Airspace risk mitigation system

Abstract

A method that allows an unmanned aircraft (UA) to act as a cooperative aircraft when airborne in an airspace includes obtaining positional data for the UA from a Ground Control Station (GCS), reformatting the positional data from the GCS to a format compatible with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transceiver, sending the reformatted positional data to the ADS-B transceiver, and configuring the ADS-B transceiver to broadcast a position of the UA into the airspace from the ground while the UA is airborne.

1 . A method that allows an unmanned aircraft (UA) to act as a cooperative aircraft in an airspace, the method comprising:
 obtaining positional data for the UA from a Ground Control Station (GCS);   reformatting the positional data from the GCS to a format compatible with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transceiver;   sending the reformatted positional data to the ADS-B transceiver; and   configuring the ADS-B transceiver to broadcast a position of the UA into the airspace, wherein the ADS-B transceiver remains on the ground and is not carried by the UA.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of reformatting the positional data from the GCS to a format compatible with an ADS-B transceiver comprises reformatting a GCS output stream into a format used by a positional sensor, and wherein the step of sending the reformatted positional data to the ADS-B transceiver comprises transmitting the reformatted GCS output stream out a port and into a converter unit and feeding the resulting converted stream into an input port on the ADS-B transceiver. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  and further comprising:
 programming the ADS-B transceiver to ignore its internal WAAS GPS receiver and use only the positional information being fed from the GCS. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the UA is not equipped with an on-board ADS-B transceiver, and wherein the ADS-B broadcast of the position of the UA is configured such that the UA appears to all other aircraft in the airspace, as well as to an Air Traffic Control (ATC), as a cooperative, ADS-B-equipped aircraft. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1  and further comprising:
 broadcasting the position of the UA into the airspace from the ground while the UA is airborne. 
 
     
     
         6 . A method that allows an unmanned aircraft (UA) to act as a cooperative aircraft when airborne in an airspace, the method comprising:
 obtaining positional data for the UA from a Ground Control Station (GCS);   reformatting the positional data from the GCS to a format compatible with an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transceiver;   sending the reformatted positional data to the ADS-B transceiver; and   configuring the ADS-B transceiver to broadcast a position of the UA into the airspace from the ground while the UA is airborne.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the step of reformatting the positional data from the GCS to a format compatible with an ADS-B transceiver comprises reformatting a GCS output stream into a format used by a positional sensor, and wherein the step of sending the reformatted positional data to the ADS-B transceiver comprises transmitting the reformatted GCS output stream into a converter unit and feeding the resulting converted stream into the ADS-B transceiver. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6  and further comprising:
 programming the ADS-B transceiver to ignore its internal Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) GPS receiver and use only the positional information being fed from the GCS. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the UA is not equipped with an on-board ADS-B transceiver, and wherein the ADS-B broadcast of the position of the UA is configured such that the UA appears to all other aircraft in the airspace, as well as to an Air Traffic Control (ATC), as a cooperative, ADS-B-equipped aircraft. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 6  and further comprising:
 broadcasting the position of the UA into the airspace from the ground while the UA is airborne. 
 
     
     
         11 . An unmanned aircraft (UA) communication spoofing system comprising:
 means for obtaining positional data for the UA from a control location remote from the UA;   means for reformatting the positional data to a format compatible with a broadcast transceiver;   means for sending the reformatted positional data to the broadcast transceiver; and   means for configuring the broadcast transceiver to broadcast a position of the UA into the airspace from a broadcast location remote from the UA while the UA is airborne.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the broadcast transceiver is an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transceiver. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12  and further comprising:
 means for programming the ADS-B transceiver to ignore an internal Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) GPS receiver. 
 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the broadcast location is located on the ground.