UAV Delivery Route Control for Safe Return and Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional package delivery methods using delivery trucks are limited by the driver's speed, preventing simultaneous delivery to multiple locations and increasing the risk of damage or injury due to UAV maneuvers.
Innovation Solution
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) delivery control system that automatically manages the UAV's operation to deliver packages along an airborne route while adhering to FAA guidelines, adjusting dynamically to environmental changes and ensuring safe return to a changing destination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple UAVs are coordinated to deliver packages simultaneously, then delivery efficiency and productivity are improved, but the risk of collisions and interference between UAVs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements real-time feedback through continuous monitoring of UAV positions, velocities, and package trajectories. The centralized server receives telemetry data from all UAVs and dynamically adjusts flight paths to prevent collisions, enabling safe coordinated delivery operations
Solution Approach 2:
A centralized server acts as an intermediary that coordinates between multiple UAVs. The server processes flight path data, identifies potential collision risks, and generates adjusted trajectories, serving as a mediator that enables productive multi-UAV operations while preventing harmful interactions
2Reliability
If automated flight path adjustment is implemented to avoid obstacles and other UAVs, then safety and reliability are improved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines obstacle detection, collision risk assessment, and flight path optimization functions into a single centralized server system. This merging approach improves reliability through comprehensive monitoring while managing complexity by consolidating computational functions rather than distributing them across multiple independent systems
Solution Approach 2:
The centralized server performs multiple functions including real-time tracking of UAV positions, detection of obstacles and other UAVs, calculation of collision risks, and generation of adjusted flight paths. This multi-functionality improves safety through comprehensive monitoring while avoiding the complexity of multiple separate specialized systems
3Reliability
If real-time monitoring and coordination of multiple UAVs is implemented, then collision avoidance and safety are improved, but communication bandwidth and processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements partial monitoring by prioritizing the transmission of critical collision-related data over less urgent operational parameters. The centralized server focuses computational resources on calculating collision risks and adjusting flight paths only when necessary, rather than continuously processing all possible parameters, thereby reducing communication bandwidth requirements while maintaining collision avoidance capability
Data Source
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AI summary
A UAV delivery control system is disclosed. Sensors detect operation parameters associated with the UAV as the UAV maneuvers along an airborne delivery route. A UAV operation controller monitors UAV route parameters as the UAV maneuvers along the airborne delivery route. The UAV route parameters are indicative as to a current environment of the airborne delivery route that the UAV is encountering. The UAV operation controller automatically adjusts the operation of the UAV to maintain the operation of the UAV within an operation threshold based on the operation parameters and the UAV route parameters. The operation threshold is the operation of the UAV that is maintained within an overall airborne operation radius of the UAV from a return destination thereby enabling the UAV to execute the delivery of the package along the airborne delivery route and to return to the return destination.