Power provision based on self-sacrificing craft

• US 9,171,266 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Hinchey, Michael G., Vassev, Emil I., Hinchey, Bridget, Sterrit, Roy
• Primary Examiner(s): Chaki, Kakali
• Assistant Examiner(s): SITIRICHE, LUIS A
• Application Number:
  US13/606,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132317A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation

Abstract

A biologically-inspired system and method is provided for self-adapting behavior of swarm-based exploration missions, whereby individual components, for example, spacecraft, in the system can sacrifice themselves for the greater good of the entire system. The self-sacrifice can involve donating resources or assets, such as power provisions, to a different component of an autonomous system. A receiving component of the system can benefit from receiving the donated resource or power provision.

Claims

1. An autonomic system, the autonomic system comprising:

a plurality of autonomic components, the plurality of autonomic components comprising a coordinating autonomic component and a plurality of autonomic worker components, each autonomic component of the plurality of autonomic components being programmed to (i) generate signals indicative of one or more triggering events, (ii) send the signals to the coordinating autonomic component, and (iii) decide to undergo a self-sacrifice procedure based on the occurrence of at least one of the one or more triggering conditions,

wherein the coordinating autonomic component is programmed to assign programmed tasks and issue instructions to each of the plurality of autonomic worker components, each of the autonomic worker components comprises one or more resources, and, following at least one or more triggering conditions, at least one of the autonomic components of the plurality of autonomic components donates one or more of its resources to one of the other autonomic components of the plurality of autonomic components, wherein the one or more triggering events comprises one or more of;

an incorrect operation;

a determination of likelihood of jeopardizing a primary objective;

a failure to perform a self-configuration operation;

a failure to perform a self-healing operation;

a failure to perform a self-optimizing operation;

a failure to perform a self-protecting operation;

a failure to perform another self-operation; and

a need to provide a resource to a more important autonomic component of the system, wherein an autonomic component is more important for being at least one of a necessary data collection device, a carrier of a scientific instrument, a carrier of an optical component, a unique component, or the like.

2. The autonomic system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the autonomic worker components is configured to self-sacrifice by self-destruction.

3. The autonomic system of claim 1, wherein the one or more resources comprises one or more power provisions.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more power provisions comprises at least one of a fuel cell, a fuel, a rocket, a rocket booster, a solar panel, a solar sail, a catalyst, a reactant, a reactor, an engine, a motor, a thruster, a drive, a magnet, and a combination thereof.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of autonomic worker components is configured to self-sacrifice by donating a power provision to another one of the autonomic components.

6. The autonomic system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of autonomic components comprises one or more space exploration vehicles.

7. The autonomic system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of autonomic components comprises one or more deep sea exploration vehicles.

8. The autonomic system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the autonomic components comprises a magnetometer, at least one of the autonomic components comprises an X-ray analyzer, and at least one of the autonomic components comprises an infrared analyzer.

9. A method for managing an autonomic system comprising a plurality of autonomic components, the method comprising:

generating a signal indicative of a triggering condition pertaining to at least one of the autonomic components of the plurality of autonomic components; and

causing the at least one autonomic component to decide to undergo a voluntary self-sacrifice procedure based on the occurrence of the triggering condition, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice procedure comprises determining whether any resources are available that could be donated to another autonomic component of the plurality, donating the available resources to the other autonomic component, and then quiescing or self-destructing, wherein the triggering condition comprises one or more of;

an incorrect operation;

a determination of likelihood of jeopardizing a primary objective;

a failure to perform a self-configuration operation;

a failure to perform a self-healing operation;

a failure to perform a self-optimizing operation;

a failure to perform a self-protecting operation;

a failure to perform another self-operation; and

a need to provide a resource to a more important autonomic component of the system, wherein an autonomic component is more important for being at least one of a necessary data collection device, a carrier of a scientific instrument, a carrier of an optical component, a unique component, or the like.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice operation comprises donating a power provision to the other autonomic component.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the power provision comprises one or more of a fuel cell, a fuel, a rocket, a rocket booster, a solar panel, a solar sail, a catalyst, a reactant, a reactor, an engine, a motor, a thruster, a drive, a magnet, and a combination thereof.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice operation comprises determining whether any resource, available for donation, is compatible with the other autonomic component.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice operation comprises determining whether it is safe to self-destruct immediately at present location.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice procedure comprises determining that it is not safe to self-destruct immediately at present location, moving to a safe location for self-destruction, and self-destructing at the safe location.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice procedure comprises tethering or docking to another autonomic component of the plurality and connecting a power provision to the other autonomic component.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one autonomic component of the plurality of autonomic components comprises a space exploration vehicle.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the autonomic components comprises a deep sea exploration vehicle.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one of the autonomic components comprises a magnetometer, at least one of the autonomic components comprises an X-ray analyzer, and at least one of the autonomic components comprises an infrared analyzer.

19. An autonomic system, the autonomic system comprising:

a plurality of autonomic components, the plurality of autonomic components comprising a more important autonomic component and a plurality of less important autonomic components, the more important autonomic component being programmed to (i) generate a need-for-resource signal indicative of a need for one or more resources, and (ii) send the need-for-resource signal to one or more of the less important autonomic components, the less important autonomic components being programmed to decide to undergo a self-sacrifice procedure based on receipt of the need-for-resource signal from the more important autonomic component,

wherein the self-sacrifice procedure comprises donating one or more resources to the more important autonomic component,

wherein an autonomic component is more important for being at least one of a necessary data collection device, a carrier of a scientific instrument, a carrier of an optical component, an unique component, or the like, and

wherein an autonomic component is less important for at least one of being damaged, not carrying a necessary data collection device, not carrying a scientific instrument, not carrying an optical component, being a duplicate component, not being an unique component, or the like.

20. The autonomic system of claim 19, wherein the self-sacrifice procedure further comprises self-destructing after donating one or more resources to the more important autonomic component, wherein an autonomic component is more important for being at least one of a necessary data collection device, a carrier of a scientific instrument, a carrier of an optical component, a unique component, or the like.

21. The autonomic system of claim 19, wherein the one or more resources comprises one or more power provisions.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the one or more power provisions comprises at least one of a fuel cell, a fuel, a rocket, a rocket booster, a solar panel, a solar sail, a catalyst, a reactant, a reactor, an engine, a motor, a thruster, a drive, a magnet, and a combination thereof.

23. The autonomic system of claim 19, wherein the plurality of autonomic components comprises one or more space exploration vehicles.

24. A method for managing an autonomic system comprising a plurality of autonomic components, the method comprising:

generating a signal indicative of a need for a resource pertaining to a more important autonomic component of a plurality of autonomic components; and

causing at least one less important autonomic component of the plurality to decide to undergo a voluntary self-sacrifice procedure based on receiving the signal indicative of a need for a resource, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice procedure comprises determining whether a needed resource is available that could be donated to the more important autonomic component, and donating the needed resource to the more important autonomic component,

wherein an autonomic component is more important for being at least one of a necessary data collection device, a carrier of a scientific instrument, a carrier of an optical component, an unique component, or the like, and

wherein an autonomic component is less important for at least one of being damaged, not carrying a necessary data collection device, not carrying a scientific instrument, not carrying an optical component, being a duplicate component, not being an unique component, or the like.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice operation comprises donating a power provision to the more important autonomic component, wherein an autonomic component is more important for being at least one of a necessary data collection device, a carrier of a scientific instrument, a carrier of an optical component, an unique component, or the like.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the power provision comprises one or more of a fuel cell, a fuel, a rocket, a rocket booster, a solar panel, a solar sail, a catalyst, a reactant, a reactor, an engine, a motor, a thruster, a drive, a magnet, and a combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice operation comprises determining whether the resource, available for donation, is compatible with the more important autonomic component, wherein an autonomic component is more important for being at least one of a necessary data collection device, a carrier of a scientific instrument, a carrier of an optical component, an unique component, or the like.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice operation comprises determining whether it is safe to self-destruct immediately at present location.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice procedure comprises determining that it is not safe to self-destruct immediately at present location, moving to a safe location for self-destruction, and self-destructing at the safe location.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein the voluntary self-sacrifice procedure comprises tethering or docking to the more important autonomic component and connecting or transferring a power provision to the more important autonomic component.