Drone-Hovercraft Hybrid System with Universal Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drone-vehicle combinations, such as drone-powered hovercraft, lack advanced control systems for stable flight and efficient propulsion, limiting user experience and versatility.
Innovation Solution
A combination vehicle system featuring a drone with motor-driven rotors and a programmable controller that allows for stable flight and vertical lift, integrated with a hovercraft body, enabling both lift-off and forward propulsion, with optional mounting configurations for varying operational modes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the drone is combined with a hovercraft body to form a hybrid vehicle, then the versatility and user experience are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drone is designed with a universal mounting interface that allows it to be attached to different vehicle bodies (hovercraft, boats, ice-travelling devices) to form hybrid vehicles. The controller is programmed to automatically detect the mounted configuration and adjust rotor control parameters accordingly, enabling one drone design to serve multiple vehicle types and functions.
2Reliability
If the controller is programmed to maintain stable drone flight without the hovercraft body, then the drone's independent flight capability is improved, but the control system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is designed with dynamic control parameters that automatically adjust based on the detected configuration. When no hovercraft body is mounted, the controller uses drone-optimized parameters for stable aerial flight. When a hovercraft body is detected, the controller switches to hybrid vehicle parameters that coordinate the rotors for both lift and propulsion functions, maintaining stability across different operational modes.
3Force
If the rotors are positioned to drive air into the ground-facing chamber for lift, then the hovercraft lift capability is improved, but the rotor orientation flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic switching between different rotor orientations based on operational mode. For hovercraft operation, rotors are positioned to drive air into the ground-facing chamber for lift. For drone flight, rotors are repositioned for optimal aerial performance. The mount allows this periodic reconfiguration, and the controller manages the transitions between orientations to achieve both lift and propulsion functions as needed.
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 system achieves stable flight and efficient propulsion of the hovercraft, allowing for controlled lift-off and movement, enhancing user experience and versatility by utilizing the drone's rotors to drive air into the hovercraft's chamber for lift and propulsion.
Implementation Method 1
a first rotor of the plurality of rotors is positioned in radial overlap with at least a portion of the hover air inlet and is oriented to drive air into the ground-facing chamber through the hover air inlet so as to at least partially lift the hovercraft body off a support surface
Implementation Method 2
the plurality of rotors are oriented at least partially vertically to drive air to propel the hovercraft forward along the support surface
Data Source
AI summary
In one aspect, there is provided a combination vehicle system, including a drone and a hovercraft body. The drone has a plurality of motor-driven rotors and a controller. The hovercraft body defines a ground-facing chamber having a hover air inlet, and includes a mount for the drone. The drone is removably connectable to the mount in a mounted position so as to form a hovercraft. The controller is programmed to drive the plurality of rotors to maintain stable flight of the drone without the hovercraft body connected thereto. The controller is programmed to drive the first rotor to at least partially lift the hovercraft off a support surface and to drive the second rotor to propel the hovercraft along the support surface.