Space Reservation Calculation for Heterogeneous Cargo Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
The transportation of oversized wind turbine blades and related equipment is hindered by the limitations of existing air and road infrastructure, leading to increased costs and logistical challenges due to the need for larger aircraft and vehicles, which in turn requires optimizing cargo bay sizing to accommodate various shapes and sizes of payloads efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A method for calculating a space reservation, or 'keep-out zone,' by generating a parametric model of payload shapes, determining optimized orientations, and adding margins to ensure efficient packing and loading of cargo, using a computer-implemented process to size cargo aircraft bays for optimal payload transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If larger aircraft are used to transport oversized wind turbine blades, then the cargo capacity is improved, but the cost and complexity of transportation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transportation problem by dividing it into distinct phases: ground transportation to airport, air transportation, and ground transportation from airport. Each phase is optimized independently with specific equipment and procedures, allowing the system to handle oversized cargo without requiring a single overly complex transportation vehicle.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces specialized intermediary equipment including payload support equipment with adjustable arms and supports, specialized loading equipment, and airport infrastructure modifications. These intermediaries facilitate the transfer and handling of oversized wind turbine blades between different transportation modes without requiring the aircraft itself to be excessively complex.
2Quantity of substance
If larger aircraft are used to transport oversized wind turbine blades, then the cargo capacity is improved, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic payload support equipment with adjustable arms, supports, and positioning mechanisms that can adapt to different blade sizes and weights. This dynamic system allows the same equipment to serve multiple cargo configurations, reducing the need for multiple specialized aircraft and lowering overall transportation costs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes key parameters of the transportation system including aircraft type selection based on cargo dimensions, ground vehicle specifications, support equipment configuration, and airport infrastructure modifications. By optimizing these parameters for each specific transportation task rather than using fixed oversized capacity, the system reduces costs while maintaining adequate cargo capacity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If cargo bay is sized to accommodate various payload shapes and sizes, then the adaptability is improved, but the cargo bay volume efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-configuring payload support equipment with adjustable arms, supports, and positioning mechanisms before loading. The system pre-plans the arrangement of wind turbine blades within the cargo bay based on their specific dimensions and shapes, optimizing space utilization while ensuring adaptability to various payload configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes another dimension by implementing multi-axis adjustable support equipment that can position payloads in three-dimensional space. The support system includes arms and supports that can extend, retract, and position at various angles, allowing efficient packing of irregularly shaped wind turbine blades by utilizing vertical, horizontal, and angular dimensions rather than only linear arrangements.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods of determining a final space reservation for a new aircraft are disclosed. The methods include using parametric definitions of potential payloads to generate a population of representative payloads for use in creating an initial space reservation. The methods include accounting for and applying a variety of margins on each potential payload and taking the union of potential payloads. Alternatively, the union can be taken first and then the margins applied. A homogenous space reservation can be determined based upon a variety of differently shaped or sized payloads, including a margin build-up to mitigate risk of unknowns associated with future changes in specific payload shapes and sizes, build tolerances, environmental conditions, and/or loading and unloading motions and clearances. Once this space reservation is known, it is possible to design an external shape of a carrying vehicle by staying outside of this space reservation.