Rope-Sling Drone Landing Positioning for Precise Alignment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current drone positioning systems for landing/take-off sites are inefficient due to imprecise positioning and alignment, requiring extensive mechanical installations and high precision landing, which increases costs and limits drone use in remote areas.
Innovation Solution
A system that automatically positions and aligns drones using a rope sling mechanism, where the drone is pulled to a predetermined position and aligned using a rope winch and engagement feet, enabling precise coupling with loading/unloading stations or refueling/charging devices without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If passive systems like funnels are used to guide drone landing, then positioning accuracy is improved, but device complexity and area requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical guiding systems (funnels, physical barriers) with a simpler mechanical retrieval system using a net and winch. The net is deployed from a movable platform and automatically captures the drone after it lands within a designated area, eliminating the need for complex physical guidance structures while achieving precise positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a movable platform as an intermediary between the drone and the fixed positioning system. This platform carries the net and winch mechanism, allowing the system to dynamically adjust its position while maintaining capture capability. The intermediary platform simplifies the overall system by decoupling the fixed infrastructure from the active capture mechanism.
2Measurement precision
If active systems with linear actuators are used to push drone to desired position, then positioning accuracy is improved, but device complexity and costs increase disproportionately
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex active pushing systems with linear actuators and guide rails with a passive net capture system. The net, when deployed, naturally constrains the drone's movement through its flexible structure, and the winch mechanism provides simple tensile force to retrieve the drone, eliminating the need for multiple linear actuators and precision guide rails.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a reusable net that is deployed to capture the drone and then retracted by the winch for reuse. This recovering mechanism simplifies the system compared to permanent fixed structures, as the net can be stored and redeployed without requiring complex mechanical infrastructure for each positioning operation.
3Device complexity
If manual work is used for drone handling tasks, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and operational efficiency decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service system where the movable platform automatically deploys the net, captures the drone, and retrieves it without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by using sensors to detect the landed drone and automatically initiating the capture sequence, thereby increasing productivity while maintaining relatively simple device architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A system automatically positions a drone (1) on a landing/take-off site (2) including a landing area defined by an outer boundary. The system positions and aligns the drone (1), landed at any location on the landing area, at a predetermined position on the landing area. The system includes a rope sling (5) which, in its initial position, extends substantially along the outer boundary of the landing area, and the ends of which are connected to a rope winch (6) located near or at the predetermined position, so that the rope sling can be retracted when the rope winch is actuated. The drone is provided with engagement means (3, 4) engageable with the rope sling (5) when the rope sling (5) is retracted, so that the drone (1) is pulled to the predetermined position and is correctly aligned at the predetermined position upon further retraction of the rope sling (5).