Retractable Ring Stabilizer for Drone Landing Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) become top-heavy and unstable after delivering packages, leading to unsafe landing conditions due to weight imbalance, as the gimbal and camera serve as a counterweight during flight but are removed during delivery.
Innovation Solution
A retractable stabilizer apparatus comprising a ring member and attachment members that can be attached to the UAS, providing additional support and balance by extending from the landing gear, adjustable in shape and material to accommodate different drone designs, ensuring stability with or without a package.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the gimbal and camera are removed during delivery, then the delivery function is achieved, but the UAS becomes top-heavy and unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The stabilizer is divided into separate components: a ring member and attachment members that can be independently attached to the landing gear. This segmentation allows the stabilizer to be added only when needed (after delivery), rather than being a permanent part of the UAS, thus resolving the contradiction between delivery efficiency and stability maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer acts as a counterweight structure that compensates for the weight imbalance created when the gimbal and camera are removed. By extending downward from the landing gear, the stabilizer creates a counterbalancing moment that prevents the UAS from becoming top-heavy, directly addressing the stability issue.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the stabilizer extends from the landing gear, then the center of gravity is lowered and stability is improved, but the landing gear structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment members are designed to connect to existing landing gear structures without requiring specialized components. The ring member and attachment members can be attached to standard landing gear configurations, making the stabilizer universally applicable and avoiding additional structural complexity in the landing gear system.
Solution Approach 2:
The stabilizer configuration allows for adjustment and adaptation to different landing gear types. The attachment members can be positioned and oriented to match various landing gear structures, enabling the stabilizer to maintain stability while accommodating different structural configurations without adding complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the ring member plane is parallel to the blades, then the stabilizer effectiveness is maximized, but the attachment configuration becomes more constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment members are pre-configured with connection points and orientations that naturally align the ring member plane parallel to the blades when attached. This preliminary configuration ensures that the stabilizer achieves maximum effectiveness automatically upon attachment, without requiring additional alignment operations or complex adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided herein for stabilizing an unmanned aerial system. An apparatus for stabilizing an unmanned aerial system comprises a ring member and a pair of attachment members each having a first end and a second end, the first end being configured to attach to a multicopter and a second end being coupled to the ring member. Wherein the pair of attachment members holds the ring member such that a plane of a circumference of the ring member is generally parallel to blades of the multicopter.