Flight Vehicle Return Control Using Battery, Distance, and Signal Thresholds
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flight vehicles flying above water surfaces may not return to their landing platforms due to low battery levels, decreased radio signal intensity, or collisions with other vehicles, leading to data loss and recovery challenges.
Innovation Solution
A flight vehicle control system that includes a flight vehicle control device and a remote control device, equipped with units to acquire distance, battery remaining amount, and radio field intensity, and a return control unit that initiates the flight vehicle's return to the platform when these conditions are met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the flight vehicle is caused to fly above a water surface to collect observation data, then data collection capability is improved, but the risk of not returning to the platform increases due to battery depletion, radio signal loss, or collisions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by acquiring battery remaining amount, radio field intensity, and distance to platform before the flight vehicle cannot return. The return control unit is configured to cause the flight vehicle to return to the platform in advance when any of these parameters fall below predetermined thresholds, preventing the situation where the vehicle lands on water and cannot be recovered.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors battery remaining amount, radio field intensity, and distance to platform, and provides feedback to the return control unit. When the monitored parameters indicate that the flight vehicle cannot return to the platform (battery depleted, radio signal lost, or collision detected), the feedback triggers the return control unit to initiate the return maneuver, ensuring the vehicle returns before critical failure occurs.
2Extent of automation
If the flight vehicle operates autonomously over water, then operational independence is improved, but the ability to handle emergency situations (battery depletion, signal loss, collision) deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The flight vehicle performs self-service by autonomously monitoring its own battery remaining amount, radio field intensity, and distance to platform. The return control unit automatically determines when the flight vehicle cannot return to the platform and initiates the return maneuver without external intervention, enabling the vehicle to handle emergency situations independently while operating over water.
3Area of stationary object
If the flight vehicle flies farther from the platform to expand observation area, then observation coverage is improved, but the risk of not returning due to battery depletion or radio signal loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system acquires distance to platform, battery remaining amount, and radio field intensity in advance before the flight vehicle exhausts its resources. The return control unit uses this preliminary information to determine when the flight vehicle cannot return to the platform, ensuring the vehicle returns before battery depletion or radio signal loss occurs, even when operating at maximum observation coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors distance to platform, battery remaining amount, and radio field intensity, providing real-time feedback to the return control unit. When the flight vehicle is operating far from the platform and any parameter approaches critical thresholds, the feedback triggers automatic return, maintaining reliability even during extended observation missions.
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a distance acquisition unit (115) that detects a separation distance between a flight vehicle (V1) and a platform (51), a remaining amount acquisition unit (113) that acquires a remaining amount of a drive battery (16), a radio field intensity acquisition unit (114) that acquires a radio field intensity of a reception signal received by a communication unit (12), and a return control unit (112) that performs control to cause the flight vehicle (V1) to return to the platform (51) in at least one of a case where the remaining amount of the drive battery (16) falls below a lower limit remaining amount determined by the separation distance or a case where the radio field intensity falls below a lower limit intensity.