Inflatable Aerial Beam for Long-Range Fluid and Power Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manned and unmanned aerial vehicles face limitations in power source weight and deployment range due to the need for both power and lift machinery, which can lead to entanglement and restricted fluid dispensing over long distances, especially when tethered or untethered.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable aerial beam system that supports power and fluid dispensers, allowing for flexible deployment and rigid structure during use, reducing entanglement and enhancing fluid and power distribution efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If untethered vehicles are used to avoid entanglement and extend range, then deployment range is improved, but the weight of power source and machinery limits payload capacity
Solution Approach 1:
An inflatable beam acts as an intermediary structure between the aerial vehicle and the fluid/power dispensing equipment. The beam provides a rigid support structure that can be inflated at the remote location, allowing heavy dispensing equipment to be supported without being carried by the aerial vehicle itself, thus extending deployment range while maintaining payload capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is divided into separate components: the aerial vehicle carries lightweight equipment to deploy the inflatable beam, while the beam itself supports the heavier fluid and power dispensing equipment. This segmentation allows the aerial vehicle to maintain low weight for extended range while the beam provides structural support for heavy equipment at the remote location.
2Use of energy by moving object
If tethered vehicles are used to provide continuous power, then power supply is improved, but the power line becomes unwieldly and can become tangled or entrapped
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable beam serves as an intermediary that carries power and fluid lines from the aerial vehicle to the remote dispensing equipment. By providing a rigid structured support, the beam prevents the lines from becoming tangled or entrapped on ground features, while still maintaining continuous power supply to the remote equipment.
3Stability of the object's composition
If rigid structures are used to support dispensers, then structural stability is improved, but transport and deployment becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is designed to be dynamic rather than static - it can be inflated from a compact state to a rigid deployed state. The inflatable beam provides rigid structural support when needed for stability, but can be deflated and compacted for easy transport and deployment, adapting its physical state to the operational requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameters of the support structure (volume, rigidity, shape) are changed by inflation and deflation. In the deflated state, the beam is compact and flexible for transport; when inflated, it becomes rigid and stable for supporting dispensing equipment, allowing the same structure to satisfy both transport and stability requirements.
4Ease of operation
If deflated state is used for transport, then ease of transport is improved, but rigid structure for deployment is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable beam transitions dynamically between a deflated flexible state for easy transport and an inflated rigid state for structural support during deployment. This dynamic transformation allows the same structure to provide ease of transport when deflated and rigid strength when inflated, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method directed to an inflatable aerial beam transported by aerial vehicles for dispensing, among others, power and fluids using the inflatable aerial beam that may be mounted between two or more aerial vehicles. The beam, may become rigid when inflated or flexible when deflated. The beams may be coupled to one or more aerial vehicles via a pivotable joint or a flexible juncture to maintain flexibility of movement of the aerial beams. The beams may include a fluid dispenser that distributes fluid to spray nozzles to dispense fluids from the inflatable beam. The fluid, chemicals, and/or power may be obtained from a remote fixed or mobile source, one or more aerial vehicles, and other types of aerial vehicles. The aerial vehicles may be controlled remotely from a fixed location or from a movable remote-control source and may include sensors for navigation and for controlling the dispensing of the fluid or power.