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

这个PFI: AIR技术翻译项目的重点是展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。美国联邦航空管理局（Federal Aviation Administration）预计，在最近的规定允许在国家空域常规使用无人机之后，2020年无人机的销量将达到700万架。虽然绝大多数无人机运营商可能会遵守规定，无人机将被成功监控，但不合作的无人机或与运营商失去通信的无人机将对机场设施构成重大威胁，因为机场设施不允许入侵，军事基地或动力反应堆等关键基础设施，以及无人机可能破坏活动，危及生命和造成经济损失的体育场馆。当恶劣天气意外中断运营时，这些设施也面临类似的风险。该项目将展示单一雷达监视系统的可行性，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。开发具有多种用途的多功能监视系统有助于使安装更加经济，各机构以新的公私伙伴关系模式分担基础设施购置、操作和数据共享的费用。本项目提出使用双极化相控阵雷达，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，如水成物，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，帮助将此类目标与低空大气中的杂波区分开来的信号处理算法，以及针对微型无人机“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相同系统进行微型无人机和天气监视的设计和操作策略。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，如专利检索、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、制造商和客户进行概念验证演示，将导致用户需求的规范、商业原型的开发以及最终导致安装的招标和销售。合作伙伴包括雷声公司和科学系统公司等公司，它们将帮助指导商业化活动和最终用户，如达拉斯沃斯堡国际机场，它们将提供最终用户需求并验证概念验证演示结果。该项目由工业创新与伙伴关系司和工程教育司共同资助；反映了这个项目与两个部门的各自目标及其计划的一致性。

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.