Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation

Carrier Corporation

Harshad S Sane

Igor Cherepinsky

Christopher Stathis

George Nicholas Loussides

Brendan Englot

Michael Aaron Connor

Jason C Derenick

Thomas A Frewen

Xuchu Ding

Scott Bortoff

Eric Royet

Matthew A White

Donald W Fowler

Derek H Geiger

Claude G Matalanis

Olivier Josserand

Joseph T Driscoll

Joshua M Leland

Garrett Pitcher

Suraj Unnikrishnan

Suresh Kannan

Oliver Josserand

Michael Aaron Conner

Derek Geiger

A method of trajectory control for a vehicle includes obtaining an initial trajectory; presenting the initial trajectory as a current trajectory on an I/O device, the current trajectory presented overlaying terrain; initiating travel of the vehicle along the current trajectory; updating the current trajectory and the terrain in real time as the vehicle travels along the current trajectory; determining if change in the current trajectory is required; changing the current trajectory to an altered trajectory in response to determining change in the current trajectory is required; and presenting the altered trajectory on the I/O device, the altered trajectory presented overlaying the terrain.

Trajectory control of a vehicle

According to an aspect of the invention, a method of optimal safe landing area determination for an aircraft includes accessing a probabilistic safe landing area map that includes a plurality of probabilistic indicators of safe landing areas for the aircraft. A processing subsystem that includes one or more processing resources generates a list of candidate safe landing areas based on the probabilistic safe landing area map and one or more constraints. At least two of the candidate safe landing areas are provided to a path planner. The list of candidate safe landing areas is ranked based on results from the path planner indicating an estimated cost to reach each of the candidate safe landing areas. Based on the ranking, an indicator of an optimal safe landing area is output as a desired landing location for the aircraft.

Optimal safe landing area determination

A system for registering a target includes a first sensor, a second sensor, and a processor. The first sensor measures a plurality of ranges from a source to a target, and the second sensor obtains a plurality of location measurements of the source. The system further includes a processor configured for determining one or more weighting criteria associated with each one of the plurality of location measurements based on an estimated reliability of each one of the plurality of location measurements. The processor calculates a plurality of target location values based on the plurality of ranges measured by the first sensor and the plurality of locations measured by the second sensor and calculates an estimated target location value based on the plurality of target location values weighted according to the weighting criteria.

Multi-sensor target location registration

A landing zone evaluation and rating sharing system includes a central processor unit (CPU), at least one sensor input operatively connected to the CPU, a communication controller operatively connected to the CPU, the communication controller being operable to pass data to other systems associated with the aerial vehicle, and a landing zone (LZ) evaluation controller operatively coupled to a non-volatile computer readable storage medium having computer readable program instructions embodied therewith. The computer readable program instructions are executable by the central processor unit to receive data received through the at least one sensor input, evaluate the data to determine a LZ rating for a particular landing zone, and communicate the LZ rating to one or more systems associated with the aerial vehicle.

Landing zone evaluation and rating sharing among multiple users

A method of cooperative communication link mapping and classification is provided. Location data are received defining a position of a communication node. Signal data of a communication link are monitored at the communication node with respect to a second communication node and characteristics of the signal data are identified. A location stamp of the position is applied to the characteristics of the signal data. The communication link is classified based on the characteristics of the signal data, and a map is populated classifying the communication link at the position indicated by the location stamp.

Cooperative communication link mapping and classification

A method for path planning for a plurality of vehicles in a mission space includes determining, with a processor, information indicative of a first local graph of a first vehicle; receiving, with the processor over a communication link, information indicative of a second local graph from a second vehicle; assembling, with the processor, information indicative of a global graph in response to the receiving of the second local graph; wherein the global graph includes information assembled from the first local graph and the second local graph; and wherein the global graph indicates connectivity of objectives for each vehicle of the plurality of vehicles in the mission space.

Coordinated planning with graph sharing over networks

A method of communication link accessibility aware navigation is provided that includes querying a communication link accessibility map based on a location of interest provided by a path planner for a communication node. A communication link accessibility indicator is received representing a communication link characteristic associated with the location of interest in response to querying the communication link accessibility map. A communication link accessibility weight is determined based on a mission priority of maintaining a communication link of the communication node. The communication link accessibility weight is applied to the communication link accessibility indicator.

Communication link accessibility aware navigation

A method of performing a cooperative safe landing area determination includes receiving perception sensor data indicative of conditions at a plurality of potential landing areas. A processing subsystem of a vehicle updates a local safe landing area map based on the perception sensor data. The local safe landing area map defines safe landing area classifications and classification confidences associated with the potential landing areas. One or more remotely-generated safe landing area maps are received from one or more remote data sources. The one or more remotely-generated safe landing area maps correspond to one or more additional potential landing areas and non-landing areas. The local safe landing area map and the remotely-generated safe landing area maps are aggregated to form a fused safe landing area map. The fused safe landing area map is used to make a final safe landing area determination.

Cooperative safe landing area determination

A system and method for identifying a slung load for an aircraft with one or more sensors includes receiving, with a processor via one or more sensors, sensor information related to flight dynamics data for the aircraft; determining, with the processor, control input commands for the aircraft in response to the receiving of the flight dynamics data; determining, with the processor, signals indicative of an estimated pendulum frequency; and determining, with the processor, parameters associated with the slung load in response to the determining of the estimated pendulum frequencies.

Slung load identification with aircraft flight dynamics data

An aspect includes space partitioning for vehicle motion planning. A plurality of obstacle data is analyzed to determine a plurality of obstacle locations in a configuration space of a vehicle. A partitioning of the configuration space is performed to compute a skeletal partition representing a plurality of obstacle boundaries based on the obstacle locations. The skeletal partition is used to preferentially place a plurality of samples by a sampling-based motion planner. At least one obstacle-free path is output by the sampling-based motion planner based on the samples.

Space partitioning for motion planning

A method and system for sharing information between independent agents having a processor and memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to receive signals indicative of a fault of a sensor system of a first independent agent; transmit signals indicative of a request for sensor information to a second independent agent; receive signals indicative of state information for the second independent agent in response to the receiving of the request for sensor information; and apply the state information to a navigation system of the first independent agent in response to the receiving of the state information.

Cooperative perception and state estimation for vehicles with compromised sensor systems

A system and method for flying an aircraft is disclosed. The system includes one or more flight-assist agents for performing an operation related to flying the aircraft and a vehicle autonomy management system. The vehicle autonomy management system allocates tasks of a task workload involved in the operation between a flight crew and the one or more flight-assist agents, monitors a performance of the flight crew in executing a portion of the task workload allocated to the flight crew, and adjusts an allocation of the task workload between the flight crew and the one or more flight-assist agents based on the performance of the flight crew.

Task allocation and variable autonomy levels

An aspect includes a method of kinematic motion planning includes accessing a list of a plurality of nodes defining a plurality of potential kinematic path locations between a starting position and an ending position of a vehicle. A plurality of constraint sets is determined that apply one or more vehicle motion constraints based on a plurality of spatial regions defined between the starting position and the ending position. The constraint sets are applied in determining a plurality of connections between the nodes to form a kinematic motion path based on locations of the nodes relative to the spatial regions. The kinematic motion path is output to a dynamic path planner to complete creation of a motion path plan for the vehicle.

Kinematic motion planning with regional planning constraints

A method of coordinated flow control in a heat exchanger system includes adjusting a position of a variable actuator of the heat exchanger system if an associated monitored temperature of the heat exchanger system needs adjustment, determining if the adjusted position of the variable actuator is within a predetermined range of positions, adjusting a position of a discrete actuator of the heat exchanger system if the adjusted position of the variable actuator is not within the predetermined range of positions, and resetting the position of the variable actuator in response to adjusting the position of the discrete actuator.

Coordinated flow control

A system for receiving feedback in a flight plan of a vehicle includes a haptic-enabled device comprising a crew seat with an inceptor mounted thereto; and a processor with memory having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the processor, cause the system to: receive signals indicative of the flight plan for the vehicle; receive deviation signals indicative of a proposed deviation in a trajectory for the flight plan; and transmit signals to the haptic-enabled device representing trajectory constraints in the proposed deviation in response to the receiving of the deviation signals.

Growing community of inventors

Southbury, CT, United States of America

Harshad S Sane