Tree-Pruning UAV With Retractable Cutter Housing for Safe Landing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) equipped with pruning mechanisms, such as scissors and saws, lack effective safety measures, particularly during operation and landing, which can pose risks to humans and animals.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a housing structure that can house the pruning mechanism and a state control section to manage the pruning structure's exposure, ensuring it is housed during landing and only exposed when pruning is necessary, along with a flight state control section to manage the UAV's flight state based on external control signal strength and proximity to humans or animals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the pruning structure is always exposed to enable tree pruning operations, then pruning efficiency is improved, but safety risk to humans and animals increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pruning structure is designed to be dynamically movable between an exposed state for pruning operations and a housed state for safety. The state control section dynamically transitions the pruning structure between these two states based on operational requirements, allowing the system to adapt its configuration to balance productivity and safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure provides a protective enclosure that can contain the pruning structure when not in use. The pruning structure is nested within the housing structure during non-operational phases, effectively isolating the harmful cutting elements from humans and animals while maintaining quick access when needed for pruning tasks.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the pruning structure is housed during landing to ensure safety, then safety risk is reduced, but operational readiness time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The state control section proactively houses the pruning structure before landing operations commence, ensuring safety measures are already in place before the UAV approaches the ground. This preliminary action prevents any potential safety incidents during the critical landing phase while the system is transitioning to a stationary state.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing and exposure of the pruning structure are designed as rapid transitions that occur quickly during critical phases such as landing and takeoff. The mechanical system is optimized to minimize the time the pruning structure spends in transition states, allowing the UAV to quickly move between safe and operational configurations without significant delay.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the pruning structure is exposed only when close to the target tree, then safety is improved, but pruning flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The state control section continuously monitors the distance between the UAV and the target tree, and automatically adjusts the pruning structure's state based on this feedback. When the UAV approaches within a predetermined distance of the target tree, the pruning structure is exposed to enable pruning operations. When the UAV moves beyond this distance, the pruning structure is housed to ensure safety. This feedback-based control maintains safety while preserving pruning flexibility through automated decision-making.
Data Source
AI summary
[Problems to be Solved]To provide an unmanned aerial vehicle capable of achieving both of equipping a pruning structure capable of pruning trees and enhancing safety.[Solution]An unmanned aerial vehicle 2 according to the present invention includes a pruning structure 23 capable of pruning a tree; a housing structure 24 capable of housing the pruning structure 23 inside; and a state control section 212 capable of controlling the state of the pruning structure 23 between a housed state in which the pruning structure 23 is housed inside the housing structure 24 and an exposed state in which the pruning structure 23 is exposed to the outside of the housing structure 24, wherein the state control section 212 can control the state of the pruning structure 23 to the housed state on landing. The state control section 212 preferable to control the state of the pruning structure 23 to the exposed state when a distance from the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 to a target tree to be pruned equal to or shorter than the predetermined distance, and to control the state of the pruning structure 23 to the housed state when a distance from the unmanned aerial vehicle 2 to the target tree longer than the predetermined distance.