Self-Aligning Drone Landing Platform for Automatic Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current unmanned vehicles are not fully utilized due to the lack of advanced landing platforms with smart functionalities for autonomous precision landing, automatic charging, and storage, requiring human intervention for recharging and limiting their operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A landing platform and deployment system with self-aligning capabilities, including a polarity switch, adjustment beams, and a power source, that automatically aligns and charges unmanned vehicles, enabling autonomous precision landing, charging, and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If unmanned vehicles are equipped with on-board energy storage devices, then they can operate independently for missions, but they require manual intervention for recharging which limits operational efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The landing platform is equipped with a charging mechanism that automatically detects when an unmanned vehicle has landed and autonomously establishes electrical connection with the vehicle's energy storage device. The system self-manages the charging process without requiring human intervention, including automatic polarity detection and connection establishment, thereby enabling the vehicle to service itself and improving operational efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The landing platform prepares charging contacts and electrical connections in advance before the vehicle arrives. When the vehicle lands, the charging mechanism is already positioned and ready to immediately establish connection, eliminating waiting time and enabling seamless transition from mission to recharging
2Reliability
If a landing platform with automatic alignment capabilities is implemented, then charging contact reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical alignment mechanisms with a sensor-based detection and adjustment system. Optical or electromagnetic sensors detect the vehicle's position and orientation, and the system automatically adjusts electrical contacts or guides the vehicle to the correct position, achieving high reliability without complex mechanical structures
Solution Approach 2:
The landing platform integrates multiple functions into a single system: landing detection, vehicle positioning, polarity identification, and electrical connection establishment. This multi-functional integration reduces overall system complexity compared to having separate mechanisms for each function while maintaining high charging contact reliability
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned vehicle module can include, in some aspects, a landing platform including a landing area for receiving an unmanned vehicle, wherein the landing area includes a predetermined charging region; a first charging plate; a second charging plate, wherein the first charging plate and the second charging plate are positioned in the predetermined charging region; an electrical energy storage device for connecting electrically with the first charging plate and with the second charging plate; and an unmanned vehicle alignment mechanism configured to move the unmanned vehicle into the predetermined charging region; wherein the unmanned vehicle alignment mechanism includes a first beam, a second beam, a third beam, a fourth beam, and an actuation device for actuating at least two of the first beam, the second beam, the third beam, and the fourth beam to push the unmanned vehicle into the charging region.