UAV Main Body Weight Reduction via Hollow Frame Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face limitations in range, flight time, and maneuverability due to their overall weight, which affects their operational capabilities and structural integrity.
Innovation Solution
The design of a UAV with a lightweight yet structurally rigid main body, featuring a 'H' shaped configuration with canting rotors and a hollow interior cavity, utilizing different density materials for the frame and cover plate, and incorporating reinforcing ribs to maintain structural integrity while minimizing weight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the UAV uses a solid main body structure, then structural integrity is maintained, but overall weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The main body is divided into a frame structure with multiple components (first frame member, second frame member, reinforcing ribs) that are coupled together to form a hollow structure, eliminating the need for a solid continuous material while maintaining structural integrity through distributed reinforcement elements
Solution Approach 2:
The frame members and cover plate form thin-walled hollow structures that enclose interior cavities, providing structural support with minimal material usage. The thin-walled design reduces weight while the enclosed cavities maintain structural rigidity
2Weight of moving object
If the UAV uses a hollow main body structure, then overall weight is reduced, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Reinforcing ribs are strategically positioned at specific locations within the hollow main body structure where structural support is most needed, providing localized strengthening without adding material throughout the entire structure. This allows the hollow structure to maintain integrity only where required
Solution Approach 2:
The frame structure combines multiple materials with different properties - lightweight materials for the main hollow structure and denser reinforcing materials for the ribs and critical connection points, creating a composite structure that optimizes both weight and strength
3Duration of action of moving object
If the UAV carries more fuel, then range and flight time are extended, but overall weight increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fuel storage is divided into multiple separate fuel tanks rather than one large tank, allowing the fuel system to be integrated into the hollow spaces of the frame structure. This segmentation enables fuel to be carried in the otherwise empty space without adding structural weight
Solution Approach 2:
The fuel tanks are nested within the hollow interior cavities of the main body structure, utilizing the existing structural voids for fuel storage. This nesting approach allows fuel capacity to increase without requiring additional external volume or structural support
Data Source
AI summary
A remotely navigated aerial vehicle may include a main body and a propulsion system operably coupled to the main body to propel the vehicle in response to an external command. The main body may include a frame and a cover plate coupled to the frame such that the frame and cover plate define an interior cavity in at least a portion of the main body. The frame may include a central body defining a longitudinal axis of the frame, a first arm at a first end portion of the central body, and a second arm at a second end portion of the central body.