Development of a communication channel interface for obstacle detection and avoidance system in UAM operations

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones, are a new and promising air transportation alternative. They are used in several operational contexts (military, scientific and civil), such as goods delivery, passenger transportation, search and rescue, disaster assessment, urban traffic monitoring, power line inspection, agriculture crop monitoring and spraying, and in all environments that could be extremely dangerous or impossible for human action. This paper presents a preliminary investigation, design, implementation, and validation of a communication channel interface between a Pixhawk autopilot (via telemetry port TELEM 2) and a Raspberry Pi 4 (using UART serial communication), in the framework of the development of an Obstacle Detection and Avoidance (DAA) System for UAM operations. DAA systems play a crucial role in ensuring safety during drones’ operations in complex and dynamic environments, especially in Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) or full autonomous operations. UAM vehicles are designed as "smart" systems, requiring high levels of autonomy, allowing to eliminate the need for an onboard pilot and reduce associated costs, while at the same time enhancing safety and improving vehicle controllability.