STTR Phase II: Autonomous Landing of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems onto Moving Platforms

该项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力将使无人机系统（UAS或无人机）能够在海上移动车辆和移动船只上安全可靠地运行。许多行业都迫切需要这种能力。在商业捕鱼中，无人机将取代有人驾驶的飞机进行寻鱼作业，从根本上降低成本和风险。在海上安全方面，无人机将在船只周围提供监视，包括定位一艘？有人落水及时救人？的生活。在石油和天然气行业，无人机将通过绘制浮油的位置和范围来对漏油做出快速反应，从而限制环境和经济损失。在水文测量中，无人机将识别和地理定位导航辅助设备，而时间和成本是当前测量方法的一部分。在商业航运中，无人机将在船只航行时监视和保护船只。在运输行业，无人机将交付包裹？最后一英里？从送货车到客户的过程中的门。在执法和边境安全方面，无人机将从移动的巡逻车上运行，而警察在车内保持安全和移动的。这些应用目前很难或不可能实现，但通过所提出的技术，将从根本上更安全，更容易。这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第2阶段项目将推进UAS/无人机自主的最新技术水平，以实现海上移动车辆和移动船只的可靠无人机操作。由于甲板的起伏和横摇，潜在的大风以及着陆过程中所需的高精度控制，船上着陆极其困难。目前的无人机技术不便于在移动平台上着陆;这阻碍了它们在海上行动中的使用，并已成为该部门商业化的主要障碍。拟议的研究将开发一种视觉辅助相对导航系统，该系统将精确的空船观测与机载传感器测量相结合，以准确估计无人机和船舶之间的相对状态。这些相对状态估计将用于动态路由和控制无人机安全地到达船舶甲板。这种方法的技术可行性已在第一阶段项目中得到证明，其中包括在相关环境中进行技术演示。第二阶段项目的主要目标是提高系统可靠性，扩大运行范围，并使我们的系统产品化。实现这些目标的计划包括科学发展与广泛的测试、验证和演示。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this project will enable Unmanned Aerial Systems(UAS or drones) to safely and reliably operate from moving vehicles and moving vessels at sea.There is an immediate need for this capability in many industries. In commercial fishing, droneswill replace manned aircraft for fish-finding operations, radically reducing cost and risk. In maritimesecurity, drones will provide surveillance around ships, including locating a ?man-overboard? intime to save the person?s life. In the oil and gas industry, drones will provide rapid-response to oilspills by mapping the location and extent of the oil slick, limiting the environmental and economicdamage. In hydrographic surveying, drones will identify and geo-locate navigation aids, at afraction of the time and cost of current survey methods. In commercial shipping, drones willinspect and protect shipping vessels while they are underway. In the transport industry, droneswill delivery packages the ?last mile? from a delivery truck to a customer?s door. In law enforcementand border security, drones will operate from moving patrol vehicles while officers remain safeand mobile in the vehicle. These applications are currently difficult or impossible, but will becomeradically safer and easier with the proposed technology.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 project will advance the current stateof the art in UAS/drone autonomy, to enable reliable drone operations from moving vehicles andmoving vessels at sea. Shipboard landing is extremely difficult, due to the heaving and rolling ofthe ship deck, potential high winds, and the high precision control required during landing. Currentdrone technology does not facilitate landing on moving platforms; this prevents their use inmaritime operations, and has become the main barrier to commercialization in this sector. Theproposed research will develop a vision-aided relative navigation system that combines preciseair-to-ship observations with onboard sensor measurements to accurately estimate the relativestate between the drone and the ship. These relative state estimates will be used to dynamicallyroute and control the drone safely on to the ship deck. Technical feasibility of this approach hasbeen demonstrated during the Phase I project, which included demonstration of the technologyin a relevant environment. The primary goals of the Phase 2 project are to improve systemreliability, expand the operational envelope, and productize our system. The plan to achieve thesegoals includes scientific development paired with extensive testing, validation, and demonstration.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.