UAV-UGV Transfer Place Selection for Obstacle-Safe Handoffs
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Solution Overview
Problem
In unmanned delivery systems, it is challenging to safely transfer articles between unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) without dedicated transfer facilities, and for UAVs to safely land on UGVs, especially in environments with obstacles or people present.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize sensing information from both UAVs and UGVs to select and determine a safe transfer or landing site, incorporating first, second, and third sensing data, as well as past transfer history, to ensure obstacle-free and secure locations for article transfer and landing, even in the absence of dedicated facilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If dedicated transfer facilities are prepared for article transfer between UAV and UGV, then transfer safety is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that coordinates between UAV and UGV, selecting appropriate transfer places based on sensing information without requiring dedicated transfer facilities. The server acts as a mediator that processes information from both vehicles and determines optimal transfer locations, eliminating the need for complex dedicated infrastructure while ensuring safe transfers.
Solution Approach 2:
The UAV and UGV themselves perform sensing operations to gather information about their surrounding environments. Each vehicle uses its own sensors to detect obstacles and evaluate potential transfer places, rather than relying on external dedicated facilities. This self-service approach allows the system to determine safe transfer locations using the vehicles' inherent capabilities.
2Reliability
If multiple sensing operations are performed to determine safe transfer places, then transfer safety is improved, but information processing time and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV performs first sensing operations during its flight to the transfer area, gathering information about the environment before actually arriving at potential transfer places. This preliminary action allows the server to pre-evaluate multiple candidate locations and select the most suitable one before the UAV reaches the transfer zone, reducing the time needed for final determination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the sensing and determination process based on the UAV's flight status and proximity to transfer areas. When the UAV is far away, preliminary sensing is performed; when approaching, more detailed sensing is conducted. This dynamic approach optimizes the balance between safety and time consumption by performing sensing operations at appropriate moments during the flight.
Data Source
AI summary
The article transfer system S selects an article transfer candidate on the basis of first sensing information obtained from first sensing performed by the unmanned aerial vehicle in flight, performs a movement control of the unmanned ground vehicle on the basis of position information of the selected article transfer candidate, and determines an article transfer place with reference to the selected article transfer candidate on the basis of second sensing information obtained from second sensing performed by the unmanned ground vehicle.