Interceptor UAV Swarms for Low-Cost Drone Defense
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing aerial defense systems are inadequate for effectively defending against large numbers of invasive low-cost unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) due to high costs and impracticality, and they struggle to track and engage proximate, fast-moving targets.
Innovation Solution
A modular aerial defense system utilizing modified low-cost commercial off-the-shelf UAVs equipped with improved communication and sensor payloads, and target neutralization devices, which can be launched and controlled using a C-RAM command and control system, and switch to local guidance mode for engaging targets, enabling effective interception and neutralization of multiple threats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional anti-aircraft missiles or guns are used to defend against invasive UAVs, then the defensive capability against aerial threats is improved, but the cost becomes prohibitively expensive compared to the potential harm caused
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs low-cost, disposable defensive UAVs that can be deployed in large numbers to intercept invasive UAVs. These defensive vehicles are designed to be inexpensive enough to justify their use as a cost-effective alternative to traditional anti-aircraft systems, aligning with the principle of using cheap, disposable objects to solve a problem where expensive traditional systems are impractical
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy of the invasive UAV platform by using similar commercial off-the-shelf UAVs as defensive vehicles. This allows the defensive system to mirror the capabilities and cost structure of the threat, enabling effective interception while maintaining cost parity with the target aircraft
2Reliability
If tube-launched small unmanned aerial systems are used for defense, then the system can defend against aerial threats, but the vehicles become slower and less maneuverable due to sizing requirements and control surface removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the defensive system into multiple independent, small UAVs that can be launched individually or in groups. This segmentation allows each vehicle to maintain full maneuverability and speed capabilities without the constraints of tube-launching, while collectively providing comprehensive defensive coverage
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamically controllable UAVs with adjustable flight characteristics that can adapt to different interception scenarios. These vehicles maintain full control surfaces and aerodynamic capabilities, allowing them to optimize their speed and maneuverability based on real-time engagement requirements rather than being constrained by fixed tube-launching configurations
3Measurement precision
If sensors mounted to gimbals and turrets are used to track target aircraft, then the system can track distant targets, but it fails to track proximate, fast moving objects effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical gimbal and turret systems with vision-based optical tracking systems that use cameras and image processing algorithms. This substitution eliminates the mechanical inertia and bandwidth limitations of traditional systems, enabling accurate tracking of proximate, fast-moving targets through software-based image stabilization and prediction algorithms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of the tracking system by using high-frame-rate cameras and advanced image processing to achieve high bandwidth tracking. This parameter change allows the system to capture and process visual information at rates sufficient to track fast-moving proximate targets, overcoming the limitations of traditional mechanical systems
4Reliability
If real flight testing is conducted to develop autonomy, then the system can be validated, but the number of experimental flight hours required increases costs and technical risks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates virtual copies of the flight environment and UAV systems through high-fidelity simulation. These digital twins allow comprehensive autonomy testing to be conducted in silico, validating algorithms and system behavior without requiring extensive physical flight hours, thereby reducing both time and risk while maintaining validation reliability
Data Source
AI summary
The subject disclosure relates an aerial system to track a detected obstacle. The aerial system may comprise a plurality of aircraft, an aircraft storage system to house the plurality of aircraft, an aircraft controller in communication with each of a tracking system and the plurality of aircraft. In operation, one or more of the plurality of aircraft may engage the detected threat. At least one of the plurality of aircraft may include a target neutralization device to strike the detected threat.