Plug and play modular mission payloads
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorClay Armstrong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The present application discloses plug and play modular mission payloads in the context of aerial vehicles, and a supporting open system architecture that moves the control function of mission payloads away from the ground station and into the aerial vehicle. The plug-and-play (PnP) modular mission payloads and web-based payload interface software resides in a payload computer in the vehicle, and this is networked via a uniform resource locator (URL) addressing scheme to a ground control station. Consequently, when new payload types are added to the system, integration issues and costs are minimized.
Claims13
A system for remote control of any of a variety of different payloads in a vehicle, comprising:
- a dedicated payload computer resident in said vehicle and connected to a payload therein for control thereof;
- a software module resident on said payload computer and containing payload-specific data parameters inclusive of weight and power consumption;
- a software application resident on said payload computer and including a generic command set as required to control a variety of different payloads, said generic software application incorporating the data parameters of the software module into said generic command set for issuing payload-specific commands to said payload;
- and
- a control station inclusive of a computer, display, and communication link for providing a remote human computer interface with said payload via the payload computer.
A system for remotely controlling a payload in a vehicle, comprising:
- a payload computer resident in the vehicle and connected to a payload therein for control, said payload computer including,
- a discrete software module loaded in said payload computer and containing data parameters specific to said payload, and
- a generic software application loaded in said payload computer and containing a generic instructions for controlling a variety of different payloads;
- whereby said generic software application assimilates the data parameters of the discrete software module into its generic instructions to thereby issue payload-specific commands to the payload.
A system for remotely controlling payloads in a vehicle of a type having a payload computer resident therein for connection to a variety of payloads for control, comprising:
- a generic software application containing generic instructions for controlling said variety of different payloads;
- and
- a discrete software module loaded in said payload computer and containing data parameters specific to one of said payloads;
- whereby said generic software application assimilates the data parameters of the discrete software module into its generic instructions to thereby issue payload-specific commands to the payloads.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.