Integrated Avionics Hazard Inhibition for UAS Safety
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current terrain and weather avoidance systems for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) do not adequately meet the safety requirements for both 'pilot on the loop' and 'pilot in the loop' control scenarios, as they may inadvertently direct the aircraft into terrain or weather, posing safety risks.
Innovation Solution
An integrated avionics system determines hazard conditions and generates maneuver inhibitions to prevent collisions, using terrain and weather data to prevent aircraft from entering terrain or weather, while also considering aircraft performance limitations and using collision avoidance algorithms like ACAS-Xu to compute safe maneuvers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If terrain and weather avoidance systems are implemented for UAS, then safety against terrain collision is improved, but the system may inadvertently direct the aircraft into weather or create conflicts with traffic avoidance maneuvers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines terrain avoidance system (TAS), weather avoidance system (WAS), and traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS/ACAS) into a single integrated detection and avoidance system. The integrated system shares common sensors, processors, and data structures, allowing coordinated maneuver generation that considers all three avoidance requirements simultaneously, thereby improving safety while managing system complexity through consolidation.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated avionics system performs multiple functions using shared components: it detects terrain hazards, weather hazards, and traffic threats; generates maneuver inhibitions for all three; and coordinates avoidance maneuvers that satisfy all requirements. This multi-functionality reduces redundancy and improves reliability while maintaining comprehensive safety coverage.
2Ease of manufacture
If separate terrain avoidance and traffic avoidance systems are used, then each system can be optimized independently, but conflicts between terrain avoidance maneuvers and traffic avoidance maneuvers may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges previously separate terrain avoidance, weather avoidance, and traffic collision avoidance systems into a unified integrated system. The integration allows the system to evaluate all hazards and generate coordinated maneuvers that avoid conflicts between different avoidance requirements, ensuring that terrain avoidance maneuvers do not direct the aircraft into traffic or weather hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated system implements feedback mechanisms where maneuver inhibitions from terrain and weather systems are fed into the traffic collision avoidance system, and vice versa. This cross-system feedback ensures that generated maneuvers are validated against all hazard types before execution, preventing conflicting maneuvers while maintaining the ability to respond to each hazard type appropriately.
3Reliability
If the system generates aggressive avoidance maneuvers, then collision avoidance effectiveness is improved, but the aircraft may be directed into terrain or weather hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated system applies preliminary anti-action by generating maneuver inhibitions that prevent aggressive avoidance maneuvers from directing the aircraft into terrain or weather hazards. Before executing a traffic avoidance maneuver, the system checks it against terrain and weather constraints and inhibits any maneuver that would create harmful exposure, thereby neutralizing the potential harm before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The system converts the potential harm of aggressive avoidance maneuvers into benefit by using terrain and weather hazard information to shape the avoidance maneuver. Instead of allowing unrestricted aggressive maneuvers, the system uses the hazard data to guide the aircraft along safe avoidance paths that maintain collision avoidance effectiveness while preventing exposure to terrain and weather dangers.
Data Source
AI summary
Various systems may benefit from the appropriate interworking of subsystems. For example, various avionics systems and method may benefit from the integration of terrain and/or weather avoidance, for example with other detection and avoidance subsystems. A method can include determining, by an avionics system, a hazard condition with respect to an ownship aircraft. The method can also include generating, by the avionics system, a maneuver inhibition based on the determined hazard condition. The method can further include providing the maneuver inhibition to a traffic avoidance or alerting system.