Drone-Vehicle Collaborative Routing for Battery-Limited Range
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) face limitations in flight distance due to battery constraints and are restricted to specific regions by regulations, limiting their operational flexibility and effectiveness in various applications.
Innovation Solution
An unmanned aerial system comprising a telematics service server, an unmanned aerial apparatus, and a vehicle that collaboratively move by sharing information on destination, movement paths, and locations, allowing the UAS to land on the vehicle and extend its operational range while adhering to regulatory requirements through autonomous driving and environmental considerations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If the drone flies independently using battery power, then it can operate autonomously, but the flight distance is limited due to battery constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a vehicle as an intermediary carrier that the drone can land on and transfer to. The vehicle serves as a mobile base that extends the drone's operational range by providing intermediate stopping points and relocation capabilities, effectively mediating between the drone's limited battery life and the need for long-distance operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The journey is segmented into multiple phases: drone flies to vehicle, transfers to vehicle, vehicle transports drone to new location, drone takes off again. This segmentation allows the system to overcome the battery limitation by breaking the continuous flight requirement into discrete segments with ground-based repositioning.
2Reliability
If the drone operates in restricted regions, then it complies with flight regulations, but operational flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a ground-based dimension to the drone's operational space. By incorporating vehicle-based transport, the system can move between different geographic regions that may have varying regulatory environments, allowing compliance with local regulations in each area while maintaining overall operational flexibility through the ground-air hybrid approach.
3Duration of action of moving object
If the drone extends its operational range by collaborating with vehicles, then flight distance increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a transport platform for the drone and as an independent vehicle for ground-based operations. This universality reduces the need for specialized equipment, as the same vehicle can perform multiple functions, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity despite the extended operational range.
4Duration of action of moving object
If the drone uses battery power for extended operation, then operational time increases, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The drone operates in periodic cycles: flight phase using battery power, transfer phase to vehicle, ground transport phase using vehicle power, and repeat. This periodic action allows the system to manage battery consumption by alternating between air and ground phases, extending total operational time without requiring continuous high battery usage.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial system and a method are disclosed. An unmanned aerial system may include: a telematics service server; an unmanned aerial apparatus; and a vehicle. In particular, the telematics service server obtains a destination of the unmanned aerial apparatus, a movement path of the vehicle, a current location of the unmanned aerial apparatus, and a current location of the vehicle, and also searches for the vehicle with which the unmanned aerial apparatus is able to move in collaboration. The telematics service server controls a collaborative movement between the unmanned aerial apparatus and the vehicle, and the unmanned aerial apparatus transmits and receives information for the collaborative movement from the telematics service server. In addition, the vehicle carries the unmanned aerial apparatus according to a request from the telematics service server, and moves together with the unmanned aerial apparatus.