Autonomous USV-UAV Surveillance for Offshore Infrastructure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Offshore infrastructure maintenance operations are costly and inefficient due to the need for manned boats and human involvement, which are limited by weather conditions and distance from the coast, and existing unmanned aerial vehicle systems require human intervention and are not fully autonomous.
Innovation Solution
A surveillance system comprising an unmanned surface vessel (USV) equipped with environmental sensors and an unmanned vehicle for autonomous inspection, which autonomously decides when to perform inspections based on environmental and operational parameter comparisons, reducing human involvement and enhancing safety and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manned boats are used to transport maintenance operators to offshore infrastructure, then visual inspection and monitoring can be performed, but the operation costs increase and the operations are limited by weather conditions and distance from the coast
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses autonomous vehicles (USV and UAV) that perform inspections independently without human operators on board. The USV autonomously navigates to the offshore infrastructure and deploys the UAV, which then conducts the inspection automatically. This self-service capability eliminates the need for manned boats and reduces operational costs while extending accessibility to harsh environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manned boats with an autonomous vehicle system (USV carrying UAV). This substitution eliminates the limitations of human operators regarding weather conditions and distance, as the autonomous system can operate continuously without human intervention in harsh environments.
2Ease of operation
If unmanned aerial vehicles are used to inspect offshore wind turbines, then inspection can be performed remotely, but a boat must still bring the UAV closer to the infrastructure which requires human involvement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the USV and UAV into an integrated autonomous inspection system. The USV serves as a mobile platform that carries and deploys the UAV, combining the advantages of both water and air operations. This merged system eliminates the need for separate human-operated boat deployments while maintaining remote inspection capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The USV autonomously navigates to the offshore infrastructure and automatically deploys the UAV without human intervention. The entire process from navigation to deployment is performed by the autonomous system itself, eliminating the need for human operators to bring the UAV closer to the infrastructure.
3Measurement precision
If maintenance operators are involved in analyzing images from UAV inspections, then inspection quality can be maintained, but the inspection frequency is limited by the availability of operators and weather conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human operators with an autonomous control system that automatically analyzes inspection data. The controller on the USV receives and processes images and sensor data from the UAV, automatically determining inspection results. This substitution enables continuous operation regardless of weather conditions or operator availability, significantly increasing inspection frequency.
Solution Approach 2:
The autonomous system enables continuous inspection operations without interruption by weather conditions or operator availability. The USV and UAV can be deployed continuously, and the automatic data analysis ensures that inspection quality is maintained while inspection frequency is maximized through uninterrupted operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
In a first aspect, a surveillance system for an offshore infrastructure is provided. The surveillance system comprises an unmanned surface vessel (USV), an unmanned vehicle for inspecting the offshore infrastructure and a controller. The unmanned surface vessel comprises an environmental sensor system to measure one or more environmental parameters and a carrying area to carry the unmanned vehicle. The controller is configured to obtain one or more environmental parameters from the environmental sensor system, to obtain one or operational parameters of the offshore infrastructure, to compare each of the operational parameters to an expected value and to determine, based on the comparison, to inspect the offshore infrastructure with the unmanned vehicle. In a second aspect, a surveillance method for an offshore infrastructure is provided.