UAV Collision Avoidance via Autonomous Image Interrogation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAVs) and Remotely Piloted Vehicles (RPVs) lack an effective, compact, and real-time collision sense and avoidance system to detect and avoid other local airborne targets, relying on costly and labor-intensive manned chaperones or remote piloting with video feeds, which is not suitable for timely threat detection and avoidance.
Innovation Solution
A collision sense and avoidance system integrated with image interrogators, motion sensors, a clutter suppression and target detection unit, a Line Of Sight (LOS) multi-target tracking unit, a threat assessment unit, and an avoidance maneuver unit, which identifies potential threats and proposes evasive maneuvers, providing a 'See & Avoid' capability with minimal size and weight, suitable for both manned and unmanned aircraft.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a manned chaperone aircraft is used to accompany UAVs/RPVs, then collision safety is improved, but operational cost and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The UAV/RPV is equipped with an autonomous collision sense and avoidance system that includes motion sensors, image interrogators, clutter suppression units, tracking units, threat assessment units, and avoidance maneuver units. The system independently detects threats, assesses risks, and executes avoidance maneuvers without requiring a manned chaperone aircraft, thereby eliminating the need for additional human resources while maintaining collision safety.
2Ease of operation
If remote piloting with video feed is used, then pilot control capability is improved, but system cost and response time worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables the UAV/RPV to autonomously detect and respond to collision threats in real-time without requiring continuous pilot input. The autonomous avoidance system processes sensor data and executes maneuvers immediately upon threat detection, eliminating the time delay inherent in remote piloting where the pilot must see, process information, and manually control the vehicle.
3Weight of moving object
If a compact collision avoidance system is implemented, then device size and weight are reduced, but detection capability may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges multiple functions into integrated units: the image interrogator combines image acquisition and initial processing, the clutter suppression unit integrates background modeling and target differentiation, the tracking unit combines multi-frame analysis and motion estimation, and the threat assessment unit integrates spatial reasoning and collision probability calculation. This functional integration achieves high detection capability while minimizing overall system weight and footprint.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables real-time detection and avoidance of collision threats, reducing the need for manned chaperones and remote piloting costs, and extends the operational range and conditions for UAVs by providing a compact, lightweight system that can determine threat severity and execute appropriate maneuvers.
Implementation Method 1
Motion sensors (e.g., imaging and/or infrared sensors) provide image frames of the surroundings to a clutter suppression and target detection unit that detects local targets moving in the frames
Implementation Method 2
a clutter suppression and target detection unit that detects local targets moving in the frames
Implementation Method 3
A Line Of Sight (LOS), multi-target tracking unit, tracks detected local targets and maintains a track history in LOS coordinates for each detected local target
Implementation Method 4
A threat assessment unit determines whether any tracked local target poses a collision threat
Data Source
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AI summary
A collision sense and avoidance system and method and an aircraft, such as an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) and/or Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV), including the collision sense and avoidance system. The collision sense and avoidance system includes an image interrogator identifies potential collision threats to the aircraft and provides maneuvers to avoid any identified threat. Motion sensors (e.g., imaging and/or infrared sensors) provide image frames of the surroundings to a clutter suppression and target detection unit that detects local targets moving in the frames. A Line Of Sight (LOS), multi-target tracking unit, tracks detected local targets and maintains a track history in LOS coordinates for each detected local target. A threat assessment unit determines whether any tracked local target poses a collision threat. An avoidance maneuver unit provides flight control and guidance with a maneuver to avoid any identified said collision threat.