Cooperative control of unmanned aerial vehicles for tracking targets

US8639396B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Raytheon Company · US

Inventors

• Michael J. Hirsch · Leipzig, DE
• Hector J. Ortiz Pena · Orchard Park, US
• Christopher R. Eck · Palm Harbor, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Oct 7, 2009
• Grant date: Jan 28, 2014
• Expiry date: May 21, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G08G5/57
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a method includes accessing first target information associated with a first target visible to a first UAV at a first time and accessing second target information, received from a neighboring UAV, associated with a second target visible to the neighboring UAV at the first time. The method further includes combining the first target information and the second target information to generate combined target information and determining, based on the combined target information, a predicted location for the first and second targets at a second time. The method further includes determining a planned route for the first UAV for the second time by solving an optimization problem, the optimization problem accounting for the determined predicted location for the first and second targets, kinematic constraints associated with the first UAV and the neighboring UAV, and line-of-sight constraints associated with the first UAV and the neighboring UAV.