UAV Safe Termination Volume Planning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in safely terminating flights in non-designated areas, particularly when propulsion fails, as they must avoid populated regions and adhere to safety protocols to prevent collisions with the ground or other aircraft, requiring a method to determine a safe termination operation volume that accounts for no-fly zones and terrain.
Innovation Solution
A method to estimate a safe termination operation volume by discretizing the area of interest, calculating the lowest allowable flight altitude to glide to a predetermined termination point, considering no-fly zones and terrain data, and using this volume to plan both regular and emergency flight routes, with a control system that adjusts altitude and direction based on failure indications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the UAV operates in non-designated areas to expand operational flexibility, then adaptability is improved, but the risk of unsafe termination increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary calculations of the safe termination operation volume before flight operations. By pre-computing the minimum flight altitude required to reach safe termination points and accounting for no-fly zones, the system ensures that even if propulsion fails, the UAV will terminate safely. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by enabling operation in flexible areas while maintaining termination safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a vertical dimension (altitude) to the termination safety problem. Instead of only considering horizontal positioning, the system calculates a three-dimensional safe termination operation volume by adding the minimum flight altitude requirement to the two-dimensional terrain and no-fly zone constraints. This dimensional expansion allows the UAV to operate flexibly in non-designated areas while ensuring safe termination by maintaining adequate altitude above obstacles.
2Reliability
If the UAV calculates detailed termination paths to avoid no-fly zones, then safety is improved, but computational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the complex termination path calculation into two distinct phases: offline pre-computation of the safe termination operation volume, and online real-time position checking during flight. The offline phase handles the computationally intensive task of calculating minimum altitudes and accounting for no-fly zones, while the online phase only requires simple position verification within the pre-computed volume. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining high safety standards while reducing real-time computational complexity.
3Reliability
If the UAV maintains higher flight altitude to ensure safe glide to termination points, then safety is improved, but collision risk with airborne objects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by calculating the minimum flight altitude requirement specifically for each location within the operation area, rather than using a uniform altitude threshold. The safe termination operation volume is computed by considering local terrain features and no-fly zones at each position, allowing the UAV to fly at the lowest safe altitude locally while maintaining overall safety. This resolves the contradiction by minimizing altitude (reducing collision risk) while ensuring safe termination capability at each specific location.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of forming a safe termination operation volume, and an aircraft provided with a system using such a volume to plan a flight route and/or an emergency route. The volume indicates the lowest allowable flight altitude to achieve a glide path of a vehicle to a termination point of an area of interest, wherein non allowable fly zones are taken into consideration by adding flight altitude to come around the non allowable fly zones when calculating the lowest allowable flight altitude.