Modular UAV Housing Structure for Automated Charging and Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) housing solutions do not adequately address the need for efficient charging, weather protection, and storage, particularly in modular and scalable designs that facilitate easy deployment and management of multiple UAVs.
Innovation Solution
The development of modular housing structures with telescoping, retractable, and foldable designs that incorporate navigational aids and charging circuitry, allowing for automated UAV landing, charging, and storage, with options for passive or active communication and mechanical actuation of components to accommodate varying numbers of UAVs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple UAVs are stored in separate locations or vehicles, then security and protection of each UAV is improved, but transportation efficiency and resource utilization deteriorate due to multiple trips and increased logistical complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual UAV storage locations into a single integrated housing structure that can accommodate multiple UAVs simultaneously. The housing includes multiple compartments or bays where each UAV can be stored securely, eliminating the need for multiple separate transportation vehicles or locations while maintaining security and protection for each UAV.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure is designed as a universal platform that serves multiple functions: it provides secure storage for multiple UAVs, acts as a centralized charging station with multiple landing pads, and functions as a single transportation unit. This multi-functional design improves resource utilization by consolidating what would otherwise require multiple separate systems.
2Reliability
If individual storage and charging locations are used for each UAV, then each UAV receives dedicated attention and resources, but the complexity of managing multiple locations and increases logistical overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate storage and charging locations into a single integrated housing structure. Each UAV has its own designated compartment and landing pad within the housing, but all are managed from a single location, significantly reducing the logistical complexity of tracking, accessing, and maintaining multiple separate storage sites.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure is segmented into multiple distinct compartments or bays, each capable of accommodating and servicing an individual UAV. This segmentation allows each UAV to receive dedicated attention and resources within its own space, while the overall system remains centralized and easier to manage than multiple separate locations.
3Ease of manufacture
If UAVs are transported in conventional vehicles or containers, then existing infrastructure can be utilized, but the UAVs are vulnerable to damage and environmental factors during transit
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure incorporates shock-absorbing and vibration-dampening features that dynamically respond to transportation forces. The design includes movable or flexible elements that can absorb impact forces during transit, protecting the UAVs from damage while maintaining compatibility with conventional transportation infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure includes pre-designed protective features such as cushioning materials, shock-absorbing mounts, and environmentally controlled compartments that are built in before transport. These features proactively protect UAVs from environmental factors and physical damage during transit, rather than relying on ad-hoc protective measures.
Data Source
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AI summary
A modular housing structure for housing a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) includes a plurality of housing segments and a plurality of landing pads. The plurality of housing segments are shaped to mechanically join together to define an interior of the modular housing structure. The individual housing segments have a common structural shape that repeats when assembled to form the modular housing structure. The plurality of landing pads are positioned within the individual housing segments, each of the landing pads sized to physically support and charge a corresponding one of the UAVs.