The control of unmanned aircraft operating in civilian ...€¦ · Civilian UAVs: Practical...
Transcript of The control of unmanned aircraft operating in civilian ...€¦ · Civilian UAVs: Practical...
Civilian UAVs: Practical Challenges and Regulatory Implications RAeS UASSG Conference 19th September 2012
The control of unmanned aircraft operating in civilian BLOS missions
Dr Joseph Barnard [email protected]
Barnard Microsystems Limited Unit 4, 44 – 54 Coleridge Road
London N8 8ED U.K.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 2
Introduction We have developed the 4m wingspan InView Unmanned Aircraft System for use in: • scientific missions measuring ice thickness and ash cloud monitoring • commercial activities oil, gas and mineral exploration and pipeline monitoring • State activities routine land and maritime border patrol work
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 3
Features of the InView unmanned aircraft
Two engines for safety... with the aircraft able to fly controllably on one engine
Robust undercarriage for operation from rough terrain
Satellite communications unit supporting up to 200 kbps Ethernet
based Inmarsat communications
Two rudders for safety. with the ability to operate
using one rudder
Modular construction for ease of transportation,
maintenance and upgrade
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 4
BML lead the UASatCom IAP Feasibility Study supported by ESA The 15 month Feasibility Study investigated the technical, regulatory and financial issues of
an oil, gas and mineral exploration and pipeline monitoring service based on the use of light (< 35 kg take-off weight) unmanned aircraft
using satellite based data relay and precision navigation services.
The UA operate Beyond Line of Sight (“BLOS”), and often times at night...
This work has been supported by the European Space Agency in the form of an Integrated Application Promotion (“IAP”) ARTES 20 Project that started on 1st June 2011, involving:
• Barnard Microsystems Limited Lead Contractor U.K. • Inmarsat Global Limited Sub-Contractor U.K. • AnsuR Technologies AS Sub-Contractor Norway
• Fugro Airborne Surveys User Canada • Sander Geophysics Limited User Canada • Shell Aircraft and Shell Exploration User Netherlands
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 5
Case 1: Use of unmanned aircraft to perform a geophysical survey, such as:
• a geomagnetic mapping, as above, indicating underlying iron ore bearing rock structure • a 3D Digital Elevation Mapping (“DEM”) of the underlying terrain • a multi-spectral (e.g. 6 bands) or hyper-spectral (e.g. 256 wavelengths) mapping
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 6
The data for a geophysical mapping is derived from a BLOS airborne survey
Barnard
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 7
The unmanned aircraft need to fly from 20m to 80m Above Ground Level
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 8
From a presentation by James Macnae at SEG 2006
The UA may need to fly at night, when the electromagnetic noise levels are low
Quiet period from midnight to noon
Ligh
tnin
g fl
ash
es p
er s
eco
nd
→
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 9
A double hop satellite data relay network is used in geophysical survey work.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 10
Example of a mobile Ground Control Station used in geophysical survey work.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 11
The stage seems set for the use of unmanned aircraft in geomagnetic surveys...
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 12
However, Universal Wing Technologies signs an agreement to sell UAS subsidiary On January 27th 2012, Universal Wing Technologies Inc. signed a share purchase agreement with the private company, Stratus Aeronautics, to sell 1,075,000 common shares (86%) of the outstanding shares of Universal Wing Geophysics Corp., the subsidiary that has operated the Company’s Unmanned Air Vehicle Systems development business. Under the terms of the Agreement, the Company will transfer 86% of Geophysics and operating control together with the business debt and liabilities which currently exceed $1,370,000 to Stratus. The Company has determined that the development of an Unmanned Systems development company, that had consumed much of its focus in the recent past, is difficult to finance in the current markets, and is best sold to a private company. On behalf of the Board of Directors Universal Wing Technologies Inc. Declan Sweeney
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 13
The Fugro Airborne Surveys “GeoRanger” unmanned aircraft.
The GeoRanger was based on the InSitu ScanEagle, and was used in geomagnetic
surveys in Canada.
The Fugro Airborne Surveys “GeoRanger” unmanned aircraft.
The GeoRanger was based on the InSitu ScanEagle, and was used in
geomagnetic surveys in Canada.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 15
Current problems with the use of unmanned aircraft in civilian BLOS missions. • Unmanned aircraft are at present relatively unreliable (especially the engines):
o The engine on an AAI Shadow UA is replaced every 500 hours. o We understand the engine on an InSitu ScanEagle is replaced every 100 - 500 hours
• Regulatory constraints.
o These are slowly easing with all the work being performed throughout the world.
• At present, no “suitable” Sense and Avoid system on the unmanned aircraft.
Small engines have a really tough time: • increased wear due to typically higher RPM
operation • 4 stroke engines are more fuel efficient and
quieter than 2 stroke engines, but they are also more complex and have a higher vibration level
• Carbon build-up due to the very simple
carburettor used (no fuel injection unit) and the 20 : 1 = petrol : synthetic oil mixture used
Above: the twin cylinder 4 stroke SAITO FG-57T engine is an example of a petrol powered IC engine used on long range (300+ km) UA.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 16
The business case takes a severe hit when an unmanned aircraft crashes... For example, an unmanned aircraft on a geophysical survey mission might be carrying: a Headwall HyperSpec SWIR hyperspectral camera costing $ 95,000 (budgetary price)
two Scintrex CS-3SL Cesium beam magnetometers, each costing $ 20,200
one airborne broadband satellite communications terminal costing $ 36,500 (budgetary)
Cost of UA + hyperspectral camera + 2x magnetometers + sat comms unit = $ 215,400
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 17
“Human error causes most Predator crashes” Air Force researcher finds that biggest problem is operator mistakes.
Above: Col. Charles W. Manley, commander of the 163d Maintenance Group,163d Reconnaissance Wing, pilots a training simulator for the Air Force's MQ-1 Predator at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County, Calif., in June. Research shows that most Predator mishaps are the result of: • inadequate skills • lack of teamwork • lack of situational awareness.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 18
Our own experience with unmanned aircraft incidents Event Comment Ascribed to IV-01 sheared off undercarriage pre-flight check error human error IV-02 crash after failure of one engine lack of situational awareness design error pre-flight check deficiency human error IV-03 crash due to little rudder authority design deficiency design error IV-05 manually landed on top of tall trees pilot perception error human error IV-06 sheared off undercarriage hard manual landing human error IV-07 sheared off undercarriage hard manual landing human error design deficiency design error Most accidents occurred during take-off and landing. So, as far as we are concerned, unmanned aircraft testing in the U.K. under CAA CAP 722 regulations is fine. Our test flight experience has convinced us that the human is the weak link, and that more pre-flight test automation and flight control machine intelligence will lead to increased safety.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 19
Above: an example of redundancy. In this test flight, a servo connecting rod to the right hand aileron on the InView came loose, but full control of the unmanned aircraft was maintained.
Example of one of many things that can go wrong during an UA flight.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 20
From presentation by Dubi Lavi at AUVSI Israel Chapter Conference, 20-23 March 2012.
Even with significant training, human error remains a notable cause of UA crashes
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 21
Case 2: Use of unmanned aircraft in oil and gas pipeline monitoring activities
Above: timely (within 15 minutes) detection of an oil leak from a pipeline is important.
Below: The User needs to: • routinely monitor many hundreds
of km of oil pipeline;
• at least once every 2 weeks;
• and detect and identify people and objects from at least 600 feet from a moving airborne platform.
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 22
In oil pipeline and infrastructure monitoring, the need is to detect anomalies.
Above: timely (within 15 minutes) detection of an oil leak from a pipeline is important.
Below: a PM UA based service must: • routinely monitor many hundreds
of km of oil pipeline;
• at least once every 2 weeks;
• and detect and identify people and objects from at least 600 feet from a moving airborne platform.
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 24
Object detection and identification at over 600 feet from a moving aircraft.
Side looking photo from an unmanned aircraft travelling at 30 mph, no image enhancement.
Canon EOS 5D Mk III camera body
5,760 x 3,840 Pixels = 22 MPixels
computer interface and control via USB 2
price = £ 2,480
Canon EF 70 - 200mm f/2.8L zoom lens
viewing angle = 10° x 7° at 200mm
4 stop image stabilisation
price = £ 1,660
Barnard
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 25
The unmanned aircraft need to be able to operate in extreme climatic conditions
Part of the Trans Alaska Pipeline
Severe weather conditions in the Arctic: total darkness (in winter time)
temperatures: drop to -40°C
spray icing (wing icing)
snow and ice
In North Africa and in the Middle East, an unmanned aircraft could encounter: temperatures that reach +50°C fine dust
abrasive sand storms. Pipeline in Saudi Arabia
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 26
People siphoning oil from pipelines often take “pot shots” at overhead aircraft.
Above: getting an indication of the vulnerability of the InView UA to small arms fire at an indoor shooting range in Las Vegas, venue of the AUVSI North America 2012 Conference . Here, the popular Glock 17 pistol was used with the static target brought forward for viewing.
Above: results for the Glock 17 pistol on a 20" (508 mm) diameter target, located 10 m away. Not surprisingly, even when holding the pistol firmly with two hands, the bullets are all over the place.
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 27
Night flying becomes a necessity, partly because “bunkering” takes place at night.
Above: Tito with the widely used AK-47 machine gun, in machine gun mode, using 7.62 mm ammunition. We also have results for: • the US M4 machine gun
• the Belgian FN self loading rifle
• a sniper rifle with telescopic sights
Above: the bullets from the AK-47 machine gun drift to the upper right with each successive shot when operated in machine gun mode. The AK-47 was fired in bursts of 3 shots each. This is a popular weapon used by people engaged in bunkering activities
Barnard RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 28
The InView with a 5 kW brushless electric motor for use in “stealth mode” flight.
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 29
Satellite based data relay network, showing single hop link used in a PM service.
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 30 Barnard
Example of a Ground Control Station suitable for pipeline monitoring work.
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 31
A satellite data service provider will not guarantee data link integrity.
Flight automation + limited autonomy + a sense and avoid system are needed • in a lost link situation • in night time flying • in a BLOS geophysical survey or pipeline monitoring mission to save the unmanned aircraft and the payload and avoid a crash in which people might be injured and / or property might be damaged
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 32
Automation and adaptive flight control are needed for BLOS civilian missions • The business case is taking a real hit from the unreliability of current unmanned aircraft.
• It is increasingly being suggested that the weak link is the man-in-the-loop. • This leads us to the view that the introduction of more automation and machine
intelligence will reduce the unmanned aircraft accident rate. • We think that the development of adaptive flight control, flight automation and a degree
of autonomy will in time enable us to reduce the accident rate for unmanned aircraft below that of manned aircraft.
• Machine intelligence is needed to enable the unmanned aircraft to perform predictably: o in a lost link situation o in spite of the status of the aircraft o in spite of the weather conditions o while taking action to avoid colliding with other airborne objects.
• A limited degree of autonomy will enable the unmanned aircraft to:
o fly safely back to base, or to auto-land at a designated site, in a lost link situation o detect the early onset of system degradation, such as wing icing, and take action o avoid other aircraft provided it is fitted with an effective collision detection unit
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 33
Presentation by Dubi Lavi of IAI at the AUVSI Israel Chapter Conference, 20-23 March 2012.
Staff at IAI think that more flight automation is needed to help the business case.
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 34
Rockwell Collins are reporting impressive work on adaptive flight control...
Presentation by Eric Thomas at AUVSI Israel Chapter Conference, 20-23 March 2012.
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 35
Rockwell Collins have demonstrated the use of real time adaptive flight control
to continue flying, and then landing, a severely damaged unmanned aircraft.
Barnard
RAeS UASSG 2012 Conference on UAS Operations 36
Conclusions • The use of light UA in oil, gas and mineral exploration and pipeline monitoring work looks
feasible from a technical and regulatory standpoint, and is commercially attractive. • The key hurdles that need to be overcome at present are:
o Small unmanned aircraft are at present relatively unreliable o Regulatory constraints o A Sense and Avoid system is needed on the UA
• The use of an adaptive flight control autopilot to manage system degradation is needed
to help the business case.
• The unmanned aircraft must be able to fly safely, and land safely (auto land capability) in a lost command link situation. This capability will also help with routine operations.
• The potential exists for unmanned aircraft flight to be safer than manned aircraft flight. Acknowledgements T.S.B. “AeroVision” Proof of Market Project European Space Agency for Artes 20 IAP UASatCom Feasibility Study support T.S.B. “INMARA II Intelligent Machine Reasoning and Action” Proof of Concept Project T.S.B. “STUAC” Project using sensors to monitor the health of Unmanned Aircraft.
Barnard