UAV Building Envelope Thermal Measurement for High-Rise Windows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for measuring the thermal performance of high-rise building windows are inefficient and difficult to implement, especially for non-operable windows, and are not suitable for community-wide energy mapping.
Innovation Solution
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based system that uses air velocity, temperature, and infrared measurements to determine the current thermal performance of building envelope surfaces, including windows, walls, and roofs, by positioning sensors at optimal measuring points and transmitting data to a remote base station.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual measurement methods are used for high-rise building windows, then measurement accuracy can be maintained, but the difficulty of operation and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as an intermediary carrier to transport measurement sensors to the building exterior surfaces. The UAV serves as a mediator between the operators and the difficult-to-reach measurement points, enabling accurate measurements of high-rise building windows and walls without requiring manual access to these locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical measurement operations with an automated UAV-based measurement system. The UAV autonomously positions and deploys sensors to collect thermal and environmental data, substituting the need for manual measurement operations while maintaining measurement accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If individual building measurements are conducted one-by-one, then measurement accuracy is maintained, but productivity and efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV-based measurement system is designed with universal applicability to measure various building envelope components (windows, walls, roofs) across different buildings. The system can perform multiple measurement functions and adapt to different building types, enabling efficient community-wide energy mapping while maintaining measurement accuracy through consistent standardized procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary positioning and sensor deployment actions through the UAV before actual measurements are taken. The UAV pre-positioning capability allows for efficient setup and rapid data collection across multiple buildings, improving overall productivity while maintaining measurement quality.
3Measurement precision
If sensors are positioned close to the building surface for accurate measurement, then measurement precision improves, but the risk of rotor turbulence interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement system is segmented into separate functional modules: the UAV platform for positioning and the sensors for measurement. This segmentation allows the sensors to be deployed close to the building surface for accurate measurements while the UAV's rotor system operates at a distance, minimizing turbulence interference. The shield enclosure further segments the sensor environment from the rotor turbulence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a shield enclosure as an intermediary protective structure between the sensors and the UAV rotors. This shield acts as a mediator that blocks rotor-induced turbulence from reaching the sensors, allowing the sensors to operate close to the building surface without being affected by harmful rotor turbulence.
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
Enables rapid and non-intrusive measurement of thermal performance across multiple buildings, allowing for accurate energy loss estimation and community-wide energy mapping, thereby improving energy efficiency and reducing costs.
Implementation Method 1
acquiring, by the infrared camera sensor of the unmanned aerial vehicle, IR measurements at an external surface of the high-rise building
Implementation Method 2
the air velocity sensor comprises a hot-wire anemometer
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide unmanned aerial vehicle-based measurement techniques for building envelope surfaces One such method comprises acquiring, by an unmanned aerial vehicle, an air velocity measurement at an external surface of the high-rise building at a point on the external surface; acquiring, by the unmanned aerial vehicle, an external temperature at the external surface of the high-rise building at the point on the external surface; acquiring, by an infrared camera sensor of the unmanned aerial vehicle, IR measurements at the external surface of the high-rise building at the point on the external surface; and transferring, by the unmanned aerial vehicle, the IR measurements and the external air velocity and temperature measurements to a remote base station, wherein a current thermal performance of the external surface of the high-rise building is determined using the external air velocity, temperature, and IR measurements.