Overview
This patent describes an integrated autonomous liquid‑delivery system that equips unmanned aerial vehicles to pick up, transport and dispense feed and medicaments to beehive‑mounted recipient stations. Filed on October 30, 2017 and granted on July 21, 2020, the disclosure—by inventors based in Carmel Valley, CA and assigned to an entity in Cedar Park, TX—combines mechanical payload tanks and nozzles, electrical charging and data interfaces, and software controllers and schedulers to enable multi‑stop, precision deliveries without human intervention. The architecture includes a base station that mixes and meters customized payloads, UAV payload assemblies with docking seals and charging adapters, visual and GPS guidance for fine docking, and hive top feeders with level sensing and optional automated flushing for hygiene and accurate dosing. Our firm’s patent drafting highlights claim scope across hardware, control logic and docking interfaces to protect a practical, field‑deployable solution that reduces labor and improves hive health management.
Key Features
- Autonomous UAV pickup and multi‑hive delivery with GPS and vision‑based docking
- Integrated nozzle/charging adapter for simultaneous payload transfer and battery recharge
- Base‑station feed mixing and scheduler for individualized dosing and medicated payloads
- Hive top feeder with level sensing, automated drain/flush and wireless telemetry
- Architecture supports scalable fleet operations and detailed logging for predictive maintenance
This innovation advances precision agritech and autonomous logistics for pollinator health, and has broader applicability to remote liquid‑resupply and targeted delivery markets.
Granted: 2020-07-21
