Distributed Avionics Processing for UAM Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles face challenges in hosting numerous systems and processing power due to energy, payload, and weight constraints, while maintaining stringent safety standards, and they experience limited GPS signal availability and quality due to environmental obstructions, making integrated low-cost navigation systems difficult to implement.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of distributed vehicle processing systems that offload computation and storage functions to edge nodes and the cloud, using low-latency wireless networks like 5G, allowing UAM vehicles to transmit reference data from imaging, antenna, and radar systems to determine positions and perform navigation control processes, supplementing GPS signals with edge and cloud node processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If UAM vehicles host numerous systems and processing power onboard, then navigation capability is improved, but weight and energy consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts heavy computation and storage functions from the UAM vehicle and relocates them to ground-based edge nodes and cloud infrastructure. The vehicle retains only essential sensing and communication capabilities, while navigation processing is performed externally using data from onboard sensors like imaging systems, radar, and antenna systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ground-based edge nodes as intermediaries between the UAM vehicle and the cloud infrastructure. These edge nodes provide low-latency processing for time-critical navigation functions while heavier computational tasks are offloaded to the cloud, creating a hierarchical processing architecture that balances responsiveness with computational power.
2Measurement precision
If UAM vehicles host numerous systems and processing power onboard, then navigation capability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts power-intensive computation and data storage functions from the UAM vehicle and relocates them to ground-based edge nodes and cloud infrastructure. The vehicle retains only essential sensing and communication capabilities, while navigation processing is performed externally using data from onboard sensors like imaging systems, radar, and antenna systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ground-based edge nodes as intermediaries between the UAM vehicle and the cloud infrastructure. These edge nodes provide low-latency processing for time-critical navigation functions while heavier computational tasks are offloaded to the cloud, creating a hierarchical processing architecture that balances responsiveness with computational power.
3Measurement precision
If GPS signals are used for navigation, then positioning is achieved, but signal availability is limited in urban environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sensing modalities including imaging systems, radar, antenna systems for GNSS signals, and other sensors to create a robust navigation solution. This multi-sensor fusion approach ensures that navigation continues reliably even when GPS signals are blocked or degraded in urban canyons, by combining data from alternative sources like radar and visual systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ground-based edge nodes as intermediaries that receive and process data from multiple sources including satellite signals, ground-based transmitters, and vehicle sensors. These edge nodes perform sensor fusion and position estimation algorithms, providing reliable positioning even when direct satellite visibility is limited by urban obstructions.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are methods, systems, and non-transitory computer-readable medium for distributed vehicle navigation processing for a vehicle. For instance, the method may include: by the vehicle: obtaining reference data from one or a combination of an imaging system, an antenna system, and/or a radar system of the vehicle; in response to obtaining the reference data, determining whether a GNSS signal is below a threshold; and in response to determining the GNSS signal is below the threshold, transmitting a navigation supplementation request message including the reference data to an edge node or a cloud node. By the edge node or the cloud node: in response to receiving the navigation supplementation request message from the vehicle, performing a position resolution process to determine and transmit a position of the vehicle by one or more functions. By the vehicle: performing a navigation control process based on the determined position.