Tapered Guide for Drone Gripper Centering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gripping devices for unmanned aircraft, such as drones, face challenges in securely picking up piece goods due to limited contact surface and difficulty in precise targeting, especially in environments with strong air movement.
Innovation Solution
A transport system with a gripping device featuring movable gripping elements that surround a receiving opening, guided by a tapered guide means for precise approach and secure grasping, allowing for inward movement and optional iris diaphragm-like configuration for uniform enclosure, along with an electric or pneumatic drive for controlled operation and optical data acquisition for autonomous picking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If tong arms are used as gripping elements, then the gripping device can be结构简单 (structurally simple), but the contact surface with the item is small leading to unsafe holding
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping device is divided into multiple gripping elements (at least three) that can independently move inward, allowing the cargo to be surrounded and held from multiple directions, thereby increasing contact surface area and holding reliability while maintaining structural simplicity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The gripping elements are arranged around a receiving opening in a circular pattern, transitioning from linear tong arm contact to three-dimensional surrounding contact. This dimensional change allows the cargo to be enclosed from multiple angles, significantly increasing the effective contact surface area and holding safety
2Adaptability or versatility
If the gripping device is used in environments with strong air movement, then the aircraft can operate in challenging conditions, but targeted approach to piece goods becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A guide means is introduced as an intermediary component between the gripping device and the cargo. This guide means laterally guides the gripping device during approach, ensuring accurate positioning and centering of the receiving opening over the cargo even in environments with strong air movement, thereby maintaining targeting precision while operating in challenging conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The guide means is designed to automatically guide the gripping device into the correct position through its geometric constraints (tapered inner diameter), without requiring complex active control systems. The structure itself provides the guidance function, enabling self-alignment and self-centering during the approach phase
3Ease of operation
If the inner diameter of guide means is larger than the receiving opening, then the gripping device can approach laterally easily, but precise centering over the cargo becomes challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The guide means features a tapered inner diameter that transitions from larger at the bottom to smaller at the top. This dynamic geometric configuration allows easy lateral approach at the wider bottom section, then progressively guides and centers the gripping device as it moves upward through the tapering sections, achieving both ease of approach and precise centering
Solution Approach 2:
The tapered conical geometry of the guide means uses curved surfaces to gradually guide the gripping device from a lateral approach position to a centered position. The smooth transitional curvature of the taper allows the device to be gently guided into alignment without abrupt movements, maintaining ease of operation while achieving precise centering
Data Source
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AI summary
A gripping device and method for receiving piece objects from above is described. The gripping device includes movable gripping elements for gripping the piece object by way of an inwards movement of the gripping elements, wherein the gripping elements are arranged around a receiving opening which is delimited by the gripping elements, and the gripping device below the receiving opening includes a guide which surrounds the receiving opening for the lateral guidance of the gripping device with the approach of the gripping device onto the piece object. An inner diameter of the guide at a lower end of the guide is larger than a largest possible diameter of the receiving opening, wherein the inner diameter of the guide tapers upwards.