Expandable UAV Landing Marker Anchoring and Inflation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In dense urban environments, UAV delivery faces challenges such as limited space for landing and securing items, with existing markers being vulnerable to weather and theft, and lacking effective anchoring to prevent movement.
Innovation Solution
An expandable UAV landing marker system that transitions from a compact to a larger size, anchored to prevent movement, and designed to absorb impact, with mechanisms for inflation/deflation and integration with surroundings to blend in, ensuring secure and protected item deposition.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a marker is placed in a location for UAV use, then the UAV can identify and land at the designated location, but the marker is vulnerable to weather conditions and theft when left exposed outdoors
Solution Approach 1:
The marker system nests the delivered item inside the marker structure itself. The marker is designed with an internal cavity or container space where the item can be stored after delivery, protecting it from weather and theft while the marker remains visible and identifiable for UAV operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The marker undergoes parameter changes by transitioning between different operational states (e.g., inflated/deflated, expanded/contracted). After the UAV delivers the item, the marker can be deflated or contracted to reduce its profile and secure the item inside, thereby reducing exposure to harmful factors while maintaining its location designation function.
2Area of stationary object
If the marker is made larger to improve visibility and provide a larger landing target, then the marker becomes more visible and provides a bigger target area, but the marker requires more space and becomes more difficult to store and deploy
Solution Approach 1:
The marker employs dynamic characteristics by being able to change its size and shape on demand. It can be inflated or expanded to a large size for visibility and landing, then deflated or contracted for compact storage. This dynamic transformation allows the marker to have both large operational dimensions and small storage dimensions without requiring complex mechanical structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The marker uses pneumatic or hydraulic mechanisms (such as inflatable chambers or expandable structures) to achieve size transformation. By introducing or removing gas or fluid pressure, the marker can rapidly transition between compact and expanded states, providing large target area when needed while maintaining simplicity in storage and deployment.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the marker is anchored to prevent movement during UAV operations, then the marker remains stable and maintains its position, but the anchoring mechanism increases device complexity and may damage the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The marker uses weights or counterbalancing elements as part of its anchoring system. These weights can be attached to the bottom or integrated into the marker structure to provide downward force that counteracts uplift forces from UAV rotors, ensuring the marker remains stable during operations without requiring complex mechanical anchoring to the surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The marker incorporates cushioning elements or protective features that prevent damage to the surface during deployment and operation. This might include soft contact surfaces, distributed load structures, or protective skirts that allow the marker to be anchored securely without concentrating forces that could damage the underlying surface.
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
Enhances visibility and security for item delivery, reduces damage risk, and maintains the marker's position during UAV operations, providing a stable and protected area for item retrieval.
Implementation Method 1
the expanded landing marker can have secondary benefits such as to absorb an impact force of an item received into the marker and/or dampen the impact of the UAV landing on the marker
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) expandable landing marker system may include a an expandable volume. The landing marker may be expanded prior to arrival of a UAV delivering an item to be received by the landing marker. The landing marker may be expanded by regulating an amount of fluid in the volume. An anchor may be coupled to the landing marker to restrain movement of the expanded landing marker. An optional retraction mechanism may retract the landing marker. The landing marker can be retracted with the deposited item, moving the item to a location for later retrieval.