Integration of a radar sensor into a sense-and-avoid payload for small UAS

Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) are swiftly becoming a large sector for research and development. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has set forth many regulations that UAS must comply with before they are able to be integrated into the National Airspace System (NAS). Among these regulations is for all UAS to have an ability analogous to a human pilot's ability to “see-and-avoid.” This system must be capable of detecting both large and small obstacles, such as terrain and intruding aircraft. A Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) algorithm is currently in development at the University of North Dakota (UND) in order to comply with these regulations. However, while this DAA algorithm is capable of detecting and avoiding cooperative targets through an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system, UAS are also required to detect and avoid uncooperative obstacles. This paper describes a proof-of-concept solution to this problem by integrating a small RADAR into UND's current DAA algorithm.