Drones have been playing an important role in detecting foreign objects or possible danger, especially in areas that are more or less inaccessible to humans. But there are also benefits from drones that stay stationary above a certain spot. This is where tethered drones – those that are tied to trucks or vehicles down below – come in.
Drones have been playing an important role in detecting foreign objects or possible danger, especially in areas that are more or less inaccessible to humans. As such the drone market is getting bigger. According to a
recent report by Gartner, production of drones for personal and commercial use is growing rapidly, with global market revenue expected to increase 34 percent to reach more than US$6 billion in 2017 and grow to more than $11.2 billion by 2020. The research firm added that almost three million drones will be produced in 2017, 39 percent more than in 2016.
But there are also benefits from drones that stay stationary above a certain spot. This is where tethered drones – those that are tied to trucks or vehicles down below – come in. Malaysia-based Propel Network, for example, offers tethered drone solutions to help end users in different vertical markets including defense, public safety, transportation, agriculture and energy management.
One of the solutions’ biggest applications is telecommunications for cellular or public safety purposes, as drones carrying antennas and other equipment can stay at up to 150 meters above ground, serving as temporary transmitting towers. “Our drones replace towers when they fail or are not there when needed,” the company said. “We can help telecom operators restore communications, detect problems and expand network ahead of competition.”
The company’s Equinox system, for example, aims to restore LTE or large-scale public safety coverage with a high-bandwidth fiber-fed remote radio head on a heavy-lift drone flying at up to 150 meters for 30 days at a time without landing. The system can be deployed in under 60 minutes and utilizes a carrier-agnostic architecture enabling a bidirectional 10 Gbps throughout on multiple channels in a single fiber. At the center of the system is a drone equipped with both the cellular payload and the antenna array. It has a payload range from 25 to 50 pounds, features 12 rotors on six arms and is connected to a ground unit with generator supply of 16 kW at 240 VAC.
Another application site verification during an operator’s preconstruction planning. The system is consisted of two drones, one tied to a mobile ground unit that moves around in a given area, while the other acts as the “subscriber,” carrying a handset emitting a testing signal along with its location/elevation to the tower drone, so that true coverage can be verified before final tower construction location selection. Both the tower drone and handset drone leverage an auto-tracking gimbal, a directional antenna and an optional camera verifying antenna alignment.
“Equinox offers the first fully functional drone-based inspection platforms, mobile communications towers and test systems with variable elevation control, ultra-high bandwidth, operation-on-the-move and unlimited flight time,” Propel Network said. “We aim to change the face of infrastructure inspection, temporary cellular network expansion, and military/public safety communications.”