TACTICAL ROBOT CONTROLLER

• US 20140214239A1
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Published: 07/31/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Foster-Miller Incorporated (Thermo Fisher Scientific Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: QinetiQ North America Incorporated (QinetiQ Group PLC)
• Inventors: Graham, Todd, Deguire, Daniel, Bruck, Kurt, Bentchev, Boian, Shapiro, Julie
• Granted Patent: US 9,014,874 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0016 characterised by the operator's input device input arrangements for computing systems in general G06F3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0033 by having the operator tracking the vehicle either by direct line of sight or via one or more cameras located remotely from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0038 by providing the operator with simple or augmented images from one or more cameras located onboard the vehicle, e.g. tele-operation images analyzed by a computer and used for automatic navigation G05D1/0246
• 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 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/30 User interface

Abstract

An unmanned systems operator control system includes a hand held controller with a set of switches and control enumeration software specially configured to report a superset of virtual switches based on the physical switches. A core unit includes a first unmanned system control application subscribing to a first switch subset of the superset and outputting commands controlling a first unmanned system based on activation of the set of switches. A second unmanned system control application subscribes to a second switch subset of the superset and outputs commands controlling a second unmanned system based on activation of the set of switches. A mode switching subsystem is configured, in a first state, to map the set of switches to the first switch subset and, in a second state, to map the set of switches to the second switch subset.

Claims

1. An unmanned systems operator control system comprising:

a set of switches;

control enumeration software configured to report a superset of virtual switches;

a first unmanned system control application subscribed to a first switch subset of the superset to output commands controlling a first unmanned system based on activation of the set of switches;

at least a second unmanned system control application subscribed to a second switch subset of the superset to output commands controlling a second unmanned system based on activation of the set of switches; and

a mode switching subsystem configured, in a first state, to map the set of switches to the first switch subset and, in a second state, to map the set of switches to the second switch subset.

2. The system of claim 1 in which the set of switches are associated with a handheld controller.

3. The system of claim 2 in which the set of switches includes at least one joystick and a plurality of X buttons and the superset includes at least two joysticks and 2X buttons.

4. The system of claim 1 in which the mode switching subsystem is associated with a handheld controller.

5. The system of claim 2 in which the handheld controller further includes a first screen for the first unmanned system and a second screen for the second unmanned system.

6. The system of claim 1 in which the first unmanned system control application and the second unmanned system control application are associated with a core module.

7. The system of claim 1 further including a first radio for transmitting to said first unmanned system said commands controlling the first unmanned system and a second radio for transmitting to the second unmanned system said commands for controlling the second unmanned system.

8. The system of claim 1 further including at least a first video screen.

9. The system of claim 8 further including a video server and transmitter for wirelessly transmitting video displayed on the first video screen.

10. The system of claim 8 further including a second video screen.

11. A method of controlling a plurality of unmanned systems with one handheld controller having a set of switches, the method comprising:

mapping the set of switches to a first switch subset of a superset of virtual switches;

subscribing to the first switch subset when controlling a first unmanned system using the set of switches;

mapping the set of switches to a second switch subset of a superset of virtual switches; and

subscribing to the second switch subset when controlling the second unmanned system using the set of switches.

12. The method of claim 11 in which the set of switches include at least one joystick and a plurality of X buttons and the superset includes at least two joysticks and 2X buttons.

13. The method of claim 11 further including displaying video associated with the first unmanned system on a first screen and displaying video associated with the second unmanned system on a second video screen.

14. A tactical robot controller for first and second robots comprising:

a first unmanned system control application configured to output commands controlling a first unmanned system via a first radio;

at least a second unmanned system control application system configured to output commands controlling a second unmanned system via a second radio;

a handheld controller including a set of switches for controlling the first and second unmanned systems and software delivering switch data to the first unmanned system control application and to the second unmanned system control application; and

a mode selection switchable between the first and second unmanned systems.

15. The controller of claim 14 in which the handheld controller includes software configured to report a superset of virtual switches.

16. The controller of claim 15 in which the first unmanned system control application subscribes to a first switch subset of the superset and the second unmanned system control application subscribes to a second switch subset of the superset.

17. The controller of claim 16 in which the handheld controller software is configured to map the set of handheld controller switches to the first switch subset when the mode selection is switched to the first unmanned system and to map the set of handheld controller switches to the second switch subset when the mode selection is switched to the second unmanned system.

18. The controller of claim 14 in which the handheld controller further includes a first screen for the first unmanned system and a second screen for the second unmanned system.

19. The controller of claim 14 in which the first unmanned system control application and the second unmanned system control application are associated with a core module.

20. The controller of claim 14 further including a first radio for transmitting to said first unmanned system said commands controlling the first unmanned system and a second radio for transmitting to the second unmanned system said commands for controlling the second unmanned system.

21. The controller of claim 14 further including a video server and transmitter for wirelessly transmitting video.

22. A tactical robot control method for first and second robots comprising:

controlling a first unmanned system by delivering switch data to a first unmanned system control application issuing commands to the first unmanned system via a first radio;

controlling a second unmanned system by delivering switch data to a second unmanned system control application issuing commands to the second unmanned system via a second radio; and

switching between control of the first unmanned system and the second unmanned system.

23. The method of claim 22 further including the step of reporting a superset of virtual switches based on a set of physical switches generating said switch data.

24. The method of claim 23 further including the step of subscribing the first unmanned system control application to a first switch subset of the virtual superset and subscribing the second unmanned system control application to a second switch subset of the virtual superset.

25. The method of claim 24 in which switching between control of the first unmanned system and the second unmanned system includes mapping the set of physical switches to the first switch subset when controlling the first unmanned system and mapping the set of physical switches to the second switch subset when controlling the second unmanned system.