UAV Visibility Notification Control for Safe Mountain Deliveries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in delivering articles in areas with poor visibility due to fog or cloud formation, especially in mountainous regions, making it difficult for recipients to locate the UAVs, which can lead to unsafe situations.
Innovation Solution
An information processing system and method that utilizes sensors on the UAV to assess visibility conditions, providing appropriate notifications to recipients based on visibility, including stopping them from approaching in poor conditions and allowing them to proceed when visibility improves, with additional safety measures like article detachment and UAV take-off controls.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the UAV delivers articles to transfer places in mountainous areas, then delivery coverage is expanded, but visibility problems due to fog or cloud make it difficult for recipients to locate the UAV
Solution Approach 1:
The notification device causes the housing to change color based on visibility conditions. When visibility is determined to be poor (fog or cloud detected), the housing displays a first color (e.g., red) to alert recipients not to approach. When visibility is good, it displays a second color (e.g., green) to indicate safe approach. This visual signaling resolves the contradiction by making the UAV's status clearly detectable regardless of environmental visibility conditions.
2Productivity
If the system notifies recipients to come and receive articles when the UAV arrives, then delivery efficiency is improved, but recipients may head for areas with poor visibility creating safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary visibility assessment using the imaging device before notifying recipients to approach. The notification device is configured to provide different notifications based on pre-assessed visibility conditions: it suppresses approach notifications when poor visibility is detected and provides safe approach notifications only when visibility is good. This preliminary check prevents recipients from entering hazardous areas while maintaining efficient delivery operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors visibility conditions using the imaging device and provides feedback through the notification device. When visibility changes from poor to good conditions, the system updates its notification strategy accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism ensures recipients receive accurate, real-time information about safety conditions, balancing delivery efficiency with recipient safety.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the UAV operates in areas with poor visibility, then delivery service availability is maintained, but the UAV itself becomes difficult to locate and retrieve
Solution Approach 1:
The housing includes a light-emitting component that changes color or emits light based on visibility conditions and operational state. When visibility is poor, the housing displays warning colors to indicate the UAV's location without requiring good environmental visibility. When visibility is good and the article is delivered, the housing indicates readiness for retrieval. This visual signaling system makes the UAV easily locatable and retrievable regardless of fog or cloud conditions in the delivery area.
Data Source
AI summary
The delivery system S acquires sensing information sensed in a transfer area by a sensor mounted on UAV 1 that delivers an article, and determines whether visibility in the transfer area is good on the basis of the sensing information. Then, in a case where it is determined that the visibility is not good, the delivery system S performs a first notification processing for stopping a recipient who is going to receive the article from heading for the area, while in a case where it is determined that the visibility is good, the delivery system S performs a second notification processing for directing the recipient to head for the area.