UAV Spar Sensor Control for Stable Flight in Confined Spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a cost-effective and efficient means to control and maneuver unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) within confined aerospace, such as gaps between buildings or within enclosures, and to deliver items accurately to customers, as existing technologies face challenges in navigating UAVs in constrained areas and maintaining stability during hovering.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a multi-rotor vehicle with thrusters mounted on a frame having dihedral and twist, allowing for independent control of roll, pitch, and yaw, along with a tethered communication system that includes a microfilament tether for power and data transfer, enabling the UAV to maintain spatial orientation and generate net thrust while using sensors like cameras and IMUs for navigation and collision avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a multi-rotor vehicle with rigidly mounted motors is used to control UAV motion, then the system can be controlled in roll, pitch, yaw, and net thrust, but system instability occurs during hovering
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into independent axis controllers (roll, pitch, yaw, thrust) that operate separately. Each axis is controlled independently rather than as a coupled system, allowing precise stabilization of hover while maintaining full maneuverability. The spars are also segmented with individual actuators for each thruster orientation control.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dynamic control where the orientation of each spar and thruster is continuously adjusted in real-time based on flight conditions. The spars can rotate independently to change thrust vector directions, enabling adaptive control that maintains stability during hover while allowing aggressive maneuvers when needed.
2Adaptability or versatility
If thrusters are mounted with dihedral and twist angles to enable independent axis control, then maneuverability in confined spaces is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each spar assembly serves multiple functions: it provides structural support, houses the thruster, enables thrust vectoring through rotation, and acts as a control surface for roll, pitch, and yaw. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate control surfaces and simplifies the overall control architecture despite the complex maneuvers enabled.
Solution Approach 2:
The spars are configured with asymmetric dihedral and twist angles optimized for specific maneuvering requirements. This asymmetric configuration allows the vehicle to achieve superior maneuverability in confined spaces by exploiting the geometric properties of the angled thrust vectors, while the control system manages the complexity through coordinated control algorithms.
3Measurement precision
If sensors and processing systems are added for navigation and collision avoidance in confined spaces, then navigation precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensing functions (collision detection, distance measurement, navigation) are merged into integrated sensor assemblies mounted on the spars and vehicle body. The system combines data from multiple sensors through centralized processing to achieve precise navigation and collision avoidance with a unified control architecture, reducing overall system complexity despite enhanced capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
A centralized processing system acts as an intermediary between multiple sensors and the control actuators. This intermediary processes sensor data, makes navigation decisions, and coordinates control commands, simplifying the overall system architecture while enabling precise navigation and collision avoidance in confined spaces.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for controlling an unmanned aerial vehicle within a flight operating space. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes one or more sensor arrays on each spar. The method includes determining, using a plurality of sensor arrays, a flight path for the unmanned aerial vehicle. The method also includes receiving, by at least one sensor array of the plurality of sensor arrays, sensor data identifying at least one object in the operating space. The sensor data is transmitted over a communications bus connecting components of the UAV. The method further includes determining, by one or more processors onboard the unmanned aerial vehicle, a flight path around the at least one object. The method also includes generating, by the one or more onboard processors, a first signal to cause the unmanned aerial vehicle to navigate within the operating space around the at least one object.