Vehicle remote guidance with path control
First Claim
1. A control system for an operator to control a vehicle from a remote station, said system comprising:
- a camera on said vehicle for gathering image data;
means for sending said image data from said camera to said station, said means for sending said image data including a radio downlink from said vehicle to said station;
a screen at said station for displaying images from said camera, for viewing by the operator;
means for generating a cursor and a screen path on said screen, for viewing by the operator;
a cursor control for the operator to move said cursor on said screen to determine placement of said screen path on said screen;
transform and waypoint generation means for geometrically transforming said screen path into a planned ground path, for determining waypoints along said planned ground path, and for assigning waypoints coordinates to said waypoints;
a radio uplink from said station to said vehicle for sending said waypoint coordinates to said vehicle;
a vehicle guidance system to guide said vehicle over an executed ground path, said executed ground path including said waypoints, said vehicle guidance system adapted to accept said waypoint coordinates, said vehicle guidance system including a guidance system memory for storing said waypoint coordinates, said vehicle guidance system including vehicle servomechanisms to physically control motions of said vehicle; and
means for reporting a frame position of said vehicle to said transform and waypoint generation means over said downlink;
wherebysaid screen will display an image of said vehicle environment taken by said camera at said frame position, the operator will trace out said screen path with said cursor control, and said vehicle will following said corresponding ground path automatically.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a remotely piloted surface vehicle a television camera is used to send images to a screen on the operator'"'"'s station. A computer displays the vehicle'"'"'s intended path on the screen. The path appears as a computer-generated line superimposed on the image of the vehicle'"'"'s environment, like a stripe painted on the ground. The operator can change or advance the path on the screen with a cursor control. A computer picks certain discrete screen points along the line and maps those screen positions onto ground positions called "waypoints". These are sent to the vehicle'"'"'s guidance system to direct the vehicle along a path through the waypoints. The transform which maps the screen path onto the ground path depends on the camera orientation and lens. The transform parameters can be adjusted as the camera zooms, pans and tilts. Each time the screen is refreshed, the path line for that screen is calculated by the computer from the ground path, to present the ground path correctly in the new screen. The operator can extend or modify the path at will. The system is especially adapted to use in cases where a narrow bandwidth of the radio link between the camera and the station limits the screen refresh rate. The system maximizes the possible speed of the vehicle by presenting the path information in a format quickly grasped by the operator.
145 Citations
10 Claims
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1. A control system for an operator to control a vehicle from a remote station, said system comprising:
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a camera on said vehicle for gathering image data; means for sending said image data from said camera to said station, said means for sending said image data including a radio downlink from said vehicle to said station; a screen at said station for displaying images from said camera, for viewing by the operator; means for generating a cursor and a screen path on said screen, for viewing by the operator; a cursor control for the operator to move said cursor on said screen to determine placement of said screen path on said screen; transform and waypoint generation means for geometrically transforming said screen path into a planned ground path, for determining waypoints along said planned ground path, and for assigning waypoints coordinates to said waypoints; a radio uplink from said station to said vehicle for sending said waypoint coordinates to said vehicle; a vehicle guidance system to guide said vehicle over an executed ground path, said executed ground path including said waypoints, said vehicle guidance system adapted to accept said waypoint coordinates, said vehicle guidance system including a guidance system memory for storing said waypoint coordinates, said vehicle guidance system including vehicle servomechanisms to physically control motions of said vehicle; and means for reporting a frame position of said vehicle to said transform and waypoint generation means over said downlink;
wherebysaid screen will display an image of said vehicle environment taken by said camera at said frame position, the operator will trace out said screen path with said cursor control, and said vehicle will following said corresponding ground path automatically. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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Specification