Drone and method for measuring water depth by same drone

Abstract

The present embodiments provide a drone and a method for measuring a water depth by the drone, the drone comprising: a winch attached to a lower portion thereof, having a motor embedded therein, and providing a rotational force; a winch-type dimensional measuring tapeline having a scale marked thereon and moving up and down by a shaft of the motor; a water collection container connected to a lower end of the winch-type dimensional measuring tapeline; a buoy positioned between the winch and the water collection container and positioned on the water surface when the water collection container is submerged below the water surface; a camera for recognizing the scale of the winch-type dimensional measuring tapeline; and a payload in which the camera and the winch are arranged and which controls the winch and the camera.

Description

Drone and method for measuring water depth using the drone

[0001] The present embodiments relate to a drone for measuring water depth in a saltwater pond and a method for measuring water depth using the drone.

[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] When extracting lithium through evaporation from brine, personnel currently manually walk into the brine pond, collect water, and measure the water depth using a ruler. Furthermore, the measured depth change is used to determine the rate of evaporation from the brine.

[0004] At this time, since a person manually walks into the brine pond to collect water and measure the water depth using a ruler, there is a problem in that it is difficult to simultaneously collect water and measure the water depth required for salt lake management in a wide area.

[0005] The present embodiments can provide a drone that simultaneously performs water sampling and water depth measurement required for salt lake management in a wide area, and a water depth measurement method of the drone.

[0006] Additionally, the present embodiments can provide a drone that measures water depth in a relatively shallow salt lake with robustness against failure and a water depth measurement method of the drone.

[0007] In one aspect, the present embodiments may provide a drone including a winch attached to a bottom and having a built-in motor to provide rotational force, a winch-type dimension measuring tape having a ruler marked thereon and moving up and down by the shaft of the motor, a water collection container connected to a bottom of the circle-shaped dimension measuring tape, a buoy positioned between the winch and the water collection container and positioned on the water surface when the water collection container is submerged under the water surface, a camera for recognizing the ruler of the winch-type dimension measuring tape, and a payload in which the camera and the winch are arranged and the winch and the camera are controlled.

[0008] In another aspect, the present embodiments may provide a method for measuring the water depth of a saltwater pond using a drone including a winch-type dimensional measuring tape having a ruler marked thereon, a water collection container connected to the bottom of the circle-type dimensional measuring tape, and a camera for recognizing the ruler of the tape, the method including a step of recognizing a ruler at which a buoy is located through an OCR algorithm using an image captured by the camera for a specific saltwater pond, a step of calculating an inclination angle of the winch-type dimensional measuring tape, and a step of calculating a final water depth by reflecting the recognized ruler, the inclination angle of the winch-type dimensional measuring tape, and the height of the water collection container.

[0009] According to the drone and the water depth measurement method of the drone according to the present embodiments, water sampling and water depth measurement required for salt lake management can be performed simultaneously in a wide area.

[0010] According to the drone and the method for measuring water depth using the drone according to the present embodiments, water depth can be measured robustly against failure in a relatively shallow salt lake.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a commercial plant (CP) for producing brine lithium.

[0012] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a drone according to one embodiment.

[0013] Figure 3 is an operation status diagram of the drone of Figure 2.

[0014] Figure 4 is a drawing of taking a picture of a scale using the mirror of Figure 3.

[0015] Figure 5 is a drawing explaining the structure of the winch entrance of the payload of Figure 2 and the positional relationship with the camera.

[0016] Figure 6 is a configuration diagram of the buoy of Figure 2.

[0017] Figure 7 is a plan view of a marker formed on the buoy of Figure 2.

[0018] Figure 8 is a diagram of the internal configuration of the drone of Figure 2.

[0019] Figure 9 illustrates the process of measuring water depth by the drone of Figure 2.

[0020] Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a method for measuring water depth of a drone according to another embodiment.

[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] In order to produce brine lithium in a specific region overseas, such as Argentina, the target concentration must be maintained for each brine pond, which is a place where lithium contained in the brine is extracted through evaporation and concentration. As a management task to maintain the concentration, there are tasks such as water collection and depth measurement for each brine pond.

[0028] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a commercial plant (CP) for producing brine lithium.

[0029] As illustrated in Figure 1, the total area of ​​a commercial plant (CP) brine pond in a specific area overseas, such as Argentina (444 ha), is approximately 1.5 times the area of ​​Yeouido (290 ha). Due to this vast scope, manual labor requires significant time, and operators must inevitably enter the brine pond to sample and measure water depth.

[0030]

[0031] *Drones can fly in a straight line, enabling them to operate over a wide range, eliminating the need for direct entry into saltwater. Saltwater ponds typically have a depth of approximately 60 cm. Most commercial underwater ultrasound systems target depths in the meter range, resulting in relatively limited measurement solutions for shallower depths like 60 cm. Lithium brine has a high concentration, more than 10 times that of seawater, posing a risk of failure and corrosion for electronic devices in direct contact with saltwater.

[0032] Hereinafter, a drone that simultaneously performs water sampling and water depth measurements necessary for salt lake management in a wide area and measures water depth in a relatively shallow salt lake with high resilience against failure is described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9.

[0033] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a drone according to one embodiment.

[0034] Referring to FIG. 2, a drone (100) according to one embodiment can fly using an electric motor (110) and a propeller (120). The electric motor (110) is used to convert electric power into electrical energy to rotate the propeller (120). This rotational motion pushes air, creating a force that propels the drone (100) upward. The propeller (120) uses this rotational motion to help move the air, and the drone (100) can fly using this principle.

[0035] A drone (100) according to one embodiment includes a winch (130) attached to the bottom and having a built-in motor (132) to provide rotational force, a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) having a ruler (142) displayed thereon and moving up and down by a shaft (134) of the motor (132), a water collection container (150) connected to the bottom of the circular dimension measuring tape (140), a buoy (160) positioned between the winch (130) and the water collection container (150) and positioned on the water surface when the water collection container (150) is submerged under the water surface, a camera (170) for recognizing the ruler (142) of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140), and a payload (180) in which the winch (130) and the camera (170) are arranged and which controls the winch (130) and the camera (170).

[0036] There may be two or more sampling containers (150). If there are two or more sampling containers (150), there may also be two or more winches (130), and one sampling container (150) may be connected to each winch (130) using a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140).

[0037] That is, under the condition that the electronic device or the complex structure of the collection container (150) is not designed considering the corrosiveness of the brine, one winch (130) drives one collection container (150), and the number of collection containers (150) corresponds one-to-one to the number of brine ponds from which water can be collected.

[0038] At this time, the water collection container (150) and the buoy (160) 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 container (150) and the buoy (160) may be made of a PTFE (Teflon) coated material that provides high chemical resistance on the surface, or may be made of a 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 strong waterproof performance with a grade of IP67 or higher, but is not limited thereto.

[0039] The drone (200) has a built-in battery (not shown), and can fly or perform water collection and depth measurements using the battery. The battery may be a disposable battery or a rechargeable secondary battery.

[0040] Figure 3 is an operation status diagram of the drone of Figure 2.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 3, the drone (100) measures the distance between the water collection container (150) located on the bottom of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) that moves up and down by the shaft (134) of the motor (132) of the winch (130) and the buoy (160) located on the top of the water collection container (150) as it sinks below the water surface, and the water collection container (150) located on the bottom of the salt lake and the buoy (160) located on the water surface are floated on the water surface through the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) and the camera (170) in the payload (180).

[0042] Specifically, the drone (100) moves over the target pond and hovers. The winch (130) is controlled from the payload (180) to lower the collection container (150) to the bottom of the pond where the precipitate (14) is located. During the lowering process, the buoy (160) is positioned on the water surface (10) of the lithium brine (12).

[0043] A video is captured with a camera (170) inside the payload (180). The winch (130) is controlled to raise the water collection container (150), and when the work is completed, the drone (100) is returned. The winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) has a concave surface structure made of stainless steel, and the motor (132) is controlled to ensure that the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) is always straight by measuring the torque inside the winch (130).

[0044] Figure 4 is a drawing of taking a picture of a scale using the mirror of Figure 3.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 4, the drone (200) additionally includes a reflective mirror (190) that is placed on top of a buoy (160) to increase the visibility of a ruler (142) of a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) and illuminates the ruler (142), and a camera (170) can capture images of the reflective mirror (190). The reflective mirror (190) can be attached to the top of the buoy (160).

[0046] The reflective mirror (190) is tilted at a certain angle with respect to the ruler (142) of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) on the upper part of the buoy (160). The vertical direction of the reflective mirror (190) is arranged toward the camera (170), and the camera (170) arranged on the payload (180) can move toward the reflective mirror (190). Conversely, the camera (170) can be fixed and the reflective mirror (190) can rotate toward the camera (170).

[0047] The distance between the drone (100) and the water surface (10) is relatively far compared to the distance between the winch (130) and the camera (170), so that the scale (142) may not be visible. To solve this problem, a reflective mirror (190) is positioned on the buoy (160) so that the camera (170) can capture the scale.

[0048] Figure 5 is a drawing explaining the structure of the winch entrance of the payload of Figure 2 and the positional relationship with the camera.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 5, a winch (130) and a camera (170) are placed on a payload (180), and a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) moves up and down by the shaft (134) of the motor (132) of the winch (130).

[0050] A tape measure entrance (182) is formed in the payload (180), so that a winch-type dimensional measuring tape (140) wound around the shaft (134) of the motor (132) of the winch (130) can be placed externally through the tape measure entrance (182).

[0051] As shown in FIG. 5, a tape measure entrance (182) is arranged within the payload (180) to prevent bending of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) and to position the ruler (142) on the camera (170) side.

[0052] Figure 6 is a configuration diagram of the buoy of Figure 2.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 6, the buoy (160) may include a roller (164) disposed within a through hole (162) and having a hole (166) through which a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) passes. That is, the roller (164) is disposed within the through hole (162), and the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) passes through the hole (166) and is connected to the water collection container (150).

[0054] To prevent the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) from being bent by the buoy (160), the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) passes through the hole (166) of the roller (164).

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) penetrates the tape entry port (182) in the payload (180) and the hole (166) of the roller (164), thereby preventing bending and allowing the ruler (142) to be positioned on the camera (170) side.

[0056] Figure 7 is a plan view of the armature formed on the buoy of Figure 2.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 7, a marker (168) is formed on the upper portion of the buoy (160) to recognize the inclination of a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140), and a camera (170) can recognize the marker (168). The marker (168) may be, for example, an Arco marker having a specific shape, but is not limited thereto.

[0058] The upper camera (170) captures the arc marker (168) and measures its moved position relative to the vertical lower position of the drone (100), thereby calculating the angle at which the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) is tilted relative to the vertical.

[0059] Figure 8 is a diagram of the internal configuration of the drone of Figure 2.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 8, the winch (130) can control the motor (132) so that the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) is always straight by measuring the torque of the motor shaft (134).

[0061] The drone (100) stores GPS information (102), mission data (104), and status data (106), and can be assigned work commands using these, or can embed work commands in itself and modify work commands periodically or aperiodically.

[0062] The payload (180) can exchange data with the drone (100). The payload (180) may include a system management unit (183). The system management unit (183) is responsible for data transmission and reception of the drone (100), winch (130) commands, database (183a) management, etc.

[0063] The payload (180) includes a winch control unit (184) that controls a winch, a sensor module (186) that controls a camera (140), and an algorithm unit (188) that extracts the angle of a ruler based on Arco marker recognition and extracts the ruler dimensions based on an OCR algorithm to calculate the water depth.

[0064] The winch control unit (184) receives commands from the system management unit (183) and controls the position of the winch (130) and recognizes defects such as line entanglement. The algorithm unit (188) calculates the water depth based on image data received from the database (183a).

[0065] As illustrated in Fig. 8, the system management unit (183) and the algorithm unit (188) can be built into the onboard computer to automatically perform tasks internally and prepare for emergency situations, taking into account the disconnection of communication with the operating system that issues instructions.

[0066] The algorithm unit (188) can recognize the scale (142) where the buoy (160) is located using an image captured by a camera (170) for a specific saltwater pond, calculate the inclination angle of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140), and calculate the final water depth by reflecting the recognized scale (142), the inclination angle of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140), and the height of the water collection container (150).

[0067] Figure 9 illustrates the process of measuring water depth by the drone of Figure 2.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 9, the algorithm unit (188) receives multiple images (188a) of a salt pond from a database (183a), and then proceeds with dimension extraction (188c) and calculation of the inclination angle of the ruler (140) (188f).

[0069] Dimension extraction (188c) can recognize the scale (142) where the buoy (160) is located through an OCR algorithm. The inclination angle of the tape measure (140) is calculated by calculating the current inclination angle of the tape measure (140) through the difference in the position of the arc marker (162) in the image when vertically lowered and the captured image through recognition (188d) of the arc marker (162) and extraction (188e) of the position of the buoy (160). The final water depth is calculated by reflecting the extracted scale, the inclination angle of the tape measure, and the height of the water collection container (150).

[0070] According to the drone (100) according to the above-described embodiment, water collection and water depth measurement required for salt lake management can be performed simultaneously in a wide area.

[0071] In addition, according to the drone (100) according to the above-described embodiment, the water depth can be measured robustly against failure in a relatively shallow salt lake.

[0072] Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a method for measuring water depth of a drone according to another embodiment.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 10, a method (200) for measuring water depth of a drone according to another embodiment is a method for measuring the water depth of a salt water font using a drone (100) including a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) having a ruler (142) displayed thereon, a water collection container (150) connected to the bottom of the circle-shaped dimension measuring tape (140), a buoy (160) positioned on the water surface when the water collection container (150) is submerged under the water surface, and a camera (170) for recognizing the ruler (142) of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140).

[0074] A method (200) for measuring water depth by a drone according to another embodiment includes a step (S210) of recognizing a scale where a buoy (160) is located using an image captured by a camera (170) for a specific saltwater pond, a step (S220) of calculating an inclination angle of a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140), and a step (S230) of calculating a final water depth by reflecting the recognized scale, the inclination angle of the winch-type dimension measuring tape, and the height of a water collection container (150).

[0075] In the step of recognizing the scale (S210), the scale where the buoy (160) is located can be recognized through an OCR algorithm using an image captured by a camera (170) for a specific salt water pond.

[0076]

[0077] *As described above with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the drone (100) additionally includes a reflective mirror (190) that is placed on top of a buoy (160) to increase the visibility of the ruler (142) of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) and illuminates the ruler (142), and the camera (170) can photograph the reflective mirror (190).

[0078] In the step of recognizing the scale (S210), the camera (170) can recognize the scale where the buoy (160) is located by using an image captured of a specific salt water pond using a reflective mirror (190).

[0079] As described above with reference to FIG. 7, the drone (100) may additionally include a marker (168), for example a buoy (160) formed with an arc marker, on top to recognize the inclination of the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) positioned on the water surface (10) when the water collection container (150) is submerged below the water surface (10).

[0080] As described above with reference to FIG. 9, in the step (S220) of calculating the tilted angle, the current tilted angle of the winch-type dimension measuring tape can be calculated through the difference in the position of the arc marker in the image when the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) is lowered vertically and the photographed image.

[0081] A winch-type dimension measuring tape winch (130) attached to the lower part of the drone (100) and having a built-in motor (132) to provide rotational force and moving a winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) up and down by the shaft (134) of the motor (132) may be additionally included.

[0082] The winch (130) can control the motor (132) so that the winch-type dimension measuring tape (140) is always straight by measuring the torque of the motor shaft (134).

[0083] A method (200) for measuring water depth of a drone according to another embodiment can be performed through all components and operations of the drone (100) described above.

[0084] According to the method (200) for measuring water depth by a drone according to another embodiment described above, water collection and water depth measurement required for salt lake management can be performed simultaneously in a wide area.

[0085] In addition, according to the method (200) for measuring water depth of a drone according to another embodiment described above, water depth can be measured robustly against failure in a relatively shallow salt lake.

[0086] Although the drone (100) and the method (200) for measuring water depth of the drone have been described with reference to the above drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, although the payload (180) has been described as a component of the drone (100), the payload (180) may constitute an independent device and may be attached to the bottom of the drone (100). In this case, the payload (180) may include the aforementioned winch (130), winch-type dimension measuring tape (140), water collection container (150), buoy (160), and camera (170).

[0087] That is, a commercial drone (100) can be equipped with a payload (180) including the aforementioned components and the depth measurement method (200) of the drone can be performed.

[0088] 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.

[0089]

[0090] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0091] This patent application claims priority under 35 USC § 119(a) to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0182823, filed December 15, 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 winch attached to the bottom and having a built-in motor to provide rotational power; A winch-type dimensional measuring tape with a ruler marked on it and moved up and down by the shaft of the motor; A water collection container connected to the bottom of the above-mentioned circular measuring tape; A buoy positioned between said winch and said water collection container and positioned above the water surface when said water collection container is submerged below the water surface; A camera for recognizing the ruler of the above winch-type dimension measuring tape; and A drone having the camera and the winch disposed thereon, and including a payload for controlling the winch and the camera.

2. In paragraph 1, In order to increase the visibility of the ruler of the above winch-type dimensional measuring tape, a reflective mirror is additionally included which is arranged on the upper part of the above buoy and illuminates the ruler. The above camera is a drone that takes pictures of the above reflective mirror.

3. In paragraph 1, A drone including a roller having a hole through which the above buoy is positioned within the through hole and through which the above winch-type dimension measuring tape passes.

4. In paragraph 1, The above buoy has an arc marker formed on the upper part of the buoy to recognize the inclination of the winch-type dimension measuring tape. The above camera is a drone that recognizes the above Arco marker.

5. In paragraph 2, The above winch is a drone that controls the motor so that the winch-type dimension measuring tape is always straight by measuring the torque of the motor shaft.

6. In paragraph 1, The above payload is a drone including a winch control unit that controls the winch, a sensor module that controls the camera, and an algorithm unit that extracts the angle of the tape measure based on Arco marker recognition and extracts the tape measure dimension based on the OCR algorithm to calculate the water depth.

7. In paragraph 6, The above algorithm section is a drone that uses an image captured by the camera for a specific saltwater pond to recognize a mark where a buoy is located through an OCR algorithm, calculates an inclination angle of the winch-type dimension measuring tape, and calculates the final water depth by reflecting the recognized mark, the inclination angle of the winch-type dimension measuring tape, and the height of the water collection container.

8. A method for measuring the depth of a salt water font using a drone including a winch-type dimensional measuring tape with a ruler marked on it, a water collection container connected to the bottom of the circle-type dimensional measuring tape, a buoy positioned on the water surface when the water collection container is submerged, and a camera for recognizing the ruler of the tape, A step of recognizing a mark at which the buoy is located by using an image captured by the camera for a specific salt pond; A step of calculating the inclination angle of the above winch-type dimension measuring tape; and A method for measuring water depth using a drone, comprising the step of calculating the final water depth by reflecting the recognized scale, the inclination angle of the winch-type dimension measuring tape, and the height of the water collection container.

9. In paragraph 8, A method for measuring water depth using a drone, wherein, in the step of recognizing the above-mentioned scale, the scale where the buoy is located is recognized through an OCR algorithm using an image captured by the camera for the specific salt water pond.

10. In paragraph 8, The above drone further includes a reflective mirror positioned on top of the buoy to enhance the visibility of the ruler of the winch-type dimensional measuring tape, and to illuminate the ruler. The above camera photographs the above reflective mirror, A method for measuring water depth using a drone, wherein, in the step of recognizing the above-mentioned scale, the camera uses an image captured of the specific salt water pond using the reflective mirror to recognize the scale where the buoy is located.

11. In paragraph 8, The above drone further comprises a buoy having an arc marker formed on the top thereof to be positioned on the water surface and to recognize the inclination of the winch-type dimension measuring tape when the above water container is submerged under the water surface, A method for measuring water depth using a drone, wherein, in the step of calculating the angle of inclination, the angle at which the winch-type dimension measuring tape is currently inclining is calculated through the difference in the position of the arc marker in the image when the winch-type dimension measuring tape is lowered vertically and the photographed image.

12. In paragraph 8, It additionally includes a winch-type dimension measuring tape winch that is attached to the lower part of the drone, has a built-in motor to provide rotational power, and moves the winch-type dimension measuring tape up and down by the shaft of the motor. A method for measuring water depth of a drone, wherein the winch controls the motor so that the winch-type dimension measuring tape is always straight by measuring the torque of the motor shaft.

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