Pin Array Chamber for UAV Capture and Release
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for capturing and releasing high-speed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges such as relative positioning, timing of release and capture, aerodynamic interference, structural issues, and weight constraints, leading to destructive outcomes and high complexity.
Innovation Solution
A pin array chamber system with two parallel plates of pin arrays that extend and retract vertically to capture and release UAVs, allowing for non-destructive clamping and reuse without modifying the UAV or host platforms, applicable in various mediums including air, water, and space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If netting and hooking solutions are used to capture high-speed UAVs, then capture capability is achieved, but the UAV is harmed or destroyed in the process
Solution Approach 1:
The capture system is divided into multiple independent pins arranged in arrays, each pin acting as an individual capture element. This segmentation allows the UAV to be captured by multiple points simultaneously, distributing the capture force and avoiding concentrated damage to any single location on the UAV structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The pins are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically adjust their position and orientation during capture. The pins can move to accommodate the UAV's shape and size, applying capture force in the most effective directions while minimizing harmful stresses on the UAV structure.
2Ease of operation
If complex trapeze and hook systems are used for in-flight capture, then timing of capture and release is solved, but aerodynamic and structural issues become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The complex trapeze and hook mechanisms are extracted and replaced with simple pin arrays. The capture function is achieved through the pins themselves rather than through complex mechanical linkages, significantly reducing aerodynamic interference and structural complexity while maintaining ease of operation through electronic control of pin movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical trapeze and hook system is replaced with an electronically controlled pin array system. The pins are actuated by electronic signals rather than mechanical linkages, eliminating complex mechanical interactions with the UAV while maintaining precise control over capture and release timing.
3Speed
If high-speed host vehicles are used for UAV recovery, then capture speed is improved, but aerodynamic interference and force loads between vehicles increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pin arrays are designed with specific local characteristics including appropriate pin lengths, diameters, and spacing that are optimized for capturing high-speed UAVs. The local geometry of the pin arrays allows them to effectively interact with the UAV at high speeds while distributing forces locally rather than creating concentrated load paths that would increase overall force loads between vehicles.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pin array release and capture chamber system includes a chamber assembly having two parallel plates of pin arrays from which a plurality of pins extend and retract vertically opposite each other so as to release and capture a UAV. The pin arrays are separated from each other by a space having two vertical and two horizontal sides, and the space is sized so as to receive the UAV. Each pin arrays may be housed in a pin array chamber enclosure. The chamber assembly may be attached to a moving object, such as an aircraft, or may be stationary with respect to a ground surface.