Emergency Guidance Drone for Obstruction-Aware Evacuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing home monitoring systems lack an effective method to guide users safely out of a property during emergencies, such as fires, by navigating around obstructions and minimizing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
A drone device equipped with sensors and communication features that determine the user's location and optimal exit path, using sensor data from the property and on-board data to identify obstructions and select paths based on distance, obstructions, and estimated time, while also capable of measuring biometric parameters and generating alarm events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a monitoring system detects an emergency condition and attempts to guide users out of the property, then user safety is improved, but the system complexity increases due to path determination and navigation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
A drone device serves as an intermediary between the monitoring system and the user, carrying communication devices and biometric sensors to provide guidance while reducing direct system complexity. The drone acts as a mobile intermediary that can navigate to the user and provide directional guidance without requiring the fixed monitoring system to become overly complex
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into multiple independent components: a monitoring system that detects emergencies, a drone device that provides navigation assistance, and user devices that receive guidance. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability
2Measurement precision
If the drone device determines the optimal exit path using sensor data and identifies obstructions, then the accuracy of path guidance is improved, but the time required to determine the path increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by having the monitoring system continuously collect sensor data about the property environment before an emergency occurs. This pre-collected data is stored and can be quickly retrieved during an emergency, reducing the time needed to determine exit paths while maintaining accuracy through pre-identified obstructions and safe zones
Solution Approach 2:
The drone device provides partial guidance by indicating general directional information and key waypoints rather than calculating every detail of the optimal path. This partial action approach reduces computation time while still providing sufficient accuracy for emergency evacuation, accepting that the path may not be perfectly optimal but is sufficiently safe and quick
3Reliability
If the monitoring system continuously monitors sensor data to identify obstructions and determine exit paths, then the safety of the guidance system is improved, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring system performs periodic sampling of sensor data rather than continuous monitoring, checking for changes in the environment at intervals. This periodic action maintains safety by detecting obstructions and environmental changes while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous real-time monitoring of all sensors
Solution Approach 2:
The drone device carries its own biometric sensors and communication equipment, making it self-sufficient for providing guidance. This self-service approach reduces the energy burden on the main monitoring system, as the drone independently performs measurements and provides guidance without requiring constant energy-intensive communication with the central system
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for configuring a monitoring system to assist users during a detected emergency condition at a property. In some implementations, sensor data from one or more sensors that are located at the property are obtained by a monitoring system that is configured to monitor the property. A determination that there is an emergency condition at the property is made by the monitoring system based on the sensor data, determining. A location of a person inside the property is determined by the monitoring system based on the sensor data. A first path to the person and a second path to guide the person away from the emergency condition are determined by the monitoring system. The first path to the person and the second path to guide the person away from the emergency condition are navigated by a computing device of the monitoring system.