Detect, sense and avoid (DSA) systems are responsible for
detecting conflicting traffic, determining the right of way, analyzing flight
paths, maneuvering to avoid collision, and communicating with other aircraft in
the air. The requirements for DSA for commercial
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are currently still in work by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) however an outline of what it will most likely
look like is available. UAVs under 55lbs
that are flown for recreation or hobby purposes currently have no requirements
for sense and avoid other than they must be flown within line-of-sight away
from populated areas, however the requirements for commercial UAV usage flying
beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) will be much more rigorous (Berry, 2009).
For detecting conflicting traffic, the UAV system will need
to continuously be scanning for threats, minimize false alarms and misses,
provide an operator threat data, cover a field of view of 110 degrees
horizontal and +/- 15 degrees azimuth, track all targets within a minimum
range, and determine closure rates (Berry, 2009). The system will need to be able to detect and
identify potential collisions at a far enough range that a minimum of 500ft
separation between vehicles can be maintained (Berry, 2009). It will do so by making use of the sensors
on-board to calculate flight paths and determine the time available before
needing to maneuver to avoid a potential collision (Berry, 2009). For a small UAV of less than 55lbs the microPOP
electro-optical stabilized payload is a great option for helping achieve this.
The microPOP is a great option because it allows for both
day and night usage making use of a color zoom camera with near infrared (IR)
capabilities for daytime operations and an uncooled forward looking infrared (FLIR)
camera for night operations (MicroPOP, 2015).
The day and night payloads can be interchanged quickly and depending on
configuration have a system weight of between 2.2 and 3 lbs (MicroPOP, 2015). At a cost of over $100,000 for each unit it is
not a cheap option by any stretch but the capabilities it offers far surpass just
strapping a HD camera onto your aircraft (MicroPOP, 2015). Available options to add on in addition to
the camera include a laser range finder, laser pointer, automatic video
tracker, HDTV, and INS/GPS (MicroPOP, 2015).
The sensor is compact at only 4” in diameter and 7” tall, while
requiring a 23 Watts of power in order to run (MicroPOP, 2015). The field of view is 170 degrees horizontal
and -90 degrees, + 20 degrees azimuth with a slewing rate of 100 degrees/sec on
the gimbal (MicroPOP, 2015). The day
camera also features 10x continuous zoom.
The microPOP sensor is currently being used successfully on UAV’s such
as the Panther Fixed Wing VTOL UAS and the BirdEye 400 UAV. For small unmanned systems on short-range
observation missions it is an excellent option for providing enhanced imaging capabilities
to assist in a sense and avoid system.
References
Berry, M., Hansen, K.R., Hottman, S. B. (2009). Literature Review on
Detect, Sense, and Avoid Technology for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
(DOT/FAA/AR-08/41). Las Cruces: FAA.
MicroPOP Electro-Optical Stabilized Payload. (2015).
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