Natural Language Mission Planning Interface

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing mission planning techniques, particularly map-based software, are slow, unnatural, and difficult to extend, making it challenging to capture all relevant mission parameters and their relationships in a graphical manner while enabling real-time manipulation.

Innovation Solution

A natural language mission planning system that uses an autonomous mission management module to construct and populate a mission narrative with options, allowing operators to plan missions using a familiar interface, reducing operator error and improving safety and efficiency by simplifying the user interface and prepopulating fields based on operator inputs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If map-based software is used for mission planning, then visual representation of mission parameters is provided, but the planning process becomes slow and difficult to manipulate in real-time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemission parametersVSAvoidmission planning speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces the mechanical interaction with map-based graphical interfaces with a natural language processing system. Operators speak or type mission parameters in natural language, and the system automatically parses and processes this language input to generate mission plans, eliminating the need for manual manipulation of complex graphical interfaces while maintaining complete capture of mission parameters

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces natural language as an intermediary between the operator and the mission planning system. Instead of directly interacting with complex software interfaces, operators communicate mission intent through natural language, which serves as a mediator that the system automatically translates into structured mission parameters and executable plans

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Loss of information

If complex graphical interfaces are used to capture all mission parameters, then completeness of mission planning is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemission parametersVSAvoiduser interface complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex graphical user interfaces with natural language processing. Operators simply speak or type their mission intent in natural language, and the system automatically extracts all necessary parameters, eliminating the need for operators to navigate complex menus, forms, and graphical elements while ensuring complete parameter capture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs automatic parameter extraction and mission plan generation from natural language input without requiring operators to manually fill out forms or configure settings. The natural language interface itself serves the function of automatically capturing and structuring all mission parameters, making the system self-sufficient in gathering necessary information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Manufacturing precision

If traditional mission planning software is used, then detailed mission control is achieved, but operator error increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemission plan accuracyVSAvoidoperator error rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system provides feedback by presenting the generated mission plan back to the operator in natural language format for review and confirmation. This allows operators to verify that their spoken or typed intent has been correctly interpreted and that the resulting mission plan accurately reflects their requirements, reducing errors from misinterpretation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces manual configuration and verification processes with automated natural language processing. The system automatically parses natural language input, extracts parameters, generates mission plans, and presents them for confirmation, eliminating manual errors associated with complex interface manipulation while maintaining detailed mission control

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS10528063B2Natural language mission planning and interface

Publication Date: 2020.01.07 SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORP

AI summary

An example computer-implemented method for natural language mission planning includes: responsive to receiving a request to initiate mission planning for a selected mission type from a plurality of mission types, constructing, by a processing system, a mission narrative that describes a mission intent based on the selected mission type, the mission narrative comprising a plurality of fields; populating, by the processing system, the plurality of fields in the mission narrative from an autonomous mission manager based on the selected mission type with options to be selected by a mission planner; responsive to presenting the populated plurality of fields to the mission planner, filling, by the processing system, the mission narrative with the received selected options; creating, by the processing system, an optimized mission plan based on the mission narrative; and controlling, by the processing system, a vehicle based on the optimized mission plan.