Unmanned Airborne Vehicle For Geophysical Surveying

• US 20080125920A1
• Filed: 10/11/2005
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fugro Airborne Surveys Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fugro Airborne Surveys Corp.
• Inventors: Miles, Philip John, Partner, Richard Thomas, McConnell, Terence James, Keeler, Kenneth Ronald
• Application Number:
  US11/576,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20080125920A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/02 characterised by special use
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/30 for capturing UAVs in flight by ground or sea-based arresting gear, e.g. by a cable or a net
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 70/70 Launching or landing using catapults, tracks or rails launching from storage containers B64U70/50
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 80/86 Land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/165 operating with magnetic or electric fields produced or modified by the object or by the detecting device with electromagnetic waves G01V3/17

Abstract

An un-manned airborne vehicle (UAV), for acquiring aeromagnetic data for geophysical surveying at low altitude on land or over water, comprising an extended fuselage that is adapted to hold and maintain magnetometer and a magnetic compensation magnetometer at a minimum distance from the avionics and propulsion systems of the UAV. The magnetometer measures magnetic anomalies and the magnetic compensation magnetometer measures magnetic responses corresponding to the pitch, yaw and roll of the UAV. A data acquisition system stores and removes the magnetic response measurements from the magnetic anomaly measurements. The data acquisition system also stores a survey flight plan and transmits the same to the avionics system. The generator of the UAV is shielded and the propulsion system is stabilized to reduce magnetic and vibrational noises that can interfere with the operation of the magnetometer.

Claims

1. An unmanned airborne vehicle for geophysical surveillance of an area including a navigation system adapted to store a plurality of waypoints to be traversed, the vehicle comprising:

a first magnetometer oriented to detect and measure magnetic anomalies in the area;

a second magnetometer for measuring magnetic response corresponding to pitch, yaw and roll of the vehicle;

a data acquisition system operatively coupled to the first and the second magnetometers for storing the magnetic anomaly measurements and magnetic response corresponding to the pitch, yaw and roll measurements and for removing the magnetic response measurements from the magnetic anomaly measurements; and

the data acquisition system maintaining therewithin a vehicle flight plan sequentially listing a series of coordinates and adapted to transmit at least one coordinate to the navigation system to update the plurality of waypoints.

2. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the orientation of the first magnetometer may be rotated relative to the UAV orientation.

3. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting rotatably secured to the fuselage and constructed and arranged to secure the first magnetometer.

4. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first and second magnetometers are housed in a nose area of the vehicle.

5. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the first magnetometer is selected from one member of the group consisting of a Cesium-vapour proton-precession magnetometer, an optically pumped type proton-precession magnetometer, an Overhauser-effect proton-precession magnetometer, a 3-axis magnetometer and a 3-axis fluxgate magnetometer.

6. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the second magnetometer is a 3-axis fluxgate magnetometer.

7. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein each coordinate comprises a pair of mutually perpendicular first and second components within a horizontal plane.

8. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 7, wherein each coordinate comprises a vertical coordinate perpendicular to the horizontal plane.

9. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the vehicle follows a flight path that is a constant altitude above terrain features of the area.

10. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a radar altimeter for measuring the altitude of the vehicle.

11. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the radar altimeter is operatively coupled to the data acquisition system, the data acquisition system receiving and storing the altitude measurements from the radar altimeter.

12. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the data acquisition system uses the altitude measurements to adjust the flight path to prevent contact with a ground-based obstacle.

13. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the data acquisition system uses the altitude measurements to adjust the flight path to maintain the vehicle a fixed altitude above terrain features of the area.

14. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the data acquisition system stores the altitude measurements from the radar altimeter.

15. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition system transmits the at least one coordinate in real-time to the navigation system.

16. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the data acquisition system transmits the at least one coordinate periodically to the navigation system.

17. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a communication subsystem.

18. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 17, whereby coordinate information may be transmitted from a ground station to the data acquisition system via the communication subsystem.

19. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 17, whereby magnetic anomaly measurements may be transmitted to a ground station via the communication subsystem.

20. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the communication subsystem is housed in a wingtip of the vehicle.

21. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the communication subsystem is housed in a fuselage of the vehicle.

22. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the communication subsystem comprises an antenna, whereby coordinate information may be transmitted from the ground station to the navigation system by line of sight communication.

23. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 17, wherein the communication subsystem comprises a satellite radio, whereby coordinate information may be transmitted from the ground station to the navigation system when the vehicle is outside the ground station'"'"'s line of sight.

24. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is adapted to be launched from a launch system.

25. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 22, wherein the launch system is stationary.

26. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 25, wherein the launch system is a catapult.

27. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 24, wherein the launch system is mobile.

28. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is adapted to be recovered by an arresting wire.

29. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 28, wherein the vehicle engages the arresting wire along a wing attached to a fuselage of the vehicle.

30. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is adapted for oceanic flight.

31. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 30, wherein the vehicle is adapted to be launched from a watercraft.

32. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 30, wherein the vehicle is adapted to be recovered aboard a watercraft.

33. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a fuselage adapted to house the first and second magnetometers.

34. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 33, wherein the fuselage is elongated to increase the spacing of the first and second magnetometers from a propulsion system.

35. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 34, wherein the spacing of the first and second magnetometers from the propulsion system is a minimum of 1 m.

36. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the propulsion system is stabilized to reduce any vibratory emissions therefrom.

37. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 33, wherein the fuselage is elongated to increase the spacing of the first and second magnetometers from an avionics system.

38. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 37, wherein the spacing of the first and second magnetometers from the avionics system is a minimum of 0.5 m.

39. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a generator to provide electrical power to the vehicle, wherein the generator is shielded to reduce any magnetic or electrical emissions therefrom.

40. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 39, wherein the generator is shielded using a closed-end cylinder.

41. An unmanned airborne vehicle according to claim 40, wherein the closed-end cylinder is composed of a high-susceptibility, magnetically soft metal.