Drone Delivery Hub With Linking Conveyor Span
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional loading docks in fulfillment centers and warehouses are ill-equipped for the technical and logistical demands of take-off and landing of numerous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and require valuable space for battery changes and drone diagnostics, complicating parcel delivery operations.
Innovation Solution
A drone delivery system hub with a center shaft and structural arms for landing and take-off, incorporating a parcel-conveying system, drone-conveying systems, and a linking conveyor span for efficient parcel and UAV management, along with battery charging stations and autonomous diagnostic systems, allowing for safe and efficient UAV operations without the need for extensive floor space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional loading docks are used for UAV take-off and landing, then parcel delivery operations can be performed, but the facility requires extensive floor space for battery changes and drone diagnostics
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions UAV operations from ground-level loading docks to aerial operations at the top of a multi-story building. The hub structure extends vertically upward, allowing UAVs to take off and land at elevated positions, thereby utilizing vertical space rather than horizontal floor space. This dimensional change resolves the contradiction by enabling parcel delivery operations without consuming extensive floor space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts battery charging and diagnostic functions from the main operational hub by placing them in separate service bays located at ground level. This separation allows the main hub to focus on UAV take-off and landing operations while minimizing the space required for these support functions. The service bays are integrated into the building structure but do not interfere with the primary delivery operations at the top level.
2Productivity
If numerous UAVs are accommodated for delivery operations, then delivery efficiency increases, but the complexity of managing take-off and landing operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the UAV management system into multiple independent structural arms radiating from the central hub, with each arm equipped with its own conveyor system and service bay. This segmentation allows numerous UAVs to be managed simultaneously through parallel operations at different arms, reducing the complexity of coordinating take-off and landing operations. Each arm can operate independently, enabling scalable expansion of delivery capacity without proportionally increasing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements automated conveyor systems that autonomously transport UAVs between the hub center and service bays, as well as automated battery swapping mechanisms. These self-service features reduce the manual labor and coordination required for managing numerous UAVs, allowing the system to handle high volumes of deliveries with minimal human intervention in the actual UAV handling processes.
3Reliability
If battery changes and diagnostics are performed at the hub, then UAV operational readiness is maintained, but valuable floor space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the hub operations to the top of a multi-story building, utilizing vertical elevation rather than horizontal floor space. Battery charging stations and diagnostic equipment are positioned in service bays that are integrated into the building's vertical structure, allowing UAVs to access these services during their vertical transit through the hub without requiring extensive ground-level space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary battery charging and diagnostic checks in service bays before UAVs are dispatched for delivery missions. UAVs undergo battery swaps and system checks while being conveyed through the hub structure, ensuring operational readiness is established in advance. This preliminary action allows the system to maintain high reliability without requiring large dedicated spaces for these functions at the operational level.
Data Source
AI summary
A drone delivery system hub and method for sending for take-off and receiving for landing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The drone delivery system hub includes a center shaft frame, a parcel-conveying system supported by the center shaft frame, structural arms coupled to and extending outward from the center shaft frame in a spoke-like configuration, drone-conveying systems each supported by one of the structural arms, and a linking conveyor span. The drone-conveying system conveys the UAVs along a length of a correspond one of the structural arms toward and away from the center shaft frame. The linking conveyor span selectably rotates to different orientations between different pairs of the structural arms, selectively conveying a UAV thereon between any two of the structural arms. The linking conveyor span is located above the parcel-conveying system such for the UAV thereon to deposit and retrieve parcels from the parcel-conveying system.