| CPC G01W 1/02 (2013.01) [G01J 5/00 (2013.01); G01K 13/00 (2013.01); G01H 3/00 (2013.01); G01J 2005/0077 (2013.01); Y02A 90/10 (2018.01)] | 19 Claims |
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1. A system for monitoring wildfires, comprising:
(I) at least one unmanned, real-time wildfire data acquisition unit (DAU), comprising:
(a) a working head comprising a housing, a plurality of sensors, and control and communications electronics;
(b) a power source connected to the control and communication electronics;
wherein the plurality of sensors comprise a plurality of transducers with at least three transducers selected from a first group consisting of: (1) at least one wind speed to electrical signal transducer, (2) at least one wind direction to electrical signal transducer, (3) at least one humidity to electrical signal transducer, (4) at least one air temperature to electrical signal transducer, (5) at least one surface temperature to electrical signal transducer, (6) at least one gravity direction to electrical signal transducer, (7) at least one compass direction to electrical signal transducer, (8) at least one GPS location to electrical signal transducer, (9) at least one GPS orientation to electrical signal transducer, (10) at least one level to electrical signal transducer, and (11) at least one barometric pressure to electrical signal transducer; and
wherein the plurality of sensors further comprises at least one transducer selected from a second group consisting of: (1) at least one visible imaging to electrical signal transducer, (2) at least one IR imaging to electrical signal transducer, and (3) a plurality of differently oriented non-imaging IR to electrical signal transducers; and
wherein the plurality of sensors further comprise at least two transducers selected from a third group consisting of: (1) at least one electrical signal to radio wave transducer, (2) at least one radio wave to electrical signal transducer, (3) at least one sound to electrical signal transducer, (4) at least one user input to electrical signal transducer, (5) at least one electrical signal to user understandable output signal transducer; and (6) a power source power level transducer; and
wherein the control and communication electronics comprise circuitry configured to provide a plurality of functions comprising: (1) sending radio signals carrying data derived from a plurality of the transducers (2) receiving radio signals and modifying a behavior of the DAU according to received signals; and (3) providing at least one function selected from a fourth group consisting of: (a) analyzing data obtained from at least one transducer to yield trend information from that transducer, (b) analyzing data obtained from at least one transducer and based at least in part on the analysis, modifying data being transmitted by changing the type of data being transmitted, (c) analyzing data obtained from at least one transducer and based at least in part on the analysis, modifying data being transmitted by changing a power of a transmitted signal, (d) analyzing data obtained from at least one transducer and based at least in part on the analysis, modifying an electromagnetic frequency of a signal ben a transmitted, (e) analyzing data obtained from at least one transducer and based at least in part on the analysis, modifying a time frequency of signals being trasmitted, and (f) analyzing data obtained from at least one transducer and then modifying an operational mode of the DAU based at least in part on such analysis; and
(II) at least one display device that displays information received wirelessly from the at least one DAU during operation.
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