Mission planning system for vehicles with varying levels of autonomy

• US 20060184292A1
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Published: 08/17/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated, Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Szczerba, Robert J., Paradis, Rosemary D., Appleby, Brent
• Granted Patent: US 7,765,038 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: F41H 13/00 Means of attack or defence not otherwise provided for details of radar or sonar systems G01S7/00

Abstract

A system in accordance with the present invention tasks a team of autonomous unmanned vehicles. The system includes a first team member and a second team member. The first team member has a first level of autonomy. The second team member has a second level of autonomy. The first level of autonomy is different than the first level of autonomy. The first team member is given instructions corresponding to the first level of autonomy. The second team member is given instructions corresponding to the second level of autonomy.

Claims

1. A system for tasking a team of autonomous unmanned vehicles, said system comprising:

a first team member having a first level of autonomy; and

a second team member having a second level of autonomy, said second level of autonomy being different than said first level of autonomy;

said first team member being given instructions corresponding to said first level of autonomy, said second team member being given instructions corresponding to said second level of autonomy.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first team member is only given the task of “

Zone Recon”

.

3. The system as set forth in claim 2 wherein said second team member is given the task of “

Zone Recon” and

a communication plan.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first team member is an unmanned combat armed rotorcraft.

5. The system as set forth in claim 4 wherein said second team member has a global positioning autopilot and a downward looking sensor.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a mission planning manager for determining an appropriate level of a team hierarchy to input the update.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a planning information manager for receiving requests to update objectives of a mission plan for the team of autonomous unmanned vehicles.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a mission task resource allocator for determining resources utilized by the team for executing a mission plan.

9. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a contingency manager for monitoring execution of a mission plan by the team.

10. The system as set forth in claim 9 further including a mission planner for executing changes to the mission plan.

11. A system for tasking a team of autonomous unmanned vehicles executing a mission plan, said system comprising:

a planning information manager for providing updates of objectives to the mission plan; and

a mission planning manager for receiving the updates from said planning information manager, said mission planning manager determining an appropriate level of a team hierarchy to input the update.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said mission planning manager transmits the update to a mission task resource allocator.

13. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said mission planning manager transmits the update to a choke point monitor.

14. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said mission planning manager transmits the update to a terrain route planner.

15. The system as set forth in claim 11 wherein said mission planning manager transmits the update to a trajectory planner.

16. The system as set forth in claim 11 further including an embedded simulator for modeling a candidate mission plan.

17. The system as set forth in claim 11 further including a repository for storing realistic models.

18. The system as set forth in claim 11 further including an operator interface manager for monitoring execution of the mission plan.

19. The system as set forth in claim 11 further including a platform execution manager for evaluating the mission plan.

20. The system as set forth in claim 19 wherein said platform execution manager has a task sequencer and a vehicle platform translator.