UAV Landing Site Selection After Data Link Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) become unpredictable and unsafe when experiencing irreversible data link failures, as they cannot communicate their intentions to air traffic control, leading to potential safety risks and challenges in coordinating a safe landing.
Innovation Solution
The UAV is equipped with a navigation system that selects a nearby suitable landing site based on stored wind and weather data, using predefined rules to ensure air traffic control can block airspace and facilitate a safe landing, even without active communication with the ground control station.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If the UAV operates autonomously after data link failure, then the aircraft can independently select and execute a safe landing procedure, but the ability to communicate intentions to air traffic control is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-stores multiple landing sites with their coordinates and characteristics in the memory before flight operations begin. When data link failure occurs, the flight control unit can immediately access and process this pre-stored information to select an appropriate landing site without needing real-time communication, thus resolving the contradiction between autonomous operation and information loss
Solution Approach 2:
The flight control unit creates a simplified copy of the air traffic control decision-making process by implementing predefined selection rules that mirror standard air traffic procedures. This allows the UAV to autonomously make landing decisions that are consistent with what air traffic control would decide, maintaining operational coherence without direct communication
2Reliability
If the UAV uses predefined rules for landing site selection, then air traffic control can predict and block airspace, but the flexibility to adapt to unexpected conditions is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flight control unit dynamically evaluates multiple landing sites using predefined selection rules that consider various parameters such as wind conditions, terrain, and proximity to the current position. The system can adapt its selection based on real-time sensor data while still following predictable rules, thus maintaining reliability for air traffic control while preserving adaptability to changing conditions
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters used for landing site selection based on the flight phase and environmental conditions. The predefined rules incorporate multiple variables (wind speed, terrain type, distance to landing site) that can be adjusted according to actual conditions, allowing the UAV to adapt to unexpected situations while maintaining a structured decision-making process that air traffic control can predict
Data Source
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AI summary
An unmanned aircraft is specified which has a lift and propulsion system and a flight control system. The flight control system has a flight control unit, a navigation system, a communication system and an actuator system. The flight control unit is intended to use data from the navigation system and/or data from a ground control station to calculate control commands that can be fed to the actuator system for controlling the lift and propulsion system. The ground control station is set up to control and/or monitor the aircraft. The aircraft also has a monitoring unit. The monitoring unit is set up to monitor the communication system to determine whether all communication links of a plurality of communication links between the aircraft and the ground control station are interrupted. The monitoring unit is also provided to cause the flight control unit to land the aircraft safely at a suitable landing site based on stored data about current flight conditions and nearby landing sites when it detects an interruption in communication from the aircraft to the ground control station.