KR102169701B1 - System for colleting marine waste - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is a collection boat that receives the location information of the marine garbage from the outside and autonomously navigates to collect the marine garbage; And a quadcopter that provides the location information to the collection boat, wherein the collection boat includes: a lidar recognition unit configured to detect surrounding obstacles using a lidar; A first GPS to obtain current location information; A first camera that acquires a surrounding image at sea; A first image processing unit that processes the image acquired by the first camera to determine obstacles and marine debris; A propeller that provides propulsion for sailing at sea; A direction adjustment unit that enables direction change during propulsion by the thruster; A collection unit to collect surrounding marine debris; By using the detection of the obstacle of the lidar recognition unit, the position information of the first GPS, and the determination of the obstacle by the first image processing unit, it moves to a place corresponding to the position information provided from the quadcopter under the control of the direction adjustment unit, And a main control unit for controlling the collection unit to collect marine garbage by using the identification of marine garbage by the first image processing unit; And a first communication module configured to perform wireless communication in order to receive the location information from the quadcopter by the main control unit. Including, an autonomous marine garbage collection system is provided.

Description

Autonomous marine waste collection system {System for colleting marine waste}

The present invention relates to a marine garbage collection system, and more particularly, a collection boat that receives location information of marine garbage from the outside and navigates autonomously to collect marine garbage, and a quad that provides location information of marine garbage to the collection boat. It relates to an autonomous marine garbage collection system using a copter.

In general, marine waste includes household waste that flows from land into the sea, fish farms, and fishing waste generated from ships. Depending on the material, such marine debris floats on the sea or sinks into the sea, damaging aquaculture farms and marine ecosystems.

Such marine debris is emerging as an important concern that is directly connected to the survival of mankind by polluting the sea, which is considered a treasure trove of future social resources. Through simulation, the inflow of marine debris is expected to greatly double within 10 years.

Developed countries recognize the importance of marine resources and the seriousness of marine debris, and pay enormous costs to collect marine debris, while underdeveloped countries are unable to properly collect marine debris due to enormous marine debris disposal costs.

Therefore, there is a need to develop a system that facilitates and efficiently collects marine waste.

As a technology related to the conventional marine garbage collection system, the "Marine Garbage Collection Device" of Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1865388 has been proposed. This is a marine garbage collection device for collecting marine waste while floating in the sea. In addition, the main body in the form of a drum having a collection space therein; An opening/closing door rotatably installed on the circumferential surface of the main body and rotated by wave force to open the opening formed in the circumferential surface of the main body, and then rotate again when the wave force is removed to close the opening; An elastic member installed on the rotation shaft of the opening/closing door and providing an elastic force in a direction of closing the opening; An anchor connected to a side surface of the body and preventing the body from being lost by waves; A collection rope connected to a side surface of the main body together with the anchor, and collecting the main body to land; And a mesh net installed under the main body and configured to discharge water flowing into the collection space.

However, the prior art has a problem in that it does not improve the efficiency of the collection operation because it has a limit on working time because it requires a worker's labor for the collection of marine waste.

In addition, the prior art has a problem in that effective collection of marine garbage cannot be achieved because it is difficult to locate marine garbage in a wide ocean.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, the present invention recognizes the location of marine garbage in the air with a quadcopter, and allows marine garbage whose location is confirmed by a collection boat at sea to be collected by an autonomous method, This minimizes the manpower required for the collection of marine debris, not only solves the limitation of working time, but also increases the efficiency of the collection operation, accurately identifies the location of marine debris in a wide ocean, and is widely distributed over the ocean. The purpose is to ensure a quick and effective collection of oil.

Other objects of the present invention will be easily understood through the description of the following embodiments.

In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, a collection boat for receiving the location information of marine garbage from the outside and autonomously sailing to collect the marine garbage; And a quadcopter that provides the location information to the collection boat, wherein the collection boat includes: a lidar recognition unit configured to detect surrounding obstacles using a lidar; A first GPS to obtain current location information; A first camera that acquires a surrounding image at sea; A first image processing unit that processes the image acquired by the first camera to determine obstacles and marine debris; A propeller that provides propulsion for sailing at sea; A direction adjustment unit that enables direction change during propulsion by the thruster; A collection unit to collect surrounding marine debris; By using the detection of the obstacle of the lidar recognition unit, the position information of the first GPS, and the determination of the obstacle by the first image processing unit, it moves to a place corresponding to the position information provided from the quadcopter under the control of the direction adjustment unit, And a main control unit for controlling the collection unit to collect marine garbage by using the identification of marine garbage by the first image processing unit; And a first communication module configured to perform wireless communication in order to receive the location information from the quadcopter by the main control unit. Including, an autonomous marine garbage collection system is provided.

The quadcopter includes a driving unit for generating a driving force required for flight and direction change by rotation of a propeller; A second camera for obtaining an image of the sea during flight; A second image processing unit that processes the image acquired by the second camera to determine marine debris; A flight detection unit for acquiring data necessary for flight; A second GPS for obtaining data on the flight position; A second communication module for transmitting location information to the collection boat or wirelessly receiving information necessary for flight from an external device; A memory unit for storing information required for flight and location information of marine debris; In addition to receiving data necessary for flight acquired by the navigation detection unit, by checking the flight position by the second GPS, the movement route stored in the memory unit or transmitted from an external device through the second communication module A control unit for controlling to extract positional information of the marine debris determined by the second image processing unit while moving along a movement path and transmit it to the collection boat through the second communication module; And a rechargeable battery for supplying power required for operation.

In the collection boat, when the main control unit receives the remaining amount information on the rechargeable battery transmitted from the quadcopter through the first communication module and the remaining amount information is less than a set amount, the first communication module transmits the remaining amount information to the quadcopter through the first communication module. By transmitting return information for charging, it is possible to control the quadcopter to return to the charging unit to perform charging of the rechargeable battery for a predetermined time or until reaching a set remaining amount of the rechargeable battery.

The collection boat may further include a photovoltaic power generation unit configured to provide power for charging to the charging unit by photovoltaic power generation.

The quadcopter controls the driving unit so that the control unit reaches a height of 5 to 10 m vertically above the marine debris determined by the second image processing unit, and when it reaches a height of 5 to 10 m vertically above the marine debris, the It is possible to control to transmit the current location information obtained by the second GPS to the collection boat by the second communication module.

According to the autonomous marine debris collection system according to the present invention, the position of marine debris can be identified by a quadcopter in the air, so that marine debris whose location is identified by the collection boat at sea can be collected by an autonomous method, As a result, it is possible to minimize the manpower required for the collection of marine debris, not only to solve the limitation of working hours, but also to increase the efficiency of the collection operation, and to accurately determine the location of marine debris in the wide ocean. Rapid and effective collection of distributed marine debris can be achieved.

1 is a schematic diagram of an autonomous marine garbage collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram of a collection boat in an autonomous marine garbage collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram of a quadcopter in an autonomous marine garbage collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the present invention, various changes may be made and various embodiments may be provided, and specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to a specific embodiment, and should be understood in a way that includes all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the technical spirit and scope of the present invention, and may be modified in various other forms. It can be, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same or corresponding components regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted.

1 is a schematic diagram of an autonomous marine garbage collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a collection boat in an autonomous marine garbage collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention, 3 is a block diagram of a quadcopter in an autonomous marine garbage collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 3, the autonomous marine garbage collection system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a collection boat 10 and a quadcopter 30.

The collection boat 10 includes a lidar recognition unit 11 for detecting nearby obstacles using a lidar, a first GPS 12 for acquiring current location information, and surrounding images at sea. Provides a first camera 22 that acquires an image, a first image processing unit 23 that processes the image acquired by the first camera 22 to discriminate obstacles and marine debris, and a driving force for navigation at sea The propulsion unit 13 to be driven, the direction adjustment unit 14 to enable direction change during propulsion by the propulsion unit 13, the collection unit 15 to collect the surrounding marine waste, and the lidar recognition unit 11 This corresponds to the location information provided from the quadcopter 30 under the control of the direction adjustment unit 14 using the obstacle detection of the first GPS 12, the position information of the first GPS 12, and the obstacle determination by the first image processing unit 23. The main control unit 16 and the quadcopter 30 that move to the place and control the collection unit 15 to collect marine garbage by using the marine garbage determination by the first image processing unit 23 are received. The main control unit 16 may include a first communication module 17 for performing wireless communication in order to receive, and a main memory unit 21 for storing information necessary for navigation and information on collected marine garbage. ) Can be provided.

The collection unit 15 includes a bucket conveyor that is extended to the bottom of the water in order to collect marine debris floating on the sea or located at a certain depth, or includes a multi-joint arm of a tongs type, or has a net-shaped basket. It may include an articulated arm, or may have various structures for the collection of marine debris, and a collection unit having a water drainage bed for separating and storing seawater by collecting the collected marine debris may be provided. Seawater separated from marine waste can be drained to the outside through a drain pump.

The main control unit 16 controls movement as well as autonomous navigation in order to move to a designated marine garbage disposal site when a certain weight and a certain volume or more of marine garbage is stored in the collection unit through a weight sensor and a volume sensor provided in the collection unit. Can be done.

The collection boat 10 receives the remaining amount information on the rechargeable battery 39 transmitted from the quadcopter 30 through the first communication module 17 by the main controller 16, and if the remaining amount information is less than a set amount, the 1 By transmitting return information for charging to the quadcopter 30 through the communication module 17, the quadcopter 30 returns to the charging unit 18 to charge the charging battery 39 at a predetermined time or at a predetermined time. It can be controlled to run until it reaches the set remaining amount of ).

The charging unit 18 may be provided on the deck of the collection boat 10, provides a sufficient area for the quadcopter 30 to take off and land, and the quadcopter 30 is provided on the quadcopter 30 when landing. A charging connector for connecting to the charging terminal may be provided on the upper surface.

The collection boat 10 may be provided with a photovoltaic power generation unit 19 for providing charging power to the charging unit 18 by solar power generation. The photovoltaic power generation unit 19 may include a rechargeable battery or a supercapacitor for temporarily storing electrical energy generated by photovoltaic power generation and providing it to the charging unit 18.

The quadcopter 30 provides location information to the collection boat 10. The quadcopter 30 includes a driving unit 31 that generates a driving force required for flight and direction change by rotation of a propeller, a second camera 32 that acquires an image of the sea during flight, and a second camera 32 A second image processing unit 33 that determines marine debris by processing the image acquired by the image processing unit 33, a navigation detection unit 34 that acquires data necessary for flight, and a second GPS that acquires data on the flight position. (35) And, a second communication module 36 that transmits location information to the collection boat 10 or wirelessly receives information necessary for flight from an external device such as an external control system, and information necessary for flight, and In addition to receiving the data necessary for the flight obtained by the memory unit 37 for storing the location information of the marine debris and the flight detection unit 34, and confirms the flight position by the second GPS (35), While moving along a movement path stored in the memory unit 37 or a movement path transmitted from an external device through the second communication module 36, the location information of the marine garbage determined by the second image processing unit 33 is extracted and removed. 2 It may include a control unit 38 that controls transmission to the collection boat 10 through the communication module 36 and a rechargeable battery 39 that supplies power required for operation.

The driving unit 31 may be a motor in which a propeller is fixed to a rotating shaft. The navigation detection unit 34 may include a single or a plurality of sensors for detecting speed, attitude or inclination, altitude, obstacles on the flight path, etc. required for flight control. Like the first GPS 12, the second GPS 35 receives GPS information from a GPS satellite and generates GPS data for its current location. The second communication module 36, like the first communication module 17, may use various communication methods that enable wireless communication, including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or various RF signals. The memory unit 37 may store not only information on a movement path and a job, but also various data acquired through the first camera 32, set values, and data or programs necessary for operation.

The quadcopter 30 controls the driving unit 31 so that the control unit 38 reaches a height of 5 to 10 m vertically above the marine debris determined by the second image processing unit 33, and 5 to 10 m vertically above the marine debris. When the height is reached, the current location information obtained by the second GPS 35 can be controlled to be transmitted to the collection boat 10 by the second communication module 36. Accordingly, since the quadcopter 30 is positioned vertically above the marine debris, it is possible to obtain accurate location information of the marine debris, thereby contributing to the accuracy of the collection of marine debris by the collection boat 10. On the other hand, if the quadcopter 930) approaches a height of less than 5m vertically above the marine debris, there is a risk of falling into the ocean by waves or wind, and if it approaches a height of more than 10m vertically above the marine debris, marine debris There is a problem in that it is difficult to ensure the accuracy of the location information of.

According to the autonomous marine debris collection system according to the present invention, the position of marine debris is identified by a quadcopter in the air, so that marine debris whose location is confirmed by a collection boat at sea can be collected by an autonomous method. In addition, it is possible to minimize the manpower required for the collection of marine waste, thereby eliminating the limitation of working time, and increasing the efficiency of the collection operation.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately and accurately determine the location of marine debris in a wide ocean, so that quick and effective collection of marine debris widely distributed in the ocean can be achieved.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but, of course, various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited to the described embodiments, but should be defined by the claims and equivalents as well as the claims to be described later.

10: collection boat 11: lidar recognition unit
12: first GPS 13: thruster
14: direction adjustment unit 15: collection unit
16: main control unit 17: first communication module
18: charging unit 19: solar power generation unit
21: main memory unit 22: first camera
23: first image processing unit 30: quadcopter
31: drive unit 32: second camera
33: second image processing unit 34: flight detection unit
35: second GPS 36: second communication module
37: memory unit 38: control unit
39: rechargeable battery

Claims (5)

A collection boat that receives the location information of marine garbage from the outside and navigates autonomously to collect the marine garbage; And
Including; a quadcopter that provides the location information to the collection boat,
The above collection boat,
A lidar recognition unit for detecting nearby obstacles using a lidar;
A first GPS to obtain current location information;
A first camera that acquires a surrounding image at sea;
A first image processing unit that processes the image acquired by the first camera to determine obstacles and marine debris;
A propeller that provides propulsion for navigation at sea;
A direction adjustment unit that enables direction change during propulsion by the thruster;
A collection unit to collect surrounding marine debris;
By using the detection of the obstacle of the lidar recognition unit, the position information of the first GPS, and the determination of the obstacle by the first image processing unit, it moves to a place corresponding to the position information provided from the quadcopter under the control of the direction adjustment unit And a main control unit controlling the collection unit to collect marine garbage by using the marine garbage determination by the first image processing unit; And
A first communication module configured to perform wireless communication to receive the location information from the quadcopter by the main controller;
Including,
The quadcopter,
A driving unit generating a propulsion force required for flight and direction change by rotation of the propeller;
A second camera for obtaining an image of the sea during flight;
A second image processing unit that processes the image acquired by the second camera to determine marine debris;
A flight detection unit for acquiring data necessary for flight;
A second GPS for obtaining data on the flight position;
A second communication module for transmitting location information to the collection boat or wirelessly receiving information necessary for flight from an external device;
A memory unit for storing information required for flight and location information of marine debris;
In addition to receiving data necessary for flight acquired by the navigation detection unit, by checking the flight position by the second GPS, the movement route stored in the memory unit or transmitted from an external device through the second communication module A control unit for controlling to extract positional information of the marine garbage determined by the second image processing unit while moving along a movement path and transmit it to the collection boat through the second communication module; And
A rechargeable battery that supplies power required for operation;
Including,
The quadcopter,
The control unit controls the driving unit to reach a height of 5 to 10 m vertically above the marine debris determined by the second image processing unit, and when it reaches a height of 5 to 10 m vertically above the marine debris, the second GPS Controlling to transmit the acquired current location information to the collection boat by the second communication module,
The above collection boat,
When the main control unit receives the remaining amount information on the rechargeable battery transmitted from the quadcopter through the first communication module and the remaining amount information is less than a set amount, return information for charging the quadcopter through the first communication module By transmitting, the quadcopter returns to the charging unit and controls to perform charging for the rechargeable battery for a predetermined time or until reaching a set remaining amount of the rechargeable battery,
The above collection boat,
The autonomous marine garbage collection system further comprises a solar power generation unit to provide power for charging to the charging unit by solar power generation. delete delete delete delete

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