Escort Drone Surveillance for On-Call Threat Deterrence
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of effective surveillance and personal security in various locations, such as college campuses, public parking lots, and outdoor areas, where individuals may feel threatened without adequate infrastructure to deter or prevent hazardous or criminal activities.
Innovation Solution
A drone system equipped with cameras, microphones, flashing security lights, sirens, and physical deterrents that can be summoned for real-time escort assistance, providing live video and audio feeds to remote security operators to assess and respond to potential threats, and can be scheduled for accompaniment between locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fixed cameras are installed in and around places of business and public places, then surveillance coverage is improved, but infrastructure cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces drones as intermediary mobile surveillance units that can be deployed to areas lacking fixed camera infrastructure. These drones act as temporary, flexible surveillance intermediaries that provide coverage without requiring permanent installation of complex fixed camera systems in every location.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables individuals to summon escort drones independently through a mobile application, allowing the surveillance service to be self-initiated and self-managed without requiring extensive centralized infrastructure control or manual deployment of fixed cameras.
2Loss of time
If escort drones are deployed to provide real-time security monitoring, then personal security response time is improved, but device complexity and operational cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical security systems (fixed cameras, physical security personnel) with autonomous aerial drones equipped with sensors and communication systems. This substitution enables rapid deployment and mobility while reducing the need for extensive physical infrastructure and human intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The escort drones are designed as multi-functional devices that can perform surveillance, provide real-time video feeds, activate threat deterring devices, and communicate with both individuals and law enforcement. This universality allows a single device to handle multiple security functions, reducing overall system complexity despite the advanced capabilities.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If threat deterring devices such as flashing lights, spotlights, and loudspeakers are integrated into the drone, then deterrence capability is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple threat deterring devices (flashing lights, spotlights, loudspeakers) into a single integrated drone platform. This merging allows the drone to coordinate these devices workingly together to maximize deterrence effect while managing the complexity through unified control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The threat deterring devices operate in periodic or sequential patterns rather than continuously - for example, flashing lights activate in specific patterns, spotlights illuminate intermittently, and loudspeakers emit warnings at timed intervals. This periodic operation reduces energy consumption and manages thermal loads while maintaining effective deterrence.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of an escort drone device, system and method provide one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous escort drones capable of being summoned by an individual to a first location, wherein the escort drone(s) includes a payload with threat deterring components and wherein the threat deterring components can be engaged by a remote operator at a different location from the first location. In embodiments, the system can employ intelligent mesh networking to allocate one or more escort drones to one or more specific locations.