UAV Radioactive Source Localization with Real-Time Gamma Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for locating radioactive sources in open terrain are inefficient, requiring manual exploration in protective clothing or aerial measurements that need post-flight data evaluation, lacking real-time accuracy and safety, and are not adaptable or cost-effective.
Innovation Solution
A method using a mobile carrier platform equipped with a gamma probe and localization device to create an electronic terrain map, accounting for background radiation, interpolating radiation values to identify source positions, and providing real-time results through a computer unit on the platform, with optional semi-autonomous operation and LiDAR sensor integration for enhanced accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual exploration in protective clothing is used, then safety of personnel is improved, but productivity and response time deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical exploration with an automated aerial measurement system using a mobile carrier platform (drone/UAV) equipped with radiation detectors. This substitution eliminates the need for personnel to physically enter contaminated areas while enabling rapid data collection over large areas, simultaneously improving safety and productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mobile carrier platform as an intermediary between the measurement system and the contaminated terrain. This intermediary collects radiation data remotely and transmits it to operators, allowing safe remote operation while maintaining measurement capability
2Productivity
If aerial measurements are used, then productivity is improved, but measurement precision and real-time capability deteriorate due to post-flight data evaluation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent pre-programs the mobile carrier platform with measurement protocols, flight paths, and data processing algorithms before deployment. The system performs preliminary calibration and sets up real-time data transmission parameters, enabling immediate accurate measurements without post-flight processing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements real-time feedback by continuously transmitting radiation measurement data from the mobile carrier platform to ground station operators during flight. This allows immediate analysis and response, transforming post-flight evaluation into real-time decision-making
3Measurement precision
If complex data processing is used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and operational difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the mobile carrier platform to perform self-calibration and automated background radiation subtraction. The system independently processes its own measurement data using onboard computing resources, reducing the complexity of external processing systems while maintaining high precision through automated algorithms
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 safer, more accurate, and rapid detection of radioactive sources with reduced personnel costs, providing real-time quantitative radiation maps and source localization, adaptable to various terrains and conditions, while being cost-effective and low-maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
radioactivity measurements are recorded with the gamma probe
Implementation Method 2
a LiDAR sensor for determining the topography of the terrain
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for locating radioactive sources in a free terrain to be investigated in real time - using a mobile carrier platform on which a gamma probe and a localization device are arranged, - wherein the carrier platform is suitable for traversing or flying over the terrain, wherein (a) an electronic map of the terrain and a model of the terrain's background radiation are provided, (b) whereupon the carrier platform traverses or flies over a portion of the terrain during a search, and (c) during this time radioactivity measurements are acquired using the gamma probe, and (d) the radioactivity measurements, together with the coordinates of the carrier platform determined via the localization device, are entered into a computational model in which radiation exposure values are calculated taking into account the background radiation, and the calculated values are assigned to map points.(e) wherein interpolations are carried out between the radiation value of a map point (6) with the radiation values of neighboring and continuously added map points, and (f) based on this, one or more positions of sources are calculated, and (g) the result is output in the form of a list comprising any identified source positions or in the form of a two-dimensional graphic representing the terrain and in which any identified positions of sources are recorded.