UAV Fail-Safe Control for Prioritized Multi-Failure Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current failure-protection methods for drones, such as switching to a backup control module or shutting down the power source, are not effective as they can lead to increased damage or loss, especially when the power source fails, as they do not account for the severity of multiple simultaneous failures.
Innovation Solution
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with an actuator, failure processing circuit, and flight controller that defines a corresponding relationship between failure states and protection measures with priority levels, allowing the selection and implementation of the highest priority protection measure to minimize damage and loss, regardless of whether failures occur simultaneously or alternately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the power source is directly shut down when a failure is detected, then the failure-protection function is activated, but it causes damage or results in greater loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of protection measure selection from a fixed single-action response to a dynamic priority-based selection among multiple measures. The failure processing circuit evaluates multiple failure states simultaneously and selects protection measures according to pre-defined priority levels, transforming the response from binary (shut down or not) to a graduated scale of protective actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection measure selection is made dynamic by continuously evaluating current failure states against multiple defined failure states and selecting the highest priority applicable measure. The system adapts its response in real-time based on the specific combination of failures detected, rather than following a static predetermined response.
2Reliability
If switched to the backup control module when the failure is detected, then the failure-protection function is activated, but it cannot protect when the failed component is the power source itself
Solution Approach 1:
The failure processing circuit is designed with multi-functionality to handle diverse failure scenarios. It defines corresponding relationships between multiple types of failure states (including power source failures, actuator failures, communication failures, etc.) and multiple types of protection measures, making the system universally applicable to various failure modes rather than limited to a single failure type.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes from a single-response protection mechanism to a multi-parameter evaluation system that considers the type, severity, and combination of failures. By evaluating multiple failure states simultaneously and selecting protection measures based on priority levels, the system adapts its response to match the specific failure scenario, achieving versatility across different failure modes.
3Reliability
If multiple protection measures are implemented simultaneously without priority levels, then comprehensive protection is provided, but conflicting measures may increase damage or loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the protection measures into distinct priority levels (first priority, second priority, third priority, etc.). Each failure state corresponds to one or more protection measures organized in a hierarchical structure, allowing the system to evaluate and select measures in a structured manner rather than implementing all measures simultaneously without coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a priority level parameter to organize and select protection measures. By assigning priority levels to different protection measures and selecting the highest priority applicable measure, the system transforms the protection approach from uncoordinated simultaneous action to prioritized sequential selection, preventing conflicting measures from increasing damage.
Data Source
AI summary
An unmanned aerial vehicle and a fail-safe method thereof are provided. The unmanned aerial vehicle includes at least one actuator, a failure processing circuit, and a flight controller. The actuator is configured to drive the flight behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle. The failure processing circuit is configured to: define a corresponding relationship between the multiple failure states and the multiple protection measures, wherein each protection measure is respectively defined with a priority level and each protection measure is used to correspondingly change the flight behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle; determine multiple current failure states when the flight behavior takes place; and select, according to the corresponding relationship, the selected protection measure having the highest priority level among the protection measures corresponding to the current failure state. The flight controller is used to change the flight behavior of the unmanned aerial vehicle according to the selected protection measures.