Hierarchical Plan Execution for Cooperative UxV Missions

A generic reasoning approach for autonomous unmanned vehicle (UxV) mission execution is presented. The system distinguishes (a) mission planning and (b) mission execution, treating these as separate but closely interdependent stages. The context of the work is that of tactical military operations, and the focus of the current (simulated) application is on ground-based platforms. The reference behavior for the UxVs is defined by military doctrine. Two operational requirements are met: (1) Mission plan and execution must be constructed such that they can be understood and evaluated (prior to giving the go ahead for the platforms to commence the mission) by a decision maker. (2) Mission plan and execution must account for both observations/information gathered during execution (for example, the spotting of enemy units) and for foreseeable changes in the internal and external situation (e.g., a sub-system failure, or changes in terrain or weather).