Unmanned aircraft control using ground control station
An aircraft includes a flight plan and contingency data including a plurality of contingency landing sites. An aircraft communication system communicates with a ground control station via a communication link and detects a lost communication scenario in response to degradation in the communication link. An aircraft flight control system controls the aircraft en route according to the flight plan. In response to detecting the lost communication scenario, the flight control system routes the aircraft back to a last known location in which the communication link was not degraded. In response to failure to re-establish the communication link, the flight control system selects a landing site based on a current aircraft location relative to a plurality of potential landing sites including an origin airport, a destination airport, and a first continency landing site. The flight control system controls the aircraft to approach and land at the selected landing site.
1. An aircraft comprising:
one or more memory components configured to store:
a flight plan; and
contingency data including a plurality of contingency landing sites;
a communication system configured to;
communicate with a ground control station via a communication link while the aircraft is en route from an origin airport to a destination airport; and
detect a lost communication scenario in response to degradation in the communication link between the aircraft and the ground control station;
attempt, based on the detection of the lost communication scenario, to re-establish the communication link by at least one of switching to a second communication system or restarting the communication system; and
a flight control system configured to:
control the aircraft en route from the origin airport to the destination airport according to the flight plan;
in response to detecting the lost communication scenario and failing to re-establish the communication link by at least one of the switching to the second communication system or the restarting the communication system:
access a previously known location in which the communication link was not degraded between the aircraft and the ground control station; and
route the aircraft back to the accessed previously known location in which the communication link was not degraded between the aircraft and the ground control station, wherein the communication system is configured to attempt to re-establish the communication link at the previously known location;
in response to failure to re-establish the communication link at the previously known location, select a lost communication landing site from a plurality of potential landing sites based on a current location of the aircraft relative to the plurality of potential landing sites, wherein the potential landing sites include at least one of the origin airport, the destination airport, and a first contingency landing site included in the contingency data; and
control the aircraft to approach and land at the selected lost communication landing site.
2. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the flight plan and the contingency data is received from the ground control station via the communication system prior to takeoff from the origin airport.
3. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the communication system is configured to transmit a lost communication notice stored in the contingency data in response to detecting the lost communication scenario, wherein the lost communication notice includes at least one of a transponder code and a stored voice transmission via very high frequency (VHF) radio.
4. The aircraft of claim 3 , wherein the flight control system is configured to transmit the lost communication notice for a threshold period of time prior to approach and landing at the selected lost communication landing site, and wherein the threshold period of time is defined in the contingency data.
5. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the lost communication scenario is an en route lost communication scenario, wherein the communication system is configured to detect a takeoff lost communication scenario in response to degradation in the communication link between the aircraft and the ground control station during takeoff from the origin airport.
6. The aircraft of claim 5 , wherein the flight control system is configured to:
in response to detecting the takeoff lost communication scenario prior to a threshold location on a runway, slow the aircraft to a stop and taxi the aircraft to a predetermined location at the origin airport defined in the contingency data; and
in response to detecting the takeoff lost communication scenario after passing the threshold location on the runway, control the aircraft to climb and enter a holding pattern near the origin airport according to the contingency data.
7. The aircraft of claim 6 , wherein, while climbing and entering the holding pattern, the communication system is configured to transmit a lost communication notice stored in the contingency data, wherein the lost communication notice includes at least one of a transponder code and a stored voice transmission via very high frequency (VHF) radio.
8. The aircraft of claim 1 , wherein the lost communication scenario is an en route lost communication scenario, wherein the communication system is configured to detect a landing lost communication scenario in response to degradation in the communication link between the aircraft and the ground control station during an approach towards the destination airport.
9. The aircraft of claim 8 , wherein, when the aircraft is at a decision threshold altitude during a landing lost communication scenario, the flight control system is configured to:
perform a missed approach maneuver according to the contingency data if the aircraft has not received a landing clearance from the ground control station; and
control the aircraft to land at the destination airport according to the flight plan if the aircraft has received the landing clearance from the ground control station.
10. The aircraft of claim 9 , wherein the communication system is configured to transmit landing validation data to the ground control station that indicates a predicted landing location on a runway at the destination airport, and wherein the landing clearance received by the communication system indicates a human operator has validated the predicted landing location on the runway.
11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions configured to cause one or more processing units of an aircraft to:
store a flight plan on the aircraft;
store contingency data including a plurality of contingency landing sites;
communicate from the aircraft with a ground control station via a communication link while the aircraft is en route from an origin airport to a destination airport;
detect a lost communication scenario in response to degradation in the communication link between the aircraft and the ground control station;
control the aircraft en route from the origin airport to the destination airport according to the flight plan;
attempt, based on the detection of the lost communication scenario, to re-establish the communication link by at least one of switching to a second communication system or restarting a communication system;
in response to detecting the lost communication scenario and failing to re-establish the communication link by at least one of the switching to the second communication system or the restarting the communication system:
access a previously known location in which the communication link was not degraded between the aircraft and the ground control station; and
route the aircraft back to the accessed previously known location in which the communication link was not degraded between the aircraft and the ground control station;
attempt to re-establish the communication link;
in response to failure to re-establish the communication link at the previously known location, select a lost communication landing site from a plurality of potential landing sites based on a current location of the aircraft relative to the plurality of potential landing sites, wherein the potential landing sites include at least one of the origin airport, the destination airport, and a first contingency landing site included in the contingency data; and
control the aircraft to approach and land at the selected lost communication landing site.
12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the flight plan and the contingency data is received from the ground control station at the aircraft prior to takeoff from the origin airport.
13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processing units to transmit a lost communication notice stored in the contingency data in response to detecting the lost communication scenario, wherein the lost communication notice includes at least one of a transponder code and a stored voice transmission via very high frequency (VHF) radio.
14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processing units to transmit the lost communication notice for a threshold period of time prior to approach and landing at the selected lost communication landing site, wherein the threshold period of time is defined in the contingency data.
15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the lost communication scenario is an en route lost communication scenario, and wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processing units to detect a takeoff lost communication scenario in response to degradation in the communication link between the aircraft and the ground control station during takeoff from the origin airport.
16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15 , further comprising instructions that cause the one or more processing units to:
in response to detecting the takeoff lost communication scenario prior to a threshold location on a runway, slow the aircraft to a stop and taxi the aircraft to a predetermined location at the origin airport defined in the contingency data; and
in response to detecting the takeoff lost communication scenario after passing the threshold location on the runway, control the aircraft to climb and enter a holding pattern near the origin airport according to the contingency data.
17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16 , wherein, while climbing and entering the holding pattern, the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processing units to transmit a lost communication notice stored in the contingency data, wherein the lost communication notice includes at least one of a transponder code and a stored voice transmission via very high frequency (VHF) radio.
18. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 , wherein the lost communication scenario is an en route lost communication scenario, and wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processing units to detect a landing lost communication scenario in response to degradation in the communication link between the aircraft and the ground control station during an approach towards the destination airport.
19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 , wherein, when the aircraft is at a decision threshold altitude during a landing lost communication scenario, the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processing units to:
perform a missed approach maneuver according to the contingency data if the aircraft has not received a landing clearance from the ground control station; and
control the aircraft to land at the destination airport according to the flight plan if the aircraft has received the landing clearance from the ground control station.
20. The computer-readable medium of claim 19 , wherein the instructions are configured to cause the one or more processing units to transmit landing validation data to the ground control station that indicates a predicted landing location on a runway at the destination airport, and wherein the landing clearance received by the aircraft indicates a human operator has validated the predicted landing location on the runway.