Deployable Net Interceptor for Capturing Unauthorized UAVs
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for unauthorized activities poses challenges in securing facilities and airspace, necessitating a safe and effective method to disable or capture these vehicles.
Innovation Solution
An airframe equipped with deployable arms and a net that can be flown into a target UAV, deploying the net to entangle and disable it, with options for releasing the captured vehicle or landing it safely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a net is launched from the airframe at the target aircraft, then the capture effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The net is pre-positioned and stored on the airframe before interception. The airframe flies directly into the target with the net already in place, eliminating the need for complex launch mechanisms. This preliminary positioning of the net resolves the contradiction by maintaining capture effectiveness while avoiding the complexity and energy consumption of launch systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent removes the net launch mechanism entirely from the system. Instead of launching the net at the target, the net is simply deployed from the airframe and the airframe flies into the target. This extraction of the launch function resolves the technical contradiction by eliminating device complexity while preserving capture capability through direct impact.
2Ease of operation
If the arm is made movable from closed to open condition, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The arm is designed to be movable between closed and open conditions, allowing it to adapt to different operational requirements. This dynamic configuration enables the operator to deploy the net when needed while maintaining a compact form when not in use, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity through conditional adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
An airframe is provided that can be flown under the control of an operator or an automated sensor and feedback system. The airframe can be any of a variety of known configurations with multiple rotors, fixed or retractable wings, puller or pusher propellers, or jet engines. The airframe includes at least one arm that is used to intercept and disable another airborne vehicle. In some configurations, the arm is fixed and can include fingers at its outer end. In other configurations, the arm is movable from a closed condition to an open condition. A wire or net is connected between the arm and a portion of the airframe so that the wire or net is spread open when the arm is deployed to the open condition. The wire or net are configured to disable or capture a target such as another aerial vehicle.