Decomposition and Modeling of the Situational Awareness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Advanced Air Mobility
The use of unmanned aerial aircrafts (UAVs) is governed by strict regulatory frameworks that prioritize safety. To guarantee safety, it is necessary to acquire and maintain situational awareness (SA) throughout the operation. Existing Canadian regulations require pilots to operate their aircrafts in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2023-08-01
|
| Series: | Drones |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/8/501 |
| _version_ | 1797584950924410880 |
|---|---|
| author | Sorelle Audrey Kamkuimo Felipe Magalhaes Rim Zrelli Henrique Amaral Misson Maroua Ben Attia Gabriela Nicolescu |
| author_facet | Sorelle Audrey Kamkuimo Felipe Magalhaes Rim Zrelli Henrique Amaral Misson Maroua Ben Attia Gabriela Nicolescu |
| author_sort | Sorelle Audrey Kamkuimo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The use of unmanned aerial aircrafts (UAVs) is governed by strict regulatory frameworks that prioritize safety. To guarantee safety, it is necessary to acquire and maintain situational awareness (SA) throughout the operation. Existing Canadian regulations require pilots to operate their aircrafts in the visual line-of-sight. Therefore, the task of acquiring and maintaining SA primary falls to the pilots. However, the development of aerial transport is entering a new era with the adoption of a highly dynamic and complex system known as advanced air mobility (AAM), which involves UAVs operating autonomously beyond the visual line-of-sight. SA must therefore be acquired and maintained primarily by each UAV through specific technologies and procedures. In this paper, we review these technologies and procedures in order to decompose the SA of the UAV in the AAM. We then use the system modeling language to provide a high-level structural and behavioral representation of the AAM as a system having UAV as its main entity. In a case study, we analyze one of the flagship UAVs of our industrial partner. Results show that this UAV does not have all of the technologies and methodologies necessary to achieve all of the identified SA goals for the safety of the AAM. This work is a theoretical framework intended to contribute to the realization of the AAM, and we also expect to impact the future design and utilization of UAVs. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:59:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1dd5cd0b3c8b4f9b88ce04d35a9561d6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-446X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:59:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Drones |
| spelling | doaj.art-1dd5cd0b3c8b4f9b88ce04d35a9561d62023-11-19T00:50:14ZengMDPI AGDrones2504-446X2023-08-017850110.3390/drones7080501Decomposition and Modeling of the Situational Awareness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Advanced Air MobilitySorelle Audrey Kamkuimo0Felipe Magalhaes1Rim Zrelli2Henrique Amaral Misson3Maroua Ben Attia4Gabriela Nicolescu5Computer Engineering and Software Engineering Department, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, CanadaComputer Engineering and Software Engineering Department, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, CanadaComputer Engineering and Software Engineering Department, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, CanadaComputer Engineering and Software Engineering Department, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, CanadaHumanitas Solutions, 276 Rue Saint-Jacques #300, Montreal, QC H2Y 1N3, CanadaComputer Engineering and Software Engineering Department, Polytechnique Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, CanadaThe use of unmanned aerial aircrafts (UAVs) is governed by strict regulatory frameworks that prioritize safety. To guarantee safety, it is necessary to acquire and maintain situational awareness (SA) throughout the operation. Existing Canadian regulations require pilots to operate their aircrafts in the visual line-of-sight. Therefore, the task of acquiring and maintaining SA primary falls to the pilots. However, the development of aerial transport is entering a new era with the adoption of a highly dynamic and complex system known as advanced air mobility (AAM), which involves UAVs operating autonomously beyond the visual line-of-sight. SA must therefore be acquired and maintained primarily by each UAV through specific technologies and procedures. In this paper, we review these technologies and procedures in order to decompose the SA of the UAV in the AAM. We then use the system modeling language to provide a high-level structural and behavioral representation of the AAM as a system having UAV as its main entity. In a case study, we analyze one of the flagship UAVs of our industrial partner. Results show that this UAV does not have all of the technologies and methodologies necessary to achieve all of the identified SA goals for the safety of the AAM. This work is a theoretical framework intended to contribute to the realization of the AAM, and we also expect to impact the future design and utilization of UAVs.https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/8/501unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)dronesituational awareness (SA)advanced air mobility (AAM)beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) |
| spellingShingle | Sorelle Audrey Kamkuimo Felipe Magalhaes Rim Zrelli Henrique Amaral Misson Maroua Ben Attia Gabriela Nicolescu Decomposition and Modeling of the Situational Awareness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Advanced Air Mobility Drones unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drone situational awareness (SA) advanced air mobility (AAM) beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) |
| title | Decomposition and Modeling of the Situational Awareness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Advanced Air Mobility |
| title_full | Decomposition and Modeling of the Situational Awareness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Advanced Air Mobility |
| title_fullStr | Decomposition and Modeling of the Situational Awareness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Advanced Air Mobility |
| title_full_unstemmed | Decomposition and Modeling of the Situational Awareness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Advanced Air Mobility |
| title_short | Decomposition and Modeling of the Situational Awareness of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Advanced Air Mobility |
| title_sort | decomposition and modeling of the situational awareness of unmanned aerial vehicles for advanced air mobility |
| topic | unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drone situational awareness (SA) advanced air mobility (AAM) beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2504-446X/7/8/501 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sorelleaudreykamkuimo decompositionandmodelingofthesituationalawarenessofunmannedaerialvehiclesforadvancedairmobility AT felipemagalhaes decompositionandmodelingofthesituationalawarenessofunmannedaerialvehiclesforadvancedairmobility AT rimzrelli decompositionandmodelingofthesituationalawarenessofunmannedaerialvehiclesforadvancedairmobility AT henriqueamaralmisson decompositionandmodelingofthesituationalawarenessofunmannedaerialvehiclesforadvancedairmobility AT marouabenattia decompositionandmodelingofthesituationalawarenessofunmannedaerialvehiclesforadvancedairmobility AT gabrielanicolescu decompositionandmodelingofthesituationalawarenessofunmannedaerialvehiclesforadvancedairmobility |