Abstract:
A system includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to be equipped with data representing a first UAV flight plan, and a ground station configured to control the UAV. The ground station is operable to receive, at a first time, a first data set representing at least one flight path of at least one aircraft, calculate a second UAV flight plan to avoid the at least one flight path of the at least one aircraft, the second UAV flight plan being based on the data representing the first UAV flight plan and the first data set representing at least one flight path of the at least one aircraft, and transmit data representing the second UAV flight plan to the UAV.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    A UAV is a remotely piloted or self-piloted aircraft that can carry cameras, sensors, communications equipment, or other payloads, is capable of controlled, sustained, level flight, and is usually powered by an engine. A self-piloted UAV may fly autonomously based on preprogrammed flight plans. 
         [0002]    UAVs are becoming increasingly used for various missions where manned flight vehicles are not appropriate or not feasible. These missions may include military situations, such as surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, data acquisition, communications relay, decoy, harassment, or supply flights. UAVs are also used for a growing number of civilian missions where a human observer would be at risk, such as firefighting, natural disaster reconnaissance, police observation of civil disturbances or crime scenes, and scientific research. An example of the latter would be observation of weather formations or of a volcano. 
         [0003]    As miniaturization technology has improved, it is now possible to manufacture very small UAVs (sometimes referred to as micro-aerial vehicles, or MAVs). For examples of UAV and MAV design and operation, see U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/752497, 11/753017, and 12/187172, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety herein. 
         [0004]    A UAV can be designed to use a ducted fan for propulsion, and may fly like a helicopter, using a propeller that draws in air through a duct to provide lift. The UAV propeller is preferably enclosed in the duct and is generally driven by a gasoline engine. The UAV may be controlled using micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) electronic sensor technology. 
         [0005]    Traditional aircraft may utilize a dihedral wing design, in which the wings exhibit an upward angle from lengthwise axis of the aircraft when the wings are viewed from the front or rear of this axis. A ducted fan UAV may lack a dihedral wing design and, therefore, it may be challenging to determine which direction a ducted fan UAV is flying. Consequently, it can be difficult for both manned and unmanned vehicles to avoid collisions with such a UAV. As UAVs are more widely deployed, the airspace will become more crowded. Thus, there is an increasing need to improve UAV collision avoidance systems. 
         [0006]    However, there currently exist a number of UAVs that are too small to carry the sensors required to perform on-board collision avoidance. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0007]    In an embodiment, a system includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) configured to be equipped with data representing a first UAV flight plan, and a ground station configured to control the UAV. The ground station is operable to receive, at a first time, a first data set representing at least one flight path of at least one aircraft, calculate a second UAV flight plan to avoid the at least one flight path of the at least one aircraft, the second UAV flight plan being based on the data representing the first UAV flight plan and the first data set representing at least one flight path of the at least one aircraft, and transmit data representing the second UAV flight plan to the UAV. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0008]    Preferred and alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the following drawings. 
           [0009]      FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary UAV design in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0010]      FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary operating environment and system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; 
           [0011]      FIG. 3  depicts an example of a UAV flight plan that avoids interference with an aircraft; and 
           [0012]      FIG. 4  depicts a user interface in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0013]      FIG. 1  depicts an exemplary UAV  100 . UAV  100  may be used for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition (RSTA) missions. For example, UAV  100  may launch and execute an RSTA mission by flying to one or more waypoints according to a flight plan before arriving at a landing position. Once launched, UAV  100  can perform such a UAV flight plan autonomously or with varying degrees of remote operator guidance from one or more ground control stations (“ground station”). UAV  100  may be a hovering ducted fan UAV, but alternative UAV embodiments can also be used. 
         [0014]    UAV  100  may include one or more active or passive sensors, such as a video camera or an acoustic sensor. In alternative embodiments, different types of sensors may be used in addition to the video camera and/or the acoustic sensor, such as motion sensors, heat sensors, wind sensors, RADAR, LADAR, electro-optical (EO), non-visible-light sensors (e.g. infrared (IR) sensors), and/or EO/IR sensors. Furthermore, multiple types of sensors may be utilized in conjunction with one another in accordance with multi-modal navigation logic. Different types of sensors may be used depending on the characteristics of the intended UAV mission and the environment in which the UAV is expected to operate. 
         [0015]    UAV  100  may also comprise a processor and a memory coupled to these sensors and other input devices. The memory is preferably configured to contain static and/or dynamic data, including the UAV&#39;s flight plan, flight corridors, flight paths, terrain maps, and other navigational information. The memory may also contain program instructions, executable by the processor, to conduct flight operations, and other operations, in accordance with the methods disclosed herein. 
         [0016]    Generally speaking, UAV  100  may be programmed with a UAV flight plan that instructs UAV  100  to fly between a number of waypoints in a particular order, while avoiding certain geographical coordinates, locations, or obstacles. For example, if UAV  100  is flying in the vicinity of a commercial, civilian or military flight corridor, UAV  100  should avoid flying in this corridor during the flight corridor&#39;s hours of operation. Similarly, if UAV  100  is programmed with a flight path of a manned aircraft or another UAV, UAV  100  should adjust its UAV flight plan avoid this flight path. Additionally, if UAV  100  is flying according to its UAV flight plan and UAV  100  encounters a known or previously unknown obstacle, UAV  100  should adjust its UAV flight plan to avoid the obstacle. 
         [0017]    Herein, the term “flight plan” generally refers to the planned path of flight of a UAV, such as UAV  100 , while the term “flight path” generally refers to an observed or planned path of flight of another aerial vehicle that the UAV may encounter. However, these terms may otherwise be used interchangeably. 
         [0018]      FIG. 2  illustrates an example of a suitable operating environment, such as a ground station  200 , in which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented. The operating environment is only one example of a suitable operating environment and is not intended to suggest any limitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention. Well known computing systems, environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the invention include, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers, hand-held, wearable computing systems, laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, or distributed computing environments that include any of the above systems or devices, and the like. 
         [0019]    Embodiments of the invention may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions, such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modules may be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. 
         [0020]    The operating environment illustrated in  FIG. 2  typically includes at least some form of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by one or more components of such operating environment. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by one or more components of such operating environment. Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media. 
         [0021]    Referring to  FIG. 2 , illustrated in the form of a functional block diagram are modules executable by, and storable on at least one computer readable medium associated with or otherwise accessible to, a ground station  200 . The illustrated embodiment includes a mission logic system  205 , which in turn includes an operator-alerts module  210 , a degree-of-certainty-analyzer (DOC) module  215 , an overlays tool  220 , and a flight-plan-update tool  225 . The structure and function of the modules included by the mission logic system  205 , and principles under which they operate, incorporate concepts described in commonly owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______ (Atty. Docket Number: H0016959, Title: Fusing Information from Assets, Networks, and Automated Behaviors; Atty. Docket Number: H0019538, Title: UAV Multi-Select Sensor, Detect Anti-Collision, See &amp; Avoid System; Atty. Docket Number: H0015297, Title: Method and System for Sharing Information Between Disparate Data Sources In A Network) which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. 
         [0022]    In an embodiment, the station  200  receives, via one or more radios  221 , digital flight-path and/or position reports from airborne objects (AOs)  320 , which could be other UAVs, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, or balloons and other lighter than air aircraft. These reports may include, for example, position, heading, altitude, and velocity of the AO  320 . 
         [0023]    A report/overlay (R/O) analyzer  236  is configured to process the AO flight-path reports and compare the information associated with the reports to current-position information  230  and future flight plans  235  of one or more UAVs  100  under the control of the station  200 . This comparison may generate one or more overlays of the projected respective positions of the controlled UAVs  100  and the AOs to enable a determination of potential flight-path conflicts. 
         [0024]    The alerts module  210  is configured to provide instant alerts (e.g., auditory and/or displayed to a display device (not shown) associated with the station  200 ) to the operator of the station  200  in response to a determination by the R/O analyzer  236  that one or more of the controlled UAVs  100  will be positioned within a user-configurable or pre-defined thresholds proximity of one or more of the AOs  320 . The pre-defined thresholds can be based on standards or other regulations. 
         [0025]    The DOC module  215  is configured to calculate the degree of certainty resulting from the incoming flight-path reports. For example, the station  200  may be configured to receive a series of reports from the AOs over a period of time for purposes of updating the flight paths of such AOs. If the station  200  fails to receive a report of the series, either through station malfunction or a communication failure on the part of an AO, the DOC module  215  can calculate an estimate of the AO&#39;s flight path based on the last report received from the AO. Additionally, the mission logic system  205  can notify the operator that the certainty of the position analysis is reduced and that manual operation of the controlled UAVs  100  should be resumed. The station  200  can also provide a displayed estimated flight path of the AO on an associated display device. The station  200  can also provide a maximum possible radius marker of the AO that is based on last known position augmented with information such as predicted location based on last known heading and speed information. 
         [0026]    The overlays tool  220  is configured to generate “control measure” overlays representing the flight paths of the AOs in order to enable construction by the update tool  225  of flight plans for the controlled UAVs  100  and to ensure that the operator does not plan a controlled-UAV route or manually direct a controlled UAV into a position in conflict with an actual or potential AO position or is at least notified of a potential conflict requiring additional coordination on the part of the UAV operator. 
         [0027]    The update tool  225  takes into account all the information from the other modules of the mission logic system  205 , as well as the current position of controlled UAVs  100 , current flight plans of controlled UAVs, and incoming AO reports, and automatically updates the controlled-UAV flight plans to avoid collisions with AOs. 
         [0028]    The flight planning module  240  and flight control module  245  are configured to communicate with the controlled UAVs  100  to upload safe, non-conflicting flight plans, and uploads these new flight plans when the mission logic system  205  determines that the controlled UAVs  100  are on a potential collision course with one or more AOs. 
         [0029]    The control measures and digital messaging module  250  is configured to communicate using radios  221  the proposed flight plans for the controlled UAVs  100  to the AOs  320  and/or air traffic management sites for coordination and approval. Such communications can be expanded to support pre-approval and flight clearances with appropriate agencies. 
         [0030]      FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary embodiment of a controlled UAV, such as UAV  100 , using an updated flight plan received from station  200  to avoid an aircraft  320 . UAV  100  is flying according to a pre-programmed UAV flight plan  310 . 
         [0031]    At point G, UAV  100  receives an updated flight plan from station  200  in response to station having determined that aircraft  320  is flying according to aircraft vector  330 . UAV  100  may then follow the updated flight plan to avoid aircraft  320 . 
         [0032]    As alluded to above herein, the characteristics of the updated flight plan may be configured by a user of the station  200  or pre-defined based on standards or regulations. As illustrated in  FIG. 4 , the station  200  may be configured to generate an alert to an associated display device via a user interface  400  that allows a user to select collision avoidance settings that the station can use to develop updated flight plans for controlled UAVs  100 . A distance setting  410  allows the user to specify the minimum distance between a controlled UAV  100  and an AO that the controlled UAV should observe in following the updated flight plan. Additionally, a style setting  420  allows the user to specify a particular maneuver style that the controlled UAV  100  should observe in following the updated flight plan. Such maneuver styles may include Always Descend (Down), Always Ascend (Up), Safest (e.g., descend if below airborne object; ascend if above airborne object), Fastest (e.g., used if the UAV can ascend faster than it can descend, or vice versa). In addition, the system may use pre-defined settings such as from Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations or other standard operating procedures in response to selection of setting  430 . 
         [0033]    While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, as noted above, many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment. Instead, the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow.