CELL SITE EQUIPMENT VERIFICATION USING 3D MODELING COMPARISONS

• US 20180232871A1
• Filed: 03/22/2017
• Published: 08/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Etak Systems, Llc
• Original Assignee: Etak Systems, Llc
• Inventors: TERRY, Charlie
• Granted Patent: US 10,311,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/10 Rotorcrafts
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/60 Tethered aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/26 for manufacturing, inspections or repairs
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/60 for transporting passengers; for transporting goods other than weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/05 Geographic models
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10028 Range image; Depth image; 3D point clouds
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/001 using an image reference approach
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/17 taken from planes or by drones
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/176 Urban or other man-made structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0869 Validating the configuration within one network element
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports

Abstract

Systems and method for verifying a cell site utilizing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) include providing an initial point cloud related to the cell site to the UAV; developing a second point cloud based on current conditions at the cell site, wherein the second point cloud is based on data acquisition using the UAV at the cell site; detecting variations between the initial point cloud and the second point cloud; and, responsive to detecting the variations, determining whether the variations are any of compliance related, load issues, and defects associated with any equipment or structures at the cell site.

Claims

1. A method for verifying a cell site utilizing an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:

providing an initial point cloud related to the cell site to the UAV;

developing a second point cloud based on current conditions at the cell site, wherein the second point cloud is based on data acquisition using the UAV at the cell site;

detecting variations between the initial point cloud and the second point cloud; and

responsive to detecting the variations, determining whether the variations are any of compliance related, load issues, and defects associated with any equipment or structures at the cell site.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating the initial point cloud using the UAV via a data acquisition technique; and

storing the initial point cloud in a database, wherein the initial point cloud is provided to the UAV from the database.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data acquisition technique is provided with the providing the initial point cloud such that the data acquisition technique is similarly used to develop the second point cloud.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting the variations is performed in the UAV, and wherein the determining the determining whether the variations are any of compliance related, load issues, and defects associated with any equipment or structures at the cell site is performed in an external server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial point cloud is created in a close out audit using the UAV.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying an operator associated with the cell site of the any of compliance related, load issues, and defects associated with any equipment or structures at the cell site for remedial action based thereon.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the compliance related variations comprise additional cell site equipment installed on a cell tower at the cell site.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the initial point cloud and the second point cloud are created by the UAV in a similar manner comprising one or more of launch location, launch orientation, flight path, number of flights about the cell site, and speed of the flights.

9. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) configured to verify a cell site, the UAV comprising:

one or more rotors;

a wireless interface;

a data store

a processor communicatively coupled to the one or more rotors, the data store, and the wireless interface; and

memory storing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to;

receive and store an initial point cloud related to the cell site to the UAV in the data store;

develop a second point cloud based on current conditions at the cell site, wherein the second point cloud is based on data acquisition using the UAV to fly at the cell site;

detect variations between the initial point cloud and the second point cloud; and

responsive to detecting the variations, one of i) determine whether the variations are any of compliance related, load issues, and defects associated with any equipment or structures at the cell site, and ii) provide the second point cloud to a server to determine whether the variations are any of compliance related, load issues, and defects associated with any equipment or structures at the cell site.

10. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

create the initial point cloud using the UAV via a data acquisition technique; and

provide the initial point cloud to a database.

11. The UAV of claim 10, wherein the data acquisition technique is provided with the initial point cloud such that the data acquisition technique is similarly used to develop the second point cloud.

12. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the variations are detected in the UAV, and wherein whether the variations are any of compliance related, load issues, and defects associated with any equipment or structures at the cell site is determined in an external server.

13. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the initial point cloud is created in a close out audit using the UAV.

14. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the memory storing instructions that, when executed, further cause the processor to:

notify an operator associated with the cell site of the any of compliance related, load issues, and defects associated with any equipment or structures at the cell site for remedial action based thereon.

15. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the compliance related variations comprise additional cell site equipment installed on a cell tower at the cell site.

16. The UAV of claim 9, wherein the initial point cloud and the second point cloud are created by the UAV in a similar manner comprising one or more of launch location, launch orientation, flight path, number of flights about the cell site, and speed of the flights.