Fleet Vehicle Autonomy Cloning for Continuous Mission Operation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current solutions for managing the autonomy of battery-powered vehicles, such as drones, are limited in sustaining long-duration missions due to individual vehicle management, lacking a method to effectively manage the autonomy of a group or 'matrix' of vehicles working together, which often results in mission discontinuity.
Innovation Solution
A method that monitors the autonomy of each vehicle in a fleet and clones vehicles with insufficient autonomy at a cloning station, ensuring continuous mission execution by replacing them with vehicles of greater autonomy, equipped to perform the same function, thereby maintaining mission continuity without significant disruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If individual vehicle autonomy management is used with rapid charging or battery replacement, then vehicle autonomy is improved, but mission continuity is lost due to individual vehicle stoppages
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple vehicles into a coordinated matrix system where vehicles work together to maintain mission continuity. When one vehicle needs recharging, other vehicles in the matrix compensate for its functions, ensuring the overall mission continues without interruption. This combining of multiple vehicles' capabilities resolves the contradiction between individual vehicle autonomy limits and continuous mission operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a cloning mechanism where a vehicle's mission profile, parameters, and operational data are copied to a replacement vehicle. When a vehicle reaches low autonomy, it is replaced by a cloned version that takes over its mission seamlessly. This copying approach ensures mission continuity while allowing individual vehicles to be replaced for recharging, resolving the contradiction between vehicle autonomy duration and mission reliability.
2Productivity
If multiple vehicles form a matrix for mission execution, then mission capability is improved, but autonomy management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a centralized autonomy management system that continuously monitors the autonomy levels of all vehicles in the matrix and dynamically adjusts mission allocation. This feedback mechanism tracks battery status, mission progress, and vehicle availability in real-time, automatically reassigning tasks when vehicles need recharging. This automated feedback loop manages the complexity of coordinating multiple vehicles while maintaining enhanced mission capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic vehicle matrix where roles and mission assignments are not fixed but can change in real-time based on autonomy levels and mission requirements. Vehicles can transition between active mission execution and recharging states, with the system dynamically reconfiguring the matrix composition. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain optimal productivity while managing the complexity of multiple vehicle coordinates through adaptive reorganization.
3Reliability
If vehicle replacement is performed when autonomy reaches threshold, then mission continuity is maintained, but time loss occurs during replacement operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary cloning where replacement vehicles are pre-configured with mission parameters and data before actual replacement occurs. The cloning process begins in advance, and replacement vehicles are prepared and staged ready for immediate deployment. This preliminary preparation minimizes the actual replacement time while maintaining mission continuity, as the handover can occur rapidly between pre-prepared vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuous mission execution by implementing overlapping operation periods where outgoing and incoming vehicles operate concurrently during transition. The replacement process is designed so that the incoming vehicle begins its mission immediately upon arrival, while the outgoing vehicle completes its current task before departing for recharging. This continuity approach eliminates idle time and maintains uninterrupted mission performance throughout the replacement process.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4a
Figure 4b~4c
AI summary
The invention relates to a method (100) for managing the autonomy of a matrix of several vehicles within a fleet of vehicles, each powered by an on-board battery, during the execution of a mission by said matrix, said method comprising the following steps carried out for each vehicle of said matrix participating in said mission: - monitoring (102,104) of the autonomy of said vehicle, and - when the autonomy of said vehicle reaches a threshold, called cloning, cloning (106) of said vehicle by another vehicle, called clone vehicle, from among the other vehicles of said fleet, at the level of a station, called cloning.