Systems, aircrafts and methods for drone detection and collision avoidance

• US 10,540,905 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2018
• Issued: 01/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation (General Dynamics Corporation)
• Inventors: Bohanan, Scott, Taylor, Fred, Jordan, Jim, Winslow, Matthew, Mayo, Amy, Marchetti, John
• Primary Examiner(s): McNally, Kerri L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thang D
• Application Number:
  US15/938,244
• Publication Number:
  US 20190304316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 340961
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/04 Anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933

Abstract

A system and a method for drone detection and collision avoidance, particularly for use in an aircraft, is provided. The system includes, but is not limited to a sensor, a processor, and an avoidance unit comprising a control unit. The sensor is configured to detect a drone signal in a predetermined space and to transmit the drone signal to the processor. The processor is configured to determine the presence of a drone in the predetermined space based on the drone signal. The processor is configured to transmit a command to the avoidance unit when the processor determines the presence of a drone. The control unit is configured to receive the command and to generate a warning signal in response to receiving the command.

Claims

1. A system for drone detection and collision avoidance, the system comprising:

a sensor;

a processor; and

an avoidance unit comprising a control unit,

wherein the sensor is configured to detect a drone signal in a predetermined space and to transmit the drone signal to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to determine the presence of a drone in the predetermined space based on the drone signal, wherein the drone is separate from the system,

wherein the processor is configured to transmit a command to the avoidance unit when the processor determines the presence of a drone,

wherein the control unit is configured to receive the command and to generate a warning signal in response to receiving the command, and

wherein the avoidance unit is configured to transmit an avoidance signal to the drone in response to the control unit receiving the command, wherein the avoidance signal is configured to interact with the drone and is at least one of a control signal, an interference signal, and a location spoofing signal, and

wherein the control signal uses control frequencies identified by intercepting drone control signals sent by an operator of the drone and by decoding the drone control signals to find the control frequencies used to control the drone.

2. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the avoidance signal is configured to force the drone to move out of the predetermined space.

3. The system according to claim 2,

wherein the system further comprises a user interface, configured to permit a user to select at least one of a control signal, an interference signal, and a location spoofing signal as the avoidance signal.

4. The system according to claim 3,

wherein the at least one of the control signal, the interference signal, and the location spoofing signal is configured for at least one of the following:

control frequency interference, broadband noise interference, GPS-spoofing, a wireless digital modulation scheme, and Channel interference.

5. The system according to claim 1,

wherein the sensor comprises at least one of an antenna, a multidirectional antenna, a Millimeter Wave RADAR, a LIDAR, a RADAR, an infrared sensor, an Electronically Steered Array weather RADAR, a video-sensor, and an audio-sensor.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect signals from at least one frequency band between 400 MHz and 6 GHz.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to detect a datalink control frequency in the signal detected by the sensor in order to determine the presence of a drone in the predetermined space.

8. The system according to claim 1,

further comprising a plurality of sensors, wherein each sensor of the plurality of sensors comprises a multi-directional antenna, and wherein the processor is configured to determine a region in three-dimensional space where the drone is operating using the plurality of sensors.

9. The system according to claim 8,

wherein the system includes a video-sensor configured to capture video data and a display unit,

wherein the processor is operatively coupled with the video-sensor and configured to orient the video-sensor to capture the video data from a region where the drone is operating, and

wherein the processor is further operatively coupled with the display unit and further configured to control the display unit to display the video data.

10. The system according to claim 9,

wherein the processor is configured to control the display unit to display signals indicating a direction of signals produced by the avoidance unit in order to force the drone to move out of the predetermined space.

11. An aircraft comprising:

a system for drone detection and collision avoidance, the system including;

a sensor;

a processor; and

an avoidance unit comprising a control unit,

wherein the sensor is configured to detect a drone signal in a predetermined space and to transmit the drone signal to the processor,

wherein the processor is configured to determine the presence of a drone in the predetermined space based on the drone signal, wherein the drone is not the aircraft,

wherein the processor is configured to transmit a command to the avoidance unit when the processor determines the presence of a drone,

wherein control unit is configured to receive the command and to generate a warning signal in response to receiving the command, and

wherein the avoidance unit is configured to transmit an avoidance signal in response to the control unit receiving the command, wherein the avoidance signal is configured to interact with the drone and is at least one of a control signal, an interference signal, and a location spoofing signal, and

wherein the control signal uses control frequencies identified by intercepting drone control signals sent by an operator of the drone and by decoding the drone control signals to find the control frequencies used to control the drone.

12. The aircraft according to claim 11,

wherein the avoidance unit is configured to transmit the avoidance signal to the drone automatically in response to receiving the command depending on at least one of the following criteria:

a current distance between the aircraft and the drone, an activity of an autopilot of the aircraft, and a current phase of flight of the aircraft.

13. The aircraft according to claim 12,

wherein the processor is configured to calculate an alternate flight path that avoids a collision with the drone, when the processor detects the drone in the predetermined space, and

wherein the avoidance unit is configured to transmit a signal to the drone that forces the drone to move out of the predetermined space when the alternate flight path is not possible.

14. The aircraft according to claim 13,

wherein, when the alternate flight path is possible, the processor is configured to provide a pilot of the aircraft with the alternate flight path.

15. The aircraft according to claim 13,

wherein, when the alternate flight path is possible, the processor is configured to automatically maneuver the aircraft on the alternate flight path.

16. The aircraft according to claim 15,

wherein at least one of the sensor, the processor, and the avoidance unit is deactivated when the aircraft is operated in cruise mode.

17. A method for drone detection and collision avoidance in an aircraft, the method comprising the following steps:

detecting a drone signal in a predetermined space using a sensor;

transmitting, by the sensor, the drone signal to a processor,

determining, by the processor, the presence of a drone that is not the aircraft in the predetermined space based on the drone signal transmitted by the sensor;

transmitting, by the processor, a command to an avoidance unit when the processor determines the presence of a drone;

receiving the command by a control unit of the avoidance unit;

generating, by the control unit, a warning signal in response to receiving the command, and

transmitting to the drone, by the avoidance unit in response to the control unit receiving the command, an avoidance signal configured to interact with the drone that is at least one of a control signal, an interference signal, and a location spoofing signal, wherein the control signal uses control frequencies identified by intercepting drone control signals sent by an operator of the drone and by decoding the drone control signals to find the control frequencies used to control the drone.

18. The method according to claim 17,

wherein the method further comprises:

calculating, by the processor, an alternate flight path to avoid a collision with the drone; and

transmitting, by the avoidance unit, a signal to the drone that forces the drone to move out of the predetermined space, if the alternate flight path is not possible.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises:

providing a user with a possibility to select the at least one of the control signal, the interference signal, and the location spoofing signal that is to be used by the avoidance unit to force the drone to move out of the predetermined space on a user interface.

20. The method according to claim 17,

wherein the method further comprises

determining, by the processor, a presence of a datalink control frequency in the signal detected by the sensor and determining the presence of a drone in the predetermined space based on the presence of the datalink control frequency.