition(s) of the agricultural implement(s) (e.g., the agricultural implement(s) 12) as the UAV 100 flies relative to the agricultural implement(s) along a flight path (e.g., the flight path 34). For example, the operating condition sensor 56 may be configured to generate data indicative of a plugged condition of one or more ground-engaging tools, such as a plugged condition of one or more of the disk blade assemblies 46 of the agricultural implement(s) 12, as the UAV 100 flies relative to the agricultural implement(s) 12 at the first flight position 36 of the flight path 34.

Additionally, as shown in FIG. 2, the UAV 100 includes a component status sensor 58 mounted or otherwise supported on the UAV 100. In general, the component status sensor 58 may be configured to generate data indicative of the status of the component(s) of the agricultural implement(s) (e.g., the agricultural implement(s) 12) as the UAV 100 flies relative to the agricultural implement(s) along a flight path (e.g., the flight path 34). For example, the component status sensor 58 may be configured to generate data indicative of the status (e.g., wear, damage, and/or absence) of one or more ground-engaging tools, such as one or more of the disk blade assemblies 46 of the agricultural implement(s) 12, as the UAV 100 flies relative to the agricultural implement(s) 12 at the second flight position 38 of the flight path 34. As will be described below, a computing system may be configured to monitor the data received from the operating condition sensor 56 and identify an inspection point on the agricultural implement(s) and control the UAV 100 to move and maintain a flight position adjacent to the inspection point such that the component status sensor 58 of the UAV may monitor the data indicative of the status of the component(s) at the inspection point. Based on the component status sensor 58 data, the computing system may determine that the component(s) are worn, damaged, or missing.

Additionally, in several embodiments, the operating condition sensor 56 may be configured as a first acoustic sensor configured to receive sound emitted from the agricultural implement(s) 12 indicative of the operating condition of the agricultural implement(s) 12. For example, the operating condition sensor 56 may be configured as any suitable directional microphone, such as a stereo directional microphone, an omnidirectional microphone, and/or the like. However, in alternative embodiments, the operating condition sensor 56 may correspond to any other suitable type of acoustic sensor. As such, the operating condition sensor 56 may generate data indicative of the operating condition(s) of the agricultural implement(s) 12 based on the received sound. Moreover, the data generated by the operating condition sensor 56 may include data corresponding to a direction of the sound(s) generated by the agricultural implement(s) 12, which may be used to identify the inspection point on the agricultural implement(s) 12 and/or a specific component of the agricultural implement(s) 12 which is generating the sound(s). Additionally, the data generated by the operating condition sensor 56 may include data corresponding to the amplitude, frequency, pitch, and/or intensity of the sounds, which may be used, for example, by the computing system, to determine the operating condition(s), such as whether the ground-engaging tool(s) of the agricultural implement 12 are plugged and the severity of the plugging.

Likewise, in several embodiments, the component status sensor 58 may be configured as a second acoustic sensor configured to receive sound emitted from the component(s) of the agricultural implement(s) 12 indicative of the status of the component(s). For example, the component status sensor 58 may be configured as any suitable directional microphone, such as a stereo directional microphone, an omnidirectional microphone, and/or the like. However, in alternative embodiments, the component status sensor 58 may correspond to any other suitable type of acoustic sensor. As such, the component status sensor 58 may generate data indicative of the status of the component(s) based on the received sound. Additionally, the data generated by the component status sensor 58 may include data corresponding to the amplitude, frequency, pitch, and/or intensity of the sounds, which may be used, for example, by the computing system, to determine whether the component(s) at the inspection point is worn, damaged, or missing. For example, when the component(s) at the inspection point is worn, damaged, or missing, the data generated by the component status sensor 58 may correspond to amplitude, frequency, pitch, and/or intensity of the sounds from undesired vibrations produced as a result of worn, damaged, or missing components.

Alternatively, the operating condition sensor 56 may be configured as a vision-based sensor, such as an imaging device. For example, the imaging device may correspond to a stereographic camera configured to capture three-dimensional images of the agricultural implement(s) 12. In other embodiments, the imaging device may correspond to a monocular camera configured to capture two-dimensional images of the agricultural implement(s) 12. However, in alternative embodiments, the imaging device may correspond to any other suitable sensing device configured to capture images or image-like data, such as a LIDAR sensor or a RADAR sensor.

Furthermore, the component status sensor 58 may be configured as a vision-based sensor, such as an imaging device. For example, the imaging device may correspond to a stereographic camera configured to capture three-dimensional images of the component(s) at the corresponding inspection point. In other embodiments, the imaging device may correspond to a monocular camera configured to capture two-dimensional images of the component(s) at the corresponding inspection point. However, in alternative embodiments, the imaging device may correspond to any other suitable sensing device configured to capture images or image-like data, such as a LIDAR sensor or a RADAR sensor.

It should be appreciated that the UAV 100 may include any suitable number of sensors configured to monitor the operating condition(s) and/or the status of the component(s) of the agricultural implement(s) 12 or any other suitable kind of agricultural implement(s). For example, the UAV 100 may include a single sensor, such as a single sensor configured as an acoustic sensor, for monitoring the operating condition(s) and for monitoring the status of the component(s) of any suitable agricultural implement. Additionally, the operating condition and component status sensors 56, 58 described above may be configured as any other suitable kind of sensor configured to monitor the operating condition(s) and the status of the component(s) of the agricultural implement(s) 12 or any other suitable kind of agricultural implement(s).

Furthermore, the operating condition and component status sensors 56, 58 may be installed at any suitable location(s) on the UAV 100 that allow the operating condition and component status sensors 56, 58, respectively, to monitor the operating condition(s) and the status of the component(s) of the agricultural implement(s) 12 or any other suitable kind of agricultural implement(s). For example, in some embodiments, the operating condition sensor 56 and/or the component status sensor 58 may be mounted on the underside of the body 102 of the UAV 100. However, in alternative embodiments, the operating condition sensor 56 and/or the component status sensor 58 may be installed at any other suitable location(s) on the UAV 100 or on any other suitable kind of UAV tethered to the agricultural implement 10 or any other suitable kind of agricultural implement.

It should be further appreciated that the configuration of the UAV 100 described above and shown in FIG. 2 is provided only to place the present subject matter in an exemplary field of use. Thus, it should be appreciated that the present subject matter may be readily adaptable to any manner of UAV configuration.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a schematic view of one embodiment of a system 200 for detecting worn, damaged, or missing agricultural implement components is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. In general, the system 200 will be described herein with reference to the agricultural implement 12 and the UAV 100 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. However, it should be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the disclosed system 200 may generally be utilized with agricultural implements having any other suitable implement configuration and UAVs having any other suitable UAV configuration.

As shown in FIG. 3, the system 200 includes the components of the UAV 100, such as the propulsion system 104, the location sensor 202, the location sensor 204, the operating condition sensor 56, and the component status sensor 58.

Additionally, the system 200 includes a computing system 208 communicatively coupled to one or more components of the agricultural implement(s) 12, agricultural vehicle(s) 10, and/or the UAV 100 to allow the operation of such components to be electronically or automatically controlled by the computing system 208. For example, the computing system 208 may be communicatively coupled to the operating condition sensor 56 and the component status sensor 58 of the UAV 100 via a communicative link 210. As such, the computing system 208 may be configured to receive data from the operating condition sensor 56 indicative of the operating condition of the agricultural implement(s) 12. Likewise, the computing system 208 may be configured to receive data from the component status sensor 58 indicative of the status of the component(s), such as the disk blade assemblies 46, on the agricultural implement(s) 12. Moreover, the computing system 208 may be communicatively coupled to the location sensor(s) 202 of the agricultural vehicle(s)/implement(s) 10/12 and/or the location sensor 204 of the UAV 100 via the communicative link 210. Thus, the computing system 208 may be configured to receive location data from the location sensors 202, 204 that is indicative of the locations of the agricultural vehicle(s)/implement(s) 10/12 and/or the UAV 100. Furthermore, the computing system 208 may be communicatively coupled to the engine 24 and/or the transmission 26 of the agricultural vehicle(s) 10 and/or the propulsion system 104 of the UAV 100 via the communicative link 210. In this respect, the computing system 208 may be configured to control the operation of the engine 24 and/or transmission 26 of the agricultural vehicle(s) 10, for example, to adjust the ground speed of the agricultural implement(s) 12. Moreover, the computing system 208 may be configured to control the operation of the propulsion system 104 of the UAV 100, for example, to move the UAV 100 from one flight position to another flight position. In addition, the computing system 208 may be communicatively coupled to any other suitable components of the agricultural vehicle(s)/implement(s) 10/12 and/or the UAV 100.

In general, the computing system 208 may comprise any suitable processor-based device known in the art, such as a given controller or computing device or any suitable combination of controllers or computing devices. Thus, in several embodiments, the computing system 208 may include one or more processor(s) 212 and associated memory device(s) 214 configured to perform a variety of computer-implemented functions. As used herein, the term “processor” refers not only to integrated circuits referred to in the art as being included in a computer, but also refers to a controller, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller (PLC), an application specific integrated circuit, and other programmable circuits. Additionally, the memory device(s) 214 of the computing system 208 may generally comprise memory element(s) including, but not limited to, a computer readable medium (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), a computer readable non-volatile medium (e.g., a flash memory), a floppy disc, a compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), a magneto-optical disc (MOD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), and/or other suitable memory elements. Such memory device(s) 214 may generally be configured to store suitable computer-readable instructions that, when implemented by the processor(s) 212, configure the computing system 208 to perform various computer-implemented functions, such as one or more aspects of the methods and algorithms that will be described herein. In addition, the computing system 208 may also include various other suitable components, such as a communications circuit or module, one or more input/output channels, a data/control bus and/or the like.

It should be appreciated that the computing system 208 may correspond to an existing computing system(s) of the agricultural implement 12, the agricultural vehicle 10, and/or the UAV 100, itself, or the computing system 208 may correspond to a separate processing device. For instance, in one embodiment, the computing system 208 may form all or part of a separate plug-in module that may be installed in association with the agricultural implement 12 and/or the agricultural vehicle 10 to allow for the disclosed systems to be implemented without requiring additional software to be uploaded onto existing control devices of the agricultural implement 12 and/or the agricultural vehicle 10. It should also be appreciated that the various functions of the computing system 208 may be performed by a single processor-based device or may be distributed across any number of processor-based devices, in which instance such devices may be considered to form part of the computing system 208. For instance, the functions of the computing system 208 may be distributed across multiple application-specific controllers or computing devices, such as a UAV-based controller, an agricultural vehicle-based controller(s) (e.g., an engine controller), an agricultural site-based computing device(s) (e.g., a server in an agricultural field house/office, a remote or offsite computing device(s) (e.g., a computing device(s) in a server farm), and/or the like.

In some embodiments, the system 200 may also include a user interface 216. More specifically, the user interface 216 may be configured to provide feedback from the computing system 208 (e.g., notifications associated with status, such as wear, damage, or absence, of the component(s) of the agricultural implement(s) 12). As such, the user interface 216 may include one or more feedback devices (not shown), such as display screens, speakers, warning lights, and/or the like, that are configured to provide feedback from the computing system 208. In this respect, the user interface 216 may be communicatively coupled to the computing system 208 via the communicative link 210 to permit the received feedback to be transmitted from the computing system 208 to the user interface 216. In one embodiment, the user interface 216 may be positioned within an agricultural field house or office. However, in alternative embodiments, the user interface 216 may positioned/mounted at any other suitable location.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of one embodiment of example control logic 300 that may be executed by the computing system 208 (or any other suitable computing system) for detecting worn, damaged, or missing agricultural implement components is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present subject matter. Specifically, the control logic 300 shown in FIG. 4 is representative of steps of one embodiment of an algorithm that can be executed to detect worn, damaged, or missing agricultural implement components without the need for the operator(s) to perform visual inspection of the agricultural implement(s). Moreover, when it is determined that the component(s) of an agricultural implement(s) is worn, damaged, or missing, the control logic 300 can be executed to initiate one or more control actions that reduce the amount of time the operator is not performing an agricultural operation. Thus, in several embodiments, the control logic 300 may be advantageously utilized in association with a system installed on or forming part of an agricultural implement(s) or a UAV to allow for real-time detecting of worn, damaged, or missing agricultural implement components without requiring substantial computing resources and/or processing time. However, in other embodiments, the control logic 300 may be used in association with any other suitable system, application, and/or the like for detecting worn, damaged, or missing agricultural implement components.

As shown in FIG. 4, at (302), the control logic 300 includes controlling the propulsion system of the UAV to maintain the UAV at a first flight position relative to the agricultural implement. Specifically, as mentioned above, the computing system 208 may be communicatively coupled to the propulsion system 104 via the communicative link 210. As such, the computing system 208 may control the propulsion system 104 of the UAV 100 to maintain the UAV 100 at a first flight position 36 relative to the agricultural implement 12.

For example, in some embodiments, the computing system 208 may control the propulsion system 104 of the UAV 100 to maintain the UAV 100 at a first flight position 36 relative to the agricultural implement 12 based on received data from location sensors 202, 204. As mentioned previously, in several embodiments, the UAV 100 includes the location sensor 204 configured to capture data indicative of the location of the UAV 100, and the agricultural implement 12 includes the location sensor 202 configured to capture data indicative of the location of the corresponding agricultural implement 12. Also mentioned previously, the computing system 208 is communicatively coupled to the location sensors 202, 204 via the communicative link 210. As such, the computing system 208 may receive data (e.g., coordinates) indicative of the location of the agricultural implement 12 from the location sensor 202 and/or data indicative of the location of the UAV 100 from the location sensor 204. As such, the first flight position 36 of the UAV 100 may be located at a predetermined position (e.g., to allow the UAV 100 to monitor the operating condition(s) of the agricultural implement 12) relative to the agricultural implement 12. Additionally, the computing system 208 may be configured to control the propulsion system 104 of the UAV 100 to maintain the UAV 100 at the predetermined position when the received data from the location sensors 202, 204 indicates that the UAV 100 is at the predetermined position.

Furthermore, at (304), the control logic 300 includes receiving data generated by an operating condition sensor supported on the UAV indicative of the operating condition of the agricultural implement. Specifically, as mentioned above, in several embodiments, the computing system 208 may be communicatively coupled to the operating condition sensor 56 supported on the UAV 100