Control System for Robotic Vehicles

• US 20110144802A1
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Jang, Jung Soon
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,328 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• 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: G05D 1/0242 using non-visible light signals, e.g. IR or UV signals
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/027 comprising intertial navigation means, e.g. azimuth detector inertial navigation G01C21/16; inertial navigation combined with non-inertial navigation instruments G01C21/165
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/028 using a RF signal

Abstract

A method and apparatus may be present for controlling robotic vehicles. A processor system may identify hardware for a robotic vehicle to form an identification. The processor system may run an interface layer for the hardware for the robotic vehicle using the identification. The interface layer may be configured to receive information from the hardware in which the information may be received using a number of protocols for the hardware. The processor system may send the information received from the hardware to a control layer in which a number of applications running in the control layer may be configured to indirectly control operation of the robotic vehicle. The information may be received in the control layer using a protocol used by the number of applications.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a control layer configured to control hardware for a robotic vehicle by indirectly exchanging information with the hardware using a first protocol;

an interface layer configured to exchange the information with the hardware and the control layer using a communications medium, in which the interface layer exchanges the information with the control layer using the first protocol and exchanges the information with the hardware using a number of protocols used by the hardware; and

a processor system, in which the control layer, the communications medium, and the interface layer run on the processor system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

the hardware for the robotic vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interface layer comprises:

a map of the hardware;

descriptions of how to communicate with the hardware; and

a number of processes configured to communicate with the hardware using the descriptions and the map.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the map of the hardware identifies a location of the hardware in the robotic vehicle.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the descriptions of how to communicate with the hardware comprises at least one of a packet size, a checksum, a data transfer rate, a device driver location, and an identification of the number of processes that communicate with the hardware.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the interface layer further comprises:

a number of buffers, wherein the number of processes is configured to receive the information from the hardware and place the information in the number of buffers.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the number of buffers is selected from one of a number of circular buffers and a number of first-in-first-out buffers.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

a communications process configured to read the information from the number of buffers and send the information read from the number of buffers to another communications process in the control layer over a communications medium using the first protocol.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control layer comprises:

a number of applications configured to indirectly control the hardware using the first protocol; and

a communications process configured to exchange information with the communications medium using the first protocol.

10. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the descriptions of how to communicate with the hardware comprise an extensible markup language file and wherein the number of processes is a number of application programming interfaces.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications medium comprises at least one of a universal serial bus, a wireless communications link, an optical cable, and a wire cable.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a first portion of the processor system is located in the robotic vehicle and a second portion of the processor system is in a location remote to the robotic vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control layer and the interface layer run on a portion of the processor system in a location remote to the robotic vehicle.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the hardware includes a sensor system located remotely to the robotic vehicle.

15. A control system for a robotic vehicle, the control system comprising:

the robotic vehicle;

hardware associated with the robotic vehicle;

a processor system for use with the robotic vehicle;

a control layer configured to run on the processor system and to control the hardware for the robotic vehicle by indirectly exchanging information with the hardware using a first protocol in which the control layer comprises a number of applications configured to indirectly control the hardware using an interface layer and using the first protocol; and

a communications process configured to exchange information with the interface layer using a communications medium;

the interface layer configured to run on the processor system and exchange the information with the hardware and the control layer using the communications medium, in which the interface layer exchanges the information with the control layer using the first protocol and exchanges the information with the hardware using a number of protocols used by the hardware in which the interface layer comprises a map of the hardware;

descriptions of how to communicate with the hardware;

a number of processes configured to communicate with the hardware using the descriptions and the map; and

a number of buffers in which the number of processes is configured to retrieve the information from the hardware and place the information in the number of buffers and in which the map of the hardware identifies a location of the hardware in the robotic vehicle and the descriptions of how to communicate with the hardware comprise at least one of a packet size, a checksum, a data transfer rate, a device driver location, and an identification of the number of processes that communicate with the hardware; and

the processor system, in which the control layer, the communications medium, and the interface layer run on the processor system.

16. A method for controlling robotic vehicles, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processor system, hardware for a robotic vehicle to form an identification;

running, on the processor system, an interface layer for the hardware for the robotic vehicle using the identification in which the interface layer is configured to receive information from the hardware in which the information is received using a number of protocols for the hardware; and

sending, by the processor system, the information received from the hardware to a control layer in which a number of applications running in the control layer are configured to indirectly control operation of the robotic vehicle in which the information is received in the control layer using a protocol used by the number of applications.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

receiving the information in the interface layer from the number of applications in the control layer in which the information is received using the protocol; and

sending the information received from the number of applications in the interface layer to the hardware using the number of protocols for the hardware.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the interface layer comprises a map of the hardware, descriptions of how to communicate with the hardware, and a number of processes configured to communicate with the hardware using the descriptions and the map.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the descriptions of how to communicate with the hardware comprise at least one of a packet size, a checksum, a data transfer rate, a device driver location, and an identification of the number of processes that communicate with the hardware.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the interface layer further comprises a number of buffers and wherein the number of processes is configured to retrieve the information from the hardware and place the information in the number of buffers.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

sending the information read from the number of buffers to the control layer over a communications medium using the protocol.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the control layer comprises the number of applications configured to indirectly control the hardware using the protocol and a communications process configured to exchange the information with a communications medium.

23. A method for controlling robotic vehicles using a control system, the method comprising:

identifying, by a processor system, hardware for a robotic vehicle to form an identification;

running, on the processor system, an interface layer for the hardware for the robotic vehicle using the identification in which the interface layer comprises a map of the hardware;

descriptions of how to communicate with the hardware in which the descriptions comprise at least one of a packet size, a checksum, a data transfer rate, a device driver location, and an identification of a number of processes that communicate with the hardware;

the number of processes configured to communicate with the hardware using the descriptions and the map; and

a number of buffers in which the number of processes is configured to receive the information from the hardware using a number of protocols for the hardware and place the information in the number of buffers, and in which the interface layer is configured to receive the information from the hardware in which the information is received;

sending, by the processor system, the information received from the hardware and read from the number of buffers to a control layer over a communications medium using a protocol in which the control layer comprises a number of applications configured to indirectly control the hardware using the protocol and a communications process configured to exchange the information with the communications medium, in which the number of applications running in the control layer is configured to indirectly control operation of the robotic vehicle, and in which the information is received in the control layer using the protocol used by the number of applications;

receiving, by the processor system, the information in the interface layer from the number of applications in the control layer in which the information is received using the protocol; and

sending, by the processor system, the information received from the number of applications in the interface layer to the hardware using the number of protocols for the hardware.