Deployable Ground Sensor Rotor Descent Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unattended ground sensors are complex, expensive, and require significant effort for deployment, making them unsuitable for rapid and cost-effective surveillance in areas like wooded zones where radar systems are not viable.
Innovation Solution
A deployable ground sensor system comprising a seismic sensor, a transmitter, a controller, a power supply, and a rotor, designed for air deployment, which includes a freewheeling rotor to control descent and a compact outer body for easy penetration into the ground, enabling rapid and inexpensive deployment of a dense network of sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sophisticated and intelligent ground sensors are used to detect and process seismic data, then measurement precision and reliability are improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex data processing functions from the ground sensor itself and relocates them to a centralized base station. The sensor only performs simple seismic wave detection and analog-to-digital conversion, while the base station handles event identification, discrimination, and position determination. This extraction of processing complexity resolves the contradiction by maintaining measurement precision at the sensor while eliminating device complexity through functional distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a base station as an intermediary between the simple sensors and the final data analysis. The base station receives raw seismic data from multiple sensors, processes the information, and generates meaningful event descriptions. This intermediary approach allows sensors to remain simple while achieving sophisticated measurement capabilities through centralized processing.
2Measurement precision
If large and sophisticated ground sensors are deployed, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of deployment and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sophisticated processing capabilities from the physical sensor unit and places them in a separate base station. This allows the sensor itself to be minimized to only essential components (seismic sensor, ADC, minimal electronics), enabling rapid deployment while maintaining measurement precision through the remote processing station.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simple, inexpensive sensor units that can be rapidly deployed and potentially replaced. Each sensor is designed as a basic unit without complex processing, making it cheap and easy to deploy in large numbers. The sophisticated functionality is provided centrally rather than in each individual sensor, enabling high productivity in deployment.
3Productivity
If air deployment is implemented for rapid deployment, then productivity is improved, but the sensor design complexity increases due to deployment mechanism requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the deployment complexity from the sensor unit by using simple parachutes and basic mechanical structures. The sensor is designed as a simple package that can be dropped from aircraft with minimal deployment mechanisms, relying on the base station for sophisticated processing rather than requiring complex mechanisms in the deployed sensor itself.
4Measurement precision
If a dense network of sensors is deployed, then measurement precision and coverage are improved, but cost and deployment complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts complex processing from individual sensors and centralizes it at the base station, which receives data from multiple sensors simultaneously. This allows a dense network of simple sensors to be deployed without proportionally increasing complexity, as the base station handles coordination and data fusion for all sensors in the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The base station serves as a universal processing unit for all sensors in the network, handling data from multiple sources with a single sophisticated system. This multi-functional approach allows many simple sensors to contribute to enhanced measurement precision without each sensor needing complex capabilities, reducing overall network deployment complexity.
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 allows for a dense, inexpensive network of ground sensors to be rapidly deployed and redeployed, providing effective seismic data collection and movement detection with reduced false alarms, while minimizing sensor cost and deployment complexity.
Implementation Method 1
The rotor may rotate as the ground sensor falls (e.g., descends) to the ground to reduce a rate of descent of the ground sensor
Implementation Method 2
The rotor may rotate as the ground sensor falls (e.g., descends) to the ground to reduce a rate of descent of the ground sensor
Implementation Method 3
The seismic sensor is operable to detect seismic waves incident on the ground sensor and to generate seismic data therefrom
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes enabling a power supply of a ground sensor device to provide power to one or more components of the ground sensor device based on one or more rotations of a rotor of the ground sensor device.