Below-Canopy UAV Tree Diameter Measurement With LIDAR
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current forestry management methods, such as aerial surveys and terrestrial light detection and ranging systems, are inefficient and costly for accurately measuring tree diameters and other characteristics below the canopy, leading to inaccuracies and high sampling costs.
Innovation Solution
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system equipped with a sensor system, including a light detection and ranging system and camera, generates obstacle information and tree measurement data, allowing for diameter calculations and obstacle avoidance while flying below the canopy, thereby reducing the need for manual measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If personnel are sent into the forest to make manual measurements of tree diameters, then measurement accuracy is improved, but time consumption and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical measurement systems with an automated optical measurement system. A camera mounted on a moving vehicle captures images of trees, and image processing algorithms automatically calculate tree diameters and other forest parameters, eliminating the need for personnel to physically measure each tree while maintaining measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates optical copies (photographs) of trees instead of direct physical contact measurements. The camera system captures visual information of tree trunks and branches, which are then processed to extract dimensional data, providing a non-contact method that is both accurate and efficient
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a terrestrial light detection and ranging system is used to measure trees, then measurement capability is improved, but the system requires line of sight and personnel must still enter the field
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex terrestrial LIDAR systems with a simpler camera-based optical measurement system. The camera captures two-dimensional images that are processed to derive three-dimensional tree parameters, achieving measurement capability without requiring sophisticated active sensing equipment or line-of-sight constraints
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a measurement system that can operate in various forest conditions without requiring line-of-sight access to individual trees. The moving vehicle platform allows the system to capture data from multiple angles and positions, providing universal measurement capability across different terrain and vegetation densities
3Area of stationary object
If aerial surveys are performed to collect forest information, then coverage area is improved, but information about the portion below the canopy cannot be obtained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from top-down aerial surveying to side-view ground-level photography. By positioning the camera on a moving vehicle at ground level, the system captures tree trunks and lower branches from a lateral perspective, accessing dimensional information that aerial surveys cannot obtain while still covering large areas efficiently
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
This approach enables more accurate and cost-effective measurement of tree diameters and other characteristics, improving the efficiency and quality of forest inventory data without the need for extensive manual sampling.
Implementation Method 1
a light detection and ranging system configured to generate distance measurements from the unmanned aerial vehicle to points on the group of trees
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and apparatus for identifying a number of diameters for a group of trees (206). An unmanned aerial vehicle (236) moves on a route (522) through the group of trees (206) at a height that is configured to allow measurement of the number of diameters for the group of trees (206) by a sensor system (306) associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle (236). Information is generated about the number of diameters for the group of trees (206) using the sensor system (306) associated with the unmanned aerial vehicle (236).