Mobile UAV Nest With Pivoting Staging Pads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional UAV staging terminal areas face congestion and logistical challenges, leading to increased noise, longer flight times, and reduced delivery throughput, especially in urban or suburban areas where remote operations are necessary.
Innovation Solution
A mobile nest system that provides a compact, portable, and modular structure for staging, charging, and deploying UAVs in remote locations, equipped with solar panels, on-board electronics, and visual fiducial markers for navigation, allowing for quick and dispersed deployment of UAV fleets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If UAVs are staged from a centralized terminal area, then operational control is simplified, but congestion and noise increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the centralized terminal area into multiple distributed mobile nests deployed across different locations. Each mobile nest operates as an independent staging unit, segmenting the UAV fleet into smaller groups that operate from dispersed locations rather than a single congested terminal, thereby reducing overall congestion and noise while maintaining operational control through centralized coordination of the distributed units.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If remote operations are implemented to reduce congestion, then noise and congestion decrease, but flight times increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile nests are pre-positioned in remote locations closer to delivery destinations before UAV operations begin. By establishing these forward staging points in advance, UAVs can launch from locations that are strategically closer to customers, reducing flight times while still maintaining the dispersal benefits for noise and congestion reduction. The preliminary placement of mobile nests eliminates the need for long-haul flights from distant centralized terminals.
3Productivity
If mobile nests are deployed in dispersed locations, then delivery throughput increases, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile nest is designed as a universal, multi-functional platform that integrates UAV storage, charging, maintenance, and launch capabilities into a single standardized unit. This universal design allows multiple identical mobile nests to be deployed across different locations without increasing system complexity, as each unit performs the same functions independently. The standardized multi-functional design simplifies logistics, maintenance, and coordination compared to having specialized facilities at each location.
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 mobile nest system alleviates congestion by enabling efficient and quiet UAV operations closer to customers, reducing flight times and increasing delivery throughput while maintaining security and logistical efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The mobile nest may include a solar panel, battery, and electronics to charge the one or more UAVs
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile nest for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) includes a cuboid-shaped frame, staging pads, charging electronics, and exterior siding. The cuboid-shaped frame includes vertical supports positioned at corners of the cuboid-shaped frame. The staging pads are adapted for landing, launching, and charging the UAVs. The staging pads are mounted to pivot about two or more of the vertical supports. Each of the staging pads rotates into the cuboid-shaped frame when stowed and rotates out of the cuboid-shaped frame when deployed for launching or landing the corresponding one of the UAVs. The charging electronics are disposed within the cuboid-shaped frame and coupled to the staging pads to charge the UAVs when the UAVs are positioned on the staging pads. The exterior siding is mounted to the cuboid-shaped frame to provide a weather barrier that protects the UAVs from weather when the UAVs are stowed within the mobile housing structure.