Autonomous cargo delivery system

• US 9,557,742 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: Aurora Flight Sciences Corporation (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Paduano, James D., Wissler, John B., Piedmonte, Michael D., Mindell, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jen, Ian
• Application Number:
  US14/554,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20150323932A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/042 specially adapted for aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0676 specially adapted for landing
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/102 specially adapted for vertical take-off of aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a system and methods of providing platform-agnostic systems and methods capable of providing an integrated processor and sensor suite with supervisory control software and interfaces to perform small unit rapid response resupply and CASEVAC into hazardous and unpredictable environments.

Claims

1. An autonomous aerial system comprising:

an aerial vehicle configured to communicate with an operating base over a wireless link, wherein said aerial vehicle is configured to receive, from said operating base, mission plan data having one or more routes and a designated touchdown zone within a landing zone; and

an onboard supervisory control system operatively coupled with the aerial vehicle, the onboard supervisory control system having a processor operatively coupled with a non-volatile memory device and a sensor package,

wherein the processor is configured to generate flight control signal data based at least in part on data received via the sensor package, the sensor package configured to, in real time, (1) detect obstacles along a flight route, and (2) perceive physical characteristics of the landing zone, and

wherein the processor is configured to (1) autonomously navigate the aerial vehicle to the designated touchdown zone, and (2) determine whether it is feasible to touchdown at the designated touchdown zone based at least in part on (a) said mission plan data, and (b) physical characteristics of the designated touchdown zone perceived via said sensor package.

2. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein said mission plan data further comprises a first contingency operation and a second contingency operation.

3. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein said one or more routes comprises (1) a launch route, (2) an approach route, and (3) a flight route.

4. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein said processor is further configured to identify one or more alternate touchdown zones within said landing zone if said processor determines that the designated touchdown zone is not feasible, wherein the processor identifies the one or more alternate touchdown zones in real time based on physical characteristic of the landing zone perceived via said sensor package.

5. The autonomous aerial system of claim 4, wherein said one or more alternate touchdown zones are communicated to a human operator at the operating base for approval via a user interface.

6. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein the sensor package includes (1) a radio altimeter, (2) an electro optical or infrared imager, and (3) a light detection and ranging device.

7. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein the sensor package includes (1) a radio detection and ranging device and (2) a global positioning system device.

8. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein the onboard supervisory control system is operatively coupled with the aerial vehicle via a Global Open Architecture Layer.

9. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein said mission plan data comprises at least one route in accordance with North Atlantic Treaty Organization Standardization Agreement 4586.

10. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein said aerial vehicle is a vertical take-off and landing aerial vehicle.

11. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein the onboard supervisory control system is a modular open architecture sensor suite that is physically mounted on the aerial vehicle.

12. The autonomous aerial system of claim 2, wherein said first contingency operation is a lost communications contingency.

13. The autonomous aerial system of claim 12, wherein said second contingency operation is an alternate touchdown zone within said landing zone.

17. The autonomous aerial system of claim 1, wherein the operating base includes a user interface to receive an instruction from a human operator.

18. The autonomous aerial system of claim 17, said instruction to control an operating parameter of the aerial vehicle over the wireless link.

14. A supervisory control system for controlling an aerial vehicle, the supervisory control system comprising:

a sensor package configured to, in real time, (1) detect obstacles along a flight route, and (2) perceive physical characteristics of a landing zone; and

a processor operatively coupled with an aerial vehicle via a control interface,

wherein said processor communicates mission plan data from an operating base to said aerial vehicle via the control interface, the mission plan data having one or more routes and a designated touchdown zone within the landing zone,

wherein the processor generates flight control signal data based at least in part on data collected via the sensor package,

wherein the processor is configured to communicate the flight control signal data to the aerial vehicle via the control interface, and

wherein said processor enables said aerial vehicle to (1) autonomously navigate to the designated touchdown zone, (2) determine whether it is feasible to touchdown at the designated touchdown zone based at least in part on (a) said mission plan data, and (b) physical characteristics of the designated touchdown zone perceived via said sensor package, and (3) if said processor determines that the designated touchdown zone is not feasible, identify one or more alternate touchdown zones within said landing zone, the processor to identify the one or more alternate touchdown zones in real time based on physical characteristics of the landing zone perceived via said sensor package.

15. The supervisory control system of claim 14, wherein the control interface employs a Global Open Architecture Layer.

16. The supervisory control system of claim 14, wherein the supervisory control system is a modular open architecture processor and sensor suite that is physically mounted on the aerial vehicle.

19. The supervisory control system of claim 14, wherein the sensor package includes (1) a radio altimeter, (2) an electro optical or infrared imager, and (3) a light detection and ranging device.

20. A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicle comprising:

a wireless transceiver to provide two-way communication with an operating base over a wireless link, wherein said VTOL aerial vehicle is configured to receive from said operating base mission plan data having one or more routes and a designated touchdown zone within a landing zone; and

a supervisory control system having a processor to generate flight control signal data based at least in part on data received via a sensor package,

wherein the sensor package is configured to, in real time, detect obstacles along a flight route and perceive physical characteristics of the landing zone, the sensor package including at least one of (1) a radio altimeter, (2) an electro optical or infrared imager, and (3) a light detection and ranging device; and

wherein the processor is configured (1) to autonomously navigate the VTOL aerial vehicle to the designated touchdown zone, (2) determine whether it is feasible to touchdown the VTOL aerial vehicle at the designated touchdown zone based at least in part on (a) said mission plan data, and (b) physical characteristics of the designated touchdown zone perceived via said sensor package; and

(3) if said processor determines that the designated touchdown zone is not feasible, identify one or more alternate touchdown zones within said landing zone based on physical characteristic of the landing zone perceived in real time via said sensor package.

21. The VTOL aerial vehicle of claim 20, wherein the supervisory control system is a modular platform-agnostic open architecture sensor suite that is physically mounted on the VTOL aerial vehicle.

22. The VTOL aerial vehicle of claim 20, wherein the operating base includes a user interface to receive an instruction from a human operator, said instruction to control an operating parameter of the aerial vehicle over the wireless link.

23. The VTOL aerial vehicle of claim 22, wherein said instruction overrides the flight control signal data, or portion thereof, generated by the processor.