Method and System for Controlling a Remote Vehicle

Abstract

A system for controlling one or more remote vehicles. The system includes an operator control unit with a touch-screen user interface comprising an initial screen including a map view window that facilitates operator entry of mission commands to one or more remote vehicles, a remote vehicle selection/detection window allowing the operator to see which remote vehicles have been detected by the operator control unit and select among those vehicles to display a detailed window for the selected remote vehicle, the detailed window including status information regarding the remote vehicle, and a button or icon for launching a control application including the initial screen and the remote vehicle selection/detection window. The map view window displays a map of a remote vehicle environment.

1 . A system including an operator control unit with a touch-screen user interface comprising:
 an initial screen including a map view window that facilitates operator entry of mission commands to one or more remote vehicles detected by the operator control unit, the map view window displaying:
 a remote vehicle selection portion allowing selection of multiple remote vehicles to control when multiple remote vehicles are detected by the operator control unit; and 
 a map of a remote vehicle environment, the map view window allowing the operator to, for each selected remote vehicle:
 set a navigation target for the selected remote vehicle by touching a corresponding area of the map to which the selected remote vehicle should navigate; and 
 indicate on the map an intended path for the selected remote vehicle, the intended path having a number of waypoints between a current position of the selected remote vehicle and the navigation target, the map view window displaying the waypoints as dots along the intended path on the map; 
 
   a remote vehicle status window allowing the operator to see which of the one or more remote vehicles have been detected by the operator control unit and displaying a detailed window for the selected remote vehicle, the detailed window including status information regarding the selected remote vehicle and allowing the operator to teleoperate the selected remote vehicle; and   a button or icon for launching a control application including the initial screen and the map view window.   
     
     
         2 . (canceled) 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each detected remote vehicle appears as an icon on the map of the remote vehicle environment, the icon indicating a location of the remote vehicle within the remote vehicle environment. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein each remote vehicle icon is a different color. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein each remote vehicle is represented by a button in the remote vehicle selection/detection window, the button for each remote vehicle matching the icon color for that vehicle. 
     
     
         6 - 7 . (canceled) 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the map view window shows a status halo for each remote vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . A method for controlling one or more remote vehicles by touching a screen, the method comprising:
 launching a control application including an initial screen allowing touch navigation to a map view window, a remote vehicle availability window, and one or more remote vehicle detail windows, the map view window displaying:
 a remote vehicle selection portion allowing selection of multiple remote vehicles to control when multiple remote vehicles are detected by the operator control unit; and 
 a map of a remote vehicle environment, the map view window allowing the operator to, for each selected remote vehicle:
 set a navigation target for the selected remote vehicle by touching a corresponding area of the map to which the selected remote vehicle should navigate; and 
 indicate on the map an intended path for the selected remote vehicle, the intended path having a number of waypoints between a current position of the selected remote vehicle and the navigation target, the map view window displaying the waypoints as dots along the intended path on the map; 
 
   selecting at least one remote vehicle to control via touch-screen manipulation of the remote vehicle availability window;   issuing teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch screen manipulation of the map view window; and   issuing teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch-screen manipulation of a remote vehicle detail window.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 issuing a first level of teleoperation commands for at least one selected remote vehicle via touch screen manipulation of the map view window; and   issuing a second level of teleoperation commands for the at least one selected remote vehicle via touch-screen manipulation of the remote vehicle detail window.   
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the current position of the at least one selected remote vehicle on the map is indicated by an icon and a status of the at least one selected remote vehicle is indicated by a colored halo surrounding the icon. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the remote vehicle availability window lists remote vehicles controllable via the control application. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the remote vehicle detail window includes status information regarding the at least one selected remote vehicle and allows touch-screen control of the at least one selected remote vehicle. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise autonomous behaviors including one or more of: a follow-path behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior; a follow-waypoints behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior; a follow-street behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior; or a follow-perimeter behavior and an obstacle detection and avoidance behavior. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise autonomous behaviors including one or more of: a follow-path behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior; a follow-waypoints behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior; a follow-street behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior; or a follow-perimeter behavior and an automatic flipper deployment behavior. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise low-level teleoperation commands indicative of non-autonomous operation of the one or more remote vehicles. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise intermediate level teleoperation commands including at least one directed command from the operator and at least one autonomous behavior. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mission commands comprise high-level teleoperation commands indicative of autonomous behaviors. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each remote vehicle comprises one or more sensors different from one or more sensors of another remote vehicle. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the map view window further displays a click control portion comprising at least one of a follow robot control, an edit path control, or a link control;
 wherein the follow robot control allows the operator to instruct a first remote vehicle to follow a second remote vehicle;   wherein the edit path control allows the operator to change a path or add a segment to the path of the selected remote vehicle; and   wherein the link control allows the operator to select a leader remote vehicle and instruct any remaining remote vehicles to maintain a proximity to the leader remote vehicle.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the click control portion allows the operator to define a touch input as setting a waypoint on the map, wherein setting the waypoint commands each selected remote vehicle to travel to a position of the waypoint relative to the current position of the selected remote vehicle while autonomously avoiding obstacles.