The Boeing Company

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Emad William Saad

John Lyle Vian

Gregory John Clark

Stefan Richard Bieniawski

Donald C Wunsch

Ryan James Meuth

Ali Reza Mansouri

Donald Coolidge Wunsch, Ii

Matthew Aaron Vavrina

Jared A Nisbett

Carson Jonathan Reynolds

James J Troy

Masatoshi Ishikawa

Charles A Erignac

Jung Soon Jang

Paul Michael Robinette

Paul Murray

Robert Daniel Kalinowski

Jonathan Patrick How

Khaled Abdel-Motagaly

Paul E R Pigg

Brett M Bethke

Ronald Carl Provine

David Jeffrey Halaas

el-Hadi Mohamed Aggoune

Paul Edward Riley Pigg

Paul E Pigg

Mario J Valenti

Jarrett R Datcher

Ali R Mansouri

Jonathan B How

The different advantageous embodiments further provide a system for hierarchical mission management comprising a number of mission planners, a data processing system, and a communication system. The number of mission planners are associated with a number of agent groups. The data processing system is configured to execute the number of mission planners. The communication system is configured to provide communication between the number of mission planners.

Hierarchical mission management

A method includes positioning a vehicle on a vehicle base station such that a first payload is aligned with an aperture in the vehicle base station. The method includes aligning an empty docking station of a payload advancing assembly with the aperture. The method includes removing the first payload from the vehicle and placing the first payload in the empty docking station of the payload advancing assembly, where the full docking station includes a second payload. The method also includes aligning a full docking station of the payload advancing assembly with the aperture and securing the second payload to the vehicle.

Vehicle base station

Described herein is an apparatus for semi-autonomous vehicle control of a vehicle includes a distributed mission module configured to modify a mission element of a group mission based on availability of data. The group mission involves a plurality of vehicles. The apparatus also includes a guidance module configured to compute a path for a local vehicle of the plurality of vehicles based on the modified mission element. The path is configured to achieve the modified mission element. Additionally, the apparatus includes a multi-protocol translator module configured to convert the path into one or more control commands for the local vehicle. The distributed mission module, guidance module, and multi-protocol translator are located on-board the vehicle.

Distributed collaborative operations processor systems and methods

A method and apparatus for evaluating a group of robotic platforms is present. The method controls the group of robotic platforms to perform operations in an operating area. Environmental signals are generated in the operating area. A response of the group of robotic platforms to an input is identified. A determination is made as to whether the response is a desired response.

Robotic platform evaluation system

A method and apparatus for identifying a position of a mobile platform. Images are provided by a camera system on a first mobile platform. The images include images of a second platform. An identified position of the first mobile platform is generated using the images and the position information for the second platform. The position information for the second platform identifies a location of the second platform.

Distributed position identification

A method and apparatus for identifying a position of a platform. Features are identified in a series of images generated by a camera system associated with the platform while the platform is moving. A shift in a perspective of the camera system is identified from a shift in a position of the features in the series of images. A change in the position of the platform is identified based on the shift in the perspective.

Image based position determination

The different advantageous embodiments provide a system comprising a number of computers, a graphical user interface, first program code stored on the computer, and second program code stored on the computer. The graphical user interface is executed by a computer in the number of computers. The computer is configured to run the first program code to define a mission using a number of mission elements. The computer is configured to run the second program code to generate instructions for a number of assets to execute the mission and monitor the number of assets during execution of the mission.

Real time mission planning

The different advantageous embodiments may provide an apparatus that may include a number of robotic machine groups, a mission planner, and a mission control. The mission planner may be capable of generating a mission for the number of robotic machine groups. The mission control may be capable of executing the mission using the number of robotic machine groups.

Supervision and control of heterogeneous autonomous operations

A system to load and unload material from a vehicle comprises a vehicle base station and an assembly to autonomously load and unload material from the vehicle.

The different advantageous embodiments may provide an apparatus that may comprise a number of mobile robotic machines, a wireless communications system and a computer system. The number of mobile robotic machines may be capable of moving to a number of locations in a maintenance area and may be capable of performing a number of maintenance operations on a structure in the maintenance area. The wireless communications system may be capable of providing communication with the number of mobile robotic machines within the maintenance area. The computer system may be capable of exchanging information with the number of mobile robotic machines using the wireless communications system.

Autonomous inspection and maintenance

A method for monitoring a geographic area that using a plurality of unmanned mobile vehicles. Each unmanned mobile vehicle may be programmed with an operational plan to cover a specific subregion of said geographic area. Each unmanned mobile vehicle may be used to obtain visual images of its associated said subregion during operation. A surveillance system is also disclosed for monitoring a geographic area. The system includes a plurality of autonomously operated unmanned mobile vehicles. Each vehicle includes an onboard system that executes an operational plan to enable the vehicle to traverse a specific subregion of the geographic area. Each onboard system further includes a monitoring system to obtain visual images of its associated subregion.

Traffic and security monitoring system and method

A mission planning system for determining an optimum use of a plurality of vehicles in searching a predefined geographic area (PGA). A discretizer subsystem may be used for sensing the capabilities of each vehicle to produce a point set defining a number of points within the PGA that the vehicles must traverse to completely search the PGA. A task allocator subsystem may determine an optimum division of the PGA into different subregions to be handled by specific ones of the vehicles, thus to minimize an overall time needed to search the PGA. A path optimizer subsystem may determine an optimum path through a particular vehicle's assigned subregion to minimize the time needed for each specific vehicle to traverse its associated subregion.

Adaptive multi-vehicle area coverage optimization system and method

A method of inspecting an aircraft. A plurality of heterogeneous unmanned vehicles are used to perform an inspection of the aircraft, each unmanned vehicle having one or more sensors. A plurality of portions of the aircraft are assigned to the vehicles for inspection based on functional capability of each vehicle. The unmanned vehicles are configured to cooperatively use the sensors to perform the inspection.

System and methods for aircraft preflight inspection

A system and method for dividing a predefined search region into a map of a plurality of subregions to be searched by a plurality of mobile platforms, taking into account the capabilities of the mobile platforms and varying environmental conditions within the subregions, while minimizing the time needed to search each of the subregions. The system and method updates the map of the subregions as needed, in real time, to account for changing environmental conditions and changes in the capabilities of the mobile platforms being used. The subregions may also be determined using a desired level of probability for detecting targets within the subregions in a desired number of passes through the subregion. The system optimizes coverage time while insuring a desired probability of coverage (i.e., observability) for heterogeneous mobile platforms.

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Renton, WA, United States of America

Emad William Saad