Browse Topic: Urban air mobility (UAM)

Items (37)

Consensus Based Air Transport System for Strategic Deconfliction for Urban Air Mobility

2024-26-0405

06/01/2024

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) envisions heterogenous airborne entities like crewed and uncrewed passenger and cargo vehicles within, and between urban and rural environment. To achieve this, a paradigm shift to a cooperative operating environment similar to Extensible Traffic Management (xTM) is needed. This requires the blending of traditional Air Traffic Services (ATS) with the new generation UAM vehicles having their unique flight dynamics and handling characteristics. A hybrid environment needs to be established with enhanced shared situational awareness for all stakeholders, enabling equitable airspace access, minimizing risk, optimized airspace use, and providing flexible and adaptable airspace rules. This paper introduces a novel concept of distributed airspace management which would be apt for all kinds of operational scenarios perceived for UAM. The proposal is centered around the efficiency and safety in air space management being achieved by self-discipline. It utilizes

KG, Sreenivasan, Suseelan, SunilRaj, Huncha, Pradeep

Hybrid Cooling System for Thermal Management in Electric Aerial Vehicles

2024-26-0468

06/01/2024

Continuous improvements and innovations towards sustainability in the aviation industry has brought interest in electrified aviation. Electric aircrafts have short missions in which the temporal variability of thermal loads is high. Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries have emerged as prominent power source candidate for electric aircrafts and Urban Air Mobility (UAM). UAMs and Electric aircrafts have large battery packs with battery capacity ranging in hundreds or thousands of kWh. If the battery is exposed to temperatures outside the optimum range, the life and the performance of the battery reduces drastically. Hence, it is crucial to have a Thermal Management System (TMS) which would reduce the heat load on battery in addition to the cabin thermal loads. Thermal management can be done through active or passive cooling. Adding a passive cooling system like Phase Change Material (PCM) to the TMS reduces the design maximum thermal loads. However, the added weight of the PCM module may at

Nyamagoudar, Vinayak, P R, Namratha, Balasubrahmanyam, Madireddy, Vanka, Sridhar, Gattu, Raghavendra, Abuheiba, Ahmed, Jha, Rajesh Kumar

LED Landing, Taxiing, Runway Turnoff, and Recognition Lights

ARP6402B (Current)

03/22/2024

This document includes recommendations of installations of adequate landing and taxiing lighting systems in aircraft of the following categories: a Single engine personal and/or liaison type b Light twin engine c Large multiengine propeller d Large multiengine turbojet e Military high-performance fighter and attack f Helicopter g Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (EVTOL) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM

A-20B Exterior Lighting Committee

DQRA-MIMO Protocol Design for Massive M2M Communications in Intelligent Aircraft

2023-01-7071

12/31/2023

The traditional centralized random access (RA) and data transmission (DT) protocol used to transmit small-sized packets suffers from high signaling overhead and low channel utilization. To cope with that, this paper proposes a novel distributed queuing random access and data transmission protocol based on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology for intelligent aircraft scenarios. In the RA phase, the collided, successful, and idle states are redefined according to the degree of freedom (DOF) in MIMO to utilize the RA channel effectively. In the DT phase, the optimal number of simultaneously transmitted M2M devices in the data queue is derived by the number of base station’s antennas to enhance throughput and reduce signaling. Results reveal that the proposed protocol can not only improve the efficiency of RA but also increase the throughput and reduce the delay of DT with the aid of DoF in MIMO while reducing the signaling overhead

Ye, Fayong, Fang, Chunyan, Huang, Yi, Zuo, Dingyi, Zhang, Dongfang, Feng, Xiangxi

Overview and Research on Airworthiness and Safety of Electrical Propulsion and Battery Technologies in eVTOL

2023-01-7116

12/31/2023

This overview and study article scrutinizes the evolution and challenges of electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), with a primary focus on airworthiness and safety certification. The paper discusses key issues such as high-energy-density aviation-grade batteries and the light weighting of electrical propulsion systems. Utilizing scientific models and real-world data, the study outlines the required battery technology and electrical propulsion specifications for eVTOLs with effective commercial load capabilities. For eVTOLs operating in the 300 km range, aviation-grade batteries must achieve energy densities between 300-600 wh/kg. For those covering a 600 km range, the energy density requirements exceed 600 wh/kg. Compliance with stringent safety standards, including triple certification by the FAA under 14 CFR Part 23, is imperative. This article conducted research and offered flowchart of the complicated FAA standard, which is rare in existing articles. This article

Ma, Xin, Ding, Shuiting

Safe Architecture Design of Flight Control System for eVTOL

2023-01-7101

12/31/2023

Advanced flight control system, aviation battery and motor technologies are driving the rapid development of eVTOL to offer possibilities for Urban Air Mobility. The safety and airworthiness of eVTOL aircraft and systems are the critical issues to be considered in eVTOL design process. Regarding to the flight control system, its complexity of design and interfaces with other airborne systems require detailed safety assessment through the development process. Based on SAE ARP4754A, a forward architecture design process with comprehensive safety assessment is introduced to achieve complete safety and hazard analysis. The new features of flight control system for eVTOL are described to start function capture and architecture design. Model-based system engineering method is applied to establish the functional architecture in a traceable way. SFHA and STPA methods are applied in a complementary way to identify the potential safety risk caused by failure and unsafe control action. PSSA with

Ning, Chengwei, Zhang, Hao, Weng, Haimin, Ma, Ran

Key Technology Challenges of Electric Ducted Fan Propulsion Systems for eVTOL

EPR2023027

11/22/2023

Electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles for urban air mobility (UAM) are garnering increased attention from both the automotive and aerospace industries, with use cases ranging from individual transportation, public service, cargo delivery, and more. Distributed electric propulsion systems are their main technical feature; they determine vehicle size and propulsion efficiency and provide distributed thrust to achieve attitude control. Considering the intended role of eVTOL vehicles, ducted-fan systems are ideal choice for the propulsor, as the duct provides a physical barrier between the rotating blades and the human, especially during the take-off and landing phases. Key Technology Challenges of Electric Ducted Fan Propulsion Systems for eVTOL introduces the main bottlenecks and key enablers of ducted-fan propulsion systems for eVTOL applications. Based on the introduction and discussion of these important issues, this report will help eVTOL engineers understand the

Qian, Yuping, Zhang, Yangjun, ZHUGE, WEILIN

UAM Icing: Ice Accretion Experiments and CFD Icing Simulations on Rotors for eVTOL Unmanned Aircraft

2023-01-1391

06/15/2023

Urban air mobility (UAM) is a fast-growing industry that utilizes electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) technologies to operate in densely populated urban areas with limited space. However, atmospheric icing serves as a limitation to its operational envelope as in-flight icing can happen all year round anywhere around the globe. Since icing in smaller aviation systems is still an emerging topic, there is a necessity to study icing of eVTOL rotors specifically. Two rotor geometries were chosen for this study. A small 15-inch rotor was selected to illustrate a multirotor UAV drone, while a large 80-inch rotor was chosen to represent a UAM passenger aircraft. The ice accretion experiments were conducted in an icing wind tunnel on the small 15-inch rotor. The icing simulations were performed using FENSAP-ICE. The ice accretion simulations of the 15-inch rotor sections at –5 °C show a large, rather streamlined ice shape instead of the expected glaze ice characteristics. At –15 °C

Heramarwan, Henidya, Müller, Nicolas, Hann, Richard, Lutz, Thorsten

Noise Footprint Assessment at a Vertiport for Different Approach and Departure Procedures of a Tilt-Wing Air-Taxi

2023-01-1103

05/08/2023

Community noise at vertiports is one of the most important questions related to upcoming urban air mobility (UAM) operations. While fixed-wing and/or fixed-rotor aircraft can mainly be treated by their changing operational parameters, such as rotor or propeller rpm, tilt-wing or tilt-engine configurations are more difficult to simulate because of their constantly changing noise emission and spatial radiation characteristics. The work presented in this paper is providing an overview of the noise situation at a virtual vertiport which is being approached and departed by a tilt-wing air-taxi in different ways. Several different departure procedures are simulated with the same generic air-taxi. For the noise emission semi-empiric methods were used. During the air-taxi’s descent and climb, different tilt configurations are included, mainly defined by the time dependent engine’s tilt-angle, but also related to different approach paths. Each approach or departure procedure is generating

Bauer, Michael

Remotely Administered Psychoacoustic Test for sUAS Noise to Gauge Feasibility of Remote UAM Noise Study

2023-01-1106

05/08/2023

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) remotely administered a psychoacoustic test in fall of 2022 as the first of two phases of a cooperative Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicle noise human response study. This first phase, described here, was a Feasibility Test to compare human subject responses with a previous in-person psychoacoustic test that found an annoyance response difference between small Uncrewed Aerial System (sUAS) noise and ground vehicle noise. This paper discusses the Feasibility Test online layout, sound calibration method, software development, stimuli selection, test subject recruitment, and test administration. Test performance is measured through comparison of annoyance response data with the previous in-person test. The test also investigated whether a contextual cue to test subjects influenced their annoyance response. Response differences between test subjects in geographically distinct areas are analyzed. Administrative challenges that were

Krishnamurthy, Siddhartha, Rizzi, Stephen, Biziorek, Ryan, Czech, Joseph, Berg, Jeffrey, Tannler, Dillon, Bean, Devin, Ayrapetyan, Arman, Nguyen, Andrew, Wivagg, Jonathan

Tonality Perception Lessons Learned

2023-01-1104

05/08/2023

The future is expected to bring Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) vehicles, including small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS), urban air mobility (UAM) vehicles and regional air mobility (RAM) vehicles. These manned and unmanned vehicles are propelled by rotors. Rotors tend to generate tonal sound as their blades interact periodically with airflow features. Since people are more sensitive to tonality, including tones, than broad band sound, AAM generated tonality is expected to be an important consideration for design. In this paper several tonality metrics are examined for their ability to explain perceived annoyance of AAM flyover noise as measured by NASA’s Rotorcraft Sound Quality Metric 1 (RoQM-1) test. The various investigated metrics use one-third octave band, narrow band, and autocorrelation analysis. It is observed that tonality influences but does not control perceived flyover noise annoyance due to other sound qualities like roughness, consistent with previous work. The metrics are

Oppenheimer, Charles H.

A Psychoacoustic Test for Urban Air Mobility Vehicle Sound Quality

2023-01-1107

05/08/2023

This paper describes a psychoacoustic test in the Exterior Effects Room (EER) at the NASA Langley Research Center. The test investigated the degree to which sound quality metrics (sharpness, tonality, etc.) are predictive of annoyance to notional sounds of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles (e.g., air taxis). A suite of 136 unique (4.6 second duration) UAM rotor noise stimuli was generated. These stimuli were based on aeroacoustic predictions of a NASA reference UAM quadrotor aircraft under two flight conditions. The synthesizer changed rotor noise parameters such as the blade passage frequency, the relative level of broadband self-noise, and the relative level of tonal motor noise. With loudness constant, the synthesis parameters impacted sound quality in a way that created a spread of predictors both in synthesizer parameters and in sound quality metrics. Forty subjects listened to the suite of UAM noise stimuli in the EER and judged each sound individually on a standard scale of

Boucher, Matthew, Rafaelof, Menachem, Begault, Durand, Christian, Andrew, Krishnamurthy, Siddhartha, Rizzi, Stephen

TOC

99-05-02-0TOC

04/12/2023

TOC

Tobolski, Sue

A New Safety-Oriented Multi-State Joint Estimation Framework for High-Power Electric Flying Car Batteries

2023-01-0511

04/11/2023

Accurate and robust knowledge of battery internal states and parameters is a prerequisite for the safe, efficient, and reliable operation of electric flying cars. Battery states such as state of charge (SOC), state of temperature (SOT), and state of power (SOP) are of particular interest for urban air mobility (UAM) applications. This article proposes a new safety-oriented multi-state estimation framework for collaboratively updating the SOC, SOT, and SOP of lithium-ion batteries under typical UAM mission profiles that explicitly incorporates the underlying interplay among these three states. Specifically, the SOC estimation is performed by combining an adaptive extended Kalman filter with a timely calibrated battery electrical model, and the key temperature information, including the volume-averaged temperature, highest temperature, and maximum temperature difference, is estimated using an adaptive Kalman filter based on a simplified 2-D spatially-resolved thermal model. The SOC and

Liu, Wenxue, Khalatbarisoltani, Arash, Hou, Cong, Hu, Xiaosong

Diagnosis and Prognosis of Chassis Systems in Autonomous Driving Conditions

2023-01-0741

04/11/2023

Expanding various future mobilities such as purpose built vehicle (PBV), urban air mobility (UAM), and robo-taxi, the application of autonomous driving system (ADS) technology is also spreading. The main point of ADS is to ensure safety by monitoring vehicle anomalies to prevent functional failure or accident. In this study, a model-based diagnosis and prognosis process was established using degradation data generated during autonomous driving simulation. A vehicle model was designed using Modelica/Dymola, and autonomous driving simulation was performed by integrating the lane keeping assistant (LKA) system with the vehicle model using Matlab/Simulink. Degradation data for the 3 components (a shock absorber damper, a suspension bush, and a tire) of the chassis system were input into the integrated simulation model. The degradation behavior was monitored with K-nearest neighbor (K-NN) and Gaussian mixture model (GMM). The remaining useful life (RUL) for each component was estimated

Lee, Kyung-Woo, Sung, Dae-Un, Han, Yong Ha, Yoo, Yeongmin, Lee, Jongsoo

AUVSI XPONENTIAL 2023 The Blueprint for Autonomy

23AERP04_07

04/01/2023

The Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) is bringing this year's XPONENTIAL 2023 to the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colorado. The event, which runs from May 8 - 11, will feature three days of educational programming and more than 600 exhibitors representing all aspects of the unmanned vehicle and robotics industries showcasing their latest technology to attendees from all over the world. So, what's on tap for this year's XPONENTIAL 2023? The theme for this year's XPONENTIAL is “The Blueprint for Autonomy” and AUVSI has updated the event with new features based on attendee feedback

Design of Four Ducted Fan-Type Electric Vertical Take-off and Landing Flying Car

2022-01-5092

11/01/2022

Under the emerging urban air mobility (UAM) concept, electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft were designed to alleviate urban traffic congestion due to their advantages of low take-off and landing site requirements, less pollution, low noise, and strong stability. However, due to the high-level power consumption of eVTOL and only having air flight mode, this kind of aircraft has a severe shortage of cruising range. To improve the endurance and dynamic performance, the flying car designed in this paper added a ground driving mode based on eVTOL and used distributed ducted fans to provide lift. And the influence of different power transmission routes on the dynamic and economic performance of the flying car was analyzed. On this basis, the overall take-off weight of the flying car was estimated through an iterative algorithm, and parameter design and power system matching for each part of the components were conducted. Finally, this paper used MATLAB/Simulink to build a

Shao, Yifan, Liu, Liang, Xu, Zhaoping

SAE TOMORROW TODAY: A Powerful Alliance in Electric Urban Air Mobility

1336510/27/2022

What do you get when you combine the brainpower of aerospace leader Honeywell with leading automotive supplier DENSO? A powerhouse partnership that is shaping the future of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) with electric propulsion systems for aircraft. Driven by a shared vision of moving people and cargo in radically more efficient and sustainable ways, the Honeywell DENSO alliance brings together Honeywell's 100 years of aerospace expertise and DENSO's 30-plus years of electrification know-how. Recently, the partners announced that they are co-developing an electric motor (e-motor) for an all-electric jet with Lilium, the developer of the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet. This proprietary, high-performance system brings exceptional performance and reliability with zero operating emissions typically associated with commercial jet engines. We sat down with Kenji Morikawa, Director, Electrified Systems Engineering at DENSO, and Taylor Alberstadt, Global Sales and

Hineman, Marcie

DC to DC Power Distribution in MilAero Applications

22AERP10_0510/01/2022

Power system design is seeing impact from steady growth in the number, type, and complexity of electrical systems onboard aircraft. Advancements in cockpit avionics and more electrically actuated systems have designers paying attention to a broader spectrum of upgraded power needs and their connection to SWAP-C goals. At the same time, innovators worldwide are investing in technologies supporting smart energy storage, viable for new transportation applications. Fuel cells and batteries are quickly advancing urban air mobility for tangible commercial advantage - and the U.S. Air Force's Agility Prime initiative has come on board to amplify the impact

SAE TOMORROW TODAY: Fueling Flight With Hydrogen Technology

1327608/26/2022

Zero emission aviation is the future - and Hydroplane is paving the way with affordable hydrogen fuel cell powerplant technology. Founded by former NASA engineer Dr. Anita Sengupta, Hydroplane is focused on decarbonizing aviation for regional aircraft travel. As the winner of two U.S. Air Force Agility Prime contracts, Hydroplane's team of space program-trained engineers have developed a drop-in hydrogen fuel cell powerplant solution designed to replace existing combustion powerplants in single engine and urban air mobility platforms. The result is lower cost and a significant improvement in range, endurance, and payload over battery power. Applications for this technology include flight training, commercial transportation, air taxi, cargo transportation, humanitarian aid, and government support. As a minority woman small business owner, Anita feels a personal responsibility to share her growth journey, from working for the space program to moving into entrepreneurialism. She serves as

Hineman, Marcie

Anti-Phase Noise Suppression Rotor Technologies

TBMG-4628408/01/2022

Rotor noise and vibration are two sources of operational challenges for all aircraft operating with open rotors such as helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), urban air mobility personal air vehicles, drones, and aircraft operating with ducted fans, such as passenger aircraft. One key disadvantage of convention rotor design is the noise due to noise-induced shed vortices generated by rotor blades. NASA Ames Research Center has developed a novel patent-pending design and method for reducing rotor blade vibration and acoustic signatures in rotor systems using anti-phase blade vortex suppression design concepts. The design objective is to maximize reduction of noise perceived by the community while maintaining the aerodynamic thrust. These designs could be applicable in any system that uses rotor blades

Fixed-Wing Angle eVTOL

TBMG-4628308/01/2022

Current electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL) configurations for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) applications often require performance-hindering equipment only used for a specific operation (e.g., takeoff or cruising). The need for such equipment, such as separate lift and thrust mechanisms, often stems from the challenge posed by transitioning from hovering to forward flight. For example, tilt-wing eVTOLs have complex transition periods that can result in large pitching movements or wing stalling without adequate propulsion, potentially causing catastrophic loss of control

SAE TOMORROW TODAY: Opening Up the Sky with Urban Air Mobility

1323407/08/2022

Picture this: On-demand ridesharing services that take you above the traffic. Archer Aviation is making this vision a reality by unlocking a whole new dimension in transportation. Archer Aviation designs and develops electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircrafts for use in Urban Air Mobility (UAM) networks. Their goal is to move people throughout congested cities in a quick, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective manner. The eVTOL aircraft can take off vertically like a helicopter and fly forward like an airplane, no runway required. A ride in their fully electric, battery-powered aircraft is approximately the same price per passenger mile as an UberX. Hear from Andrew Cummins, Director of Business Development at Archer, on the future of UAM, the company's plan for commercial operations, and their early-launch partnerships with the cities of Los Angeles and Miami

Hineman, Marcie

Next-Gen Maintenance Framework for Urban Air Mobility Vehicles

2022-26-0008

05/26/2022

Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vehicles are set to revolutionize the mobility of man and material in near future. One of the key areas to explore is how operational efficiency can be maximized through the next generation Maintenance framework. The UAM operational models may fundamentally change how aircraft maintenance is conducted. An important aspect of UAM is low altitude flying. This enables cellular technologies to be leveraged for air-to-ground as well as air-to-air communication. This implies a low cost, high speed air-to-ground data pipe is available, which leads to the concept of Digital Twin to be leveraged to optimize the operation and maintenance. This enables near real time availability of the state of UAM vehicle and its subsystems, even when it is flying. This paper captures the Next-Gen Maintenance framework along with several value-added services that can be built around it

Kulkarni, Sandeep, Panicker, Renju, Kadeppagari, Murali, Elahi, Imtiaz

Operating the Navigation Database Server from Ground Station

2022-26-0028

05/26/2022

The main aim of operating the navigation database server from ground station (Web/cloud) is to operate a single navigation database server across all aircrafts and navigation database updates can be performed at one place. which will be effective and quick, thus no need to update the navigation database in each flight for every 28 days. UAM refers to a safe and efficient air transportation system that uses transformative new airborne technology, manned and unmanned, to move people and goods in a metropolitan area, operating the navigation data base server from ground station might be the first step towards including the FMS system in urban air mobility (UAM). the proposed system can run as standalone application and provides serveries to all aircrafts from single resource; thus, the system will provide services with low cost

Kollapudi, Sudheer

Unsettled Issues Concerning Urban Air Mobility Infrastructure

EPR2021025

11/15/2021

Urban air mobility (UAM) refers to urban transportation systems that move people by air. UAM offers the potential for reducing traffic congestion in cities and providing an integrated approach to urban mobility. With the emergence of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, drone technology, and the possibility of automated aircraft, interest in this topic has grown considerably for private sector solution providers—including aerospace and technology companies—as well as urban planners and transportation professionals. Unsettled Issues Concerning Urban Air Mobility Infrastructure discusses the infrastructure requirements to effectively integrate UAM services into the overarching urban transportation system to enable multimodal trips and complete origin to destination travel. Click here to access the full SAE EDGETM Research Report portfolio

McQueen, Bob

AeroConnect Challenge - Urban Air Mobility (UAM) - Sponsor Showcase

1313506/08/2021

Pace, Zachary

Keynote Presentation: Digitalization: The Crucial Advantage for The Modern Aerospace Program

1314006/08/2021

Aerospace companies face many challenges in a time of increasing innovations in aerospace and defense, such as Urban Air Mobility, the drive to zero emission aircraft, new space startups, and new approaches to defense programs. The global pandemic has further increased these challenges as all industries have been forced to rethink, reimage and reinvent how they develop and manufacture products, while ensuring the health and safety of their employees. The Aerospace and Defense industry, already struggling with accelerating product development, manufacturing and certification programs, while effectively managing their programs and global supply base, is now faced with the need to change the fundamental ways in which they do business, while working to maintain development programs and continue to be innovative to ensure the future success of their business. Digitalization is emerging as the crucial advantage modern aerospace program?s need to turn all this rising complexity into a

Tutt, Dale

Unsettled Topics Concerning Flying Cars for Urban Air Mobility

EPR2021011

05/24/2021

Flying cars—as a new type of vehicle for urban air mobility (UAM)—have become an important development trend for the transborder integration of automotive and aeronautical technologies and industries. This article introduces the 100-year history of flying cars, examines the current research status for UAM air buses and air taxis, and discusses the future development trend of intelligent transportation and air-to-land amphibious vehicles. Unsettled Topics Concerning Flying Cars for Urban Air Mobility identifies the major bottlenecks and impediments confronting the development of flying cars, such as high power density electric propulsion, high lift-to-drag ratio and lightweight body structures, and low-altitude intelligent flight. Furthermore, it proposes three phased goals and visions for the development of flying cars in China, suggesting the development of a flying vehicle technology innovation system that integrates automotive and aeronautic industries. Click here to access the full

Zhang, Yangjun, Qian, Yuping, Zhuge, Weilin

Does Your UAV Program Need a Transponder

TBMG-39050

05/01/2021

With the continuous growth of the unmanned aircraft industry, and the anticipated trajectory to come with urban air mobility solutions, commercial civil applications, and more, suppliers are often asked, “Does my UAS need a transponder?” Vehicle designers need to understand the current and anticipated requirements to make an informed decision on incorporating transponders into an aircraft