Guided Wildfire Extinguishing Device with Precision Dropping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing firefighting helicopters face challenges in efficiently extinguishing wildfires due to limited fire extinguishing capacity, long recharge times, and difficulty in accurately dropping fire extinguishing water, which are exacerbated by high temperatures, dry conditions, and strong winds.
Innovation Solution
An air-to-ground guided wildfire extinguishing device utilizing a manned or unmanned aircraft with a high maximum take-off weight, equipped with a camera module, distance measurement sensor, and control unit, employs deep learning object detection technology and robot control to precisely guide and drop fire extinguishing devices onto wildfires with high accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If firefighting helicopters are used to drop fire extinguishing water, then the fire extinguishing operation can be conducted, but the accuracy of dropping water is poor due to high altitude (15m or more) and the water cannot be dropped precisely at the fire start point
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the fire extinguishing operation into two stages: first, the drone flies to the fire location for precise positioning and target acquisition; second, the drone releases the fire extinguishing device at the exact target location. This segmentation enables precise dropping accuracy regardless of the aircraft's operating altitude.
Solution Approach 2:
The drone acts as an intermediary carrier between the aircraft and the fire extinguishing device. The aircraft transports the drone to the target area, and the drone then serves as the delivery vehicle for the fire extinguishing device, enabling precise positioning and dropping at the fire start point.
2Productivity
If firefighting helicopters operate continuously, then fire extinguishing can be maintained, but the recharge time is extended (30 minutes or more) due to maximum take-off weight limits
Solution Approach 1:
The fire extinguishing capacity is segmented into multiple small fire extinguishing devices instead of one large load. Each device can be independently dropped and operates autonomously, allowing the aircraft to make multiple quick drops without being limited by maximum take-off weight constraints, thereby reducing recharge time between operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a reusable drone platform that can be quickly recovered and reused. The fire extinguishing devices are designed to be disposable or easily replaceable, allowing the system to dynamically adapt to continuous fire extinguishing needs without being constrained by fixed weight limits, enabling faster recharge cycles.
3Productivity
If firefighting helicopters are used, then fire extinguishing operation can be conducted, but the wildfire spreads faster due to ground effect introducing large amount of air (average speed of 22.97 km/h)
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from ground-based fire fighting to air-based fire extinguishing. By dropping fire extinguishing devices from the air, the system operates in a different dimension (aerial space) rather than being constrained by ground-level conditions, thereby avoiding the ground effect that accelerates wildfire spread and enabling faster response to the fire.
Solution Approach 2:
The drone acquires the target and positions the fire extinguishing device in advance before releasing it. This preliminary positioning and targeting allows the fire extinguishing action to be delivered precisely at the optimal moment and location, improving the effectiveness of fire suppression before the wildfire can spread further.
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 solution enables rapid and accurate wildfire extinguishing by dropping multiple fire extinguishing devices from a high-altitude aircraft, significantly reducing the time and resources required compared to traditional methods, while also allowing for reusable devices and reduced economic burden.
Implementation Method 1
a camera module that captures an image including a fire scene
Implementation Method 2
a distance measurement sensor that measures a distance from a ground
Implementation Method 3
a fire extinguishing material tank that is configured to spray a fire extinguishing material on the fire scene
Data Source
AI summary
An air-to-ground guided wildfire extinguishing device and method is provided. The device includes a camera module that captures an image including a fire scene, a distance measurement sensor that measures a distance from a ground, a control unit that receives the image from the camera module, recognizes at least one of a wildfire shape, smoke shape, and object included in the image, detects, identifies, or tracks a pre-learned target, controls a moving direction of the wildfire extinguishing device to correspond to the target, and determines a terminal altitude based on altitude detection data obtained from the distance measurement sensor, and a fire extinguishing material tank that is configured to spray a fire extinguishing material on the fire scene based on a signal received from the control unit.