UAV Flight Path Verification Using Redundant Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for determining the flight path of unmanned aircraft are unreliable when the primary position determination system is disrupted, as they lack redundancy and fail to provide secure control along a three-dimensional path.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a redundant position determination system that uses a combination of satellite navigation, image-based position determination using artificial intelligence, and lidar positioning systems to independently verify spatial positions, with plausibility checks and error tolerance specifications to ensure accurate movement control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single positioning system is used for determining the flight path, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability of position determination deteriorates when the system is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent assigns different roles to different positioning systems: the first positioning system (e.g., satellite navigation) serves as the master system for primary position determination, while the second positioning system (e.g., visual or Lidar-based) acts as a redundant system for plausibility checking. This differentiation of functions at the system level resolves the contradiction by ensuring reliability through redundancy without requiring all systems to operate at full complexity simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a plausibility check mechanism that compares position data from the master system with position data from the redundant system before using the position information for flight control. This beforehand verification acts as a cushion against failures in the primary system, ensuring that disrupted or inaccurate position data do not compromise flight safety, thereby resolving the reliability-complexity contradiction.
2Reliability
If redundant positioning systems are implemented, then the reliability of position determination improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the positioning function into two independent subsystems: a master positioning system and a redundant positioning system with plausibility check capability. This segmentation allows each subsystem to be optimized independently and enables the system to maintain security through redundancy while managing complexity through modular architecture and clear functional separation.
3Measurement precision
If position data from multiple systems are compared, then the accuracy of position determination improves, but the loss of time increases due to additional verification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the redundant positioning system continuously monitors the position data from the master system through plausibility checks. This feedback loop operates in real-time, comparing position data and detecting deviations or disruptions immediately, thereby ensuring measurement precision without significant time loss as the verification is integrated into the continuous control cycle.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for reliably determining the flight path of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), in which the UAV is moved along a three-dimensional flight path and the following is repeatedly performed: determining first position data for a spatial position of the UAV along the three-dimensional flight path by means of a first position determination system (1) assigned to the UAV as a master system; determining second position data for the spatial position of the UAV, independently of the determination of the first position data, by means of a second position determination system (2; 6) assigned to the UAV, which is different from the first position determination system (1);Performing a plausibility check (4) on the first position data, checking whether the first and second position data satisfy at least one initial check requirement; determining the first position data as the spatial position of the unmanned aircraft if the plausibility check (4) shows that the first and second position data satisfy at least one check requirement; and controlling the movement of the unmanned aircraft along the three-dimensional flight path according to the spatial position. The first and second positioning systems are selected from the following group of positioning systems: (i) satellite navigation system;(ii) an image-based positioning system configured to determine the first or second position data from image acquisitions of the unmanned aerial vehicle's environment using artificial intelligence-based image analysis; and (iii) a lidar positioning system configured to determine the first or second position data from three-dimensional optical measurements of the unmanned aerial vehicle's environment using artificial intelligence-based measurement data analysis. Furthermore, an unmanned aerial vehicle is disclosed.