Aircraft Object Sensing and Escape Path Planning for Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aircraft systems face challenges in reliably detecting and avoiding external objects during flight, which can lead to collisions and are often expensive and burdensome to implement.
Innovation Solution
An aircraft monitoring system equipped with sensors that detect objects, classify potential collision threats, and generate an escape envelope to determine safe paths for the aircraft to avoid collisions, considering factors like object type, velocity, and aircraft capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If comprehensive sensor systems are deployed to reliably detect and avoid external objects, then collision detection reliability is improved, but system cost and implementation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the detection space into multiple zones (forward, backward, left, right) and assigns specific sensors to each zone. This division allows the complex detection task to be broken into manageable segments, improving reliability through comprehensive coverage while reducing overall system complexity through modular sensor assignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: detecting objects in various directions, classifying object types, determining collision risk, and generating escape paths. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized systems, thereby improving reliability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If multiple sensors are used to detect objects in all directions, then detection coverage is improved, but system cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensors are merged into a unified sensor system that shares common processing and control resources. The sensors detect objects in different directions and feed data to a centralized processor, achieving comprehensive detection coverage while reducing redundant components and overall system cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system automatically performs object classification and collision risk assessment without requiring external intervention. The system uses its own sensor data to identify object types (birds, debris, other aircraft) and determine escape paths, reducing the need for additional specialized equipment.
3Reliability
If real-time object detection and path planning are performed, then collision avoidance capability is improved, but processing time and computational load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes escape path algorithms and object classification criteria before detection is needed. When an object is detected, the pre-programmed logic immediately processes the data and generates an escape path, significantly reducing real-time processing time while maintaining high collision avoidance capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prioritizes critical processing steps and skips non-essential computations during emergency situations. When a collision risk is detected, the system rapidly processes only the most critical data (object position, velocity, and escape path) while deferring less urgent analysis, thereby reducing processing time without compromising safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A monitoring system for an aircraft has sensors that are used to sense the presence of objects around the aircraft for collision avoidance, navigation, or other purposes. At least one of the sensors may be configured to sense objects around the aircraft and provide data indicative of the sensed objects. The monitoring system may use information from the sensor and information about the aircraft to determine an escape envelope including possible routes that the aircraft can follow to avoid colliding with the object. The monitoring system may select an escape path based on the escape envelope and control the aircraft to follow the escape path to avoid collision with one or more objects.