System and method for controlling an unarmed air vehicle

• US 8,285,425 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial
• Original Assignee: Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial
• Inventors: Morales De La Rica, Maria Jesús, De La Parra Carque, Sergio, Angel Martínez, Francisco Javier, Ibañez Colás, Francisco José, Herrera Martín, Andrés
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Amin, Bhavesh V
• Application Number:
  US11/629,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20080243317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,682 Days
• Field of Search: 702/57, 244/3.16, 244/152, 701/87, 701/2, 701/1, 701/23, 701/214, 701/213
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/106 Change initiated in response to external conditions, e.g. avoidance of elevated terrain or of no-fly zones

Abstract

The invention relates to an unmanned air vehicle control system and method, designed such that, in one mission mode, the vehicle follows the mission route. The system comprises means (400, 450) for storing data indicating at least one auxiliary route (4000, 4001, 4002, 4003), such that each of a plurality of the mission route segments (10, 20), is assigned at least part (30, 31, 32, 33) of at least one auxiliary route. Furthermore, the system comprises route change means (53) designed for, as a response to a mission abandonment event (52), determining which part of which auxiliary route is assigned to the mission route segment where the vehicle is located, such that the vehicle can change the mission route to the corresponding auxiliary route.

Claims

1. An unmanned air vehicle control system, comprising:

flight control means designed for providing control signals to control components of the vehicle such that the vehicle follows an active route according to data indicating said active route stored in the control system;

means for storing data indicating a mission route comprising a plurality of mission route segments;

the system being designed such that in one mission mode, the mission route is the active route, such that the control means provide the control signals calculated from the data indicating the mission route, so that the vehicle follows the mission route;

further comprising

means for storing data indicating at least one auxiliary route different from the mission route, such that each of a plurality of the mission route segments is assigned at least part of at least one auxiliary route;

flight mode determination means designed for determining if the flight should continue in the mission mode or if it should abandon the mission mode, and for generating a mission mode abandonment event if they determine that the mission mode should be abandoned;

route change means associated to the flight mode determination means and designed for, as a response to a mission abandonment event,

determining which part of which auxiliary route is assigned to the mission route segment where the vehicle is located;

calculating a transition route to said part of the auxiliary route;

defining the transition route as the active route, such that the flight control means provide control signals so that the vehicle follows said transition route to the corresponding part of the auxiliary route;

once the transition route is completed, defining the corresponding auxiliary route as the active route, such that the flight control means provide control signals so that the vehicle follows said auxiliary route, and

wherein said means for storing data indicating a mission route and the means for storing data indicating at least one auxiliary route, are designed as;

a list of the mission route segments;

for each auxiliary route, a list of the parts of the auxiliary route;

associated to the list of the mission route segments, for each of a plurality of the segments of said list,

at least one indicator of the auxiliary route specifying, for said segment, an auxiliary route, and

at least one indicator of part of the auxiliary route specifying, for said segment, the part of said auxiliary route associated to the segment.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each auxiliary route is determined by a plurality of auxiliary route waypoints, and each part of the auxiliary route corresponds to one of said auxiliary route waypoints.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein said mission route is determined by a plurality of mission route waypoints, and each mission route segment corresponds to one of said mission route waypoints.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising means for storing data indicating a plurality of auxiliary routes, such that each of a plurality of the mission route segments is assigned at least part of one of said auxiliary routes.

5. The system according to claim 1,

said flight mode determination means are designed for generating the mission mode abandonment events such that they include an event type indicator selected from a plurality of event types according to conditions which have caused the abandonment of the mission mode;

said route change means are designed for, as a response to a mission abandonment event, determining which part of the auxiliary route is assigned to the mission route segment where the vehicle is located, according to the event type indicator.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the auxiliary route indicators and at least one of the indicators of part of the auxiliary route are designed for indicating the auxiliary route and the part of said auxiliary route, according to the event type indicator.

17. The system according to claim 1, wherein to each of the plurality of mission route segments there is associated another mission route segment corresponding to a return mode, the system being designed such that as a response to a return command, the vehicle heads for said associated mission route segment, corresponding to the return mode, to then follow the mission route in a return direction.

7. An unmanned air vehicle control system, comprising:

flight control means designed for providing control signals to control components of the vehicle such that the vehicle follows an active route according to data indicating said active route stored in the control system;

means for storing data indicating a mission route comprising a plurality of mission route segments;

the system being designed such that in one mission mode, the mission route is the active route, such that the control means provide the control signals calculated from the data indicating the mission route, so that the vehicle follows the mission route;

further comprising

means for storing data indicating at least one auxiliary route different from the mission route, such that each of a plurality of the mission route segments is assigned at least part of at least one auxiliary route;

flight mode determination means designed for determining if the flight should continue in the mission mode or if it should abandon the mission mode, and for generating a mission mode abandonment event if they determine that the mission mode should be abandoned;

route change means associated to the flight mode determination means and designed for, as a response to a mission abandonment event,

determining which part of which auxiliary route is assigned to the mission route segment where the vehicle is located;

calculating a transition route to said part of the auxiliary route;

defining the transition route as the active route, such that the flight control means provide control signals so that the vehicle follows said transition route to the corresponding part of the auxiliary route;

once the transition route is completed, defining the corresponding auxiliary route as the active route, such that the flight control means provide control signals so that the vehicle follows said auxiliary route; and

wherein said route change means are designed for calculating a transition route such that;

if the movement to the part of the auxiliary route involves a climb to a height exceeding the current height of the vehicle and a movement in the horizontal direction, the transition route is calculated such that it starts with a climb substantially up to said greater height, followed by the movement in the horizontal direction; and

if the movement to the part of the auxiliary route involves a descent to a height less than the current height of the vehicle and a movement in the horizontal direction, the transition route is calculated such that it starts with the movement in the horizontal direction, followed by a descent to said lower height.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein to each of the plurality mission route segment there is associated another mission route segment corresponding to a return mode, the system being designed such that as a response to a return command, the vehicle heads for said associated mission route segment, corresponding to the return mode, to then follow the mission route in a return direction.

9. An unmanned air vehicle control method, comprising the steps of:

providing control signals via a processor to control components of the vehicle such that the vehicle follows an active route according to data indicating said active route stored in a control system of the vehicle;

in one mission mode, defining the mission route as the active route, such that the control means provide the control signals calculated from data indicating the mission route, so that the vehicle follows the mission route, the mission route comprising a plurality of mission route segments;

further comprising the steps of

having data indicating at least one auxiliary route different from the mission route, such that each of a plurality of the mission route segments, is assigned at least part of at least one auxiliary route;

determining if the flight should continue in the mission mode or if it should abandon the mission mode, and generating a mission mode abandonment event if it is determined that the mission mode should be abandoned;

as a response to a mission abandonment event,

determining which part of which auxiliary route is assigned to the mission route segment where the vehicle is located;

calculating a transition route to said part of the auxiliary route;

providing control signals so that the vehicle follows said transition route to the corresponding part of the auxiliary route;

once the transition route is completed, providing control signals so that the vehicle follows said auxiliary route; and

wherein the data indicating a mission route and the data indicating at least one auxiliary route are stored in a configuration comprising;

a list of the mission route segments;

for each auxiliary route, a list of the parts of the auxiliary route;

associated to the list of the mission route segments, for each of a plurality of the segments of said list,

at least one indicator of the auxiliary route specifying, for said segment, an auxiliary route, and

at least one indicator of part of the auxiliary route specifying, for said segment, the part of said auxiliary route associated to the segment.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein each auxiliary route is determined by a plurality of waypoints of the auxiliary route, and each part of the auxiliary route corresponds to one of said auxiliary route waypoints.

11. The method according to claim 9, the mission route is determined by a plurality of mission route waypoints, and each mission route segment corresponds to one of said mission route waypoints.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein data indicating a plurality of auxiliary routes are stored, such that each of a plurality of the mission route segments, is assigned, at least, part of one of said auxiliary routes.

13. The method according of claim 9, wherein the mission mode abandonment events are generated such that they include an event type indicator selected from a plurality of event types according to conditions which have caused the abandonment of the mission mode and it is determined which part of the auxiliary route is assigned to the segment of the mission route where the vehicle is located, according to the event type indicator.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the auxiliary route indicators and at least one of the indicators of part of the auxiliary route indicate the auxiliary route and the part of said auxiliary route, respectively, according to the event type indicator.

15. An unmanned air vehicle control method, comprising the steps of:

providing control signals via a processor to control components of the vehicle such that the vehicle follows an active route according to data indicating said active route stored in a control system of the vehicle;

in one mission mode, defining the mission route as the active route, such that the control means provide the control signals calculated from data indicating the mission route, so that the vehicle follows the mission route, the mission route comprising a plurality of mission route segments;

further comprising the steps of

having data indicating at least one auxiliary route different from the mission route, such that each of a plurality of the mission route segments, is assigned at least part of at least one auxiliary route;

determining if the flight should continue in the mission mode or if it should abandon the mission mode, and generating a mission mode abandonment event if it is determined that the mission mode should be abandoned;

as a response to a mission abandonment event,

determining which part of which auxiliary route is assigned to the mission route segment where the vehicle is located;

calculating a transition route to said part of the auxiliary route;

providing control signals so that the vehicle follows said transition route to the corresponding part of the auxiliary route;

once the transition route is completed, providing control signals so that the vehicle follows said auxiliary route; and

wherein transition route is calculated such that;

if the movement to the part of the auxiliary route involves a climb to a height exceeding the current height of the vehicle and a movement in the horizontal direction, the transition route is calculated such that it starts with a climb substantially up to said greater height, followed by the movement in the horizontal direction; and

if the movement to the part of the auxiliary route involves a descent to a height less than the current height of the vehicle and a movement in the horizontal direction, the transition route is calculated such that it starts with the movement in the horizontal direction, followed by a descent to said lower height.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein to each mission route segment there is associated another mission route segment corresponding to a return mode, and in that as a response to a return command, the vehicle heads for said associated mission route segment, corresponding to the return mode, to then follow the mission route in a return direction.