Vehicle position keeping system
First Claim
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1. A method of keeping position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
- acquiring a track velocity input;
acquiring a formation error input;
determining a velocity output for the vehicle based on the track velocity input and the formation position error, wherein the velocity output indicates a velocity required to maintain the vehicle in the vehicle formation, wherein the determining of a velocity output compromises performing a dynamic inversion based on the track velocity input and the formation position error input in order to determine the velocity output.
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Abstract
A position keeping system, useable to maintain a position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation, to keep all formation members flying at a specified velocity and altitude, and to perform commanded maneuvers, determines guidance corrections based on a track state referenced to a leader or a virtual leader of the formation and on a formation position error indicating the error in the position of the vehicle in the formation. The guidance corrections are required so as to maintain the vehicles in the formation.
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Citations
97 Claims
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1. A method of keeping position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
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acquiring a track velocity input;
acquiring a formation error input;
determining a velocity output for the vehicle based on the track velocity input and the formation position error, wherein the velocity output indicates a velocity required to maintain the vehicle in the vehicle formation, wherein the determining of a velocity output compromises performing a dynamic inversion based on the track velocity input and the formation position error input in order to determine the velocity output. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of keeping a position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
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receiving leader information over a communication link;
acquiring relative position information from a relative position measurement system;
selecting at least one of the leader information and the relative position information so as to provide selected information; and
,determining guidance corrections based on the selected information, wherein the guidance corrections indicate corrections that are required to place the vehicle in the vehicle formation, wherein the selected information includes a track velocity and a formation position error related to the vehicle, wherein the determining of guidance corrections includes determining a velocity and the formation position error, wherein the velocity output comprises a velocity required to maintain the vehicle in the vehicle formation, wherein the selected information includes a commanded acceleration input, and wherein the determining of the guidance corrections includes;
converting the velocity output to an acceleration output; and
,determining the guidance corrections based on the acceleration output and the commanded acceleration input, wherein the track velocity comprises ground speed, track angle, and flight path angle, and wherein the commanded acceleration input comprises a commanded speed rate, a commanded track angle rate, and a commanded flight path angle rate. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. A method of keeping position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
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acquiring a rate of the vehicle;
converting the vehicle rate to a directional vehicle rate;
acquiring a direction formation position error rate dependent upon an error in the position of the vehicle formation;
determining a desired vehicle rate based on the directional vehicle rate and the directional formation position error rate, wherein the desired vehicle rate indicates a rate required to maintain the vehicle in the vehicle formation;
converting the desired vehicle rate to a vehicle acceleration input;
acquiring a commanded acceleration; and
,determining guidance corrections for the vehicle based on the vehicle acceleration input and the commanded acceleration, wherein the guidance corrections indicate guidance corrections required to maintain the vehicle in the vehicle formation and to respond to the commanded acceleration. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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55. A method of keeping position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
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receiving a track velocity input comprising vtrack, xtrack, and ytrack;
receiving a commanded maneuver comprising vdottrack, xdottrack, ydottrack; and
,determining guidance corrections based on the track velocity and the commanded maneuver during position keeping only, during a simultaneous altitude change maneuver, during a simultaneous speed change maneuver, during a simultaneous turn maneuver, during a sequential altitude change maneuver, during a sequential speed change maneuver, during a sequential turn maneuver, during a simultaneous altitude and speed change maneuver, during a simultaneous altitude change and turn maneuver, during a simultaneous turn and speed change maneuver, during a simultaneous turn and altitude and speed change maneuver, during any and all pending maneuvers, during sequential altitude and speed change maneuvers, during a sequential altitude change and turn maneuver, during a sequential altitude change and turn maneuver, during a sequential turn and speed change maneuver, and during a sequential turn and altitude and speed change maneuver. - View Dependent Claims (56, 57, 58)
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59. A method of deterring a formation error vector e in a position of a vehicle with respect to a leader L in a vehicle formation comprising:
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determining a position vector Δ
x based upon a position xv of the vehicle and a position xL of the leader;
comparing the position vector Δ
x to a desired relative position vector Δ
xref, wherein the desired relative position vector Δ
xref, designates a desired relative position between the vehicle and the leader; and
,determining the formation error vector e based on a result or the comparison. - View Dependent Claims (60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
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70. A method of executing a sequential maneuver by a follower F following a leader L in a vehicle formation comprising:
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once the leader begins execution of the sequential maneuver, waiting to execute the sequential maneuver;
during the waiting, guiding the follower to a location occupied by the leader at the time that the leader began the sequential maneuver; and
,initiating execution of the sequential maneuver when the follower arrives at the location. - View Dependent Claims (71, 72, 73, 74, 75)
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76. A method of keeping position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
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determining guidance corrections to execute a combined maneuver of the vehicle in the vehicle formation, wherein the combined maneuver comprises a combination of at least two simple maneuvers, and wherein the combined maneuver is commanded by a leader of the vehicle formation; and
,guiding the vehicle through the combined maneuver based on the guidance corrections, wherein the determining of guidance corrections comprises determining guidance corrections based on a commanded ground speed, a commanded flight path angle, and a commanded track angle. - View Dependent Claims (77, 78, 79, 80)
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81. A method of keeping a position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
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determining guidance corrections to execute a commanded maneuver of the vehicle in the vehicle formation and to maintain the position of the vehicle in the vehicle formation; and
,displaying the guidance corrections on a primary flight display to an operator of the vehicle, wherein the displayed guidance corrections comprise a course change countdown, and wherein the course change countdown indicates time remaining in a pending maneuver. - View Dependent Claims (82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95)
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96. A method of keeping position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
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determining guidance corrections to execute a combined maneuver of the vehicle in the vehicle formation, wherein the combined maneuver comprises a combination of at least two maneuvers, and wherein the combined maneuver is commanded by a leader of the vehicle formation; and
guiding the vehicle through time combined maneuver based on the guidance corrections, wherein the determining of guidance corrections comprises determining guidance corrections based on a commanded acceleration, a command flight path angle, and a commanded track angle rate.
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97. A method of keeping a position of a vehicle in a vehicle formation comprising:
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determining guidance corrections to execute a commanded maneuver of the vehicle in the vehicle formation and to maintain the position of the vehicle in the vehicle formation; and
displaying the guidance corrections on a primary flight display to an operator of the vehicle, wherein the displayed guidance corrections comprise a course change countdown, and wherein the course change countdown indicates time remaining in a pending maneuver wherein the displayed guidance corrections comprise a course change countdown, and wherein the course change countdown indicates the time remaining until a simultaneous maneuver is performed.
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Specification