Unmanned Vehicle Constraint Control for Region-Based Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Unmanned vehicles face operational challenges due to environmental restrictions that are not readily detectable or represented in maps, making it difficult for them to navigate and perform tasks effectively in various environments.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for generating and deploying operational constraints, which include type identifiers, region indications, and property definitions, are stored on a computing device and communicated to unmanned vehicles to control their operation within specific environments, allowing for task assignments and path planning while adhering to these constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If unmanned vehicles rely only on map-based physical characteristics for navigation, then map representation is simple and straightforward, but the vehicles cannot handle operational restrictions that are not readily detectable or represented in maps
Solution Approach 1:
A centralized constraint management system acts as an intermediary between the environment's operational restrictions and the unmanned vehicles. This system stores, manages, and distributes constraint information to vehicles, allowing vehicles to operate in complex environments without each vehicle needing to detect or interpret all restrictions independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Operational constraints are pre-defined, stored, and made available to vehicles before they enter specific regions. By preparing constraint information in advance and distributing it proactively to vehicles, the system enables vehicles to plan their operations ahead of time while maintaining flexibility to adapt to different environmental restrictions.
2Reliability
If operational constraints are stored and managed centrally, then vehicles can receive comprehensive constraint information, but communication overhead and data transmission requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The constraint management system pre-loads and stores all operational constraints in a centralized database before vehicles need them. When vehicles request constraints for their current or upcoming regions, the information is already prepared and can be transmitted quickly, reducing communication overhead and retrieval time while maintaining complete and accurate constraint data.
3Ease of operation
If vehicles receive detailed operational constraints for each region, then they can operate more safely and efficiently, but the amount of data to be processed and stored increases
Solution Approach 1:
The constraint management system divides the operational environment into distinct regions, each with its own set of constraints. Vehicles receive constraint information segmented by region and spatial coordinates, allowing them to process only the constraints relevant to their current location and upcoming tasks, rather than storing and processing all possible constraints for the entire environment.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods and apparatus are provided for handling operational constraints for unmanned vehicles. The system includes: a plurality of mobile unmanned vehicles for deployment in an environment; a computing device connected to the plurality of unmanned vehicles via a network, the computing device storing, in a memory, a plurality of operational constraints; each operational constraint including (i) a type identifier, (ii) an indication of a region of the environment, and (iii) a property defining a constraint on the operation of the unmanned vehicles within the region. The computing device is configured to: receive a request from one of the mobile unmanned vehicles, the request identifying an operational constraint; responsive to receiving the request, retrieve an operational constraint from the memory based on the request; and send the retrieved operational constraint to the one of the mobile unmanned vehicles.