Wall-Contact UAV Tilting Geometry for Stable Surface Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing UAVs face instability when hovering against vertical walls, leading to inaccurate measurements and potential hazards in environments with explosive or corrosive materials, as they struggle to maintain stable contact.
Innovation Solution
A UAV design featuring rotors, an arm, and legs that tilt upon contact with the wall, creating a stable three-point contact and exerting a horizontal propulsion force to maintain positioning, allowing for accurate and safe operation in hazardous environments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the UAV hovers freely in the air without contacting the wall, then the UAV can move freely to roll, pitch and yaw, but the contact stability with the wall deteriorates when hovering against the wall
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV employs a dynamic tilting mechanism where the body, rotors, arm end, and leg ends tilt in conjunction upon contact with the wall. This dynamic adjustment allows the propulsion force to generate a horizontal component that pushes the UAV against the wall, transforming the static hovering state into a dynamically stable wall-contacting state that maintains both freedom of operation and contact stability
2Device complexity
If the UAV uses a simple hovering mechanism, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision deteriorates due to unstable contact
Solution Approach 1:
The tilting mechanism is integrated into the existing UAV structure without adding complex external stabilization systems. The body, rotors, arm end, and leg ends tilt together as a unified system, creating a horizontally directed propulsion force that naturally presses the contact points against the wall, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining relatively simple device complexity
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the UAV operates in hazardous environments with explosive or corrosive materials, then the safety of the operator is improved by remote control, but the reliability of stable positioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic tilting mechanism creates a self-stabilizing effect where the propulsion force automatically generates a horizontal component upon wall contact. This passive stabilization through mechanical geometry rather than active control systems enhances positioning reliability in hazardous environments, allowing safe remote operation without compromising stability
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
The UAV achieves stable positioning against vertical surfaces, enabling accurate measurements and safe operation in challenging environments, including those with explosive or corrosive materials, by utilizing a tilting mechanism that ensures a significant horizontal propulsion force.
Implementation Method 1
a number of rotors supported by said body, the rotors being adapted for together exerting a propulsion force on the vehicle in an upward substantially vertical direction
Implementation Method 2
The propulsion force exerted by the rotors on the UAV tilted in this manner comprises a horizontal component which pushes the UAV towards the wall, providing a stable positioning of the UAV against the wall
Data Source
Figure 1A~1C
Figure 2A~2C
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle (1) adapted to be positioned against a substantially vertical wall (2) while hovering in the air, comprising a body and rotors (21), an arm end (51), a first leg end and a second leg end (31) intersected by a front plane (FP) and adapted for together contacting the wall at three spaced apart positions, said front plane intersecting a vertical axis of the UAV at an upper side of a first plane (RP) spanned by a lateral and longitudinal axis of the UAV, the front plane extending at a first angle (a) of between 45 to 85 degrees to the first plane; wherein the UAV is adapted for tilting upon contact of the first and second leg ends with the wall while the arm end approaches the wall, about the first and second leg ends and towards the wall, until the arm end contacts the wall.