Drone Guard with Tension Adjusting Mechanism for Rotor Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing aerial vehicle protection systems, such as those disclosed in JP 6 245 566 B1, focus primarily on rotor protection but lack ease of mountability and portability for the protective member.

Innovation Solution

A protective member for aerial vehicles, comprising support members connected to the vehicle with a flexible member stretched between them, featuring a tension adjusting mechanism to adjust tension and ensure secure mounting, allowing for easy carrying and deployment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a protective member with rigid structure is used to protect rotors from impact, then protection reliability is improved, but portability and ease of carrying deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotection reliabilityVSAvoidportability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs flexible members (such as elastic bands or flexible rods) instead of rigid protective structures. These flexible members can be stretched between support members to form a protective cage around the rotors, providing impact protection while remaining lightweight and easily storable when not in use, thus resolving the contradiction between protection reliability and portability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Solution Approach 2:

The protective member is designed to be dynamically deployable - it can be quickly assembled around the rotors when needed and easily removed or collapsed when not needed. The flexible members allow the structure to adapt its shape and provide protection only when required, maintaining portability while ensuring protection reliability during operation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If a protective member with complex mounting structure is used to ensure secure mounting, then mounting reliability is improved, but ease of mounting deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemounting reliabilityVSAvoidease of mounting
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The protective member is divided into separate modular components: support members that attach to the aerial vehicle body, and flexible members that connect the support members. This segmentation allows each component to be independently attached using simple mechanisms, improving ease of mounting while maintaining secure mounting reliability through the coordinated assembly of multiple components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The support members are designed with pre-formed attachment interfaces (such as clips, hooks, or magnetic attachments) that can be preliminarily prepared and then quickly engaged with the aerial vehicle body. This preliminary preparation of mounting interfaces enables secure mounting without requiring complex assembly procedures during the mounting process

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 solution provides enhanced mountability and portability of the protective member while effectively preventing rotor damage from external impacts, maintaining a strong and flexible structure for impact absorption.

Implementation Method 1

at least one of the plurality of support members has a tension adjusting mechanism that is capable of adjusting a tension applied to the flexible member in a stretching direction, by changing a distance from a center of the body to the distal end portion

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectTension: Tension

Data Source

PatentEP3677507B1Flight equipment, flying body, and protective member
Publication Date: 2024.11.06 RAKUTEN GROUP INC
  • EP3677507B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3677507B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3677507B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

One or more embodiments of the present invention is intended to provide a protective member that is easy to carry, while ensuring enhanced mountability. A protective member of the present invention is configured as a protective member (drone guard) 2 that is mountable to an aerial vehicle (drone) 1 having a body 11 and at least one rotor 13 held on the body, and includes a plurality of support members 22 that are connectable to the aerial vehicle and have a flexible member (guard part) 23 stretched between distal end portions thereof so as to surround an outside of the body in planar view, wherein at least one of the plurality of support members has a tension adjusting mechanism that is capable of adjusting a tension applied to the flexible member in a stretching direction, by changing a distance from a center of the body to the distal end portion.