Multicopter Wide Span Rotor Configuration and Protective Fuselage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Multicopters with wide span rotor configurations face challenges in compact design, safety, and redundancy, as overlapping rotors can interfere aerodynamically and pose risks to the pilot from rotor debris in case of failure.
Innovation Solution
A multicopter design with 10 rotors, featuring inner rotors overlapping to reduce footprint and outer rotors separated to minimize interference, with a protective fuselage and tilt angles to maximize efficiency and safety, including a high side wall to protect the pilot from rotor debris and efficient rotor placement for redundancy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If inner rotors are overlapped to reduce footprint, then compact design is achieved, but aerodynamic interference occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor system is segmented into inner rotors and outer rotors with distinct functions and positions. The inner rotors are overlapped to minimize footprint while the outer rotors are separated to reduce aerodynamic interference, creating a hierarchical structure that resolves the contradiction between compactness and aerodynamic performance.
Solution Approach 2:
Different spatial arrangements are applied to different rotor groups: inner rotors use overlapping configuration in the central region to achieve compactness, while outer rotors use separated configuration at the periphery to minimize aerodynamic interference. This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each region for its specific function.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If outer rotors are separated from fuselage, then aerodynamic interference is minimized, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor system is divided into inner and outer rotor groups with distinct mounting arrangements. Outer rotors are separated from the fuselage and positioned independently to minimize aerodynamic interference, while maintaining a modular structure that manages complexity through functional segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
Rotors are arranged in multiple spatial dimensions with different separation distances from the fuselage. Outer rotors are positioned further away in the lateral dimension to reduce aerodynamic interference, while the overall structure maintains manageable complexity through systematic spatial distribution.
3Reliability
If high side wall is added to protect pilot, then safety is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A high side wall structure is incorporated into the fuselage design to provide protective shielding for the pilot from rotor debris before any failure occurs. This preventive protective measure is integrated into the fuselage structure, enhancing safety while managing complexity through unified structural design.
4Reliability
If 10 rotors are used for redundancy, then flight precision is maintained, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The 10-rotor system is segmented into 6 inner rotors and 4 outer rotors with differentiated functions. This segmentation provides redundancy for maintaining flight precision while managing complexity through organized functional groups, where inner rotors handle primary control and outer rotors provide additional redundancy and stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor configuration uses varying parameters including different positions (inner vs outer), different numbers (6 vs 4), and different spatial arrangements. These parameter variations optimize both redundancy for flight precision and manageability of device complexity through systematic differentiation.
Data Source
AI summary
A vertical takeoff and flying at a constant altitude are performed using an aircraft. The aircraft includes a fuselage, a left arm (attached to the fuselage), a right arm (attached to the fuselage), a left float (attached to the left arm), a right float (attached to the right arm), and a plurality of rotors. The plurality of rotors includes a left inner rotor and a right inner rotor (attached at a fixed angle to a top surface of the left float and the right float, respectively) and a left outer rotor and a right outer rotor (attached at a fixed angle to a top surface of the distal end of the left arm and the right arm, respectively).