Simplified Robotics Avionics System: A Integrated Modular Architecture Applied Across a Group of Robotic Elements (2006)

The latest NASA initiative for Human Space, namely the Space Exploration Vision, which encompasses Project Constellation, provides new opportunities for system implementation. The second wave of development after Crew Exploration Vehicle and Crew Launch Vehicle development, and following Shuttle retirement, will be development of lunar base concepts and operations leading to early robotic missions. The current vision for lunar base implementation anticipates that there will be highly integrated robotic pre-construction operations and robotic assistants for the astronauts. In preparation for this robotics involvement, there is a series of robotic precursor missions to the Moon and Mars. Historically, many humans are required to control a single robot; in practice the Mars Exploration Rovers require a staff of approximately 70 to support continual operation of a single robotic rover. In addition robotic avionics has typically been customized for each robot. While this has been effective for prior robotic missions, the habitation and exploration of the Moon and Mars requires many robots working in tandem with humans. The limited NASA budget to implement the Space Exploration Vision requires that multiple robots be commanded by a minimal operations staff and that a common set of avionics electronics be used across the multitude of robots needed. Traditional robotic avionics do not address either the additional autonomy or commonality required by this new set of robotic missions. One solution to address these concepts is to apply a Honeywell patent pending architecture that uses an integrated modular avionics (IMA) approach across a multiplicity of robots. This concept treats a group of robotic elements as a single system. Instead of each robot having a separate avionics system, a single shared avionics system will be deployed across the robots. This sharing would be implemented using an IMA system approach with each element of the robotic system being connected using a Virtual Backplanetrade. The IMA approach is a next generation avionics architecture where each element knows when an internal failure occurs and removes itself from the system. IMA utilizes a fail passive design that communicates to a COTS backplane for input/output and to the aforementioned Virtual Backplanetrade for intra-system communication. Each robot implements either single or multiple hardware-enhanced ARINC-653 software partitions. Together these partitions form a single system that provides the simplicity of a simplex system; implements the highest levels of reliability; provides the flexibility to easily reconfigure both software applications and hardware interfaces; allows for rapid prototyping using low-cost COTS hardware; and is easily expandable beyond the initial point implementation. The avionics for each robot interfaces to the local sensors and effectors. The high-level control of the robot may be local or may reside on another robot, a group of robots, or a remote base station. From a system standpoint, control of multiple robots is viewed as a single system with multiple components as opposed to multiple individual systems interacting together. The system level control could include redundant elements spread across multiple robots depending on the level of fault tolerance and reliability that is required. The robotic system could also be dynamically reconfigured when multiple elements (robot assistants, robotic vehicles) join or leave the system, adjusting to changing mission needs. The application of IMA principles to robotics applications provides an infrastructure that has been demonstrated to reduce cost, schedule, and risk throughout the life of the program. In addition, this infrastructure provides the means for applying new approaches to solving problems such as multi-robot collaboration