UAV Attitude Control via Dynamic Center of Gravity Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in maintaining attitude control, especially during hovering or transitioning, due to the imbalance of thrust, drag, weight, and lift forces, which can be disrupted by environmental changes or component failures, requiring adaptive mechanisms to ensure safe and stable operation.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of pivoted or repositionable propulsion motors and adjustable landing gear, antennas, and payloads, allowing for real-time adjustments in force vectors and center of gravity, enabling UAVs to maintain equilibrium and orientation despite changes in environmental conditions or component failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the UAV uses a rigid structure with fixed propulsion motors, then the structural strength and manufacturing simplicity are improved, but the ability to adapt to environmental changes and maintain attitude control during hovering or transitioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the propulsion motors repositionable rather than fixed. The motors can be dynamically adjusted to different positions and orientations to compensate for changes in center of gravity and adapt to varying environmental conditions such as wind. This allows the UAV to maintain stable flight and proper attitude control while hovering or transitioning between flight modes, resolving the contradiction between structural rigidity and environmental adaptability.
2Device complexity
If the UAV carries fixed appurtenances and payloads, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to adjust center of gravity and maintain force balance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes appurtenances such as landing gear, antennas, and payloads repositionable rather than fixed. This allows the center of gravity to be dynamically adjusted to maintain proper force balance and attitude control. The ability to move these components enables the UAV to compensate for changes in mass distribution and environmental conditions, significantly improving attitude control reliability while adding manageable complexity to the system.
3Ease of operation
If the UAV uses fixed propulsion motors, then the ease of operation is improved, but the ability to compensate for component failures and maintain stable flight deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic repositioning of propulsion motors to compensate for component failures. If one or more motors fail, the remaining functional motors can be repositioned to redistribute thrust forces and maintain stable flight. This dynamic adaptability allows the UAV to continue operation under degraded conditions, significantly improving fault tolerance while maintaining relatively simple operation through automated control systems.
4Manufacturing precision
If the UAV maintains fixed physical attributes, then the manufacturing precision and production simplicity are improved, but the ability to maintain force equilibrium during critical phases deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making physical attributes such as motor positions, landing gear configuration, and payload placement adjustable rather than fixed. During critical phases like takeoff and landing, these attributes can be optimized in real-time to maintain proper force equilibrium and attitude control. This dynamic adjustment capability significantly improves reliability during critical operations while the manufacturing precision of individual components remains high.
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
This solution allows UAVs to maintain attitude control and stability by dynamically adjusting physical attributes, ensuring safe operation during takeoff, landing, and other critical phases, as well as adapting to wind and operational changes, thereby enhancing mission reliability and precision.
Implementation Method 1
Thrust is a force that is typically generated by one or more aerial propulsors or propulsion units such as rotating bladed propellers or jet engines
Implementation Method 2
Lift is another aerodynamic force that is generated by propellers, or from flows of air over wings or other control surfaces
Implementation Method 3
drag, which is a resistive aerodynamic force that is directed in an opposite direction to a direction of travel of the aerial vehicle
Implementation Method 4
Weight is a force resulting from the Earth's gravitational pull acting on a center of mass (or center of gravity) of the aerial vehicle
Data Source
AI summary
Aerial vehicles may be configured to control their attitudes by changing one or more physical attributes. For example, an aerial vehicle may be outfitted with propulsion motors having repositionable mounts by which the motors may be rotated about one or more axes, in order to redirect forces generated by the motors during operation. An aerial vehicle may also be outfitted with one or more other movable objects such as landing gear, antenna and/or engaged payloads, and one or more of such objects may be translated in one or more directions in order to adjust a center of gravity of the aerial vehicle. By varying angles by which forces are supplied to the aerial vehicle, or locations of the center of gravity of the aerial vehicle, a desired attitude of the aerial vehicle may be maintained irrespective of velocity, altitude and/or forces of thrust, lift, weight or drag acting upon the aerial vehicle.