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.

该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发商用无人机定位和感知与避免技术，使未来的无人机能够在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（如风力涡轮机、桥梁、道路）、农业、林业和众多其他商业应用中提供革命性的新功能。经过5年多的争论，2013年11月，美国联邦航空管理局（FAA）发布了将商用无人机集成到NAS的10年路线图，特别指出需要开发一种跨所有认证无人机的多传感器机载感知和避免系统。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减轻围绕其产品的监管不确定性，并赶上已经服务于数十亿美元全球无人机市场的海外同行。除了支持美国的技术领先地位、国内制造业的复苏和一个全新行业的发展外，该项目还将推动相关领域的平行发展，如自动驾驶汽车的防撞系统、手持电子设备的位置感知、即插即用电子设备的集成和小型化。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将展示部署一种新型集成传感器套件的可行性，该套件可以为在高度管制的国家空域（NAS）中运行的小型无人机系统（UAS）提供准确的位置估计和感知和避免能力。目前，由于监管和技术限制，无人机系统没有集成到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，机器人态势感知和感知与避免能力的重大技术进步将需要UAS集成到NAS中。今天好吗?美国最先进的无人机是远程控制的，并从全球定位系统（GPS）和飞行员反馈中收集基本的位置估计。该项目将演示一个无人机传感器包，该传感器包能够与当前和拟议的NAS基础设施直接接口，在GPS不可用时保持完整功能，并且超过了无人驾驶车辆的定位能力。传感器包将集成360°摄像机、惯性测量单元、GPS接收器、压力传感器和视觉里程计软件到一个单一的机载设备中，实现同步定位和地图绘制（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项目的完成将使颠覆性导航技术进入价值数十亿美元的国内无人机市场。

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.