A Conceptual Design Framework For Safety-Critical Drones

拟议的研究计划将创建一个框架，用于开发新的概念设计方法，为设计人员提供探索和评估无人机（UAV）设计和技术的能力。主要创新将是将安全性和可靠性方面整合到设计和尺寸优化中，并提供先进的设计探索能力。背景无人机有潜力积极改变人们的日常生活，其应用包括城市空中出租车、飞行救护车、加拿大北部新冠肺炎疫苗的快速运送、紧急运送呼吸机和器官移植的最佳运输。这些应用涉及在视线之外和人口稠密地区的人上方操作，并且是安全关键的。如果车辆与人、飞机或基础设施相撞，导致车辆失控的故障可能会导致灾难性事故。另一个主要挑战是通过优化重量来实现高能效。新兴的全电动解决方案由于电池的能量密度有限而加剧了这一挑战。因此，安全关键应用的创新无人机的出现将取决于设计人员探索和优化能源效率，安全性和可靠性设计的能力。然而，目前的技术水平缺乏无人机概念设计方法，考虑到安全性和可靠性，并允许探索的设计和技术。科学方法拟议的计划将基于以下两个研究目标（RO）：-RO 1将开发新的方法来定义基于操作概念和适用的适航法规的相关安全性和可靠性要求。RO 1还将开发新的方法，将可控性评估纳入可靠性公式和计算中，并考虑到飞行阶段的转换。- RO 2将为无人机概念和替代能源系统开发新的评估和仿真模型，如混合垂直起降（VTOL）固定翼概念和混合电动解决方案。这些模型将有助于开发新的尺寸确定方法，该方法将考虑冗余并允许对设计进行探索。RO 2还将开发新的方法，将失败案例整合到规模优化中。意义-拟议的计划将有助于推进可靠性设计和多学科设计分析和优化领域。更具体地说，该计划将提供有效的手段，使无人机的概念设计阶段的最佳决策。此外，该计划还将培训具有一套新的安全关键无人机设计技能的高素质人员（HQP）。这样，该计划将在竞争激烈的国际环境中为新兴的加拿大无人机行业提供战略优势。

The proposed research program will create a framework for developing new conceptual design methodologies that will provide designers with the capability to explore and evaluate unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designs and technologies. The main novelties will be integrating safety and reliability aspects into the design and sizing optimization and providing advanced design exploration capabilities. Background UAVs have the potential to positively change people's daily lives with applications such as urban air taxis, flying ambulances, fast delivery of Covid-19 vaccines in the Canadian North, emergency delivery of defibrillators and optimal transport of organ transplants. Such applications involve operating beyond the visual line of sight and over people in densely populated areas and are safety critical. Failures leading to an uncontrollable vehicle can cause catastrophic accidents if the vehicle collides with humans, aircraft, or infrastructure. Another major challenge is to achieve high energy efficiency by optimizing weight. The emerging fully electric solutions accentuate this challenge due to the limited energy density of the batteries. Hence, the emergence of innovative UAVs for safety-critical applications will depend on the designers' ability to explore and optimize designs for energy efficiency, safety, and reliability. However, the current state of the art lacks UAV conceptual design methodologies that take safety and reliability into account and allow exploration of designs and technologies. Scientific approach The proposed program will be based on the following two research objectives (ROs): - RO1 will develop new methodologies to define the relevant safety and reliability requirements based on a concept of operation and the applicable airworthiness regulations. RO1 will also develop new methodologies to integrate controllability assessment into reliability formulation and computation, taking into account flight phase transitions. - RO2 will develop new estimation and simulation models for UAV concepts and alternative energy systems such as hybrid vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing concepts and hybrid electric-powered solutions. These models will enable the development of new sizing methodologies that will take redundancy into account and permit exploration of the design. RO2 will also develop new methodologies to integrate the failure cases in the sizing optimization. Significance The proposed program will contribute to advancing the fields of design for reliability and multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization. More specifically, the program will provide effective means to make optimal decisions in the conceptual design phase of UAVs. In addition, the program will train highly qualified personnel (HQP) with a new set of safety-critical drone design skills. This way, this program will provide a strategic advantage to the emerging Canadian drone industry in a very competitive international environment.