Unmanned aerial vehicle and protective outer cage therefor

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including a flight propulsion system and a support system coupled to the flight propulsion system, the support system comprising a protective outer cage comprising a plurality of beams connected together configured to surround the flight propulsion system, wherein the outer cage comprises a suspension system configured to couple the flight propulsion system, or an inner support structure of the UAV on which the flight propulsion system is mounted, wherein the relative elasticity of the outer cage and the suspension system satisfies the following relationships:

• P, <C, <10P, and P, <S, <10P, where
• P is a ratio of compression displacement d of the outer cage for a pre-buckling force F,
• C, is a ratio of compression/traction displacement c of the suspension system for said pre-buckling force F applied between said outer cage and said flight propulsion system or inner support structure, and
• S, is a ratio of tangential or shear displacement s of the suspension system for said pre-buckling force F applied between said outer cage and said flight propulsion system or inner support structure,
• the magnitude of the pre-buckling force F being selected in a range of 50% to 90% of a magnitude of a force that may be applied to the outer cage before a buckling of one or more beams of said plurality of beams of the outer cage, wherein the outer cage comprises a plurality of cage frame modules that are manufactured as separate components and assembled together to form at least a portion of the outer cage configured to surround the flight propulsion system, each cage frame module comprising a plurality of said beams wherein at least some of the cage frame modules form a first polygon shape beam structure, and wherein the outer cage comprising the suspension system is configured to elastically couple the flight propulsion system, or an inner support structure of the UAV on which the flight propulsion system is mounted, to the outer cage, the suspension system comprising at least two cage frame suspension modules, each cage frame suspension module comprising a polygon shape beam structure identical to said first polygon shape beam structure of said at least some of the cage frame modules to allow the cage frame suspension modules to be assembled with the cage frame modules to form the outer cage.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) including a flight propulsion system and a support system coupled to the flight propulsion system, the support system comprising a protective outer cage comprising a plurality of beams connected together configured to surround the flight propulsion system, wherein the outer cage comprises a suspension system configured to couple the flight propulsion system, or an inner support structure of the UAV on which the flight propulsion system is mounted, wherein the relative elasticity of the outer cage and the suspension system satisfies the following relationships:

• P, <C, <10P, and P, <S, <10P, where
• P is a ratio of compression displacement d of the outer cage for a pre-buckling force F,
• C, is a ratio of compression/traction displacement c of the suspension system for said pre-buckling force F applied between said outer cage and said flight propulsion system or inner support structure, and
• S, is a ratio of tangential or shear displacement s of the suspension system for said pre-buckling force F applied between said outer cage and said flight propulsion system or inner support structure, the magnitude of the pre-buckling force F being selected in a range of 50% to 90% of a magnitude of a force that may be applied to the outer cage before a buckling of one or more beams of said plurality of beams of the outer cage, wherein the cage frame suspension module comprises frame connection beams forming a polygonal frame connection beam structure connected at the corners of the polygonal frame connection beam structure to radial beams that join together at the other ends of the radial beams, and a suspension element made of a more elastic material than the material of the frame connection and radial beams, the suspension element mounted on an inner side of the cage frame suspension module and comprising radial suspension beams connected to each corner of the polygonal frame connection beam structure and joining together at a bearing support portion configured to be coupled to the propulsion system or inner support structure.