Fall-back layer concept for autonomous or semi-autonomous systems and processes: Requirements, concepts, and first tests

摘要

Autonomous or semi-autonomous systems (AS) are needed in different application domains to simplify human tasks. Autonomous and semi-autonomous aerial systems (AES) are most complex examples due to the challenge to perform tasks in complex and dynamic environment, for example in search and rescue applications. The safe navigation assurance as well as safety assurance of AS are open research issues. Traditional combination of safety aspects with mission related tasks and in consequence unmanageable AS system complexity as well as unpredictable effects during the spatial environment interaction makes traditional safety assurance methods inapplicable. This paper presents a brief literature review concerning AES systems. A related novel concept for System Safety Surveillance and Control (SSSC) system as AS fall-back layer is introduced considering safe situational behavior, system malfunctions, and technical fall-back layer. This system is separated in well-defined, safety task-specific modules. In comparison to other approaches, in this paper safety is achieved by separation between regular behavior generation and safety assurance by emergency behavior integration and realization. Universally concept design permits the fall-back layer realization also for other applications. In this contribution a first proof of concept of SSSC-based fall-back layer realization using an experimental example is given.