Transformable UAV Landing Gears for Terrain Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Aerial vehicles, such as UAVs, are limited in their ability to access and navigate remote, difficult, or hazardous areas due to their mobility being restricted by flight capabilities, making it challenging to perform tasks like earthquake relief and surveys in conditions not ideal for flying.
Innovation Solution
The development of walking systems for aerial vehicles that include extendable landing gears and transformative arms, allowing the vehicles to transition between flight and surface configurations, enabling them to support weight and move on the surface, thereby accessing and traversing terrain that is inaccessible by air.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If aerial vehicles use flight capabilities to access remote areas, then they can reach locations quickly, but they cannot navigate difficult terrain such as earthquake zones, mine pits, or hazardous areas
Solution Approach 1:
The landing gear is designed to be movable between different configurations: a first configuration for flight operation and a second configuration for surface transport. This dynamic transformation allows the vehicle to adapt its mobility characteristics based on the operational environment, enabling it to switch between aerial and ground-based movement modes as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The aerial vehicle is equipped with dual-mode mobility systems that allow it to perform both flight and surface transport functions. The same vehicle can access remote locations via air and navigate difficult terrain via ground movement, making it universally applicable to various mission scenarios including earthquake relief, mine pit surveys, and hazardous area exploration.
2Productivity
If the vehicle is designed for flight only, then it can access remote locations efficiently, but it cannot deliver supplies or conduct surveys in areas inaccessible by air
Solution Approach 1:
The landing gear transforms between flight and surface configurations based on operational requirements. When ground transport is needed, the system transitions to the surface configuration enabling delivery of supplies and conduct of surveys in areas that remain inaccessible to purely aerial vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges aerial and ground mobility capabilities into a single integrated vehicle system. By combining flight capabilities with transformable landing gear for surface transport, the vehicle achieves enhanced operational flexibility and can perform a broader range of missions including supply delivery and survey operations in previously inaccessible areas.
3Adaptability or versatility
If landing gears are added to enable surface movement, then the vehicle can access difficult terrain, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The landing gear employs dynamic transformation capability, switching between a first configuration for flight and a second configuration for surface transport. This dynamic design allows the same structural elements to serve dual purposes, reducing the need for separate dedicated components for each mobility mode.
Solution Approach 2:
The transformable landing gear serves multiple functions: it provides structural support during flight, enables surface transport capability, and can be positioned to accommodate various terrain conditions. This multi-functionality reduces overall device complexity by eliminating the need for separate systems for each operational mode.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) includes a central body and a plurality of landing gears that are extendable from and movable relative to the central body. The plurality of landing gears are configured to transform between a flight configuration and a surface configuration. In the flight configuration, the landing gears are extending laterally away from the central body and not in contact with a surface below the central body. In the surface configuration, the landing gears are extending towards the surface below the central body. When the landing gears are in the surface configuration, the landing gears are configured to support a weight of the central body on the surface and transport the UAV over the surface by moving one or more of the landing gears relative to the surface.