System for intelligently controlling a team of vehicles

• US 7,734,386 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2005
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Tleon, Joel J., Jung, Adam, DelNero, Dale E., Szczerba, Robert J., DeMarco, Stephen J., Stiles, Peter N., Moody, John O.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/188,685
• Publication Number:
  US 20070021879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: 701/23, 701/120, 434/11, 340/961, 244/3.1, 244/3.15, 244/152
• US Class Current: 701/23
• 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

Abstract

A system collaboratively and autonomously plans and controls a team of vehicles having subsystems within an environment. The system includes a mission management component, a communication component, a payload controller component, and an automatic target recognition component. The mission management component plans and executes a mission plan of the team and plans and executes tasks of the vehicles. The communication component plans communication and networking for the team. The communication component manages quality of service for the team. The communication component directs communication subsystems for the team and for the vehicles. The payload controller component directs and executes sensor subsystems for the team and for the vehicles. The automatic target recognition component processes and fuses information from the sensor subsystems and from the vehicles for use by the mission management component.

Claims

1. A system for collaboratively and autonomously planning and controlling a team of vehicles having subsystems within an environment, said system comprising:

a first mission planning component, located at a first vehicle of the team of vehicles, configured to receive a set of mission objectives and constraints associated with a given mission, determine a plurality of tasks for at least the first vehicle and a second vehicle of the team of vehicles, and plan and execute a mission plan for the vehicle based upon at least one task for the first vehicle;

a collaboration component, located at the first vehicle, configured to assign at least one of the plurality of tasks to the second vehicle;

a communication component, located at the first vehicle, configured to provide communication and networking between the first vehicle and the team of vehicles, said communication component managing quality of service for the team, said communication component directing communication subsystems for the team and for the vehicles;

a payload controller component, located at the first vehicle, configured to direct and execute sensor subsystems for the first vehicle;

an automatic target recognition component, located at the first vehicle, configured to process and fuse information from the sensor subsystems and from the vehicles for use by said mission management component; and

a second mission planning component, located at the second vehicle, configured to receive at least one task from the first collaboration component, develop instructions for each of a plurality of other components located at the second vehicle, and direct each of the plurality of other components at the second vehicle to execute the determined instructions to perform the at least one task.

2. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said payload controller component collaboratively manages sensors and effectors of the vehicles.

3. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said automatic target recognition component tracks potential objects.

4. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a contingency management component for collaboratively monitoring unexpected influences that affect success of the team mission plan.

5. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a situational awareness component for performing collaborative fusion of data from the vehicle team.

6. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a resource meta-control component for providing processing and memory resources for the vehicles.

7. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first mission planning component is located onboard a vehicle.

8. The system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first mission planning component develops a collaborative synchronized plan for the team of subsystems, said collaborative synchronized plan governing sensor deployment, flight paths, communication, and engagements of the vehicles.

9. The system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said collaborative synchronized plan further governs information dissemination to the vehicles.

10. The system as set forth in claim 1 further including a contingency management component for detecting a contingency, assessing an impact of the contingency, and identifying the contingency as a team mission plan violation.