Airborne Vehicle Positioning Survey Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing survey operations for subsurface structure characterization, such as seismic and electromagnetic surveys, face inaccuracies in positioning survey sensors, which can be costly and labor-intensive, especially when using GPS receivers for precise location determination.
Innovation Solution
Employing an unmanned airborne vehicle (drone) equipped with advanced positioning systems like SBAS, IMU, and sensor position measurement systems, including LIDAR, infrared cameras, and optical receivers, to accurately determine the positions of survey sensors, potentially replacing or complementing GPS receivers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If GPS receivers are used for survey sensor positioning, then positioning coverage is wide, but positioning accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning system is segmented into multiple independent components: airborne vehicle with positioning system, survey sensors with transponders, and ground control station. Each component performs a specific function, allowing the system to achieve high accuracy through coordinated operation rather than relying on a single complex GPS receiver at each sensor location.
Solution Approach 2:
The airborne vehicle acts as an intermediary between the ground control station and the survey sensors. It carries positioning equipment that can directly measure sensor positions using transponders, providing an intermediate measurement step that improves accuracy over direct GPS positioning while avoiding the need for complex high-precision GPS receivers at each sensor.
2Measurement precision
If high-precision positioning equipment is deployed at each survey sensor, then positioning accuracy improves, but cost and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The airborne vehicle serves multiple functions: it carries the positioning system, houses the SBAS receiver for enhanced positioning, and can perform various surveying tasks. This multi-functionality reduces the need for multiple specialized expensive equipment deployments, as one airborne platform can service multiple survey sensors across different locations.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of deploying expensive high-precision positioning equipment at each survey sensor, the system uses simple transponders at each sensor that reflect or modulate signals from the airborne vehicle. This creates a simplified copy or representation of the positioning function that is much cheaper and easier to deploy while achieving comparable accuracy.
3Productivity
If traditional survey positioning methods are used, then equipment simplicity is maintained, but positioning efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from ground-based GPS positioning to airborne positioning, adding the vertical dimension to the positioning approach. The airborne vehicle can approach sensors from above, providing direct line-of-sight measurements that are not constrained by ground obstacles, thereby improving efficiency while distributing complexity across the airborne platform rather than at each sensor location.
Solution Approach 2:
The airborne vehicle performs preliminary positioning measurements by flying over the survey area and acquiring sensor positions before the actual survey data collection begins. This preliminary action establishes accurate sensor locations in advance, allowing the main survey operation to proceed efficiently without real-time positioning delays.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the accuracy and efficiency of survey sensor positioning, reducing costs and labor by providing precise location data for survey operations, enabling more effective characterization of subsurface structures and other target structures.
Implementation Method 1
sensor position measurement systems, including LIDAR
Implementation Method 2
transmit signals to and receive signals from survey sensors
Implementation Method 3
infrared cameras
Data Source
AI summary
An airborne vehicle includes a positioning system to acquire information relating to a position of the airborne vehicle, and a measurement system to transmit signals to and receive signals from survey sensors of a survey arrangement used to survey a target structure, the received signals indicating positions of the respective survey sensors.