Remote Machinery Video Relay for Hazard Zone Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing technologies face challenges in safely and efficiently performing tasks in hazardous environments, such as removing unexploded ordinance (UXO), due to the risks involved for workers.
Innovation Solution
A wireless system for remotely viewing and operating machinery, which includes acquiring a video stream from cameras on the machinery, transmitting this stream through a wired link and multiple wireless links, and decoding it for display on a computer, allowing for remote control of machinery in hazardous zones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If workers operate machinery directly in hazardous environments, then operational control and response time are improved, but worker safety deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a remote operator station as an intermediary between the control operator and the hazardous environment. The operator station includes displays, control interfaces, and communication systems that enable the operator to control machinery from a safe distance while maintaining full operational capability. This mediator allows the operator to interact with the machinery without being physically present in the hazardous zone.
2Reliability
If video transmission uses wired links only, then transmission reliability is improved, but system flexibility and deployment ease deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the video transmission system into multiple independent communication channels including wired links (Ethernet cables), wireless links (WiFi, cellular), and alternative pathways. This segmentation allows the system to use wired connections for stable environments while providing wireless options for mobile or hard-to-reach locations. Each segment can operate independently or in combination, maintaining reliability while improving deployment flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The operator station and machinery are equipped with multi-functional communication capabilities that can switch between wired Ethernet connections, wireless WiFi networks, and cellular data networks. This universal communication interface allows the system to adapt to different deployment scenarios - using wired connections when available for maximum reliability, and switching to wireless options when mobility or rapid deployment is required.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If remote control systems are implemented, then worker safety is improved, but operational latency and response time deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements continuous video streaming with real-time transmission from the machinery cameras to the operator station displays. The system maintains constant communication channels with minimal buffering or interruption, ensuring that the operator receives uninterrupted visual feedback and can respond immediately to changing conditions. The continuous data flow reduces latency by eliminating repeated connection establishment and data retransmission.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes communication channels and buffers critical control data in advance. Video feeds are pre-processed and compressed using efficient codecs that balance quality with transmission speed. Control commands are queued and prepared for immediate transmission, reducing the overall latency between operator input and machinery response. This preliminary preparation of data and communication pathways minimizes delays during actual operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are provided for remotely controlling machinery operated within an exclusion zone, which is a region within which workers are not permitted due to a hazardous condition within the exclusion zone. The system includes one or more cameras that are fixed to industrial machinery (e.g., excavators and haul trucks) and that acquire a video stream of activities of the machinery. The video stream is transmitted to a control station via a series of wireless links to allow the control station to be outside of the exclusion zone and possibly outside a line of sight from the machinery. Repeaters can connect the wireless links with transmit and receive radios operating at different frequencies to enable simultaneous transmission and reception without co-channel interference.