Compact Drone Cartridge Release Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing on-board cartridge release devices for law enforcement are bulky, unsuitable for aerial drones, and lack secure remote control and weather resistance, posing risks during use and limiting their effectiveness in controlling riots or dispersing crowds.
Innovation Solution
A compact, robust DLC device with an electronic ignition system, a removable magazine, and a secure remote control mechanism, featuring a microcontroller, power management system, and manual safety switch, designed for aerial drones, allowing precise control and rapid loading/unloading of cartridges while ensuring safety and weather resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a solid structure base with sliding mechanism is used, then the launcher can be fixed on support, but the weight and design limit transport and aerial drone applications
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: a base unit with electronic ignition system and a removable magazine with cartridge slots. This segmentation allows the main body to be lightweight for drone deployment while the magazine can be independently loaded and replaced, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and weight for transportability.
Solution Approach 2:
The device transitions from a static solid structure to a dynamic system with movable components including a sliding magazine, retractable cartridges, and flexible circuit boards. This dynamic design maintains structural integrity during operation while significantly reducing weight for aerial deployment.
2Reliability
If traditional pyrotechnic fire launcher control system is used, then ignition can be controlled, but the system is bulky and not suitable for on-board aerial systems
Solution Approach 1:
The traditional mechanical pyrotechnic control system is replaced with an electronic ignition system using a microcontroller, flexible circuit boards, and electrical contacts. This substitution dramatically reduces system size and complexity while improving reliability and enabling precise control suitable for on-board aerial deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic control system integrates multiple functions into a single compact unit: power management, ignition sequencing, safety interlocks, and remote communication. This multi-functional integration achieves reliable ignition control without the bulk of traditional separate systems.
3Measurement precision
If electrical contacts are made through orthogonal axes in electronic card, then precise control and power management are achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Flexible circuit boards serve as intermediaries between the rigid electronic card and the moving mechanical components. These flexible circuits accommodate the orthogonal contact requirements with precise positioning while being manufacturable using standard flexible PCB techniques, resolving the contradiction between precision and ease of manufacture.
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 DLC device enables secure, remote, and efficient release of cartridges on aerial drones, enhancing safety and operational effectiveness by ensuring precise control and rapid loading/unloading, while being lightweight and resistant to environmental conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a tray (20) having a plurality of cartridge locations (21), in which the magazine (20) is introduced into slides (15) of said housing to position the cartridge locations (21) at the level of said contacts
Implementation Method 2
non-lethal projectile launchers with pyrotechnic effects (tear gas, smoke, sound, flash, marking, etc.)
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for releasing installed cartridges, enabling the controlled release of electric ignition cartridges. These cartridges are loaded into the device by means of a rackable magazine in a housing of the device. The device comprises a robust electronic system for priming the cartridges, a quick electrical contacting mechanism and is designed to be weather resistant. The device comprises an ignition system comprising an electronic board (41) fixed in a housing of the device and comprising a controller (42), a power management system and a plurality of electrical contacts fixed on said electronic board for priming the cartridges. The electrical contacts (40) pass through the electronic card (41) on an orthogonal axis, a lower end of the contacts being intended to bring the cartridges into contact and an upper end of the contacts being fixed directly or indirectly to the housing (10) in order to maintain an upright position of said contacts. The ignition system of the invention is very compact and suitable for being installed in an aerial drone, this ignition system also enabling precise and reliable control of the cartridge primer.