Unmanned vehicle mission planning, coordination and collaboration

• US 9,466,219 B1
• Filed: 06/27/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins, Inc. (Raytheon Technologies Corporation d/b/a RTX)
• Inventors: Stefani, Rolf R., Cooper, James Gary Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Jerrah
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEBER, TAMARA L
• Application Number:
  US14/318,569
• Time in Patent Office: 837 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0013 with a ground station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0026 located on the ground
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0039 Modification of a flight plan
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0043 Traffic management of multiple aircrafts from the ground G08G5/003 takes precedence; data processing specially designed for resource management, e.g. scheduling or allocating time, human or machine resources G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0082 for monitoring traffic from a ground station radar or analogous systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91

Abstract

A system and method are provided for implementing multi-mission tracking and re-tasking for a plurality of unmanned vehicles from a central location to provide mission deconfliction and mission modification in an operating environment, including an evolving and moving operating environment, to effectively employ the plurality of locally-operated unmanned vehicles. A mission controller, operating from a centralized location, takes a provided graphical situational awareness a step further in creating, modifying, or deleting/suspending missions for one or multiple unmanned vehicles to carry out, and then to transmit the proposed mission changes to the deployed unmanned vehicle operators for validation, acceptance, and execution. A non-voice communication capability is provided for a mission controller in a centralized location to generate and transmit new mission details in a graphical format to translate to each of a plurality of fielded unmanned vehicle operators, each controlling one or more unmanned vehicles for execution.

Claims

1. A system for communicating regarding unmanned vehicle operations, comprising:

a mission information device at a facility located remotely from unmanned vehicle operations, the mission information device being configured to receive mission planning and tracking information regarding unmanned vehicle operations directly from one or more local communication and control consoles, each controlling operations of one or more unmanned vehicles;

a situational awareness display at the facility configured to graphically depict mission planning and tracking information for the one or more unmanned vehicles;

an operating input device configured to receive user inputs of a graphical depiction on the situational awareness display of an unmanned vehicle mission profile for one or more unmanned vehicles to provide separation from operations of other vehicles in a vicinity of each of the one or more unmanned vehicles, the operating input device being configured as a user interactive input device by which a user at the facility draws the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile on the situational awareness display; and

a mission command device that is programmed to

interpret the input graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile,

generate a data transmission commanding at least one of a new or modified mission for at least one of the one or more unmanned vehicles based on the input graphical depiction, and

transmit the data transmission based on the input graphical depiction to at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles for display as a presented graphical depiction,

the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile being a series of points defining a closed area within which a particular unmanned vehicle is commanded to operate exclusively separated from the other vehicles.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the situational awareness display at the facility is configured to graphically depict the received mission planning and tracking information for the one or more unmanned vehicles as an overlay over a map of an area surrounding operations of the one or more unmanned vehicles.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission command device is configured to send additional textual information with the data transmission to specify additional instructions to an operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission information device is further configured to receive from a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles input of a graphical mission profile transmitted to the facility and displayed on the situational awareness display in the facility.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mission command device is further configured to receive an acknowledgement of receipt of the data transmission from the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the acknowledgement includes information from a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles accepting or rejecting the commanded at least one of the new or modified mission.

7. A system for communicating regarding unmanned vehicle operations, comprising:

a mission information device at a facility located remotely from unmanned vehicle operations, the mission information device being configured to receive mission planning and tracking information regarding unmanned vehicle operations directly from one or more local communication and control consoles, each controlling operations of one or more unmanned vehicles;

a situational awareness display at the facility configured to graphically depict mission planning and tracking information for the one or more unmanned vehicles;

an operating input device configured to receive inputs of a graphical depiction on the situational awareness display of an unmanned vehicle mission profile for one or more unmanned vehicles to provide separation from operations of other vehicles in a vicinity of each of the one or more unmanned vehicles, the operating input device being configured as a user interactive input device by which a user at the facility draws the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile on the situational awareness display; and

a mission command device that is programmed to

interpret the input graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile,

generate a data transmission commanding at least one of a new or modified mission for at least one of the one or more unmanned vehicles based on the input graphical depiction, and

transmit the data transmission based on the input graphical depiction to at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles for display as a presented graphical depiction,

the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile indicating a center point of an area of operations for a particular unmanned vehicle, and being depicted as a circular area of a specified radius with respect to the center point, the particular unmanned vehicle being commanded to remain within a distance equal to the specified radius from the center point for separation from the other vehicles.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the mission command device is further configured to send additional textual information with the data transmission to specify additional instructions to a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the mission information device is further configured to receive from a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles input of a graphical mission profile transmitted to the facility and displayed on the situational awareness display in the facility.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the mission command device is further configured to receive an acknowledgement of receipt of the data transmission from the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the acknowledgement includes information from a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles accepting or rejecting the commanded at least one of the new or modified mission.

12. A method for providing traffic separation for unmanned vehicle operations, comprising:

receiving, with a processor at a remote tracking facility, mission planning and tracking information regarding unmanned vehicle operations from one or more local communication and control consoles, each controlling operations of one or more unmanned vehicles;

graphically depicting, with the processor, the received mission planning and tracking information for the one or more unmanned vehicles on a consolidated situational awareness display at the remote tracking facility;

receiving, with the processor, user input of a graphical depiction of an unmanned vehicle mission profile via a user'"'"'s operating input device at the remote tracking facility for display on the consolidated situational awareness display, the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile for one or more unmanned vehicles providing separation from operations of other vehicles in a vicinity of each of the one or more unmanned vehicles;

interpreting, with the processor, the input graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile;

generating, with the processor, a data transmission commanding at least one of a new or modified mission for at least one of the one or more unmanned vehicles based on the interpreting of the input graphical depiction; and

transmitting, with the processor, the generated data transmission based on the interpreting of the input graphical depiction to at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles for display as a presented graphical depiction and for execution by the at least one of the one or more unmanned vehicles controlled by the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles,

wherein;

the user'"'"'s operating input device is configured as a user interactive input device by which a user in the remote tracking facility draws the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile on the consolidated situational awareness display, and

the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile is a series of points defining a closed area within which a particular unmanned vehicle is commanded to operate exclusively separated from the other vehicles.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating and sending additional textual information with the data transmission to specify additional instructions to a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, with the processor, an input graphical mission profile from a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles transmitted to the remote tracking facility for display on the situational awareness display for consideration by the user in the remote tracking facility observing the situational awareness display.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising receiving, with the processor, an acknowledgement of receipt of the data transmission from the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the acknowledgement includes information from a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles accepting or rejecting the commanded at least one of the new or modified mission.

17. A method for providing traffic separation for unmanned vehicle operations, comprising:

receiving, with a processor at a remote tracking facility, mission planning and tracking information regarding unmanned vehicle operations from one or more local communication and control consoles, each controlling operations of one or more unmanned vehicles;

graphically depicting, with the processor, the received mission planning and tracking information for the one or more unmanned vehicles on a consolidated situational awareness display at the remote tracking facility;

receiving, with the processor, user input of a graphical depiction of an unmanned vehicle mission profile via a user'"'"'s operating input device at the remote tracking facility for display on the consolidated situational awareness display, the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile for one or more unmanned vehicles providing separation from operations of other vehicles in a vicinity of each of the one or more unmanned vehicles;

interpreting, with the processor, the input graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile;

generating, with the processor, a data transmission commanding at least one of a new or modified mission for at least one of the one or more unmanned vehicles based on the interpreting of the input graphical depiction; and

transmitting, with the processor, the generated data transmission based on the interpreting of the input graphical depiction to at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles for display as a presented graphical depiction and for execution by the at least one of the one or more unmanned vehicles controlled by the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles,

wherein;

the user'"'"'s operating input device is configured as a user interactive input device by which a user in the remote tracking facility draws the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile on the consolidated situational awareness display, and

the graphical depiction of the unmanned vehicle mission profile indicates a center point of an area of operations for a particular unmanned vehicle, and is depicted as a circular area of a specified radius with respect to the center point, the particular unmanned vehicle being commanded to remain within a distance equal to the specified radius from the center point for separation from the other vehicles.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating and sending additional textual information with the data transmission to specify additional instructions to a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving, with the processor, an input graphical mission profile from a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles transmitted to the remote tracking facility for display on the situational awareness display for consideration by the user in the remote tracking facility observing the situational awareness display.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving, with the processor, an acknowledgement of receipt of the data transmission from the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the acknowledgement includes information from a local operator of the at least one of the one or more local communication and control consoles accepting or rejecting the commanded at least one of the new or modified mission.