VTOL Departure Timing for Shared Urban Air Mobility Nodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intra-city air travel is limited by resource requirements, noise, and airspace regulations, making it difficult to implement large-scale aerial transportation within cities, while ground-based transportation faces congestion and pollution issues.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a transport network coordination system that utilizes vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, optimized through demand estimation, node placement, and fleet management, to provide efficient aerial transportation services, integrating with ground-based transport and dynamically adjusting pricing for optimal resource utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If ground-based transportation is used to provide large-scale transport services, then infrastructure requirements are reduced, but traffic congestion and pollution increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions transportation from the ground plane to the aerial dimension by implementing VTOL aircraft operations. This dimensional shift allows transport services to operate above ground-level congestion, eliminating traffic-related pollution and congestion while maintaining high transport productivity through three-dimensional space utilization.
2Loss of time
If traditional aircraft are used for aerial transportation, then travel time is reduced, but resource requirements and infrastructure needs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the aerial transport system into distributed VTOL nodes throughout the city rather than requiring a single centralized airport infrastructure. Each node operates independently with minimal equipment, allowing rapid deployment and flexible scaling while maintaining efficient travel times through coordinated multi-node operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables VTOL aircraft to autonomously manage their own operations including automated docking, refueling, and maintenance at distributed nodes. This self-service capability reduces the need for complex human-operated infrastructure while maintaining high operational efficiency and reducing travel time through automated processes.
3Loss of time
If VTOL aircraft are deployed to reduce traffic congestion, then travel time is reduced, but noise and airspace regulation constraints increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements noise mitigation strategies tailored to specific local conditions around each VTOL node. Different nodes employ different noise reduction techniques based on their surrounding environment, such as acoustic shielding in residential areas, elevated operation zones in commercial districts, and optimized takeoff/landing procedures in mixed-use zones, thereby reducing noise impact while maintaining travel time efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A request for transport services that identifies a rider, an origin, and a destination is received from a client device. Eligibility of the request to be serviced by a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is determined based on the origin and the destination. The client device is sent an itinerary for servicing the transport request including a leg serviced by the VTOL aircraft. Confirmation is received that the rider has boarded the VTOL aircraft and determination made as to whether the VTOL aircraft should wait for additional riders. Instruction are sent to the VTOL aircraft to take-off if one or more conditions are met.