Autonomous Drone Utility Marking for Re-Survey Bottlenecks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for marking underground utility lines are labor-intensive and inefficient, especially across large areas, and often require costly re-identification and re-marking due to obscured or removed markings during construction projects.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous drone system equipped with detection equipment, such as sonar and electromagnetic sensors, navigation systems, and a payload for marking materials, which can autonomously detect and mark underground infrastructure by using a marking database to determine the location and type of utilities and apply markings accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional contractors manually detect and mark utility lines, then the process can be completed with simple equipment, but it requires extensive man-hours and is labor-intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical marking operations with an autonomous aerial vehicle equipped with sensors and marking mechanisms. The system uses electromagnetic detectors and sonar to automatically locate utility lines, then applies markings without human intervention, eliminating the need for extensive manual labor while maintaining marking functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The aerial vehicle operates autonomously to perform the complete marking process. It independently navigates to utility line locations using GPS and sensor data, detects markings through onboard sensors, and applies new markings without requiring continuous human operation or supervision, enabling the system to serve itself in completing the marking task
2Reliability
If contractors perform multiple surveys to account for obscured or removed markings, then marking reliability improves, but time and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The aerial vehicle is equipped with sensors that detect existing markings on utility lines during flight. This feedback mechanism allows the system to identify already-marked lines and adjust its operations accordingly, preventing redundant marking operations and enabling reliable single-pass surveying without the need for multiple repeated surveys
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary detection of utility line locations and marking status before applying new markings. By预先 identifying the state of utility lines through sensor detection, the system can determine whether markings are needed, eliminating the need for repeated surveys and ensuring reliable marking in a single operation
3Productivity
If manual marking is performed across large areas such as highways, then flexibility in operation is maintained, but the workload becomes onerous and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-based manual marking to aerial-based automated marking. By operating from the aerial dimension, the system can cover large areas such as highways much faster than ground-based contractors, dramatically increasing marking speed while the autonomous operation maintains simplicity by eliminating complex manual procedures
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
The system enables efficient and reliable identification and re-marking of underground utilities, reducing labor costs and improving accuracy by using drones to detect and mark utility lines with precision and consistency across vast areas.
Implementation Method 1
The detection equipment include a depth sensor (e.g., a sonar and/or electromagnetic detector) configured to determine the depth of underground infrastructure.
Implementation Method 2
The detection equipment include a depth sensor (e.g., a sonar and/or electromagnetic detector) configured to determine the depth of underground infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
A marking identification system comprising a marking database, a drone, and a data network communicatively coupled to the marking database and drone. The marking database is arranged to store marking data associated with one or more markings. The marking data can include one or more marking locations within a geographic area and a type of infrastructure associated with each of the one or more marking. The drone is arranged to determine the location of the drone via one or more location sensors, receive data from the marking database, and deploy to the location within the geographic area. The drone is also arranged to detect one or more markings within the geographic area, detect an indicator in pain associated with each of the detected markings, and determine a type of infrastructure associated with each of the detected markings based on the detected indicator associated with each of the markings.