Flight interpreter for captive carry unmanned aircraft systems demonstration

• US 8,897,931 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Spinelli, Charles B.
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kan, Yuri
• Application Number:
  US13/196,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20130035805A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 701/3, 701/11, 701/466, 169/47, 455/431, 244/12.3, 244/36, 244/50, 244/76.R, 244/177, 244/190, 244/194, 244/3.11, 382/100, 434/38, 345/428
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 9/00 Aerodynamic testing; Arrangements in or on wind tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00

Abstract

A system for unmanned aircraft system (UAS) testing which incorporates a UAS flight control system and an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) carrying the UAS flight control system. The OPV has an OPV flight control system and a flight control interpreter (FCI) which receives input from the UAS flight control system representing control parameters for a flight profile of the UAS. The FCI provides status commands as an output to the OPV flight control system to replicate the flight profile. These status commands are selected from the group consisting of data regarding attitude, vertical navigation, lateral navigation, turn rate, velocity and engine operations. The OPV flight control system includes a pilot override for emergency, flight safety or other contingencies allowing an on board pilot to assume control of the OPV.

Claims

1. A system for unmanned aircraft system (UAS) testing comprising:

a UAS flight control system capable of autonomous operation of a UAS;

an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) having capability for a pilot on board the OPV and flight characteristics capable of mimicking a flight profile of the UAS attached to the UAS flight control system, said OPV having an OPV flight control system with an autopilot and a pilot override operable by the on board pilot; and

,

a flight control interpreter (FCI) receiving input of control parameters from the UAS flight control system representing a flight profile of the UAS, said FCI providing status commands as an output to the autopilot in the OPV flight control system to replicate the flight profile.

2. The system for UAS testing as defined in claim 1 wherein the autonomous UAS flight control system is integrated in at least a UAS fuselage attached to the OPV and further comprising UAS sensors.

3. The system for UAS testing as defined in claim 2 further comprising a common ground station for control of the UAS flight control system.

4. The system for UAS testing as defined in claim 3 wherein the common ground station receives data from the UAS sensors.

5. The system for UAS testing as defined in claim 1 wherein the control parameters are selected from the group consisting of attitude, vertical navigation, lateral navigation, turn rate, velocity and engine operations.

6. The system for UAS testing as defined in claim 5 wherein the status commands are selected from the group consisting of attitude, vertical navigation, lateral navigation, turn rate, velocity, and engine operations.

7. An unmanned aircraft system (UAS) Captive Carry test system comprising:

at least a UAS fuselage having a UAS flight control system capable of autonomous operation of a UAS;

an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) with capability for a pilot on board the OPV having an OPV flight control system with an autopilot and a pilot override operable by the on board pilot, said OPV carrying the UAS fuselage and having flight characteristics capable of mimicking a flight profile of the UAS, and a flight control interpreter (FCI) receiving control parameters from the UAS flight control system, said FCI providing status commands to the OPV flight control system to replicate a UAS flight profile; and

,

an OPV ground monitor.

8. The UAS captive carry test system as defined in claim 7 further comprising a common ground station communicating with the UAS flight control system.

9. The UAS captive carry test system as defined in claim 8 further comprising UAS sensors incorporated in the UAS fuselage, said sensors in communication with the common ground station.

10. The UAS captive carry test system as defined in claim 7 wherein the control parameters are selected from the group consisting of attitude, vertical navigation, lateral navigation, turn rate, velocity and engine operations.

11. The UAS captive carry test system as defined in claim 10 wherein the status commands are selected from the group consisting of attitude, vertical navigation, lateral navigation, turn rate, velocity, and engine operations.

12. A method for testing of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) in the national airspace (NAS) comprising:

attaching at least a UAS fuselage having a UAS flight control system capable of autonomous operation of a UAS to an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) having an OPV flight control system with an autopilot and pilot override for a pilot on board the OPV and flight characteristics capable of mimicking a flight profile of the UAS;

interconnecting the UAS flight control system to a flight control interpreter (FCI);

interconnecting the FCI to the OPV flight control system;

initiating a UAS flight profile;

providing control parameters from the UAS flight control system to the FCI;

interpreting the control parameters in the FCI;

determining if the profile is complete and, if not, outputting status commands from the FCI to the OPV control system;

determining if there is an override by the on board pilot; and

,

controlling the OPV based on the status commands.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising communicating with the UAS flight control system using a common ground station.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising monitoring UAS sensor systems with the common ground station.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising tracking an actual flight profile of the OPV with an OPV ground monitor.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising asserting a pilot override by the on board pilot and said on board pilot assuming control of the OPV.

17. A method of controlling an optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) in national airspace comprising:

attaching an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) to an OPV having an autopilot, the capability for a pilot on board the OPV, and an override capability by the on board pilot;

receiving control parameters for a flight profile with a UAS flight control system capable of autonomous operation of a UAS; and

,

directing the control parameters to a flight control interpreter (FCI);

receiving status commands from the FCI in an OPV flight control system;

replacing the UAS flight profile with the autopilot in the OPV.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising asserting a pilot override and assuming control of the OPV if an emergency or contingency arises.