Transformable Drone with Four Propellers for Agricultural Use

Abstract

A transformable drone with four propellers is applicable for farmers to identify weeds that grow in farmland areas efficiently. When such a drone flies in the small mode, it can easily maneuver between tall crops or small barns, increasing its agility. When the drone flies in the large mode, the efficiency of flight increases, and less energy is required. By adding a camera that contains algorithms to distinguish crops and weeds, farmers could effectively identify weeds and apply herbicides accurately, which saves time and prevents potential pollution caused by herbicide overuse. The drone uses a parallelogram structure that connects the four mechanical arms carrying the propellers, so all mechanical arms can simultaneously turn in the same direction. Two more mechanical arms attach the parallelogram structure and the flight control, which is placed at the center of the drone body. When the steering engine fixed below the flight control spins, the whole structure and the flight control also turn in the same direction as the structure to maintain routine flight. Later experimentation proved that the novelty of a turning instead of fixed flight control could support flight with transformation in midair. The wingspan of the drone could be shortened by approximately 50% when turned to small mode. In floating and flying tests, the large mode shows a remarkable advantage in battery efficiency and velocity within the tested period. However, the camera technology used to identify weeds must be fixed and perfected.