POST-EARTHQUAKE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM

Abstract

The invention relates to a modular system developed for the detection and reporting of structural damage in buildings following an earthquake. The system comprises structural system sensor nodes containing a three-axis accelerometer, digital inclinometer, and crack detection sensor; a central control unit with an AI-based edge computing module that processes sensor data using data fusion; and a redundant emergency communication module. The system generates a structural condition assessment after an earthquake and transmits the acquired information to relevant users and institutions via LoRaWAN and / or satellite communication infrastructures.

Description

1 TARIFF POST-EARTHQUAKE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE ASSESSMENT AND AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY SYSTEM NOTIFICATION SYSTEM TECHNICAL AREA 5 The invention relates to building health monitoring systems, earthquake engineering, and the Internet of Things. (IoT) based building automation, edge computing technologies, and emergency telemetry. It relates to earthquake systems. The invention specifically addresses earthquake systems in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. structural deformations, bendings and Real-time detection, classification, and notification of crack formations to the relevant person. or structural damage after an earthquake that is automatically reported to institutions It is related to the detection and emergency notification system. STATE OF THE ART Structural health monitoring systems are now mostly used in bridges, viaducts, 15 in large-scale engineering structures such as dams and high-rise buildings These systems typically send accelerometer data to central servers. is being transferred and the structural condition is being assessed as a result of expert engineer evaluations. It is determined. A significant portion of existing systems only provide seismic acceleration data. is evaluating the permanent damage occurring in the load-bearing system elements. It cannot analyze deformations, bending, and crack formation together. In addition, current solutions are dependent on energy and communication infrastructure. It is working. GSM communication is disrupted and the internet is down after severe earthquakes. 25 in case of connection interruption or city grid outage The systems are unable to perform their functions. Furthermore, in current systems, the location of structural damage within the building, the nature of the damage... The earthquake cannot be determined at the level of the floor or structural element where it occurred. There are no local or autonomous decision-making mechanisms regarding the risks that arise afterwards. Therefore, a central 30 where structural damage can be determined using multiple sensor data. energy and communication can be evaluated locally without being dependent on a server. It can operate even when its infrastructure is damaged and the data obtained is transmitted to the relevant person. And new systems are needed that can communicate this to institutions. 2 THE TECHNICAL PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED The safety of structures must be assessed quickly and accurately after an earthquake. This assessment is critically important in terms of reducing loss of life and property. However, the building health monitoring systems used today are generally large-scale. Developed for engineering structures, it is suitable for residential buildings and the general building stock. It has various technical shortcomings in terms of practicality. A significant portion of the systems used in the current state of the art are only It measures seismic acceleration and triggers an alarm if certain threshold values ​​are exceeded. These systems produce permanent structures that occur in load-bearing system elements. bending, plastic deformations, micro or macro crack formation, and structural 10 It cannot directly determine the true level of damage. Therefore, the earthquake... Afterwards, it was determined whether the building was actually damaged and which load-bearing elements were damaged. where it occurred and whether the structure is safe for use. Insufficient information is being generated on this subject. In addition, existing systems are generally centralized server or cloud 15 It operates dependent on its infrastructure. Energy after severe earthquakes. damage to infrastructure, disruption of internet connections or GSM communication If the networks become inoperable, these systems are unable to transmit data. and largely lose their functions. This situation is particularly pronounced immediately after a disaster. Subsequently, search and rescue teams and relevant institutions will prioritize which structures will be the top 20. This makes it difficult to determine if intervention is needed. Current solutions also consider the location of structural damage within the building. There are also significant shortcomings in determining which floor the damage is on. The inability to determine on which facade or in which supporting element the occurrence occurred, This reduces the effectiveness of intervention processes and decisions regarding building safety. 25 This causes delays. On the other hand, existing building monitoring systems, earthquake autonomous decision-making that can prevent secondary disaster risks that may occur afterwards It does not have the mechanisms to prevent gas leaks, electrical fires, or other similar incidents. Automatic protection measures cannot be implemented for similar hazards, therefore earthquakes Additional security risks may arise subsequently. 30 In this context, the main technical problem that needs to be solved is; after the earthquake. Real-time detection of damage occurring in the load-bearing systems of structures. It can detect and assess the level of damage by evaluating both dynamic and static structural data. capable of automatically classifying, determining the location of damage, via the internet or 3 It can operate locally without needing a central server connection, and it saves energy. and able to continue operating even when communication infrastructures are damaged The damage information obtained is automatically sent to building residents and authorized disaster management units. The goal is to develop a modular, reliable, and low-cost system capable of transmitting data. However, another technical problem that needs to be solved is the detection of earthquake aftermath. Gas and electricity lines are automatically switched off depending on the level of damage incurred. exclusion, creation of evacuation warnings, and thus the risk of secondary disasters The goal is to create an integrated emergency management infrastructure that enables the reduction of casualties. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 10 The invention concerns the use of residential, commercial, and industrial buildings during and after earthquakes. the actual structural deformations, bendings and crack formations that occur timely detection, evaluation and automatic notification to relevant individuals or institutions. It relates to a modular system that enables it to be reported as such. Furthermore, the invention is currently available. Easily integrated into buildings and new projects, even if energy and communication lines are cut off, 15 even capable of locally assessing damage and reporting it through emergency networks It is a system for detecting structural damage after an earthquake and for automated emergency notification. Through invention;  Continuously inspecting the main load-bearing elements of the building (columns, beams, connection points) Seismic 20 by monitoring both dynamic (acceleration) and static (slope, crack) parameters. real-time collection of the effects of waves on the structure,  The collected multi-sensor data is displayed at the edge within the central control unit. by processing with local machine learning algorithms running in the IT module, Structural damage is marked "Undamaged" without needing an internet or server connection. Instantly classifying vehicles as "Slightly Damaged", "Moderately Damaged" and "Heavy Damaged" 25  On which floor, facade, or at which coordinate of the building is the damage located? pinpointing where the occurrence occurred on the load-bearing element,  Integrated battery management system even if the main grid power is cut off after an earthquake. Continuing to operate with the system; cellular even if GSM / internet lines collapse. Infrastructure-independent LoRaWAN or direct satellite communication protocols 30 Damage reports are submitted to AFAD, fire department, and municipality via redundant emergency lines. to deliver this information to disaster management centers and building residents.  When a moderate or severe damage classification is made, the secondary disaster risks of the building are assessed. Main gas and electricity to prevent (fire, explosion, electric shock). 4 autonomously triggering circuit breakers and indoor audible / visual evacuation signals The processes of starting the systems are being carried out. DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1. Schematic showing the general hardware architecture of the system components. 5 Figure 1. Diagram showing the central control unit and its components. Figure 2. Schematic showing the placement of sensor nodes on the building. Figure 3. Data processing and decision-making between the central control unit and sensor nodes. diagram showing the mechanism REFERENCE NUMBERS OF THE PARTS IN THE FIGURES  100. Central Control Unit 101. Microcontroller / Processor Unit 102. Artificial Intelligence-Based Edge Computing Module o 103. Primary Wireless Communication Module 15 o 104. Redundant Emergency Communication Module 105. Uninterruptible Power Supply and Energy Management Unit o 106. Audible and Visual Evacuation Warning Unit o 107. Actuator and Relay Control Interface  200. Carrier System Sensor Nodes 20 201. Digital Inclinometer o 202. Triaxial Accelerometer o 203. Crack Detection Sensor o 204. Local Transceiver Module  300. Remote Server and User Interface Systems 25 301. Cloud-Based Centralized Server and Database 302. Mobile User Application 303. Authorized Institution Disaster Management Screen DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 30 The invention concerns the detection of structural damage after an earthquake and automatic emergency notification. the system; at least one load-bearing system placed at the strategic load-bearing points of the structure sensor node (200), central control that processes the data obtained from these nodes unit (100) and remote server that transmits the generated damage reports to the relevant remote units and consists of user interface systems (300). At least one carrier system sensor node used within the scope of the invention. (200); to the column-beam connection points of the building, to the load-bearing shear walls and the structure The basement floor load-bearing elements, which are the most critical point in terms of static load distribution, have 5 is fixed. Each carrier system sensor node (200) reduces wiring complexity. To prevent this and to avoid compromising structural integrity, it is independent, modular and wireless. It is designed within a communication structure. Each carrier system sensor node (200); three-axis accelerometer (202), digital inclinometer (201), crack detection sensor (203) and local transceiver module (204) 10 It includes a high G-sensitive triaxial accelerometer (202), which detects what happens during an earthquake. incoming dynamic accelerations, displacement velocities and frequency spectrum X, Y, Z It measures on its axes. Digital inclinometer with gyroscope / tilt sensor (201), permanent tilt changes and angular deviations occurring in load-bearing elements It determines. Also called a piezoelectric acoustic emission sensor, the crack 15 Detection sensor (203) detects micro-level fractures occurring in reinforced concrete structures. It detects acoustic emission signals caused by decomposition and cracking. Crack The sensing sensor (203) detects millisecond microfractures in the carrier elements. It is able to detect and capture high-frequency elastic waves. Local transceiver module (204) transmits the data obtained from these three different sensors using RF protocol 20 or centralized control with low power consumption via BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) It transmits to unit (100). The central control unit (100) is placed in a safe area of ​​the building and the carrier The system sensor node (200) collects the incoming raw data synchronously. Central control unit (100), microcontroller / processor unit (101) and artificial intelligence based edge 25 It includes the information module (102). Microcontroller / processor unit (101), Data fusion process by matching data obtained from sensors with timestamps It performs. Artificial intelligence-based edge computing module (102), seismic acceleration (202) maximum ground acceleration calculated from the data (PGA), digital inclinometer (201) Permanent structural tilt change from data and crack detection sensor (203) 30 By processing the incoming acoustic emission signal intensity together, the structural condition This constitutes an assessment. As a result of this integration, the extent of damage to the structure is locally coded using the following four main codes: It is classified as follows: 6  Undamaged (Green Code): Permanent slope change is below the limits and no acoustic cracks. No anomalies were detected.  Slightly Damaged (Yellow Code): Non-load-bearing elements (plaster, partition wall) Microcracks or subthreshold bending were detected.  Moderately Damaged (Orange Code): Load-bearing element close to limit values ​​5 Deformation and macrocrack signals have been identified in structural elements. The building needs to be evacuated immediately.  Severely Damaged / Risk of Collapse (Red Code): Threatening structural integrity. Severe, persistent bending, large-scale acoustic fracture signals in supporting columns. High-rise displacements have been detected. Emergency evacuation is mandatory. 10 "Medium" or "Heavy" by the AI-based edge computing module (102) When the damage code is generated, the central control unit (100) does not receive any external network commands. It triggers local emergency scenarios without needing to:  The building's main natural gas via the actuator and relay control interface (107) Secondary disaster risks are reduced by sending a cutting signal to the valve and the main electrical switch. It is prevented.  By activating the audible and visual evacuation warning unit (106), the building occupants are informed to evacuate the building. They are allowed to leave safely. In the event that the city's power grid is cut off due to an earthquake, the carrier uninterrupted 20 of the system sensor nodes (200) and central control unit (100) Lithium-ion based uninterruptible power supply and energy management unit for its operation (105) continues to power the system. City communications infrastructure (Wi-Fi, standard fiber / copper) When the lines fail, the primary wireless communication module (103) becomes inactive. At this stage, the microcontroller / processor unit (101) automatically has at least one redundant It activates the emergency communication module (104). This redundant emergency module 25 Communication module (104), long working independently of cellular base stations long-range LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) network protocol or directly Damage report generated using low orbit (LEO) satellite communications equipment. It sends the packet to the remote server (301). The packet that reaches the remote server (301) is the building's its unique ID, geographical coordinates, damage code, and the location where the damage occurred. It includes floor / column location information. This data is available on the authorized institution's disaster management screen (303). It is visualized on the map in real time. In this way, search and rescue teams (AFAD, Fire departments, etc., can report the extent of damage to buildings throughout the city in seconds. It autonomously determines rescue priorities by visual inspection. Simultaneously, the mobile user 7 Through the application (302), the residents are informed about the damage status of the building and the building. You will receive an immediate notification that you should not enter. 10 20 30

Claims

8 REQUESTS 1. Structural damage to residential, commercial, or industrial buildings during and after an earthquake. a modular system for detecting, classifying, and reporting damages and its feature is; 5 - to the column-beam connection points of the structure, to the load-bearing shear walls and to the structure The basement floor load-bearing structure is the most critical point in terms of static load distribution. fixed to its components, it has a three-axis accelerometer (202), digital inclinometer (201), crack detection sensor (203) and local transceiver module (204) containing at least one carrier system sensor node (200), 10 - raw data from the carrier system sensor nodes (200) synchronously collecting data from sensors over time a data fusion process that performs data fusion by matching them with their signatures from microcontroller / processor unit (101) and seismic acceleration (202) data calculated maximum ground acceleration (PGA), digital inclinometer (201) 15 Permanent structural tilt change and crack detection from data. together with the acoustic emission signal intensity from the sensor (203) a functioning AI-based edge computing module (102) central control unit (100), - and long-range LoRaWAN 20 that operates independently of cellular base stations. (Long Range Wide Area Network) network protocol or directly low Damage generated using in-orbit (LEO) satellite communications equipment. At least one redundant emergency report packet that forwards the report packet to the remote server (301). It is characterized by containing the communication module (104).

2. Post-earthquake structural damage assessment and automated emergency notification according to Claim 1 25 It is a system and its feature is that the crack detection sensor (203) is in the carrier elements. capable of detecting millisecond-long microfractures and high-frequency elastic waves. It is characterized by having a piezoelectric acoustic emission sensor that detects acoustic emissions.

3. Structural damage assessment after earthquake and automated emergency notification according to Claim 1. It is a system and its feature is the RF protocol or BLE 30 of the local transceiver module (204). (Bluetooth Low Energy) for low power consumption to the central control unit. (100) It is characterized by being a data transmitting system.

4. Structural damage assessment after earthquake and automated emergency notification according to Claim 1. It is a system and its feature is the structure of the artificial intelligence-based edge computing module (102). 9 Damage extent is classified locally as Undamaged (Green Code), Slightly Damaged (Yellow Code), Moderate. Classified as Damaged (Orange Code) and Severely Damaged / Risk of Collapse (Red Code) It is characterized by its classification.

5. Structural damage assessment after earthquake and automated emergency notification according to Claim 1. It is a system, and its feature is the artificial intelligence-based edge computing module (102) by Medium 5 Damage code: Damaged (Orange Code) or Severely Damaged / Risk of Collapse (Red Code) As soon as it is produced, the actuator and relay control interface (107) connects to the building's main The system sends a cutting signal to the natural gas valve and the main electrical switch. It is characterized by...

6. Post-earthquake structural damage assessment and automated emergency notification according to Claim 10 It is a system whose feature is that it uses audio to allow building occupants to evacuate the building safely. and is characterized by having an activated evacuation warning unit (106) with light.

7. Structural damage assessment after earthquake and automated emergency notification according to Claim 1. It is a system whose feature is that in the event of a city grid power outage, the carrier system uninterrupted operation of sensor nodes (200) and central control unit (100) 15 to include lithium-ion based uninterruptible power supply and energy management unit (105) It is characterized by...

8. Structural damage assessment after earthquake and automated emergency notification according to Claim 1. It is a system whose feature is that the generated damage report package contains the building's unique ID, geographical coordinates, damage code and floor / column 20 where the damage occurred It is characterized by containing location information. 30

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