Dynamic compliance monitoring of unmanned vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016378113-A1
Application number	US-201615150108-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 9, 2016
Priority date	May 29, 2015
Publication date	Dec 29, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system includes an unmanned vehicle (UV). A compliance unit receives sensor data from one or more sensors and compares the sensor data to a predetermined payload capacity threshold and a predetermined range capability threshold to determine compliance with a predetermined payload capacity and a predetermined range capability of the UV. The compliance unit generates a command to restrict the operation of the UV if the sensor data exceeds the predetermined payload capacity threshold and the predetermined range capability threshold of the UV.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system, comprising:
an unmanned vehicle (UV); and a compliance unit that receives sensor data from one or more sensors and compares the sensor data to a predetermined payload capacity threshold and a predetermined range capability threshold to determine compliance with a predetermined payload capacity and a predetermined range capability of the UV, the compliance unit generates a command to restrict the operation of the UV if the sensor data exceeds the predetermined payload capacity threshold and the predetermined range capability threshold of the UV.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the compliance unit receives data from at least one strain gauge to determine compliance with the predetermined payload capacity and receives data from at least one fuel sensor to determine compliance with the range capability the UV.

3 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the compliance unit receives the sensor data in an encrypted format from the at least one strain gauge and the at least one fuel sensor to determine compliance.

4 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a vehicle management system to control operations of the UV, the vehicle management system (VMS) directs the UV on a mission in response to an enable command from the compliance unit indicating that the respective predetermined thresholds are not exceeded.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the compliance unit sends a disable command to the VMS to prevent a launch or shut down the UV if the predetermined payload capacity or the predetermined range capability has exceeded the respective predetermined thresholds.

6 . The system of claim 4 , further comprising a router that passes encrypted configuration items to the VMS that are checked against the respective predetermined thresholds in the compliance unit.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the router receives global position data from an internal navigation unit that is passed to the compliance unit via the VMS as location data to further check compliance with the predetermined range capability of the UV.

8 . The system of claim 4 , the compliance unit further comprises a perch check module to detect whether the predetermined payload capacity has been exceeded during execution of a mission by the UV.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the perch check module monitors at least one of air data, engine performance characteristics, and zero weight data to calculate payload weight during the mission to detect whether the predetermined payload capacity has been exceeded during execution of the mission by the UV.

10 . The system of claim 4 , wherein the VMS receives data from at least one of a zero weight sensor, a landing force sensor, an air data sensor, and an engine performance sensor that is passed to the compliance unit to determine whether the respective predetermined thresholds are exceeded.

11 . An unmanned vehicle (UV), comprising:
a vehicle management system (VMS) to control operations of the UV, the VMS receives encrypted configuration items that specify threshold data relating to a payload capacity and a range capability of the UV, the threshold data includes a predetermined payload capacity threshold and a predetermined range capability threshold of the UV; and a compliance unit that controls compliance of the UV to a predetermined payload capacity and a predetermined range capability of the UV, the compliance unit monitors sensor data from one or more sensors and compares the sensor data to a predetermined payload capacity threshold and a predetermined range capability threshold to determine compliance with the predetermined payload capacity and the predetermined range capability of the UV, the compliance unit notifies the VMS to restrict the operation of the UV if the sensor data exceeds the predetermined payload capacity threshold and the predetermined range capability threshold of the UV.

12 . The unmanned vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the compliance unit receives data from at least one strain gauge to determine compliance with the predetermined payload capacity and receives data from at least one fuel sensor to determine compliance with the range capability of the UV.

13 . The unmanned vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the compliance unit sends a disable command to the VMS to prevent a launch or shut down the UV if the predetermined payload capacity or the predetermined range capability has exceeded the respective predetermined thresholds.

14 . The unmanned vehicle of claim 11 , further comprising a router that passes encrypted configuration items to the VMS that are checked against the respective predetermined thresholds in the compliance unit.

15 . The unmanned vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the router receives global position data from an internal navigation unit that is passed to the compliance unit via the VMS as location data to further check compliance with the predetermined range capability of the UV.

16 . The unmanned vehicle of claim 11 , the compliance unit further comprises a perch check module to detect whether the predetermined payload capacity has been exceeded during execution of a mission by the UV.

17 . The unmanned vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the perch check module monitors at least one of air data, engine performance characteristics, and zero weight data to calculate payload weight during the mission to detect whether the predetermined payload capacity has been exceeded during execution of the mission by the UV.

18 . The unmanned vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the VMS receives data from at least one of a zero weight sensor, a landing force sensor, an air data sensor, and an engine performance sensor that is passed to the compliance unit to determine whether the respective predetermined thresholds are exceeded.

19 . A method, comprising:
monitoring decrypted sensor data, via a controller, for an unmanned vehicle (UV), the decrypted sensor data includes at least one of fuel sensor data, strain data, air speed data, and engine performance data that indicate a payload capacity and a range capability of the UV; receiving decrypted configuration items, via the controller, relating to a predetermined range threshold and a predetermined capacity threshold for the UV; comparing the decrypted sensor data to the predetermined range threshold and the predetermined capacity threshold of the UV, via the controller, to determine if the sensor data exceeds the thresholds; enabling the UV, via the controller, if the sensor data indicates payload capacity and range capability of the UV that is less than the predetermined thresholds; and disabling the UV, via the controller, if the sensor data indicates payload capacity and range capability of the UV that is greater than or equal to the predetermined thresholds.

20 . The method of claim 19 , further comprising performing a perch check to detect compliance with the predetermined range and capacity thresholds during execution of a mission by the UV.

Assignees

• Bernhardt Jonathan
• Common Russell
• Campbell David B
• Northrop Grumman Systems Corp

Inventors

• Bernhardt Jonathan
• Common Russell
• Campbell David B

Classifications

• B64U2201/00

  UAVs characterised by their flight controls · CPC title

• G07C5/0808

  Diagnosing performance data (testing of vehicles G01M17/00; testing of electrical installation on vehicles G01R31/005) · CPC title

• G07C5/0841

  Registering performance data (recording measured values G01D; information storage G11B) · CPC title

• G08G5/57

  for unmanned aircraft · CPC title

• G08G5/55

  for a single aircraft · CPC title