Aerial Manipulation System for Millimeter-Grasping UAVs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current low-cost consumer UAVs suffer from aerodynamic instability and inaccuracy, making them incapable of precision grasping and emplacement of workpieces, which is crucial in industries like wet-lab automation where millimeter accuracy is required.
Innovation Solution
An aerial workpiece manipulation system comprising an airframe with rotor booms, propulsors, a lifting mechanism with joint actuators, and an end-effector equipped with feedback sensors and an optical module, which enhances endpoint accuracy by making contact with a stable surface and providing feedback to stabilize the UAV's flight dynamics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If low-cost consumer UAVs are used for workpiece manipulation, then cost is reduced, but aerodynamic instability and inaccuracy prevent millimeter-precision grasping and emplacement
Solution Approach 1:
A lifting mechanism acts as an intermediary between the UAV and the workpiece, providing mechanical stabilization and precision positioning. The lifting mechanism includes a liftable arm with adjustable length that can be extended or retracted, and a gripper at the end that provides the actual grasping function with millimeter precision, while the UAV provides coarse positioning and mobility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical robotic arm system with an aerial UAV platform equipped with a lightweight lifting mechanism. This substitution leverages the UAV's mobility and positioning capabilities while using a simplified mechanical lifting structure to achieve the required precision, thereby reducing overall system cost and complexity
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional robotic arms are used for precision manipulation, then millimeter-precision grasping is achieved, but they occupy valuable facility real estate and require multiple units for continuous production lines
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from ground-based robotic arms operating in two dimensions (x-y plane) to an aerial UAV platform operating in three dimensions (x-y-z space). This dimensional change allows the system to service continuous production lines by flying overhead and accessing multiple workstations without requiring linear arrangement of multiple robotic arms, thereby reducing facility real estate requirements
3Ease of operation
If consumer UAVs hover near workpieces, then positioning is achieved, but aerodynamic instability causes hover precision of only tens of centimeters
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning system is segmented into two levels: the UAV provides coarse positioning at the meter level by hovering near the workpiece, while the lifting mechanism provides fine positioning at the millimeter level by mechanically adjusting the arm length and gripper position. This segmentation allows each subsystem to operate within its optimal precision range, achieving overall millimeter precision without requiring the UAV itself to hover with millimeter precision
Data Source
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AI summary
A workpiece manipulation system to provide high-precision manipulation of a workpiece by an aircraft. The workpiece manipulation system comprises a lifting mechanism to couple with the aircraft, an end-effector, and a processor. The lifting mechanism includes one or more joint actuators to extend or retract the lifting mechanism relative to the aircraft. The end-effector includes an end-effector actuator to control an operation of the end-effector to manipulate the workpiece. The processor is communicatively coupled with the aircraft processor and configured to control operation of the end-effector actuator and the one or more joint actuators. In operation, the processor provides feedback to the aircraft.