Interlocking Air-Drop Package Assembly for Expandable Payloads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional air-drop munition packages have fixed payload capacities and rely on mechanical fasteners or adhesives, which are cumbersome, labor-intensive, and prone to mechanical failure, limiting adaptability and increasing production costs.
Innovation Solution
A modular package assembly with a front and rear section, utilizing angularly spaced indentations and flanges with beveled tabs and ratcheting teeth for secure attachment and detachment, eliminating the need for additional fasteners and adhesives, and enabling expandable payload capacity through additive manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If mechanical fasteners or adhesives are used to secure payloads, then the package structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the system becomes cumbersome, labor-intensive, and prone to mechanical failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical fasteners (screws, bolts, clips) and adhesives with a molded-in-place integration approach where the payload interface is directly formed as part of the package structure during molding. This eliminates separate fastening components and their associated assembly steps, thereby improving reliability by removing potential failure points while maintaining ease of manufacture through integrated production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the payload securing function into the package structure itself by molding the payload interface directly onto the package body. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate fastening mechanisms and reduces the number of parts, thereby improving reliability by reducing mechanical interfaces that could fail while keeping the manufacturing process simple and efficient.
2Ease of manufacture
If fixed design packages are used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the adaptability to different payload sizes and types is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the package into modular components with standardized interfaces that can accommodate different payload types and sizes. The molded-in-place payload interface is designed as a versatile mounting structure that can be configured for various payload configurations, allowing the same basic package design to adapt to different mission requirements while maintaining simple manufacturing through standardized molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal package design where the molded payload interface can serve multiple functions and accommodate different payload types. The integrated structure is designed to be adaptable to various payload configurations without requiring different package designs, thereby achieving versatility while maintaining ease of manufacture through a single standardized molding process.
3Reliability
If additional hardware is used for fastening, then the payload can be securely attached, but the production costs increase and the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the payload attachment function directly into the package structure through molded-in-place interfaces. This merging eliminates the need for separate fastening hardware, thereby reducing device complexity by removing additional components while maintaining reliable payload attachment through the integrated structural design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes traditional mechanical fastening systems with a molded structural integration approach. This replacement eliminates complex assemblies of screws, clips, or adhesives and replaces them with a simplified molded interface that provides secure attachment while significantly reducing device complexity and the number of moving parts.
4Ease of operation
If traditional fastening methods are used, then the package can be assembled, but the assembly process is labor-intensive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the payload interface and securing function into a single molded component that is formed during the package manufacturing process. This integration eliminates the need for separate assembly steps involving fasteners or adhesives, thereby improving productivity by reducing assembly time and labor requirements while maintaining ease of operation through straightforward payload installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs the payload interface creation as a preliminary action during the molding process itself, rather than as a subsequent assembly step. The payload mounting structure is pre-formed as an integral part of the package body during manufacturing, which eliminates later assembly operations and significantly improves productivity by reducing labor-intensive fastening operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular air-drop package assembly is provided for delivering an internal payload. The assembly is oriented along axial, radial and angular directions, and includes a front section and a rear section. The front section has a hollow housing open at its rear along the axial direction. The housing has an inner wall that includes a plurality of angularly spaced indentations. Each indentation extends radially into the wall. The rear section has a bulkhead, a sleeve and a corresponding plurality of flanges. The bulkhead closes the housing at the rear. The sleeve extends axially forward from the bulkhead along the axial direction for insertion into the housing. The plurality of flanges extends forward from the bulkhead. Each flange has a radially extending tab that engages with a corresponding indentation of the plurality.