Key information

Title
DEVICE, AIRCRAFT, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING A SNOWPACK
Application number
20230756
Case type
National
Status
27.04.2026 Patent meddelt (B1)
Filed
06.07.2023
Effective date
06.07.2023
Publicly available
07.01.2025
Next annual fee due
31.07.2027
Applicant
ZYGIZO AS (NO)
Owner
ZYGIZO AS (NO)
Inventor
Trond Spande (NO)
Agent
HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS (NO)
Granted
27.04.2026
Patent number
349763
Expiry date
06.07.2043

Abstract and drawing

Disclaimer: This text has been machine-scanned and may contain errors – please refer to "Publications" for legally binding content.
Disclosed is a device for monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer. The device, installable on an aircraft for flying above the snowpack, comprises: a data processing means comprising a processing unit and a memory; an electromagnetic 5 transceiver configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal and receive at least one reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic signal on the at least one snow layer; and a rangefinder configured to measure a distance between the electromagnetic transceiver and a top surface of the snowpack. Also disclosed is an aircraft comprising the device. Furthermore, disclosed is a system for and a method of monitoring a snowpack formed by 10 at least one snow layer.

Publications

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Date
 Date Doc. No. Process Case number In/Out Journal description To/from
 28.04.2026 11-01 Saksbehandling 20230756(349763) UT PT Registreringsbrev nasjonal patent (15) (PT20230756)
18.02.2026 10-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 UT Intention to grant HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 09.07.2025 09-07 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Response letter HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 09.07.2025 09-06 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Norwegian translation of the claims HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 09.07.2025 09-05 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Amended description (mark-up) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 09.07.2025 09-04 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Amended description (clean) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 09.07.2025 09-03 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Amended claims (mark-up) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 09.07.2025 09-02 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Amended claims (clean) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 09.07.2025 09-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 02.06.2025 08-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 UT PT Varsel om betaling av første årsavgift (3317) (PT20230756) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 15.05.2025 07-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 14.03.2025 06-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 19.12.2024 05-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 UT Substantive examination HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 08.07.2024 04-06 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Response letter HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 08.07.2024 04-05 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Amended description (mark-up) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 08.07.2024 04-04 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Amended description (clean) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 08.07.2024 04-03 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Amended claims (mark-up) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 08.07.2024 04-02 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Amended claims (clean) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 08.07.2024 04-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN Korrespondanse (Hovedbrev inn) HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 01.02.2024 03-02 Saksbehandling 20230756 UT PT report 12:56:11
01.02.2024 03-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 UT Substantive examination HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 06.07.2023 02-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 UT Informasjon til oppfinner Trond Spande
 06.07.2023 01-04 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Signed General_power_of_attorney HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 06.07.2023 01-03 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Figures HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 06.07.2023 01-02 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN P30882NO00 Description, claims and abstract HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
 06.07.2023 01-01 Saksbehandling 20230756 INN Søknadsskjema Patent HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS

Description, claims and drawings

Disclaimer: This text has been machine-scanned and may contain errors – please refer to "Publications" for legally binding content. Description
3497631DEVICE, AIRCRAFT, SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MONITORING A SNOWPACKThe present invention relates to a device for monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer. The present invention also relates to an aircraft comprising the device. Also, the present invention relates to a system for monitoring a snowpack formed by at 5 least one snow layer. Moreover, the present invention relates to a method of monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer.BackgroundIt can be useful to measure physical parameters related to snow accumulation and ablation. Parameters such as snow thickness, density or others can be useful for 10 estimates such as for snow water equivalence (SWE), Liquid Water Content (LWC), avalanche risk, and water discharge. These types of estimates are useful in activities such as hydrology, management of public outdoors and electricity production.Measuring physical parameters of a snowpack (formed from an accumulation of snow layers) can be achieved by providing an aircraft, such as a drone, with a transceiver for 15 emitting and receiving electro-magnetic (EM) signals. The aircraft can be operated to fly over the snowpack while the transceiver is used for transmitting EM signals downwards and recording wavefields of the transmitted signals reflected off of the snowpack, such as on a top surface of the snowpack, on interfaces between the layers of the snowpack, and on other constituents of the snowpack. Thus, it is possible to measure the physical state 20 of the snowpack and thereby obtain useful data about the current status of the snowpack.This approach has, however, a few drawbacks in practice. Firstly, due to the remoteness of snowpack locations and typical size of a snowpack, there are often severe practical 3497632constraints to provide additional ground infrastructure in support of the aircraft.Secondly, it can be challenging to establish a precise relation between an EM recording and a geographical position of the aircraft at the moment that the recording is performed. 5 A known approach for dealing with this difficulty includes recording the geographical coordinates of the aircraft at the moment of recording the wavefields. The geographical coordinates can be obtained using a satellite-based radio navigation system, such as GPS, Beidou and Galileo. However, in practice it is found that the geographical coordinates will often include errors. Moreover, when using them in the context of processing a virtual 10 model of the snowpack, erroneous geographical coordinates can significantly reduce the quality of the processed virtual model.Prager et al., “Snow Depth Retrieval With an Autonomous UAV-Mounted Software-Defined Radar”, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol.60, 2022, discloses using an unmanned aerial vehicle flying a ultrawideband software-defined radar 15 to measure seasonal snow depth. The unmanned aerial vehicle is also disclosed as transporting a sensor payload including a LIDAR altimeter. Also, timestamped radar pulse metadata is downloaded from a server running on the unmanned aerial vehicle, the data being only downloaded post-flight.Summary 20 The invention will now be disclosed and has for its object to remedy or to reduce at least one of the drawbacks of the known prior art, or at least provide a useful alternative to the known prior art. The object is achieved through features, which are specified in the description below and in the claims that follow. The invention is defined by the independent patent claims, and the dependent claims define advantageous embodiments 25 of the invention.According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer, the device being installable on an aircraft for flying above the snowpack. The device comprises:- a data processing means comprising a processing unit and a memory; 3497633- an electromagnetic transceiver configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal to the snowpack and receive at least one reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic signal on the at least one snow layer; and- a rangefinder configured to measure a distance between the electromagnetic 5 transceiver and a top surface of the snowpack.It has been realized that a distance measured by the rangefinder can be used directly when processing a wavefield calculated based on the electromagnetic transceiver. In particular, the device goes beyond merely providing a rangefinder aboard the aircraft. Instead, the measurement of the distance between the electromagnetic transceiver and a 10 top surface of the snowpack makes it possible to calculate with precision where the top surface is in a wavefield calculated based on data from the electromagnetic transceiver. Thus, a synergistic effect is achieved by combining the electromagnetic transceiver, the rangefinder, and the configuration of the range finder so that it measures a distance between the electromagnetic transceiver and the top surface of the snowpack. 15 The device allows achieving a higher precision when monitoring a snowpack, such as by allowing to detect, with precision, where the top surface of snowpack is in a wavefield calculated based on the electromagnetic transceiver. Also, it is advantageous to use the device due to its minimization of the number data processing tasks that need to be performed after obtaining measurements in situ. For example, some of the unnecessary 20 data processing tasks that can be avoided are: consulting topographical data; and consulting prior data related to where the top of the snowpack was expected to be. Moreover, it becomes possible to avoid requiring that absolute elevation data (relative to the Earth) is obtained from the aircraft or the device while in situ.Optionally, the rangefinder is any of: a laser rangefinder; an ultrasonic rangefinder; or an 25 infrared rangefinder.The device comprises a wireless communication interface for communicating with a remote computational system configured to update a virtual model of the snowpack. The data processing means is configured to transmit, through the wireless 3497634communication interface, the received at least one reflection and the measured distance to the remote computational system while the aircraft flies above the snowpack.Optionally, the device comprises a receiver for a satellite navigation system, the receiver being configured to obtain a geographical position comprising a longitude and a latitude. 5 According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an aircraft comprising a device installed thereon, the device being as described in the first aspect of the invention. Optionally, the aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle, such as a multicopter drone.According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer, the system comprising: 10 - an aircraft as described in the second aspect of the invention; and- a remote computational system configured to receive at least one record from the aircraft and update a virtual model of the snowpack.According to a fourth aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer. The method comprises the steps of: 15 - providing an aircraft comprisinga data processing means comprising a processing unit and a memory, an electromagnetic transceiver configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal to the snowpack and receive at least one reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic signal on the at least one snow layer, 20 a rangefinder configured to measure a distance between the electromagnetic transceiver and a top surface of the snowpack, anda wireless communication interface for communicating with a remote computational system configured to update a virtual model of the snowpack;- operating the aircraft to fly above the snowpack; 25 - transmitting, via the electromagnetic transceiver, the electromagnetic signal to the snowpack;- receiving, via the electromagnetic transceiver, the at least one reflection;- measuring, via the rangefinder, the distance between the electromagnetic transceiver 3497635and the top surface of the snowpack;- storing, in the memory of the data processing means, a record comprising data representing the received at least one reflection and data representing the measured distance; and 5 - transmitting, via the wireless communication interface, at least one stored record to the remote computational system while the aircraft flies above the snowpack.Thus, the step of storing the record implements a data relation between the received at least one reflection and the measured distance, which provides an inherent advantage for interpreting a calculated wavefield and interpreting where the top surface of the 10 snowpack is observable in the calculated wavefield.Optionally, the step of storing a record comprises the step of:- generating the data representing the received at least one reflection by generating a wavefield based on the received at least one reflection.Thus, the wavefield can be calculated by the device and thereby reduce the 15 computational tasks that need to be done in the future.Optionally, the method comprises carrying out the storing step a plurality of times prior to the transmitting step. Thus, the device reduces the number of transmissions to the remote computational system and increases the data sent in each transmission. In many situations, this configuration can provide an efficient use of the wireless communication 20 interface, thereby allowing saving power from the device, or from the aircraft if the device is configured to obtain power from the aircraft.Optionally, in the step of providing an aircraft, the aircraft comprises a receiver for a satellite navigation system, the receiver being configured to obtain a geographical position comprising a longitude and a latitude, wherein the method comprises the step 25 of:- obtaining, via the satellite navigation system receiver, a geographical position, and wherein, in the storing step, the record further comprises the obtained geographical position. 3497636Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.Brief description of the drawings 5 In the drawings:Figure 1 is an elevation view of device embodiment while in use.Detailed descriptionThe drawings are shown in a schematic and simplified manner, and features that are not necessary for explaining the invention may be left out. Identical reference numerals refer 10 to identical or similar features in the drawings. The various features shown in the drawings may not necessarily be drawn to scale.Fig.1 shows a device embodiment 100 installed on an aircraft 200 (see top half of Fig.1) and being used during a monitoring operation of a snowpack 900 (see bottom half of Fig. 1). The device 100 includes an electromagnetic transceiver 110 for transmitting an 15 electromagnetic signal to the snowpack 900 and receiving at least one reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic signal on at least one snow layer of the snowpack 900. The device 100 also includes a rangefinder 120 for measuring a distance between the electromagnetic transceiver 110 and a top surface 910 of the snowpack 900. Also, the device 100 includes a data processing means 130 comprising a processing unit and a 20 memory.The rangefinder 120 can be implemented, inter alia, as a laser rangefinder, an ultrasonic rangefinder, or an infrared rangefinder. Also, there several ways for configuring the rangefinder 120 so that it is suitable for measuring a distance between the electromagnetic transceiver 110 and the top surface 910 of the snowpack 900. For 25 example, the electromagnetic transceiver 110 and the rangefinder 120 can be arranged on the device 100 so that, in use, these appear at substantially the same distance from the top surface 910 of the snowpack 900. In another embodiment, the data processing means 130 may be pre-configured with a constant value representing a vertical 3497637displacement between the electromagnetic transceiver 110 and the rangefinder 120. Thus, the data processing means 130 can then add the pre-configured vertical displacement value to any distance measured via the rangefinder and thereby calculate a distance measurement between the electromagnetic transceiver 110 and the top surface 5 910.The data processing means 130 can be implemented in many ways. In one embodiment, the data processing means 130 can be implemented as an electronic device including at least one central processor unit and a memory.The aircraft 200 in the example situation shown in Fig.1 is implemented as a multicopter 10 drone. In different use situations, the aircraft 200 can be implemented as any known aircraft, such as an airplane, a light aircraft, a helicopter, an unmanned autonomous (flying) vehicle, a multicopter drone (e.g. tricopter, quadcopter, pentacopter, hexacopter, etc.), or any other known vehicle suitable for carrying the device 100 while flying above a snowpack. 15 The snowpack 900 is formed from an accumulation of at least one snow layer. In Fig.1, a cross-sectional view of the snowpack 900 is shown (see bottom half of Fig.1). Two snow layers are shown, the layers being stacked on top of a ground. At the bottom of its crosssectional view, the snowpack 900 has a bottom surface 930 interfacing with the ground, which can be a ground as is observed on a mountain slope, the ground and including, 20 inter alia, soil, rocks, and frozen vegetation. At a layer interface 920, the bottom snow layer of the snowpack 900 is shown interfacing with an upper snow layer. The upper snow layer is shown on top of the bottom snow layer and further interfacing the open air above it at the top surface 910 of the snow pack.Snow layers in a snowpack can occur due several reasons, such as each snow layer 25 resulting from a respective snow fall during a meteorological event. It will be appreciated that different snowpacks may have many different variations in terms of number, form and shape of their constituting snow layers. In some locations, a snowpack may have one snow layer. A snow layer may have many different heights, and the height of a snow layer may vary geographically. 3497638In Fig.1, the aircraft 200 carries the device 100 installed thereon while flying above the snowpack 900. During the monitoring operation, the device 100 can perform the following steps:- transmitting, via the electromagnetic transceiver 110, an electromagnetic signal to the 5 snowpack 900;- receiving, via the electromagnetic transceiver 110, at least one reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic signal on the at least one snow layer of the snowpack 900; - measuring, via the rangefinder 120, a distance between the electromagnetic transceiver 110 and the top surface 910 of the snowpack 900 (see vertical duplex arrow illustrated 10 between the rangefinder 120 and the snowpack 900 in Fig.1); and- storing, in the memory of the data processing means 130 of the device 100, a record comprising data representing the received at least one reflection and data representing the measured distance.It will be understood that the transmitted electromagnetic signal can be reflected by 15 various elements of the snowpack 900, such as the top, bottom and inner interfaces of the snow layers forming the snowpack 900.The electromagnetic signal transmittable by the electromagnetic transceiver can be implemented in any known way for the purpose of monitoring a snowpack and causing receivable reflections of the transmitted signal. The signal can be modulated in various 20 signal characteristics, such as amplitude, frequency, phase, and others.It will be appreciated that there are many possible ways for storing the record in the memory of the data processing means 130 so that data representing the received at least one reflection and data representing the measured distance are both included in the same record. For example, the record can be implemented as a data structure including 25 members suitable for storing the data representing the received at least one reflection and the data representing the measured distance. Moreover, the record may include a time stamp for identifying the moment in which the data members have been recorded. In the example shown in Fig.1, the device 100 further includes a wireless communication interface 140 for communicating with a remote computational system (not shown). The 3497639aircraft 200, including the device 100 installed thereon, and the remote computational system can form a system for monitoring the snowpack 900. In one example, the remote computational system can be configured to update a virtual model of the snowpack 900, the virtual model allowing to create a virtual twin of the snowpack 900 in the real world. 5 Alternatively, in one embodiment of the device 100, no wireless communication interface 140 is provided, and a snowpack monitoring operation may be carried out by storing records in the memory of the data processing means 130 and transferring the records at the end, or during an pause, of the monitoring operation. This embodiment can be advantageous in that power can be saved by avoiding the wireless transmission of stored 10 records.The device 100 may be extended with further functionality. For example, the device 100 may include a receiver (not shown in Fig.1) for a satellite navigation system, such as GPS, Beidou and Galileo. Also, the data processing means 130 may be configured to carry out the step of obtaining, via the satellite navigation system receiver, a geographical position 15 including a latitude value and a longitude value. During a monitoring task, in which the aircraft 200, carrying the device 100, is flying above the snowpack 900, the geographical position obtained by the receiver will be the geographical position of the device 100 and the aircraft 200. With the obtained geographical position, the data processing means 130 can, in the storing step, complement the stored record so that it further includes the 20 obtained geographical position. Thus, the recorded data can be related to a location where it was obtained, the location being recordable in terms of at least latitude and/or longitude.In one device embodiment, the device 100 may be communicatively connected to the aircraft 200 which, if provided with its own geographical positioning receiver, can supply 25 the device 100 with data about the geographical position.It will be appreciated that, in one embodiment, an aircraft 200 may be provided including the device 100. This arrangement is advantageous in that it becomes easier to install, maintain and use the aircraft 200 for monitoring the snowpack 900. The device 100 and/or the aircraft 200 can be separated, replaced and assembled. The composability of 34976310aircraft 200 embodiments with device 100 embodiments is also advantageous in reducing supply chain challenges. Alternatively, in one embodiment, an aircraft 200 may be provided including a data processing means embodiment, an electromagnetic transceiver embodiment, and a rangefinder embodiment. 5 Generally, the terms used in this description and claims are interpreted according to their ordinary meaning the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise.Notwithstanding, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” and variations thereof mean that the specified features, steps or integers are included. These terms are not interpreted to exclude the presence of other features, steps or integers. Furthermore, the 10 indefinite article “a” or “an” is interpreted openly as introducing at least one instance of an entity, unless explicitly stated otherwise. An entity introduced by an indefinite article is not excluded from being interpreted as a plurality of the entity.The features disclosed in the foregoing description, or in the following claims, or in the accompanying drawings, expressed in their specific forms or in terms of a means for 15 performing the disclosed function, or a method or process for obtaining the disclosed results, as appropriate, may, separately, or in any combination of such features, be utilized for realizing the invention in diverse forms thereof.While the invention has been described in conjunction with the embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in 20 the art when given this disclosure. Accordingly, the embodiments of the invention set forth above are considered to be illustrative and not limiting. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. 34976311Reference numerals100 device110 electromagnetic transceiver 120 rangefinder 5 130 data processing means140 wireless communication interface 200 aircraft900 snowpack910 top surface 10 920 layer interface930 bottom surface
Claims
34976312C l a i m s1. A device for monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer, the device being installable on an aircraft for flying above the snowpack,wherein the device comprises:5 - a data processing means comprising a processing unit and a memory;- an electromagnetic transceiver configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal to the snowpack and receive at least one reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic signal on the at least one snow layer;- a rangefinder configured to measure a distance between the electromagnetic10 transceiver and a top surface of the snowpack; and- a wireless communication interface for communicating with a remote computational system configured to update a virtual model of the snowpack, wherein the data processing means is configured to transmit, through the wireless communication interface, the received at least one reflection and the measured15 distance to the remote computational system while the aircraft flies above the snowpack.2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the rangefinder is any of: a laser rangefinder;an ultrasonic rangefinder; or an infrared rangefinder.3. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the device comprises a20 receiver for a satellite navigation system, the receiver being configured to obtain a geographical position comprising a longitude and a latitude.4. An aircraft comprising a device installed thereon, the device being as described in any of the preceding claims.5. Aircraft according to claim 4, wherein the aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle,25 such as a multicopter drone.349763136. A system for monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer, the system comprising:- an aircraft as described in any of the claims 4 to 5; and- a remote computational system configured to receive at least one record from5 the aircraft and update a virtual model of the snowpack.7. A method of monitoring a snowpack formed by at least one snow layer, the method comprising the steps of:- providing an aircraft comprisinga data processing means comprising a processing unit and a memory,10 an electromagnetic transceiver configured to transmit an electromagnetic signal to the snowpack and receive at least one reflection of the transmitted electromagnetic signal on the at least one snow layer,a rangefinder configured to measure a distance between the electromagnetic transceiver and a top surface of the snowpack, and15 a wireless communication interface for communicating with a remote computational system configured to update a virtual model of the snowpack; - operating the aircraft to fly above the snowpack;- transmitting, via the electromagnetic transceiver, the electromagnetic signal to the snowpack;20 - receiving, via the electromagnetic transceiver, the at least one reflection;- measuring, via the rangefinder, the distance between the electromagnetic transceiver and the top surface of the snowpack;- storing, in the memory of the data processing means, a record comprising data representing the received at least one reflection and data representing the25 measured distance; and- transmitting, via the wireless communication interface, at least one stored record to the remote computational system while the aircraft flies above the snowpack.349763148. Method according to claim 7, wherein the step of storing a record comprises the step of:- generating the data representing the received at least one reflection by generating a wavefield based on the received at least one reflection.5 9. Method according to claim 8, wherein the method comprises carrying out the storing step a plurality of times prior to the transmitting step.10. Method according to any of the claims 7 to 9,wherein, in the step of providing an aircraft, the aircraft comprises a receiver for a satellite navigation system, the receiver being configured to obtain a geographical10 position comprising a longitude and a latitude,wherein the method comprises the step of:- obtaining, via the satellite navigation system receiver, a geographical position, andwherein, in the storing step, the record further comprises the obtained15 geographical position.34976315K r a v1. En anordning for overvåking av et snødekke dannet av minst ett snølag, hvor anordningen kan installeres på et luftfartøy for å fly over snødekket, hvor anordningen omfatter:5 - et databehandlingsmiddel omfattende en prosesseringsenhet og et minne;- en elektromagnetisk transceiver konfigurert til å overføre et elektromagnetisk signal til snødekket og motta minst én refleksjon av det overførte elektromagnetiske signalet på det minst ene snølaget;- en avstandsmåler konfigurert til å måle en avstand mellom den10 elektromagnetiske transceiveren og en øvre overflate av snødekket; og- et trådløst kommunikasjonsgrensesnitt for kommunikasjon med et fjerntliggende datasystem konfigurert til å oppdatere en virtuell modell av snødekket, hvor databehandlingsmiddelet er konfigurert til å overføre, gjennom det trådløse kommunikasjonsgrensesnittet, den mottatte minst én refleksjon og den målte15 avstanden til det fjerntliggende datasystemet mens luftfartøyet flyr over snødekket .2. Anordning ifølge krav 1, hvor avstandsmåleren er en av følgende: en laseravstandsmåler; en ultralydavstandsmåler; eller en infrarød avstandsmåler.3. Anordning ifølge et hvilket som helst av de foregående kravene, hvor anordningen20 omfatter en mottaker for et satellittnavigasjonssystem, hvor mottakeren er konfigurert til å innhente en geografisk posisjon som omfatter en lengdegrad og en breddegrad.4. Et luftfartøy omfattende en anordning installert derpå, idet anordningen er som beskrevet i et hvilket som helst av de foregående kravene.25 5. Luftfartøy ifølge krav 4, hvor luftfartøyet er et ubemannet luftfartøy, slik som en multikopterdrone .349763166. Et system for overvåking av et snødekke dannet av minst ett snølag, hvor systemet omfatter:- et luftfartøy som beskrevet i et hvilket som helst av kravene 4 til 5; og - et fjerntliggende datasystem konfigurert til å motta minst én registrering fra5 luftfartøyet og oppdatere en virtuell modell av snødekket.7. En fremgangsmåte for overvåking av et snødekke dannet av minst ett snølag, hvor fremgangsmåten omfatter trinnene:- tilveiebringe et luftfartøy omfattendeet databehandlingsmiddel omfattende en prosesseringsenhet og et minne,10 en elektromagnetisk transceiver konfigurert til å overføre et elektromagnetisk signal til snødekket og motta minst én refleksjon av det overførte elektromagnetiske signalet på det minst ene snølaget,en avstandsmåler konfigurert til å måle en avstand mellom den elektromagnetiske transceiveren og en øvre overflate av snødekket , og15 et trådløst kommunikasjonsgrensesnitt for kommunikasjon med et fjerntliggende datasystem konfigurert til å oppdatere en virtuell modell av snødekket;- betjene luftfartøyet til å fly over snødekket;- overføre, via den elektromagnetiske transceiveren, det elektromagnetiske20 signalet til snødekket;- motta, via den elektromagnetiske transceiveren, den minst ene refleksjonen; - måle, via avstandsmåleren, avstanden mellom den elektromagnetiske transceiveren og den øvre overflaten av snødekket;- lagre, i minnet til databehandlingsmiddelet, en registrering omfattende data som25 representerer den mottatte minst ene refleksjonen og data som representerer den målte avstanden; og- overføring, via det trådløse kommunikasjonsgrensesnittet, av minst én lagret registrering til det fjerntliggende datasystemet mens luftfartøyet flyr over snødekket.30349763178. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 7, hvor trinnet med å lagre en registering omfatter trinnet med:- å generere dataene som representerer den mottatte minst ene refleksjonen ved å generere et bølgefelt basert på den mottatte minst ene refleksjonen.5 9. Fremgangsmåte ifølge krav 8, hvor fremgangsmåten omfatter å utføre lagringstrinnet flere ganger før overføringstrinnet.10. Fremgangsmåte ifølge et hvilket som helst av kravene 7 til 9,hvor, i trinnet med å tilveiebringe et luftfartøy, omfatter luftfartøyet en mottaker for et satellittnavigasjonssystem, hvor mottakeren er konfigurert til å innhente en10 geografisk posisjon som omfatter en lengdegrad og en breddegrad,hvor fremgangsmåten omfatter trinnet med:- å innhente, via satellittnavigasjonssystemmottakeren, en geografisk posisjon, og hvor, i lagringstrinnet, registreringen videre omfatter den innhentede geografiske posisjonen.
Drawings

Priority

No priority

Patent classes

IPC classesG01S 13/86G01S 13/95B64U 101/31B64U 101/35B64U 101/00G01N 22/00G01N 21/00G01W 1/14G01C 5/00CPC classesG01S 13/86G01S 13/953G01S 13/95B64U 2101/31B64U 2101/35B64U 2101/00G01N 22/00G01N 21/00G01W 1/14G01C 5/005Y02A 90/30

Citations

PRAGER et al., Snow Depth Retrieval With an Autonomous UAV-Mounted Software-Defined Radar, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, Vol. 60, 2022 ()JENSSEN et al., Drone-Mounted Ultrawideband Radar for Retrieval of Snowpack Properties, IEEE Transactions in Instrumentation and Measurement, Vol. 69, No. 1, January 2020 ()JENSSEN et al., Measurement of Snow Water Equivalent Using Drone-Mounted Ultra-Wide-Band Radar, Remote Sensing 2021, 13, 2610, published 2021.07.02 ()ZHANG et al., Improving the Snowpack Monitoring in the Mountainous Areas of Sweden From Space: a Machine Learning Approach, 2021 Environmental Research Letters 16 084007, published 2021.07.28 ()

Applicants, owners and inventors

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ZYGIZO AS
Banevigsgata 7 4014 STAVANGER NO (STAVANGER Municipality, Rogaland county)Org. number: 927991217Inventors
Trond Spande
Maiblombakken 6 A 4027 STAVANGER NO (STAVANGER Municipality, Rogaland county)

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HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS
HÅMSØ PATENTBYRÅ AS

Org. number: 918752900

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Postboks 9 4068 STAVANGER NO (STAVANGER Municipality, Rogaland county)
Org. number: 918752900
Reference: P30882NO00

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