Robot Patrol Path Planning for Faster Forest Event Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring vast areas, such as forests, are inefficient in detecting potential dangers like wildfires due to reliance on human resources and limited use of drones, leading to delayed detection and increased damage.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that instructs robots, including drones and land robots, to patrol predefined paths based on activity data, detect events, and report them to authorities, with the option for users to install an application for reporting and path database updates, and includes base stations for communication and charging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If human resources are deployed to patrol and monitor forest areas, then the area can be monitored for potential dangers, but the efficiency of discovering fire sources remains very low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human mechanical patrolling with an automated system consisting of robots, drones, and base stations that use sensors, cameras, and communication technologies to detect and report fire sources, thereby significantly improving detection efficiency and reducing response time
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-monitoring through automated robots and drones that independently patrol predefined paths, detect events using onboard sensors, and automatically report to base stations without requiring continuous human intervention or manual patrol operations
2Area of stationary object
If a large number of people are deployed to protect the vast forest area, then more areas can be covered, but the efficiency of discovering fire sources remains low due to the vast area
Solution Approach 1:
The vast forest area is divided into multiple zones with predefined patrol paths, each monitored by specific robots and drones, allowing comprehensive coverage of large areas while maintaining efficient detection through distributed autonomous units operating in parallel
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from ground-based human patrolling to three-dimensional monitoring using airborne drones and robots that can cover vast areas more efficiently by operating above the forest canopy, adding vertical dimension to the monitoring capability
3Reliability
If human patrolling is used in vast areas, then routine monitoring can be performed, but people may miss important suspected factors due to boredom
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces human operators prone to fatigue and boredom with automated robotic systems equipped with sensors and event detection algorithms that maintain consistent attention and reliability in detecting fire sources and other hazards without suffering from human limitations
4Extent of automation
If drones are used to patrol the forest area, then automated monitoring is achieved, but the efficiency is still not high due to the vast area
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the vast forest area into multiple zones with predefined patrol paths and deploys multiple drones and robots to operate simultaneously in different zones, thereby achieving both high automation and improved detection efficiency through parallel operations across segmented areas
Solution Approach 2:
The robotic system is designed with multi-functionality, capable of performing various detection tasks including fire source detection, obstacle detection, and environmental monitoring using different sensors and detection methods, thereby improving overall detection efficiency across diverse scenarios
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a management system. The method comprises instructing at least one robot, which may be a drone, a land robot or an underwater robot, to patrol a path for event detection based on a path database maintained according to people's activities within a predefined area and obtaining data from the at least one robot. The method also comprises detecting an event based on the data obtained from the at least one robot and reporting the event to e.g. any of a person, a police station, rescue people and a server.