Autonomous Follower Aircraft Positioning via Onboard Sensor Fusion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for formation flying of aircraft are high pilot-workload activities that require continuous manual tracking and communication between lead and follower aircraft, lacking autonomous and self-contained solutions to maintain desired positions.
Innovation Solution
A system on the follower aircraft with sensors and a flight control computer that determines necessary velocity to maintain a selected relative position to the lead aircraft, transforming this into flight control inputs to adjust position without requiring communication with the lead aircraft or ground station, utilizing a combination of sensors like cameras, radar, and GPS for accurate positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual tracking and communication between lead and follower aircraft are used, then formation flying can be achieved, but pilot workload becomes excessively high
Solution Approach 1:
The follower aircraft autonomously determines its own velocity and control inputs using onboard sensors and flight control computer, without requiring manual pilot intervention or communication with the lead aircraft. The system serves itself by automatically maintaining formation position through self-contained navigation and control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical control operations with an automated flight control system that uses sensors (radar, GPS, cameras) and computer algorithms to determine positioning and generate control inputs, substituting the mechanical pilot-operated control system with an electronic autonomous control system.
2Reliability
If communication systems between lead and follower aircraft are implemented, then formation coordination is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the communication system requirement from the formation flying system. The follower aircraft maintains formation position using only onboard sensors and autonomous computation, eliminating the need for communication transmitters, receivers, and associated protocols between aircraft.
Solution Approach 2:
The follower aircraft independently determines its position and velocity relative to the lead aircraft using onboard sensors (radar, GPS, cameras) and autonomous flight control computation, serving its own navigation and coordination needs without external communication infrastructure.
3Ease of operation
If autonomous positioning systems are implemented, then pilot workload is reduced, but measurement precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple sensing modalities (radar for range and velocity, GPS for position, cameras for visual confirmation) into an integrated flight control system. This multi-sensor fusion approach compensates for individual sensor limitations and achieves the required measurement precision through complementary data sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The flight control computer continuously processes sensor data to determine relative position and velocity, compares actual position to desired formation position, and generates corrective control inputs. This closed-loop feedback system maintains measurement precision and formation accuracy despite environmental disturbances and sensor noise.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for directing formation flying of an aircraft includes sensing a relative position of a leader to a follower aircraft by one or more sensors disposed at the follower aircraft. The relative position is compared to a selected relative position, and a follower velocity of the follower aircraft necessary to move the follower aircraft to the selective relative position is determined via a flight control computer of the follower aircraft. The follower velocity is transformed into flight control inputs and the follower aircraft is moved to the selected relative position via the flight control inputs.