SYSTEM FOR MAINTAINING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN TEAMS OF VEHICLES

• US 20110137506A1
• Filed: 02/11/2011
• Published: 06/09/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nader Mehravari, Robert J. Szczerba, Stephen J. Demarco
• Original Assignee: Nader Mehravari, Robert J. Szczerba, Stephen J. Demarco
• Inventors: Mehravari, Nader, Szczerba, Robert J., DeMarco, Stephen J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,158 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0052 for cruising combined instruments indicating more than one navigational value G01C23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0086 for monitoring terrain radar or analogous systems specially adapted for terrain avoidance G01S13/935

Abstract

A system maintains communication between a plurality of unmanned vehicles within an environment. The system includes a sensor component and an evaluator. The sensor component senses objects within the environment. The sensor component is located on a first unmanned vehicle. The evaluator evaluates data from the sensor component. The evaluator is located on the first unmanned vehicle. The evaluator compares data for the first unmanned vehicle and a second unmanned vehicle and determines whether a trajectory of one of the first and second unmanned vehicles may be modified to maintain communication between the first unmanned vehicle and the second unmanned vehicle.

Claims

1. A computer program product for maintaining communication between a plurality of unmanned vehicles within an environment, said computer program product comprising:

a first instruction for sensing objects within the environment by a sensor component;

a second instruction for evaluating data from the sensor component;

a third instruction for comparing line of sight data for a first unmanned vehicle and a second unmanned vehicle; and

a fourth instruction for determining whether a trajectory of one of the first and second unmanned vehicles may be modified to maintain communication between the first unmanned vehicle and the second unmanned vehicle.

2. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 further including a fifth instruction for calculating an initial trajectory for the first and second unmanned vehicles.

3. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 further including a fifth instruction for determining whether communication is maintained between the first and second unmanned vehicles within predetermined acceptable limits:

4. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 further including a fifth instruction for determining whether a trajectory of one of the first and second unmanned vehicles and a third unmanned vehicle may be modified to maintain communication between the first unmanned vehicle, the second unmanned vehicle, and the third unmanned vehicle.

5. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 further including a fifth instruction for determining whether communication is maintained between the first and second unmanned vehicles within acceptable limits.

6. A method for maintaining communication between a plurality of unmanned vehicles within an environment, said method comprising the steps of:

sensing objects within the environment by a sensor component;

evaluating data from the sensor component;

comparing data for a first unmanned vehicle and a second unmanned vehicle;

determining whether a trajectory of one of the first and second unmanned vehicles may be modified to maintain communication between the first unmanned vehicle and the second unmanned vehicle; and

utilizing line of sight, data link quality of service, and router efficiency for calculating predetermined acceptable limits for communication maintenance.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6 further including the step of maintaining a current model of the environment.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6 further including the step of distributing an initial set of draft trajectories from the first unmanned vehicle to the second unmanned vehicle and a third unmanned vehicle.

9. The method as set forth in claim 6 further including the step of modifying the trajectory of the second unmanned vehicle to maintain communication with the first unmanned vehicle.

10. The method as set forth in claim 6 further including the step of altering criteria for acceptable trajectories.

11. A system for maintaining line of sight between a first unmanned aircraft and a second unmanned aircraft comprising:

a processor located on the first unmanned aircraft;

a non-transitory computer readable medium, located on the first unmanned aircraft, storing machine executable instructions, the machine readable instructions being executable by the processor to perform a methods comprising the following;

evaluating sensor data to determine the location of at least one obstacle near expected trajectories of each of the first unmanned aircraft and the second unmanned aircraft;

determining if the at least one obstacle will obstruct the line of sight between the first unmanned aircraft and the second unmanned aircraft; and

modifying the trajectory of one of the first unmanned aircraft and the second unmanned aircraft if the at least one obstacle will obstruct the line of sight between the first unmanned aircraft and the second unmanned aircraft.

12. The system as set forth in claim 11, wherein modifying the trajectory of the first unmanned aircraft and the second unmanned aircraft comprises instructing the second unmanned aircraft to alter its trajectory.

13. The system as set forth in claim 11, the method further comprising determining the expected trajectories for each of the first unmanned aircraft and the second unmanned aircraft.

14. The system as set forth in claim 13, wherein determining the expected trajectories comprises receiving a draft trajectory from the second unmanned aircraft and determining if the draft trajectory of the second unmanned aircraft agrees with a draft trajectory of the first unmanned aircraft.

15. The system as set forth in claim 14, the method further comprising revising one of the draft trajectory of the first unmanned aircraft and the draft trajectory of the second unmanned aircraft via an iterative approach algorithm if the draft trajectory of the first unmanned aircraft disagrees with the draft trajectory of the second unmanned aircraft.

16. The system as set forth in claim 13, the method further comprising revising a cost function associated with the draft trajectory of the first unmanned aircraft in response to the location of the at least one obstacle.

17. The system as set forth in claim 11, the method further comprising determining whether line of sight is maintained between the first and second unmanned aircraft within acceptable limits.