Modular Drone Assembly for Stable Freight Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional drones face challenges in maintaining stability during flight changes, leading to potential freight damage and control issues due to rotational motions, which require separate designs based on load weight and purpose.
Innovation Solution
A shape-reconfigurable drone with a rectangular parallelepiped-shaped unit module drone featuring thrusters on hexahedral faces that generate thrust forces in all directions without rotational motion, allowing for horizontal movement and assembly into various forms through connected modules.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conventional drones use rotational motion (rolling, pitching, yawing) to change direction during flight, then the drone can move to desired directions, but the body and loaded freight may tilt, increasing the risk of damage or loss and making control difficult due to center of gravity changes
Solution Approach 1:
The drone body is divided into multiple independent modular units, each equipped with its own thruster. These modular units can be independently controlled to generate thrust forces in different directions, enabling the drone to change direction without tilting the entire body, thus maintaining freight safety while achieving mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The drone employs dynamic reconfiguration of its modular units during flight. By adjusting the relative positions and thrust directions of individual modules in real-time, the system achieves directional changes without rotational body motion, preventing freight tilting while maintaining maneuverability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional drones are designed with separate configurations based on load weight and purpose, then they can be optimized for specific tasks, but the device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The drone is designed as a universal platform using identical modular units that can be combined in different configurations to serve multiple purposes. The same basic module type can be assembled in various numbers and arrangements to accommodate different load weights and mission requirements, eliminating the need for completely separate drone designs for different applications.
Solution Approach 2:
By segmenting the drone into standardized modular units, the system achieves versatility through combinatorial assembly rather than designing entirely different drones for each purpose. The modular architecture allows flexible reconfiguration to match different task requirements while maintaining a unified design framework.
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
Enables stable, accurate, and versatile flight without tilting loads, supporting heavier freight and allowing for various configurations, improving control and safety while reducing manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
a thruster formed on each of hexahedral faces and configured to generate a thrust force in each of hexahedral directions
Data Source
AI summary
A first embodiment relates to a shape-reconfigurable drone and, more specifically, to a shape-reconfigurable drone comprising unit module drones having a rectangular-parallelepiped body capable of applying a thrust in every direction, thereby being capable of flying horizontally without rotating the drone and of forming a drone assembly formed by the coupling of the unit module drones, and thus can fly solo or can fly in various shapes.