Fixed-Hover Security Drones for Low-False-Alarm Surveillance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional commercial surveillance systems require significant investment in video cameras and are prone to missing conditions, leading to false alarms and high costs for alarm monitoring companies, building owners, and security professionals, while military surveillance drones are expensive and not practical for small areas.
Innovation Solution
Deploying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or drones) equipped with sensors and autonomous flight control systems to hover over specific locations within a facility, capturing and processing sensor data to detect unusual feature differences, thereby reducing false alarms and enhancing surveillance efficiency at lower costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If conventional commercial surveillance systems use multiple video cameras to cover large areas, then surveillance coverage is improved, but system cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs mobile drones that can dynamically reposition themselves to different surveillance locations rather than using fixed cameras. The drones fly to specific coordinates, hover to capture images, and can be redirected in real-time based on detected events or changing surveillance needs, providing flexible coverage without the complexity of multiple fixed camera systems.
Solution Approach 2:
A single drone system performs multiple surveillance functions that would otherwise require multiple dedicated camera systems. The same drone can survey different areas, monitor specific targets, respond to alarms, and adapt its behavior based on sensor data, eliminating the need for separate systems for each function and reducing overall complexity.
2Measurement precision
If conventional surveillance systems deploy many video cameras and analytics tools, then detection capability is improved, but false alarms increase and costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensor types (optical cameras, thermal imaging, motion detectors) on a single mobile platform and integrates their data through centralized processing. This multi-sensor fusion approach improves detection accuracy by cross-validating signals from different sources, reducing false alarms that would occur with single-sensor systems while maintaining comprehensive surveillance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback loops where sensor data is continuously analyzed, and drone behavior is adjusted based on detected conditions. When suspicious activity is detected, the system sends commands back to the drone to reposition, hover, or focus sensors on specific targets, creating a closed-loop system that adapts to real-time conditions and reduces false alarms through intelligent decision-making.
3Reliability
If military surveillance drones are used for large area coverage, then surveillance effectiveness is improved, but cost becomes prohibitive for commercial applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs inexpensive commercial-off-the-shelf drone components and sensors rather than expensive military-grade equipment. The system uses affordable quadcopter frames, consumer cameras, and standard flight controllers that can be replaced or upgraded easily, making the surveillance system economically viable for commercial applications while maintaining adequate surveillance effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The drone system incorporates autonomous navigation and self-management capabilities, including automated takeoff and landing sequences, self-positioning using GPS and visual odometry, and automatic return-to-base functionality. This autonomy reduces the need for expensive human operators and complex ground control infrastructure, lowering overall system cost while maintaining reliable surveillance operations.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle is described and includes a computer carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle to control flight of the unmanned aerial vehicle and at least one sensor. The unmanned aerial vehicle is caused to fly to a specific location within a facility, where the unmanned aerial vehicle enters a hover mode, where the unmanned aerial vehicle remains in a substantially fixed location hovering over the specific location within the facility and sends raw or processing results of sensor data from the sensor to a remote server system.