Formation Flight Task Interface for Multi-Vehicle Guidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flight control systems require a 1-to-1 relationship between aerial vehicles and operators, making it impractical for a single operator to manage and control multiple vehicles simultaneously, which is insufficient for advanced scenarios involving teams of assets.
Innovation Solution
An automated formation flight system with a task-based interface and sub-systems that include a formation commander, manager, and guidance system, allowing for the receipt and execution of task-based commands, peer-to-peer messaging, navigation data, and generation of guidance and control inputs across multiple vehicles, enabling dynamic task management and coordination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a 1-to-1 relationship between aerial vehicle and operator is used, then control precision is maintained, but operator workload increases and scalability to multiple vehicles is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the control architecture into hierarchical layers: a formation commander that receives high-level task commands, formation managers on each vehicle that interpret commands, and individual vehicle control systems. This segmentation allows one operator to manage multiple vehicles through task-level commands rather than individual control inputs.
Solution Approach 2:
Formation managers act as intermediary systems between the operator and individual vehicles. These intermediaries translate operator intent into coordinated actions across multiple vehicles, enabling scalable control without increasing operator workload.
2Productivity
If automated formation flight system is implemented, then operator workload is reduced and multi-vehicle coordination is enabled, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The formation manager subsystem is designed as a universal component that can operate on any vehicle in the formation, performing multiple functions including command interpretation, peer-to-peer communication, and coordination. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by using standardized components across all vehicles.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where formation managers exchange status information and confirmation messages peer-to-peer, allowing automated adjustment of formation behavior without requiring constant operator intervention, thereby improving productivity.
3Ease of operation
If task-based interface is used, then ease of operation is improved for multi-vehicle management, but loss of detailed control information may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates informational copies at different hierarchical levels: task-level commands are copied to all formation managers, which then generate detailed execution copies for their respective vehicles. This copying mechanism preserves detailed control information while maintaining an simplified operator interface.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system for automated formation flight is disclosed. The system may include a formation commander sub-system (102) including a task-based interface (106) configured to receive a sequence of one or more task-based commands along with one or more sets of task-based options for each of the one or more task-based commands from an operator using one or more task-based selectable buttons (110) of the task-based interface. The system may further include a formation manger sub-system (104) communicatively coupled to the formation commander sub-system. Each vehicle of one or more vehicles within one or more teams may be configured to employ the formation manager sub-system. The formation manager sub-system may be configured to receive the one or more task-based commands along with the one or more sets of task-based options for each vehicle to perform.