Telecom Site Closeout Imaging for Safer Remote Tower Audits
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for telecommunications site modeling and maintenance are inefficient and hazardous due to the need for frequent tower climbs by workers, which are costly and pose significant safety risks, and current UAV solutions face challenges in stabilization and accuracy for 3D modeling.
Innovation Solution
The use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with multiple cameras and a telescoping apparatus for data capture, combined with satellite data, to create accurate 3D models of telecommunications sites, enabling remote site surveys and audits, and the integration of augmented reality for site planning and engineering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If workers climb cell towers to perform maintenance and audit work, then direct access to equipment is achieved, but safety risks and operational costs increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system consisting of a telescoping platform and camera apparatus that can be deployed to cell tower equipment without requiring workers to physically climb the tower. The platform extends via telescoping mechanism to reach antennas and other equipment, while cameras capture images and data, serving as a mediator between the ground-based operator and the elevated equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human climbing with an automated telescoping mechanical system. The telescoping platform uses mechanical extension and retraction mechanisms to reach equipment at various heights, eliminating the need for human workers to physically ascend the tower structure.
2Device complexity
If traditional data capture methods are used for telecommunications site modeling, then simplicity is maintained, but modeling accuracy and completeness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple data capture functions into a single integrated apparatus. The system merges telescoping platform capabilities with multiple camera units, GPS tracking, and data processing functions into one unified device that can capture comprehensive 3D modeling data from elevated positions while maintaining operational simplicity through integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from traditional ground-based 2D photography to 3D spatial modeling by deploying the camera apparatus in three-dimensional space around the cell tower equipment. The telescoping platform enables capture of images from multiple angles and elevations, creating comprehensive 3D models that provide accurate representations of antenna positions, orientations, and configurations.
3Reliability
If UAVs are used for cell site audits, then tower climbs are reduced, but stabilization and flight path control become complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the telescoping platform as an intermediary mechanism that provides stable, controlled access to equipment at various heights without requiring complex UAV stabilization systems. The platform's mechanical telescoping design inherently provides stability through its structured extension and retraction mechanism, eliminating the need for complex active stabilization systems required by UAVs.
4Measurement precision
If comprehensive equipment data is captured at cell sites, then audit accuracy improves, but data collection time and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual data collection processes with automated imaging and data capture systems. Multiple cameras simultaneously capture images of equipment, while GPS and other sensors automatically record positional and environmental data, eliminating the need for manual measurement and documentation processes that would consume significant time and human resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables continuous data collection through automated camera operation and continuous GPS tracking as the platform moves. The telescoping platform can systematically progress through different equipment locations while cameras continuously capture images, creating an unbroken sequence of data collection that improves efficiency compared to discrete, manual measurement approaches.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for preparing and delivering a data package detailing work performed at a telecommunications site includes, subsequent to the work, performing data capture at the telecommunications site utilizing a plurality of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), a satellite, a multiple camera apparatus, and a telescoping apparatus; processing the data capture to provide a close out audit package for the telecommunications site describing the work; uploading the close out audit package through a User Interface to a server; providing the close out audit package to one or more users via the server; and performing verification of the work via the uploaded close out audit package.