Multicopter Landing Platform with Conic Funnel and Beacon Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multicopter landing solutions for residential security systems lack precision and long-term protection, often resulting in damage to the multicopter and environmental hazards due to inadequate landing platforms that do not provide controlled charging and weather protection, especially in turbulent conditions near the ground.
Innovation Solution
A multicopter landing platform with a conic-shaped funnel design and a three-phase landing routine, utilizing GPS, beacon guidance, and a charging mechanism to ensure precise and safe auto-landing, where the multicopter slides down the funnel-shaped platform without risking propellers and can be charged securely.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a compact landing platform is used, then the platform size is reduced, but precise drone landing becomes more difficult due to increased air turbulence near the surface
Solution Approach 1:
The landing process is divided into three distinct phases: Phase 1 uses GPS for coarse positioning at higher altitude, Phase 2 uses visual beacon guidance for intermediate positioning, and Phase 3 uses the conic funnel structure for final precise landing. This segmentation allows each phase to operate in its optimal environmental conditions, avoiding turbulence throughout the entire landing sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces vertical dimensionality by performing landing operations at multiple altitude levels. The multicopter descends through three altitude zones corresponding to the three phases, utilizing the vertical dimension to transition from GPS-guided coarse landing to visual-guided precision landing, thereby overcoming the limitation of compact platform size affected by ground-level turbulence.
2Reliability
If a conic-shaped funnel design is used, then the multicopter can slide down safely without propeller damage, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The landing platform employs a conic funnel structure with smooth curved surfaces instead of flat or angular designs. The conic geometry provides a natural guiding path that gently directs the multicopter toward the center landing zone, ensuring safe propeller clearance while maintaining structural simplicity through the use of a single continuous curved surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The conic funnel structure is designed to automatically guide the multicopter's descent path through its geometric properties. The sloped walls naturally direct the aircraft toward the center without requiring active control or additional mechanical guidance mechanisms, allowing the structure itself to perform the guidance function.
3Measurement precision
If GPS and beacon guidance are used together, then landing precision is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guidance system is segmented into two independent subsystems operating in sequence: GPS-based coarse guidance for Phase 1 landing and visual beacon-based fine guidance for Phase 2 and 3 landing. Each subsystem is optimized for its specific operational phase, allowing the system to achieve high precision without requiring all components to operate simultaneously, thereby managing complexity through temporal and functional separation.
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 solution enables precise, safe, and efficient auto-landing of multicopters on a landing platform, minimizing damage and ensuring immediate charging, while addressing air turbulence challenges, thus enhancing the reliability of home security systems.
Implementation Method 1
The beacon may provide a light signal that is detected by a camera on the multicopter to guide the multicopter toward the base portion
Implementation Method 2
The walls of the base portion may cause the multicopter to move toward the bottom portion of the base portion after the multicopter initially contacts the walls of the base portion
Data Source
AI summary
A multicopter landing platform includes a base portion, a bottom portion, disposed in the base portion, that accepts a protruding portion of the multicopter, and walls of the base portion that are sloped toward the bottom portion. The walls of the base portion may form a conic-shape. The multicopter landing platform may also include a GPS device that sends RTK corrections to a different GPS device on the multicopter. The multicopter landing platform may also include a beacon that guides the multicopter to cause the multicopter to contact the walls of the base station. The beacon may be disposed in the bottom portion. The beacon may provide a signal that is detected by the multicopter. The beacon may provide a light signal that is detected by a camera on the multicopter to guide the multicopter toward the base portion. A charging ring may be disposed in the bottom portion.