Airborne Data Library for UAV Situation Awareness Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
In network-centric warfare and other operational scenarios, there is a need for efficient management and dissemination of situation awareness data (SAD) to ensure real-time information sharing among geographically dispersed forces, particularly in areas where line-of-sight communication is obstructed, and unmanned airborne vehicles (UAVs) can serve as communication relay stations but lack autonomous data management capabilities.
Innovation Solution
An airborne data library system onboard a UAV, equipped with an onboard data management system that establishes communication links with SAD sources, processes data, and determines whether to store or transmit SAD locally or remotely, and automatically provides SAD to participating entities based on predefined logic, including location, type, and rank of entities, enhancing data availability and sharing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If UAVs are used as communication relay stations to improve information sharing range and robustness, then communication coverage and reliability are improved, but the system lacks autonomous data management capabilities and cannot efficiently manage situation awareness data
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV is equipped with an onboard data management system that enables it to autonomously manage situation awareness data without requiring constant ground control intervention. The system automatically determines what data to collect, process, store, and disseminate to participating entities, making the UAV self-sufficient in data management operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The data management system is divided into distinct functional modules including data collection module, data processing module, data storage module, and data dissemination module. This segmentation allows each module to operate independently and efficiently, with the ability to make autonomous decisions about data handling at each stage of the management process.
2Loss of information
If all obtained situation awareness data are stored locally in the onboard data-repository, then data availability for immediate access is improved, but onboard storage capacity is quickly exhausted
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and transmits processed situation awareness data to remote data-repository units when local storage is approaching capacity or when data can be more efficiently stored remotely. This extraction mechanism allows the onboard repository to maintain only the most critical and frequently accessed data, preserving storage capacity while ensuring data availability through remote access.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary processing and filtering of situation awareness data before storage, identifying and retaining only the most relevant data for local storage while preparing other data for remote transmission. This preliminary action optimizes the use of limited onboard storage capacity from the outset.
3Productivity
If the data management unit automatically provides obtained SAD to all participating entities, then information sharing speed is improved, but data transmission bandwidth and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system provides situation awareness data with local quality by tailoring the data dissemination to the specific needs, locations, and roles of different participating entities. Each entity receives data optimized for its specific operational context rather than identical data sets, reducing overall transmission requirements while maintaining effective information sharing for all participants.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements selective data dissemination by providing situation awareness data only to entities that require it based on their operational needs, locations, and mission roles. This partial action approach avoids the excessive transmission of data to all entities regardless of need, thereby reducing energy consumption and bandwidth usage while maintaining effective information sharing.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed subject matter includes, an airborne data library onboard an airborne platform, configured for automatic management of situation awareness data (SAD), the airborne data library comprising an onboard data management system; the on-board data management system comprises a data management unit and an onboard data-repository; the data management unit being operatively connectible to at least one computer processor and configured to: establish a communication link with at least one situation awareness data (SAD) source; obtain situation awareness data from the at least one SAD source; process the SAD based on data management logic being accessible to the data management unit.