SBIR Phase I: Design And Implementation Of A Self-Contained Sensor For 3 -Dimensional State Estimation And Ground-Based Sense-And-Avoid System For Small Unmanned Aerial Systems.

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发商用UAS定位和感知和避免技术，使未来的UAS能够在NAS中安全运行，同时在应急响应、搜索和救援、执法、基础设施检查(例如风力涡轮机、桥梁、道路)、农业、林业和许多其他商业应用方面提供革命性的新能力。经过5年多的争论，2013年11月，美国联邦航空管理局(FAA)发布了一份将商用无人机整合到NAS的10年路线图，特别指出了在所有经过认证的无人机上开发多传感器机载感知和回避系统的必要性。因此，拟议传感器套件的可制造性和广泛的商业部署也将使国内无人机制造商能够缓解围绕其产品的监管不确定性，并赶上已经为无人机数十亿美元的全球市场提供服务的海外同行。除了支持美国的技术领先地位、国内制造业的复兴和一个全新行业的发展，该项目还将推动相关领域的并行发展，如自动汽车的防撞系统、手持电子设备的位置感知以及即插即用电子集成和微型化。这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将展示部署新型集成传感器套件的可行性，以实现在高度监管的国家航空空间(NAS)运行的小型无人机系统(UAS)的准确位置估计和感知和避免能力。目前，由于法规和技术限制，UAS没有集成到NAS中。不确定的监管环境正在迅速演变为一种制度，在这种制度下，将需要机器人态势感知和感知和避免能力方面的重大技术进步，才能将UAS整合到NAS中。今天？S最先进的无人机是远程控制的，可以从全球定位系统和飞行员反馈中收集基本位置估计。该项目将演示UAS传感器组件，该组件可实现与当前和拟议的NAS基础设施的直接接口，在GPS不可用时保持完全功能，并超过有人驾驶车辆的定位能力。传感器组件将360°相机、惯性测量单元、GPS接收器、压力传感器和视觉里程测量软件集成到一个单一的车载设备中，实现同步定位和测绘(SLAM)，以实现精确的车辆定位和与附近飞机的通信。第一阶段SBIR项目的完成将使一种颠覆性的导航技术引入将成为数十亿美元的国内UAS市场。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is the development of a commercial UAS positioning and sense-and-avoid technology that will enable future UAS to operate safely in the NAS while delivering revolutionary new capabilities in emergency response, search and rescue, law enforcement, infrastructure inspection (e.g. wind turbines, bridges, road), agriculture, forestry, and a multitude of other commercial applications. After over 5 years of debate, in November 2013 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a 10 year roadmap for integration of commercial UAS into the NAS, specifically stating the need for development of a multi-sensor airborne sense-and-avoid system across all certified UAS. The manufacturability and wide commercial deployment of the proposed sensor suite will therefore also enable domestic UAS manufacturers to mitigate the regulatory uncertainty surrounding their products and catch up to their overseas counterparts who are already serving the multi-billion dollar global market for UAS. In addition to supporting U.S. technology leadership, the resurgence of domestic manufacturing, and the growth of an entirely new industry, this project will also enable parallel advances in related areas such as collision avoidance systems for autonomous automobiles, location awareness for handheld electronics, and plug-and-play electronics integration and miniaturization.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of deploying a novel, integrated sensor suite to enable accurate position estimates and sense-and-avoid capabilities for small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) operating in the highly-regulated National Air Space (NAS). Currently, UAS are not integrated into the NAS due to regulatory and technological limitations. The uncertain regulatory climate is fast evolving toward a regime in which major technological advances in robotic situational awareness and sense-and-avoid capabilities will be required for UAS integration into the NAS. Today?s state-of-the-art UAS are remote controlled and gather rudimentary position estimates from Global Positioning System (GPS) and pilot feedback. This project will demonstrate a UAS sensor package that enables direct interface with current and proposed NAS infrastructure, remains fully functional when GPS is unavailable, and exceeds positioning capabilities of piloted vehicles. The sensor package will integrate a 360° camera, inertial measurement unit, GPS receiver, pressure sensor, and visual odometry software into a single, on-board device enabling Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for precise vehicle positioning and communication with nearby aircraft. Completion of this Phase I SBIR project will enable the introduction of a disruptive navigation technology into what will become a multi-billion dollar domestic UAS market.