Geoscan needed to develop a charging hub design for 801 series products, capable of simultaneously charging 4 batteries and a remote control via USB-C.
It was necessary to provide a power connector and charger indicators for each battery. The body must be made of plastic by injection molding.
The design of the hub had to fit harmoniously into the aesthetics of the 801 product line and have a tower-like composition.
The customer noted that they want something simple and don’t expect to fall in love with the design (spoiler: they did), but it should be compact and easy to connect and remove batteries.
Analytics
We conduct research on the competitive landscape and study unapproved design concepts developed by the Geoscan team.
We study the Geoscan 801 quadcopter and its battery to extract the key design elements and take them into account in the design of the hub.
Conceptual design
We develop 4 hub design concepts, differing in shape and ventilation pattern.
1. Basic
Elevation above battery, Basic ventilation pattern, Rounded vertical corners, Chamfer along the upper contour
2. Monolithic
One-piece monolithic shape, Gradient ventilation pattern, Elevation above the battery
3. Faceted
Large chamfers in corners, Straight hard lines, Brutality
4. Organic
Integrity and harmony of the shape of the charger and battery, Minimalistic and smooth lines, Compactness, Convenience
Geoscan: evaluation of design concepts, appearance and ergonomics test using layouts printed on an FDM printer.
We receive feedback on the concepts: use the hull shape from the Organic concept and the ventilation pattern from the Monolith concept.
Detailed Design
Working out the details of the hub, improving the interface of elements.
Working on the design of the ventilation pattern on the upper and side planes of the hub.
We check the intermediate results in the VR space. We analyze the appearance and details in different lighting.
Geoscan: FDM printing to check the pattern and the new location of the USB port.
Change the configuration of the parts. Add the lowering on the walls connecting to the battery.
Coming to the final design solution, optimizing it for the required ventilation area.
Improving the shape and alignment of the charging indicators.
Geoscan: checking innovations on the layout using 3D printing.
Work out the shape of the rubber feet. The customer chooses the most sustainable solution
We hand over the final materials of the project to the customer: a detailed presentation and 3D design models.
Result
As a result, a design was developed that combines a concise thoughtful form and meticulously worked out details.
The docking station looks aesthetically pleasing when it does not power the battery, but its design is best revealed when batteries are connected to it and the overall image acquires compositional integrity.
Thanks to the smooth and protruding upper surface without sharp edges, the process of removing and installing the battery for charging is convenient and intuitive.
The pattern not only repeats, but also develops Geoscan graphical solutions used in other products.
Feedback
Everything went perfectly. Within a tight timeframe, USAEV was able to propose and implement compelling design solutions for the charging unit. The task was quite challenging, as there were specific structural elements that had to be taken into account. The final design turned out to be cohesive and consistent with the other products in the system.
Sergey Gordeev, Lead Design Engineer of the project
