Emergency Drone Landing Systems

Parachute design for rapid deployment in emergency situations, like drone crashes, to quickly lower the vehicle and prevent damage. The parachute has an impact buffer section near the top that absorbs forces during deployment, followed by a lower section with lower elasticity. This allows the parachute to deploy faster by avoiding the initial resistance of the upper section. The lower section then holds the parachute shape after deployment. The parachute can be contained in a device like a rocket launcher or ejection pod that propels it out of the vehicle. This allows quick parachute deployment to prevent falls from low altitudes.

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Precise vehicle locator system using UAVs that can locate a downed UAV even after power loss from the main source. The UAV has a payload physically joined to the fuselage without modifying the structure. The payload contains a communication relay for extending radio range and a separate power source to operate after the main power is cut. This allows the relay and locator to continue functioning when the UAV's avionics are offline.

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Automated method for optimizing flight trajectories of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to prevent crashes in the event of critical failures like loss of power or engine. The method calculates probabilities of crashing into no-crash zones along the flight path, optimizes the trajectory to minimize those risks, and generates a real-time trajectory risk profile. This allows mitigating the consequences of failures by containing the crash risk into designated areas instead of relying on manual geofencing or intuition.

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A method for reliably controlling an autonomous vehicle that can continue functioning even if some modules fail. The method involves dynamically reconfiguring the vehicle's control system in response to module failures to utilize alternative modules. It does this by having redundant modules that can take over for failed modules, and by selecting a behavior mode for the vehicle based on the remaining reliable modules. This allows the vehicle to continue operating with reduced functionality if some modules fail. The behavior modes represent different levels of capability that the vehicle can fall back to based on the available modules.

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A compact, backpack-portable flying system that can safely operate with a failed propeller. The system has multiple propellers, some rotating clockwise and some counterclockwise. If a propeller fails, the remaining propellers adjust speeds to maintain stable flight. This is done by increasing the speed of the opposite-rotating propeller and increasing the speed of the same-rotating propeller more. The net angular momentum from all propellers remains zero. This allows safe flight continuation after a propeller failure.

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Adaptive feature extraction technique for vision-based landing of aerial vehicles like airplanes, helicopters, drones, etc. The technique improves edge detection accuracy by leveraging prior knowledge of the landing area features. It calculates expected edge slope, gradient direction, horizontal and vertical basis kernels, and combines them into a custom kernel. This kernel is then applied to the landing area image to extract the desired edges. This adaptive feature extraction helps filter out false edges and improve detection of landing area features like runway edges and helipad markings.

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In recent years, drones have emerged as critical tools in disaster response due to their rapid deployment, real-time data acquisition capabilities, and ability access hazardous or inaccessible areas. This paper examines the evolution deployment of drone technology scenarios, highlighting role collecting analyzing assess structural damage, locate victims, support rescue operations. Various types drones, including quadcopters ground-based systems, are examined for efficiency different contexts. The integration technologies such thermal imaging, 3D mapping, automated victim detection significantly enhances situational awareness speed. Case studies from past disasters, earthquakes hurricanes, demonstrate practical applications outcomes. Challenges processing bottlenecks, logistic limitations, regulatory gaps, ethical concerns, privacy sensitivity, critically analyzed. study also outlines emerging trends, autonomous decision-making, hydrogen-powered enhanced collaborative mapping systems. research contributes discourse on how can be optimized resilience while maintaining integrity. Keywor... Read More

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This paper introduces an aircraft contingency landing planner that assures safe road-based emergency landings by coordinating air and ground traffic with a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) datalink. Suitable roads within the reachable footprint are extracted from geographical database evaluated initially based on road width, live weather, flow. Then, trajectory is planned for highest total utility, ensuring requesting allocate space V2V link. Initial site utilities augmented metrics, including integrated population density under path, minimum path length constraint derived assured landing, gliding angle. altitude speed impacts potential sites investigated. A use case in Long Island, New York, presented simulation connected Cessna 182 has experienced loss of thrust. Results confirm analytically obtained safety constraints illustrate sequence dense moving at normal speeds. We provide computational cost analysis this case, 71 processed 300 ms laptop computer.

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Ensuring safe avoidance of collisions with moving obstacles during flight requires carrying out several-stage activities. Their scope includes detecting obstacles, identifying the possibilities potential collisions, calculating a trajectory, which is aimed at avoiding obstacles. It important to perform an analysis calculated trajectory in terms its implementation. The paper presents method performing safety using indicator. formulating this indicator and use stage preparing implementing discussed. calculations were carried by solving problem particle swarm optimization (PSO). example maneuvers obtained way was described courses risk level

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System for recovering aerial targets like drones without needing the recovery device to bear the full weight of the target. The system has a hanging rack, a catcher that hangs from the rack, a guide arm to move the catcher, a sensor to monitor the target, and a controller to coordinate the catcher's movement based on the target's position. This allows the catcher to intercept the target without needing to support its weight.

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A flight termination system for unmanned aerial vehicles that allows controlled descent and recovery in case of emergencies. The system uses a latching mechanism with two latches connected by a string. Burn wires can melt the string when activated, separating the latches and releasing a parachute to gently lower the UAV. This provides redundant failsafe parachute deployment capability that can be manually initiated or automatically triggered. The burn wires can be powered by a backup battery to ensure parachute deployment even if main power is lost.

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Protecting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from crashing when their positioning systems fail. The method involves determining the UAV's flight state based on its speed before positioning loss, and then adjusting flight protection strategies accordingly. If the UAV was flying slowly before, it enters a low-speed protection mode. If flying fast, it enters a high-speed protection mode. This reduces explosion probability and improves safety after positioning loss compared to the UAV's default flight mode.

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Method to determine the suitability of landing places for drones by considering the effect of ground features on wind during landing. The method involves detecting nearby features in the landing area, estimating the influence of downwash wind hitting and bouncing off those features, and determining if the landing spot is suitable based on the estimated influence. This allows selecting landing spots less likely to have erratic wind patterns due to features in the vicinity.

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A flying vehicle that uses an auxiliary thruster to protect passengers during emergency landings. The thruster burns fuel from the vehicle's fuel cell to generate thrust. During an emergency, the vehicle calculates required thrust to reduce impact forces. It then commands the thruster to burn fuel and eject combustion gases in a perpendicular direction. This auxiliary thrust helps lower impact loads on landing.

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UAV safety system to mitigate damage to people and other UAVs when a UAV experiences a critical failure mid-flight. The system uses onboard sensors to detect flight anomalies indicating failure. If a critical failure is detected, the UAV initiates a controlled descent using a parachute and deactivates the lift generators. This prevents collisions with people and other UAVs. The UAV also transmits its location and alerts nearby UAVs and ground stations to avoid the falling UAV. The system is designed to deploy the parachute rapidly, like in 0.3 seconds, to mitigate damage at low altitudes.

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An electromagnetic landing system for vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft at urban vertiports that uses magnetic force to guide and cushion landings. The vertiport has an elevating platform with coils below that interact with magnets on the aircraft. By applying current to the coils, forces can be generated to align the aircraft, absorb impacts, and lower it. This prevents hard landings and provides controlled descents. The coils also allow charging the aircraft during fastening. The magnetic landing system enables precise, gentle landings at compact vertiports.

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Flight device with redundant propulsion systems to enable safe landing if one system fails. The device has separate primary and backup propulsion systems. In normal flight, both systems operate. If one stops, the other takes over and lands the device. This prevents crashing if a drive source fails mid-flight. The backup system can also generate power from an engine to rotate the primary propellers if they fail. This allows landing with the backup system. The backup control system can also land the device using the backup rotors if the primary control fails.

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Parachute landing system for UAVs that enables controlled deployment of the parachute while maintaining precise control over the landing process. The system integrates with the UAV's flight control system to determine landing conditions and execute the parachute deployment sequence, including stopping the motor, deploying the parachute, and stabilizing it for a predetermined period. This controlled deployment enables precise landing parameters while maintaining flight control authority.

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This paper presents a strategy for collision detection and recovery control of drones using an onboard Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The algorithm compares the expected response drone with measurements from IMU to identify characterize collisions. controller implements gain scheduling approach, adjusting its parameters based on characteristics drones attitude. Simulations were conducted compare proposed popular method fixed thresholds, simulation results showed that approach outperformed existing in terms accuracy. Furthermore, approaches tested physical experiments custom-built drone. experimental confirmed was able distinguish between actual collisions aggressive flight maneuvers, can recover within 0.8 s.

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Method for safely terminating navigation of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that ensures safe landing even when the UAV deviates from its planned route. The method generates a precise navigation plan for the UAV, which includes a start point, end point, and a virtual tunnel connecting these two points. The UAV executes the navigation plan by following the planned route, and when it reaches the end point, it terminates its flight path by disconnecting power to the propulsion system and deploying a failsafe, such as parachutes or airbags. This approach ensures safe landing even when the UAV deviates from its planned route, providing a failsafe for civilian drone operations.

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