HIERARCHICAL MISSION MANAGEMENT

• US 20110082717A1
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Published: 04/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Saad, Emad William, Wunsch, Donald C. II, Meuth, Ryan James, Vian, John Lyle
• Granted Patent: US 10,810,519 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: B64F 5/60 Testing or inspecting aircraft components or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/40 Business processes related to the transportation industry shipping G06Q10/083

Abstract

The different advantageous embodiments further provide a system for hierarchical mission management comprising a number of mission planners, a data processing system, and a communication system. The number of mission planners are associated with a number of agent groups. The data processing system is configured to execute the number of mission planners. The communication system is configured to provide communication between the number of mission planners.

Claims

1. A method for hierarchical mission management, the method comprising:

receiving a mission specification having a number of tasks;

identifying a number of agents associated with a number of different levels of a hierarchy using a hierarchy specification;

identifying a number of mission planners associated with the number of different levels of the hierarchy using the hierarchy specification; and

assigning the mission specification to a first mission planner in the number of mission planners associated with a first level of the hierarchy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchy specification includes a description of agent capabilities for each of the number of agents associated with the number of different levels of the hierarchy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assigning the mission specification further comprises:

allocating the number of tasks to a number of first agents associated with the first level of the hierarchy.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein task information about the number of tasks is communicated between the number of agents associated with the different levels of the hierarchy using a communication system.

5. A system for hierarchical mission management, the system comprising:

a number of mission planners associated with a number of agent groups, the mission planners configured to plan missions and allocate resources for the missions, and the number of agent groups configured to execute the missions planned by the number of mission planners;

a data processing system configured to execute the number of mission planners; and

a communication system configured to provide communication between the number of mission planners.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

a hierarchy specification defining a number of hierarchical levels associated with the number of mission planners and the number of agent groups.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the hierarchy specification further comprises a description of a number of agents and an associated hierarchy level assigned to each of the number of agents.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein each mission planner in the number of mission planners further comprises:

an arbitrator configured to generate a mission plan for a number of agents in an associated agent group, the mission plan having a number of tasks;

a task allocator configured to allocate the number of tasks to the number of agents; and

a path planner configured to plan a number of physical paths associated with the number of tasks allocated to the number of agents.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the arbitrator is further configured to monitor the number of agents executing the number of tasks.

10. A method for autonomous hierarchical mission management, the method comprising:

receiving a mission specification at a first mission planner associated with a first level agent group;

generating a mission plan to address the mission specification;

assigning the mission plan to a number of first agents in the first level agent group;

monitoring the number of first agents executing the mission plan using a data processing system;

determining whether the first level agent group will complete the mission plan; and

responsive to a determination that the first level agent group will not complete the mission plan, sending an uncompleted portion of the mission plan to a second mission planner associated with a second level agent group.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein assigning the mission plan to the number of first agents further comprises:

allocating a number of tasks to the number of first agents based on the mission plan to form a number of task assignments; and

sending the number of task assignments to the number of first agents.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein assigning the mission plan to the number of first agents further comprises:

generating a number of path plans for the number of first agents based on the number of tasks allocated to each of the number of first agents;

sending the number of path plans to the number of first agents, wherein each agent in the number of first agents receives a path plan associated with the number of tasks allocated to the agent.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring the number of first agents executing the mission further comprises:

detecting information about an environment change associated with the mission specification.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein monitoring the number of first agents executing the mission further comprises:

detecting information about an agent change in the number of first agents.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein determining whether the first level agent group will complete the mission plan further comprises:

determining whether a re-planning of the mission plan is required to accomplish the mission plan based on at least one of detected agent change and detected environmental change.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the re-planning of the mission plan is required, determining whether the first level agent group will complete the mission plan;

responsive to a determination that the first level agent group will complete the mission plan, generating a modified mission plan for the number of first agents based on the re-planning of the mission plan.

17. A method for autonomous hierarchical mission management, the method comprising:

receiving a mission specification at a mission planner associated with an agent group at the highest level of a hierarchy;

generating a mission plan to address the mission specification;

assigning the mission plan to a number of agents in the agent group at the highest level of the hierarchy;

monitoring the number of agents in the agent group at the highest level of the hierarchy executing the mission plan; and

determining whether the number of agents in the agent group at the highest level of the hierarchy will complete the mission plan.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that the number of agents in the agent group at the highest level of the hierarchy will not complete the mission plan, communicating the uncompleted portion of the mission specification to a next mission planner associated with a next agent group in the hierarchy.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the next mission planner generates a mission plan to address the uncompleted portion of the mission specification.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

determining whether a current agent group associated with a current level of the hierarchy will complete the mission plan; and

responsive to a determination that the current agent group will not complete the mission plan, iteratively communicating the uncompleted portion of the mission plan to a next mission planner associated with a next agent group at a next level of the hierarchy until the mission plan is completed.