Scalable radar-based sense-and-avoid system for unmanned aircraft

Abstract

Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) have become increasingly prevalent and will represent an increasing percentage of all aviation. These unmanned aircraft are available in a wide range of sizes and capabilities and can be used for a multitude of civilian and military applications. However, as the number of UAS increases, so does the risk of midair collisions involving unmanned aircraft. This chapter aims to present one possible solution for addressing the midair collision problem in addition to increasing the levels of autonomy of UAS beyond waypoint navigation to include preemptive sensor-based collision avoidance. The presented work goes beyond the current state of the art by demonstrating the feasibility and providing an example of a scalable, self-contained, RADAR-based, collision avoidance system. The work can be divided into two sections: RADAR hardware and collision avoidance algorithms. The technology described herein can be made suitable for use on a miniature (maximum takeoff weight > 10 kg) UAS platform. This is of paramount importance as the miniature UAS field has the lowest barriers to entry (acquisition and operating costs) and consequently represents the most rapidly increasing class of UAS.