Modular Aerial Vehicle Control for Independent Subsystem Flight
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerial vehicles face challenges in reliability and safety due to single points of failure, particularly in multicopters, which often result in crashes, and existing redundancy solutions are costly, complex, and impractical for unmanned systems.
Innovation Solution
The design of an aerial vehicle with multiple subsystems, each having its own control unit, allowing for independent flight and automatic failure detection and response, enabling graceful degradation and autonomous emergency landing, reducing the need for human pilots and increasing safety and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If effector redundancy is used in multicopters, then reliability against specific failures is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The aerial vehicle is divided into multiple independent subsystems (e.g., first subsystem with first effector, second subsystem with second effector), each capable of independent operation. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality even when one subsystem fails, improving reliability without requiring complex inter-subsystem dependencies
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter from requiring all effectors to operating with a subset of effectors. When one effector fails, the system transitions to using only the remaining functional effectors, maintaining flight capability with reduced thrust capacity rather than requiring redundant effectors for every possible failure mode
2Reliability
If triple modular redundancy and voting systems are implemented, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Each subsystem includes its own control unit that autonomously monitors and controls its effector(s). The control units independently manage their own operational status and can autonomously transition between operational modes without requiring complex external voting systems or human intervention
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically transitions between different operational configurations based on real-time effector functionality. The control units can adaptively reconfigure the aerial vehicle's operation to use available effectors, providing flexible reliability without fixed redundant structures
3Reliability
If human pilots are used for teleoperation, then control and safety are improved, but cost, power consumption, and system weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The aerial vehicle performs self-monitoring and self-control through its distributed control units that continuously assess effector functionality and autonomously adjust operational parameters. This eliminates the need for human pilots to continuously monitor and respond to system status, reducing power consumption associated with high-bandwidth communication and human-in-the-loop control
Solution Approach 2:
The control units receive feedback from sensors about effector performance and autonomously adjust control signals to maintain safe operation. This automated feedback loop provides continuous safety monitoring without requiring human intervention, reducing the power and complexity overhead of teleoperation systems
4Reliability
If multiple subsystems with independent control units are used, then reliability and safety are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The aerial vehicle is divided into multiple independent subsystems (e.g., first subsystem with first effector and first control unit, second subsystem with second effector and second control unit), each capable of independent operation. This segmentation allows the system to maintain functionality even when one subsystem fails, improving reliability without requiring complex inter-subsystem dependencies
Solution Approach 2:
Each control unit is designed to be universal and multi-functional, capable of controlling its associated effector(s) across various operational modes and failure scenarios. This universality reduces the need for specialized control logic for each subsystem, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability
Data Source
AI summary
According to the present invention there is provided an aerial vehicle that is operable to fly, the aerial vehicle having at least a first and second subsystem that are operably connected, wherein the first subsystem comprises a first flight module, first one or more effectors that are selectively operable to generate a first force sufficient to cause the aerial vehicle to fly; and the second subsystem comprises a second flight module, second one or more effectors that are selectively operable to generate a second force sufficient to cause the aerial vehicle to fly; such that the first or second subsystem can be selectively used to fly the aerial vehicle not relying on the one or more effectors of the other subsystem. There is further provided a corresponding method for controlling an aerial vehicle.