Real time mission planning

• US 9,064,222 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2010
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Saad, Emad William, Bieniawski, Stefan Richard, Vian, John Lyle, Robinette, Paul Michael, Wunsch, Donald Coolidge II, Riley Pigg, Paul Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Puente, Emerson
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, HIREN P
• Application Number:
  US12/780,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20110283285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,866 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management

Abstract

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system comprising a number of computers, a graphical user interface, first program code stored on the computer, and second program code stored on the computer. The graphical user interface is executed by a computer in the number of computers. The computer is configured to run the first program code to define a mission using a number of mission elements. The computer is configured to run the second program code to generate instructions for a number of assets to execute the mission and monitor the number of assets during execution of the mission.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically modifying a mission plan comprising:

a number of computers;

a graphical user interface, wherein the graphical user interface is executed by a first computer in the number of computers;

first program code stored on the first computer in the number of computers, wherein the first computer runs the first program code to define the mission plan using a number of mission elements from a mission elements database;

a graphical display on the graphical user interface that graphically depicts the number of mission elements from the mission elements database, the graphical display including at least the mission elements of starting execution of the mission plan, inspecting a target, observing a structure, and monitoring an advance, the graphical display receiving user input for one or more of the number of mission elements that modifies the mission plan;

second program code stored on at least a second computer in the number of computers wherein the first computer and the second computer communicate over a network, and wherein the second program code generates instructions for a number of assets to execute the mission plan in real time and monitor the number of assets during execution of the mission plan, wherein the instructions for the number of assets are assigned to the number of assets based on information about at least one of availability of the number of assets, readiness of the number of assets for use in executing the mission plan, health of the number of assets, resource use of the number of assets, resource depletions by the number of assets, or current status of the number of assets;

a communications system that transmits messages from the number of assets to the number of computers and transmits the instructions from the number of computers to the number of assets;

wherein the first computer is physically located in a remote location from the second computer, and wherein the instructions for the mission plan are generated on the second computer in real time during execution of the mission plan when the graphical display on the graphical user interface executed by the first computer receives the user input that modifies the mission plan; and

a selection of the number of mission elements made by a number of users performing at least one of defining, modifying, executing, and monitoring execution of the mission plan in the second computer, and wherein a plurality of computers from the number of computers run multiple instances of the first program code, wherein the second computer is not one of the plurality of computers, and wherein the second computer communicates with the plurality of computers allowing multiple users to perform defining, modifying, executing, and monitoring execution of the mission plan simultaneously.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of assets include at least one of a vehicle, sensor, charging station, and machine, the number of assets configured to communicate with the first computer.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of mission elements is stored in a mission element library.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of mission elements is generated by the first program code.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the first program code communicates with the second program code over a network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first program code communicates with the second program code using extensible markup language remote procedure call.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface displays the mission plan in a Gantt chart format for a user to define and monitor execution of the mission plan.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein each mission element includes a number of mission tasks, and wherein the system defines, updates, executes and monitors multiple executions of mission plans simultaneously.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises at least one of a start function, a stop function, a stop condition, and a support function.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises the mission elements database.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface further comprises a mission planner and a component editor.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical display further includes at least the mission elements of providing mixed coverage, performing an initial survey, clearing ground, and performing a joint search.

13. A method for mission planning, the method comprising:

running first program code defining a mission plan using a number of mission elements from a mission elements database by a first computer in a number of computers;

displaying a graphical display on a graphical user interface that graphically depicts the number of mission elements for the mission plan from the mission elements database, the graphical display including at least the mission elements of starting execution of the mission plan, inspecting a target, observing a structure, and monitoring an advance;

receiving, by the first computer, user input from the graphical display for one or more of the number of mission elements that modifies the mission plan;

generating instructions for the mission plan, by a second computer, wherein the first computer and the second computer communicate over a network, based on the number of mission elements when the first computer receives the user input from the graphical display that modifies the mission plan, wherein the instructions are assigned to a number of assets based on information about at least one of availability of the number of assets, readiness of the number of assets for use in executing the mission plan, health of the number of assets, resource use of the number of assets, resource depletions by the number of assets, or current status of the number of assets;

assigning the number of mission elements to the number of assets;

controlling execution of the number of mission elements by the number of assets;

receiving messages by a mission planner from the number of assets during execution of the mission plan, the mission planner remote from the number of assets;

monitoring the number of assets executing the mission plan;

determining whether a reconfiguration of the mission plan is needed; and

a selection of the number of mission elements made by a number of users performing at least one of defining, modifying, executing, and monitoring execution of the mission plan in the second computer, and wherein a plurality of computers from the number of computers run multiple instances of the first program code, wherein the second computer is not one of the plurality of computers, and wherein the second computer communicates with the plurality of computers allowing multiple users to perform defining, modifying, executing, and monitoring execution of the mission plan simultaneously.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that reconfiguration of the mission plan is not needed, determining whether execution of the mission plan is complete.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the graphical display on the graphical user interface that graphically depicts the number of mission elements is a mission planner client.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein a mission script is generated by a mission management framework using the number of mission elements.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the number of mission elements is generated by a mission planner server and selected by a mission management framework for assignment to the number of assets.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein a user using the graphical user interface and the number of assets inputs coordinate parameters to the number of mission elements so as to modify the number of mission elements.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving, generating, assigning, controlling, and monitoring steps are performed in real-time.

20. A computer program product for managing information for flights, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer recordable storage medium;

first program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for defining a mission plan using a number of mission elements from a mission elements database by a first computer in a number of computers;

second program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for displaying a graphical display on a graphical user interface that graphically depicts the number of mission elements for the mission plan from the mission elements database, the graphical display including at least the mission elements of starting execution of the mission plan, inspecting a target, observing a structure, and monitoring an advance;

third program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for receiving user input from the graphical display for one or more of the number of mission elements that modifies the mission plan;

fourth program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for generating a mission script using the number of mission elements;

fifth program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for assigning the number of mission elements to a number of assets, wherein the assigning of the number of mission elements to the number of assets is based on information about at least one of availability of the number of assets, readiness of the number of assets for use in executing the mission plan, health of the number of assets, resource use of the number of assets, resource depletions by the number of assets, or current status of the number of assets;

sixth program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for generating instructions for the number of assets to execute the mission plan using the number of mission elements by a second computer, wherein the first computer and the second computer communicate over a network;

seventh program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for receiving messages by a mission planner from the number of assets during execution of the mission plan, the mission planner remote from the number of assets, the mission planner positioned remote from the number of assets;

eighth program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for monitoring the number of assets executing the mission;

ninth program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, for determining whether a reconfiguration of the mission plan is needed;

tenth program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, responsive to a determination that the reconfiguration of the mission plan is needed, for generating, in the mission planner, modifications to the mission plan in real time based on the messages received by the mission planner from the number of assets; and

a selection of the number of mission elements made by a number of users performing at least one of defining, modifying, executing, and monitoring execution of the mission plan in the second computer, and wherein a plurality of computers from the number of computers run multiple instances of the first program code, wherein the second computer is not one of the plurality of computers, and wherein the second computer communicates with the plurality of computers allowing multiple users to perform defining, modifying, executing, and monitoring execution of the mission plan simultaneously.

21. The computer program product of claim 20 further comprising:

program code, stored on the computer recordable storage medium, responsive to a determination that reconfiguration of the mission plan is not needed, for determining whether execution of the mission plan is complete.

22. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the graphical display on the graphical user interface that graphically depicts the number of mission elements is a mission planner client.

23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the mission script is generated by a mission management framework.

24. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the number of mission elements is generated by a mission planner server and selected by a mission management framework for assignment to the number of assets.