UAV Signal Source Trust Mapping for Secure Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in trusting signal sources for communication, as not all signal sources are trustworthy, with some being malicious or unreliable, posing risks to data security and navigation.
Innovation Solution
UAVs survey and categorize signal sources based on trust levels by collecting attributes such as location, signal metadata, and trust designations, using whitelists and blacklists to determine trusted sources, and implement strategies to avoid untrusted sources by refraining from communication or changing flight paths to survey or bypass them.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If UAVs use established signal sources for communication and navigation, then navigation efficiency and data exchange capability are improved, but the risk of encountering untrusted or malicious signal sources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary survey flights to detect and catalog signal sources before actual operations. During these survey flights, the UAV identifies signal sources, determines their attributes, and stores this information for future reference. This preliminary action allows the system to prepare trust assessments before critical operations occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary trust assessment mechanism that mediates between the UAV and signal sources. The system evaluates signal sources based on collected attributes and determines trust levels, acting as an intermediary layer that filters which signal sources the UAV should communicate with, thereby protecting against malicious sources while maintaining navigation efficiency.
2Reliability
If UAVs survey and collect data about signal sources to ensure security, then data security and reliability are improved, but the time and computational resources required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs signal source surveys during dedicated preliminary survey flights before actual operational flights. By collecting and storing signal source attributes in advance, the system eliminates the need to conduct time-consuming surveys during critical delivery or navigation operations, thus reducing time loss while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a digital copy or database of signal source attributes during survey flights. Instead of continuously surveying signal sources during operational flights, the UAV references the pre-collected data copy to make quick trust decisions, significantly reducing the time and computational resources required during actual operations.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If UAVs refrain from communicating with untrusted signal sources, then security against malicious sources is improved, but the available communication options and navigation flexibility decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The trust assessment system acts as an intermediary that evaluates signal sources and provides recommendations without completely blocking communication possibilities. The system maintains adaptability by allowing operators to override trust assessments when necessary, thus protecting against malicious sources while preserving communication flexibility and navigation options.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the level of restriction based on the trust assessment results and operational context. Rather than applying static blacklisting, the system can adapt its communication policies in real-time, allowing flexible navigation while maintaining security. The trust level determination can be adjusted based on mission requirements and environmental factors.
Data Source
AI summary
One or more UAVs may survey signal sources encountered during execution of flight plans. A UAV may identify a signal source and determine attributes about the signal source. The attributes may include a location, an identifier, a signal/network type, a signal strength, and/or other information about the signal or signal source. Some attributes may be supplied by the signal source and other attributes may be assigned by another source that received signals from the signal source. The signal source may be associated with a trust level or trust designation (e.g., trusted, not trusted, unknown, etc.). An example of an untrusted signal source is a rogue signal source. A signal source may be labeled as untrusted or have a designation of unknown trust level based on application of one or more rules. Survey results and attributes may be compiled and made available for use by other parties.