Interceptor UAV Net Deployment for Low-Collateral Drone Capture
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for systems to counter unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to prevent damage to military and civilian installations, as existing technologies have limitations in effectively disabling or intercepting target UAVs.
Innovation Solution
The development of an interceptor UAV system that includes a flight vehicle with a propulsion system, guidance system, and a deployable net to disable target UAVs, which can autonomously intercept and engage with detected UAVs, deploying a net to interfere with their flight and potentially cause them to crash, with the option to return to the ground if the engagement is unsuccessful.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an interceptor UAV is used to disable target UAVs, then the effectiveness of counter-UAV operations is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The interceptor UAV system is divided into distinct functional modules: propulsion system with counter-rotating propellers, guidance system for target acquisition, and engagement system with deployable net. This segmentation allows each subsystem to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system effectiveness, resolving the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The interceptor UAV is designed as a multi-functional platform that can perform target detection, tracking, and engagement operations. The vehicle serves multiple purposes: it acts as both the interception platform and carries the disabling mechanism, reducing the need for separate specialized systems and thereby managing complexity while maintaining operational effectiveness.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a deployable net is used to disable target UAVs, then collateral damage is reduced, but the engagement reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The deployable net serves as an intermediary disabling mechanism between the interceptor UAV and the target UAV. Instead of direct impact or explosive force, the net entangles the target aircraft's propulsion system, providing a non-lethal means of disablement that minimizes collateral damage while maintaining engagement reliability through mechanical interference with flight controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The deployable net is designed as a disposable engagement element that is deployed, used, and then discarded. This approach allows for repeated interceptor UAV missions without investing in expensive reusable engagement mechanisms, reducing collateral damage risks while maintaining operational reliability through fresh deployment elements for each mission.
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 system effectively disables target UAVs by deploying a net to disrupt their flight, reducing the risk of collateral damage and allowing the interceptor UAV to be reused, providing a robust and cost-effective solution for counter-UAV operations.
Implementation Method 1
The propulsion system can include a first propeller carried by the fuselage and rotatable about the fuselage axis in a first direction to sequentially pass in and out of successive fin slots; a second propeller carried by the fuselage and rotatable about the fuselage axis in a second direction opposite the first direction
Data Source
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Figure 3A
AI summary
Systems and methods for countering an unmanned air vehicle are disclosed. Representative systems include an interceptor UAV for disabling a target UAV, the interceptor UAV comprising: a flight vehicle having: a cylindrical fuselage elongated along a fuselage axis; four fins carried by the fuselage and arranged in a cruciform, each fin having a fin slot extending from the fuselage in an outboard direction transverse to the fuselage axis; a propulsion system that includes: a first propeller carried by the fuselage and rotatable about the fuselage axis in a first direction to sequentially pass in and out of successive fin slots; a second propeller carried by the fuselage and rotatable about the fuselage axis in a second direction opposite the first direction to sequentially pass in and out of the successive fin slots; a power source carried by the fuselage, the power source including a first electric motor coupled to the first propeller to rotate the first propeller in the first direction, and a second electric motor coupled to the second propeller to rotate the second propeller in the second direction; and a stored electrical energy source coupled to the first and second electric motors; at least one control surface carried by at least one of the fins; a guidance system coupled to the at least one control surface; and a deployable net carried by the flight vehicle and having a first, inactive mode and a second, active mode, wherein in the second mode, the deployable net is deployed from the flight vehicle to disable the target UAV. Representative methods include directing an interceptor UAV toward the target UAV; and disabling the target UAV by deploying a disabling element from the interceptor UAV to contact the target UAV.