UAV Landing Gear Shared Suspension Monoshock Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Short takeoff and landing (STOL) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges with high impact forces during steeper landing approaches, which can result in hard landings and damage, while also requiring lightweight and low-drag landing gear to minimize energy consumption and infrastructure needs.
Innovation Solution
A monoshock, multistage suspension landing gear assembly with a shared shock assembly between opposing side ground gear, housed within the fuselage to reduce weight and complexity, featuring flexible leg members and distinct spring constants for adjustable damping, allowing controlled energy dissipation and preventing uncontrolled flight.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a steeper approach angle is used for short takeoff and landing (STOL) capability, then the takeoff and landing distance is reduced, but the impact force during landing increases causing hard landings
Solution Approach 1:
The landing gear incorporates a shared suspension system with spring elements that provide beforehand cushioning to absorb impact forces before they can cause damage. The suspension is pre-configured with appropriate spring constants to cushion the steeper landing impacts that result from STOL operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by using distinct spring constants for different stages of suspension compression. The multistage suspension system changes the stiffness parameter dynamically - softer initial compression for small impacts, stiffer compression for larger impacts - allowing the same landing gear to handle varying impact forces from STOL operations.
2Reliability
If a robust landing gear is used to absorb high impact forces, then landing safety is improved, but the weight and drag of the aircraft increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the suspension functions of multiple landing gear legs into a single shared suspension system. Instead of having separate suspension mechanisms for each landing gear leg, a single suspension assembly is shared among multiple legs, reducing the total weight of suspension components while maintaining adequate impact absorption capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shared suspension system performs multiple functions: it provides impact absorption for all landing gear legs, reduces overall weight, and minimizes drag. This universal suspension assembly serves the landing safety function without requiring separate dedicated suspension components for each leg.
3Weight of moving object
If a shared suspension system is used between opposing side ground gear, then weight and complexity are reduced, but the design complexity of the suspension mechanism increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shared suspension system is segmented into distinct functional stages with different spring constants. The multistage suspension divides the compression process into segments - initial compression with softer springs, subsequent compression with stiffer springs - making the complex behavior manageable through modular functional segmentation.
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
The solution effectively absorbs and dissipates impact energies, preventing hard landings and maintaining aircraft stability, while reducing drag and infrastructure requirements for STOL UAVs, enabling efficient package delivery operations in limited spaces.
Implementation Method 1
A monoshock, multistage suspension landing gear assembly with a shared shock assembly between opposing side ground gear, featuring flexible leg members and distinct spring constants for adjustable damping
Implementation Method 2
distinct spring constants for adjustable damping, allowing controlled energy dissipation
Data Source
AI summary
A landing gear assembly for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is described. The landing gear assembly includes a mounting block assembly adapted to mount to a structural frame of a fuselage of the UAV, a shared shock assembly including a spring adapted to provide a spring force and a damper adapted to dampen oscillations of the spring, a pair of leg members extending out from the mounting block assembly, and a pair of pivot blocks each pivotally mounted to the mounting block assembly. The pivot blocks are rigidly connected to a corresponding one of the leg members and pivotally connected to one of opposing ends of the shared shock assembly. The leg members are each connected to a ground gear. An upward suspension travel of one or both of the ground gears rotates one or both of the pivot blocks, thereby compressing the spring.