Multisensor based fully autonomous non-cooperative collision avoidance system for UAVs

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles will have a safe access to the Civil Airspace only when they will be able to avoid collisions even with non cooperative flying obstacles. Thus, they need to replace the capability of human eye to detect potential mid-air collisions with other airframes and the pilot experience to find an adequate avoidance trajectory. This thesis deals with development and test of a fully autonomous system devoted to avoidance of non cooperative intruders. In particular, it focuses on sensors, and processing logics and hardware, required on the unmanned system to acquire situational awareness. The study was carried out in collaboration with the Italian Aerospace Research Center within a research project named TECVOL, funded in the frame of National Aerospace Research Program. The performed activities covered all the steps in the development process from the analysis of requirements deriving from the application, to the real time implementation of designed logics. Designed prototype system is based on a multi-sensor architecture with a Ka-band pulsed radar as the main sensor, and four electro-optical cameras as aiding sensors. Proper logics and algorithms for real time sensor fusion have been developed, tested in off-line simulations, and later implemented on embedded systems to enable technology flight demonstration. Numerical results and flight data have shown the potential of the developed system. Also on the basis of the international scenario, this technology demonstration has gained a significant scientific value.