Unmanned Robotic Vehicle Autonomous Positioning for Public Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Public safety officers face risks during traffic stops due to unknown occupants and potential objects inside vehicles, which can lead to injuries or fatalities, and existing methods do not effectively mitigate these risks.
Innovation Solution
An unmanned robotic vehicle (URV) equipped with image and non-image capture devices, sensors, and a propulsion system, which captures information about an object, provides it to a server for a 3D model, and autonomously navigates to positions to minimize risk for public safety responders by allowing them to assess situations remotely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If public safety officers approach vehicles during traffic stops to assess situations, then they can directly observe and interact with occupants and objects, but they face increased risk of injury or death from unknown occupants and potential weapons
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an unmanned robotic vehicle as an intermediary between public safety officers and potentially dangerous situations. The URV is equipped with sensors, cameras, and navigation systems that allow it to approach vehicles, capture images and data, and transmit information back to officers without exposing them to direct risk. The robotic vehicle serves as a mediator that bridges the gap between safety and operational effectiveness.
2Reliability
If public safety officers remain at a distance to minimize risk, then their personal safety is improved, but their ability to directly observe and assess situations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The unmanned robotic vehicle creates a virtual copy or representation of the physical situation by capturing images, video, and sensor data from the vehicle and its surroundings. This digital copy is then transmitted to public safety officers, allowing them to view and analyze the situation in detail from a safe distance. The copying principle enables information transfer without physical exposure to danger.
3Measurement precision
If public safety officers approach close to vehicles for detailed assessment, then information quality improves, but exposure to harmful factors from occupants and objects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human officers physically approaching vehicles with an automated robotic system. The URV uses computer vision, sensor fusion, and autonomous navigation to gather detailed information about the vehicle and its contents without human physical presence. This substitution eliminates the direct exposure to harmful factors while maintaining or improving measurement precision through advanced sensing capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus are provided for positioning an unmanned robotic vehicle (URV). The URV captures a set of one or more of image and non-image information of an object while positioned at a first position, provides the set of image/non-image information to a server entity, in response to providing the set of image/non-image information, receives a three-dimensional (3D) model associated with the object, autonomously determines a second position based on the 3D model, and autonomously navigates to the second position. At the second position, the URV may capture further image and/or non-image information and, based on the further captured image/non-image information, autonomously determine, and navigate to, a third position. The steps of capturing further image and/or non-image information and, based on the captured image and/or non-image information, autonomously determining and navigating to further positions may be repeated indefinitely, or until otherwise instructed.