Agricultural crop analysis drone
A method and system utilizing one or more agricultural drones in combination with agricultural equipment, e.g., an agricultural boom sprayer, to evaluate the crops being farmed, and to improve the real-time delivery and dispensing of liquid from the sprayer including monitoring and verifying that the liquid is being dispensed correctly and/or in accordance with a desired distribution pattern or level.
1. A method for agricultural farming, the method comprising:
collecting information specific to a plurality of crops at a first agricultural drone; and
transmitting the collected information in real-time from the first agricultural drone to an agricultural vehicle traversing the plurality of crops, the first agricultural drone operating independently from the agricultural vehicle;
receiving, by the agricultural vehicle, the collected information from the first agricultural done in real-time;
adjusting, in real-time, by the agricultural vehicle at least one operation of the agricultural vehicle using the received collected information from the first agricultural drone; and
wherein the agricultural vehicle is a boom sprayer, the first agricultural drone is flying in a position in advance of the agricultural vehicle, and the adjusting, in real-time, by the boom sprayer includes a leveling of the boom sprayer wherein the leveling is achieved independent of any information collected by one or more sensors resident on the boom sprayer.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
collecting information specific to the plurality of crops from a second agricultural drone, the second agricultural drone flying in a position in back of the agricultural vehicle; and
transmitting the collected information in real-time from the second agricultural drone to the agricultural vehicle traversing the plurality of crops.
3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:
receiving, by the agricultural vehicle, the collected information from the second agricultural done in real-time; and
adjusting, in real-time, by the agricultural vehicle at least one operation of the agricultural vehicle using the received collected information from the second agricultural drone.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein the adjusting by the boom sprayer includes an adjustment to a rate of dispensing a liquid from the boom sprayer.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the liquid is one of water, fertilizer and crop protection chemicals.
6. The method of claim 5 wherein the collected information from the second agricultural drone includes a measurement of the liquid being dispensed by the agricultural vehicle on the plurality of crops.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the adjusting by agricultural vehicle includes an adjustment of a rate of dispensing the liquid based on the measurement.
8. The method of claim 1 wherein the collected information includes image data of at least one of an elevation of the field, a contour of the field, a topology of the field, and a plurality of crops.
9. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting the collected information is over a cellular network.
10. The method of claim 1 wherein the flying of the first agricultural drone and the traversing of plurality of crops by the agricultural vehicle occur substantially contemporaneously.
11. The method of claim 2 wherein the flying of the second agricultural drone and the traversing of plurality of crops by the agricultural vehicle occur substantially contemporaneously.
12. A method for agricultural farming, the method comprising:
collecting information specific to a plurality of crops at a first agricultural drone; and
transmitting the collected information in real-time from the first agricultural drone to an agricultural vehicle traversing the plurality of crops, the first agricultural drone operating independently from the agricultural vehicle;
receiving, by the agricultural vehicle, the collected information from the first agricultural done in real-time;
adjusting, in real-time, by the agricultural vehicle at least one operation of the agricultural vehicle using the received collected information from the first agricultural drone; and
analyzing, at the first agricultural drone, the collected information to identify individual crops of the plurality of crops suffering from drought or under-fertilization.