Aerial Vehicle Parachute Control for Deviation-Time Ejection Timing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerial vehicles, such as unmanned aircraft, fail to eject parachutes at appropriate timing, leading to potential crashes when inclination deviations are slight but prolonged, or significant but brief, as described in US Patent Publication No. 2017/0106986A1.
Innovation Solution
An aerial vehicle equipped with a sensor device to detect flight state, an ejection apparatus for parachutes, and a controller to determine parachute ejection based on the degree and duration of flight state deviation from a reference range, using functions to assess both the degree and duration of deviation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a fixed threshold value for inclination angle is used to trigger parachute ejection, then the ejection condition is simple to implement, but the parachute may not be ejected at appropriate timing when the deviation is slight but prolonged or significant but brief
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter basis for parachute ejection from a single fixed threshold value to a dynamic assessment combining degree of deviation and duration. The controller calculates both how much the flight state deviates from the reference range and how long this deviation persists, using these combined parameters to determine ejection timing. This resolves the contradiction by making the ejection condition more reliable without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic evaluation by continuously monitoring both the magnitude and temporal aspect of flight state deviations. Instead of a static threshold comparison, the system dynamically assesses whether the deviation degree multiplied by its duration exceeds a threshold, allowing the ejection decision to adapt to varying flight conditions and deviation patterns.
2Reliability
If the ejection condition requires both degree of deviation and duration, then the parachute ejection timing becomes more accurate, but the control logic becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the control logic complexity into a manageable calculation by defining a specific relationship: (degree of deviation) × (duration) > threshold. This mathematical formulation simplifies the complex dual-parameter assessment into a single computable condition, making the control logic more implementable while maintaining accurate ejection timing.
3Speed
If only the degree of deviation is considered for parachute ejection, then the response is immediate for severe deviations, but the parachute may not be ejected for prolonged minor deviations that accumulate risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dynamic temporal dimension to the ejection decision by incorporating duration as a multiplicative factor. The controller evaluates both the immediate severity (degree of deviation) and the persistence (duration) of the deviation. This dynamic assessment ensures that prolonged minor deviations accumulate sufficient risk metric to trigger ejection, while still allowing immediate response to severe deviations where the degree alone exceeds the threshold.
Data Source
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AI summary
An aerial vehicle includes a sensor device that detects a flight state of the aerial vehicle, an ejection apparatus that includes a parachute and can eject the parachute, and a controller that determines whether or not the parachute should be ejected based on a degree of deviation of the flight state from a reference range determined for the flight state and a duration for which a state of deviation equal to or more than the degree of deviation lasts.