A High Performance Fuzzy Logic Architecture for UAV Decision Making

The majority of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in operation today are not truly autonomous, but are instead reliant on a remote human pilot. A high degree of autonomy can provide many advantages in terms of cost, operational resources and safety. However, one of the challenges involved in achieving autonomy is that of replicating the reasoning and decision making capabilities of a human pilot. One candidate method for providing this decision making capability is fuzzy logic. In this role, the fuzzy system must satisfy real-time constraints, process large quantities of data and relate to large knowledge bases. Consequently, there is a need for a generic, high performance fuzzy computation platform for UAV applications. Based on Lees’ [1] original work, a high performance fuzzy processing architecture, implemented in Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), has been developed and is shown to outclass the performance of existing fuzzy processors

Optimal Multi-UAV Trajectory Planning for Filming Applications

Teams of multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) can be used to record large-scale outdoor scenarios and complementary views of several action points as a promising system for cinematic video recording. Generating the trajectories of the UAVs plays a key role, as it should be ensured that they comply with requirements for system dynamics, smoothness, and safety. The rise of numerical methods for nonlinear optimization is finding a ourishing field in optimization-based approaches to multi- UAV trajectory planning. In particular, these methods are rather promising for video recording applications, as they enable multiple constraints and objectives to be formulated, such as trajectory smoothness, compliance with UAV and camera dynamics, avoidance of obstacles and inter-UAV con icts, and mutual UAV visibility. The main objective of this thesis is to plan online trajectories for multi-UAV teams in video applications, formulating novel optimization problems and solving them in real time. The thesis begins by presenting a framework for carrying out autonomous cinematography missions with a team of UAVs. This framework enables media directors to design missions involving different types of shots with one or multiple cameras, running sequentially or concurrently. Second, the thesis proposes a novel non-linear formulation for the challenging problem of computing optimal multi-UAV trajectories for cinematography, integrating UAV dynamics and collision avoidance constraints, together with cinematographic aspects such as smoothness, gimbal mechanical limits, and mutual camera visibility. Lastly, the thesis describes a method for autonomous aerial recording with distributed lighting by a team of UAVs. The multi-UAV trajectory optimization problem is decoupled into two steps in order to tackle non-linear cinematographic aspects and obstacle avoidance at separate stages. This allows the trajectory planner to perform in real time and to react online to changes in dynamic environments. It is important to note that all the methods in the thesis have been validated by means of extensive simulations and field experiments. Moreover, all the software components have been developed as open source.Los equipos de vehículos aéreos no tripulados (UAV) son sistemas prometedores para grabar eventos cinematográficos, en escenarios exteriores de grandes dimensiones difíciles de cubrir o para tomar vistas complementarias de diferentes puntos de acción. La generación de trayectorias para este tipo de vehículos desempeña un papel fundamental, ya que debe garantizarse que se cumplan requisitos dinámicos, de suavidad y de seguridad. Los enfoques basados en la optimización para la planificación de trayectorias de múltiples UAVs se pueden ver beneficiados por el auge de los métodos numéricos para la resolución de problemas de optimización no lineales. En particular, estos métodos son bastante prometedores para las aplicaciones de grabación de vídeo, ya que permiten formular múltiples restricciones y objetivos, como la suavidad de la trayectoria, el cumplimiento de la dinámica del UAV y de la cámara, la evitación de obstáculos y de conflictos entre UAVs, y la visibilidad mutua. El objetivo principal de esta tesis es planificar trayectorias para equipos multi-UAV en aplicaciones de vídeo, formulando novedosos problemas de optimización y resolviéndolos en tiempo real. La tesis comienza presentando un marco de trabajo para la realización de misiones cinematográficas autónomas con un equipo de UAVs. Este marco permite a los directores de medios de comunicación diseñar misiones que incluyan diferentes tipos de tomas con una o varias cámaras, ejecutadas de forma secuencial o concurrente. En segundo lugar, la tesis propone una novedosa formulación no lineal para el difícil problema de calcular las trayectorias óptimas de los vehículos aéreos no tripulados en cinematografía, integrando en el problema la dinámica de los UAVs y las restricciones para evitar colisiones, junto con aspectos cinematográficos como la suavidad, los límites mecánicos del cardán y la visibilidad mutua de las cámaras. Por último, la tesis describe un método de grabación aérea autónoma con iluminación distribuida por un equipo de UAVs. El problema de optimización de trayectorias se desacopla en dos pasos para abordar los aspectos cinematográficos no lineales y la evitación de obstáculos en etapas separadas. Esto permite al planificador de trayectorias actuar en tiempo real y reaccionar en línea a los cambios en los entornos dinámicos. Es importante señalar que todos los métodos de la tesis han sido validados mediante extensas simulaciones y experimentos de campo. Además, todos los componentes del software se han desarrollado como código abierto

How much does a man cost? A dirty, dull, and dangerous application

Thesis (M.A.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2017This study illuminates the many abilities of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). One area of importance includes the UAV's capability to assist in the development, implementation, and execution of crisis management. This research focuses on UAV uses in pre and post crisis planning and accomplishments. The accompaniment of unmanned vehicles with base teams can make crisis management plans more reliable for the general public and teams faced with tasks such as search and rescue and firefighting. In the fight for mass acceptance of UAV integration, knowledge and attitude inventories were collected and analyzed. Methodology includes mixed method research collected by interviews and questionnaires available to experts and ground teams in the UAV fields, mining industry, firefighting and police force career field, and general city planning crisis management members. This information was compiled to assist professionals in creation of general guidelines and recommendations for how to utilize UAVs in crisis management planning and implementation as well as integration of UAVs into the educational system. The results from this study show the benefits and disadvantages of strategically giving UAVs a role in the construction and implementation of crisis management plans and other areas of interest. The results also show that the general public is lacking information and education on the abilities of UAVs. This education gap shows a correlation with negative attitudes towards UAVs. Educational programs to teach the public benefits of UAV integration should be implemented

Routing UAVs to Co-Optimize Mission Effectiveness and Network Performance with Dynamic Programming

In support of the Air Force Research Laboratory\u27s (AFRL) vision of the layered sensing operations center, command and control intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (C2ISR) more focus must be placed on architectures that support information systems, rather than just the information systems themselves. By extending the role of UAVs beyond simply intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations and into a dual-role with networking operations we can better utilize our information assets. To achieve the goal of dual-role UAVs, a concrete approach to planning must be taken. This research defines a mathematical model and a non-trivial deterministic algorithmic approach to determining UAV placement to support ad-hoc network capability, while maintaining the valuable service of surveillance activities

Multiple UAV systems: a survey

Nowadays, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are used in many different applications. Using systems of multiple UAVs is the next obvious step in the process of applying this technology for variety of tasks. There are few research works that cover the applications of these systems and they are all highly specialized. The goal of this survey is to fill this gap by providing a generic review on different applications of multiple UAV systems that have been developed in recent years. We also present a nomenclature and architecture taxonomy for these systems. In the end, a discussion on current trends and challenges is provided.This work was funded by the Ministry of Economy, Industryand Competitiveness of Spain under Grant Nos. TRA2016-77012-R and BES-2017-079798Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version