Chemical sensors on unmanned aerial vehicles: new possibilities for searching for mines and explosive devices

Abstract

Increasing the effectiveness of anti-mine protection of troops, timely detection and marking of mine-explosive devices in the area, prompt informing of personnel of units operating in the area, search for methods and means that increase the reliability of the search and reduce the level of false detections, possible identification and marking of mines (explosive objects) are extremely relevant and, given the scale of demining that will need to be carried out on the territory of Ukraine after the end of hostilities, promising tasks. This can be achieved through the introduction of modern, reliable, effective, remote methods and means of searching, detecting, identifying and marking mine-explosive devices that work in real time with a fairly high speed. The purpose of the research is to justify the need to use chemical modules (equipped with a set of chemical sensors) installed on unmanned aerial vehicles for conducting engineering and reconnaissance actions for the search, detection and marking of mine-explosive devices. It has been established that the combination of unmanned aerial vehicles of the multi-rotor type with the appropriate chemical module will prevail over other means of reconnaissance of mine-explosive devices (barrages) in service and will meet such criteria as mobility, speed (operational), sensitivity, reliability, selectivity, reliability, stability. It is recommended that the chemical module include various appropriate sensors that will complement each other and cover the entire range of explosives used to equip mines and explosive objects. Chemical sensors that work on the principle of suppression of fluorescent radiation by the vapor of an explosive substance are promising. The effectiveness of demining with the help of unmanned aerial vehicles with a chemical module will depend on the probability of explosive vapors entering the chemical module's area of operation and the probability of detecting mine-explosive devices. At the same time, the equipment of unmanned aerial vehicles intended for conducting engineering reconnaissance not only with a chemical module, but also with other, additional sensors for detecting mines (explosive objects) by secondary signs will allow to increase the reliability of the search and detection of mine-explosive devices.