Low-Footprint Vertiport Layout for High-Throughput VTOL Handling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Urban areas face challenges in developing high traffic-rate aerial transportation systems due to limited space for Vertiports, and existing solutions for VTOL aircraft are inefficient in terms of footprint, traffic throughput, and energy provisioning.
Innovation Solution
A transportation system featuring a Vertiport with a dynamic partition arrangement, robotic handling systems, and energy provisioning capabilities that allow for rapid swapping of energy stores, enabling efficient operation and high traffic throughput while minimizing space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a Vertiport is designed to accommodate high traffic-rate aerial transportation, then the throughput and operational efficiency are improved, but the space requirements and footprint increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The Vertiport is divided into distinct functional modules: a flight deck for VTOL operations, a passenger terminal for passenger handling, and a parking area for aircraft storage. These modules are connected through automated guideways and robotic handling systems, allowing each segment to operate semi-independently and optimize space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs multi-level vertical stacking to accommodate multiple flight decks and parking areas at different elevations. This three-dimensional arrangement allows the Vertiport to achieve high traffic throughput by utilizing vertical space rather than expanding horizontally, thereby reducing the ground footprint while maintaining high operational capacity.
2Productivity
If automated robotic handling systems are implemented for AV conveyance, then operational efficiency and traffic rate are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic handling systems are designed with multi-functionality to perform various operations including AV conveyance, energy store provisioning, and positioning. The same robotic infrastructure serves multiple purposes throughout the Vertiport, reducing the need for separate specialized systems and thereby managing complexity while maintaining high operational efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
Automated guideways and robotic handling systems serve as intermediaries between the flight deck, passenger terminal, and parking areas. These intermediary systems automate the complex coordination required for AV movement and energy provisioning, managing system complexity by centralizing control functions while improving operational efficiency through automated processes.
3Productivity
If energy stores are frequently swapped to minimize idle time, then the traffic rate is improved, but the time and resources for energy provisioning increase
Solution Approach 1:
Energy stores are pre-charged and prepared in advance in the parking area before being transferred to the flight deck for use. This preliminary preparation allows rapid energy store swapping during operations without requiring time-consuming charging cycles during critical flight operations, thereby maintaining high traffic rates while managing energy provisioning time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains a continuous cycle of energy store provisioning by having multiple energy stores in various stages of charging and readiness. While one energy store is being used, another is being charged or prepared, ensuring that energy provisioning operations continue without interruption and minimizing idle time for aircraft while managing the overall time and resources required for energy management.
Data Source
AI summary
A transportation system and method serve passenger-conveying VTOL air vehicles (AVs) at a vertiport. The vertiport has a flight deck including at least one landing pad, a passenger terminal, and a dynamic partition arrangement that defines a capsule for receiving one of the AVs at a time. The dynamic partition arrangement assumes a first open state in which it is open to the flight deck and closed to the passenger terminal and a second open state in which it is closed to the flight deck and open to the passenger terminal. A robotic system includes a handling robot that automatically approaches and docks with the AV after landing, and conveys the AV between the landing pad and the capsule via an opening provided by the first open state of the dynamic partition.