Drone Propeller Guards as Railway Wheels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drones with railway driving capabilities face issues of propeller guards adding weight, drag, and complexity, posing safety risks and limiting their functionality and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The propeller guards are integrated into the drive train, serving as both propeller guards and train wheels, with rotatable mounts and actuated joints allowing switching between flight and driving modes, optimizing space use and reducing weight and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If propeller guards are added to protect people and equipment from propeller damage, then safety is improved, but weight, drag, and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the propeller guard function with the train wheel function into a single integrated component. The propeller guard is designed to serve dual purposes: protecting the propeller during flight operations and functioning as a wheel for railway track traversal, thereby eliminating the need for separate protective structures and reducing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The propeller guard is designed as a multi-functional component that performs both safety protection and locomotion functions. It acts as a protective cage for the propeller during aerial operations and simultaneously serves as a train wheel for ground-based railway operations, embodying the universality principle by making one component serve multiple critical functions
2Reliability
If propeller guards are added to protect people and equipment from propeller damage, then safety is improved, but weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the propeller guard function with the train wheel function into a single integrated component. The propeller guard is designed to serve dual purposes: protecting the propeller during flight operations and functioning as a wheel for railway track traversal, thereby eliminating the need for separate protective structures and reducing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The propeller guard is designed as a multi-functional component that performs both safety protection and locomotion functions. It acts as a protective cage for the propeller during aerial operations and simultaneously serves as a train wheel for ground-based railway operations, embodying the universality principle by making one component serve multiple critical functions
3Reliability
If propeller guards are added to protect people and equipment from propeller damage, then safety is improved, but drag increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the propeller guard function with the train wheel function into a single integrated component. The propeller guard is designed to serve dual purposes: protecting the propeller during flight operations and functioning as a wheel for railway track traversal, thereby eliminating the need for separate protective structures and reducing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The propeller guard is designed as a multi-functional component that performs both safety protection and locomotion functions. It acts as a protective cage for the propeller during aerial operations and simultaneously serves as a train wheel for ground-based railway operations, embodying the universality principle by making one component serve multiple critical functions
4Device complexity
If propeller guards are reused as train wheels, then device complexity is reduced, but the propeller guards must be significantly larger in diameter
Solution Approach 1:
The propeller guard is designed as a multi-functional component that performs both safety protection and locomotion functions. It acts as a protective cage for the propeller during aerial operations and simultaneously serves as a train wheel for ground-based railway operations, embodying the universality principle by making one component serve multiple critical functions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs actuated joints that provide rotation degrees of freedom, allowing the propeller assemblies to dynamically switch between flight mode and driving mode. This dynamic reconfiguration enables the same component to adapt to different operational requirements, accepting the larger diameter as a trade-off for the significant reduction in overall device complexity
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a drone (1) having railway driving capabilities. The drone (1) comprises: i) a drone body (10), and ii) at least three propeller arms (28) distributed around and connected to the drone body (10), wherein each propeller arm (28-1, 28-2) is provided with a propeller assembly (20) comprising a propeller (24), wherein each propeller (24) is driven by a motor assembly (25). The propeller assembly (20) of at least a subset (28-1) of the at least three propeller arms (28) is provided with a rotatably mounted propeller guard (22) mounted around and being placed coaxially with the propeller (24). The propeller guard (22) is shaped as a train wheel and is driven by the motor assembly (25). The subset (28-1) of the at least three propeller arms (28) is provided with an actuated joint (27) for providing the respectively connected propeller assembly (20) with at least one rotation degree of freedom so that the propeller (24) can be rotated between a flight mode and a driving mode and back, wherein the flight mode involves a more horizontal orientation of the propeller assembly (20) for providing an upwardly directed thrust force to the drone (1), in operational use, and wherein the driving mode involves a more vertical orientation of the propeller assembly (20) for allowing the respective propeller guard (22) to drive on the railway track (99).