Control system architecture for a remotely operated unmanned land vehicle

Techbase Enhancements for Autonomous Machines (TEAM) is a joint effort among several US Army organizations, national laboratories, and commercial contractors to develop a vehicle control system that can support a mix of capabilities ranging from master-slave teleoperation to autonomous control. The overall TEAM control system architecture and the design of the mobility and communication functions are described. The architecture is based on the real-time control system (RCS), a hierarchical, sensory-based control system. In this application, RCS controls all vehicle mobility functions, coordinates the operations of the other subsystems on the vehicle, and communicates between the vehicle and the remote operator control station. The functional modules of the control system and their responsibilities are described, with emphasis placed on the modules that support mobility functions. The design of the mobility and communication subsystems and the implementation of the mobility and communication control systems are outlined