Tethered Aerial Drone System with Support Drones
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Solution Overview
Problem
The usefulness of aerial drones for tasks like observation and surveillance is limited by the weight and charge capacity of their battery packs, and while tethers can alleviate these limitations, they can still be constrained by the position and weight of the tether line.
Innovation Solution
An aerial drone system comprising a working drone and multiple support drones connected by a tether line to a power source, where the support drones partially support the weight of the tether line and adjust its position to enable the working drone to operate freely without a large battery pack, allowing the tether line to be positioned around obstacles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a large battery pack is used to extend operating time and range, then the drone's energy capacity is improved, but the drone's weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is extracted from the drone and relocated to a ground-based power source. The drone receives power through a tether line connection, completely removing the battery from the airborne vehicle. This extraction resolves the contradiction by providing unlimited energy capacity from the ground while keeping the drone lightweight.
Solution Approach 2:
A tether line serves as an intermediary between the ground-based power source and the drone. This mediator transmits electrical energy from the ground to the airborne vehicle, enabling extended operation without carrying heavy batteries while maintaining drone lightness through the cable connection.
2Use of energy by moving object
If a tether line is used to provide continuous power, then the drone's energy capacity is improved, but the drone's operational freedom is reduced due to tether weight and positioning constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The tether line system is segmented by introducing multiple support drones that independently carry portions of the tether. This divides the previously single-constraint tether into multiple distributed support points, allowing the main tether to be positioned optimally without being limited by a single fixed ground position, thereby improving operational freedom while maintaining continuous power supply.
Solution Approach 2:
Support drones act as intermediary elements between the ground-based power source and the working drone. These intermediaries carry segments of the tether line, enabling the tether to be routed around obstacles and positioned flexibly in three-dimensional space, thus resolving the constraint of fixed ground positioning while maintaining continuous electrical connection.
3Adaptability or versatility
If support drones are used to carry the tether line, then the working drone's operational freedom is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support drones are designed as multi-functional units that simultaneously perform tether carrying, positional stabilization, and obstacle avoidance. By consolidating multiple functions into single support drone units, the system manages complexity more efficiently while achieving the goal of improved operational freedom for the working drone.
Solution Approach 2:
The support drones autonomously navigate and position themselves to carry the tether line around obstacles without requiring constant manual intervention. This self-service capability reduces operational complexity by enabling the support drones to independently manage their positioning and tether management tasks.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are described for an aerial drone system including a drone system controller, at least one working drone (101), and a plurality of support drones (103). The working drone (101) is operated by the drone system controller (125) to adjust a position of the working drone (101). A tether line (105) coupled to the working drone (101) provides electrical power to the working drone (101). The support drones (103) are each coupled to the tether line (105) at a different location along the tether line (105) forming a tethered aerial drone system. Each support (drone 103) supports a portion of the weight of the tether line (105) and is operated by the drone system controller (125) to adjust the position of the tether line (105) by adjusting the position of one or more of the support drones (103).