Dual-UAV Ground Station Handover for Continuous Remote Flight

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing UAV systems face limitations in maintaining continuous flight over remote areas due to tethered drones' restricted mobility and the complexity and cost of battery swapping technologies required for untethered drones.

Innovation Solution

A UAV system with a ground station that includes two UAVs and a processor to manage battery charging and deployment, allowing seamless transfer of surveillance duties between UAVs and reducing the need for complex robotics by swapping UAVs with charged batteries without increasing the ground station footprint.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If tethered drones are used to maintain continuous flight, then power delivery is reliable, but mobility is restricted to vicinity of ground station

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower deliveryVSAvoidmobility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the UAV fleet into multiple untethered drones that can operate independently without physical connection to the ground station, allowing each drone to fly freely while the system as a whole maintains reliable operation through coordinated battery management and swapping

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If battery swapping is implemented for untethered drones, then mobility is improved, but ground station footprint and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovemobilityVSAvoidground station complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The UAV performs its own battery swapping operation by autonomously docking with the ground station and exchanging batteries without requiring complex external robotic manipulation, thereby reducing ground station complexity while maintaining mobility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces complex mechanical robotic arms and precision positioning systems with a simpler automated battery swapping mechanism where the UAV itself participates in the exchange process, reducing mechanical complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Duration of action of moving object

If multiple batteries are stored at ground station for swapping, then flight continuity is maintained, but ground station footprint increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveflight continuityVSAvoidground station footprint

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The battery compartment is nested within the UAV structure, allowing batteries to be stored compactly inside the drone itself rather than requiring separate external storage racks at the ground station, thereby reducing ground station footprint while maintaining flight continuity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentUS11747832B2Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems and methods for maintaining continuous UAV operation

Publication Date: 2023.09.05 EASY AERIAL INC

AI summary

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system for maintaining UAV flight continuity, includes a ground station, a first UAV, a second UAV, a processor, and a memory. The memory contains instructions thereon, which, when executed by the processor in response to receiving a remaining battery charge signal from the first UAV, selectively deploy the second UAV from the ground station when the remaining battery charge signal indicates that a remaining battery charge of the first UAV is below a threshold value, and return the first UAV to the ground station.