Unmanned aerial vehicle off-site landing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11250713-B2
Application number	US-201916366253-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 27, 2019
Priority date	Mar 27, 2019
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A fixed wing unmanned aircraft and a method for operating the same are provided. The fixed wing unmanned aircraft may include, but is not limited to, a failure detection system configured to detect faults in one or more of the plurality of components, a capability evaluation system communicatively coupled to the failure detection system, the capability evaluation system configured to determine a capability level of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle based upon the faults in the one or more of the plurality of components, and a trajectory generation system communicatively coupled to the failure detection system and the capability evaluation system, the trajectory generation system configured to generate a touch down trajectory for the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle based upon the determined capability level of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein when the determined capability level is below a predetermined threshold, the touch down trajectory comprising a stall maneuver configured to minimize a lateral energy of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle having a plurality of components, comprising:
a failure detection system configured to detect faults in one or more of the plurality of components, wherein the failure detection system continuously monitors the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle for new faults and when faults are resolved;
a communication system, the communication system comprising at least one data communication system and at least one voice communication system; and
a processor communicatively coupled to the communication system and the failure detection system, the processor configured to:
determine, when one or more faults are detected by the failure detection system, a capability level of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle based upon the one or more detected faults, wherein the processor is further configured to continuously update the capability level based upon any new faults received from the failure detection system and any resolved faults received from the failure detection system;
determine, when the capability level of the unmanned aerial vehicle is below a predetermined threshold, that an off-site landing is necessary, wherein the processor is further configured to continuously update determination that an off-site landing is necessary based upon updates to the determined capability level and cancel a determination that an off-site landing is necessary when the capability level rises above the predetermined threshold;
generate, when an off-site landing is necessary, a voice warning using the at least one voice communication system, the voice warning comprising at least one of a pre-recorded message and a voice synthesized message;
determine, when an off-site landing is necessary, a maximum range of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle based upon the capability level of the unmanned aerial vehicle;
determine, based upon the capability level and the maximum range of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle, whether a predetermined off-site landing site is within the maximum range of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the predetermined off-site landing site comprising a designated area for off-site landings; and
determine a path to the predetermined off-site landing based upon the determined capability level of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle, a type of landing site associated with the predetermined off-site landing site and the type of faults detected, wherein the path is determined according to:
determining, by the processor, when a trajectory can be built based upon the capabilities of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle that will allow the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle to come to a full stop inside of a defined area within the predetermined off-site landing site, where the path is set to include the trajectory; and
determining, when the trajectory cannot be built to allow the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle to come to a full stop inside of a defined area within the predetermined off-site landing site, a trajectory which minimizes a lateral energy of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle within the predetermined off-site landing site, the trajectory including a pitch as the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle approaches the ground which induces a stall of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle; and

generate commands for a control system to direct the unmanned aerial vehicle to the predetermined off-site landing site using the determined path when the predetermined off-site landing site is within the determined maximum range of the unmanned aerial vehicle; and
generate commands for the control system to direct the unmanned aerial vehicle away from populated areas when the predetermined off-site landing site is outside the determined maximum range of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

2. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate, when the unmanned aerial vehicle is approaching the predetermined off-site landing site, a command to dump fuel when the processor determines that the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle cannot come to a full stop inside of a defined area within the predetermined off-site landing site.

3. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the failure detection system continuously monitors the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle for new faults and when faults are resolved.

4. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 3 , wherein the processor is further configured to continuously update the capability level based upon any new faults received from the failure detection system and any resolved faults received from the failure detection system.

5. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to continuously update determination that an off-site landing is necessary based upon updates to the determined capability level.

6. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to cancel a determination that an off-site landing is necessary when the capability level rises above the predetermined threshold.

7. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate, when an off-site landing is necessary, a voice warning using the at least one voice communication system.

8. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 7 , wherein the voice warning comprises at least one of a pre-recorded message and a voice synthesized message.

9. The unmanned aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to generate commands for the control system to direct the unmanned aerial vehicle away from populated areas when the predetermined off-site landing site is outside the determined maximum range of the unmanned aerial vehicle.

10. A method of operating a fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle having a plurality of components, the method comprising:
detecting, by a failure detection system, one or more faults in the plurality of components;
determining, by a processor, when one or more faults are detected by the failure detection system, a capability level of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle based upon the one or more detected faults;
determining, by the processor, when the capability level of the unmanned aerial vehicle is below a predetermined threshold, that an off-site landing is necessary;
determining, by the processor, when an off-site landing is necessary, a maximum range of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle based upon the capability level of the unmanned aerial vehicle;
determining, by the processor, based upon the capability level and the maximum range of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle, whether a predetermined off-site landing site is within the maximum range of the unmanned aerial vehicle, the predetermined off-site landing site comprising a designated area for off-site landings; and
determining, by the processor, a path to the predetermined off-site landing based upon the determine capability level of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle, a type of landing site associated with the predetermined off-site landing site and the type of faults detected,
generating, by the processor, commands for a control system to direct the unmanned aerial vehicle to the predetermined off-site landing site using the determined path when the predetermined off-site landing site is within the determined maximum range of the unmanned aerial vehicle,
wherein the path is determined according to:
determining, by the processor, when a trajectory can be built based upon the capabilities of the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle that will allow the fixed wing unmanned aerial vehicle to come to a full stop inside

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Liu Yang
• Hickman Alan Bruce
• Chen Xiaodong
• Chen Shuai
• Feng Wenwan
• Zhang Lei
• Zou Yunfei

Classifications

• B64U30/10

  Wings · CPC title

• G08G5/54 Primary

  for approach or landing · CPC title

• G08G5/21

  located onboard the aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/34

  for flight plan modification · CPC title