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Andrew Kendall
(Advisor: Prof. John-Paul Clarke)
will propose a doctoral thesis entitled,
A Methodology for the Design and Operational Safety Assessment of Unmanned Aerial Systems
On
Friday, December 17 at 12:00 p.m.
Montgomery Knight Building 317
Abstract
Efforts are underway to introduce Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) into routine cargo operations within the National Airspace System (NAS). Such systems have the potential to increase transport system flexibility by mitigating crew scheduling constraints and extending operations to remote locations. It is expected that any large UAS operating in the transport category must comply with Federal Aviation Regulations to achieve airworthiness certification for routine operations within the NAS. Regulations on the safety of equipment, systems, and installations require all failure conditions due to malfunctions, environmental events, and inadequate corrective action to be mitigated and shown to be extremely improbable.
These system safety requirements are particularly relevant for a UAS as the ability of a Remote Pilot (RP) to detect and respond to risks is dependent on a Command and Control (C2) link. The C2 downlink system, Ground Control Station instruments and controls, and C2 uplink system all introduce new failure conditions that may degrade the safety of the UAS. Onboard autonomy introduced to supplement the RP by monitoring for risks, making decisions, or executing corrective action is also subject to the same safety requirements. Many methodologies have been used for analyzing risks and implementing sufficient levels of protection in the design of complex safety critical systems, but a method for assessing the performance required from autonomy when the RP cannot adequately mitigate risks is still needed.
This thesis attempts to address the problem of placing safety requirements on C2 links and autonomy in UAS through the development of a safety assessment methodology that can be applied during both design and online operation. The contributions are as follows:
Committee
