Systems and methods for collision avoidance in unmanned aerial vehicles

• US 8,378,881 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2010
• Issued: 02/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: LeMire, Robert A., Branning, John M. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US12/906,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20120092208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 342/59, 342 61- 72
• US Class Current: 342/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/933 of aircraft or spacecraft

Abstract

Systems and methods for collision avoidance in unmanned aerial vehicles are provided. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a method for collision avoidance system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method including scanning for objects within a preselected range of the UAV using a plurality of phased array radar sensors, receiving scan information from each of the plurality of phased array radar sensors, wherein the scan information includes information indicative of objects detected within the preselected range of the UAV, determining maneuver information including whether to change a flight path of the UAV based on the scan information, and sending the maneuver information to a flight control circuitry of the UAV.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the system comprising:

a flight control circuitry configured to control a flight path of the UAV;

a plurality of radar sensors configured to scan for objects within a preselected range of the UAV and to store scan information indicative of the objects detected within the preselected range; and

a processing circuitry coupled to the flight control circuitry and configured to;

receive the scan information from each of the plurality of radar sensors;

determine, using multiple hypothesis tracking, maneuver information comprising whether to change the flight path of the UAV based on the scan information; and

send the maneuver information to the flight control circuitry;

wherein each of the plurality of radar sensors is configured to operate as a phased array.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of radar sensors comprises circuitry configured to generate radar signals for performing electronic scans and to electrically steer the generated radar signals.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the radar sensor circuitry of each of the plurality of radar sensors is configured to vary elevation and azimuth by a preselected range of degrees.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of radar sensors comprises wireless communication circuitry configured to transmit the scan information to the processing circuitry.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein each of the plurality of radar sensors comprises:

a plurality of antenna elements;

a transceiver circuitry coupled to the plurality of antenna elements; and

a receiver/exciter circuitry coupled to the transceiver circuitry and configured to generate the radar signals and provide the radar signals to the transceiver circuitry.

6. The system of claim 5:

wherein the receiver/exciter circuitry is configured to perform direct digital synthesis and conversions to X-band; and

wherein the transceiver circuitry is configured to electronically scan plus or minus a preselected number of degrees in elevation and azimuth.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements comprises a planar stripline patch antenna.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of radar sensors are positioned at different locations along a body of the UAV.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of radar sensors are positioned at different locations along a body of the UAV and thereby configured to provide four pi steradian coverage.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the maneuver information using a collision avoidance algorithm.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to determine the maneuver information based on kinematic capabilities of the UAV.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein a weight of the system is less than 20 pounds.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the radar sensors is configured to operate in a pulsed doppler mode with pulse compression.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the radar sensors is configured to provide a range of approximately 10 kilometers.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a wireless bus coupled to each of the plurality of radar sensors and the processing circuitry,

wherein one of the plurality of radar sensors is configured as a master radar sensor on the wireless bus and the remaining radar sensors of the plurality of radar sensors are configured as slave radar sensors on the wireless bus,

wherein the master sensor is configured to command the slave sensors to perform scans at preselected time periods.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of radar sensors are configured in a star-like network configuration having the processing circuitry at a logical center of the star-like network.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of radar sensors is positioned along a wing of the UAV.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of radar sensors are positioned at extremities of a body of the UAV, the extremities comprising a component of the UAV selected from the group consisting of a wing, a nose, and a tail.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the using multiple hypothesis tracking comprises generating a plurality of track hypotheses based on the scan information and propagating the track hypotheses into a future time.

20. A method for collision avoidance system for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the method comprising:

scanning for objects within a preselected range of the UAV using a plurality of phased array radar sensors;

receiving scan information from each of the plurality of phased array radar sensors, wherein the scan information comprises information indicative of objects detected within the preselected range of the UAV;

determining, using multiple hypothesis tracking, maneuver information comprising whether to change a flight path of the UAV based on the scan information; and

sending the maneuver information to a flight control circuitry of the UAV.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the scanning for the objects within the preselected range of the UAV using the plurality of phased array radar sensors comprises:

generating radar signals for the scanning; and

electrically steering the radar signals.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the electrically steering the radar signals comprises varying elevation and azimuth by a preselected range of degrees.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of radar sensors are positioned at different locations along a body of the UAV.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the plurality of radar sensors are positioned at different locations along a body of the UAV to provide four pi steradian coverage.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the determining the maneuver information is based on kinematic capabilities of the UAV.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the scanning for objects comprises operating the plurality of phased array radar sensors in a pulsed doppler mode with pulse compression.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein each of the radar sensors is configured to provide a range of approximately 10 kilometers.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the determining the maneuver information comprises performing a collision avoidance algorithm.

29. The method of claim 20, wherein the scan information is received using wireless communication circuitry.

30. The method of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of radar sensors comprises:

a plurality of antenna elements;

a transceiver circuitry coupled to the plurality of antenna elements; and

a receiver/exciter circuitry coupled to the transceiver circuitry and configured to generate radar signals for the scanning and to provide the radar signals to the transceiver circuitry.

31. The method of claim 30:

wherein the receiver/exciter circuitry is configured to perform direct digital synthesis and conversions to X-band; and

wherein the transceiver circuitry is configured to electronically scan plus or minus a preselected number of degrees in elevation and azimuth.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein each of the plurality of antenna elements comprises a planar stripline patch antenna.

33. The method of claim 20, wherein at least one of the plurality of radar sensors is positioned along a wing of the UAV.

34. The method of claim 20, wherein each of the plurality of radar sensors are positioned at extremities of a body of the UAV, the extremities comprising a component of the UAV selected from the group consisting of a wing, a nose, and a tail.

35. The method of claim 20, wherein the determining, using multiple hypothesis tracking, maneuver information comprises generating a plurality of track hypotheses based on the scan information, and propagating the track hypotheses into a future time.