Movable Contact Support Pads for Reusable Rocket Landing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies face challenges in safely collecting and securing reusable rocket stages upon landing, as they often result in damage due to improper support and misalignment, leading to reduced success rates and increased costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of support equipment featuring contact support pads with distance and pressure sensors, controlled by a transceiver and controller, which adjust to secure the reusable rocket at the correct height and distance, preventing damage and ensuring stable landing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If contact support pads are used to secure the reusable rocket, then the rocket can be collected, but the rocket may be damaged due to improper support and misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
The support equipment employs movable support pads that can dynamically adjust their positions and heights to track the rocket's landing trajectory. The pads are mounted on movable platforms that can shift horizontally and vertically, allowing the support structure to adapt to the rocket's actual landing point rather than requiring precise predetermined positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates sensors that detect the rocket's position, velocity, and orientation during descent. This information is fed back to the control system, which adjusts the support pads' positions and support forces in real-time to ensure proper alignment and prevent damage upon contact.
2Manufacturing precision
If the support equipment is positioned precisely to match the calculated landing point, then the rocket can be secured, but errors between calculated and actual landing points cause collection failure
Solution Approach 1:
The support equipment is pre-positioned near the calculated landing point, but the system is designed to rapidly adjust from this preliminary position. The movable platforms can quickly shift to accommodate deviations between predicted and actual landing locations, transforming a static precision requirement into a dynamic tracking capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The support system changes its operational parameters (position, height, orientation) in response to the rocket's actual trajectory. Rather than maintaining fixed precise positioning, the system continuously adjusts its parameters to match the rocket's landing state, accommodating uncertainties in landing point prediction.
3Reliability
If the support pads contact the rocket early to prevent falling, then the rocket is secured, but the rocket may fall due to improper support timing and force
Solution Approach 1:
The support pads approach the rocket in a controlled sequence rather than all at once. The movable platforms advance periodically, allowing the system to build support force gradually and adjust to the rocket's weight distribution, preventing sudden impacts or improper loading that could cause damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The support system is designed to make initial contact with cushioning force well before the rocket's full weight is transferred. The movable platforms can absorb impact energy and distribute forces gradually, preventing sudden shocks that could damage the rocket structure upon landing.
4Stability of the object's composition
If multiple support pads are used to secure the rocket at the same height, then stable landing is achieved, but the complexity of the support equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support system is divided into multiple independent movable platforms, each capable of autonomous adjustment. This segmentation allows each unit to independently track and support portions of the rocket, achieving stable multi-point contact while maintaining modular simplicity in each individual component.
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
This solution effectively secures reusable rockets by maintaining precise positioning and force control, enhancing the success rate of collection and reducing damage, allowing for efficient reuse of rocket stages.
Implementation Method 1
a distance sensor configured to sense a position of the reusable rocket or the contact support pad
Implementation Method 2
a contact support pad having a contacting face to contact a reusable rocket when the reusable rocket is landing
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is support equipment for collecting a reusable rocket, the support equipment including a plurality of supports located on a landing platform and spaced apart from one another, a contact support pad having a contacting face to contact a reusable rocket when the reusable rocket is landing, and connected to each of the supports to secure the reusable rocket, and a distance sensor configured to sense a position of the reusable rocket or the contact support pad, wherein each of the supports is configured to move the contact support pad based on information on a distance measured by the distance sensor, and the contact support pad is configured to secure the reusable rocket when the reusable rocket has landed, in order to prevent damage of the reusable rocket.