Platform-independent mobile environmental sensing system
An exemplary platform independent sensing platform system and method that streamline the sensing operations of unmanned aerial-amphibious vehicles for remote or wide area analysis and/or monitoring of a body of water. The exemplary sensing platform system and method employ a remote sensing payload that wirelessly tethers to an edge sensing platform to operate synchronously with one another as the remote sensing payload samples a body of water at different depths and at different locations while being deployed and extracted from a given different locations by the unmanned aerial-amphibious vehicle.
1. A method for operating a system for water sampling or collection at a wastewater site, a body of water, or an aquaculture farm, the method comprising:
positioning a sensing platform over or next to a water body medium in a sampling or collecting operation, wherein the sensing platform comprises an elongated or elongate-able structure that can extend or hinge-ably move to a first position to put a remote sensor connected to the sensing platform by the elongated or elongate-able structure into the water body medium for water collection or sampling;
transmitting, over a wireless communication channel, a wireless command signal from a first controller located on the sensing platform to a second controller located in the remote sensor, wherein the second controller located in the remote sensor is fully autonomous and is not electrically connected by wire to the first controller;
executing, at the second controller, a set of instructions for a sensing or collection protocol to perform a sensing or collection operation at the remote sensor;
concurrent with the execution of the set of instructions for the sensing or collection protocol, adjusting at the sensing platform the remote sensor from the first position to a plurality of positions, including a second position and a third position, each corresponding to a different water depth to perform the sensing or collection operation of the remote sensor at the respective water depth;
wherein the sensing or collection protocol for the sampling or collecting operation is synchronized to the plurality of positions corresponding to the different water depths.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing platform is configured to adjust the remote sensor to the plurality of positions at pre-defined time intervals defined in the set of instructions for the sensing or collection protocol, and recordation of measurements by the second controller of the remote sensor is performed according to the pre-defined time intervals, wherein initialization of the pre-defined time intervals is based on the wireless command signal.
3. The method of claim 1 ,
wherein the sensing platform comprises an aero-amphibious vehicle comprising a winch assembly and the remote sensor, wherein the aero-amphibious vehicle is configured to perform the sensing or collection operation at a plurality of locations, and wherein the winch assembly is configured to i) release the remote sensor from a stowed position to a deployed position and ii) draw the remote sensor from the deployed position to the stowed position in between each of the sensing or collection operations at the plurality of locations.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the release of the remote sensor from a stowed position to a deployed position and the draw of the remote sensor from the deployed position to the stowed position is performed by:
an actuation of the winch assembly to extend or retract a tether connecting to the remote sensor, the winch assembly comprising a retaining arm subassembly (i) through which the tether connects to the remote sensor and (ii) that which moves (a) from a stowed position to a deployed position when the winch assembly extends the tether to release the remote sensor from the retaining arm subassembly and (b) from the deployed position to the stowed position when the winch assembly retracts the tether to engage the remote sensor with the retaining arm subassembly.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing platform comprises a terrestrial vehicle, an aero-amphibious vehicle, a buoy, or a fixed location system.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sensing platform includes
a winch payload deployment assembly apparatus comprising:
a winch chassis comprising a spool, an actuator, and a coupling between the spool and the actuator;
a tether configured to be wound around the spool, the tether being fixably attached to the winch chassis, at a first end, a payload at a second end; and
a bracket coupled to the winch chassis, wherein the bracket is configured to move between a stowed position to a deployed position when the spool actuates from an initial position to an extended position to release the payload abutting against the bracket, and wherein the bracket is configured to move from the deployed position to the stowed position when the spool actuates from the extended position to the initial position to draw the payload to abut against the bracket.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the bracket is biased by a torsional spring towards the deployed position.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the bracket comprises an angled body having (i) a retaining portion configured to abut against a spool plate and (ii) a payload portion configured to support the payload when the bracket is in the stowed position, wherein the retaining portion abut against the spool plate when the spool is in the initial position.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the actuator actuates to unwound the spool from the initial position, an extension of the tether releasing the payload abutting against the bracket to allow the bracket to move from the stowed position to the deployed position.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the winch payload deployment assembly apparatus includes a second actuator to actuate the bracket, and wherein the apparatus includes a contact sensor configured to detect when the bracket is in the stowed position, the contact sensor providing a signal to control the actuation of the spool.
11. The winch payload deployment assembly apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the winch chassis comprises a first side wall and a second side wall to fixably retain the spool, the actuator, and the bracket and couple the winch payload deployment assembly apparatus to a vehicle.
12. The method of claim 1 comprising: a robotic sensing package, comprising:
an undercarriage substrate disposed on a moving platform; and
a connection arm comprising:
a first end operatively coupled to the moving platform;
a second end removably coupled to a sensing module;
a plurality of plates separated and spaced apart from each other, including a first plate, and a second plate; and
a plurality of sets of elongated links, including a first set of links and a second set of links, wherein the first set of links include a first link hingeably connected to the first plate and a second link, the second link being hingably connected to the second plate,
wherein each of the first link and second link is rotatable to move the second plate between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the connection arm further comprises:
a telescoping rod assembly having at least one telescoping section that is slidably coupled to the first plate, the at least one telescoping section extending through the first plate to connect to the second plate through a center hole in the first plate,
wherein rotation of the telescoping rod assembly causes at least the second plate to rotate to move the second plate between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the connection arm further comprises:
a telescoping rod assembly having a plurality of sections, including a first section and a second section, wherein the first section is slidably coupled to the first plate, wherein the second section is slidably coupled to the second plate, and wherein rotation of the telescoping rod assembly causes the first plate and the second plate to rotate to move the second plate between the stowed configuration and the deployed configuration.
15. A method of claim 1 further comprising:
remotely gathering samples from a liquid medium or making a direct measurement of the liquid medium
deploying a mobile vehicle platform to a predefined geographic location over the liquid medium, wherein the mobile vehicle platform includes an undercarriage substrate and a connection arm operatively coupled to the undercarriage substrate of the vehicle, the connection arm comprising:
a first end operatively coupled to the moving platform;
a second end removably coupled to a sensing module;
a plurality of plates separated and spaced apart from each other, including a first plate, a second plate, and a third plate;
a plurality of telescoping rod sections operatively coupled to a center hole of each plate; and
a plurality of sets of elongated links, including a first set of links and a second set of links, wherein the first set of links include a first link hingeably connected to the first plate and a second link, the second link being hingably connected to the second plate,
wherein each of the first link and second link is rotatable to move the second plate between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration,
activating an actuator located on the mobile vehicle platform, wherein the activating causes an output of the actuator to drive the rotation of at least one of the plates or the telescoping rod sections, so to place a sensor module or sampling container located at the end of the connection arm into the liquid medium.
16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
detecting a sensing signal to start a sampling operation, wherein the sampling operation continues for a predetermined period of time;
stopping a motor as the actuator for a duration of the sampling operation to collect sensor data; and
starting the motor in an opposite direction so to remove the sensor module from the liquid medium and collapse the connection arm towards the stowed configuration.
17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising:
sending the sensor data from the sensing module to the mobile vehicle platform; and
relaying the sensor data from the mobile vehicle platform to a central control center.
18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the liquid medium is a body of water.
19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the gathered samples or direct measurements include dissolved oxygen, pressure, and/or temperature data.
20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the activating an actuator occurs upon the mobile vehicle platform reaching a predefined GPS location.