Cooperative Perception for Sensor-Compromised Vehicles
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Autonomous or semi-autonomous aircraft with compromised sensor systems face mission failure, damage, or collision hazards due to insufficient information for reliable operation, as conventional systems do not address cooperative perception and state estimation sharing between vehicles.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for sharing perception and state estimation information between independent agents, where a first agent detects a sensor fault, requests and receives state information from a second agent, and applies this information to its navigation system, potentially replacing or supplementing compromised data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If autonomous aircraft rely on local sensors for perception and state estimation, then navigation and operation can be performed independently, but the system becomes vulnerable to mission failure and collision hazards when sensors are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the perception and state estimation capabilities of multiple independent aircraft into a cooperative system. When one aircraft experiences sensor failure, other aircraft in the formation share their sensor data and state information through communication links, allowing the affected aircraft to maintain navigation and operation capabilities despite local sensor compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces communication systems as intermediaries between aircraft sensor systems and navigation systems. When local sensors fail, the communication system transmits state information and sensor data from other aircraft to the affected aircraft, acting as a mediator that restores the information flow necessary for reliable operation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If conventional aircraft focus on new allocations of responsibilities among mission members, then some redundancy is achieved, but cooperative perception sharing between aircraft for mission operation or capability is not addressed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes each aircraft's sensor system serve multiple functions: not only for its own navigation and perception but also for providing data to support other aircraft in the formation. This multi-functionality ensures that when one aircraft loses local perception capability, the information has already been captured and can be shared, preventing information loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by having aircraft continuously share their state information and sensor data with the formation before any failure occurs. This pre-established information sharing network ensures that when sensor compromise happens, the necessary perception information is already available from other aircraft, eliminating the loss of critical data.
Data Source
AI summary
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.