Flywheel-Stabilized Payload Drop for Accurate Tag Attachment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing methods for deploying biologging tags from aerial vehicles onto marine mammals are inefficient due to the irregular shape, center of mass, and aerodynamic properties of the tags, leading to undesirable pitching, rolling, spinning, and tumbling during freefall, which results in unsuccessful tag attachments.

Innovation Solution

The use of a spinning flywheel to stabilize the free-falling payload, allowing it to maintain proper orientation and impact the target surface accurately, combined with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for precise targeting and minimal disturbance to the marine mammals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Speed

If biologging tags are deployed from aerial vehicles using free-fall method, then deployment speed and coverage area are improved, but tag orientation stability deteriorates due to irregular shape and aerodynamic properties causing pitching, rolling, and tumbling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedeployment speedVSAvoidtag orientation stability

Core Design Contradiction:

SpeedVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

A delivery device acts as an intermediary between the aerial vehicle and the biologging tag. This delivery device includes a stabilizing mechanism (such as a cage or guide structure) that maintains the tag's orientation during free-fall, preventing unwanted pitching, rolling, and tumbling while still allowing rapid deployment from the aerial vehicle.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent modifies the aerodynamic parameters of the tag system by adding stabilizing fins, adjusting the center of gravity, or enclosing the tag in a streamlined delivery device. These parameter changes improve the aerodynamic stability during free-fall, enabling the tag to maintain proper orientation without sacrificing deployment speed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If multiple deployment attempts are made to ensure successful tag attachment, then attachment reliability is improved, but time consumption and animal disturbance increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetag attachment reliabilityVSAvoiddeployment time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The tag and delivery device are pre-configured with optimized aerodynamic properties, center of gravity, and attachment mechanisms before deployment. This preliminary preparation ensures that the tag maintains correct orientation during free-fall and attaches successfully on the first attempt, eliminating the need for multiple retry attempts and reducing both time loss and animal disturbance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Measurement precision

If close approach methods are used for tag deployment, then tag attachment precision is improved, but animal stress and researcher safety risks increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetag attachment precisionVSAvoidanimal stress and safety risks

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical close-approach deployment system with an aerial vehicle-based free-fall deployment system. By using remote-controlled drones or aircraft to deploy tags from a distance, the system maintains precise targeting capability while eliminating the need for close physical proximity between researchers/boats and the animals, thereby reducing animal stress and improving researcher safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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

The flywheel-stabilized system enables accurate and reliable attachment of biologging tags to marine mammals, reducing the stress on both the animals and the researchers, while increasing the number of successful tag deployments in a given time.

Implementation Method 1

a flywheel rotatable around an axle, wherein the flywheel is configured to rotate about an axis parallel to a fall direction of the payload

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFlywheel stabilization: Flywheel

Implementation Method 2

a flywheel rotatable around an axle, wherein the flywheel is configured to rotate about an axis parallel to a fall direction of the payload

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAngular momentum: Angular Momentum

Data Source

PatentUS20250171144A1Flywheel stabilized system for deploying a free-falling payload from an aerial vehicle and methods of use thereof

Publication Date: 2025.05.29 OCEAN ALLIANCE INC

AI summary

A system for deploying a payload from an aerial vehicle onto a target surface includes a flywheel-stabilized delivery device that is detachably couplable to the aerial vehicle. The delivery device includes an axle, a flywheel, and a payload holder. The delivery device may additionally include an attachment portion and a floatation device. The payload holder may be detachably coupled to the payload such that the delivery device detaches from payload upon impact at the target surface. The system may additionally include a release mechanism for detachably coupling the delivery device to the aerial vehicle. The release mechanism may include a flywheel driver, a receiver, and a dropper device. The release mechanism may be remotely controlled by an operator to release the delivery device from the aerial vehicle.