Real time planning and scheduling for a team of unmanned vehicles

• US 7,603,212 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Subramanian, Dharmashankar, Johnson, Daniel P., Ariyur, Kartik B.
• Primary Examiner(s): To; Tuan C
• Application Number:
  US11/393,086
• Publication Number:
  US 20070233338A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 701/3, 701/50, 701/23, 700/245, 700/253, 340/995.19, 340/995.21, 340/825.49, 180/167
• US Class Current: 701/23
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0274 using mapping information stored in a memory device navigation using map-matching G01C21/30
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0289 with means for avoiding collisions between vehicles vehicle fittings for automatically controlling speed including means for detecting potential obstacles B60K31/0008; avoiding obstacles by action on the steering system B62D; radar, sonar, lidar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93

Abstract

A method of implementing a plurality of unmanned vehicles over an obstacle field. The method includes obtaining a physical map of the obstacle field. Discretizing the physical map into traversable edges that avoid the obstacles, the traversable edges meeting at nodes. Replacing sections of the traversable edges that are beyond the maneuverability of the unmanned vehicles with traversable arcs. Determining traverse time parameters associated with paths through the obstacle fields, each path made up of select traversable edges and select traversable arcs and using the traverse time parameters in planning and scheduling the vehicles.

Claims

1. A surveillance system, the system comprising:

a plurality of unmanned vehicles; and

a central controller in communication with the plurality of unmanned vehicles, the controller including,

a discretization module including instructions to discretize a physical map of an obstacle field,

a planning and scheduling module including instructions to plan and schedule the plurality of unmanned vehicles, and

a processor adapted to process the instructions from the discretization module and the planning and scheduling module, the processor further adapted to direct the plurality of the unmanned vehicles based at least in part on the instructions from the discretization module and the planning and scheduling module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a transceiver adapted to communicate with each of the unmanned vehicles.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each unmanned vehicle includes a transceiver adapted to communicate with the central controller.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions to discretize the physical map in the discretization module includes instructions to generate traversable edges that meet at nodes while avoiding obstacles in the obstacle field and replace sections of the traversable edges that are beyond the maneuverability of unmanned vehicles with traversable arcs.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the processor is further adapted to determine traverse times of paths made up of the traversable edges and traversable arcs.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the processor is further adapted to determine the traverse times of the paths and associate the traverse times with the respective paths.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein determining the traverse times of paths made up of the traversable edges and traversable arcs further comprises:

determining the slowest maximum velocity of a vehicle to traverse each traversable arc at a node.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the planning and scheduling module includes a mixed variable vehicle planning scheme that implements the traverse times.