An apparatus and system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment

Abstract

An apparatus and system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment comprising at least one optical imaging apparatus comprising an image sensor configured to receive optical image data; at least one energy collection device; one or more energy storage devices; one or more communication devices configured to communicate at least the optical image data via a network; and a portable frame for supporting the at least one optical imaging apparatus, the at least one energy collection device, the one or more energy storage devices, and the one or more communication devices, wherein the apparatus is configured to be deployed into the wilderness environment by an aircraft.

Description

An Apparatus and System for Environmental Monitoring in a Wilderness EnvironmentTechnical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and system for environmental monitoring, particularly in remote locations. In an embodiment, the present invention is directed to an apparatus and system for detection of smoke and / or fire for early detection of wildfires or bushfires.Background of Invention

[0002] Australia has a long history of natural disasters including bushfires, floods, storms, landslides, cyclones and more. Moreover, Australia's extreme weather events have the potential to cause extensive damage, in terms of deaths, destruction of natural ecosystems and economic impact.

[0003] Wildfires or bushfires are a category of natural disasters that are particularly common throughout Australia and in other parts of the world which experience hot and dry conditions at certain times of the year. Moreover, studies show that wildfires have increased in intensity and frequency over the past two decades.

[0004] A key factor in predicting whether a fire will turn into a large and devastating wildfire is the time between ignition and first response. The devastating impacts of wildfires range from the destruction of natural ecosystems and damage to human populations through increasing carbon emissions and negative impacts on air quality. Early detection of bushfires is vital to decrease response times and provide the opportunity to manage fires to try and prevent them becoming too large and out of control in order to minimise the potentially devastating environmental, social and economic impacts.

[0005] Early detection of wildfires in wilderness locations poses a unique challenge due to their vast expanse and remote location. Fixed location fire lookout towers have been provided in wilderness and remote areas, typically on mountain tops at high elevation to provide an uninterrupted view of the surrounding landscape, to enable smoke caused by a wildfire to be sighted. However, manning fixed location towers with personnel, has inherentoccupational health and safety risks, particularly in remote locations. For this reason, amongst others, increasingly personnel have been replaced by optical imaging systems which can monitor the surrounding environment 24 / 7, thereby removing the risks associated with deploying personnel into potentially hazardous environments.

[0006] Construction of fixed location fire lookout towers in remote wilderness locations involves additional challenges, particularly, where the remoteness of the location makes construction impractical due to lack of access and / or other reasons. For example, the state of Tasmania has large tracts of land that are designated as a Wilderness World Heritage Area, in which it is not permitted nor desirable to construct such fire lookout towers.

[0007] Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a solution for remote environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment, such as for example monitoring and detection of smoke and / or fire to enable early detection of bushfires, whilst avoiding the need to construct fire lookout towers.

[0008] A reference herein to a patent document or any other matter identified as prior art, is not to be taken as an admission that the document or other matter was known or that the information it contains was part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of any of the claims.Summary of Invention

[0009] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment comprising: at least one optical imaging apparatus comprising an image sensor configured to receive optical image data; at least one energy collection device; one or more energy storage devices; one or more communication devices configured to communicate at least the optical image data via a network; and a portable frame for supporting the at least one optical imaging apparatus, the at least one energy collection device, the one or more energy storage devices, and the one or more communication devices, wherein the apparatus is configured to be deployed into the wilderness environment by an aircraft.

[0010] In some embodiments, the apparatus is configured to be deployed into the wilderness environment via a helicopter.

[0011] In one particular form of the invention, the portable frame comprises primary horizontal members and secondary horizontal members arranged to form a base, at least two vertical members for supporting a substantially horizontal support, and a plurality of bracing elements to support the vertical members.

[0012] In particular embodiments, the apparatus further includes a receiver for tracking a position of nearby aircraft.

[0013] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes one or more climate sensors. The climate sensors may be configured to sense two or more of a temperature, a precipitation, a wind direction, a wind speed, a humidity, and / or a barometric pressure.

[0014] In certain embodiments, the at least one optical imaging apparatus is configured to provide wide-area coverage.

[0015] In a particular form of the invention, the at least one optical imaging apparatus further includes two high resolution panoramic cameras, each camera being mounted at one end of the substantially horizontal support of the portable frame.

[0016] At least one optical imaging apparatus may be configured to pan horizontally, tilt vertically, and zoom.

[0017] In some embodiments, the one or more communication devices include a long- range, low power communication device, a cellular communication device, and / or a satellite communication device.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment comprising: an apparatus for remote deployment, the apparatus comprising: at least one optical imaging apparatus comprising an image sensor configured to receive optical image data; at least one energy collection device; one or more energy storage devices; one or more communication devices configured to communicate at least the optical image data via a network; and a portable frame for supporting the at least one optical imaging apparatus, the at least one energy collection device, the one or more energy storage devices, and the one or more communication devices, the portable frame being configured to be deployed into thewilderness environment by an aircraft; a processing system for receiving data least the optical image data from the apparatus via the network; and a process executing on the optical image data to enable monitoring of a predefined environmental element in the wilderness environment.

[0019] In some embodiments, the process executing on the optical image data to enable monitoring of a predefined environmental element displays the optical image data on a display accessible to a remote user for manual monitoring.

[0020] In other embodiments, the predefined environmental element to be monitored includes one or more of the following: smoke and / or fire, flood waters, lightning and / or wildlife.

[0021] In a particular embodiment, the process executing on the optical image data to enable monitoring of the predefined environmental element uses a machine learning algorithm or statistical model to process the optical image data and monitor the environmental element in accordance with one or more predefined rules.

[0022] In another embodiment, the process executing on the optical image data to enable detection of smoke and / or fire uses a machine learning algorithm or statistical model to process the optical image data and detect smoke and / or fire in accordance with one or more predefined rules.

[0023] In one particular form of the invention, the portable frame comprises horizontal beams and joists arranged to form a stable base, at least two vertical members for supporting a substantially horizontal support, and a plurality of bracing elements to support the vertical members.

[0024] The apparatus may further include a receiver for tracking a position of other aircraft.

[0025] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes one or more climate sensors configured to sense two or more of a temperature, a precipitation, a wind direction, a wind speed, a humidity, and a barometric pressure.

[0026] In certain embodiments, the at least one optical imaging apparatus is configured to provide wide-area coverage.

[0027] In a particular form of the invention, the at least one optical imaging apparatus includes two high resolution panoramic cameras, each mounted at opposing ends of the substantially horizontal support of the portable frame.

[0028] At least one optical imaging apparatus may be configured to pan horizontally, tilt vertically, and zoom.

[0029] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes a housing for storing electronic equipment. The one or more energy storage devices may be stored in the housing.

[0030] In a particular embodiment, the energy collection device comprises one or more photovoltaic panels.

[0031] In some embodiments, the one or more communication devices include a long- range, low power communication device, a cellular communication device, and / or a satellite communication device.Brief Description of Drawings

[0032] The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like features are represented by like numerals. It is to be understood that the embodiments shown are examples only and are not to be taken as limiting the scope of the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

[0033] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of the apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 2 shows a perspective view of the apparatus for environmental monitoring being deployed by a helicopter.

[0035] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the portable frame according to an embodiment.

[0036] Figure 4 is a back view of the portable frame of Figure 3.

[0037] Figure 5 is a side on view of the portable frame of Figures 3 and 4.

[0038] Figure 6 is a top-down view of the portable frame of Figures 3, 4 and 5.

[0039] Figure 7 is a top-down view of the portable frame of Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6 showing how the frame is tied to the ground when in use according to an embodiment.

[0040] Figure 8 is a side on view of the portable frame of Figure 7 showing how the frame is secured to the ground when in use.

[0041] Figure 9 is a front on view of the apparatus for environmental monitoring of Figure 1 deployed and secured on a mountain top for optimal views of the surrounding landscape.Detailed Description

[0042] Embodiments of the invention are discussed herein by reference to the drawings which are not to scale and are intended merely to assist with explanation of the invention.

[0043] Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is shown a perspective view of an apparatus 100 for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment. Cameras 105, 110 having image sensors configured to receive optical image data are provided. The apparatus further includes an energy collection device 115 and energy storage devices (not shown) to power cameras 105, 110 and ancillary devices. Communication devices 120, 125 and 130, are configured to communicate at least the optical image data via a network (not shown).

[0044] The apparatus for environmental monitoring is configured to monitor one or more predefined environmental element in a wilderness environment. For example, the apparatus is particularly adapted for the detection of smoke and / or fire in the surrounding environment, and will be described herein with reference to this particular application. However, it will be appreciated, that the use of the apparatus is not limited to this particular application and that the configuration of the apparatus offers utility in monitoring a range of other environmental elements including for example, flood waters to identify rising flood waters which may pose a risk to life or infrastructure, lighting detection, which may for example, pose a risk of smoke and / or fire, and wildlife monitoring.

[0045] A portable frame 135 supports cameras 105, 110, energy collection device 115, energy storage devices, and various communication devices 120, 125, 130. The accumulated devices are supported on and secured to portable frame 135 for easy deployment, relocation and securing to a site. Apparatus 100 is configured to be deployed in a wilderness environment by an aircraft (see Figure 2). This enables deployment into wilderness areas where no vehicular access is available, and which are prone to wildfire events, for example. Therefore, apparatus 100 must meet certain load testing requirements and must not exceed an assembled gross mass as specified in relation to the aircraft intended to be used to deploy the apparatus.

[0046] Preferably, at least one of the cameras is configured to provide wide-area coverage in high resolution to maximise potential for early detection of smoke or other environmental elements, including monitoring of wildlife. For example, one or more high resolution panoramic cameras are provided for continuous image capture. In the illustrated embodiment, two 180° panoramic cameras 105 are provided, mounted at opposing ends of horizontal support 325 (see Figure 3). This allows for uninterrupted 360° view of the surrounding landscape to enable detection of smoke and / or fire or flood waters occurring in any direction. A third camera 110 is mounted centrally to horizontal support 325. Camera 110 is a high resolution PTZ camera configured to pan horizontally, tilt vertically, and zoom to provide detailed close-up view of incidents.

[0047] Communication devices 120, 125 and 130 are configured to communicate optical image data captured using cameras 105, 110 and any ancillary data captured in the field as will be later described, via a network. The suite of communication devices includes a long- range, low power communication device 125 to receive data captured by sensors deployed in the field. For example, long-range, low power communication device 125, may use a LoRa based network or similar. Satellite communication device 120 provides a primary network connection for high bandwidth streaming of optical image data and ancillary data. For example, using the StarLink® or Sky Muster® or a similar satellite service. Finally, cellular communication device 130 may be provided as a backup network connection and may additionally provide the primary connection for backend system management. For example, using 4G or 5G cellular network.

[0048] Now referring to Figure 2, the apparatus 100 is configured to be deployed via an aircraft, and preferably a helicopter 200. To facilitate deployment of apparatus 100 by helicopter 200, apparatus has an assembled gross mass less than 1,000kg, and preferably equal to or less than 500kg. Moreover, whilst the portable frame 135 can be of any suitable dimensions, it may be for example, less than or equal to 2.5 metres high by 2.5 metres wide and 1.0 metres deep. It will be appreciated that the maximum, and in some cases, the minimum, assembled gross mass and dimensions, will vary depending on the type and specification of aircraft 200 intended to be used to deploy the apparatus 100, as well as the distance between the target deployment site and the point of take-off.

[0049] Referring now to Figure 3, there is shown a perspective view of portable frame 135, in more detail. Portable frame 135 includes a series of primary horizontal members 305 and secondary horizontal members 310 arranged to form base 315. Primary horizontal members 305 and secondary horizontal members 310 comprise members formed from various materials, for example, rectangular hollow section (RHS) on unequal angle (UA) steel, timber, and other suitable materials.

[0050] Portable frame 135 includes at least two vertical members 320. Vertical members 320 support horizontal support member 325. Base 315 and horizontal support member 325, each support one or more devices (see Figure 1), which together with portable frame 135, comprise apparatus 100 for detecting smoke and / or fire and / or other environmental elements. That is, respective devices (see Figure 1) are mounted on and secured to either base 315, or horizontal support 325. A plurality of bracing elements 330 support vertical members 320, providing strength and rigidity to portable frame 135. Overall, portable frame 135 is preferably constructed of steel to optimise the strength to weight ratio, with some of the secondary horizontal members optionally, being formed of timber.

[0051] Referring now to Figure 4, there is shown a back view of the portable frame of Figure 3. Levelling members 335 are provided at each corner of base 315 to allow apparatus 100 to be levelled on undulating surfaces as is likely to be encountered in remote environments. Levelling members preferably include an adjustable foot which can tilt up to 10°. Timber pads may be used to support levelling members, or alternatively, permanent level, grout pads can be installed at the deployment site to support each levelling member,prior to the apparatus being secured in position. Attachment means 340 for securing apparatus 100 in position are provided on portable frame 135. For example, eyes bolts or similar may be welded to vertical members 320. Horizontal support 325 is also braced for strength and rigidity. Attachment points are provided on or adjacent to horizontal support 352 to facilitate transport by helicopter.

[0052] Respective positions for mounting the energy collection device 115 and housing 140 (see Figure 1) for storing electronic equipment are indicated. Referring now to Figure 5, these respective positions are more clearly apparent in the side on view of portable frame 135. Energy collecting device 115 is mountable on bracing elements 330, thereby inherently providing for the energy collection device, which may be provided in the form of a photovoltaic panel for example, to be tilted, thereby maximising sun exposure and energy collection.

[0053] Housing 140 (see Figure 1) comprises an equipment enclosure configured to house various electronic equipment including controllers and circuitry and protect the same from the elements. These include a photovoltaic controller to manage all photovoltaic devices, a DC / DC converter to provide correct output voltage to network and camera infrastructure, and a DC / DC Converter to provide correct output voltage to the communication devices.

[0054] Furthermore, housing 140 may house one or more batteries configured to store energy collected by photovoltaic panel 115. Photovoltaic panel 115 may for example, be a 500-watt photovoltaic panel which can provide full charge to the apparatus within 3 days. For a system of this size, six 230ah 12V batteries are installed in housing 140 to provide up to fourteen days of runtime without charge. The solar configuration uses Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) to optimise the efficiency of the photovoltaic (PV) panel. A shunt may be provided to measure current in / out of the battery system. An external charger may be installed to enable charging with generator or alternate power source when the apparatus is in storage.

[0055] Referring now to Figure 6, there is shown a top-down view of portable frame 135, whilst Figure 7, is a top-down view showing how the portable frame is secured in situ using suitable means to secure the portable frame to a surface at location. Means for securingportable frame 135 could consist of a cable 360 comprising wire or chain lengths configured to maintain structural integrity in a harsh external environment for an extended period. In cases where the period of installation of the apparatus is anticipated to be less than 12 months, it may be appropriate to use ratchet straps having a suitable lashing capacity, such as for example, three tonnes. Cable 360 is secured to portable frame 135 using a tensioning assembly to allow for tension adjustment and reduction of any slack in the cable on installation. For example, tensioning assembly may comprise a combination of D shackles 345 and a turnbuckle 350 to secure cable 360 to eye bolts 340 provided on vertical members 320. Anchor points 355, such as DynaBolt®, are used to anchor the apparatus 100 to rock in situ, preferably, on a rocky outcrop located on a mountain or hilltop to allow for uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape. Anchor points are situated such that cables 360 are angles at 45 to 60° from base 315.

[0056] Referring now to Figure 8, there is shown portable frame 135 anchored in position on a rocky outcrop on a mountain or hilltop, using the means for securing the portable frame described by refence to Figure 7. Anchor points are situated such that cables 360 angle downwards at least 20°.

[0057] Referring now to Figure 9, there is shown apparatus 100 anchored in position on a rocky outcrop on a mountain or hilltop. Devices supported by portable frame 135 are shown in situ. The apparatus includes various devices including one or more cameras to capture optical image data 105, 110, an energy collection device 115, energy storage devices (not shown) stored in housing 140, to power cameras and ancillary devices including communication devices 120, 125 and 130, the communication devices being configured to communicate the optical image data via a network.

[0058] Apparatus 100 further includes a receiver 145 configured for tracking a position of aircraft. For example, the positions of other aircraft may be tracked during deployment and / or whilst apparatus 100 is deployed, i.e., to track all aircrafts for safety during an incident. This safety feature receives data about the precise location of other aircraft in the vicinity of the apparatus particularly, when in the process of being deployed, based on GPS, barometric altitude, identification and other data broadcast to ground stations and otheraircraft. For example, an ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast) receiver may be provided.

[0059] Furthermore, the apparatus includes climate sensors 150 to collect climate data to supplement the optical image data and provide situational awareness. There may be one or more climate sensors configured to sense climate data relating to temperature, precipitation, wind direction, wind speed, humidity, and / or barometric pressure.Conveniently, climate sensors 150 may be integrated into a weather station mounted on portable frame 135.

[0060] It will be appreciated that the inclusion of climate sensors and other environmental sensors will adapt the apparatus to be used to monitor other types of environmental elements in addition to those already foreshadowed, such as fire, flood, lightning and wildlife. For example, the availability of climate sensors on the apparatus in conjunction with the optical imaging devices lends itself to monitoring fuel moisture, vegetation and forest health, for example.

[0061] A system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment includes the apparatus as described for remote deployment. The system further includes a processing system for receiving least the optical image data from the apparatus via the network and a process executing on the optical image data to enable detection of smoke and / or fire or flood waters, for example, in the wilderness environment.

[0062] The optical image data may be processed for display to a remote user for manual monitoring. In this case, the optical image data can be monitored 24 / 7, as required, from outside of the danger zone.

[0063] Alternatively, the optical image data may be processed using a machine learning algorithm or statistical model to monitor environmental factors or in a specific embodiment, to detect smoke and / or fire. This enables wildfires to be detected within minutes of ignition and notified to a user. The machine learning algorithm is trained on a large global dataset containing at least thousands and, in some cases, up to over 1.5 billion images containing smoke, to optimise accuracy and reliability.

[0064] The apparatus and system for environmental monitoring such as detecting smoke and / or fire in a wilderness environment of the present invention offers several advantages over existing fire detection systems which are generally limited to capturing optical image data from a fixed fire watch tower, which must first be erected in the environment to be monitored. In accordance with the invention, a compact and robust apparatus is provided for deployment into wilderness areas, avoiding the need to erect permanent structures which may be impractical and undesirable in wilderness environments. The apparatus provides a minimal impact solution for collecting smoke and fire data in remote environments, thereby facilitating early detection of wildfires which have the potential to cause significant damage.

[0065] Where any or all of the terms "comprise", "comprises", "comprised" or "comprising" are used in this specification (including the claims), they are to be interpreted as specifying the presence of the stated features, integers, steps or components, but not precluding the presence of one or more other features, integers, steps or components.

[0066] While the invention has been described in conjunction with a limited number of embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many alternatives, modifications and variations in light of the foregoing description are possible. Accordingly, the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. An apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment comprising: at least one optical imaging apparatus comprising an image sensor configured to receive optical image data; at least one energy collection device; one or more energy storage devices; one or more communication devices configured to communicate at least the optical image data via a network; and a portable frame for supporting the at least one optical imaging apparatus, the at least one energy collection device, the one or more energy storage devices, and the one or more communication devices, wherein the apparatus is configured to be deployed into the wilderness environment by an aircraft.

2. The apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to be deployed into the wilderness environment via a helicopter.

3. The apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the portable frame comprises primary horizontal members and secondary horizontal members arranged to form a base, at least two vertical members for supporting a substantially horizontal support, and a plurality of bracing elements to support the vertical members.

4. The apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of the preceding claims, further including a receiver for tracking a position of nearby aircraft.

5. The apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus further includes one or more climate sensors configured to sense two or more of a temperature, a precipitation, a wind direction, a wind speed, a humidity, and / or a barometric pressure.

6. The apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one optical imaging apparatus is configured to provide wide-area coverage.

7. The apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to claim 6, wherein the at least one optical imaging apparatus further includes two high resolution panoramic cameras, each camera being mounted at one end of the substantially horizontal support of the portable frame.

8. The apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of the preceding claims, further including a housing for storing electronic equipment and the one or more energy storage devices.

9. The apparatus for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the one or more communication devices include a long-range, low power communication device, a cellular communication device, and / or a satellite communication device.

10. A system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment comprising: a. an apparatus for remote deployment, the apparatus comprising: i. at least one optical imaging apparatus comprising an image sensor configured to receive optical image data; ii. at least one energy collection device; iii. one or more energy storage devices;iv. one or more communication devices configured to communicate at least the optical image data via a network; and v. a portable frame for supporting the at least one optical imaging apparatus, the at least one energy collection device, the one or more energy storage devices, and the one or more communication devices, the portable frame being configured to be deployed into the wilderness environment by an aircraft; b. a processing system for receiving at least the optical image data from the apparatus via the network; and c. a process executing on the optical image data to enable monitoring of a predefined environmental element in the wilderness environment.

11. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to claim 10, wherein the process executing on the optical image data to enable monitoring of a predefined environmental element displays the optical image data on a display accessible to a remote user for manual monitoring.

12. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to claim 11, wherein the predefined environmental element to be monitored includes one or more of the following: smoke and / or fire, flood waters, lightning and / or wildlife.

13. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to claim 12, wherein the process executing on the optical image data to enable monitoring of the predefined environmental element uses a machine learning algorithm or statistical model to process the optical image data and monitor the environmental element in accordance with one or more predefined rules.

14. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to claim 12, wherein the process executing on the optical image data to enable detection of smoke and / or fire uses a machine learning algorithm or statistical modelto process the optical image data and detect smoke and / or fire in accordance with one or more predefined rules.

15. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the apparatus further includes a receiver for tracking a position of nearby aircraft.

16. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the apparatus further includes one or more climate sensors configured to sense two or more of a temperature, a precipitation, a wind direction, a wind speed, a humidity, and a barometric pressure.

17. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein at least one optical imaging apparatus is configured to provide wide-area coverage.

18. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to claim 17, wherein the at least one optical imaging apparatus includes two high resolution panoramic cameras, each mounted at one end of the substantially horizontal support of the portable frame.

19. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of claims 10 to 18, wherein at least one optical imaging apparatus is configured to pan horizontally, tilt vertically, and zoom.

20. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of claims 10 to 19, the apparatus further including a housing for storing electronic equipment and the one or more energy storage devices.

21. The system for environmental monitoring in a wilderness environment according to any one of claims 10 to 20, wherein the one or more communication devices include a long-range, low power communication device, a cellular communication device, and / or a satellite communication device.

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