Lockheed Martin Corporation

Ira S Glickstein

Robert J Szczerba

Peter N Stiles

Marc Blais

John Moody

Ronald Vienneau

Mark Allstadt

Peggy J Galkowski

A system and method for efficient intervisibility determination. The intervisibility determination method of the present invention provides a multiple threat processing capability within a specified area of terrain using a common database. Computation is simplified through the method of processing data posts in the terrain elevation database. By taking integer steps and incrementing distance, x or y, and a predicted elevation value at each step, a small number of operations may be performed. Recomputing a change in elevation value may be reduced. An umbra database provides an enhanced look-up capability for displaying and updating the intervisibility display information. The systems and methods of the present invention may be suitable for use on a vehicle and in mission management activities.

Intervisibility determination

A system and method of coordinating team members, each team member having a mission processor, in real time for continued coordinated operation in the absence of reliable communications between team members. Prior to a mission, each team member is provided with common programs and data for a mission, the data including identity of programs and data supplied to other team members and providing to each team member a pseudo random seed for use in conjunction with random functions. Each team member is provided with an initial set of conditions, whereby each team member performs deterministically to generate a same plan for itself and each of the other team members. Each team member monitors for a transmission event and responds to a transmission event by generating a re-planning operation, whereby each team member will produce a coordinated replan for itself and each other team member, whereby the team members remain coordinated. The monitoring can be detecting the presence or absence of a scheduled transmission from a team member, or receiving a transmission from a broadcast source, or receiving a transmission directed to team members from a headquarters, or receiving a commercial satellite broadcast, or maintaining a receiver for receiving a burst transmission from another team member or receiving a transmission indicative of a condition as reported by a team member.

Method for real-time team coordination with unrealiable communications between team members

A distributed data processing system and method are presented herein for purposes of controlling allocation of resources and task execution. The system includes a communication network that passes messages between computers connected to the network. A plurality of computers are connected to the network and run programs thereon including a central authority and at least first and second autonomous agents. The central authority generates a graph associated with each agent and wherein each graph represents for the associated agent what resources that agent has and what task or tasks that agent may perform. Each agent employs the associated graph to determine what resource or resources are needed by that agent to carry out the task of tasks to be performed by that agent. The agents negotiate with each other for the resources needed to carry out the task or tasks to be performed by the agents.

Apparatus and method for controlling allocation of resources and task execution

A distributed data processing system employing negotiation among autonomous agents for allocation of resources is presented herein. The system includes a communications network for passing messages between computers connected thereto, a plurality of computers connected to the network for running programs thereon including at least first and second autonomous agents. Each agent receives a graph associated therewith and wherein the graph represents for the associated agent what resources that agent has and what task or tasks that agent may perform. Each agent employs the associated graph to determine what resource or resources are needed by that agent to carry out the task or tasks to be performed by that agent. The agents negotiate with each other for the resources needed to carry out the task or tasks to be performed by the agents.

Apparatus and method for resource negotiations among autonomous agents

A hybrid of grid-based and graph-based search computations, together with provision of a sparse search technique effectively limited to high-probability candidate nodes provides accommodation of path constraints in an optimization search problem in substantially real-time with limited computational resources and memory. A grid of best cost (BC) values are computed from a grid of map cost (MC) values and used to evaluate nodes included in the search. Minimum segment/vector length, maximum turn angle, and maximum path length along a search path are used to limit the number of search vectors generated in the sparse search. A min-heap is preferably used as a comparison engine to compare cost values of a plurality of nodes to accumulate candidate nodes for expansion and determine which node at the terminus of a partial search path provides the greatest likelihood of being included in a near-optimal complete solution, allowing the search to effectively jump between branches to carry out further expansion of a node without retracing portions of the search path. Capacity of the comparison engine can be limited in the interest of expediting of processing and values may be excluded or discarded therefrom. Other constraints such as approach trajectory are accommodated by altering MC and BC values in a pattern or in accordance with a function of a parameter such as altitude or by testing of the search path previously traversed.

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The Villages, FL, United States of America

Ira S Glickstein