Drone Box Sensor Zones for Stable Landing and Safe Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in precision landing and charging, especially on moving platforms with weak or no navigational signals, leading to accidents and unstable operations, which can result in improper take-offs and safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a drone box with sensor zones and programmable charging terminals that detect and adapt to the polarity of landing drones, preventing unsafe landings and take-offs, and ensuring safe charging by using a passive sensing circuit to verify touchdown and detect contamination, while maintaining autonomous operation with emergency backup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If autonomous landing is implemented without human assistance, then operational independence is improved, but landing stability and safety deteriorate due to complex environmental factors and unstable operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a landing station as an intermediary platform between the drone and the ground. The landing station provides a stable, controlled environment for autonomous landing operations, mediating the interaction between the drone's autonomous systems and the complex external environment. This intermediary structure enables automation while maintaining reliability by providing physical stabilization and controlled charging interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The drone performs self-verification of landing stability through its own sensors and systems, and the landing station provides self-service charging by automatically detecting the drone's arrival and initiating charging without human intervention. This self-service mechanism maintains autonomy while ensuring safety through automated monitoring and verification protocols.
2Adaptability or versatility
If precision landing is achieved on moving platforms, then operational versatility is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to weak or no navigational signals
Solution Approach 1:
The landing platform is segmented into multiple sensor zones with distinct identification coordinates, allowing the system to determine precise landing location even when global navigational signals are weak or unavailable. Each sensor zone acts as a local reference point, dividing the landing area into measurable segments that can be independently identified and verified.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces reliance on external navigational signals with a local sensor-based detection system. The sensor zones use electrical sensing and coordinate identification to determine landing position, substituting mechanical/GPS-based navigation with an electrical field-based detection mechanism that functions independently of external signal strength.
3Reliability
If multiple sensor zones are activated for charging, then charging reliability is improved, but energy loss increases due to potential simultaneous activation of multiple charging terminals
Solution Approach 1:
The charging system dynamically activates only the sensor zone corresponding to the actual landing location, rather than simultaneously activating all sensor zones. The system adapts its charging configuration based on the drone's precise landing position, dynamically switching between different charging terminals as needed. This dynamic activation maintains reliability by ensuring charging occurs at the correct location while preventing energy waste from simultaneous multi-zone activation.
4Reliability
If ground interfaces are positioned at far ends for charging, then charging safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to interlocked switchable polarity requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using complex mechanical switches or manual polarity selection mechanisms, the system inverts the approach by using the sensor zone's electrical sensing capability to automatically detect and establish the correct polarity connection. The interlocked switchable polarity is managed through the sensor zone's identification system rather than separate control mechanisms, simplifying the overall device complexity while maintaining safety through automated polarity verification.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables safe and stable landing and charging of UAVs, preventing accidents and ensuring minimal human and animal hazards by accurately identifying suitable landing zones and adapting to environmental conditions, thus enhancing the reliability of drone operations.
Implementation Method 1
Each sensor zone (111) has an identification coordinate. As the drone (10-1) lands safely, the sensor zones (111) sense the default polarity of Positive(+ve) and Negative (−ve) of the ground interfaces of the first drone
Data Source
AI summary
Method and system to ascertain location of drone box (100) for stabilized landing and charging of drones (10), comprising a plurality of drones (10) and at least a drone box (100) having a passive sensing circuit (149) detecting a touchdown signal of all the ground interface (11) of the drone (10, 10-1, 10-2) at a plurality of sensor zones (111) for a minimum prescribed time, a detection of any missing touch down signal for the minimum prescribed time due to an inappropriate landing preventing next take off of the drone (10, 10-1, 10-2), the passive sensing circuit (149) prevents activation of any sensor zone (111) till all the ground interfaces (11) are detected as touched down, the sensor zones (111) differentiates between presence of the ground interface (11) and any other presence including human touch, animal touch, foreign matter and or contamination and a combination thereof.