Development Trend of Agricultural UAV Technology Based on Patent Analysis

In recent years，global patent applications of agricultural UAV technology have continued to grow at a high speed every year.In the global ranking of applicants，the top 10 are all Chinese applicants with Chinese companies and universities far ahead.Patents applied are mainly for operation management，which is closely connected with application scenarios of agricultural UAV.In order to study development trend of agricultural UAV technology，patent applications after 2009 in field of agricultural UAV technology were analyzed.Characteristics of patent activities of agricultural UAV technology were revealed from perspectives of overall trend，geographical distribution，main competitors，and technical composition，and development trend of agricultural UAV technology was revealed from patent perspective.Resulted showed that agricultural UAV technology was in stage of technological development，and prospects were promising.In the next few years，number of patent applications related to agricultural UAV technology and number of applicants will still maintain a high growth trend.Overseas deployment，raising awareness of patent protection has become the focus.Study results could provide reference for development of agricultural UAV industry.