Unmanned Aircraft Reverse Thrust Failsafe Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aircraft often crash at high speeds when they enter uncontrollable situations due to failing sensors or components, posing safety risks, especially in civilian areas, and existing solutions like flight termination modes or parachute deployment are not always effective.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a reverse thrust system and a drag increasing system in unmanned aircraft, activated by a controller upon detection of an uncontrolled situation, allows for a controlled, nearly vertical descent and reduced speed, enabling safe landing and potential reusability of the aircraft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If flight termination mode with manual control is used, then the unmanned aircraft can perform a safe spiral-shaped landing, but this assumes the aircraft's speed is still controllable which is not the case when the aircraft is in an uncontrolled situation
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using forward thrust to maintain controlled flight during landing, the patent applies reverse thrust to rapidly decelerate the aircraft in uncontrolled situations. The propeller system is configured to generate thrust in the opposite direction of flight, creating a counteracting force that reduces speed and enables controlled descent even when the aircraft is in an uncontrollable state
2Reliability
If a parachute is used to terminate flight, then the unmanned aircraft can be slowed down, but it requires the presence of a weight and involves risks such as improper rolling or incomplete opening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the weight requirement from the flight termination system by using reverse thrust generated by the propeller system itself. Instead of relying on a separate parachute system that requires additional weight and has mechanical failure modes, the solution uses the aircraft's existing propulsion system to create decelerating force, eliminating the need for parachute deployment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The reverse thrust system acts as an intermediary between the uncontrolled flight state and safe landing. Rather than directly deploying a parachute or relying on uncontrolled descent, the reverse thrust provides a controlled intermediate deceleration phase that transitions the aircraft from an uncontrolled high-speed state to a controlled low-speed descent
3Device complexity
If the unmanned aircraft crashes at high speed in an uncontrolled situation, then no additional control system is needed, but it poses safety risks especially in civilian areas and the aircraft cannot be reused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a detection system that monitors flight parameters and provides feedback to the control system. When uncontrolled situations are detected (such as excessive speed or abnormal flight conditions), the system automatically activates reverse thrust to correct the situation. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables automatic intervention without requiring complex manual control systems
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 enables unmanned aircraft to safely terminate flights in controlled conditions, reducing impact speed to a few tens of kilometers per hour, enhancing safety and reusability, and is safer for use in civilian areas by utilizing in-flight reverse thrust and drag increase mechanisms.
Implementation Method 1
its speed is reduced through the reverse thrust system that generates a force with a vertical upward component while the unmanned aircraft is falling
Implementation Method 2
a detector coupled to the controller and adapted to detect and notify to the controller than the unmanned aircraft is in an uncontrolled situation during the flight
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aircraft configured to fall or crash in a controlled and safe manner. The unmanned aircraft includes a drive system to thrust the unmanned aircraft during a flight, and a reverse thrust system to reverse thrust the unmanned aircraft during a landing. The unmanned aircraft further includes a controller operationally coupled to the reverse thrust system, and a detector to detect and notify to the controller that the unmanned aircraft is in an uncontrolled situation during the flight. The controller is adapted to activate the reverse thrust system in order to reverse thrust the unmanned aircraft in-flight upon notification from the detector that the unmanned aircraft is in an uncontrolled situation.