Application Practice of Remote Acoustic Devices on Unmanned Vehicles

With the rapid development of unmanned vehicle technology, its application scenarios are constantly expanding, covering fields from closed park inspection to open - road transportation, from emergency rescue to security patrol. However, unmanned vehicles lack the real - time communication and deterrence capabilities of human drivers, making them prone to safety hazards in complex environments. Relying on their core advantages of precise sound transmission and flexible remote control, remote acoustic devices have become a key configuration to make up for this shortcoming of unmanned vehicles, providing strong support for the safe operation of unmanned vehicles in various scenarios.

I. Application Scenarios of Remote Acoustic Devices Adapted to Unmanned Vehicles

The application scenarios of remote acoustic devices on unmanned vehicles mainly focus on fields that require communication, warning, and deterrence, covering the following core scenarios:

• Park and factory inspection scenarios: When unmanned vehicles perform inspection tasks in industrial parks, logistics parks, and large factories, they need to warn personnel who break into the area without permission and vehicles parked in violation of regulations. At the same time, they need to deliver work notices and safety reminders to the staff in the park.
• Emergency rescue scenarios: After disasters such as earthquakes and floods occur, when unmanned vehicles enter the area where people are trapped to perform exploration tasks, they need to establish contact with the trapped people through sound to confirm their location and physical condition, and at the same time deliver the progress of the rescue and escape guidance. At the scene of a forest fire, unmanned vehicles can use remote acoustic devices to issue fire warning and evacuation route notices to the surrounding residents or staff.
• Security and border patrol scenarios: When unmanned security vehicles patrol in areas such as airports, railway lines, and border areas, they need to deter suspicious personnel and illegal intrusion targets by outputting warning information in a directional manner. At the same time, they need to deliver the on - site situation to the rear command center to assist in formulating disposal plans.

II. Core Customer Needs in Unmanned Vehicle Scenarios

In the application of unmanned vehicles, customers' needs for remote acoustic devices revolve around the three cores of "safety, efficiency, and precision", which are specifically as follows:

• Real - time communication needs: The equipment is required to realize long - distance and clear voice transmission to ensure that the information interaction between the unmanned vehicle and the surrounding people is free of delay and distortion. Especially in noisy environments (such as park construction areas and urban traffic intersections), the sound signal needs to penetrate the environmental noise so that the receiver can accurately obtain the information.
• Precise deterrence needs: For suspicious targets or dangerous behaviors, the equipment is required to have the ability to output sound in a directional manner to avoid the interference of sound diffusion on unrelated areas. At the same time, the sound intensity can be adjusted to form an effective deterrent without causing permanent hearing damage to personnel.
• Remote control and coordination needs: It supports remote operation through the control system of the unmanned vehicle or the rear command platform, including volume adjustment, working mode switching, and pre - made voice playback. No manual approach to the unmanned vehicle is required for setting. At the same time, it needs to coordinate with the perception equipment of the unmanned vehicle, such as radar and cameras. When the perception equipment detects an abnormal situation, it automatically triggers the acoustic equipment to work.
• Environmental adaptability needs: Unmanned vehicles mostly operate outdoors, so the equipment needs to be able to resist harsh environments such as high temperature, low temperature, rain, and sand dust. It should ensure stable operation without fault shutdown under the conditions of a temperature range of - 40°C to 60°C, heavy rain (IP65 protection level), and sandstorm.

III. Core Characteristics of Remote Acoustic Devices Adapted to Unmanned Vehicles

To meet the needs of unmanned vehicle scenarios, remote acoustic devices need to have the following targeted characteristics:

• Miniaturized and lightweight design: The size of the equipment should be adapted to the installation space of the unmanned vehicle, and it can be integrated on the roof, side of the vehicle body, and other positions of the unmanned vehicle. The weight should be controlled within 3 kilograms to avoid increasing the load of the unmanned vehicle and affecting its battery life and driving stability. At the same time, a modular structure is adopted to facilitate mechanical connection, disassembly, and maintenance with the unmanned vehicle.
• Flexible switching between directional and omnidirectional devices: It supports the switching between directional devices (with a sound coverage angle of 30°) and omnidirectional devices (360° sound coverage). Directional devices are used for precise warning or deterrence of specific targets, and the omnidirectional device mode is used for delivering broadcast information to a large - scale area around. The switching between the two devices can be quickly completed through remote commands, and the response time is controlled at the millisecond level.
• Wide frequency band and high sound pressure level output: It covers the human ear - sensitive frequency band of 200Hz - 20000Hz to ensure that the voice signal is clearly distinguishable. The sound pressure level output can reach 130dB - 150dB, and the effective transmission distance in an unobstructed environment is not less than 800 meters, which meets the communication and deterrence needs of unmanned vehicles in medium and long - distance scenarios.
• Multi - power adaptation and low power consumption: It supports connection with the on - board power supply system of the unmanned vehicle, and at the same time has a built - in backup lithium battery. When the on - board power supply fails, the backup battery can maintain the continuous operation of the equipment for more than 4 hours. In the standby mode, the power consumption of the equipment is less than 5W, which reduces the impact on the battery life of the unmanned vehicle.
• IP65 protection and anti - interference ability: The shell adopts a waterproof and dustproof design, which meets the IP65 protection standard and can work normally in heavy rain and sand dust weather. The internal circuit has electromagnetic anti - interference ability to avoid being affected by the electromagnetic signals generated by the radar, communication equipment, and other components of the unmanned vehicle, and ensure stable sound transmission.

IV. Integration Solutions of Remote Acoustic Devices with Other Equipment

In the unmanned vehicle system, remote acoustic devices do not work independently but are integrated with a variety of equipment to form a coordinated system. The common integration solutions include:

• Integration with perception equipment: It is linked with the laser radar, millimeter - wave radar, high - definition camera, and infrared thermal imager of the unmanned vehicle. When the radar or camera detects pedestrians and obstacles ahead, or identifies abnormal events such as "personnel breaking into the no - entry area" and "vehicle retrograde", it automatically sends a trigger signal to the remote acoustic device. The device automatically plays the corresponding voice according to the type of event (such as "There are pedestrians ahead, please pay attention to slow down" and "This is a no - entry area, please leave immediately"). At the same time, the abnormal information is synchronized to the rear command center.
• Integration with communication equipment: It is connected to the 4G/5G communication module or satellite communication module of the unmanned vehicle to realize ultra - long - distance control. When the unmanned vehicle performs tasks in remote areas without public network signals (such as borders and mountainous areas), the rear command personnel can send commands to the acoustic device through the satellite link to adjust the sound parameters or switch the working mode. At the same time, the device can transmit the working status (such as power, current volume, and fault information) back to the command platform in real - time to facilitate remote monitoring.
• Integration with warning light equipment: It is linked with the LED warning light and strobe light of the unmanned vehicle to form a "sound and light coordination" warning effect. When the acoustic device starts the warning mode, the warning light is turned on synchronously. Through the dual stimulation of vision and hearing, the reminder effect for the surrounding people is enhanced. For example, when the unmanned vehicle turns, the "turn signal + voice prompt" is triggered synchronously, making it easier for pedestrians to perceive the driving intention of the unmanned vehicle.
• Integration with positioning and navigation equipment: Combined with the GPS/Beidou positioning system of the unmanned vehicle, when the unmanned vehicle enters a preset area (such as around schools and hospitals), the acoustic device automatically switches to the "low - volume mode" to avoid the interference of high - decibel sound on sensitive areas. When the unmanned vehicle deviates from the planned route and enters a dangerous area (such as a construction section and a water - logged area), the device automatically plays a warning voice to remind the surrounding people to stay away and sends a position abnormality alarm to the command center.

V. Core Advantages of the Combination of Remote Acoustic Devices and Unmanned Vehicles

Compared with traditional manual operation or independent acoustic devices, the combination of remote acoustic devices and unmanned vehicles can exert advantages in many aspects:

• Improve safety and reliability: There is no need for manual approach to dangerous scenarios (such as disaster sites and border conflict areas) to complete communication and deterrence tasks, which reduces the risk of personnel casualties. At the same time, the linkage between the device and the perception system of the unmanned vehicle can quickly respond to abnormal situations and avoid safety accidents caused by manual response delays. For example, at the fire site, the unmanned vehicle carries the acoustic device to enter the edge of the fire site, and the command personnel communicate with the trapped people through the device in a safe area without the need for firefighters to take risks to go deep into the fire.
• Expand the operation range and efficiency: Unmanned vehicles can drive continuously for a long time (with a battery life of 8 - 12 hours). Combined with remote acoustic devices, they can cover a wider area to perform tasks. Compared with manual walking patrol or fixed acoustic devices, the operation efficiency is increased by 3 - 5 times. For example, in a 50 - square - kilometer industrial park, the unmanned vehicle combined with the acoustic device can complete the full - area inspection and safety notice delivery within 4 hours, while manual inspection takes 2 - 3 days.
• Reduce operation costs: It reduces the dependence on labor. One unmanned vehicle can replace the workload of 2 - 3 inspection personnel, and long - term operation can significantly reduce labor costs. At the same time, the modular design and low - power consumption characteristics of the remote acoustic device result in low maintenance costs and a long service life (up to more than 5 years under normal use), which further reduces the overall operation expenses.
• Realize precise and intelligent management: Through the linkage with the control system and command platform of the unmanned vehicle, the working data of the acoustic device (such as usage time, trigger times, and coverage area) can be statistically analyzed to assist in optimizing the inspection route and task planning of the unmanned vehicle. For example, according to the data analysis, it is found that the event of "personnel breaking into the area without permission" occurs frequently in a certain area. The patrol frequency of the unmanned vehicle in this area can be adjusted, and the warning voice content of the acoustic device can be optimized to improve the warning effect.

VI. Application Cases of Remote Acoustic Devices on Unmanned Vehicles

Case: Practical Application of Emergency Rescue Unmanned Vehicles and Remote Acoustic Devices

In a mountain earthquake rescue, the rescue team put 3 emergency rescue unmanned vehicles into use. The unmanned vehicles were equipped with remote acoustic devices, infrared thermal imagers, and satellite communication modules, and entered the disaster - stricken area where the roads were cut off. When the unmanned vehicles drove around the ruins, the infrared thermal imager detected signs of life under the ruins. The acoustic device was activated immediately, and the voice "Please stay calm, the rescue personnel are approaching, please make a sound to indicate your position" was played to this area. At the same time, the rescue personnel remotely adjusted the volume of the device through the satellite link to ensure that the sound could be transmitted to the bottom of the ruins without causing injury to the personnel due to excessive volume. When the trapped people responded by knocking on the metal pipe, the microphone of the unmanned vehicle collected the sound signal, and combined with the directional function of the acoustic device, it assisted in locating the position of the trapped people, providing accurate guidance for the subsequent rescue. In this rescue, the combination of the remote acoustic device and the unmanned vehicle helped the rescue team find 3 trapped people within 2 hours, which significantly improved the efficiency compared with the traditional manual exploration, and at the same time avoided the risk of the rescue personnel entering the unstable ruins area.