Thermal Drone Container Control for Energy-Aware Cold Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current drone systems for transporting organic materials face challenges in maintaining precise temperature conditions, especially under varying external climatic conditions, and lack reliable energy management to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements during extended flight times and distances.
Innovation Solution
A drone structure equipped with a thermal container and control unit that monitors and adjusts temperature, calculates energy needs for both flight and thermal management, and adjusts flight parameters or aborts the mission if energy is insufficient, ensuring the load is maintained within predetermined temperature conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If thermally insulating containers are used to maintain temperature during transport, then temperature stability is improved, but reliability under varying external climatic conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit pre-calculates the energy Eterm required by the thermal unit before flight, based on predicted external conditions and flight duration. This preliminary energy assessment ensures that sufficient power is allocated to maintain temperature stability even when external climatic conditions vary during the actual flight mission.
2Productivity
If flight time and distance are increased to expand transport autonomy, then productivity is improved, but temperature maintenance reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Before each flight mission, the control unit calculates the required energy Eterm for thermal maintenance based on the specific flight duration and distance. This allows the system to assess whether the energy unit has sufficient capacity (Eres ≥ Eeng + Eterm) to complete both the flight and temperature control, preventing missions that would compromise temperature reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the energy allocation between flight motors and thermal unit based on mission requirements. The control unit can modify flight parameters or abort missions if the calculated total energy requirement exceeds available energy, ensuring temperature maintenance reliability is not compromised for the sake of extended autonomy.
3Duration of action of moving object
If energy is allocated to extend flight duration, then productivity is improved, but energy available for thermal management deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs a preliminary energy assessment before flight, calculating both the energy Eeng required for flight and the energy Eterm required for thermal management. This pre-mission energy budgeting ensures that the total energy requirement (Eeng + Eterm) does not exceed the available energy Eres in the energy unit, preventing situations where extended flight duration compromises thermal management capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures real-time monitoring and adjustment of temperature, verifies energy sufficiency for maintaining thermal conditions, and modifies flight parameters to guarantee compliance with regulations, enhancing the reliability of temperature-controlled transport.
Implementation Method 1
an insulating casing comprising at least one layer of heat-insulating material
Implementation Method 2
a thermal unit arranged to adjust or keep constant the value of temperature Tint
Data Source
AI summary
A system for carrying a load at a controlled temperature includes a drone structure having a motor that handles the drone structure, an energy unit that delivers electric energy, and a control unit. The drone structure also includes a thermal container having an insulating casing with at least one layer of heat-insulating material, an inner temperature sensor that measures a value of temperature Tint internal to the insulating casing, an outer temperature sensor configured to measure a value of temperature Text external to the insulating casing, and a thermal unit arranged to adjust or keep constant the value of temperature Tint. The control unit is adapted to carry out an acquisition of a flight mission comprising a landing position of the drone structure, a time limit tmax to reach the landing position and a condition on the values of the temperature Tint to keep during the flight mission.