Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) See-and-Avoid Technology to Allow Unrestricted Operations in Civil and Military Low Altitude Airspace

The proliferation of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) designed to perform a wide range of missions in both the military and civilian markets has accelerated dramatically in recent years. Unmanned aircraft are currently limited to operation within predetermined flight corridors to minimize the potential for conflict with other aircraft. Manned and unmanned aircraft operating in civilian airspace below 10,000 feet must be able to detect and avoid other aircraft through active communications or passive observations. Before UAVs can gain unlimited access to uncontrolled civilian airspace, new sensor technologies must be developed to enable the detection and tracking of nearby aircraft under all flight conditions. SARA proposes a passive acoustic sensor system to provide air traffic alerts to the UAV operator. The sensor system builds on proven airborne acoustic sensor technology developed by SARA under Army contracts. Acoustic sensors provide a continuous spherical field of view and are unaffected by clouds, fog or darkness. The system components weigh less than one pound and require less than 5W of power, minimizing payload impacts. SARA will also adapt existing Scout UAV data display software to assess UAV and traffic flight paths to assess the possibility of airspace conflicts and provide the appropriate operator alerts.