Development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Precision Cattle Ranching

每年，许多不列颠哥伦比亚省的牧场主在找回牛/小牛对时遇到困难，并花费大量人力寻找丢失的牛。将探索新的方法来成功地探测牛，甚至可能通过无人驾驶飞行器在范围内收集和移动动物。我们将为养牛业开发配备射频识别（RFID）天线的无人驾驶飞行器（uav），该天线能够快速检测具有超高频（UHF）RFID耳标的牛的位置。该项目将展示数据的价值和质量，动物对车辆的耐受性，以及集成无人机/超高频射频识别系统在改善广泛放牧系统中肉牛管理方面的价值。我们将测试携带射频天线的最佳机型。飞行路径要么是用航路点软件预先编程，要么是手动飞行。将被测试的系统的一些功能包括：高度和距离限制、返航、自动起飞、自动防撞，以及飞行器对牛的现场检测的准确性。此外，包括多光谱成像和红外热像仪在内的附加机载传感器的价值将在无人机上进行测试。最后，我们将确定与无人机多旋翼系统在牛耳中使用的UHF-RFID标签的最佳类型。我们在不列颠哥伦比亚省戈尔登的行业合作伙伴将提供场地和牛，以展示这项技术。成功与否将取决于无人机通过射频识别从空中成功识别牛的位置，同时成功将位置与机载GPS匹配，并通过视频下行链路由无人机对牛进行视觉确认。此外，我们将通过机载专用相机使用多光谱图像，通过对测绘飞行期间收集的图像进行数据处理，对范围和牧场进行评估。

Every year many British Columbia ranchers experience difficulty in retrieving cow/calf pairs off range, andspend tremendous manpower looking for lost cattle. New methods will be explored for the successful detectionof cattle, and potentially even gathering and moving the animals on range, by unmanned aerial vehicles. Wewill develop for the cattle industry unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are equipped with Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) antennae that are able to quickly detect the location of cattle that have ultra highfrequency (UHF)RFID ear tags. The project will demonstrate the value and quality of the data, the tolerance ofthe animals to the vehicles, and the value of the integrated UAV/UHF-RFID system for improved managementof beef cattle in extensive grazing systems. We will test the best type of craft to carry the radio-frequencyantennae. Flight paths will be either pre-programmed with waypoint software or flown manually. Some of thesystems' features, which will be tested, include: height and distance limits, return-to-home, auto-takeofflanding, automated collision avoidance, along with the accuracy of field detection of cattle by the craft. Inaddition, the value of additional on board sensors including multi spectral imaging and infrared thermographywill be tested on the unmanned aerial vehicles. And finally, we will determine the best type of UHF-RFID tagto use in the cattle ears with the UAV multi-rotor system. Our industry collaborator in Golden, BritishColumbia will provide the site locations and cattle in order to demonstrate this technology. Success will bedetermined by successfully identifying the location of cattle from the air via radio frequency identification bythe UAV, along with successfully matching the location to the GPS on board the craft and visual confirmationof cattle by the UAV via video down-link. In addition, we will use multi spectral imagery via a specializedcamera on board to do range and pasture assessment through data-processing of images collected duringmapping flights.