Foldable Propeller Housing for Safer Air Mobility Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air mobility vehicles lack a safety measure to prevent propeller fragmentation and secondary accidents when they fall, and they occupy excessive space during storage.
Innovation Solution
A propeller apparatus with a housing featuring slits for link units and wing units that can be folded or deployed using a driving unit with an actuator and driving rod, allowing the wing units to be rotated and secured within the housing, preventing fragmentation and optimizing storage space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the propeller (wing units) is kept deployed for flight operations, then flight capability is maintained, but space utilization during storage deteriorates and safety during falls deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The propeller wing units are designed to be dynamically changeable between deployed and folded states. The link units enable the wing parts to rotate and transition between different configurations, allowing the system to adapt to different operational requirements (flight vs. storage/safety modes).
Solution Approach 2:
When the wing units are folded, the wing parts are nested within or alongside the housing structure. The first and second wing parts can be positioned inside the housing or along its exterior surface, effectively reducing the overall volume occupied by the propeller apparatus during storage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the propeller (wing units) is kept deployed, then flight operations are enabled, but safety during falls deteriorates due to fragmentation and scattering
Solution Approach 1:
The system can dynamically transition from a deployed flight configuration to a folded safe configuration. Upon detecting a fall condition, the driving unit actuates the link units to rotate the wing parts into a folded position, preventing them from striking the ground and causing fragmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding mechanism provides preliminary protection by preparing the wing units to be retracted or folded before impact occurs. The housing structure and link units are designed to enable rapid folding that counteracts the harmful effect of propeller fragmentation during fall.
3Volume of moving object
If the wing units are folded during storage, then space utilization improves, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The propeller is divided into multiple independent wing parts (first wing part and second wing part) that can be independently folded and positioned. Each wing part is connected through separate link units, allowing modular folding that simplifies the overall mechanism while achieving compact storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, contains the driving unit, and acts as the receiving space for the folded wing parts. By combining these functions into a single integrated housing, the design reduces overall complexity while achieving compact storage.
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
Prevents propeller fragmentation and secondary accidents during falls while improving storage efficiency by allowing the wing units to be folded and secured within the housing.
Implementation Method 1
The driving unit includes an actuator configured to generate power, and a driving rod configured to move up and down by receiving the power from the actuator
Implementation Method 2
The first wing part includes a guide slot formed in a linear shape along a longitudinal direction thereof, and the first link part includes a guide portion formed at the other end thereof to be connected to the guide slot
Implementation Method 3
The second wing part includes a hinge connection portion protruding from one end thereof to be connected to the other end of the second link part, and the hinge connection portion is formed to match the guide slot and is inserted into the guide slot when the wing units are deployed
Data Source
AI summary
A propeller apparatus of an air mobility includes a housing having an inner space, where multiple slits are formed along a circumferential surface of the housing to extend in a vertical direction; a driving unit having connection portions formed to match respective ones of the slits in the housing; multiple link units configured to match the respective ones of the slits in the housing, where the link units are rotatably connected to the connection portions, respectively, of the driving unit; and multiple wing units configured to be rotated in a manner of being linked with the link units, which rotate when the driving unit moves up and down, thereby being folded to or deployed from the housing. The propeller apparatus is configured to prevent an accident due to scattering of a propeller when the air mobility falls, and to improve space utilization during storage of the air mobility.