Passive Drone Payload Delivery Mechanism for Weight Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional unmanned aerial systems (UAS) face challenges in delivering payloads due to weight constraints, which limit their ability to carry payloads efficiently while adhering to regulatory and safety requirements.
Innovation Solution
The development of an unmanned aerial payload delivery system that utilizes a passive delivery mechanism, such as a mechanical foot or a delivery guide, to trigger the release of a payload from a container suspended beneath the drone, eliminating the need for dedicated power sources and communications equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If conventional active delivery triggering mechanisms are used, then payload delivery can be actuated, but system weight increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes dedicated power sources, deployment mechanisms, and communications equipment from the UAS system. Instead of integrating these active components, the invention uses passive delivery triggering mechanisms that rely on environmental interactions (such as GPS coordinates, barometric pressure, or physical contact) to activate payload release, thereby eliminating the weight of these extracted components.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery triggering mechanism is designed to be self-activating through passive sensing of environmental conditions or physical interactions. The system serves itself by using pre-programmed triggers or environmental cues (such as reaching a specific location, altitude, or experiencing physical contact) to automatically initiate payload delivery without requiring additional active control systems, power sources, or communication equipment.
2Weight of moving object
If lightweight components are used to reduce system weight, then regulatory compliance improves, but delivery mechanism reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex active mechanical delivery systems with simplified passive triggering mechanisms. Instead of using motorized actuators, powered release systems, or complex deployment mechanisms, the invention employs lightweight passive triggers that respond to environmental conditions or physical interactions, thereby maintaining reliability while minimizing weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The delivery triggering mechanism utilizes changes in environmental parameters (such as GPS coordinates, barometric pressure, temperature, or physical contact forces) to activate payload release. By sensing and responding to these parameter changes, the system achieves reliable automated delivery without requiring heavy active control systems, thus maintaining both lightweight design and delivery reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A drone with capability to passively deliver a payload to a delivery site. The drone is an unmanned aerial system that includes a container suspended below a main body of the system by way of at least one line. The container may interface a surface at the delivery site to passively deliver the payload. This may be achieved through a passive delivery mechanism that includes one of an actuator to trigger the passive delivery or a container guide for tipping the container upon the interfacing with the surface of the site.