Integrated UAV Fluid Tank With Bubble-Venting Collection Chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid tanks in unmanned aerial vehicles face challenges in maintaining continuous fluid release during abrupt aircraft movements, such as vertical gusts of wind, which can lead to substantial emptying of the tank.
Innovation Solution
A fluid tank design with a collection chamber at the bottom, a drain, and a fluid connection to a receiving chamber, ensuring continuous fluid extraction through a small cross-section fluid connection, and flow openings to manage gas bubbles, all optimized for the aircraft's center of gravity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a fluid tank is added to an unmanned aircraft structure, then the fluid carrying capacity is improved, but the weight of the aircraft increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid tank is integrated into the hollow interior space of the aircraft structure (fuselage or wing), combining the structural component with the fluid storage function. This eliminates the need for a separate external tank, adding fluid capacity without proportionally increasing overall aircraft weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The fluid tank is nested within the hollow interior of the aircraft structure, utilizing the existing structural volume for dual purposes. The tank is positioned inside the fuselage or wing cavity, effectively nesting the storage function within the structural framework.
2Quantity of substance
If a fluid tank is integrated into the aircraft structure, then the fluid carrying capacity is improved, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tank structure is merged with the aircraft fuselage or wing structure, using the same structural members and skin for both structural support and fluid containment. This integration reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The aircraft structure (fuselage or wing) serves dual functions: providing structural support for flight and containing the fluid tank. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for dedicated tank walls and supports, reducing structural complexity.
3Quantity of substance
If the aircraft structure is designed to accommodate a fluid tank, then the fluid carrying capacity is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tank and aircraft structure are manufactured as an integrated unit or pre-assembled system, combining the fabrication processes. This allows for streamlined manufacturing where the structural components serve dual purposes, reducing the number of separate manufacturing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The structural members are designed with modified parameters (thicker walls, reinforced joints) to simultaneously withstand aerodynamic loads and contain fluid pressure. This parameter optimization allows a single manufacturing process to produce both structural and tank functions.
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2a~2b
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a fluid tank for integration into a structure of an unmanned aircraft, comprising a shell having a first axial wall, a second axial wall arranged opposite thereto, an upper face, a lower face, and an enclosed interior, at least one receiving chamber in the interior for storing fluid, and a collection chamber which is arranged on the lower face and which is fluidically connected to the at least one receiving chamber. The collection chamber has a bottom surface through which a drain extends, wherein a covering surface is arranged above the bottom surface and covers at least one portion of the collection chamber. At least one flow opening could be arranged on an upper face of the collection chamber, which flow opening allows gas bubbles to escape in the direction of the upper face of the fluid tank.