Drone Transport Container with Visual Orientation Markers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current aerial drone parcel transport lacks standardized containers that can be easily recognized and securely picked up and transported by drones, due to constraints on dimensions and weight, and there is a need for reliable and authenticatable containers that facilitate efficient delivery.
Innovation Solution
Design of containers with RFID tags or electronic circuitry for dimension and grip configuration data, along with sensing units for environmental data, and visual orientation markers to enable automatic adjustment of drone pickup mechanisms and secure transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If standardized containers are designed for aerial drone transport, then ease of operation and reliability improve, but device complexity increases due to integration of RFID tags, sensing units, and visual markers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple identification and communication systems (RFID tags, barcodes, QR codes, visual markers) into a single container structure. This merging allows drones to access all necessary information (dimensions, grip configuration, lift capabilities) through one integrated system, improving ease of operation while managing complexity through consolidation rather than separate components.
Solution Approach 2:
The container is designed with multi-functional elements that serve multiple purposes: RFID tags provide both identification and dimension information, visual markers enable both orientation and grip point identification, and the structure accommodates various drone types. This universality allows a single container design to work with multiple drone systems, improving ease of operation across different platforms.
2Productivity
If container dimensions and weight are constrained for drone transport, then productivity improves through efficient aerial delivery, but manufacturing precision requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The container includes pre-marked grip configuration indicators and dimension markers that are manufactured into the structure beforehand. These pre-established reference points allow drones to quickly identify and adjust to the correct grip points without requiring high-precision manual adjustment during operation, thereby improving aerial delivery efficiency while maintaining manageable manufacturing precision standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs visual markers and RFID tags that encode container parameters (dimensions, weight class, grip configuration). By encoding this information in the container structure itself rather than requiring physical measurement, the system achieves high productivity through rapid parameter identification without demanding extreme manufacturing precision for measurement features.
3Reliability
If RFID tags and electronic circuitry are integrated into containers, then information reliability improves for drone recognition, but device complexity and manufacturing cost worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The identification system is segmented into multiple independent but complementary components: RFID tags for electronic communication, barcodes for optical scanning, QR codes for detailed information, and visual markers for spatial orientation. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and provides redundancy, improving overall identification reliability while managing complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses visual markers and barcodes as intermediary elements between the physical container and the drone's recognition system. These optical intermediaries provide a bridge that allows drones to identify and verify container information without direct electronic contact, enhancing reliability through multiple verification methods while keeping electronic integration complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for aerial drone transport includes a main body; a lid; a plurality of aerial drone grip elements organized in an aerial drone grip configuration; a plurality of visual aerial drone orientation markers carried by at least one external surface at predetermined locations relative to the plurality of aerial drone grip elements, which define a pickup orientation; and a first machine-readable code indicating a container serial number, container dimensions, weight carrying capacity, and/or the aerial drone grip configuration. The container can also include a second machine-readable code indicating a target aerial drone delivery address. The container can include an RFID tag, and possibly a sensing unit configured for sensing one or more types of signals. The container can be securely closed by closure mechanisms, including an elastic band structure having knob elements that can be inserted into and securely retained by aperture structures having two different cross-sectional areas.