Drone Capture Net with Drawstring Closure and Cocklebur Entanglement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drone technologies face challenges in effectively capturing and immobilizing unwanted drones due to issues such as slipping nets and lack of reliable mechanisms for secure entrapment, particularly in scenarios involving hostile payloads or trespassing drones.
Innovation Solution
The integration of cockleburs and a drawstring mechanism into a projectile net system, where cockleburs entangle with the net upon contact to secure the target drone, and the drawstring mechanism ensures the net envelops the drone by closing like a bag, preventing escape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a simple net is used to capture the target drone, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of capture is insufficient due to net slipping
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple capture mechanisms into a single integrated net system. The drawstring mechanism is integrated directly into the net structure, and cockleburs are attached to the net perimeter, creating a unified device that provides both active closure and passive entanglement without requiring separate capture systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The net is pre-configured with drawstrings and cockleburs in a compact, deployable state within the projectile module. The drawstrings are arranged to automatically tighten when the net expands, and cockleburs are positioned to immediately engage with the target upon contact, eliminating the need for post-deployment adjustment.
2Reliability
If a net with drawstring and cockleburs is used, then the reliability of capture is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The net serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the primary capture structure, the drawstring provides active closure to seal the captured target, and cockleburs provide passive entanglement to prevent escape. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The drawstring mechanism automatically tightens and closes the net upon deployment through the natural expansion motion, without requiring external actuation. The cockleburs self-engage with the target drone upon contact, providing automatic securation without additional control systems.
3Reliability
If the net is designed to envelop the target drone completely, then the capture security is improved, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring the target increases
Solution Approach 1:
The net is constructed as a flexible, thin-walled structure that can fully envelop the target drone while remaining relatively transparent and low-profile. This allows complete enclosure for secure capture while minimizing visual obstruction and radar cross-section, making the enclosed target harder to detect.
Data Source
AI summary
A projectile cartridge that can be removably attached to a flying vehicle is disclosed. A system can include a first flying vehicle, a projectile attachment mechanism configured with the first flying vehicle, a projectile cartridge that contains a projectile, the projectile cartridge being removably attachable to the projectile attachment mechanism, a weight attached to the projectile, the weight being configured in a releasable configuration in the projectile cartridge and a drawstring configured with the projectile. After firing the projectile, when tension is applied to the drawstring as the projectile approaches or envelops a second flying vehicle, the tension can cause the drawstring to close the projectile down to secure the second flying vehicle.