UAV Cabin Swap Control for Energy-Efficient Passenger Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) consume a large amount of energy and time due to the processes of taking off, accelerating, decelerating, and landing when transporting passengers, resulting in low efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The method involves aligning the UAV with a ground orbit at a destination site and maintaining a predetermined flight altitude, separating and replacing cabins with a shuttle vehicle's lifting platform while maintaining a static state, and switching to a backup battery for energy supply when necessary, allowing seamless transitions without additional takeoffs or landings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the unmanned aerial vehicle undergoes complete takeoff, acceleration, constant speed, deceleration, and landing processes for each passenger transport, then the passenger transport function is achieved, but energy consumption increases and efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The passenger transport system is segmented into two independent components: the unmanned aerial vehicle for flight and the cabin for passenger carrying. The cabin can be separated from the UAV and replaced at intermediate sites, allowing the UAV to continue flying while passengers are transferred to ground transportation. This segmentation eliminates the need for the UAV to land and take off repeatedly, thereby reducing energy consumption and improving transport efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a single-dimension ground-based transport model to a multi-dimensional model combining aerial and ground transport. The cabin is transferred from the UAV to the lifting platform of a shuttle vehicle at an intermediate site, utilizing the vertical dimension for transfer. This dimensional change allows seamless transition between air and ground transport without requiring the UAV to land, thus improving efficiency and reducing energy consumption.
2Productivity
If the unmanned aerial vehicle lands and takes off repeatedly for each transport task, then passenger delivery is completed, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cabin is pre-loaded onto the lifting platform of the shuttle vehicle at the intermediate site before the UAV arrives. When the UAV reaches the intermediate site, the cabin is already ready for transfer, eliminating waiting time. This preliminary preparation of the cabin transfer process significantly reduces the time required for the UAV to complete its transport task.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the cabin is separated and replaced at the intermediate site, then the unmanned aerial vehicle can continue flying without landing, but the control and coordination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate site acts as an intermediary between the UAV and the ground transport system. It provides a lifting platform that mediates the transfer of the cabin from the UAV to the shuttle vehicle. This intermediary structure simplifies the control process by providing a standardized interface for cabin transfer, reducing the overall system complexity despite enabling energy-efficient operations.
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided are a method and an apparatus (900) for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (101), a method and an apparatus (1000) for controlling a shuttle vehicle (103), an unmanned aerial vehicle (101), a shuttle vehicle (103), a transportation system (200), and an electronic device (1000) and a computer-readable storage medium. The method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle (101) includes: controlling unmanned aerial vehicle (101) to be aligned with ground orbit (105) in destination site and continue to fly at predetermined flight altitude, in response to the unmanned aerial vehicle (101) flying to first preset airspace near the destination site; controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle (101) to be separated from first cabin carried by the unmanned aerial vehicle and place the separated first cabin at first position of lifting platform (1033) of a shuttle vehicle (103) driving along the ground orbit (105) and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle (101) to be combined with second cabin carried at second position of the lifting platform (1033), in response to the unmanned aerial vehicle (101) flying to position directly above the first position and being in relatively static state with the shuttle vehicle (103); and controlling the unmanned aerial vehicle (101) to fly to next destination site, in response to completion of the combination of the unmanned aerial vehicle (101) and the second cabin.