UAV Emergency Trajectory Control for Multiple Flight Failures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing UAV systems lack the capability to effectively respond to multiple failures during flight, as they are typically controlled by remote operators and lack autonomous mechanisms to adjust flight plans in emergency conditions such as component failures or loss of functionality.
Innovation Solution
An emergency response module within the UAV, comprising a diagnostics and prioritization system and a trajectory calculation engine, detects emergency conditions and determines the most appropriate flight trajectory to a termination point, considering factors like engine failure, power source failure, range limits, and communication loss, and selects the closest suitable landing site based on priority and resource availability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the UAV is controlled by a remote operator via wireless communication, then the operator can monitor and control the UAV, but the UAV is unable to autonomously respond to component failures or loss of functionality
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates multiple potential emergency trajectories and identifies suitable termination points before emergencies occur. When a failure is detected, the pre-computed trajectories can be immediately executed without delay for real-time computation, enabling autonomous response while maintaining manageable system complexity through advance preparation
Solution Approach 2:
The UAV autonomously detects its own emergency conditions, selects appropriate pre-computed trajectories, and executes the recovery maneuver without human intervention. The system monitors its own state, identifies failures, and self-corrects by navigating to safe termination points, enabling the UAV to serve itself in emergency situations
2Reliability
If the UAV follows a predefined emergency route to a termination waypoint, then the UAV can land without injuring personnel or causing damage, but the system does not consider multiple failures occurring simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The emergency response system segments the failure detection and response process into distinct priority levels. The diagnostics system identifies multiple failures and ranks them by priority, allowing the system to handle each failure condition systematically. This segmentation enables the system to manage complex multi-failure scenarios by breaking them down into manageable priority-based decisions
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adapts its emergency response based on the specific combination of failures detected. Rather than following a single fixed emergency route, the system selects from multiple pre-computed trajectories based on the current emergency condition, allowing the response strategy to change dynamically according to the specific failure scenario encountered
3Productivity
If the UAV calculates multiple potential trajectories and selects the most appropriate one, then the UAV can optimize for efficiency, speed, or resource conservation, but this requires complex diagnostics and prioritization systems
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple potential emergency trajectories are pre-calculated and stored in the system before emergencies occur. Each trajectory is optimized for different objectives (speed, resource conservation, efficiency). When an emergency occurs, the system simply selects from these pre-computed options based on the detected failure condition, avoiding the need for complex real-time calculations while maintaining high recovery efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of trajectory selection based on the priority of detected failures. Different failure conditions map to different optimal trajectories with varying parameters (speed, resource usage, time). The system adjusts which pre-computed trajectory to execute by changing the selection parameter according to the emergency condition, enabling optimized recovery without complex real-time optimization
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method of flying an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in response to emergency conditions A method of flying an unmanned aerial vehicle, the method including steps implemented using a controller forming part of the unmanned aerial vehicle, said steps comprising: defining a plurality of emergency conditions; associating each emergency condition with a priority level; associating each emergency condition with an objective; sensing a plurality of operating parameters of the unmanned aerial vehicle to detect whether one of the plurality of emergency conditions exists; when one or more emergency condition is detected: generating a trajectory for the detected emergency condition having a highest associated priority level, wherein the trajectory is generated in accordance with the objective associated with the emergency condition that has the highest associated priority level; and instructing the unmanned aerial vehicle to follow the generated trajectory.