Drone Landing System with Movable Barriers for Urban Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of drones in metropolitan or urban areas poses challenges such as providing designated safe areas for take-off, landing, and handling, with propellers presenting a hazard during these operations, and existing solutions do not adequately address the need for safe passenger and freight logistics.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a movable platform with closable barriers and a control arrangement that selectively operates the platform and barriers to ensure safe landing and handling of drones, including sensors and communication links to determine the drone's operating state and inhibit unsafe operations, allowing for safe movement and separation of passengers/freight from the drone.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a designated area for drone landing is provided in urban areas, then drone operations can be enabled, but propeller hazards pose safety risks to passengers and freight
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the landing area into distinct zones separated by movable barriers. The barrier segments the space between the drone landing zone and the passenger/freight area, allowing controlled access and isolating the hazard zone from safe zones during different operational states.
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier is designed to be movable rather than fixed, transitioning between extended and retracted positions. This dynamic configuration allows the barrier to adapt its state based on operational requirements: extended when drone propellers are active to block hazards, and retracted when safe to allow platform movement and access.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the barrier is extended to block propeller hazards, then safety is improved, but the platform cannot move into the space for landing
Solution Approach 1:
The control system coordinates barrier extension and retraction in advance of platform movement. The barrier is retracted before the platform moves into the space, and extended before the platform completes its movement, ensuring that the platform path is clear while the hazard zone remains protected throughout the operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses sensors to detect the platform's position and operational state, providing feedback to the control system. This feedback enables real-time coordination of barrier movement with platform position, ensuring the barrier is in the correct state at the correct time to both protect against hazards and allow necessary platform movement.
3Ease of operation
If the platform moves into the space after landing, then drone handling is enabled, but passenger and freight safety must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The movable barrier acts as an intermediary element between the drone landing zone and the passenger/freight area. It mediates the transition by being retracted to allow platform movement and drone handling operations, then extended to restore separation and protect passengers and freight from any remaining hazards during handling activities.
Data Source
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AI summary
In an aspect there are disclosed examples systems (10, 110) for the landing and handling of a drone (1), the system (10, 100) may include a moveable platform (16, 116) on which the drone (1) is supportable in a landed state; a space (14, 114) dimensioned to receive the platform (16, 116) and drone (1) in the landed state, a first closable barrier (17, 117) arranged between the drone (1) in the landed state and an external environment; a second closable barrier (18, 118) arranged between the drone (1) in the landed state and a passenger zone adjacent the space (22, 122); and a control arrangement (205) configured to selectively operate the platform (16, 116), the first closable barrier (17, 117) and the second closable barrier (18, 118) between: a first condition, in which the first closable barrier (17, 117) is in an open condition, the second closable barrier (18, 118) is in a closed condition and the drone (1) is landable on the platform (16, 116), and a second condition, in which the platform (16, 116) and drone (1) in the landed state are receivable by the space (22, 122), the first closable barrier (17, 117) is movable to a closed condition, and the second closable barrier (18, 118) is moveable to an open condition.