UAV Virtual Sightseeing System for Dynamic Vantage Point Acquisition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies are inadequate for providing open-ended virtual tourism systems that can effectively sense and recreate the features of a physical space for virtual sightseeing, as they are limited by fixed camera positions and insufficient data acquisition capabilities, particularly for large outdoor areas.
Innovation Solution
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with various sensors and communication systems for data acquisition and real-time data transmission, allowing for autonomous or remote control, collision avoidance, and comprehensive data collection of visual and non-visual data, enabling immersive virtual exploration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If fixed web-enabled cameras are used for virtual sightseeing, then data acquisition is simplified, but the system cannot accommodate wide variety of vantage points and large spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from static fixed cameras to dynamic mobile robots that can move freely throughout the environment. The mobile robot navigates to different locations and orientations, dynamically adjusting its position to capture data from multiple vantage points, thereby resolving the contradiction between operational simplicity and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mobile robots that operate in three-dimensional space, adding spatial mobility as a new dimension compared to fixed cameras. This allows the system to access viewpoints at different heights, depths, and angles, significantly expanding the range of accessible vantage points while maintaining automated data collection.
2Area of stationary object
If satellite imaging is used for large area coverage, then extensive regions can be imaged, but surface resolution is insufficient for detailed virtual sightseeing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large coverage area into multiple smaller regions, each captured by mobile robots at high resolution. Instead of attempting to image the entire large area at once with low resolution, the system segments the space and collects detailed data from multiple localized perspectives, which are then synthesized into a comprehensive virtual representation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces mobile robots as intermediary data collection devices between satellite imaging and the final virtual environment. While satellites provide broad contextual coverage, mobile robots serve as intermediaries that capture high-resolution detailed data from ground level, bridging the gap between large-area coverage and detailed surface resolution.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive sensing of all physical space features is implemented, then full virtual recreation is enabled, but data acquisition becomes constrained by prior limitations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs mobile robots equipped with multiple sensors (cameras, LIDAR, microphones, environmental sensors) that can collect various types of data (visual, auditory, tactile, atmospheric) simultaneously. This multi-functional capability allows comprehensive environmental feature capture without requiring separate specialized devices for each type of data, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile robot autonomously navigates the environment, selects viewpoints, adjusts camera angles, and collects data without human intervention. This self-service capability eliminates the need for complex manual data acquisition procedures, allowing comprehensive sensing while keeping the system relatively simple to deploy and operate.
Data Source
AI summary
A system of virtual sightseeing using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and methods of making and using same. The virtual sightseeing system can include a plurality of UAVs arranged over a geographical area of interest in one or more ground configurations. In response to a sightseeing request, one or more UAVs are activated and deployed to a sightseeing region of interest. The UAVs travel to the region of interest and, upon arriving, acquire data for presentation in real-time. The data can include both visual and non-visual data from the region of interest and can be presented in integrated fashion in a virtual reality terminal. The virtual sightseeing is supervised by an operational subsystem that is responsible for efficient allocation of UAVs in response to multiple sightseeing requests. Even if physically separate, the subsystems of the virtual sightseeing system can communicate via a data communication subsystem, such as a wireless network.