METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR UNMANNED VEHICLE COMMAND, CONTROL, AND COMMUNICATION

摘要

Methods and apparatus are provided for command andcontrol of an unmanned vehicle ("UV"). A preferredembodiment of the invention includes a Virtual Pilot("VP"), which includes a Brain and an Arena. The Brainincludes rules governing the behavior of the UV andinformation on missions to be performed. The Arenaincludes state information about the UV and itsenvironment. UVs in a swarm communicate with each other,as well as with various ground stations, through regularupdates. Backup schemes are provided to deal with thefailure of a UV module, thereby providing partialdegradations in performance. Communication among the UVsand ground stations of a system employ a probabilisticscheme that promotes high spectral efficiency.