Description:
Reference #: 01581
The University of South Carolina is offering licensing opportunities for Spectroscopy Combining Base Stations and UAVs
Background:
Existing products to monitor atmospheric constituents consist of stationary passive samplers, FTIR scanners, and UAV-based passive samplers. All these products do not have the ability to accurately measure the three-dimensional extent of an atmospheric chemical that our proposed system will have.
Invention Description:
This invention is a method of line-of-sight and remote optical measurements using a base station and a remote station. The proposed system will map the geographic extent and trajectory, including rate of dispersion, of an atmospheric release in near-real time providing both regulatory and industry officials rapid access to critical information on which to initiate mitigation response and public health advisory messaging.
Potential Applications:
Industrial applications that either require atmospheric monitoring or benefit from atmospheric monitoring through the mitigation of impact from accidental releases. Operations where venting of gases occur on a regular basis such as petrochemical facilities, manufacturing operations, or waste disposal facilities are markets for this technology. Emergency response operations at federal, state, local, or tribal levels are markets for this technology to ensure the safety of response personnel. Military operations where the security of personnel is an issue are markets for this technology to monitor their theater of operations for hazardous materials. The environmental monitoring services industry which currently use passive technologies, or which do not have that system capabilities expressed in this application and who want to expand their service offering are a significant market for this system
Advantages and Benefits:
The mobility of a UAV makes it possible to quickly reach a site and map gases in response to an event, or to patrol a regular line. The use of a base station eliminates the need to restrict the size, weight, and power of the system so that the laser and power sources are not carried by the UAV itself. The use of a base station and UAVs permits the proposed system to perform multiple tasks by changing the wavelength, resolution, pulse rate, etc. of the source without consideration of physical and electrical constraints. The use of a base station allows for rapid switching between multiple remote stations – either on UAVs or fixed reference sites. The use of the UAV as a remote station also allows for on-the-spot measurements of wind conditions. The UAV can also be pre-positioned and launched autonomously for data collection along pre-defined routes for routine monitoring.