TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Sensors, Battlespace

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-266, Navy and Marine Corps Multi-Mission Unmanned Air Systems

OBJECTIVE: Develop optimal collision avoidance decision making processes for unmanned aircraft systems.

DESCRIPTION: Collision avoidance is a key enabler to unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) civil airspace access as well as an important capability for the integration of manned and unmanned missions in military theaters of operation. The "detect, sense, and avoid" process in collision avoidance attempts to answer three sequential questions. First, is something there? This involves searching the airspace around the aircraft and detecting, acquiring and tracking objects in the search volume. Second, is it a threat/target? This involves the sense function in evaluating the tracks, prioritizing perceived threats and deciding whether to maneuver. Third, how do we react/maneuver? This involves the avoid function in determining what action needs to be taken, commanding the action and then executing the maneuver. In the case of this SBIR topic, we are interested in optimally answering the second question in the face of uncertainty.

In addressing the sense question, measurements of a contact�s relative position information, rate of change of relative position, and/or the trajectory information for all contacts are used to decide whether a risk of collision (i.e., two aircraft are on a collision course) or a conflict (i.e., a violation of safe separation) exists and if an avoidance maneuver is required. These measurements and projections of future movements include varying degrees of uncertainty. An estimate of the uncertainty is valuable in assessing when sufficient information is available to make a maneuver decision. The decision timeline is time-constrained. Maneuver decisions must be made early enough to ensure safe separation.

Interaction with radar and airframe system manufacturers may be beneficial to successful transition of this technology.

PHASE I: Investigate optimal UAS sense decision making processes in the presence of non-cooperative aircraft. Determine the feasibility of the best process using sensor performance models and collision scenarios developed in consultation with the Navy.

PHASE II: Perform process design optimization and testing using both simulated and real sensor data. Integrate, test and demonstrate the algorithms using a candidate radar system.

PHASE III: Finalize and transition the developed technology to the Fleet.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The technology developed under this SBIR would increase safety and is directly applicable to civil manned and unmanned aviation.

REFERENCES:
1. Hottman, S.B., Hansen, K.R. & Berry, M. (2009). Literature Review on Detect, Sense, and Avoid Technology for Unmanned Aircraft Systems. http://www.tc.faa.gov/its/worldpac/techrpt/ar0841.pdf

2. Kochenderfer, M.J., Espindle, L.P., Edwards, M.W.M., Kuchar, J.K., & Griffith, J. D. (2009). Airspace Encounter Models for Conventional and Unconventional Aircraft: The Eighth USA/Europe Air Traffic Management Research and Development Seminar (ATM2009).
http://www.atmseminar.org/seminarContent/seminar8/papers/p_012_IMSA.pdf

KEYWORDS: Radar; Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS); Sense and Avoid; Due Regard; Decision Making

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between November 10 and December 12, 2010, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting December 13, 2011, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

However, proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the DoD's SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS), in which the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing until the solicitation closes. All proposers are advised to monitor SITIS (11.1 Q&A) during the solicitation period for questions and answers, and other significant information, relevant to the SBIR 11.1 topic under which they are proposing.

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