National Transport Library Research Database

Positionering - Navigation - Kommunikation för ett framtida UTM (Positioning - Navigation - Communication for a future UTM )

  • Sivertun, Åke
  • RISE Research Institutes of Sweden AB, Svenskt företag eller organisation, 556464-6874
Sponsors, duration, budget: Trafikverket ; 2020-04-02 -- 2024-01-30 Registration number:
  • Trafikverket 2019/118413
Subject(s): Abstract: Luftrummets långsiktiga utveckling och förmodad ökning av autonoma flygande och andra farkoster kommer att påverka luftrumsbestämmelser och teknologi för att kunna hantera många (kanske tusentals samtidiga) flygföretag. Detta kommer att vara avgörande för att flygsäkerhet och effekt/båtnad skall kunna matcha varandra. En sådan utveckling stämmer även med flera målsättningar i Trafikverkets FoI-planer såsom; ”Anpassa och modernisera luftrummets konstruktion efter brukarnas behov och de tekniska systemens förmåga”. Många olika utredningar och faktisk utveckling i Schweiz, Tyskland, Finland m.fl. länder syftar till att frigöra den potential som ligger i de nya teknologier som moderna mobila cellulära kommunikationer, Internet of Things (IoT) och Obemannade farkoster i luften (UAV) och på marken medger. Den nytta som dessa nya kombinationer av teknologier och affärsmodeller medger bromsas av bristen på system implementerade i allmänt tillgängliga infrastrukturer. Vi närmar oss nu en punkt där det finns tekniska möjligheter att skapa sådana systemtjänster som skulle kunna öppna de möjligheter som efterfrågas. Att kunna övervaka jord och skogsbruk, liksom infrastruktur, järnvägar och vägar samt kraftledningar och elproduktion är krav som ställs av engagerade intressenter och stöds inte minst genom Agenda 2030 och andra initiativ för en hållbar utveckling. Den testbädd för obemannade flygande farkoster i Västervik med stöd från Vinnova avser vi nu att även omfatta innovationsutveckling för att använda den uppgradering av de mobila kommunikationsnäten som i första hand Telia och Ericsson planerar för att underlätta och möjliggöra säker flygning och på sikt ett utvecklat UTM - Unmanned Traffic Management system. SAAB, Wallenbergprojektet WASP och Vattenfall liksom Västerviks kommun, Bombardier, SLU, Hushållningssällskapet, Södra skogsägarna och Linköpings universitet är intresserade av att använda de båda samverkande testbäddarna (UAV testbädden och Cellular Innovation Zone i Västervik) för sin utveckling av UAV- baserade tillämpningar. Målet för jordbruket i Sverige är att öka självförsörjningsgraden genom en hållbar utveckling av verksamheten utan att öka insatserna med bekämpningsmedel eller drivmedel. Genom att introducera UAVer och E-tjänster i jordbruket där UAVer kan samla in information om grödan och ev. hot mot växtodlingen så möjliggörs begränsade och ekologiskt avpassade insatser på ett tidigt stadium. Skogsbruket räknar med att öka intäkterna med flera miljarder SEK varje år genom att inspektera markerna och larma om barkborreangrepp, vindfällen och annat som måste åtgärdas i tid (se t.ex. LRF rapporten FRAMTIDENS JORDBRUK | 2019). Miljöövervakning av vattentäkter och viktiga biotoper kan göras effektivare och säkrare. Transporter av reservdelar till lantbrukares maskiner kan göras snabbt och energisnålt. Hjärtstartare och mediciner kan sändas till ensliga gårdar eller öar och på så sätt underlätta för boende på landsbygden. Sjöräddningen och samhällets blåljus-organisationer arbetar för att effektivisera sina verksamheter och resultat. Där har UAVer kommit att bli viktiga redskap för att hitta sårbarheter men även vid insatser och efterarbetet vid större skadehändelser. AstaZero och de delar av RISE som sysslar med utveckling av självkörande fordon är även intresserade att delta i utvecklingen av de delar av teknologin som stöder markbundna fordon och arbetsmaskiner. Genom att utrusta de flygande farkosterna med transpondrar som samlar in positioneringsdata via GNSS men som även verifierar positionerna och förädlar dessa med säkerställda positioner och höjd från masterna i de 4G/5G nät som nu står i startgroparna att testas - kan man höja flygsäkerheten mångfalt. I de system av system-lösningar vi ämnar testa ingår även tröghetsnavigering och system för att hålla reda på och undvika kollision mellan de olika flygfartygen. Häri ingår flera tekniska lösningar såsom radar och ad hoc nätverk där svärmar av enheter kan hålla reda på varandra under hela sin färd. Förutom att positionera sig och navigera ger kontakten med mobilnäten även möjlighet att sända över bilder och data till användarna samt manövrera de i övrigt självkörande farkosterna i händelse av tekniska problem eller att ett ambulansflyg kommer på kollisionskurs eller annan hotande situation uppstår. Abstract: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Systems (UAV/UAS or Drones) are mentioned in may reports to be able to ease many of these problems by inspection and early observation of threatening signs in crops, forest, environment and infrastructure. Rescue operations, firefighting and transports of organs or life-saving medicines to islands and remote areas have been tested but are still in its initial phases. Many of the technologies are already there but they must be designed as a system of systems adjusted to the requirements used in unmanned flying and light weight systems. An estimated increasing number of UAVs in the airspace must be followed by safe and suitable systems for Unmanned Aerial Traffic Management (UTM). Such a system requires that it is possible to position the UAVs with high precision as well as high quality maps to be able to plan missions and navigate without any accidents. To be able to communicate with the UAV is a further important property as to save the drone if it is threatened or threats itself to collide with some other flying object or temporary placed mast etc. Our proposal is to test the use of existing and coming cellular networks as a backbone in a system to both ensure that right position is given the different flying vehicles through GNSS receivers by comparing coordinates from the drones with known position of the cellular masts with higher accuracy and redundancy than if the navigation is made without help of ground based differential GPS. If the UAVs transponders can handle support from external base stations and are equipped with communication device so that the position can be compared and validated among UAVs the probability that the position is correct is much higher. The communication channel can also be used to make interventions in the operations of the vehicle to ensure that they not enter into a forest fire or collide with a manned aircraft. Through the communication channel it is also possible to send and receive image data to verify that the data capture is going on well and that no threats occur. Further must the regulatory systems and business models harmonise the technological possibilities and the different environments where these are going to be used. For this sake the 40 x 60 km wide test bed area in Västervik municipality is very valuable as it contains all common landscapes and land uses in Northern Europe and most common land uses and activities. This is a unique possibility to safely test and develop the different systems needed to establish safe and economically sound operations with UAVs. The Vinnova test bed is consisting of both the land area and the airport ESSW with traffic management operated by WABEMA in the Drone Centre Sweden (dronecentersweden.se) concept. The DCS welcome Swedish as well as International customers for tests “Beyond Line of Sight” and Higher and Autonomous in a different way as is possible in most UAV test sites in the world. Besides this offer most common European landscapes and land uses in one site. The Vinnova supported 4 -year UAV Testbed project in Västervik under the acronym (TUVA) is both the whole project but also the virtual test bed consisting of collaborating partner both in Sweden/Europe and International. Through TUVA we have managed to form participation in several joint projects as the EU AFarCloud agricultural project and we are also working on consortia in Interreg project together with European test beds, with the blue light authorities (rescue services, ambulance and police) and environmental protection authorities and organisations. Our goal is to link the different systems required to build safe, cost effective and useful Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) with sensors and navigation systems. If UAVs are linked together with Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), UAV/UAS can play a much bigger role for many important but now challenging functions. With support from the cellular mobile infrastructure it is possible to develop functionalities that makes it possible to inspect for example forests, crops, railways, power production and power lines autonomous and assist in positioning – navigation of the UAVs and – communication in Command, Control and Communication (C3) systems and for delivery of sensor information obtained and images. Safe operations are also related to good digital geographical maps and data that can be used to support both the navigation and the planning of UAV supported missions. Support of agriculture with UAV/UAS/ICT could result in bigger revenues and possibilities to feed people with enough and healthier food and support sustainable development of forestry, hydroculture etc. with lower environmental impact. The UAV test bed in Västervik, is an important component for development of these new and innovative technologies. The test bed has partners like Swedish Agricultural University (SLU), RISE, SAAB/UMS Skeldar, Swedish Defence Research (FOI), Sparv Embedded, Wabema, Västervik municipality, Linköpings Universitet (LiU) and customers like the multi billion Wallenberg Autonomous Systems Project (WASP). Outside all Swedish civil and military restriction zones for air operations this 40 x 60 km wide and sparsely populated area in South East Sweden is hosting most common European landscape types and land uses, wetlands and water bodies, coastal area, agriculture, forests, built up and urban areas, industries, harbours and railways etc. that can be used for safe and convenient development and tests of UAVs and services in all pointed out development areas. As Västervik is providing their municipality owned 1199 m long and pawed airfield it is easily reached also by international customers and partners that have far from those possibilities to test their systems on high altitude (1,500 – 3,500 m), beyond line of sight (BLOS) and autonomous. These are the main bottlenecks to provide safe and reliable services with drones for deliveries and inspections in agriculture, forestry, energy production and distribution, transport-sector and infrastructure as well as rescue services. Besides this, development of sensor systems both for controlling and survey of, not only single, but a suggested big number of flying vehicles in the future. Development of flight operations is another area or R&D important to enable safe and reliable UAV operations and contribute to a future UTM system. Here are GNSS (GPS, Galileo, GLONAS etc) transponders with redundant support from equipment in fixed positions - for example cellular mobile masts - or other supporting satellites - a critical system and development task. There is also suggested software (already available in beta versions) that ensures that the communication can be done with the cellular system and also between groups of UAVs with integrity and safe. We have together several technical solutions (in prototype, as pending patent and suggestions for world standards in GSMA) to make this precise positioning – navigation and communication solution possible and tested for further (international) outreach. Another area that is important is the development of new powerful but lightweight, relatively cheap and energy effective Radar, LiDAR, Infrared, Hyper-spectral and Gamma sensors. The flying vehicles also must deliver data to the user or to other parties for image coding and analysis with big data, machine learning and sensor data fusion to be included in decision support systems and automated services like alerts for hazardous situations. To be able to fly safe, to be able to plan operations and as a reference base for high resolution sensor systems the UTM system must be completed with maps where the geometry is very correct in plane and projection as well as in elevation. As Västervik municipality also support an initiative from the – Swedish telecom operator Telia to build a “Cellular Airspace Development - UAS Innovation zone” it will also be possible to have access to the latest development in tele-communication in an Cellular innovation zone situated in the same area as the UAV test area. To support this RISE apply for this project as it will be of mutual interest for the air space and UAV community as well as the telecom community as the application is supported by both habitats for mutual interest and synergies. It will be a test area of interest for whole Europe and International, and a base for development of central industrial and business areas. Besides, the results will have high positive impact for safe and sustainable development of food production and support to the different goals in Agenda 2030.
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