Deployable Guidance Vehicle for UAV Delivery Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face limitations in navigation due to obstructed cameras and sensors, which can hinder effective guidance during delivery, especially when cargo or parts of the UAV block the camera's field of view or when delivering in environments with limited perspectives.
Innovation Solution
Deployable delivery guidance systems, comprising micro-UAVs or guidance vehicles that can be autonomously deployed from the main UAV to provide external guidance, equipped with cameras, sensors, and lighting systems to capture images, identify obstacles, and illuminate delivery locations, allowing the UAV to navigate safely and accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cameras and sensors are mounted in a fixed location on the UAV, then the structure is simple and stable, but the field of view is blocked by UAV parts and cargo, limiting guidance effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance system is divided into two independent parts: fixed onboard cameras/sensors for basic navigation and a separate deployable external guidance vehicle for obstacle detection and area mapping. This segmentation allows each component to perform specialized functions without interfering with the other, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and guidance effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
An external guidance vehicle acts as an intermediary between the UAV and the delivery environment. This mediator captures images and sensor data from outside the UAV's blocked field of view, transmitting information back to the control system to enable effective obstacle avoidance and area mapping without requiring complex modifications to the UAV's fixed mounting structure.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If cameras are positioned to maximize field of view, then obstacle detection improves, but the cameras are blocked by cargo and UAV structure
Solution Approach 1:
The obstacle detection and area mapping functions are extracted from the UAV and placed in a separate external guidance vehicle. This external vehicle operates independently outside the UAV's cargo compartment and structural interference zone, capturing clear images of obstacles and delivery areas without being blocked by cargo or UAV parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The guidance system transitions from a single-dimension fixed mounting approach to a multi-dimensional solution where the external guidance vehicle can position itself in three-dimensional space around the UAV, accessing perspectives that are otherwise blocked by the UAV's structure and cargo from fixed mounting positions.
3Loss of information
If external guidance vehicles are deployed, then comprehensive view of delivery area is achieved, but system complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The external guidance vehicle is deployed in advance during the approach phase to capture comprehensive images of the delivery area and identify obstacles before the UAV commits to the final delivery path. This preliminary action ensures complete information gathering without requiring continuous operation of the external vehicle throughout the entire mission, thereby reducing overall energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The external guidance vehicle operates periodically rather than continuously - deployed when needed for area mapping and obstacle detection, then retracted or put into standby mode. This periodic operation reduces energy consumption while still achieving comprehensive information gathering about the delivery area when required.
Data Source
AI summary
Delivery area guidance may be provided to an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) via one or more delivery area guidance vehicles. For example, a UAV may be programmed to fly to a delivery area (e.g., a neighborhood, a block, a large residential or commercial property, and/or another area associated with landing and/or a delivery). Approaching the delivery area, the UAV may deploy one or more delivery area guidance vehicles. A guidance vehicle may be configured to maneuver a distance from the UAV, and to assist in guiding the UAV into the delivery area to the UAV.