Drone-based saltwater lithium data collection method, drone used therefor, and computer-readable recording medium

Abstract

The present embodiments provide a drone-based saltwater lithium data collection method, a drone used therefor, and a computer-readable recording medium. A drone including a water collection container and a depth measurement sensor moves, on the basis of assigned work commands, to one or more saltwater ponds that are places in which lithium contained in saltwater is extracted through evaporation and concentration. After arriving at a specific saltwater pond to perform tasks according to the work commands, the drone lowers the water collection container to the surface of saltwater to collect water and lowers the depth measurement sensor to the surface of saltwater to measure the depth of the water while hovering. After completing all of the tasks or in certain situations, the drone moves to a specific location.

Description

Drone-based brine lithium data collection method and drone used therefor, computer-readable recording medium

[0001] The present embodiments relate to a drone-based brine lithium data collection method that can be used when periodically collecting data such as components and water depth in a brine pond, which is a place where lithium contained in brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration, and a drone and computer-readable recording medium used therein.

[0002] The recent explosive growth of electric vehicles worldwide has led to a dramatic increase in the use of lithium, a key battery material. Lithium is extracted from ores and clays, or from brine through evaporation and concentration.

[0003] Currently, people manually walk into the ponds, collect water, and use a ruler to measure the water depth. The collected brine is then transported to a laboratory for analysis. Based on the analyzed components, decisions are made regarding whether to open or close the channels, which are the passageways for brine to flow between ponds, to maintain an appropriate lithium concentration within the pond. Furthermore, the measured depth changes are used to determine the rate of brine evaporation.

[0004] At this time, since a person manually walks into the pond, collects water, and measures the water depth using a ruler, it takes a lot of time and there is a problem that data may not be obtained in certain situations.

[0005] The present embodiments provide a drone-based brine lithium data collection method that reduces the time required for water sampling and depth measurement by using a drone in a brine font, which is a location where lithium contained in brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration, and a drone and computer-readable recording medium used therein.

[0006] In addition, the present embodiments can provide a drone-based brine lithium data collection method that secures data through stable water sampling and depth measurement at a set time in two or more brine fonts, and a drone and a computer-readable recording medium used therefor.

[0007] The present embodiments provide a drone-based brine lithium data collection method, a drone used therein, and a computer-readable recording medium, in which a drone including a water collection tank and a depth measurement sensor moves to one or more of brine fonts, which are locations where lithium contained in brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration, and when arriving at a specific brine font where work is to be performed according to a work command, the drone lowers the water collection tank to the brine surface in a hovering state to collect water, lowers the depth measurement sensor to the brine surface to measure the water depth, and ends all work or moves to a specific location in a specific situation.

[0008] In one aspect, the present embodiments may provide a drone-based brine lithium data collection method, including a moving step in which a drone including a water sampling tank and a depth measurement sensor moves to one or more of brine fonts, which are locations for extracting lithium contained in brine through evaporation and concentration, based on an assigned work command; a water sampling and depth measurement step in which, upon arriving at a specific brine font to perform work according to the work command, a water sampling tank is lowered to the surface of the brine in a hovering state to collect water and a depth measurement sensor is lowered to the surface of the brine to measure the water depth; and a mission return step in which all work is terminated or a drone moves to a specific location in a specific situation.

[0009] In another aspect, the present embodiments may provide a drone for collecting saltwater lithium data, including a program for moving to one or more of saltwater fonts, which are locations for extracting lithium contained in saltwater through evaporation and concentration, based on a work command assigned from a drone operating system, when arriving at a specific saltwater font for performing work according to the work command, lowering the saltwater font to the saltwater surface using the first winch in a hovering state to collect water, lowering the saltwater depth sensor to the saltwater surface using the second winch to measure the water depth, and ending all work or moving to a specific location in a specific situation.

[0010] In another aspect, the present embodiments provide a computer-readable recording medium including instructions for causing a processor to execute a drone-based saltwater lithium data collection method, the method including a moving step and a water collection and depth measurement step of the drone-based saltwater lithium data collection method, and a mission return step.

[0011] According to the drone-based brine lithium data collection method according to the present embodiments and the drone and computer-readable recording medium used therefor, the time for water collection and depth measurement can be shortened by using the drone in the brine font.

[0012] In addition, according to the drone-based brine lithium data collection method according to the present embodiments and the drone and computer-readable recording medium used therefor, data can be stably obtained through water sampling and depth measurement at a set time from two or more brine fonts.

[0013] FIG. 1 is a flowchart of a drone-based brine lithium data collection method according to one embodiment.

[0014] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram of a drone according to another embodiment.

[0015] Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of the drone of Figure 2.

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a conventional human-based brine lithium data collection method.

[0017] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the drone-based brine lithium data collection method of Figure 1.

[0018] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a drone-based brine lithium data automatic collection system according to another embodiment.

[0019] FIG. 7 is an example of conventional manpower-based brine lithium data collection according to the conventional manpower-based brine lithium data collection method of FIG. 2.

[0020] FIG. 8 is an example of drone-based brine lithium data collection according to a drone-based brine lithium data collection method according to one embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0021] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, identical components may have the same numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. In addition, when describing the present embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the technical idea of ​​the present invention, the detailed description may be omitted. When "includes," "has," "consists of," etc. are used in this specification, other parts may be added unless "only" is used. When a component is expressed in the singular, it may include a case in which the plural is included unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0022] Additionally, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used to describe components of the present disclosure. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, sequence, or number of the components are not limited by the terms.

[0023] In a description of the positional relationship of components, when it is described that two or more components are "connected," "combined," or "connected," it should be understood that the two or more components may be directly "connected," "combined," or "connected," but that the two or more components may also be further "interposed" with another component to be "connected," "combined," or "connected." Here, the other component may be included in one or more of the two or more components that are "connected," "combined," or "connected" to each other.

[0024] In the description of the temporal flow relationship related to components, operation methods, or manufacturing methods, for example, when the temporal or flow relationship is described as “after”, “following”, “next to”, “before”, etc., it may also include cases where it is not continuous, unless “immediately” or “directly” is used.

[0025] Meanwhile, when numerical values ​​or corresponding information (e.g., levels, etc.) for components are mentioned, even without separate explicit description, the numerical values ​​or corresponding information may be interpreted as including an error range that may occur due to various factors (e.g., process factors, internal or external impact, noise, etc.).

[0026] The embodiments are described in detail with reference to the drawings below.

[0027] Figure 1 is a flowchart of a drone-based brine lithium data collection method according to one embodiment. Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram of a drone according to another embodiment.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 1, a drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) according to one embodiment is a method that can be used when periodically collecting data such as components and water depth from a brine pond, which is a place where lithium contained in brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration. As described below, while data is conventionally collected manually by a person from a brine pond, the drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) according to one embodiment is a method that automates the data collection process in place of manpower and improves upon the shortcomings of manpower.

[0029] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) according to one embodiment includes a movement step (S110) in which a drone (200) including a water collection tank (214) and a depth measurement sensor (224) moves to one or more of brine fonts, which are locations for extracting lithium contained in brine through evaporation and concentration, based on an assigned work command, a water collection and depth measurement step (S120) in which, upon arriving at a specific brine font where work is to be performed according to the work command, the drone lowers the water collection tank to the brine surface in a hovering state to collect water and lowers the depth measurement sensor to the brine surface to measure the water depth, and a mission return step (S130) in which the drone terminates all work or moves to a specific location in a specific situation.

[0030] The drone (200) may be assigned a work command from the drone operating system, or may have a work command built into it and modify the work command periodically or aperiodically.

[0031] Figure 3 is a configuration diagram of the drone of Figure 2.

[0032] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a drone (200) according to another embodiment comprises two or more winches (210, 2220) for payloads attached to the bottom and having ropes (212, 222) wound around them, a water collection tank (214) connected to a first rope (212) of a first winch (210) of the two or more winches for payloads, a water depth sensor (224) connected to a second rope (222) of a second winch (220) of the two or more winches for payloads, moves to one or more of the salt water fonts, and when arriving at a specific salt water font to perform work according to a work command, lowers the water collection tank (214) to the salt water surface using the first winch (210) in a hovering state to collect water and lowers the water depth sensor (224) using the second winch (220). A drone can be provided to collect brine lithium data, including a program (231) to descend to the brine surface, measure the water depth, and terminate all operations or move to a specific location in specific situations.

[0033] The depth measurement sensor (224) may be an ultrasonic sensor that measures the depth of a salt water font using ultrasonic waves, but is not limited thereto. For example, the depth measurement sensor (224) may be a pressure sensor that calculates the water depth by utilizing the pressure that increases as the water depth increases, an optical sensor that measures the light transmittance to determine the transparency of the water and estimate the water depth, an electromagnetic sensor that measures the electromagnetic field in the water to determine the water depth, an acoustic sensor that estimates the water depth by utilizing sound waves, etc.

[0034] The aforementioned depth measurement sensors (224) can be used to measure water depth in various environments, and one or more depth measurement sensors (224) can be used to measure water depth depending on the respective advantages and disadvantages and measurement method.

[0035] There may be two or more water collection tanks (214). The drone (200) may repeatedly perform the water collection and measurement step (S120) in two or more salt water fonts. If there are two or more water collection tanks (214), there may also be two or more first winches (210), and one water collection tank (214) may be connected to each first winch (210) by a rope (214).

[0036] However, since the number of water collection tanks (214) is limited within the maximum payload weight that can be flown by the drone (200), the maximum number of working brine ponds is inherently limited. That is, under the condition that the water collection tank (214) with an electronic device or a complex structure is not designed considering the corrosiveness of brine, one first winch (210) drives one water collection tank (214), and the number of water collection tanks (214) corresponds one-to-one to the number of brine ponds from which water can be collected.

[0037] At this time, the water collection tank (214) and the depth measurement sensor (224) may be made of a waterproof grade structure and material that can withstand the corrosiveness of high-concentration salt water. For example, the water collection tank (214) and the depth measurement sensor (224) may be made of a PTFE (Teflon) coated material that provides high chemical resistance on the surface, or may be made of plastic (polypropylene, PVC, etc.) that has excellent corrosion resistance against some high-concentration salt water, or may be made of stainless steel that has a sturdy waterproof performance with a grade of IP67 or higher, but is not limited thereto.

[0038] The drone (200) has a built-in battery (not shown), and can fly using the battery or perform a drone-based salt water lithium data collection method (100) according to one embodiment. The battery may be a disposable battery or a rechargeable secondary battery.

[0039] The drone (200) may include a wired or wireless communication means (not shown) for receiving work commands from the drone operating system as described above.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, a drone (200) according to another embodiment may include a memory (230) and a processor (240).

[0041] The memory (230) can store data required to perform the aforementioned program (231) and the work of the drone (200). The memory (310) can be a volatile memory (e.g., SRAM, DRAM) or a non-volatile memory (e.g., NAND Flash).

[0042] The program (231) may include an operating program (232) that manages the overall operation of the drone (200) and an execution program (234) that performs specific operations. The program (231) described below may be included in the operating program (232) or the execution program (234).

[0043] The processor (240) can control the drone (200) to perform the aforementioned drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) using the aforementioned program (231).

[0044] A drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) according to one embodiment can be applied when extracting lithium from brine through evaporation and concentration.

[0045] In general, in order to extract lithium through evaporation and concentration in a brine contained in the brine, first, the brine solution from underground is drawn out through a well, and then the concentration of lithium is gradually concentrated through natural evaporation over a certain period of time in a widely spread brine pond (12). The brine ponds (12) are connected in a series, and the brine pond (12) containing the brine directly from the well has a low lithium concentration, and as it gradually passes to the next brine pond (12), the lithium concentration gradually increases due to evaporation. At this time, a task is performed to collect status data for monitoring the status of the brine pond (12). According to one embodiment, a drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) performs brine sampling to confirm the components and water depth measurement to confirm the evaporation rate.

[0046] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a conventional human-based brine lithium data collection method.

[0047] As illustrated in Fig. 4, currently, a person (10) manually walks into a brine pond (12), collects water directly using a container (14), and measures the water depth using a depth-specific gauge (16). The collected brine is transferred to a factory (18) with a human analysis room, where it is analyzed. Based on the analyzed components, a decision is made as to whether to open or close a channel (not shown), which is a passage for the movement of brine between brine ponds (12), in order to maintain an appropriate lithium concentration in the brine pond (12). In addition, the evaporation rate of the brine is confirmed through the measured depth change.

[0048] In this way, previously, the sampling and depth measurement of the brine lithium pond (12) were performed manually by relying on manpower, and as a result, a considerable amount of time was spent on periodically repeating the above-mentioned work for the brine pond (12) that had a large number of ponds to be worked on and had a large area. In order to quickly evaporate the brine lithium and increase the lithium production, the evaporated surface area must be large, and for this reason, the brine pond (12) is basically configured to be shallow and wide, and is spread out very widely. In other words, the distance that the worker must walk in the brine pond (12) containing water becomes longer, and the work time increases.

[0049] Above all, in order to promote the concentration rate of lithium in the brine pond (12), the brine pond is often located in a place where the wind speed is high, which is advantageous for evaporation. Therefore, in order to precisely measure the water depth, work must be carried out during a limited time period when the wind speed is low.

[0050] However, if the work time is extended for the reasons mentioned above, it will be impossible to measure the water depth in time, resulting in failure to secure data. Furthermore, to address the inevitable variations in salt concentration and water depth within a shallow and wide salt pond (12), it is necessary to secure data from multiple points. However, this is impossible due to the increased time required for manual work as mentioned above.

[0051] Furthermore, many salt lakes containing large amounts of lithium are located in remote and mountainous areas where communication is difficult and people (10) have difficulty living, making them difficult environments for people (10) to work in. For example, the Argentine salt lake, which contains a high concentration of lithium and has a high lithium production volume, is located at an altitude of 4,000 m above sea level, which has a fatal impact on the health of workers. In addition, communication is not smooth, making it difficult to automate using electronic devices.

[0052] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the drone-based brine lithium data collection method of Figure 1.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 5, a drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) according to one embodiment basically uses a drone (200) as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 that can move quickly across a vast brine pond (12), and particularly, can move quickly within a brine pond (12) containing water.

[0054] In addition, since the distance between the factory (18) with the analysis room and the brine pond (12) containing brine is far, the number of movements can be reduced by collecting brine from ponds at multiple points during one flight.

[0055] In addition, a depth sensor (224), such as an ultrasonic sensor, is attached to the drone (200) to measure the water depth as well as the water sampling, which is key data for managing the brine pond (12). Basically, the operation of the drone (200) for collecting data from the brine pond (12) can be performed automatically without the involvement of a person (14) based on autonomous operation.

[0056] The drone (200) can move freely in the air regardless of obstacles on the ground, so it can quickly move to the salt pond (12) and then proceed with the work.

[0057] Furthermore, the drone (200) significantly reduces the probability of data failure by utilizing windless moments to measure water depth due to the shortened operation time. Furthermore, the drone's (200) autonomous navigation technology allows for daily operations on a set route and timeframe. This advantage allows for operations to be conducted even at night or in the early morning when wind speeds are low. In other words, by programming the daily repetitive water collection and depth measurement tasks, the tasks are automatically performed according to preset values ​​without human intervention.

[0058] A person (14) cannot work in a dark environment, but a drone (200) can work without any problems even in a dark environment by using GPS values. As a result, whereas in the past, a person (14) could not resolve deviations according to location by collecting water once a day and measuring water depth, a drone-based salt water lithium data collection method (100) according to one embodiment can reflect deviations by securing data from multiple locations, thereby enabling more precise pond management.

[0059] Ultimately, by quickly and accurately obtaining brine pond data, not only can the cost of manpower operation be reduced, but lithium productivity also increases through efficient pond operation. The reason for this increase in lithium productivity is that the lithium concentration between ponds can be smoothly managed at the target concentration. The brine in the brine pond (12) basically loses through the liner (a barrier to prevent loss of brine in the pond) laid on the bottom at a constant rate, or the lithium brine is inevitably formed when evaporation and concentration exceeds the saturation concentration, and the lithium brine is lost as a result of the salt precipitates due to the surface area. In this case, if the same volume of lithium brine is lost, the final lithium recovery rate is higher when a low-concentration lithium brine is lost than when a high-concentration lithium brine is lost.

[0060] Therefore, it is advantageous for the recovery rate to precisely manage the concentration of each brine pond (12) to the lowest target concentration possible, and for this purpose, it is necessary to manage an appropriate lithium concentration that takes into account the deviation within the brine pond (12).

[0061] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a drone-based brine lithium data automatic collection system according to another embodiment.

[0062] Referring to Fig. 6, the drone operating system (20) located in the factory (18) instructs the drone (200) on the amount of work to be done based on the distance from the brine pond and the pond work time based on the remaining battery level of the drone (200). The main task is to determine which brine pond among dozens of brine ponds will be used for water sampling and depth surveying.

[0063] The drone (20) moves to the location of the salt pond based on the work command assigned from the drone operating system (20) at step S110.

[0064] The drone (200) basically moves to a designated location based on GPS, and can be used by correcting the GPS value using RTK (Real Time Kinematic) to ensure location accuracy.

[0065] The drone (200) may include an onboard system to automatically perform tasks internally and to prepare for emergency situations, taking into account the loss of communication with the operating system that issues instructions (231).

[0066] For example, in an emergency situation where the battery is abnormally depleted during operation, the drone (200) can stop operation and return to operation when the battery reaches a certain level. Furthermore, if return is impossible due to abnormal battery consumption, the drone (200) can safely leave the saltwater pond (12) and land safely on land or move to a predetermined, designated location. In this case, since the saltwater pond (12) is vast, a location can be designated in advance and incorporated into the program (231) so that a person (10) can easily find the drone (200).

[0067] If a sudden gust of wind occurs while the drone (200) is in flight or the wind speed becomes higher than the flight speed, the drone (200) may return to its original position or settle down in a nearby safe location without proceeding with the operation to ensure the flight stability of the drone (200).

[0068] When the drone (200) arrives at the salt pond (12) where the work is to be performed, the drone (200) uses the first winch (210) and the second winch (220) of the mission performance payload attached to the bottom to slowly lower the water collection tank (214) and the water depth measurement sensor (224) to the salt pond (12).

[0069] At this time, the reason for lowering the water collection tank (214) and the depth measurement sensor (224) while the drone (200) is hovering at a certain distance or more using the first winch (210) and the second winch (220) is that when the drone (200) approaches the surface of the salt water pond (12), the surface of the salt water pond (12) is affected by the downward wind of the drone (200), causing disturbance. In other words, if the surface of the salt water pond (12) ripples, the proper depth cannot be measured.

[0070] In addition, as the drone (200) gets closer to the surface of the brine pond (12), the brine containing a high concentration of salt is generated as a mist and attaches to the drone (200) body, causing corrosion and deterioration of performance. Therefore, the drone (200) can hover above a height that does not affect the brine surface, and the water collection tank (214) and the water depth measurement sensor (224) can be controlled with the first winch (210) and the second winch (220).

[0071] As described above, if the drone (200) includes two or more first winches (210) and water collection tanks (214), water collection and water depth measurement can be performed at multiple points in step S120. For example, if the drone (200) includes three first winches (210) and water collection tanks (214), water collection and water depth measurement can be performed repeatedly at three points in step S120.

[0072] For example, after a drone (200) has collected water and measured water depth in a brine pond (12), it moves to the next brine pond (12) according to the work instruction schedule. Thereafter, the drone (200) hovers at a certain height above the water surface of the brine pond (12) in the same manner as in the previous brine pond (12), and then collects water and measures water depth.

[0073] At this time, the number of salt ponds (12) in which the drone (200) performs work before returning from the factory (18) is determined within the range in which the return is possible, taking into account the remaining battery capacity.

[0074] After the drone (12) completes the planned work in step S130 or performs fewer tasks than planned due to an emergency such as insufficient battery power, it returns to the factory (18) from which it initially departed, obtaining the collected brine and the depth measurements of the brine pond.

[0075] The brine from the drone returning to the factory (18) is sent to an analyzer (22) to analyze the necessary components, and is then sent to the drone operation system (20) to be used in planning the next operation. In addition, the water depth measurement data is read by the drone operation system (20) and used in pond situation analysis.

[0076] Through the drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) described above, brine pond data can be automatically acquired without relying on manpower.

[0077] FIG. 7 is an example of conventional manpower-based brine lithium data collection according to the conventional manpower-based brine lithium data collection method of FIG. 2.

[0078] FIG. 8 is an example of drone-based brine lithium data collection according to a drone-based brine lithium data collection method according to one embodiment of FIG. 1.

[0079] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 quantitatively represent the results of implementing the conventional human-based brine lithium data collection according to the conventional human-based brine lithium data collection method of FIG. 2 and the drone-based brine lithium data simulation according to the drone-based brine lithium data collection method according to one embodiment of FIG. 1, respectively.

[0080] As a premise, the moving speed of the drone (200) is 12 m / s, the moving speed of the vehicle (24) on land is 17 m / s, the moving speed of the person (14) at sea is 0.65 m / s, and the time for sampling and measuring the water depth per saltwater pond (12) is 30 s. In addition, when working based on manpower, it was calculated that movement between saltwater ponds (12) was done by vehicle (24), and movement within the saltwater pond (12) was done by walking by person (14). When working based on drones, it was calculated that two drones (200) were working simultaneously.

[0081] Although the detailed figures may change, the fact remains that the working speed of the drone (200) is faster than that of a person (14).

[0082] The simulation results show that when the work is performed based on manpower, it takes a total of 9 man hours (the total time taken by all manpower to perform the work), whereas when it is performed based on drones, one worker managing the drone can complete the work 4.5 times faster with less than 2 man hours. At this time, the work time can be further reduced when the number of drones (200) used is increased from 2 to 3 or more. Ultimately, it can be confirmed that the work time can be significantly reduced when using drones (200) that can move freely in the air rather than managing the salt water pond (12) based on manpower.

[0083] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a computer-readable recording medium is provided that includes instructions for causing a drone (200) including a water collection tank and a depth measurement sensor to implement a processor (240) for executing a drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100), the method comprising the following steps:

[0084]

[0085] *77 A moving step (S110) of moving to one or more of the brine fonts, which are locations where lithium contained in the brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration based on the assigned work order;

[0086] Upon arriving at a specific brine font to be worked on according to the work command, a water collection and depth measurement step (S120) is performed in which the water collection tank is lowered to the brine surface in a hovering state to collect water and the depth measurement sensor is lowered to the brine surface to measure the water depth; and

[0087] Mission return step (S130) to end all tasks or move to a specific location in a specific situation.

[0088] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a computer program (231) stored on a computer-readable recording medium, which implements a processor (240) for executing a drone-based saltwater lithium data collection method (100), wherein the drone (200) includes two or more winches for payloads having ropes wound around them, a water collection tank (214) connected to a rope (212) of a first winch (210) of the two or more winches for payloads, and a water depth sensor (224) connected to a rope (222) of a second winch (220) of the two or more winches for payloads, the method comprising the following steps:

[0089] A moving step (S110) to move to one or more of the brine fonts, which are locations where lithium contained in the brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration based on the assigned work order;

[0090] Upon arrival at a specific brine font to be worked on according to a work order, a water collection and measurement step (S120) is performed in which a water collection tank is lowered to the brine surface using a first winch in a hovering state to collect water and a depth measurement sensor is lowered to the brine surface using a second winch to measure the water depth; and

[0091] Mission return step (S130) to end all tasks or move to a specific location in a specific situation.

[0092] The program (231) stored in the memory (230) of the drone (200) can operate to stop work and return when a certain amount of battery is reached, and if return is not possible due to abnormal battery consumption, the drone (200) can leave the salt water pond (12) with water for safety and safely land on land or move to a predetermined designated location.

[0093] In addition, the program (231) can operate to return or settle in a nearby safe location without performing any work to ensure the flight stability of the drone (200) when a sudden gust of wind occurs while the drone (200) is flying or the wind becomes higher than the flight speed.

[0094] The program (231) can basically move to a designated location based on GPS and operate by correcting the GPS value using RTK (Real Time Kinematic) for location accuracy.

[0095] The program (231) can be built into the onboard system to automatically perform tasks internally and prepare for emergency situations, taking into account any loss of communication with the operating system issuing the instructions.

[0096] Computer-readable recording media include, but are not limited to, various storage media known in the art, such as CD-R, CD-ROM, DVD, flash memory, floppy disk, hard drive, portable HDD, USB, magnetic tape, MINIDISC, non-volatile memory card, EEPROM, optical disk, optical storage medium, RAM, ROM, system memory, and web server.

[0097] Instructions implemented in the processor (240) executing the present invention may be included in a logic system. Although the instructions may be provided on a software recording medium (e.g., a portable HDD, USB, floppy disk, CD, and DVD), they may also be downloadable and stored in a memory module (e.g., a hard drive or other memory such as local or attached RAM or ROM). The computer code executing the present invention may be executed in various coding languages ​​such as C, C++, Java, Visual Basic, VBScript, JavaScript, Perl, and XML. Furthermore, various languages ​​and protocols may be used for external and internal storage and transmission of data and commands according to the present invention.

[0098] According to the drone-based brine lithium data collection method (100) and the drone (200) and computer-readable recording medium used therein according to the above-described embodiments, the time for water collection and depth measurement can be shortened by using the drone (200) in the brine font (12).

[0099] In addition, according to the drone-based brine lithium data collection method according to the above-described embodiments and the drone and computer-readable recording medium used therefor, data can be stably obtained through water sampling and depth measurement at a set time from two or more brine fonts.

[0100] The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the essential characteristics of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure. In addition, the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure but rather to explain it, and therefore the scope of the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the rights of the present disclosure.

[0101]

[0102] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0103] This patent application claims priority under 35 USC § 119(a) to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0173909, filed December 5, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Furthermore, this patent application claims priority in countries other than the United States for the same reasons, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A drone including a water tank and a depth measurement sensor, A moving step of moving to one or more of the brine fonts, which are locations where lithium contained in the brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration based on the assigned work order; Upon reaching a specific brine font to be worked on according to the above work command, a water collection and depth measurement step of lowering the water collection tank to the brine surface in a hovering state to collect water and lowering the depth measurement sensor to the brine surface to measure the water depth; and A drone-based brine lithium data collection method including a mission return step of terminating all operations or moving to a specific location in a specific situation.

2. In paragraph 1, There are two or more of the above water tanks, A drone-based brine lithium data collection method, wherein the above sampling and measuring steps are performed in two or more brine fonts.

3. In paragraph 2, A drone-based salt water lithium data collection method, wherein the above depth measurement sensor is an ultrasonic sensor.

4. In paragraph 2, A drone-based salt water lithium data collection method, wherein the drone stops working and returns when the battery reaches a certain amount, and if returning is impossible due to abnormal battery consumption, the drone leaves the pond containing water for safety and safely lands on land or moves to a predetermined designated location.

5. In paragraph 2, A drone-based brine lithium data collection method, in which, if a sudden gust of wind occurs during the flight of the drone or the wind speed becomes higher than the flight speed, the drone returns to a nearby safe location without performing any work to ensure the flight stability of the drone.

6. In paragraph 1, The above drone basically moves to a designated location based on GPS, and uses RTK (Real Time Kinematic) to correct GPS values ​​for location accuracy, which is a drone-based brine lithium data collection method.

7. In paragraph 1, A drone-based brine lithium data collection method, wherein the drone includes an onboard system for automatically performing internal tasks and incorporating programs to prepare for emergency situations, taking into account loss of communication with the operating system giving instructions.

8. Winches for two or more payloads attached to the lower part and having ropes wound around them; A water tank connected to a rope of a first winch among the winches of the above two or more payloads; A depth measurement sensor connected to a rope of a second winch among the winches of the above two or more payloads; A drone for collecting brine lithium data, which includes a program to move to one or more of brine fonts, which are locations for extracting lithium contained in brine through evaporation and concentration, based on an assigned work order, and, upon arriving at a specific brine font where work is to be performed according to the work order, to lower the water collection tank to the brine surface using the first winch in a hovering state to collect water, to lower the water depth measuring sensor to the brine surface using the second winch to measure the water depth, and to terminate all work or move to a specific location in a specific situation.

9. In paragraph 7, The above water tank and the above first winch are two or more, A drone that uses the first winch to lower the water collection tank to the salt water surface and collect water from two or more salt water fonts, and uses the second winch to lower the water depth measuring sensor to the salt water surface and measure the water depth.

10. In paragraph 9, The above depth measurement sensor is an ultrasonic sensor, drone.

11. In paragraph 9, The above program is a drone that stops working and returns when a certain amount of battery is reached, and if returning is not possible due to abnormal battery consumption, the drone leaves the pond with water for safety and safely lands on land or moves to a predetermined designated location.

12. In paragraph 9, The above program is a drone that operates to return to a safe location nearby or to settle down without performing any work to ensure the flight stability of the drone if a sudden gust of wind occurs during the drone's flight or the wind speed becomes higher than the maximum flight speed.

13. In paragraph 8, The above program basically operates a drone that moves to a designated location based on GPS and uses RTK (Real Time Kinematic) to correct GPS values ​​for location accuracy.

14. In paragraph 8, The above program is built into the onboard system of the drone to automatically perform tasks internally and prepare for emergency situations, taking into account the loss of communication with the operating system giving instructions.

15. A computer-readable recording medium comprising instructions for implementing a processor for executing a drone-based brine lithium data collection method, wherein the method comprises the following steps: A moving step of moving to one or more of the brine fonts, which are locations where lithium contained in the brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration based on a work command assigned from the drone operating system; Upon arrival at a specific brine font to be worked on according to the above work command, a step of collecting and measuring water by lowering the water collection tank to the brine surface using the first winch in a hovering state and lowering the water depth measuring sensor to the brine surface using the second winch; and A mission return step that ends all tasks or moves to a specific location under certain circumstances.

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