Dynamic replanning on demand of UAS constellations performing ISR missions

Daniel W. Stouch; Ernest Zeidman; William Callahan; Kirk McGraw

doi:10.1117/12.883030

23 May 2011 Dynamic replanning on demand of UAS constellations performing ISR missions

Daniel W. Stouch, Ernest Zeidman, William Callahan, Kirk McGraw

Proceedings Volume 8045, Unmanned Systems Technology XIII; 80450F (2011) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.883030
Event: SPIE Defense, Security, and Sensing, 2011, Orlando, Florida, United States

Abstract

Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have proven themselves to be indispensable in providing intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) over the battlefield. Constellations of heterogeneous, multi-purpose UAS are being tasked to provide ISR in an unpredictable environment. This necessitates the dynamic replanning of critical missions as weather conditions change, new observation targets are identified, aircraft are lost or equipment malfunctions, and new airspace restrictions are introduced. We present a method to generate coordinated mission plans for constellations of UAS with multiple flight goals and potentially competing objectives, and update them on demand as the operational situation changes. We use a fast evolutionary algorithm-based, multi-objective optimization technique. The updated flight routes maintain continuity by considering where the ISR assets have already flown and where they still need to go. Both the initial planning and replanning take into account factors such as area of analysis coverage, restricted operating zones, maximum control station range, adverse weather effects, military terrain value, and sensor performance. Our results demonstrate that by constraining the space of potential solutions using an intelligently-formed air maneuver network with a subset of potential airspace corridors and navigational waypoints, we can ensure global optimization for multiple objectives considering the situation both before and after the replanning is initiated. We employ sophisticated visualization techniques using a geographic information system to help the user 'look under the hood" of the algorithms to understand the effectiveness and viability of the generated ISR mission plans and identify potential gaps in coverage.

Citation Download Citation

Daniel W. Stouch, Ernest Zeidman, William Callahan, and Kirk McGraw "Dynamic replanning on demand of UAS constellations performing ISR missions", Proc. SPIE 8045, Unmanned Systems Technology XIII, 80450F (23 May 2011); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.883030

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available