Smart On-Board UAV Thermal Signature Analysis for Surveillance, Tracking and Navigation

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been the most dynamic growth sector of the worldaerospace industry in the last 10 yrs with expenditure forecast to double over the next decadefrom current worldwide expenditures of $6.6 bn annually to almost $11.4 bn by 2020.Although military applications have to date dominated technology development and marketexpansion, it is the use of UAVs in civil applications that is expected to drive much of thisgrowth.Being smaller than manned aircraft, UAVs are more easily & cost effectively stored, operatedand transported. They are also well suited to perform long monitoring tasks with an ability tofunction in environments hazardous to human occupants. UAVs can also be utilised to supportgovernmental applications such as border control/security, law enforcement and surveillanceand it is here that specific growth is expected.Although more cost effective than manned aircrafts and boasting an average detection rate foreach flight pattern of >70%, current optical and thermal imagery systems used in UAVsurveillance are limited to predefined fixed coordinates, programmed by the operator. Imagedetection is also a key limitation and highly dependent on flight altitude, camera orientationand the experience of the operator.RNC Avionics (RNC) aim to develop a novel integrated on-board imaging system that willemploy algorithms for 'thermal signature’ analysis, for detecting heat trails left by avehicle/vessel and explore this in real time (together other on-board sensors) for adjustment ofits flight plan. Once the object of interest has been identified, the direction of its movementwill be analysed using the video analytics techniques. The results will be used toautonomously alter the UAV pre-defined surveillance flight plan to ensure that the object iscontinuously tracked. This approach offers a step change in current capabilities withsignificant potential to change the way thermal imaging is used in UAV surveillance.