Cooperative swarm of unmanned vehicles

• US 20070288132A1
• Filed: 06/07/2006
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Lam, Juan F.
• Application Number:
  US11/448,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20070288132A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0278 using satellite positioning signals, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0297 by controlling means in a control room
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00

Abstract

A cooperative swarm of unmanned vehicles includes a plurality of unmanned vehicles, each having a location identification system operable to provide location coordinates; a transceiver operable to send and receive location coordinates via omnipresent signals of opportunity, and a guidance system operable to selectively guide the unmanned vehicle towards an identified target and a specified location within an environment. Access to omnipresent signals of opportunity facilitates transmissions indicative of the identified target and/or location between unmanned vehicles in an environment, e.g., an urban environment, where direct line of sight contact is limited. In a related method, at least one omnipresent signal of opportunity is detected within an environment. Location coordinates are transmitted between unmanned vehicles via the detected signal. Collective evaluation facilitates identification of a target within the environment and, and responsive to such identification, at least a subset of the unmanned vehicles are moved to the target'"'"'s location.

Claims

1. A cooperative swarm of unmanned vehicles, comprising:

a plurality of unmanned vehicles, each unmanned vehicle further including;

a location identification system operable to provide location coordinates;

a transceiver operable to send and receive the location coordinates via omnipresent signals of opportunity; and

a guidance system operable to selectively guide the unmanned vehicle towards an identified target and towards a specified location.

2. The cooperative swarm of claim 1, wherein the omnipresent signals of opportunity are selected from a group consisting of GPS signals, satellite communications, cellular telephone signals, wireless computer networks, and combinations thereof.

3. The cooperative swarm of claim 1, wherein each unmanned vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle.

4. The cooperative swarm of claim 1, wherein each unmanned vehicle is an unmanned terrestrial vehicle.

5. The cooperative swarm of claim 1, wherein the location identification system is GPS.

6. The cooperative swarm of claim 1, wherein the transceiver of each unmanned vehicle is operable to communicate via the omnipresent signals of opportunity provided by CDPD, GPRS, GPS, GSM, TDMA, Wi-Fi, and/or combinations thereof.

7. The cooperative swarm of claim 1, wherein a first specified location is a predetermined set of location coordinates provided to at least a first subset of the unmanned vehicles, a second specified location determined by at least one unmanned vehicle provided to at least a second subset of the unmanned vehicles.

8. The cooperative swarm of claim 1, wherein the specified location is provided as location coordinates by a commanding party.

9. The cooperative swarm of claim 1, wherein each unmanned vehicle further includes at least one target identification device operable to provide a positive or negative evaluation of a proximate target, and wherein the transceiver is further operable to send and receive the positive or negative evaluation of a target.

10. A system for cooperatively directing a swarm of unmanned vehicles, comprising:

an environment providing at least one type of pre-existing omnipresent signals of opportunity;

a plurality of unmanned vehicles, each unmanned vehicle further including;

a location identification system operable to provide location coordinates;

a transceiver operable to send and receive location coordinates via the omnipresent signals of opportunity; and

a guidance system operable to selectively guide the unmanned vehicle towards an identified target, towards a specified location, and towards the location coordinates transmitted by another unmanned vehicle;

wherein each unmanned vehicle is operable to communicate location coordinates to each other unmanned vehicle, the communication performed through the omnipresent signals of opportunity.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the unmanned vehicles are in indirect communication with one another, the communication permitted by a pre-existing wireless communication system providing the omnipresent signals of opportunity.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the omnipresent signals of opportunity are selected from a group consisting of GPS signals, satellite communication, cellular telephone signals, wireless computer networks, and combinations thereof.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein each unmanned vehicle further includes at least one target identification device operable to provide a positive or negative evaluation of a proximate target, and wherein the transceiver is further operable to send and receive the positive or negative evaluation of a target.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the omnipresent signals of opportunity are provided by pre-existing infrastructure within the environment, the transceivers of each unmanned vehicle establishing indirect communication through the pre-existing infrastructure.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the transceiver of each unmanned vehicle is operable to communicate via the omnipresent signals of opportunity provided by CDPD, GPRS, GPS, GSM, TDMA, Wi-Fi and/or combinations thereof.

16. A method of cooperatively controlling a swarm of unmanned vehicles, comprising:

providing a plurality of unmanned vehicles in an environment, each unmanned vehicle further including;

a location identification system operable to provide location coordinates;

a transceiver operable to send and receive location coordinates via omnipresent signals of opportunity; and

a guidance system operable to selectively guide the unmanned vehicle towards an identified target and towards the location coordinates transmitted by another unmanned vehicle;

detecting in the environment at least one of the omnipresent signals of opportunity;

transmitting location coordinates between the unmanned vehicles in the environment by way of the detected omnipresent signal of opportunity; and

collectively evaluating the environment to identify a target and a target location, and in response to the identification of a target, moving at least a subset of the unmanned vehicles to the target location.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the omnipresent signals of opportunity are selected from a group consisting of GPS signals, satellite communication, cellular telephone signals, wireless computer networks, and combinations thereof.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein each unmanned vehicle is an unmanned aerial vehicle.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the location identification system is GPS.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein each unmanned vehicle further includes at least one target identification device operable to provide a positive or negative evaluation of a proximate target, and wherein the transceiver is further operable to send and receive the positive or negative evaluation of a target.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the transmitting of location coordinates between the unmanned vehicles in the environment occurs as a relay through the omnipresent signals of opportunity rather than direct unmanned vehicle to unmanned vehicle communication.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the protocols for communication are selected from the group of HTTP, WAP, HDTP, and combinations thereof.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the transceiver of each unmanned vehicle is operable to communicate via the omnipresent signals of opportunity provided by CDPD, GPRS, GPS, GSM, TDMA, Wi-Fi, and/or combinations thereof.