Methods and systems for assessing an emergency situation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9932111-B2
Application number	US-201615009829-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2016
Priority date	Jan 29, 2016
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

A method and system for assessing a situation using an unmanned vehicle is disclosed. An unmanned vehicle receives a transmission indicating a situation at a designated location, and then navigates to the designated location. The unmanned vehicle may reach the designated location via air or ground travel, or a combination thereof. The unmanned vehicle receives signals from a first subset of sensors indicating information concerning an environment at the designated location and from a second subset of sensors indicating information concerning one or more objects associated with the situation. The unmanned vehicle then sends one or more transmissions based on the received signals, facilitating rapid determination of the situation.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A method for assessing a situation using an unmanned vehicle comprising:
receiving a transmission indicating a situation at a designated location;
navigating to the designated location, wherein the unmanned vehicle is a vehicle capable of air and ground travel;
receiving signals from a first subset of sensors indicating information concerning an environment at the designated location;
receiving signals from a second subset of sensors indicating information concerning one or more objects associated with the situation;
issuing one or more transmissions based on the received signals from the first subset of sensors and the second subset of sensors;
receiving instructions to generate potential access paths to provide aid to the situation; and
generating one or more access paths based on the received signals.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information concerning the environment comprises information concerning one or more of the following: a temperature, wind speed, wind profile, terrain, and obstacles.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
receiving instructions to obtain data concerning one or more areas surrounding the designated location;
navigating to the one or more areas; and
receiving signals from the first subset of sensors indicating information concerning an environment at the one or more areas surrounding the designated location.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the information concerning the one or more objects associated with the situation comprises one or more of the following: identification of the one or more objects, orientation of the one or more objects, and aid in determination of any contents within the one or more objects.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving signals from a third subset of sensors indicating a presence of a chemical or hazardous substance; and
issuing one or more transmissions based on the received signals from the third subset of sensors.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
mapping the presence of the chemical or hazardous substance across a region within the designated location.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
estimating future movement of the chemical or hazardous substance based on the information concerning the environment and the information concerning the chemical or hazardous substance.

8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first subset of sensors, the second subset of sensors, and the third subset of sensors are on-board the unmanned vehicle and include one or more of the following: Lidar, multispectral sensors, infrared (IR) sensors, a Global Positioning System (GPS), an inertial measurement unit, an altimeter, a proximity detection system, an automatic equipment identification system, a hot wheel and bearing detection system, and a railcar visible identification reader.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein issuing the one or more transmissions based on the received signals comprises continuously issuing transmissions as the signals are received.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein issuing the one or more transmissions based on the received signals comprises issuing the one or more transmissions to a control system.

11. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
generating a map of the situation, the map including one or more of the following: indications of the ground terrain at the designated location, a location and an orientation of one or more objects at the designated location, and presence and location of a chemical or hazardous substance.

12. The method of claim 11 ,
wherein generating the one or more access paths comprises avoiding detected obstacles and chemical or hazardous substances.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the unmanned vehicle is a vehicle further capable of moving on tracks to the designated location.

14. An unmanned vehicle for assessing a situation comprising:
at least one propulsion unit, a first wing, a second wing, and a plurality of wheels connected to a body to power air and ground travel;
a navigation module that provides a navigation process to generate flight-control signals for the unmanned vehicle;
one or more sensor systems connected to the body; and
a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions executable to cause the unmanned vehicle to:
receive a transmission indicating a situation at a designated location;
navigate from a launch site to the designated location;
receive signals from a first subset of sensors indicating information concerning an environment at the designated location;
receive signals from a second subset of sensors indicating information concerning one or more objects associated with the situation;
issue one or more transmissions based on the received signals from the first subset of sensors and the second subset of sensors;
receive instructions to generate potential access paths to provide aid to the situation; and
generate one or more access paths based on the received signals.

15. The unmanned vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive signals from a third subset of sensors indicating a presence of a chemical or hazardous substance; and
issue one or more transmissions based on the received signals from the third subset of sensors.

16. The unmanned vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the at least one propulsion unit comprises a propeller rotatable out of a compartment within the body via a connection to the body.

17. The unmanned vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the one or more sensor systems include one or more of the following sensors: Lidar, multispectral sensors, infrared (IR) sensors, a Global Positioning System (GPS), an inertial measurement unit, an altimeter, a proximity detection system, an automatic equipment identification system, a hot wheel and bearing detection system, and a railcar visible identification reader.

18. A method for assessing conditions caused by a train accident using an unmanned vehicle, comprising:
receiving a transmission indicating a train accident at a designated location;
navigating to the designated location;
receiving signals from a first subset of sensors indicating information concerning an environment at the designated location;
receiving signals from a second subset of sensors indicating information concerning one or more rail cars associated with the situation; and
issuing one or more transmissions based on the received signals from the first subset of sensors and the second subset of sensors.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein receiving signals concerning the one or more rail cars comprises receiving signals identifying the one or more rail cars and providing an orientation of the one or more rail cars.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
receiving signals from a third subset of sensors indicating a presence of a chemical or hazardous substance;
mapping the presence of the chemical or hazardous substance across a region;
estimating future movement of the chemical or hazardous substance based on the information concerning the environment and the information concerning the chemical or hazardous substance; and
issuing one or more transmissions including the received signals, mapped presence, and estimated future movement of the chemical or hazardous substance.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Spinelli Charles

Classifications

• B64U2201/10

  autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS] · CPC title

• B64U50/14

  ducted or shrouded · CPC title

• B64U2101/30

  for imaging, photography or videography · CPC title

• G06V20/13

  Satellite images · CPC title

• H04L67/12

  specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks · CPC title