Remote Vehicle Control With 3D Perceptual Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current remote vehicle control systems require nearly 100% operator focus for low-level teleoperation, limiting mission effectiveness and increasing safety risks due to lack of autonomy, as operators must constantly manage remote vehicles over long distances.
Innovation Solution
A remote vehicle control system with an operator control unit featuring a point-and-click interface, integrated sensor suite including GPS, IMU, stereo vision camera, and range sensor, and a computational module providing autonomous and semi-autonomous behaviors, enhancing situational awareness and reducing operator effort through 3D local perceptual space data and kinodynamic motion planning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If low-level teleoperation is used to control remote vehicles, then operator safety is improved through increased stand-off distances, but operator effectiveness deteriorates as nearly 100% of operator focus is required
Solution Approach 1:
The remote vehicle performs self-navigation and self-manipulation tasks through autonomous behaviors, freeing the operator from continuous low-level control requirements. The vehicle autonomously navigates to target locations, avoids obstacles, and manipulates objects based on high-level operator commands, enabling the operator to maintain safety distance while reducing cognitive load and improving overall mission effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-processes sensor data to create a shared 3D local perceptual space that anticipates and prepares navigation paths and manipulation strategies before operator input is required. This preliminary processing of environmental data enables the autonomous system to react quickly and accurately without requiring continuous operator attention, thus maintaining both safety distance and operational effectiveness
2Ease of operation
If autonomous behaviors are implemented in remote vehicles, then operator effort is reduced, but system complexity increases due to integrated sensor suites and computational modules
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple sensor types (GPS, IMU, stereo vision cameras, range sensors) are merged into a single integrated sensor suite that collectively provides comprehensive environmental perception. The computational module merges data from all sensors to construct a unified shared 3D local perceptual space, simplifying the operator interface while managing the complexity of individual sensor components through integration
Solution Approach 2:
The shared 3D local perceptual space acts as an intermediary representation between the complex sensor suite and the autonomous behavior engine. This intermediate data structure translates raw sensor inputs into a standardized format that the behavior engine can process, decoupling the complexity of sensor integration from the autonomy algorithms and simplifying overall system architecture
3Loss of information
If shared 3D local perceptual space is provided to operator, then situational awareness is improved, but data processing requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of providing the operator with complete global environmental data, the system provides a localized shared 3D perceptual space that focuses computational resources on the immediate vicinity of the remote vehicle. This local quality approach processes and transmits only the most relevant spatial information needed for current operations, reducing overall data processing requirements while maintaining excellent situational awareness for the operator
Data Source
AI summary
A system includes an operator control unit having a point-and-click interface configured to allow the operator to control the remote vehicle by inputting one or more commands via the point-and-click interface. The operator control unit displays a 3D local perceptual space comprising an egocentric coordinate system encompassing a predetermined distance centered on the remote vehicle, a remote vehicle representation having selectable portions, and an icon at a point selected in the 3D local perceptual space and at a corresponding location in an alternative view of a map having an identified current location of the remote vehicle. The system also includes a payload attached to the remote vehicle. The payload includes a computational module and an integrated sensor suite including a global positioning system, an inertial measurement unit, and a stereo vision camera.