Autonomous UAV Folding Rotor Arms for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) require manual operation or offer quasi-autonomous functionality with limited obstacle avoidance and smart motion planning, increasing operating costs and liability, and lack effective autonomy for complex tasks.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous UAV with folding collapsible rotor arms, multiple image capture devices, and advanced navigation and tracking systems, including a hybrid mechanical-digital gimbal and selective illumination, enabling reliable obstacle avoidance, high-level autonomous motion planning, and precise vision-based navigation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the rotor arms are made fixed and rigid to ensure structural strength during flight, then the structural strength is improved, but the portability and storage efficiency deteriorate due to increased volume and weight
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor arm is divided into multiple segments that can rotate relative to each other about hinge mechanisms. This segmentation allows the arm to be rigid during flight operations while enabling compact folding configuration for storage and transport, effectively resolving the contradiction between structural strength and storage volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor arm transitions from a static fixed structure to a dynamic articulated structure with hinge mechanisms. The arm maintains rigidity when extended for flight but can dynamically fold into a compact configuration when not in use, balancing structural strength requirements with portability needs.
2Reliability
If the rotor arms are made extendable and rigid to improve flight performance and stability, then the flight performance is improved, but the portability and ease of transport deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor arm is segmented into multiple sections connected by hinge mechanisms, allowing the arm to maintain rigidity during flight operations for improved performance while enabling compact folding configurations that enhance portability and ease of transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotor arm employs dynamic hinge mechanisms that allow the arm to transition between extended rigid configurations during flight and compact folded configurations for transport, effectively balancing flight performance requirements with portability needs.
3Device complexity
If manual operation is used to reduce system complexity and cost, then the device complexity is reduced, but the operational efficiency and autonomy for complex tasks deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The autonomous navigation system integrates multiple functions including obstacle detection, path planning, and task execution into a single unified system, enabling the UAV to perform complex tasks autonomously without proportionally increasing system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The UAV incorporates autonomous navigation capabilities that enable it to perform complex tasks and avoid obstacles without continuous human intervention, improving operational efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity through self-service functionality.
Data Source
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Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
The technology described herein relates to autonomous aerial vehicle technology and, more specifically, to autonomous unmanned aerial vehicle with folding collapsible arms. In some embodiments, a UAV including a central body, a plurality of rotor arms, and a plurality of hinge mechanisms is disclosed. The plurality of rotor arms each include a rotor unit at a distal end of the rotor arm. The rotor units are configured to provide propulsion for the UAV. The plurality of hinge mechanisms mechanically attach (or couple) proximal ends of the plurality of rotor arms to the central body. Each hinge mechanism is configured to rotate a respective rotor arm of the plurality of rotor arms about an axis of rotation that is at an oblique angle relative to a vertical median plane of the central body to transition between an extended state and a folded state.