UAV Fleet Sector Division for Autonomous Aerial Survey
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional manned aircraft are often preferred for aerial surveys due to their higher speed and longer endurance, making unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) less efficient and more costly for similar tasks, despite UAVs' potential for automation and reduced operational costs.
Innovation Solution
A fleet of autonomous or highly automated UAVs is configured to divide an area of responsibility into sectors, each UAV covering a specific sector, allowing for reduced range and speed requirements, enabling the use of lower-cost, lighter-weight aircraft and enabling one pilot to control multiple UAVs simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a single manned aircraft is used for aerial surveys, then speed and range are improved, but operational cost and pilot cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the aerial survey mission into multiple segments, with each UAV responsible for a specific sector or zone. This segmentation allows the use of multiple smaller, cheaper UAVs instead of one expensive manned aircraft, reducing overall operational costs while maintaining comprehensive coverage of the survey area
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple UAVs into a coordinated fleet that operates simultaneously under centralized control. By merging the capabilities of multiple autonomous vehicles, the system achieves survey coverage comparable to manned aircraft while eliminating pilot costs and reducing individual vehicle requirements
2Area of stationary object
If a single manned aircraft is used for aerial surveys, then coverage area is improved, but pilot cost and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each UAV in the fleet is equipped with autonomous navigation and mission execution capabilities, allowing them to independently conduct surveys of their assigned sectors without requiring a pilot. The vehicles self-manage their flight paths, data collection, and return to base, eliminating the need for human operators on board
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized control system serves multiple UAVs simultaneously, providing a universal command and control function that manages the entire fleet. This multi-functional control architecture allows a single ground-based operator to supervise multiple autonomous vehicles, reducing the need for multiple pilots while maintaining coordinated operation across the entire survey area
3Extent of automation
If conventional UAVs are used for aerial surveys, then automation and reduced pilot cost are improved, but range and speed are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the total survey area into multiple smaller sectors and assigning each to a separate UAV, the system reduces the distance and time each individual vehicle must travel. This segmentation allows conventional-speed UAVs to collectively cover the entire survey area as quickly as or faster than a single high-speed manned aircraft
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements continuous survey coverage by having multiple UAVs operate simultaneously in different sectors. As one UAV completes its sector and returns to base, another is already deployed to cover the next area, ensuring uninterrupted survey progress across the entire region without requiring any single vehicle to maintain high speed
4Use of energy by moving object
If conventional UAVs are used for aerial surveys, then fuel efficiency is improved, but range and endurance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The survey mission is divided into multiple shorter flight segments, each assigned to a different UAV. Each vehicle only needs sufficient endurance to complete its specific sector and return to base, rather than requiring the extended range needed for complete solo coverage. This segmentation allows the use of fuel-efficient conventional UAVs with limited individual endurance
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic deployment cycles where UAVs are repeatedly launched and recovered from the base in sequences. As one UAV completes its mission and returns, another is deployed to continue the survey. This periodic operation pattern allows each individual vehicle to have limited endurance while the fleet collectively maintains continuous survey capability over extended periods
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey system and methods for surveying an area of interest are disclosed. The system can include a plurality of docking stations positioned at predetermined locations within the area of interest, each docking station comprising a platform to support a UAV while docked at the docking station; a battery charger; and a communications interface; a plurality of UAVs distributed among the plurality of docking stations, each UAV comprising a communications interface; and a system controller comprising a processor and transmitter communicatively coupled to the plurality of UAVs.