KR102209056B1 - Forest fire extinguishment system using drone and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The forest fire extinguishing system includes a water tank; A plurality of drones including a first firefighting drone and a first auxiliary drone, and flying in a forest fire area in which a forest fire has occurred, receiving water from the water tank, and transmitting or spraying water; A first fire hose having one end connected to the first fire fighting drone and transferring water from the first auxiliary drone to the first fire fighting drone; And a second fire hose connecting the first auxiliary drone and the water tank and delivering water to the first auxiliary drone.

Description

Forest fire extinguishing system using a drone and its method {FOREST FIRE EXTINGUISHMENT SYSTEM USING DRONE AND METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a forest fire extinguishing system, and more particularly, to a system for extinguishing forest fires using a drone.

Because forest fires move in the wind and destroy forests, the damage is very serious if rapid suppression is not performed in the early stage.

Because firefighting vehicles cannot enter the fire site where forest fires occurred due to the nature of the mountainous terrain, firefighters had to extinguish the fire after transporting heavy fire suppression equipment to the fire point in order to extinguish the forest fire directly. If the firefighter who extinguished the fire works under the ridge line, there is a problem that the flames come down as if encircling the fire, causing serious human damage to the firefighter who extinguished the fire.

In order to solve this problem, fire fighting helicopters spraying fire extinguishing agents or water from the air have been developed, but in areas where the pickling is harsh and wind is strong, the fire extinguishing agents sprayed from the air cannot reach the fire point properly, and is caused by forest fires. Fire and smoke are exposed to the risk of safety accidents by obscuring the view of the firefighting helicopter by the increased airflow, and even when using such firefighting helicopters to suppress forest fires, the cost of fire suppression is high considering that the operating costs of the firefighting helicopter are expensive. There was a problem, such as increasing very much.

In order to solve this problem, research and development of wildfire extinguishing systems using drones have recently been conducted.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2017-0118334 (published on October 25, 2017) "Forest fire monitoring and suppression system using drones"

In order to protect people and property from wildfires, rapid extinguishing of wildfires is required, and rapid blocking of the spread of wildfires is required. On the other hand, blocking the spread of forest fires does not extinguish the fire itself, but blocks the supply of fuel, one of the three elements of combustion, and can be performed using a relatively small amount of water compared to extinguishing a forest fire.

An object of the present invention is to provide a forest fire extinguishing system and method capable of extinguishing a forest fire quickly and effectively and preventing its spread using a drone at a lower cost.

In order to achieve an object of the present invention, a forest fire extinguishing system according to embodiments of the present invention includes a water tank; A plurality of drones including a first firefighting drone and a first auxiliary drone, and flying in a forest fire area in which a forest fire has occurred, receiving water from the water tank, and transmitting or spraying water; A first fire hose having one end connected to the first fire fighting drone and transferring water from the first auxiliary drone to the first fire fighting drone; And a second fire hose connecting the first auxiliary drone and the water tank and delivering water to the first auxiliary drone.

According to one embodiment, each of the drones, a flight body having a rotorcraft; A three-way valve coupled to the lower center of the flight body and including a first and a second coupler disposed opposite to each other in a horizontal direction, and a third coupler disposed in a vertical direction; And it may include a main nozzle for fire extinguishing coupled to the third coupling. Here, the second coupling port is connected to the water tank side hose, the first coupling port is connected to another drone side hose, and the main nozzle sprays water downward relative to the flight body, and uses the reaction of water Thus, the ascending power of each of the drones can be supplemented.

According to one embodiment, the forest fire extinguishing system, a fire engine having a water storage unit; And a connection hose connecting the fire engine and the water tank, wherein the water tank is an air injection type water tank in which a storage space for storing water is formed therein when air is injected, and the forest fire area and the fire truck Can be arranged to move between.

According to an embodiment, the forest fire extinguishing system further includes a control device for controlling movement of each of the first firefighting drone and the first auxiliary drone, and the control device comprises: the first firefighting drone It is moved from the tank by a first reference distance in a first diagonal direction, wherein the first diagonal direction is a direction between a second direction and a vertical direction opposite to the first direction toward the forest fire area with respect to the water tank, the When the first firefighting drone moves in the first diagonal direction by the first reference distance, the control device moves the first auxiliary drone in the first diagonal direction, and moves the first firefighting drone in the first diagonal direction. The direction is shifted from the diagonal direction to the first direction, and the first reference distance may be the same as the length of the first fire hose.

According to an embodiment, the forest fire extinguishing system includes: a reconnaissance drone for obtaining a fire image while moving the forest fire area independently of the first fire fighting drone and the first auxiliary drone; And a second firefighting drone and a third firefighting drone that are spaced apart from the first firefighting drone by a second reference distance in a third direction, wherein the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction on a horizontal plane , The control device predicts a spread path of a forest fire based on the fire image, moves the first to third fire drones along the spread path, and the second reference distance is inversely proportional to the predicted intensity of the forest fire. I can.

In order to achieve one object of the present invention, a method for extinguishing a forest fire according to embodiments of the present invention includes: arranging a water tank adjacent to the forest fire area; Determining a connection relationship between the drones based on the expected forest fire spreading area in which the forest fire area can spread, and sequentially connecting the drones to the water tank using a fire hose based on the determined connection relationship; Moving the drones to the forest fire area or the forest fire spread prediction area; Supplying water to the drones through the fire hose from the water tank; And spraying water while controlling the flow rate supplied to the main nozzles of the drones.

In the forest fire extinguishing system and method according to the embodiments of the present invention, the drones are connected to a water tank using a fire hose, the drones are moved to a forest fire area or a forest fire spreading area, and the water supplied from the water tank is drone By spraying through the field, it is possible to extinguish forest fires more quickly and at a lower cost or prevent the spread of wildfires.

However, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the above effects, and may be variously extended without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1 is a diagram showing a forest fire extinguishing system according to embodiments of the present invention.
2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an example of a drone included in the forest fire extinguishing system of FIG. 1.
3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the drone of FIG. 2A.
4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method of controlling a drone included in the forest fire extinguishing system of FIG. 1.
5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating another example of a method of controlling a drone included in the forest fire extinguishing system of FIG. 1.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of extinguishing a forest fire according to embodiments of the present invention.

Since the present invention can apply various transformations and have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific embodiment, it should be understood to include all conversions, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that a detailed description of a related known technology may obscure the subject matter of the present invention, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Terms such as first and second may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. These terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component.

The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but one or more other features. It is to be understood that the presence or addition of elements or numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof, does not preclude in advance. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a diagram showing a forest fire extinguishing system according to embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the forest fire extinguishing system 100 may include a fire engine 100, a water tank 120, drones 131, 132, 135, and fire hoses 141 and 142.

The fire engine 100 may include a water storage unit 111 that stores water and a controller 112 (or a control device) that controls the flight of drones. The fire truck 100 may include a controller 112 capable of wired or wireless communication in a general fire truck.

The water storage unit 110 is formed as an empty space within the fire truck 100, stores water, and may be connected (or communicated with) to the water tank 120 through a connection hose 145 to be described later.

In that water can be easily supplied from a reservoir or a water reservoir near the forest fire zone (A_F), the water storage unit 110 (and the water tank 120) stores water, but the present invention is limited thereto. It is not. For example, a fluid such as a fire extinguishing liquid or a fire extinguishing agent that can be sprayed using air pressure or gas pressure may be used.

The water filled in the water storage unit 110 may be supplied to the water tank 120 by a separate pump device (eg, a pump device provided in the fire truck 100 for spraying water).

The controller 112 communicates with the drones 131, 132, and 135 through a wired/wireless communication module, and may control the flight of the drones 131, 312, and 135.

For example, the controller 112 receives the location information, altitude information, attitude information, etc. of the drones 131, 132, 135, and controls the operation of the rotorcraft of the drones 131, 132, 135 based on this It is possible to generate a control signal and provide it to the drones 131, 132, and 135.

The controller 112 may control the amount (or flow rate) of water delivered or sprayed through some of the drones 131 and 132. A configuration for controlling the amount of water will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2A and 3.

In addition, the controller 112 predicts the spread path of the forest fire based on the forest fire image, and moves the drones 131, 132, 135 along the diffusion path, but adjusts the distance between the drones 131, 132, 135 It can be adjusted to be inversely proportional to the predicted intensity of the wildfire. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

The water tank 120 may be disposed between the fire engine 110 and the forest fire area A_F. The water tank 120 may be made of a material that prevents corrosion. The water tank 120 may include a space for storing water therein, and a plurality of connection holes in communication with the interior and to which a fire hose to be described later may be connected. In addition, the water tank 120 may include a pump for generating pressure and discharging internal water to the outside through connection holes.

In one embodiment, the water tank 120 may be an air injection type water tank in which a storage space for storing water is formed therein when air is injected. When air is not injected into the water tank 120, the water tank 120 can be easily moved by firefighters or drones 131 and 132. In particular, the water tank 120 may be easily moved and installed in a terrain or location adjacent to the forest fire area A_F but difficult to access.

Each of the drones 131, 132, and 135 may fly or move over the forest fire area A_F where a forest fire occurs, acquire a fire image, and receive water from the water tank 120 and spray.

Here, the drone may be a variety of aircraft capable of automatically flying as well as a flying vehicle through wired/wireless control.

The drones 131, 132, and 135 may include a reconnaissance drone 135, a fire fighting drone 131, and an auxiliary drone 132.

The reconnaissance drone 135 is equipped with a camera device (not shown), and may acquire a fire image of the forest fire area A_F and an image of a nearby area (or an area adjacent to the forest fire area A_F). In particular, the reconnaissance drone 135 is used at night and may acquire an infrared image using an infrared camera in order to check the remaining fire after extinguishing the forest fire. The reconnaissance drone 135 may transmit the acquired image to the controller 112 through a wireless communication network.

The reconnaissance drone 135 flies independently of the firefighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 and can maintain a higher altitude than the firefighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132.

The fire fighting drone 131 may receive and spray water from the water tank 120. The auxiliary drone 132 may receive water from the water tank 120 and transmit it to the firefighting drone 131 and also spray it. The fire fighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 may be connected through the first fire hose 141, and the auxiliary drone 132 may connect the second fire hose 142 to the water tank 120.

The firefighting drone 131 is located closest to the forest fire area A_F (or the expected forest fire spreading area), and can perform an extinguishing operation on the corresponding area. The auxiliary drone 132 is located adjacent to the water tank 120 and, for example, is located above the water tank 120, and has a first fire hose 141 (and a second fire hose 142). By supporting, the fire hose 141 (and the second fire hose 142) can be prevented from being caught on an obstacle such as a tree.

Detailed configurations of the fire fighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2A to 3.

The first and second fire hoses 141 and 142 may be flexible materials that are well wound on a roller or the like and bend well so that they can be easily transported by a drone. For example, the first fire hose 141 and the second fire hose 142 may be general fire hoses.

Meanwhile, the first and second fire hoses 141 and 142 may include a wired cable coupled to the outside. Wired cables may include communication cables and power cables. For example, the power cable may connect the fire drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 to share the power of the fire drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 (for example, power stored in the battery). . As the firefighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 form a group and fly in one group, when sharing the power of the firefighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132, the firefighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 Can increase flight time/efficiency. In addition, the power cable may be connected to the auxiliary drone 132 and the fire engine 110 (or a separate mobile generator). Since power is supplied to the auxiliary drone 132 and the fire drone 131 through the power cable, the restriction on the flight time of the fire drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 may be resolved.

For example, the communication cable connects the fire drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132, and the fire drone 131 receives sensed information (eg, location information, attitude information, etc. of the fire drone 131). It can be delivered to the auxiliary drone 132 through a communication cable. In this case, the auxiliary drone 132 may transmit the information of the auxiliary drone 132 and the information of the fire drone 131 together to the controller 112 through a wired or wireless communication network. Accordingly, power consumption due to wireless communication of the fire drone 131 may be reduced, or the fire drone 131 may be stably controlled even in the event of a failure of the wireless communication network of the fire drone 131. In addition, the communication cable may connect the auxiliary drone 132 and the controller 112.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, the forest fire extinguishing system 100 according to embodiments of the present invention connects the water tank 120 and the fire drone 131 through fire hoses 141 and 142 to Water supplied through the hoses 141 and 142 may be directly sprayed from the firefighting drone 131. Accordingly, the drones 131 and 132 can perform continuous extinguishing work, and forest fire extinguishing efficiency can be improved.

In addition, the drones 131 and 132 may share or receive power through a wired cable, and transmit acquired information through a wired communication network. Accordingly, it is possible to relieve or eliminate the restriction on the flight time of the fire drone 131, and a more stable flight may be possible through a relatively stable wired communication network.

2A and 2B are diagrams illustrating an example of a drone included in the forest fire extinguishing system of FIG. 1. 2A and 2B are side views of the firefighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132. Since the fire drone 131 is substantially the same as or similar to the auxiliary drone 132, it will be described below with reference to the auxiliary drone 132.

First, referring to FIG. 2A, the auxiliary drone 132 may include a flight body (BODY), a three-way valve (VV), and a main nozzle (NOZZ).

The flight body (BODY) includes a blade, and may be a general quadcopter drone.

The three-way valve (VV) may be coupled to the lower center of the flight body (BODY). The three-way valve VV includes a first coupler CH1 and a second coupler CH2 disposed opposite each other in a horizontal direction (or opposite to each other), and a third coupler CH3 disposed in a vertical direction. ) Can be included.

The three-way valve (VV) is the rate of discharge (RD1) from the second coupling port (CH2) to the first coupling port (CH1) under the control of the flow rate controller (not shown, see FIG. 3) (or ) Can be controlled, and the flow rate RD2 from the second coupler CH2 to the third coupler CH3 can be controlled. The total sum of the first flow rate RD1 and the second flow rate RD2 may be the same as the flow rate supplied from the outside to the second coupling port CH2.

The first coupler CH1 is connected to the first fire hose 141 (that is, the fire helicopter 131), and the second coupler CH2 is the second fire hose 142 (that is, the water tank 120 )). Meanwhile, the first coupling port CH1 of the fire fighting drone 131 may be sealed with a separate cover or may be combined with a separate spray nozzle.

The main nozzle NOZZ may be connected to the third coupling port CH3. The main nozzle NOZZ sprays water downwardly to the lower side based on the flight body BODY, and supplements the ascending force of the auxiliary drone 132 by using a reaction according to the spraying of water.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the main nozzle NOZZ may include a plurality of lower nozzles NOZZ_S. The lower nozzles NOZZ_S may be radially disposed based on the center of gravity (center of gravity on a plane) of the flying body BODY of the auxiliary drone 132. In particular, the lower nozzles NOZZ_S may be disposed outside the rotor blade of the auxiliary drone 132. In this case, the reaction caused by the water injection of the lower nozzles NOZZ_S acts as a surface on the flight body BODY, preventing the flight body body from being overturned, and the auxiliary drone 132 flying more stably. can do.

3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a fire fighting drone included in the forest fire extinguishing system of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 3, the fire drone 131 may include a communication unit 310, a sensing unit 320, a driving unit 330, a flow rate control unit 340, and a power supply unit 350.

The communication unit 310 may perform wired or wireless communication with the outside. The communication unit 310 may include a wired transmission/reception unit 311 and a wireless transmission/reception unit 312.

As described with reference to FIG. 1, the wired transmission/reception unit 311 is connected to the auxiliary drone 132 (or the wired transmission/reception unit of the auxiliary drone 132) through a communication cable, and in a sensing unit 320 to be described later. The acquired information may be transmitted to the auxiliary drone 132 and control signals may be received through the auxiliary drone 132.

The wireless transceiver 312 may be connected to the controller 112 through a wireless communication network. The wireless transmission/reception unit 312 operates when the wired transmission/reception unit 311 does not operate (for example, when a communication cable is not connected), transmits sensing information to the controller 112, and transmits a control signal? It can be received from the machine 112.

The sensing unit 320 includes a GPS sensor, a gyroscope, an acceleration sensor, and the like, and may acquire/generate information about the location, altitude, and posture of the fire drone 131.

The driving unit 330 is a power source for the fire drone 131 to move, includes a motor connected to the rotor blade, and may drive the rotor blade based on a flight control signal provided from the controller 112. The rotation direction and rotation speed of each of the plurality of rotor blades may be adjusted according to the operation of the driving unit 330.

The flow control unit 340 is connected to the three-way valve and may control a flow rate through the first opening CH1 and a flow rate through the third opening CH3 based on a flow control signal provided from the controller 112.

The power supply unit 350 may supply power or power to the communication unit 310, the sensing unit 320, the driving unit 330, and the flow rate control unit 340. The power supply unit 350 may be implemented as a battery device.

Meanwhile, as described with reference to FIG. 1, the power supply unit 350 may be interlocked or connected with the auxiliary drone 132 (or the power supply unit of the auxiliary drone 132 ), and the firefighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone ( 132) can be shared.

4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating an example of a method of controlling a drone included in the forest fire extinguishing system of FIG. 1.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 4A, the firefighting drone 131 may be initially moved from the water tank 120 to the first diagonal direction DD1 by a first reference distance (ie, at the time of the first flight). Here, the first diagonal direction DD1 is a direction between the second direction D2 and the vertical direction DV, opposite to the first direction D1 toward the forest fire area A_F with respect to the water tank 120. I can. The first reference distance may be the same as the length of the first fire hose 141.

Thereafter, referring to FIG. 4B, when the fire drone 131 moves in the first diagonal direction DD1 by a first reference distance or immediately after moving, the auxiliary drone 132 is moved in the first diagonal direction DD1 Then, the fire drone 131 may be moved by changing its direction from the first diagonal direction DD1 to the first direction D1.

The first fire hose 141 connecting the fire drone 131 and the preservation drone 132 is the height difference, the interval, the weight, tension of the first fire hose 141, etc. of the fire drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 It may be at least partially struck along. In particular, the first fire hose 141 struck in a parabolic shape may be hung on a tree or the like, and may limit the operation of the fire drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 connected thereto.

Accordingly, the firefighting drone 131 and the auxiliary drone 132 are in a second direction D2 opposite to the first direction D1, not the first direction D1 toward the forest fire area A_F at the time of the first flight. By moving in the first diagonal direction DD1 having a component of, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of a failure caused by the first fire hose 141 (and the second fire hose 142).

5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating another example of a method of controlling a drone included in the forest fire extinguishing system of FIG. 1.

1 and 5, the forest fire extinguishing system 100 may include a plurality of fire fighting drones 131-1 to 131-10 and a plurality of auxiliary drones 132-1 to 132-10. . One of the plurality of firefighting drones 131-1 to 131-10 and one of the plurality of auxiliary drones 132-1 to 132-10 may operate as a pair.

The water tank 120 may be located in a direction opposite to the diffusion direction D_DIFF with respect to the forest fire area A_F. The diffusion direction D_DIFF may coincide with the direction of the wind, or may be a direction in which the elevation of the terrain increases.

If the distance between the water tank 120 and the forest fire area (A_F) is relatively long, there is an additional auxiliary drone between the firefighting drones 131-1 to 131-10 and the auxiliary drones 132-1 to 132-10. Those 133-1 to 133-10 may be further provided. In this case, a total of 3 firefighting drones, auxiliary drones and additional drones can form a pair.

The firefighting drones 131-1 to 131-10 may be disposed to be spaced apart by a first distance D1 (or a first separation distance) from each other. Here, the first distance D1 may be several tens of meters.

In one embodiment, the first distance D1 is determined according to the size of the forest fire, the size of the forest fire area A_F, and the rate of spread of the forest fire, and is inversely proportional to the size of the forest fire (or the intensity of the forest fire), and the forest fire area A_F ) Can be proportional to the size of the fire and the rate of spread of the fire.

As previously described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the auxiliary drones 132-1 to 132-10 are opposite to the first direction D1 toward the forest fire area A_F based on the water tank 120. It may be located in the second direction D2. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a fire hose or the like from being caught on an obstacle (eg, a tree) in the obstacle area A_OB between the water tank 120 and the fire drones 131-1 to 131-10.

In an embodiment, the firefighting drones 131-1 to 131-10 may move to the expected forest fire spread area A_DIFF and spray water.

Forest fire spread prediction area (A_DIFF) is information acquired through the reconnaissance drone 135 from a separate server (not shown) (eg, forest fire image), terrain information (eg, altitude), weather information (eg, For example, it can be predicted based on wind direction, speed, etc.

The spread of forest fires can be blocked with a small amount of water, and if rapid suppression is not performed in the early stage, the size of forest fire damage can increase exponentially. Therefore, the firefighting drones 131-1 to 131-10 preferentially block the spread of forest fires by first moving to the expected forest fire spread area A_DIFF and spraying water, and then move to the forest fire area A_F. Direct extinguishing work can be performed on wildfires.

Meanwhile, in FIG. 5, the firefighting drones 131-1 to 131-10 are shown to be arranged in series (or in a date) along the length direction of the forest fire area A_F, but the present invention is limited thereto. no.

Referring to FIG. 6, a plurality of fire fighting drones 131 may form a group and be connected in series to each other. For example, 10 fire fighting drones 131 may be connected in series from the water tank 120.

When the predicted forest fire spread area (A_DIFF) is predicted in two or more directions based on the forest fire area (A_F) in the forward direction, the firefighting drones 131 intensively work on the calculated diffusion predicted area (A_DIFF). (Or, water spray for preventing the spread of forest fires) may have a connection structure or arrangement structure as shown in FIG. 6.

As described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, after the occurrence of the forest fire, the size of the forest fire, the predicted area for spreading the forest fire, etc. can be predicted based on information (eg, forest fire image) obtained from the reconnaissance drone 135. have. Accordingly, a connection relationship between the firefighting drones 131 and the water tank 120 and a connection relationship between the firefighting drones 131 may be determined. In particular, as described with reference to FIG. 2A, the fire drone 131 is coupled to the end of the fire hose, and the connection relationship between the fire drones 131 can be easily changed more adaptively to a forest fire situation. . In addition, the fire drones 131 may preferentially move to the forest fire spread prediction area A_DIFF to prevent the spread of forest fires by using a relatively small amount of water, and then directly extinguish the forest fire.

7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of extinguishing a forest fire according to embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 7, in the method of FIG. 7, the water tank 120 can be easily supplied and disposed in a position adjacent to the forest fire area A_F (S710).

As described above, the water tank 120 is implemented as an air-injected water tank, and its movement and arrangement can be easily performed through the drones 131 and 132.

On the other hand, before disposing the water tank 120, the water tank 120, the drones 131, 132, and the fire hoses 141, 142, through the fire truck 110 or a vehicle, the fire zone (A_F) It can be moved to as close as possible to it.

Thereafter, the method of FIG. 7 monitors the forest fire area A_F through the reconnaissance drone 135, and calculates/predicts the size of the forest fire, the size of the forest fire area A_F, and the expected forest fire spread.

Thereafter, the method of FIG. 7 may connect the drones 131 and 132 to the water tank through the fire hoses 141 and 142 (S720).

In one embodiment, the connection relationship between the drones 131 and 132 is determined based on the predicted forest fire spreading area in which the forest fire area can spread, and the drones are connected using the fire hoses 141 and 142 based on the determined connection relationship. It can be sequentially connected to the water tank 120.

The connection relationship between the firefighting drones 131 may be determined based on the size of the forest fire calculated previously, the size of the forest fire area A_F, and the expected area of the forest fire spread.

For example, as described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a connection relationship and a movement path between the firefighting drones 131 may be determined based on predicted forest fire spreading areas. For example, when the size of the forest fire is not large, the fire fighting drones 131 and 132 may be connected to the water tank 120 in parallel with each other as shown in FIG. 5. In contrast, when the size of the forest fire is relatively large and the spreading speed of the forest fire is high, the fire fighting drones 131 may be connected in series with each other as shown in FIG. 6.

In addition, the arrangement interval (eg, the first distance D1) between the firefighting drones 131 may be determined according to the size of the forest fire, for example, the first distance D1 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 ) Is inversely proportional to the size or intensity of the forest fire, and may be proportional to the size and the output diffusion rate of the forest fire region A_F. However, it is not limited thereto.

In particular, as described with reference to FIG. 2A, the drones 131 and 132 include a three-way valve VV, and the fire hoses 141 and 142 are in the openings CH1 and CH2 of the three-way valve VV. Since it is connected in a combined form, the total length of the fire hoses 141 and 142 can be easily adjusted.

Thereafter, the method of FIG. 7 may move or fly the drones 131 and 132 to the forest fire area A_F or the forest fire spread prediction area A_DIFF (S730).

When rapid extinguishing of a forest fire is first required, the drones 131 and 132 may move to the forest fire area A_F. In contrast, when prevention of the spread of forest fires is first required, the drones 131 and 132 may move along the expected forest fire spread area A_DIFF.

As previously described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the fire drone 131 is moved from the first water tank 120 in the first diagonal direction DD1 by a first reference distance, and then, the fire drone 131 is When moving by the first reference distance in the first diagonal direction DD1 or immediately after the movement, the auxiliary drone 132 is moved in the first diagonal direction DD1, and the fire drone 131 is moved in the first diagonal direction DD1 ) To the first direction D1, the drones 131 and 132 may be moved.

Thereafter, the method of FIG. 7 supplies water from the water tank 120 to the drones 131 and 132 through a fire hose (S740), and the flow rate supplied to the main nozzles of the drones 131 and 132 While controlling the water can be sprayed (S750).

As described with reference to FIG. 7, in the method for extinguishing forest fires according to embodiments of the present invention, the drones 131 and 132 are connected to the water tank 120 using fire hoses 141 and 142, and By moving the fields 131 and 132 to the forest fire area (A_F) or the forest fire spreading area (A_DIFF), and spraying the water supplied from the water tank 120 through the drones 131 and 132, it is faster and lower cost. To extinguish wildfires or prevent the spread of wildfires.

In particular, the drones 131 and 132 may limit the spread (or progress) of a forest fire by dividing water in advance on the side of the diffusion direction (ie, the progress direction) of the forest fire.

On the other hand, after the extinguishing of the forest fire is generally finished, the drones 131 and 132 may re-mov the forest fire area A_F and perform the remaining fire extinguishing operation again.

As described above, the system and method for extinguishing forest fires according to embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the drawings, but the above description is illustrative and one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention. May be amended and changed by

100: wildfire extinguishing system
110: fire truck
111: water storage
112: controller
120: water tank
131: Fire Drone
132: auxiliary drone
135: Recon Drone
141, 142: first and second fire hoses
145: connecting hose
350: power supply

Claims (6)

A fire truck having a water storage unit and a control device;
Water tank;
A connection hose connecting the fire engine and the water tank;
A plurality of drones including a first firefighting drone and a first auxiliary drone, and flying in a forest fire area in which a forest fire has occurred, receiving water from the water tank, and transmitting or spraying water;
A first fire hose having one end connected to the first fire fighting drone and transferring water from the first auxiliary drone to the first fire fighting drone; And
And a second fire hose connecting the first auxiliary drone and the water tank and delivering water to the first auxiliary drone,
The control device controls the movement of each of the drones,
Each of the drones,
Flight body with rotor blades;
A three-way valve coupled to the lower center of the flight body and including a first and a second coupler disposed opposite to each other in a horizontal direction, and a third coupler disposed in a vertical direction; And
It includes a main nozzle for fire extinguishing coupled to the third coupling,
The second coupling port is connected to the water tank side hose, the first coupling port is connected to another drone side hose, and the main nozzle sprays water downward based on the flight body and uses the reaction of the water to the drone Complementing the ascent power of each of them,
The water tank is an air injection type water tank in which a storage space for storing water is formed therein when air is injected, and is movably disposed between the forest fire area and the fire truck,
The control device may initially move the first firefighting drone from the water tank in a first diagonal direction by a first reference distance, and the first diagonal direction is a first direction toward the forest fire area with respect to the water tank. Is the direction between the opposite second direction and the vertical direction,
When the first firefighting drone moves in the first diagonal direction by the first reference distance, the control device moves the first auxiliary drone in the first diagonal direction, and moves the first firefighting drone in the first diagonal direction. 1 It moves by changing the direction from the diagonal direction to the first direction,
The first reference distance is equal to the length of the first fire hose,
Each of the first fire hose and the second fire hose includes a communication cable and a power cable coupled to the outside,
The power cable connects the first firefighting drone and the auxiliary drone to share power between the first firefighting drone and the auxiliary drone,
Each of the drones,
A sensing unit that acquires or generates information on the location, altitude, and posture of the drone;
Wired transmission/reception connected to the communication cable, transmitting the information from the first fire drone to the control device through the auxiliary drone, and transmitting a control signal from the control device to the first fire drone through the auxiliary drone part;
A wireless transmission/reception unit connected to the control device through a wireless communication network, and transmitting the information and the control signal through the wireless communication network when the wired transmission/reception unit is not operating;
A drive unit including a motor connected to the rotor blade;
A flow rate control unit connected to the three-way valve to control a flow rate; And
A forest fire extinguishing system comprising a power supply unit that supplies power to the sensing unit, the wired transmission/reception unit, the wireless transmission/reception unit, the driving unit, and the flow rate control unit, and connected to the power cable.
delete delete delete The method of claim 1,
A reconnaissance drone for obtaining a fire image while moving the forest fire area independently of the first fire fighting drone and the first auxiliary drone; And
Further comprising a second firefighting drone and a third firefighting drone that are spaced apart from the first firefighting drone by a second reference distance in a third direction,
The third direction is perpendicular to the first direction on the horizontal plane,
The control device predicts a spread path of a forest fire based on the fire image, and moves the first to third fire fighting drones along the spread path,
The second reference distance is inversely proportional to the predicted intensity of the forest fire. delete

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