Unmanned air vehicle, integrated weapon platform, avionics system and control method

• US 7,542,828 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2005
• Issued: 06/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Chovan, Joseph R., Steele, Daniel W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beaulieu; Yonel
• Application Number:
  US11/160,645
• Publication Number:
  US 20070023582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701 3- 4, 701/11, 701/14, 244/158.1, 244/75.1, 244/190
• US Class Current: 701/3
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 7/00 Arrangements of military equipment, e.g. armaments, armament accessories, or military shielding, in aircraft; Adaptations of armament mountings for aircraft dropping bombs or the like B64D1/00; armaments or mountings therefor per se F41
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/00 Constructional aspects of UAVs of lift-producing means B64U30/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/15 for conventional or electronic warfare
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2101/30 for imaging, photography or videography
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 2201/10 autonomous, i.e. by navigating independently from ground or air stations, e.g. by using inertial navigation systems [INS]
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 30/10 Wings
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/11 using internal combustion piston engines
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/12 using turbine engines, e.g. turbojets or turbofans
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 50/13 using external fans or propellers

Abstract

A small, reusable interceptor unmanned air vehicle (UAV), an avionics control system for the UAV, a design method for the UAV and a method for controlling the UAV, for interdiction of small scale air, water and ground threats. The UAV includes a high performance airframe with integrated weapon and avionics platforms. Design of the UAV first involves the selection of a suitable weapon, then the design of the interceptor airframe to achieve weapon aiming via airframe maneuvering. The UAV utilizes an avionics control system that is vehicle-centric and, as such, provides for a high degree of autonomous control of the UAV. A situational awareness processor has access to a suite of disparate sensors that provide data for intelligently (autonomously) carrying out various mission scenarios. A flight control processor operationally integrated with the situational awareness processor includes a pilot controller and an autopilot controller for flying and maneuvering the UAV.

Claims

1. A method for providing enhanced control of an autonomously controlled vehicle, comprising:

providing a spherically organized situational awareness data base, wherein at least one independent window is formed as a volumetric slice thereof, the window providing a view of operational data supplied by a sensor platform operationally integrated with the data base; and

providing a pilot controller operationally integrated with the spherically organized data base, wherein at least one pilot modality is processed and supplied as a control signal for the vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising providing each at least one independent window with an independent data processing capability, wherein the processing capability of a plurality of the windows is carried out as a parallel processing function.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one pilot modality is at least one of a saccade modality and a fixation modality.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the at least one pilot modality are integrated to provide enhanced control of the vehicle.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one independent window facilitates at least one of a target seeking function and a target tracking function.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one the target seeking function and the target tracking function includes an obstacle avoidance application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one independent window is steered by the pilot controller.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the steering is performed in consideration of an interceptor mission function.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising providing the operational data directly as angular sensor data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the sensor platform comprises a plurality of sensors, wherein each one sensor of the plurality provides its respective operational data as a limited instantaneous field of view represented as a volumetric slice of the spherically organized data base.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein at least some of the operational data comprises range information, further comprising representing said range information as a radial placement within the spherically organized data base.