PFI:AIR - TT: Proof of Concept Multifunction Micro-drone and Weather Surveillance System

PFI:AIR - TT：概念验证多功能微型无人机和天气监视系统

• 批准号: 1700967
• 负责人: Michael Zink
• 金额: $ 19.99万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-07-15 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1700967&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; AIR; TT; Proof; Concept

This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on demonstrating the use of low-cost radar systems for micro-drone and severe weather surveillance in urban and airport settings. The Federal Aviation Administration forecasts sales of seven million drones in 2020 following recent regulations allowing routine use of drones in the national airspace. While a vast majority of drone operators will likely follow the regulations and drones will be successfully monitored, non-cooperative drones or drones that have lost communication with their operators, will pose a significant threat to airport facilities where no intrusions should be allowed on the air field, critical infrastructure such as military bases or power reactors, and stadiums and arenas where drones can disrupt activities, endanger lives and cause economic losses. These facilities also risk similar outcomes when severe weather unexpectedly disrupts operations. This project will demonstrate the feasibility of a single radar-based surveillance system that can simultaneously provide early warning of drone intrusions and impending severe weather. The development of a multi-function surveillance system with multiple applications, could help make installations economical, with the costs shared between various agencies in new public-private partnership models of infrastructure acquisition, operations and data sharing.This project proposes the use of dual polarized phased array radars that can conduct rapid electronic scanning of the atmosphere to identify and discriminate between different hard targets such as micro-drones and birds and atmospheric targets such as hydrometeors, whose characteristics help determine the type of weather. This project will help develop an understanding of dual polarization radar signatures of various micro-drones, signal processing algorithms that help distinguish such targets from clutter in the low atmosphere, and new tracking algorithms tuned to the 'stop, hover and rapidly accelerate' movement of micro-drones. While the use of phased array radars to track severe weather has already resulted in early commercial prototypes, this project will result in design and operational strategies to conduct micro-drone and weather surveillance using the same system.Graduate students involved in this project will benefit from direct interaction with industry stakeholders and end users such as airport managers. This includes industry mentoring and participation in commercialization activities such as patent searches, intellectual property protection, and participation in business plan competitions. Teams of undergraduate students will be involved in systems engineering activities. The proof of concept demonstration to potential investors, manufacturers and customers, will lead to the specification of user requirements, development of commercial prototypes and eventually tenders and sales that result in installations. Partners includes firms such as Raytheon Company and Scientific Systems Company, Inc. that will help guide commercialization activities and end users such as Dallas Fort Worth International Airport that will provide end user needs and validate the proof-of-concept demonstration results.This project is jointly funded by the Division of Industrial Innovation and Partnerships and the Division of Engineering Education; reflecting the alignment of this project with the respective goals of the two divisions and their programs.

该PFI：AIR技术翻译项目的重点是演示在城市和机场环境中使用低成本雷达系统进行微型无人机和恶劣天气监测。联邦航空管理局预测，在最近的法规允许在国家领空常规使用无人机后，2020年无人机的销量将达到700万架。虽然绝大多数无人机操作员可能会遵守规定，无人机将被成功监控，但不合作的无人机或与操作员失去通信的无人机将对机场设施构成重大威胁，不允许入侵机场，军事基地或动力反应堆等关键基础设施，以及无人机可以扰乱活动的体育场和竞技场，危及生命，造成经济损失。当恶劣天气意外中断运营时，这些设施也面临类似的风险。该项目将展示一个基于雷达的监视系统的可行性，该系统可以同时提供无人机入侵和即将到来的恶劣天气的早期预警。开发具有多种应用的多功能监视系统，可以帮助使安装经济实惠，在新的公私伙伴关系基础设施采购模式中，费用由各机构分摊，该项目建议使用双极化相控阵雷达，这种雷达可以对大气进行快速电子扫描，以识别和区分不同的硬目标，如微型，无人机和鸟类以及大气目标，如水凝物，其特征有助于确定天气类型。该项目将有助于了解各种微型无人机的双极化雷达特征，有助于将此类目标与低大气中的杂波区分开来的信号处理算法，以及调整为微型无人机“停止，悬停和快速加速”运动的新跟踪算法。虽然使用相控阵雷达跟踪恶劣天气已经产生了早期的商业原型，但该项目将产生使用同一系统进行微型无人机和天气监测的设计和操作策略。参与该项目的研究生将受益于与行业利益相关者和最终用户（如机场管理人员）的直接互动。这包括行业指导和参与商业化活动，如专利搜索，知识产权保护和参与商业计划竞赛。本科生团队将参与系统工程活动。向潜在投资者、制造商和客户进行的概念验证演示将导致用户需求的具体说明，商业原型的开发，以及最终的招标和销售，最终导致安装。合作伙伴包括雷神公司和科学系统公司。这将有助于指导商业化活动和最终用户，如达拉斯沃斯堡国际机场，将提供最终用户的需求和验证的概念验证演示结果。该项目是由工业创新和合作伙伴关系司和工程教育司联合资助，反映了该项目与两个司及其计划各自的目标的一致性。