Systems and methods for controlling movement of unmanned vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8965620-B2
Application number	US-201313761321-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2013
Priority date	Feb 7, 2013
Publication date	Feb 24, 2015
Grant date	Feb 24, 2015

Abstract

Control units ( 10 ) for use with unmanned vehicles ( 12 ) include an input device ( 50 ) that moves in response to a user input, sensors ( 70 ) coupled to the input device ( 50 ), and a controller ( 16 ). The sensors ( 70 ) generate outputs related to the movement of the input device ( 50 ). The controller ( 16 ) determines a target displacement of the unmanned vehicle ( 12 ) based on the outputs of the sensors ( 70 ), and generates a control input related to the target displacement. The control input, when received by the unmanned vehicle ( 12 ), causes the unmanned vehicle ( 12 ) to substantially attain the target displacement. The position of the vehicle ( 12 ) is thus controlled by directly controlling the displacement of the vehicle ( 12 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising an unmanned vehicle and a control unit communicatively coupled to the unmanned vehicle:
the unmanned vehicle comprising:
a body;
a movable element coupled to the body;
an actuating device operable to move the movable element; and
a first controller communicatively coupled to the actuating device and being operable to activate and deactivate the actuating device in response to control inputs generated by the control unit;

the c…

Assignees

• Harris Corp

Inventors

• Bosscher Paul M
• Summer Matthew D
• Wilkinson Loran J

Classifications

• B25J13/006

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B25J5/005

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B25J19/023

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B25J13/065

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• G05D2201/0207

  Physics · mapped topic