Drone Frame with Movable Propeller Mounts for Weight and Stress Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing drones for navigation and visual recognition face challenges with weight, structural strength, propeller protection, and versatility, particularly in adapting propulsive arrangements to various payloads and flight missions, and lack autonomous reconfiguration capabilities during flight.

Innovation Solution

A drone design featuring a frame with a strip-shaped engagement portion that allows removable and rearrangement of propulsion elements, such as propellers or jet engines, along its length, enabling customizable configurations and automatic adjustment during flight, without the need for a central payload or external arms, using actuating means and inertial sensors for balance and power control.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If arms extend outwardly beyond the central body for rotor protection, then propeller protection is improved, but overall weight increases and bending moment at arm root increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepropeller protectionVSAvoidoverall weight

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSWeight of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the propulsion function from the traditional arm-rotor configuration and places propellers directly on the central body, eliminating the need for extended arms and their associated protection structures, thereby reducing overall weight while maintaining propeller protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges the central body and propeller mounting functions into a single integrated structure, where the central body itself serves as the mounting platform for propellers, eliminating separate arms and reducing the number of structural components

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If arms extend outwardly beyond the central body for rotor protection, then propeller protection is improved, but bending moment at arm root increases under fatigue load

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepropeller protectionVSAvoidarm root bending moment

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the extended arms from the structure, eliminating the arm root bending moment problem entirely by placing propellers directly on the central body, thereby improving structural strength while maintaining protection

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of extending arms outward to protect propellers, the patent inverts the approach by keeping propellers close to the central body and using the central body structure itself for protection, reversing the traditional configuration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Device complexity

If fixed propeller arrangement is used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but adaptability to various payloads and flight missions is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural simplicityVSAvoidpropulsive arrangement adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a dynamic propeller arrangement system where propellers can be moved along the central body to different positions, allowing the drone to adapt its propulsive configuration for different payloads and missions while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal mounting system on the central body that can accommodate propellers in multiple positions and configurations, enabling the same basic structure to serve multiple flight mission requirements and payload types

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Stability of the object's composition

If propellers are fixed in position, then structural stability is maintained, but ability to autonomously reconfigure during flight is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidautonomous reconfiguration capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSExtent of automation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates movable mounting mechanisms that allow propellers to be repositioned along the central body, enabling autonomous reconfiguration during flight while maintaining structural stability through controlled movement and secure positioning at each location

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements self-service capabilities through sensors and control systems that automatically detect flight conditions and autonomously adjust propeller positions without requiring external intervention, allowing the drone to adapt to changing mission requirements during flight

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3044091B1An improved drone structure

Publication Date: 2020.01.01 UNIVERSITY OF FLORENCE

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AI summary

A structure of drone (100) comprises a frame (110) comprising an engagement portion (110')/ said engagement portion (110') being a strip having a predetermined geometry. The structure of drone (100) also comprises a plurality of propulsion elements (120). Each propulsion element (120) is arranged, in use, to be engaged in a removable way to the engagement portion (110') at a any point of the strip, in such a way to easily change the number and the arrangement of the propulsion elements (120) present on the engagement portion (110').