Foldable Multicopter Drone for Backpack Carriage and Missile Launch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional multicopter drones are either too large and cumbersome for portability or too small to carry heavy weapons, lacking the ability to fold compactly and return safely for repeated use, which limits their effectiveness in battlefield scenarios and increases soldier casualties.
Innovation Solution
A multicopter drone design that allows for a 97% reduction in volume from its extended to folded state, enabling it to be carried in a soldier's backpack, equipped with a missile launcher, and capable of remote-controlled targeting and safe return, incorporating innovative folding joints and propeller configurations to minimize empty space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If large multicopter drones are used to carry heavy weapons and achieve longer flight time, then the lift capacity and flight duration are improved, but the portability and ease of deployment deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The multicopter is divided into separable components: a foldable drone body that can be carried in a backpack, and a missile launcher that can be independently transported and attached. This segmentation allows the drone to be portable while still capable of carrying heavy weapons when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The multicopter employs foldable arms and propellers that can transition between compact and extended configurations. The arms fold toward the central body for portability, then extend outward to provide the necessary span for carrying heavy missiles and generating sufficient lift for prolonged flight.
2Ease of operation
If small multicopter drones are used to improve portability, then the ease of deployment is improved, but the lift capacity to carry heavy weapons deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The multicopter uses dynamically foldable arms that remain compact during transport but extend to full span during operation. This dynamic configuration allows a small portable unit to transform into a large-capacity platform capable of carrying heavy missiles when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The arms and propellers are pre-configured in a folded state for easy carrying in a backpack. Upon deployment, they are quickly unfolded and positioned to provide immediate lift capacity for heavy weapons, eliminating the need for complex assembly procedures.
3Reliability
If conventional portable anti-tank missile launchers are used, then the ability to destroy enemy tanks is achieved, but the safety of soldiers deteriorates due to exposure to enemy fire
Solution Approach 1:
The multicopter serves as an intermediary platform that delivers missiles to targets without requiring soldiers to be in direct contact with enemy positions. The drone flies to the target and launches the missile remotely, keeping soldiers at a safe distance from enemy fire while maintaining the ability to destroy tanks and other fortified targets.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical act of manually operating a missile launcher with an autonomous or remotely-controlled aerial platform. This substitution eliminates the need for soldiers to physically position and fire missiles from exposed positions, thereby reducing their vulnerability to enemy detection and fire.
4Device complexity
If self-destructible drones like Switchblades are used, then the cost and complexity are reduced, but the ability to return for repeated use and carry heavy weapons deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The missile payload is extracted as a separate, removable component from the multicopter platform. This allows the drone itself to return safely after mission completion, while the heavy missile is discarded after use. The separable design enables repeated use of the expensive drone platform without the need to recover or replace the missile.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a discard-and-recover strategy where the inexpensive missile is discarded after a single use, but the expensive multicopter platform is recovered and reused for subsequent missions. This approach optimizes resource utilization by sacrificing only the consumable payload while preserving the reusable platform.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for destroying enemy's targets is disclosed which comprises the following steps: (a) carrying a multicopter drone in a backpack of a first soldier; (b)removing the multicopter drone from the backpack, unfolding, and coupling a missile to the multicopter drone; (c) remote controlling the multicopter drone to search for the enemy' targets using a remote control; and (d) launching the missile from the multicopter drone when the enemy' targets are detected.