UAS Surveillance Coverage Correction for BVLOS Flight Paths
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Solution Overview
Problem
Operating unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) requires continuous surveillance to prevent collisions and ensure deconfliction from other aircraft, but existing systems cannot prevent inadvertent departure from surveillance coverage during flight, leading to potential collisions or incursions.
Innovation Solution
An unmanned aerial system (UAS) with a controller that acquires surveillance quality models for a flight path, compares actual data to these models, and directs the UAV to execute corrective maneuvers, such as changing position or heading, if deviations exceed a threshold, to maintain surveillance coverage and avoid collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If extensive preplanning is performed for BVLOS operations, then surveillance coverage can be accounted for, but real-time prevention of surveillance loss is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preflight surveillance coverage analysis by comparing the planned flight path against surveillance coverage areas to identify potential gaps before the flight occurs. This preliminary action allows the system to predict where surveillance coverage may be lost and pre-compute corrective maneuvers to maintain continuous surveillance coverage throughout the flight.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static preflight planning to dynamic real-time adjustment by continuously monitoring actual surveillance coverage during flight and automatically generating corrective maneuvers when deviations are detected, making the surveillance coverage maintenance adaptive and responsive to actual flight conditions.
2Ease of operation
If BVLOS operations are conducted without continuous surveillance correction, then operational flexibility is maintained, but collision risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the UAV to autonomously maintain its own surveillance coverage by automatically detecting coverage deviations and executing corrective maneuvers without requiring continuous human intervention. This self-service capability allows BVLOS operations to proceed with enhanced safety while maintaining operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system takes preliminary anti-action by pre-computing corrective maneuvers during preflight planning that counteract potential surveillance coverage losses before they occur. During flight, the system continues this protective action by detecting and correcting coverage deviations, thereby preventing collision risks before they materialize.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial system (UAS) is disclosed. In embodiments, the UAS includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and a controller communicatively coupled to the UAV. In embodiments, the UAS controller may be configured to: acquire a surveillance quality model for a prescribed flight path; generate one or more control signals configured to cause the UAV to perform a monitored flight along the prescribed flight path; acquire actual surveillance quality data during the monitored flight along the prescribed flight path; compare the actual surveillance quality data to the surveillance quality model; identify a surveillance quality deviation between the actual surveillance quality and the surveillance quality model; and generate one or more control signals configured to cause the UAV to perform one or more corrective actions or maneuvers if the identified surveillance quality deviation exceeds a threshold deviation value.