Drone Securement Assembly with Stabilizer Legs

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Solution Overview

Problem

Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) often suffer damage during vehicle-based launching and recovery due to errors in launching and landing procedures, and when stored, they are prone to damage from vehicle motion, especially in rough terrain.

Innovation Solution

The development of drone securement apparatuses that include a compartment with a retractable cover and a securement assembly, such as a tether system, magnetic securement elements, or a stabilizer assembly, to prevent displacement and damage during vehicle operation, using components like tensioned tethers, magnetic fields, or mechanical actuators to secure the drone within the compartment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the drone is stored in a compartment of the vehicle, then the drone is protected from external environment, but the drone may be damaged by vehicle motion and rough terrain

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrone protectionVSAvoiddamage from vehicle motion

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by equipping the drone with a stabilizer assembly before vehicle motion occurs. The stabilizer assembly includes extendable legs with feet that can be deployed in advance to contact the compartment floor, creating a stable base that prevents the drone from moving during vehicle acceleration, deceleration, or rough terrain operation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements beforehand cushioning through the stabilizer assembly that anticipates and counteracts the harmful effects of vehicle motion. The extendable legs with compliant feet provide a cushioning effect by absorbing shocks and vibrations from rough terrain, preventing these forces from being transmitted to the drone body and causing damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If the drone is secured during vehicle operation, then displacement and damage are prevented, but the complexity of the securement system increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrone securityVSAvoidsecurement system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies self-service through the stabilizer assembly that automatically extends and secures the drone without requiring external intervention. The assembly uses the drone's own weight and the forces generated during vehicle motion to drive the extendable legs outward and into contact with the compartment floor, securing the drone through its own operational characteristics rather than requiring complex external restraint systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements inversion by reversing the conventional approach to drone securing. Instead of using external restraints to hold the drone in place, the stabilizer assembly actively pushes the drone into a secured position by extending legs that contact the compartment floor, using the drone's own structural elements and operational forces to achieve securement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Ease of operation

If launching and landing procedures are performed, then the drone can be deployed and recovered, but errors during these procedures can cause damage to the drone body or rotors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedrone deploymentVSAvoiddamage during launching and landing

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by positioning the drone within the vehicle compartment and extending the stabilizer assembly legs before the drone is launched. This pre-positioning ensures that the drone has a stable base and proper orientation prior to takeoff, reducing the risk of damage during the critical launching phase when errors are most likely to occur.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements an intermediary function through the stabilizer assembly that acts as a mediator between the drone and the vehicle compartment during launching and landing operations. The extendable legs with compliant feet provide a buffer and stabilization interface that protects the drone from direct contact with the compartment walls or floor during potentially damaging maneuvers, facilitating safer deployment and recovery.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Effectively prevents drone displacement and damage during vehicle operation by securely retaining the drone within the compartment, reducing the risk of contact with vehicle parts and absorbing movement, thus enhancing the safety and integrity of the drone.

Implementation Method 1

magnetic securement elements

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectMagnetic field: Magnetic Field

Data Source

PatentUS11247775B2Apparatuses for securing drones during transport and methods of use

Publication Date: 2022.02.15 FORD GLOBAL TECH LLC

AI summary

Apparatuses for securing drones during transport and methods of use are disclosed herein. An example apparatus includes a structural panel of a vehicle having a compartment configured to receive and retain a drone, a retractable cover member configured to at least partially cover the compartment to create an enclosure around the drone, and a drone securement assembly that retains the drone within the enclosure so as to prevent the drone from displacement during vehicle operation.