Intelligent Systems for Multiple UAV Operations

The objective of this paper is to demonstrate the powerful impact of an innovative intelligent autonomous mission planner/controller for networked multiple manned/unmanned autonomous vehicles which is applicable to the Future Combat System (FCS), Future Force Warrior (FFW), Future Special Operations Forces (SOF) systems, Land Warrior, and Homeland Defense. For the intelligent vehicles, which consist of multiple heterogeneous unmanned vehicles, the autonomous mission planner/controller includes navigation, obstacle detection and avoidance, waypoint tasking planner, mission trajectory planner, vehicle formation control and wireless communication network. The navigation subsystem is implemented by fusion of the AGNC’s coremicro Palm Navigator, monocular/stereo vision, Doppler radar, and ranging sensors. The intelligent system is designed to guide, navigate, and control each vehicle using multiple control techniques. The intelligent controller guides and navigates each UAV to follow the trajectory generated from the command station according to the mission to properly adapt to the new environment. The implemented intelligent system complies with the ARDEC Multiple Platform Coordination (MPC) Architecture standard. This system is also adaptable to the commercial and industrial applications, such as, Traffic Monitoring, Air Traffic Management, Law Enforcement, Border Patrol, and Search and Rescue missions, etc.