Multi-Level VTOL Landing Pad Allocation for Urban Storage Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft face challenges in landing and storage in densely populated urban areas due to limited infrastructure capacity and inefficiencies in existing systems, which hinder their adoption for intra-city transportation.
Innovation Solution
A computing system that dynamically designates landing and storage locations within a multi-level aircraft landing facility based on aircraft, passenger, and environmental data, optimizing VTOL aircraft routing and storage while ensuring safety and efficiency, using a combination of pre-defined and dynamically selected landing pads and storage areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If VTOL aircraft use existing infrastructure such as rooftops for landing and storage, then the aircraft can operate in urban environments, but the capacity for landing and storing multiple aircraft is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from two-dimensional rooftop landing surfaces to three-dimensional multi-level structures with vertical stacking capabilities. The system creates multiple landing levels at different elevations, allowing aircraft to land and store vertically stacked, thereby dramatically increasing storage capacity within the same urban footprint without requiring additional horizontal space.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested configuration where smaller landing pads and storage areas are positioned within and between larger structural levels. Multiple landing pads are arranged at different vertical levels, with storage areas nested between landing levels, maximizing the use of vertical space and increasing overall system capacity while maintaining compact urban integration.
2Productivity
If dynamic landing pad designation is implemented based on multiple data factors, then operational efficiency and safety are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously collects real-time data from multiple sources including aircraft position, weather conditions, landing pad availability, and operational status. This feedback loop enables the dynamic designation algorithm to adjust landing pad assignments based on current conditions, optimizing safety and efficiency while managing complexity through automated real-time adjustments rather than manual planning.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-establishes multiple landing pads at different locations and elevations before operations begin. By having predetermined landing options ready in advance with known characteristics and capacities, the system reduces real-time decision complexity while still enabling dynamic optimization through selective assignment based on current operational needs and conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A computing system for landing and storing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft can be configured to receive aircraft data, passenger data, or environment data associated with a VTOL aircraft and determine a landing pad location within a landing facility based on the aircraft data, passenger data, and/or environment data. The landing facility can include a lower level and an upper level. The lower level can include a lower landing area and a lower storage area. The upper level can include an upper landing area. At least a portion of the upper level can be arranged over the lower storage area. The landing pad location can include a location within the lower landing area or the upper landing area of the landing facility. The computing system can communicate the landing pad location to an operator or a navigation system of the VTOL aircraft.