Safety bubble control for coordination of multiple unmanned aircraft systems

A unified collision avoidance control and coordination model for multiple unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operating in close proximity is proposed. The collision avoidance behavior is based on the elastic collision of gas particles. A safety bubble around each agent is created by means of a sensor fusion architecture, enabling the Sense-and-Avoid (SAA) behavior of the collision avoidance control. The dimension of the safety bubble changes dynamically based on a quantified collision risk which is calculated based on the capabilities of the UAS and the number of neighboring agents. The weather conditions of the environment or airway, as well as the mitigation of third party casualties are also considered. The ultimate goal is to ensure the safety of operations performed by coordinated and uncoordinated UAS, as these systems become more popular in the National Airspace System (NAS).

A unified collision avoidance control and coordination model for multiple unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operating in close proximity is proposed. The collision avoidance behavior is based on the elastic collision of gas particles. A safety bubble around each agent is created by means of a sensor fusion architecture, enabling the Sense-and-Avoid (SAA) behavior of the collision avoidance control. The dimension of the safety bubble changes dynamically based on a quantified collision risk which is calculated based on the capabilities of the UAS and the number of neighboring agents. The weather conditions of the environment or airway, as well as the mitigation of third party casualties are also considered. The ultimate goal is to ensure the safety of operations performed by coordinated and uncoordinated UAS, as these systems become more popular in the National Airspace System (NAS).