UAV Container Stabilizing System with Expandable Gas Structures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current delivery systems, including vehicles and drones, face challenges such as high costs due to human pilots, inefficient delivery in congested areas, damage to packaged goods during transport, and weight distribution issues, which are not adequately addressed by existing stabilization methods that require external securing means and filling materials.
Innovation Solution
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a container featuring expandable structures that use pressurized gas to secure payloads within the container, eliminating the need for external securing devices and filling materials, while maintaining a stable center of gravity through an adjustable weight mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external securing means and internal filling material are used to stabilize package contents, then the contents are secured during transport, but the system becomes costly, wasteful, labor intensive, time consuming, and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the container structure with integrated expandable stabilizing structures into a single unified system. The expandable structures are built-in components of the container rather than separate external securing means, merging the container and stabilizer functions into one integrated device that reduces complexity and component count.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamically expandable and collapsible structures that can change their volume and configuration. These structures expand to stabilize contents during transport and collapse when not needed, allowing the system to adapt its complexity level based on operational requirements rather than maintaining fixed complex securing mechanisms throughout.
2Reliability
If external securing means and internal filling material are used to stabilize package contents, then the contents are secured during transport, but excessive materials and human labor are required during loading and packaging
Solution Approach 1:
The container is pre-equipped with integrated expandable stabilizing structures before the packaging process begins. These structures are already in place and can be quickly activated, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual assembly of external securing means and filling materials during the packaging operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The expandable structures are designed to be automatically deployable or easily activated by the user without requiring complex manual assembly. The system serves itself by providing built-in stabilization capability that activates on-demand, reducing the labor and time needed compared to traditional methods requiring multiple separate components to be assembled.
3Weight of moving object
If the UAV and container are kept lightweight, then flight efficiency is improved, but the center of gravity becomes difficult to balance due to uneven weight distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically expandable and collapsible structures that can change their volume and configuration. These structures expand to stabilize contents during transport and collapse when not needed, allowing the system to adapt its complexity level based on operational requirements rather than maintaining fixed complex securing mechanisms throughout.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes collapsible and expandable structures that can change their physical state between compact and expanded configurations. This parameter change allows the same structure to provide stabilization when needed while minimizing weight and volume impact when not in use, helping maintain overall system lightness.
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 solution provides secure, cost-effective, and efficient delivery by stabilizing payloads within the UAV container, reducing damage and weight distribution issues, and enabling delivery to hard-to-reach areas without the need for human pilots or excessive materials.
Implementation Method 1
The expandable structures are in communication with a pressurized gas supply. A first valve transfers at least a portion of the pressurized gas supply to the expandable structures, causing them to expand and capture the payload.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle is removably connected to a container. The container has a vessel retaining a pressurized gas supply and a manifold having a plurality of ports connected to a plurality of expandable structures. The pressurized gas supply is in communication with a plurality of expandable structures. The container also has least one compartment having a plurality of expandable structures configured to capture a payload. Additional improvements include an improved docking structure for the unmanned aerial vehicle to engage a container and a rotatable weight distribution system for maintaining a center of gravity at the physical center of gravity of the unmanned aerial vehicle.