US 11,753,147 B2
System and method for monitoring the state of an unmanned aircraft
Peter Hunkel, Munich (DE)
Assigned to Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Taufkirchen (DE)
Filed by AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE GMBH, Taufkirchen (DE)
Filed on Jul. 19, 2019, as Appl. No. 16/517,173.
Claims priority of application No. 102018118437.9 (DE), filed on Jul. 31, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2020/0039638 A1, Feb. 6, 2020
Int. Cl. B64C 19/00 (2006.01); B64D 45/00 (2006.01)
CPC B64C 19/00 (2013.01) [B64D 45/00 (2013.01); B64U 2201/10 (2023.01); B64U 2201/20 (2023.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for monitoring the state of an unmanned aircraft, comprising: a first communication unit;
a second communication unit that can be integrated into the aircraft;
a state transmission unit that can be integrated into the aircraft to transmit state data of the aircraft;
a computing unit assigned to the aircraft to validate the state of the aircraft; and an external control and monitoring unit connected to the computing unit; wherein the computing unit is configured to:
carry out a simulation model of the aircraft in question, wherein the simulation model is based on numerical integration of a system of equations with a simulation state vector;
repeatedly track the simulation state vector of at least one subset of previously measured flight status data by stepwise adjustment of at least one functional element of the simulation model by at least one model error correction term, wherein the model error correction term is determined from a difference between a measured state variable and a simulated state variable; and
monitor the variation of the at least one model error correction term and send a warning signal to the control and monitoring unit if the model error correction term exceeds predetermined interval limits once or multiple times;
wherein the control and monitoring unit is configured to issue a warning message directly to a user on receiving a warning signal, to continuously display flight status data of the aircraft received from the status transmission unit and to change a control mode of the aircraft to direct control by the user by sending a corresponding switching command to the aircraft.