With the rapid development of science and technology and the increasing maturity of aviation technology, the low-air economy is gradually emerging as a new engine for economic growth and innovative development. Low-air economy is a comprehensive economic form that is driven by all kinds of low-air flight activities of manned and unmanned air-crafts and the integration and development of related fields. It is not only widely embodied in primary, secondary and tertiary industries, but also plays an increasingly important role in promoting economic development, strengthening social security and serving the national defense cause. In this market full of potential, sensor technology plays a pivotal role.
Sensors for Flight Attitude and Navigation
Low altitude vehicles, such as UAVs, helicopters and eVTOL (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles), are mainly oriented to the five major scenarios of emergency response, logistics, transportation, entertainment and consumption, and agriculture and forestry inspection. The sensors used in the autonomous navigation systems of these vehicles include GPS, inertial measurement units (IMUs), vision sensors, LiDAR, millimeter wave radar, ultrasonic radar, MEMS ultrasonic sensors, infrared sensors, barometers, magnetometers, and electronic weather meters, in addition to ultrasonic radar.
Ultrasonic Radar
In the near-ground range, barometric pressure sensors can not cope with the requirements of accurate ranging, while ultrasonic radar has obvious advantages in near-ground detection accuracy, which, in combination with barometric pressure sensors, can provide real-time obstacle information for UAVs, flying cars, etc. to avoid collision, and can guarantee the smooth flight of low-altitude vehicles in the air or near the ground. In addition, ultrasonic radar can work with other sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR, cameras, etc., to enhance the ability of environmental sensing.
Millimeter-wave radar
Millimeter-wave radar plays an important role in low altitude vehicle hover ranging due to its high precision ranging and velocity measurement capabilities. It uses millimeter-wave lens antenna technology and high-precision ranging algorithms to measure target speed, and realizes all-weather operation through electromagnetic wave propagation. With a small angle of the millimeter-wave radar beam and concentrated energy, the measurement accuracy reaches the millimeter level and the measurement range reaches 100 m. It has the advantages of high spatial resolution, strong resistance to interference from the external environment and multi-target tracking, which are particularly suitable for low-altitude detection.
MEMS Ultrasonic Sensor
MEMS ultrasonic sensor is critical for low altitude flight of UAVs, which can accurately detect obstacles to ensure obstacle avoidance and safe flight, while realizing accurate and automatic landing. This new generation of ultrasonic sensors using MEMS micro-nano process and packaging manufacturing method, both ultrasonic transmission and reception multiplexing function, based on high-performance piezoelectric functional thin film and silicon-based MEMS heterogeneous integration can be fused with IMU, GPS and other sensors data to improve navigation accuracy, enhance flight stability and control accuracy, thus enhancing the overall performance of the UAV flight.
Sensors for Condition Monitoring
Sensors are also widely used in the status monitoring of aircraft, including engine status, battery pack status, cargo status, and the operating status of logistics equipment, etc., which requires the use of pressure sensors, thermal runaway sensors for battery packs, current sensors, vibration sensors, and so on.
Pressure Sensor
In UAS, pressure sensors can be used to calculate the relative altitude of the UAV by measuring changes in atmospheric pressure based on the physical law that air pressure decreases with altitude, while monitoring the air-frame's flight status. In the air with disturbed air currents, the altitude information provided by the pressure sensor helps the UAV to remain stable in flight. If a weak or no GPS signal is encountered, the pressure sensor, applied in fusion with sensors such as millimeter-wave radar, Lidar, and camera, can also provide accurate positioning for the UAV.
Vibration Sensor
Vibration sensor monitors the vibration state of a vehicle by converting mechanical vibrations into electrical signals. They are usually based on a mass-spring-damping system in which a mass block of the system moves with the vibration as it occurs, and this change in motion is detected by the sensor. For example, acceleration sensors indirectly measure vibration by measuring changes in the acceleration of an object, while displacement sensors directly detect changes in the displacement of an object during vibration. These sensors are able to detect looseness and wear and tear of mechanical components, such as imbalance, misalignment and bearing wear, thus preventing malfunctions and accidents and safeguarding the safety of the aircraft.
Sensors for Data Acquisition
During the inspection process, sensors are also used to collect a variety of data, such as terrain features, building structures, pipeline lines, etc. For example, laser sensors and vehicle off-ground detection sensors are used to measure the height and distance of the terrain features, and image sensors with built-in piezoelectric focusing motors are used to capture image information such as the appearance of the building and the distribution of pipelines, which provide data support for subsequent analysis and processing. In addition, manned vehicles represented by flying cars need to apply the CPD program to monitor the health status of cabin occupants.
Flight Off-ground Detection Sensor
Flight off-ground detection sensor through the TOF principle, from the time of sending ultrasonic signals to the time of receiving ultrasonic signals, real-time calculation to detect the safety distance of the aircraft off the ground, for the landing of low-altitude aircraft to provide the distance from the ground of the digital signals, anti-jamming ability.
Image sensors with built-in piezo focus motor
The piezo focus motor realizes micron-level focusing accuracy through precise control and fast response, quickly adapts to targets at different distances, and enables the image sensor to pick up and focus quickly, with a simple structure, low power consumption, high thrust, and no electromagnetic interference, making it suitable for compact spaces. The stable image quality provided by the piezoelectric focus motor provides accurate data support for subsequent analysis and processing, and its scalability makes it suitable for various image sensor formats, ensuring that the vehicle can obtain clear, high-quality image data when taking images of building exteriors, pipeline distribution and other image information.
Vital Signs Monitoring Solution
During the flight, the Vital Signs Monitoring Solution continuously detects the passenger's heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature, which is critical for heart patients. If an abnormality is detected, the system automatically adjusts the flight plan, finds a landing site or contacts rescue. This full-flight monitoring enhances flight safety and passenger trust. The data collected by the solution also enables health management by analyzing the impact of flying on health and optimizing designs and strategies to prevent accidents caused by health problems.
Sensors for Environment Sensing
During low-altitude flight, the vehicle needs to sense changes in the surrounding environment in real time to ensure flight safety. The environment sensing sensors applicable to low altitude vehicles include air suspension temperature sensors, optical flow sensors, MEMS microphones and so on. In addition, in-flight signal transmission is extremely important for flight safety, and the signal booster RF module can guarantee the stable signal transmission of the vehicle in the changing environment.
Signal Booster RF Module
The Signal Booster RF module ensures stable signal transmission from the vehicle in complex environments by improving communication quality and distance, enhancing anti-jamming capability, and improving positioning accuracy. The module can provide high-bandwidth, low-latency, and highly reliable communication capabilities to meet the needs of flight control and data transmission to ensure that the user and the UAV and other manipulated vehicles maintain good communication quality and data transmission rate, to ensure the successful completion of the flight mission.
Summary
The rise of low-altitude economy has brought great development opportunities for sensor technology. As the “eyes” and “ears” of low altitude vehicles, sensors are responsible for collecting information from the external environment, and are the key components for realizing the functions of autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, status monitoring and data acquisition. In the low-altitude economy, sensor technology not only improves the performance and safety of aircraft, but also promotes the innovation and development of related fields. In the future, with the further expansion of low-altitude economy and the continuous progress of sensor technology, sensors will play an important role in more fields and contribute to the prosperous development of low-altitude economy.
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