Reflexive teleoperated control system for a remotely controlled vehicle

Abstract

A control system for a remotely controlled vehicle comprises a supervisory control system which receives supervisory speed and turn rate commands from a human operator which are provided to a servo-controlled vehicle; an obstruction detection system having multiple sensors mounted to the vehicle detect any obstructions in the path of the vehicle; and a collision avoidance control system coupled to the supervisory control system, the obstruction detection system, and to the vehicle. The collision avoidance control system disables the supervisory speed and turn rate commands when the obstruction detection system detects an obstruction. The collision avoidance control system also generates and provides obstacle avoidance speed and turn rate commands to the vehicle to direct the vehicle to avoid obstruction in the path of the vehicle, and enables the supervisory speed and turn rate commands after the obstruction is avoided so that control of the vehicle is returned to the human operator. The magnitude of the obstacle avoidance speed command is proportional to a first distance between one of the sensors detecting the obstruction and the obstruction itself when the first distance is within a first predetermined limit; and the magnitude of the turn rate command is inversely proportional to an angle defined between an operator desired vehicle heading and a relative bearing to the detected obstruction when the obstruction is within a second distance from the vehicle.