Maximizing Fleet Efficiency for UAS and UAM

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are some of the most exciting new developments in aviation. In February 2022, the FAA noted that it issued its millionth airspace authorization for drone pilots to use busy airspace safely. As with most popular advancements, the desire for better ways to operate are always in demand. UAM/UAS encompasses a variety of services: inspection and photography services, cargo delivery, search and rescue, and urban air taxis. Because of the proliferation of these types of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicles, air traffic control, collision avoidance, power conservation, and fleet management are key in providing safe and efficient service.

A new Multi-VTOL (UAM + UAS) Fleet Management System is shown below.

The VTOLs may be of any type, including rotorcraft, fixed wing aircraft, or aerostats. The computing system sends instructions for flight operations to the vehicles in the fleet. The computing system may be part of ground service or may be integrated into one or more of UAM or UAS vehicles as master controller. In the fleet management systems, the fleet VTOLs may be configured to fly with various degrees of autonomy (e.g., completely autonomous, semi-autonomous, or pilot controlled). The system also accounts for the various levels of capabilities (such as maximum altitudes, abilities to fly in different weather conditions, levels of autonomy, types of sensors, abilities to hover, maximum flight speeds, minimum flight speeds, maximum flight times, and abilities to carry or drop items) and sensors of each vehicle (for example, infrared cameras, visible light cameras, cameras for detecting other wavelengths, radar systems, LIDAR systems, echolocation systems, radioactivity sensors, radiation sensors, microphones, magnetometers, and gravimeters). 

Below, a high-level subsystem block, is one example of the relationship between the processor, the mission planner, and the fleet management software. Vehicles carrying people, such as taxi or search and rescue, may be given priority by the system to ensure quick action and safety.

The mission planner can determine a flight plan for a VTOL which could include a series of waypoints or estimated times to hit certain destinations. If the VTOLs in a fleet differ in capabilities, the mission planner accounts for the variations in maximizing mission goals and efficiencies. Below is a use case for how a passenger rescue could be managed by the mission planner.

Here’s how the fleet management system works by reviewing possible basic and iterative algorithms.

As you can see, this new system for UAM and UAS fleet management considers the capabilities and mission of each VTOL to optimize outcomes, including safety, via integration with the mission planner. This innovation is at the conceptual stage but shows the breadth and reach of the creativity in Honeywell’s advanced air mobility space.

Sources

¹https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-reaches-one-million-airspace-authorization-drone-pilots