Design and implementation of a collision avoidance system for hot air balloons

In this study, a system was designed to help prevent accidents from collisions between hot air balloons, occurring due to their inability to see one another, and to avert the potential loss of life and property. For each prototype, one Raspberry Pi-4, 7-inch Raspberry Pi touch screen, LoRa broadcast antenna module, BMP180 pressure sensor, MPU6050 acceleration sensor, and GYGPSV1 NEO-M8N GPS module were used. The altitude, location, and speed information obtained from the sensors was shared between two prototype devices via a broadcast via the LoRa module. Furthermore, an interface was designed to display both the device's own data and that of any intruder balloon located within a 500 m radius on the 7-inch screen. The design has been implemented by taking the balloon on which the device is located as the center and forming 5 rings corresponding to 100 m intervals along each radius, in a way that resembles the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) display in aircraft, i.e., having a 360-degree angle. If the intruder balloon is located at a distance between 100 and 200 m, both devices issue a traffic warning. When this distance drops to 100 m or below, both devices then issue a resolution advisory. As a recommendation, it is proposed that one of the balloons descend while the other climbs. Tests of the prototypes were first carried out on the ground and then in the balloon. In the ground tests, the accuracy of the location data provided by the device was initially examined. It was observed that the device determined the location with an acceptable error margin of 1.297 meters. In the second stage of the ground test, the accuracy of the altitude data provided by the device was investigated. The test revealed that the device determined the altitude with an error margin of 0.49 meters. In the last stage of the tests, it was tested whether the communication between the devices was working properly and whether their locations relative to each other were being updated in real-time. One of the designed devices was kept stationary during the test, while the other was moved along a predetermined route so that it remained within each ring of the interface. In the tests conducted at 6 different locations, the locations of the relevant locations on Google Earth and their distances relative to the location of the fixed device were determined and the position of the intruder balloon on the screen was compared. The position of the intruder balloon displayed on the screen was then compared. These comparisons confirmed that each balloon correctly displayed the intruder balloon's distance on its own screen. In the tests of the developed system carried out in commercial balloon flights in Ihlara Valley, the altitude, location, balloon take-off phase, speed information relative to the ground, traffic warning, CLIMB and DESCENT solution suggestions, radial information, the way the intruder balloon is displayed on the screen depending on the horizontal distance and the changes in its color were examined in detail. In this test, the accuracy of the radial information showing the relative positions of the devices to each other was demonstrated using Google Earth with the location information obtained from the devices for 5 different distance values. It was also observed that during the initial phase of the test, the LANDING PROGRESS warning, which indicates that the balloon is in the take-off phase until it climbs to a height of 50 ft above the ground, turns into a FLIGHT PROGRESS warning after 50 ft is exceeded. This system, developed for hot air balloons and open to further improvements, is expected to fill a significant gap in preventing accidents that may occur after balloon contact and to make a substantial contribution to the hot air balloon industry.