How Drones Use Temperature Maps to Safely Start Controlled Fires
A system for drones to drop ignition balls for controlled burns while using thermal sensors to navigate away from dangerous heat and optimize fire patterns.
Original patent title: “Fire suppression and ignition with unmanned aerial vehicles”
A system for drones to drop ignition balls for controlled burns while using thermal sensors to navigate away from dangerous heat and optimize fire patterns. Granted to NuTech Ventures Inc in 2025 with 11 claims.
Key facts
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a drone equipped with a specialized ignition system that carries and drops delayed-ignition balls to start controlled fires. The drone uses an onboard control system to generate a real-time temperature map of the area below it. This map allows the drone to navigate autonomously, specifically by detecting high-heat zones and steering the drone toward cooler air to prevent damage. It also uses this data to adjust its flight path, ensuring the drone stays over unburned areas while carrying out its ignition mission.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover ground-based vehicles or manned aircraft used for fire ignition.
- Does not cover fire suppression methods that do not involve dropping ignition balls.
- Does not cover drones that lack the ability to generate and navigate via a temperature map.
- Does not cover non-autonomous ignition systems that require manual pilot input for every drop.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
What made this novel
The drone doesn't just drop fire starters; it uses the fire's own heat signature to create a dynamic navigation map, treating the fire as a sensor input to actively avoid self-destruction.
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Autonomous forest management drones
Prescribed burn ignition systems
Wildfire mitigation UAVs
Why it matters
The bigger picture
Controlled burns are essential for forest management and wildfire prevention, but they are historically dangerous for human crews on the ground or in helicopters. This technology automates the process, removing humans from the immediate vicinity of the fire while providing a safer, more precise way to manage fuel loads in dense or remote terrain.
Filed
June 28, 2021
Granted
September 23, 2025
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
NuTech Ventures, the technology transfer office for the University of Nebraska, holds this patent. The research originated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's drone lab, which has been a leader in applying robotics to ecological and agricultural fire management.
Market impact
This patent formalizes a shift toward robotic fire management, potentially reducing the insurance and safety costs associated with manual prescribed burns. It provides a clear framework for drone manufacturers to integrate specialized ignition payloads into standard UAV platforms for government and forestry agencies.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a drone equipped with a specialized ignition system that carries and drops delayed-ignition balls to start controlled fires. The drone uses an onboard control system to generate a real-time temperature map of the area below it. This map allows the drone to navigate autonomously, specifically by detecting high-heat zones and steering the drone toward cooler air to prevent damage. It also uses this data to adjust its flight path, ensuring the drone stays over unburned areas while carrying out its ignition mission.
The clever bit
The drone doesn't just drop fire starters; it uses the fire's own heat signature to create a dynamic navigation map, treating the fire as a sensor input to actively avoid self-destruction.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover ground-based vehicles or manned aircraft used for fire ignition.
- Does not cover fire suppression methods that do not involve dropping ignition balls.
- Does not cover drones that lack the ability to generate and navigate via a temperature map.
- Does not cover non-autonomous ignition systems that require manual pilot input for every drop.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Early stage
Citation count
0/40
No citations yet
Claim breadth
7/20
Moderate scope
Recency
20/20
Granted within 5 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$16K – $52K
Midpoint $32K · 15.0 yr remaining · industry ×0.9
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
The original legal language
Original claims
11 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Twidwell, D., Elbaum, S., Laney, C., Allen, C., Detweiler, C., Higgins, J., & Beachly, E. M. (2025). How Drones Use Temperature Maps to Safely Start Controlled Fires (U.S. Patent No. 12,420,123). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12420123/raptor-efficiency
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Drones Use Temperature Maps to Safely Start Controlled Fires cover?
A system for drones to drop ignition balls for controlled burns while using thermal sensors to navigate away from dangerous heat and optimize fire patterns.
Who owns patent US 12420123?
NuTech Ventures Inc owns this patent, granted in 2025.
When does this patent expire?
This patent is expected to expire on September 23, 2045, when the invention enters the public domain.
What problem does this patent solve?
Controlled burns are essential for forest management and wildfire prevention, but they are historically dangerous for human crews on the ground or in helicopters. This technology automates the process, removing humans from the immediate vicinity of the fire while providing a safer, more precise way to manage fuel loads in dense or remote terrain.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover ground-based vehicles or manned aircraft used for fire ignition.
Patent monitoring