Drone Surface Cleaning Control With Sensor-Guided Flight Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drone-based package delivery systems face challenges in navigating complex environments with large and chaotically arranged obstacles, requiring highly modifiable flight paths and ensuring safety in populated areas, while also needing efficient automation for cleaning surfaces like solar power plants and rooftops.
Innovation Solution
The use of sensors for geometric information and edge detection allows for energy-efficient flight paths and alignment of flying bodies with surfaces, enabling precise cleaning using effectors like brushes or airflow, with optional separate control of cleaning apparatuses to avoid collisions and optimize surface coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a flying body is used for cleaning surfaces, then automation level is improved, but energy consumption increases due to flight operations
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system performs preliminary detection of the surface geometry and obstacles before the cleaning operation begins. This allows the flight control system to pre-calculate optimal flight paths that minimize energy consumption while ensuring complete surface coverage, resolving the contradiction between high automation and energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system continuously provides feedback during flight operations about the actual surface position and detected obstacles. The flight control system uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the flight path in real-time, maintaining energy efficiency while adapting to unexpected conditions, thus resolving the contradiction between automation and energy consumption.
2Measurement precision
If sensors are added to the flying body for geometric information detection, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting surface geometry, identifying obstacles, measuring distances, and providing alignment information. By making the sensor system multi-functional, the patent achieves high measurement precision without proportionally increasing device complexity, as a single integrated sensor suite handles multiple measurement tasks simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system acts as an intermediary between the flying body and the surface being cleaned. It translates complex geometric information into simplified data that the flight control system can use for navigation and alignment, thereby achieving high precision without requiring overly complex sensing equipment.
3Productivity
If the flying body continuously adjusts its position to follow surface contours, then cleaning coverage is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system performs preliminary scanning of the surface to identify contours and features before the cleaning pass begins. The flight control system then pre-calculates the optimal flight path that follows these contours, allowing the flying body to maintain cleaning coverage without continuous active adjustments, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flying body employs dynamic flight control that adjusts its trajectory in real-time based on sensor feedback about surface contours. This dynamic approach allows the system to achieve complete surface coverage by adapting to terrain variations without requiring excessive energy input, as adjustments are made only when and where necessary.
4Ease of manufacture
If simple distance measurement sensors are used instead of complex sensor systems, then cost and weight are reduced, but measurement capability is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The measurement task is segmented into multiple simpler measurements performed by simple distance sensors positioned at different locations on the flying body. By combining measurements from multiple simple sensors, the system achieves comprehensive geometric information detection without requiring complex single-point sensors, thus resolving the contradiction between simplicity and measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple simple distance measurement sensors are combined to work together as an integrated sensing system. By merging the data from several simple sensors, the system achieves comprehensive measurement capability equivalent to or exceeding that of complex single sensors, while maintaining lower cost and weight advantages.
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
This approach enables efficient, automated, and energy-saving cleaning of surfaces by allowing precise alignment and navigation of drones, reducing the risk of collisions and ensuring thorough coverage, even in complex environments like solar power plants.
Implementation Method 1
sensors may be attached to the ends of the flying body, each of which performs a distance measurement in order to align the flying body parallel to an edge
Implementation Method 2
The cleaning of the surface can be performed using effectors on the flying body, for example a brush and/or the airflow generated by a rotor
Data Source
AI summary
1. Method for controlling a flying body for cleaning surfaces2.1. Flying bodies can cover large distances between arrangements of smooth and curved surfaces without requiring manual manipulation. This reduces personnel requirements and enables large surfaces to be maintained, for example solar power stations, in a fully automated manner.2.2. The method for controlling a flying body for cleaning surfaces consists of detecting the surrounding surfaces of an object to be cleaned, directing the flying body with respect thereto and structuring the flight path. As a result, the surface can be cleaned particularly efficiently and, if needed, worked on further.2.3. Said method for controlling a flying object for cleaning surfaces is suitable for use on glass facades or on solar power stations, particularly in arid regions.