A Journey into Unmanned Systems

Collision Avoidance Via Sense and Avoidance The legislative requirements established by The Federal Aviation Administrations’ policy on UAS collision avoidance cover both operator/pilot and technological requirements. The operator/pilot must operate the UAS safely as stated in the Civil Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Roadmap into the National Airspace System and formally in Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations section C.2. Furthermore the Federal Aviation Administration states the actions for operator/pilot must display safe operation practice and knowledge in order to prevent a collision, and meet minimum qualifications as stated by the FAA or the Department of Defense. The summary is stated by the FAA as follows: At the core of these policies is the concept that each aircraft is flown by a pilot in accordance with required procedures and practices. This same policy applies to UAS. Regulatory standards need to be developed to enable current technology for unmann...

  UAS Strengths and Weaknesses The UAS mission I am comparing between military and civilian platforms are that of Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR). The military platform could employ the use of a RQ-20B Puma by AeroVironment. The Puma according to AeroVironment is comprised of the following features: “360 degree gimbal, EO, IR, camera, IR Illuminator, 20km range, 3.5+ endurance hours, 500ft AGL, hand and rail launching, autonomous or deep stall landing” (AeroVironment, 2017). The police platform would be comprised of the Vanguard ShadowHawk. The ShadowHawk contains the following options within its platform: “full autonomous operation, electro-optical camera, Infra-red capability, nighttime sensors, 15km range, 3hour endurance (depending on payload), and a transportable GCS with complimentary travel case” (Vanguard, 2017). The strengths and weaknesses between both platforms are derived from the endurance offered and by power regeneration. The Puma provid...

Sense and Avoid Sensor  The scope of this research project will provide detail for a currently available sense and avoid sensor for small Group 1 or Group 2 (less than 55 pounds) UAV vehicles. The sensor package offering submitted in this research is provided by the company DJI makers of the well-known Phantom series of small UAV’s. The system has been given the name “Guidance System” by DJI. The company has been known for offering a well manufactured sUAV’s for sale in the marketplace, and in the opinions of many sUAV operators, set the standard by which sUAV’s are measured against. The Guidance System has been offered since June of 2015, but the system still performs and offers premium capabilities for the sUAV operator looking to add an additional upgrade to their current system. According to DJI the Guidance System is the company’s first introductory sense and avoid system to become available to the public. Amato states: Using an array of ultrasonic sensors and stereo ca...

MQ-9 Reaper Control Station Analysis The MQ-9 Reaper Ground Control Station is located within what can be described as a boxcar or trailer box shaped shelter or portable building. Inside the GCS the temperature must remain within a pre-determined degree level in order to keep electronics within the GCS from overheating. There are aircraft seats mounted in front of computer monitors in which a pilot, and crew will be seated in order to visually monitor the flight performance of the MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Air Vehicle. The pilot and crew control stations are comprised of several monitors which track various systems of the UAV such flight path, sensors, aircraft systems conditions, and area of interest. Also of interest are the headphones for communication and an eraser board located next to crew for taking notes and performing calculations during missions. Further information displayed on the monitors are buildings, people, vehicles and many other objects which can be viewed for fur...

Bluefin AUV Data and Operations System The General Dynamics Bluefin Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) is a very effective tool for data gathering and deep sea exploration. The Bluefin is a torpedo shaped vehicle and has been used by the U.S. Navy, emergency responders and oceanography institutions to explore and search the oceans for dangerous mines, scientific data gathering and search missions. The research conducted will provide further in-depth study of the Bluefin AUV centering on its data, sensors, and information storage, and power. Power.  The Bluefin operates on Li-poly battery power cells as described by General Dynamics “An embedded electronics system controls and monitors the cell voltages, temperature, and current to prevent the user from unintentionally damaging the cells. The quanta and electronics are enclosed in a corrosion resistant housing and designed to be completely pressure-tolerant” (Bluefin Robotics, 2017). The batteries can be installed within mi...

The sensor placement on a small UAV is dependent on the objective for which the vehicle was designed and manufactured to achieve. There are many areas in and around a UAV for which sensor may be placed but the engineering and design phase incorporates which sensors will be used, what function it must perform, and what location the sensor will be placed around the vehicle in order to receive the most effective use during its operation. The type of UAV is important due to the type of activity or end result the user/operator want to obtain from the UAV. The research for this assignment entails the sensor placement of two platforms, one being a non-racing UAV and the other a racing UAV. Details and differences in the sensor placement, and function will be briefly discussed in the research. The non-racing platform I chose was the DJI Phantom 4 Pro. I chose the DJI Phantom 4 due to the long reputation that DJI has in producing a quality small UAV product with the latest designs installed...

Unmanned Systems Maritime Search and Rescue The Underwater Unmanned System I chose to research is the Bluefin UUV manufactured by General Dynamics Missions Systems.  The Bluefin was used to search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 which met its final demise in the Indian Ocean. According to David Kelly (chief executive officer of Bluefin Robotics) the search and rescue mission will entail the Bluefin searching the Indian Ocean in a row pattern covering just over 39 miles a day. Kelly further states "Down there, it'll run what's called a lawnmower pattern. It's just like mowing the lawn at your house” (CBS, 2014). According to William O’Halloran from Bluefin Marine Operations the UUV entails the use of sonar technology which it uses to scan the ocean floor. The sonar sends a signal and a measurement of the rate at which the sonar signal is reflected from an object will aid in determining whether aircraft debris or wreckage exists from Flight 370. Further explanati...