UAV Terrain Model Updates Through Local Deviation Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) face challenges in maintaining accurate and up-to-date terrain models, particularly in dynamic environments, leading to potential hazards from unexpected obstacles like newly erected structures or changing terrain features, which existing communication methods struggle to address efficiently.
Innovation Solution
UAVs utilize local terrain models to detect deviations, assess their significance, and report them to a backend management system, which then decides on sensor data collection from the fleet to reconstruct the terrain model, reducing unnecessary data uploads and optimizing communication bandwidth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If UAVs continuously upload all sensor data to the backend management system for terrain model updates, then the terrain model accuracy is improved, but communication bandwidth is consumed and communication bottlenecks occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by making the terrain model update process adaptive to local conditions. Each UAV compares its sensor data against the existing terrain model locally, and only deviations exceeding a significance threshold are reported. This selective reporting based on local terrain characteristics reduces unnecessary communication while maintaining accuracy where changes occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses partial action by not requiring complete terrain data from all UAVs. Instead, only partial data representing significant deviations from the existing model are uploaded. The backend reconstruction process uses these partial data sets to update the terrain model where needed, rather than processing complete data from all sources.
2Reliability
If UAVs report all terrain deviations to the backend management system, then the terrain model is kept up-to-date, but communication bottlenecks and data processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary action by performing terrain deviation detection and significance assessment before data transmission. Each UAV pre-processes its sensor data, compares it against the current terrain model, and filters out insignificant variations. This preliminary filtering action reduces the volume of data requiring backend communication while ensuring reliable updates for meaningful changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The significance threshold acts as an intermediary between raw sensor data and backend communication. Rather than transmitting all deviations directly, the system uses this intermediate filtering mechanism to select only those deviations that warrant reporting, thereby maintaining terrain model reliability while improving communication efficiency.
3Reliability
If UAVs use detailed local terrain models for navigation, then navigation safety is improved, but the complexity of maintaining and updating these models across the fleet increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies segmentation by dividing the terrain model management into independent modular components: local terrain model storage on each UAV, deviation detection modules, significance assessment algorithms, and backend reconstruction processes. This segmentation allows each component to operate independently, reducing the complexity of managing the overall system while maintaining detailed local models for navigation safety.
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for maintaining a backend terrain model used by a fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of a UAV service supplier (USS) includes acquiring sensor data of a terrain below a first UAV of the fleet of UAVs as the first UAV executes a mission. The sensor data is analyzed with a terrain detection module disposed on-board the first UAV to determine whether the terrain deviates from a local terrain model describing the terrain. The local terrain model is stored on-board the first UAV. A terrain deviation message is issued from the first UAV to a backend management system of the USS that maintains the backend terrain model in response to a determination that the terrain deviates from the local terrain model. The terrain deviation message includes an indication that a deviant terrain has been identified and location data indicating an approximate location of the deviant terrain.