Lockheed Martin Corporation

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.

Brent Appleby

Robert J Szczerba

Gregory A Kirkos

Donald C Fyler

Mark Drela

Richard T Martorana

Sean George

Jamie M Anderson

Seth Kessler

William W McFarland, Jr

Edward Bergmann

Steven Jacobson

Simon Mark Spearing

Rosemary DeSantis Paradis

Stephen Mitchell Jameson

Adam L Jung

Joel J Tleon

Jerry L Franke

A system in accordance with the present invention tasks a team of autonomous unmanned vehicles. The system includes a first team member and a second team member. The first team member has a first level of autonomy. The second team member has a second level of autonomy. The first level of autonomy is different than the first level of autonomy. The first team member is given instructions corresponding to the first level of autonomy. The second team member is given instructions corresponding to the second level of autonomy.

Mission planning system for vehicles with varying levels of autonomy

A system collaboratively and autonomously plans and controls a team of unmanned vehicles within an environment. A mission planning component creates a mission plan for a plurality of members of the team of unmanned vehicles. The mission planning component creates a task plan for each member based on the mission plan. A collaboration component assigns members to the team and roles for the assigned members. The collaboration component updates membership and roles of the members based on the changing situation of the environment. A situational awareness component evaluates the changing situation of the environment based on information from the assigned members of the team. A contingency management component monitors the changing situation of the environment. The contingency management component monitors changes of capabilities of the assigned members of the team and execution of the mission plan and task plans. The contingency management component determines whether to update any of the group consisting of the mission plan and the task plans. A vehicle management component controls movement of each assigned member based on the task plan of each assigned member.

Collaborative system for a team of unmanned vehicles

A flyer assembly is adapted for launching with, transit in, and deployment from an artillery shell having a central void region extending along a ballistic shell axis. The flyer assembly includes a jettisonable shroud and a flyer. The shroud extends along a shroud axis, and is positionable within the central void region with the shroud axis substantially parallel to the shell axis. The flyer is adapted to withstand a launch acceleration force along a flyer axis when in a first state, and to effect aerodynamic flight when in a second state. When in the first state, the flyer is positionable within the shroud with the flyer axis parallel to the shroud axis and the shell axis. The flyer includes a body member disposed about the flyer axis, and a foldable wing assembly mounted to the body member. The wing assembly is configurable in a folded state characterized by a plurality of nested wing segments when the flyer is in the first state. The wing assembly is configurable in an unfolded state characterized by a substantially uninterrupted aerodynamic surface when the flyer is in the second state. The flyer assembly is adapted to be launched from a ballistic delivery system such as an artillery cannon, and can thus reach a target quickly, without expending system energy stored within the flyer. During launch, the flyer is coupled to the shroud so as to maintain a portion of the flyer in tension during an acceleration of the flyer along the flyer axis resulting from the launch. The flyer assembly is adapted to withstand the high g-load and high temperature environments of a cannon launch, and can tolerate a set-back g load of about 16,000 g.

Flyer assembly

Growing community of inventors

Holliston, MA, United States of America

Brent Appleby