HMI Module for Unmanned Vehicle Visual Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Manually-operated vehicle crew members have limited battlefield awareness due to cockpit design and sensor line of sight limitations, relying on outdated and inaccurate external radio communications for situational awareness, especially in areas like landing/evacuation zones.
Innovation Solution
An electronic human machine interface (HMI) module that establishes a handover communication session between a manually-operated vehicle and an unmanned vehicle, enabling real-time image transmission and control of unmanned vehicle sensors, allowing enhanced visual access and automated control of unmanned vehicle operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If crew members rely on external radio communication and ground personnel for situational awareness, then information can be obtained, but the information is limited, outdated, and inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The unmanned vehicle is deployed in advance to reach the point of interest before the manually-operated vehicle arrives. This preliminary positioning allows the unmanned vehicle to capture and transmit real-time images of the area ahead of time, providing the crew with current situational awareness information before they need to make decisions about landing or evacuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The unmanned vehicle serves as an intermediary between the manually-operated vehicle and the point of interest. It captures images at the remote location and transmits them to the crew, acting as a visual mediator that bridges the gap between the crew's limited cockpit view and the actual battlefield conditions at the point of interest.
2Measurement precision
If ground personnel are positioned close to the point of interest to provide accurate information, then information accuracy improves, but ground personnel safety is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The unmanned vehicle creates a visual copy of the point of interest environment by capturing images with its sensors and transmitting them to the crew. This allows the crew to view the battlefield area as if they were physically present at the location, obtaining accurate situational awareness information without exposing any personnel to danger.
Solution Approach 2:
The unmanned vehicle acts as an intermediary that physically positions itself in the hazardous area while keeping human personnel safe. It performs the dangerous function of being close to the point of interest and transmitting visual information back to the safely-located crew, eliminating the need for ground personnel to be exposed to harm.
3Loss of information
If the manually-operated vehicle is equipped with advanced sensors to improve battlefield awareness, then situational awareness improves, but the vehicle complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensing function is segmented and separated from the manually-operated vehicle and placed on the unmanned vehicle instead. This allows the manually-operated vehicle to maintain its simpler, lighter sensor configuration while the unmanned vehicle carries the imaging sensors needed for battlefield awareness, dividing the system into two specialized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The unmanned vehicle serves multiple functions: it acts as an extended sensor platform for battlefield awareness, provides real-time imaging capability, and can be controlled remotely by the crew. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for the manually-operated vehicle to be equipped with complex sensor systems for all these functions.
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic human machine interface (HMI) module is configured to receive at least one input from an operator of a manually-operated vehicle. The electronic HMI module includes an electronic graphical display unit and an electronic control module. The electronic graphical display unit is configured to display information corresponding to the manually-operated vehicle and information corresponding to an autonomously operated unmanned vehicle (UV) located remotely from the manually-operated vehicle. The electronic control module is in signal communication with the UV and is configured to receive an electronic image signal from the UV. The electronic control module is further configured to display a real-time image captured by the UV on the electronic graphical display unit based on the image signal.