UAS Supervisory Flight Limiting for Restricted Airspace Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) lack reliable means to prevent midair collisions with manned aircraft, as they cannot physically prevent UAS from entering restricted airspace, posing a catastrophic risk.
Innovation Solution
A flight limiting controller (FLC) system that determines the UAS's position relative to flight boundaries and activates limitations such as warnings, autopilot commands, parachute deployment, or propulsion device adjustments to prevent UAS from entering prohibited areas, ensuring a high system integrity of at least 1*10−7 to prevent collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a buffer zone is established around airports to keep UAS away from manned aircraft, then the likelihood of midair collision is reduced, but the system cannot physically prevent UAS from entering restricted airspace
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a supervisory controller as an intermediary system that independently monitors UAS position using GPS and compares it against prohibited airspace boundaries. This mediator enforces flight limitations by directly controlling propulsion devices, actuators, or parachutes when boundary violations are detected, providing physical prevention rather than just advisory buffer zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously receives real-time position data from GPS, processes this information against stored boundary definitions, and provides immediate feedback control actions. The supervisory controller monitors UAS location, determines if prohibited airspace is being entered, and automatically executes corrective maneuvers or emergency actions based on the detected violation, creating a closed-loop safety system.
2Reliability
If multiple flight limitation mechanisms are implemented (warnings, autopilot commands, parachute deployment, propulsion adjustments), then the system integrity for preventing prohibited flight is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the safety control system into distinct functional layers: a supervisory controller that handles high-level decision-making and boundary enforcement, and the existing UAS controller that manages routine flight operations. This segmentation allows the safety-critical functions to be isolated and independently verified, improving reliability without requiring complete redesign of the entire control system.
Solution Approach 2:
The supervisory controller pre-defines prohibited airspace boundaries and control strategies before flight operations begin. Boundary coordinates, restriction zones, and emergency response protocols are established in advance, allowing the system to react immediately to violations without requiring complex real-time analysis or human intervention.
3Reliability
If real-time monitoring and control actions are implemented to prevent boundary crossings, then safety is improved, but the response time and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual monitoring and mechanical intervention with an automated electronic supervisory control system. The controller continuously processes GPS position data, automatically compares it against boundary definitions, and executes control commands without human intervention. This electronic substitution enables instantaneous detection and response to boundary violations, improving both safety and response time compared to manual systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, devices, and methods for determining, by a processor, an unmanned aerial system (UAS) position relative to at least one flight boundary; and effecting, by the processor, at least one flight limitation of a UAS if the determined UAS position crosses the at least one flight boundary.