AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR COORDINATING THE PATHS OF MULTIPLE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

• US 20150025713A1
• Filed: 10/09/2014
• Published: 01/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IRIS ISR Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Proxy Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: KLINGER, John Solomon, DAVIS, Robert F.
• Granted Patent: US 9,202,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/3
• 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: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0004 Transmission of traffic-related information to or from an aircraft airborne radio transmission systems in general H04B7/185; airborne wireless networks H04W84/06
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0008 with other aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/003 Flight plan management
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0069 specially adapted for an unmanned aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/04 Anti-collision systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/045 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. determination of anti-collision manoeuvers radar or analogous systems specially adapted for anti-collision between aircraft G01S13/933
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 9/02 Anti-collision systems

Abstract

A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code causes a processor at a first vehicle (e.g., a first autonomous vehicle) to generate a first planned path based on a current position of the first vehicle and a mission requirement assigned to the first vehicle. A first planned path associated with a second vehicle (e.g., a second autonomous vehicle), which is based on a current position of the second vehicle and a mission requirement assigned to the second vehicle, is received at the first vehicle. After the first planned path associated with the second vehicle is received, a second planned path is generated based on the first planned path associated with the second vehicle and at least one of the mission requirement assigned to the first vehicle or the first planned path of the first vehicle. The second planned path of the first vehicle is transmitted to the second vehicle.

Claims

1. A non-transitory processor readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

generate, at a first autonomous vehicle, a first planned ground taxiing path for the first autonomous vehicle to taxi at an airport, the first planned ground taxiing path including a destination of the first autonomous vehicle at the airport;

receive, at the first autonomous vehicle, from a second autonomous vehicle, a second planned ground taxiing path associated with the second autonomous vehicle to taxi at the airport and including a destination of the second autonomous vehicle at the airport;

generate, at the first autonomous vehicle in response to receiving the second planned ground taxiing path, a third planned ground taxiing path based, at least in part, on the first planned ground taxiing path and the second planned ground taxiing path, the third planned ground taxiing path generated in response to a conflict between the first planned ground taxiing path and the second planned ground taxiing path;

transmit the third planned ground taxiing path; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to taxi to the destination via the third planned ground taxiing path.

2. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code to cause the processor to transmit the third planned ground taxiing path further includes code to cause the processor to transmit the third planned ground taxiing path to the second autonomous vehicle.

3. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 1, wherein the code to cause the processor to transmit the third planned path further includes code to cause the processor to transmit the third planned ground taxiing path to a control station, the control station configured to monitor compliance of the first autonomous vehicle to the first planned ground taxiing path before the third planned ground taxiing path is transmitted, the control station configured to monitor compliance of the first autonomous vehicle to the third planned ground taxiing path after the third planned ground taxiing path is transmitted.

4. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 1, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, at the first autonomous vehicle, a fourth planned ground taxiing path associated with the second autonomous vehicle, the fourth planned ground taxiing path differing from the second planned path

determine, at the first autonomous vehicle, a future position of the first autonomous vehicle along the third planned ground taxiing path; and

determine, after receiving the fourth planned ground taxiing path at the first autonomous vehicle, a future position of the second autonomous vehicle along the fourth planned ground taxiing path at a future time

when the future position of the first autonomous vehicle is within a predetermined distance of a future position of the second autonomous vehicle along the fourth planned ground taxiing path of the second autonomous vehicle at the future time, generating a fifth planned ground taxiing path for the first autonomous vehicle to avoid a close encounter with the second autonomous vehicle at the future time,

the fifth planned ground taxiing path of the first autonomous vehicle not placing the first autonomous vehicle within the predetermined distance of the future position of the second autonomous vehicle at any future time.

5. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the generating the third planned ground taxiing path of the first autonomous vehicle avoids a projected collision with the second autonomous vehicle at a future location along the first planned path.

6. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the third planned ground taxiing path incorporates at least one of a velocity adjustment, an altitude adjustment, or a horizontal profile adjustment into the first planned ground taxiing path.

7. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1 wherein the first autonomous vehicle is one of an aircraft or a surface vehicle.

8. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 7, wherein the second autonomous vehicle is the other one of an aircraft or a surface vehicle.

9. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 1, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to receive, at the first autonomous vehicle, a fourth planned ground taxiing path associated with the second autonomous vehicle, the fourth planned ground taxiing path differing from the second planned path.

10. A non-transitory processor readable medium storing code representing code to cause the processor to:

receive, at a first autonomous vehicle operating at an airport, a first planned ground taxiing path associated with a second autonomous vehicle operating at the airport and including an indication of a priority of the first planned ground taxiing path;

determine that a conflict exists between the first planned ground taxiing path and a second planned ground taxiing path, the second planned ground taxiing path associated with the first autonomous vehicle;

in response to determining that the conflict exists, generate a third planned ground taxiing path different from the second planned ground taxiing path, the third planned ground taxiing path resolving the conflict such that the second autonomous vehicle can follow the first planned ground taxiing path, the third planned ground taxiing path generated in response to a priority of the second planned ground taxiing path being lower than the priority of the first planned ground taxiing path;

transmit the third planned ground taxiing path;

receive, after transmitting the third planned ground taxiing path, the first planned ground taxiing path; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to taxi according to the third planned ground taxiing path.

11. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 10, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to transmit the second planned ground taxiing path prior to receiving the first planned ground taxiing path.

12. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 10, wherein the code to cause the processor to receive, after transmitting the third planned ground taxiing path, the first planned ground taxiing path further includes code to cause the processor to receive the first planned ground taxiing as a response to the transmitting of the third planned ground taxiing path.

13. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 10, further comprising code to cause the processor to receive an indication of the priority of the second planned ground taxiing path.

14. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 10, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, from a control station, an indication of the priority of the second planned ground taxiing path.

15. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 10, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine, at a first autonomous vehicle and based, at least in part, on the first planned ground taxiing path and the second ground taxiing path, that the second ground taxiing path has a lower priority than the first planned ground taxiing path.

16. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 10, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, at the first autonomous vehicle after transmitting the third planned ground taxiing path, a fourth planned ground taxiing path associated with a vehicle different from the second autonomous vehicle, the fourth planned ground taxiing path received in response to the vehicle entering a network associated with the airport;

generate a fifth planned ground taxiing path in response to receiving the fourth planned ground taxiing path; and

transmit the fifth planned ground taxiing path.

17. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 16, further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive from the second autonomous vehicle a sixth planned ground taxiing path, different from the first planned ground taxiing path; and

generate a seventh planned ground taxiing path in response to receiving the sixth planned ground taxiing path.

18. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 10, wherein the code to cause the processor receive, after transmitting the third ground taxiing path, the first planned ground taxiing path includes code to cause the processor to receive the first ground taxiing path at a first time, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

determine, at a second time after the first time, that the second autonomous vehicle has left a network associated with the airport based on not receiving a signal from the second autonomous vehicle within a pre-determined period of time after the first time; and

generate a fourth planned ground taxiing path after determining that the second autonomous vehicle has left the network; and

cause the first autonomous vehicle to taxi according to the fourth planned ground taxiing path.

19. A non-transitory processor readable medium storing code representing code to cause the processor to:

receive, at a control station, a first planned ground route for an autonomous vehicle operating at an airport;

after receiving the first planned ground route, receive a second planned ground route for the autonomous vehicle, the second planned ground route being different from the first planned ground route, the second planned ground route generated by the autonomous vehicle in response to the autonomous vehicle determining a conflict exists between the first planned ground route and a third planned ground route, the third planned ground route being a ground route for a vehicle;

receive an indication of a position of the autonomous vehicle;

determine the position of the autonomous vehicle is not along the second planned ground route; and

transmit a signal indicating a deviation of the autonomous vehicle.

20. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 19, wherein the autonomous vehicle is a first autonomous vehicle, the code further comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, between receiving the first planned ground route and receiving the second planned ground route, the third planed ground route.

21. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 19, wherein the code to cause the processor to transmit the indication of the deviation includes code to cause the processor to transmit the indication of the deviation such that the vehicle is alerted to the deviation.

22. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first planned ground route includes a current position of the autonomous vehicle and a destination of the autonomous vehicle.

23. The non-transitory processor readable medium of claim 19, wherein the vehicle is not capable of flight.

24. A method comprising:

generating, at an autonomous vehicle, a first planned path for a taxiing mission and including a current position of the autonomous vehicle and a destination, the taxiing mission having a first priority;

receiving a second planned path associated with a vehicle, the second planned path having a second priority lower than the first priority;

transmitting the first planned path;

determining that a conflict exists between the first planned path and the second planned path in response to receiving the second planned path;

receiving a third planned path associated with the vehicle after receiving the second planned path, the third planned path different from the second planned path; and

following the first planned path.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving, at the autonomous vehicle and from a control station, a signal representing the first priority.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the autonomous vehicle is a first autonomous vehicle and the vehicle is a second autonomous vehicle.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the vehicle is at least partially under human control.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining, at the autonomous vehicle, the first priority; and

determining, at the autonomous vehicle, the second priority.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining, at the autonomous vehicle, the first priority without receiving (1) an indication of priority associated with the first taxiing mission or (2) an indication of priority associated with the second taxiing mission; and

determining, at the autonomous vehicle, the second priority, without receiving (1) the indication of priority associated with the first taxiing mission or (2) the indication of priority associated with the second taxiing mission.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

determining, at the autonomous vehicle after receiving the third planned path, that the vehicle has left a network associated with coordinating the taxiing mission based on not receiving a signal from the vehicle within a predetermined period of time of receiving the third planned path;

generating, at the autonomous vehicle, a fourth planned path for the taxiing mission; and

following the fourth planned path.