Unmanned vehicle message conversion system

• US 8,265,800 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2007
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Timothy D., Hecht, Christopher J., Pedersen, Jorgen D., Davison, Timothy J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Figueroa, Jamie
• Application Number:
  US11/841,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 701/2, 709/230, 709/231, 709/232, 709/246, 709/249, 244/75.1, 244/190, 370/466, 370/467, 370/469
• US Class Current: 701/2
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, an unmanned vehicle message conversion system generally includes a message interpreter that is coupled between a first unmanned vehicle control interface and a second unmanned vehicle control interface. The second unmanned vehicle control interface is configured to transmit and receive messages with a messaging protocol that is different than the first unmanned vehicle control interface. The message interpreter is operable to receive a first message from the unmanned vehicle control system, convert the first message to a second message having the second protocol, and transmit the second message to the unmanned vehicle.

Claims

1. An unmanned vehicle message conversion system comprising:

a first unmanned vehicle control interface that is configured to transmit messages, the messages having a standardization agreement 4586 messaging protocol;

a second unmanned vehicle control interface that is configured to receive messages, the messages having a joint architecture for unmanned ground system messaging protocol;

a message interpreter, wherein the message interpreter includes a reflex driver and a message mapping driver, wherein the reflex driver is operable to modify messages to be transmitted from the message mapping driver to the second unmanned vehicle control interface based on a sensor measurement, and wherein the message interpreter is coupled between the first unmanned vehicle control interface and the second unmanned vehicle control interface, and the message interpreter is operable to;

receive at least one first message including a desired action from the first unmanned vehicle control interface;

convert the at least one first message to at least one second message, the at least one second message having the joint architecture for unmanned ground system messaging protocol;

modify the second message, using the reflex driver, to a modified message; and

transmit the modified message to the second unmanned vehicle control interface.

2. An unmanned vehicle message conversion system comprising:

a first unmanned vehicle control interface that is configured to receive messages, the messages having a first messaging protocol;

a second unmanned vehicle control interface that is configured to transmit messages, the messages having a second messaging protocol that is different than the first messaging protocol;

a message interpreter, wherein the message interpreter includes a reflex driver and a message mapping driver, wherein the reflex driver is operable to modify messages to be transmitted from the message mapping driver to the first unmanned vehicle control interface based on a sensor measurement, and wherein the message interpreter is coupled between the first unmanned vehicle control interface and the second unmanned vehicle control interface, and wherein the message interpreter is operable to;

receive at least one first message from the second unmanned vehicle control interface, wherein the at least one first message includes a desired action;

convert the at least one first message to at least one second message, the at least one second message having the first messaging protocol;

modify the second message, with the reflex driver, to create a modified message; and

transmit the modified message to the first control interface.

3. The unmanned vehicle message conversion system of claim 2, wherein the message interpreter is further operable to receive at least one fourth message from the second unmanned vehicle control interface, convert the at least one fourth message to at least one fifth message having the first messaging protocol, and transmit the at least one fifth message to the first unmanned vehicle control interface.

4. The unmanned vehicle message conversion system of claim 3, wherein the at least one fourth message is a plurality of fourth messages, the message interpreter being further operable to assemble the plurality of fourth messages into a single fifth message.

5. The unmanned vehicle message conversion system of claim 2, wherein the desired action is to travel to a desired waypoint, the sensor measurement is relevant to the desired action, and the modified message indicates to travel to a modified waypoint.

6. The unmanned vehicle message conversion system of claim 5, wherein the desired waypoint and the sensor measurement each include longitude and latitude coordinates.

7. The unmanned vehicle message conversion system of claim 5, wherein the desired waypoint and the sensor measurement each include an altitude coordinate.

8. The unmanned vehicle message conversion system of claim 2, wherein the desired action is a desired velocity, the sensor measurement is a measured velocity, and the modified message indicates a modified velocity.

9. The unmanned vehicle message conversion system of claim 2, wherein the first messaging protocol is a standardization agreement (STANAG) 4586messaging protocol.

10. The unmanned vehicle message conversion system of claim 2, wherein the second messaging protocol is a joint architecture for unmanned ground system (JAUS) messaging protocol.

11. An unmanned vehicle message conversion system comprising:

a first unmanned vehicle control interface that is configured to transmit and receive messages, the messages having a first messaging protocol, wherein the vehicle control interface transmits messages to, and receives messages from, an unmanned vehicle control system;

a second unmanned vehicle control interface that is configured to receive messages, the messages having a second messaging protocol that is different than the first messaging protocol;

a message interpreter, wherein the message interpreter includes a component operable to modify messages based on a sensor measurement, and wherein the message interpreter is coupled between the first unmanned vehicle control interface and the second unmanned vehicle control interface, and the message interpreter is operable to;

receive at least one first message from the first unmanned vehicle control interface;

convert the at least one first message to at least one second message, the second message having the second messaging protocol;

modify the second message, with the component, to create a modified message;

transmit the modified message to the second unmanned vehicle control interface; and

periodically transmit a heartbeat message to the first unmanned vehicle control interface and transmit a loss of heartbeat message to the unmanned vehicle control system if a response message to the heartbeat message is not received from the first unmanned vehicle control interface.

12. A method comprising:

receiving at least one first message having a first protocol from an unmanned vehicle control system;

converting the at least one first message to at least one second message having a second protocol, the second protocol being different from the first protocol;

transmitting the at least one second message to an unmanned vehicle;

receiving a third message including a measured action from the unmanned vehicle;

determining a modified action based upon a desired action included in the first message and the measured action; and

including the modified action in the at least one second message.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving at least one fourth message having the second protocol from an unmanned vehicle, converting the at least one fourth message to at least one fifth message having the first protocol, and transmitting the at least one fifth message to an unmanned vehicle control system.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a third message including a measured action further comprises receiving a third message including a measured waypoint, and determining a modified action based upon a desired action included in the first message and the measured action further comprises determining a modified waypoint based upon a desired waypoint included in the first message and the measured waypoint.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a third message including a measured action further comprises receiving a third message including a measured velocity, and determining a modified action based upon a desired action included in the first message and the measured action further comprises determining a modified velocity based upon a desired velocity included in the first message and the measured velocity.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving at least one first message having a first protocol further comprises receiving at least one first message having a standardization agreement 4586 protocol.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein converting the at least one first message to at least one second message having a second protocol further comprises converting the at least one first message to the at least one second message having a joint architecture for unmanned systems protocol.

18. A method comprising:

receiving at least one first message, the first message having a first messaging protocol, from an unmanned vehicle control system;

converting the at least one first message to at least one second message having a second messaging protocol, the second messaging protocol being different from the first messaging protocol;

transmitting the at least one second message to an unmanned vehicle;

receiving a third message including a measured action from the unmanned vehicle;

determining a modified action based upon a desired action included in the first message and the measured action;

including the modified action in the at least one second message; and

periodically transmitting a heartbeat message to the unmanned vehicle and transmitting a loss of heartbeat message to the unmanned vehicle control system if a response message to the heartbeat message is not received from the unmanned vehicle.