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CU-Boulder ASEN 5519 - Test and Integration of a Detect and Avoid System

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American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 1Test and Integration of a Detect and Avoid System Mr. James Utt* Defense Research Associates, Inc., Beavercreek, OH 45431 Dr. John McCalmont† Sensors Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/SNJT), Wright Patterson AFB, OH 45433 Mr. Mike Deschenes‡ Defense Research Associates, Inc., Beavercreek, OH 45431 Remotely Operated Aircraft (ROAs) currently do not have convenient access to civil airspace due to their inability to provide an onboard capability to “see and avoid” air traffic. Defense Research Associates, Inc. and AFRL/SNJT have developed affordable technology based on silicon charge couple device sensors and passive moving target detection algorithms. Previously, an all-software implementation of the algorithms demonstrated concept feasibility by using video data recorded during flight testing. This paper documents subsequent implementation and field testing of a real-time version of the system with field programmable gate arrays handling the detection processing and multiple sensors to demonstrate the wide field of regard required. The implementation met demonstration goals by functioning reliably in real-time and providing detection and false detection performance comparable to that of the previous, non-real-time version. I. Introduction Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Regulation 7610.4 states remotely operated aircraft must provide an “…equivalent level of safety, comparable to see-and-avoid requirements for manned aircraft” in order to operate like manned aircraft in the National Air Space (NAS). The capability must be effective against all air traffic, with or without active, transponder-based collision avoidance systems. Currently, no ROA “see and avoid” capability exists. ROAs operating in the NAS must obtain Certificates of Authorization, a cumbersome process, and/or use either chase planes or ground-based observers. The Air Force Research Laboratories’ Sensors Directorate (AFRL/SN), and Defense Research Associates, Inc. (DRA) have developed technology called Detect and Avoid (DAA) that has the potential to meet the FAA’s “see and avoid” requirement. Air Force Research Laboratory, Sensors Directorate (AFRL/SN) has been investigating methods of reducing the number of false alarms in missile approach warning systems. One method showing promising results is the addition of a discrimination algorithm which discerns the motion of the approaching missile relative to the motion of the background. AFRL/SN and the Predator/Global Hawk Program Offices sponsored DRA to adapt this missile detection technology to the See and Avoid application. DRA used a validated AFRL/SN human vision model called OPEC and custom simulation software to numerically quantify the detection ranges required for “an equivalent level of safety.” DRA performed developmental flight demonstrations on a surrogate ROA aircraft. These demonstrations verified predictions that DAA technology will meet Global Hawk and Predator requirements, as shown by McCalmont, Utt, and Deschenes. The methodology for these demonstrations was to fly sensors in a surrogate ROA in near-collision scenarios while recording sensor data. The data was then processed on the ground using general-purpose computers running the detection algorithm software much slower than real time. These demonstrations proved the concept of using this affordable sensor technology and detection algorithm to meet the needs of Global Hawk and Predator. * Vice President, Systems Development, 3915 Germany Lane, Suite 102, Beavercreek, OH 45431. † Threat Warning Team Leader, AFRL/SNJT, 3050 C Street, Hangar 4B, Wright Patterson AFB, OH 45433. ‡ Engineering Team Leader, Systems Development, 3915 Germany Lane, Suite 102, Beavercreek, OH 45431. AIAA 3rd "Unmanned Unlimited" Technical Conference, Workshop and Exhibit20-23 September 2004, Chicago, IllinoisAIAA 2004-6424Copyright © 2004 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc. All rights reserved.American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics 2II. Scope of Demonstration Operating manned aircraft in civil airspace is a relatively safe proposition due to the arsenal of tools and technologies built up since the invention of flight. Figure 1 illustrates the layered nature of these tools and technologies. Pilots are uniformly trained to follow the same procedures and interact in the same manner with air traffic control and each other. Radars monitor aircraft positions in areas of dense traffic. Transponders automatically announce aircraft positions. More sophisticated technologies, such as Traffic Collision Alert System (TCAS), use transponders to autonomously exchange deconfliction information. Finally, pilots use their eyes to “see and avoid” air traffic. Except for the latter, all of these tools and technologies can be made available for unmanned aircraft. The purpose of the work described in this and related paper is to develop technologies for ROAs that performs this function. More specifically, the purpose is not to develop a system that replaces any, much less all, of these other tools and technologies. Figure 1. Reasons Why Manned Aviation Is Safe The demonstration documented here focused on building a practical real-time implementation of the DAA system capable of delivering performance comparable to that observed for the non-real-time software implementation previously demonstrated. Additionally, real-time multi-target tracking software was written and integrated with the detection sub-system. The result was a complete wide field of view, multi-sensor, real-time on-board brassboard system.. The demonstration did not address integration of the system into an unmanned platform. III. Objectives The effort focused on meeting two objectives: 1. Demonstrate real-time operation of integrated detection and tracking system. 2. Demonstrate real-time tracking of targets across multiples sensor fields of view. IV. Implementation The Detect and Avoid (DAA) concept uses several key technologies: CCD sensors, new discrimination algorithms, and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The DAA concept is to use three sensors to provide adequate non-cooperative target collision avoidance protection. The brassboard implementation is shown, along with it’s field of regard, in Figure 2. The architecture implemented is shown in Figure 3, along with


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CU-Boulder ASEN 5519 - Test and Integration of a Detect and Avoid System

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