Patent ID: 8634982
Filing Date: 2014-01-21
Classification: G05D

Abstract:
1. A method of planning sensor platform movement, comprising: dividing an area of interest into a grid of grid cells, each grid cell having a target probability and the sensor platform having a starting point corresponding to one of the grid cells; determining, via a computer system, a heuristic for the sensor platform by: determining, via the computer system, a current best path through the grid cells of the area of interest for a number of moves up to the look ahead depth; pruning, via the computer system, possible sensor platform movements by iterating a beginning branch and bound function for the predetermined number of steps in the look ahead depth, by comparing potential branches with the current best path, and eliminating potential branches that are not better than the current best path, wherein the potential branches each include a current node corresponding to the current step in the look ahead depth and ancestor and successor nodes collectively equal to the look ahead depth minus one, the current node having a value corresponding to a target probability of a feasible move, each ancestor node having a value corresponding to a target probability of a feasible move and each successor node having a value corresponding to a target probability of the heuristic; and tasking the sensor platform in accordance with the pruned possible sensor platform movements.