| DOI | Resolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.2514/6.2017-0907 |
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| Author | Search for: Minwalla, Cyrus1; Search for: Ellis, Kristopher1; Search for: White, Johnathan1 |
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| Affiliation | - National Research Council of Canada. Aerospace
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| Format | Text, Article |
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| Conference | AIAA Information Systems-AIAA Infotech @ Aerospace, 9-13 January 2017, Grapevine, Texas, USA |
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| Abstract | This paper describes the initial flight test evaluation of the Passive Intelligent Collision Avoidance Sensor (PICAS) developed at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC). PICAS represents the latest iteration of a non-cooperative electro-optical (EO) airborne collision sensing instrument designed to explore technology appropriate for under-25 kg Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). PICAS is a prototype, selectively-sampled, multi- camera array mated to a computing platform capable of simultaneously recording and processing images in real-time. A selective sampling approach tailored the sensor to the performance requirement by varying the angular resolution and field of view as a function of azimuth. PICAS was designed to detect a Cessna 172-sized target at 10 km in the head- on direction. The sensor was flight-tested on a Bell 205 rotorcraft acting as a surrogate UAS and flying collision-course intercepts against a Harvard Mark IV intruder. An NRC developed Collision Intercept Display was utilized to provide beyond visual line of sight guidance for both aircraft to conduct the intercepts. Once the collision geometry was coordinated, the Bell 205 switched to automatic operation, controlling altitude, ground- speed and ground-track for the duration of the run. PICAS was operated in pure recording mode, with each camera recording synchronized and time-stamped images at 15 frames per second. The detection performance was evaluated by simulating the real-time processing algorithms against pre-collected imagery and associated aircraft data. Analysis results indicated that PICAS exceeded the minimum detection requirement throughout its field of view for an under-25 kg UAS operating at an airspeed of 80 knots encountering typical (Cessna 172) intruders on co-altitude collision course geometries in Canadian Class G airspace. |
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| Publication date | 2017-01-09 |
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| Publisher | American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics |
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| In | |
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| Language | English |
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| Peer reviewed | Yes |
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| NPARC number | 23002412 |
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| Export citation | Export as RIS |
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| Report a correction | Report a correction (opens in a new tab) |
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| Record identifier | acd4bf89-367a-478f-9e71-d62b29579f3d |
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| Record created | 2017-11-07 |
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| Record modified | 2020-03-16 |
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