Aircraft collision sense and avoidance system and method

US7876258B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• The Boeing Company · US

Inventors

• Michael Abraham · O'Fallon, US
• Christian Witt · Vestenbergsgreuth, DE
• Dennis Yelton · Chicago, US
• John N. Sanders-Reed · Edgewood, US
• Christopher J. Musial · Albuquerque, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 13, 2006
• Grant date: Jan 25, 2011
• Expiry date: Jun 25, 2027

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G08G5/80
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A collision sense and avoidance system and method and an aircraft, such as an Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) and/or Remotely Piloted Vehicle (RPV), including the collision sense and avoidance system. The collision sense and avoidance system includes an image interrogator identifies potential collision threats to the aircraft and provides maneuvers to avoid any identified threat. Motion sensors (e.g., imaging and/or infrared sensors) provide image frames of the surroundings to a clutter suppression and target detection unit that detects local targets moving in the frames. A Line Of Sight (LOS), multi-target tracking unit, tracks detected local targets and maintains a track history in LOS coordinates for each detected local target. A threat assessment unit determines whether any tracked local target poses a collision threat. An avoidance maneuver unit provides flight control and guidance with a maneuver to avoid any identified said collision threat.