UAV Sensing for Hard-to-See Mountain Trail Markings
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing trail markings using scattered materials like colcothar on mountain climbing routes are difficult to visually recognize due to blurring or disappearance caused by weather conditions, making it challenging to identify the correct route, especially when depressions form, which can hinder progress.
Innovation Solution
An information processing device and unmanned aerial vehicle system that uses sensors to identify the state of scattered materials, detect visually difficult-to-recognize places, and notify managers of these areas, optionally suggesting detours to avoid depressions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If scattered material (colcothar) is used to mark the mountain climbing route, then cost is reduced compared to installing communication devices, but the trail marking becomes difficult to visually recognize due to blurring or disappearance from weather conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as an intermediary to detect the state of scattered material and identify visually difficult-to-recognize places. The UAV captures images and transmits them to a management server, which processes the images to determine the state of the trail marking. This intermediary system enables cost-effective trail marking while compensating for its visual recognition limitations through automated detection and analysis.
2Reliability
If additional scattered material is placed on visually difficult-to-recognize places to improve trail visibility, then visual recognition is improved, but it becomes difficult to identify where to place the additional material
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the management server analyzes images captured by the UAV, identifies visually difficult-to-recognize places, and notifies the appropriate party of the locations requiring additional scattered material. This feedback loop enables precise identification of placement locations based on actual trail conditions, ensuring additional material is placed exactly where needed to improve visual recognition.
3Measurement precision
If manual inspection of trail markings is performed to identify visually difficult-to-recognize places, then accurate identification is possible, but time and labor resources are consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of manual inspection with an automated system using a UAV equipped with sensors and a management server with image processing capabilities. The UAV autonomously captures images of the trail, and the management server automatically analyzes these images to identify the state of scattered material and visually difficult-to-recognize places. This substitution maintains high identification accuracy while significantly reducing the time and labor resources required compared to manual inspection.
Data Source
AI summary
The management server 2 acquires sensing information obtained by the UAV 1 sensing, from the sky, a scatter area where a colcothar is scattered on a mountain climbing route, identifies a state of the colcothar on the basis of the sensing information, and identifies a visual recognition difficult place on the basis of the state of the colcothar.