UAV Weight and Balance API with Automated PMA Data Collection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current maintenance protocols for vehicle fleets, especially for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), rely on manual inspection which is time-consuming and error-prone, and lacks comprehensive data capture, failing to effectively manage weight and balance metrics crucial for flight operations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system with physical metrics acquisition (PMA) devices, such as load cell grids and configurable scales, to measure weight distribution, center of mass, and moments of inertia of UAVs, which transmit data to a central controller for analytics and system updates, enabling automated and concurrent processing of multiple UAVs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual inspection is used to collect vehicle data, then comprehensive data capture is achieved, but time consumption and error rate increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical inspection with automated electronic data collection systems. Vehicles transmit error codes and operational data automatically to a central server, eliminating the need for manual inspection while maintaining data accuracy and significantly reducing time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables vehicles to self-report their status through automated error code generation and transmission. The vehicles serve themselves by automatically collecting and sending diagnostic data without requiring external manual intervention, thus reducing inspection time while maintaining comprehensive data capture.
2Productivity
If automated error code collection is implemented, then time efficiency is improved, but data comprehensiveness decreases due to reliance on onboard signals only
Solution Approach 1:
The central server is designed to receive and process multiple types of data from various sources including error codes, operational parameters, and maintenance records. This multi-functional platform consolidates diverse data streams into a comprehensive vehicle fleet management system, maintaining data completeness while improving collection efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a central server as an intermediary between vehicles and the analysis system. This intermediary collects, standardizes, and integrates data from multiple vehicles and sources, ensuring comprehensive data capture while enabling efficient automated processing and analysis.
3Measurement precision
If weight and balance metrics are manually measured for each aircraft, then accurate flight preparation is achieved, but processing speed for large fleets decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple weight measurement functions into a single integrated scale system. The scale simultaneously measures total weight, center of mass position, and weight distribution across multiple points, enabling comprehensive weight and balance assessment for multiple aircraft in rapid succession, thus improving both accuracy and processing speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The measurement system is divided into multiple independent measurement points or load cells arranged in a grid pattern. Each point independently measures weight, and the system integrates these segmented measurements to calculate comprehensive weight and balance metrics, enabling rapid processing of multiple aircraft while maintaining measurement accuracy.
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 system provides accurate and efficient collection of physical metrics, improving flight stability and power management by automating the data collection and analysis process, allowing for better preparation and execution of flight tasks.
Implementation Method 1
The PMA device may include a grid of load cells... Each load cell may have a known location... The central controller may determine a weight associated with each location based on a signal from the load cell
Implementation Method 2
The PMA device may include a configurable scale... The scale may be positioned at a known location... The central controller may determine a weight associated with each location based on a signal from the load cell
Data Source
AI summary
An application program interface may be used to collect and disseminate physical metrics of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). A weight distribution associated with a UAV may be determined prior to dispatch of the UAV and/or after the UAV returns from operation (e.g., a flight). In some embodiments, one or more UAVs may be placed on or proximate to a physical metrics acquisition (PMA) device to determine a distribution of weight of the UAV at three or more points associated with the UAV. The distribution of weight may be used generate analytics, which may include a total weight of a vehicle, a center of mass of the vehicle (in two or more dimensions), power requirements of the UAV for a given flight task (e.g., how much battery power the UAV requires, etc.), and/or other analytics. In various embodiments, the PMA device may perform moment of inertia tests for the UAV.