Vehicle control system including related methods and components

• US 8,082,074 B2
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: L3 Technologies, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: L-3 Unmanned Systems, Inc. (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Duggan, David S., Felio, David A., Pate, Billy B., Longhi, Vince R., Petersen, Jerry L., Bergee, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanglaud, Gertrude Arthur
• Application Number:
  US12/712,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20100292873A1
• Time in Patent Office: 663 Days
• Field of Search: 701/11, 701/13, 701/24, 701/36, 701/2, 701/33, 244/75.1, 244/76.R
• US Class Current: 701/24
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 19/00 Aircraft control not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0061 for transition from automatic pilot to manual pilot and vice versa
• 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: G08G 5/04 Anti-collision systems

Abstract

An unmanned aerial vehicle variable autonomy control system is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the system includes a control mode interface that provides a plurality of selectable control modes for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein one of the plurality of selectable control modes comprises a target tracking mode. Also included is a target editor interface provided in response to a selection of the target tracking mode, wherein the target editor interface facilitates receipt of an input indicative of a ground based moving target. The system also includes a communications component that transmits a command to the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the command is based at least in part on the input indicative of a target.

Claims

1. An unmanned aerial vehicle variable autonomy control system, the system comprising:

a control mode interface that provides a plurality of selectable control modes for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein one of the plurality of selectable control modes comprises a target tracking mode;

a target editor interface provided in response to a selection of the target tracking mode, wherein the target editor interface facilitates receipt of an input indicative of a ground based moving target; and

a communications component that transmits a command to the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the command is based at least in part on the input indicative of a target.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the unmanned aerial vehicle tracks the ground based moving target based at least in part on the command.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the target editor interface further comprises a parameters interface component that facilitates receipt of an input indicative of a tracking parameter.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the input indicative of a tracking parameter is an input indicative of an altitude.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the input indicative of a tracking parameter is an input indicative of a flight pattern.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the flight pattern is a programmed route.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the flight pattern is an ellipse pattern.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the flight pattern is a racetrack pattern.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein the flight pattern is a figure eight pattern.

10. A computer-implemented method for providing an operator of an unmanned aerial vehicle with a plurality of selectable control modes, wherein one of the plurality of selectable control modes comprises a ground based moving target tracking control mode, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of the ground based moving target tracking control mode from the plurality of selectable control modes;

generating, on a display, a representation of a plurality of selectable ground based moving targets;

receiving a selection of a particular one of the plurality of selectable ground based moving targets;

utilizing a computer processor that is a component of a computing device to generate and execute series of vehicle control commands that cause a flight path of the unmanned aerial vehicle to be modified as necessary to maintain the particular ground based moving target within a sensory range of an active sensor carried on board the unmanned aerial vehicle.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein, generating and executing the series of vehicle control commands further comprises generating and executing the series of vehicle control commands that cause the flight path to be modified as necessary to maintain the particular ground based moving target within a field of view within a line of sight of an image capturing device carried on board the unmanned aerial vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10 and further comprising:

receiving an operator input that is indicative of a tracking parameter.

13. The method of claim 12 and further comprising:

utilizing the computer processor to further adjust the flight path so as to be consistent with the tracking parameter.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein utilizing the computer processor to further adjust the flight path further comprises adjusting the flight path so as to be consistent with a particular altitude.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein utilizing the computer processor to further adjust the flight path further comprises adjusting the flight path so as to be consistent with a particular flight pattern.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the flight pattern is a programmed route.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the flight pattern is an ellipse pattern.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the flight pattern is a racetrack pattern.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the flight pattern is a figure eight pattern.

20. An unmanned aerial vehicle variable autonomy control system, the system comprising:

a control mode interface that provides a plurality of selectable control modes for an unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein one of the plurality of selectable control modes comprises a target tracking mode;

a target editor interface provided in response to a selection of the target tracking mode, wherein the target editor interface facilitates receipt of an input indicative of a particular ground based moving target from a plurality of candidate ground based moving targets; and

a communications component that transmits a command to the unmanned aerial vehicle, wherein the command is based at least in part on the input indicative of a target.