Patent ID: 8186589

Claim:
A hierarchical multiple UAV decision and control system comprising two or more armed UAV's dispatched onto a theater environment in order to search, detect and attack time-critical attack targets, and at least two of the following means: (i) flocking means based on a behavioral heuristic algorithm wherein said algorithm controls the velocity and heading of the UAV's and is configured so that each UAV can calculate the required velocity and heading independently and each UAV communicates control information comprising flocking data with said UAV's closest neighbors only; (ii) wireless ad-hoc communications means between the UAV's as follows: for communicating attack target list and flocking information both from a root node of a tree comprising one of the UAVs, downstream towards other nodes comprising others of the UAVs in sub-trees depending from the root node and from each node upstream towards the root node; the root node gathers task assignment and flocking data calculated by the UAVs in the root's sub-trees, calculates global functions, task assignment and flocking data for the UAVs in the tree; the root node distributes said global functions, task assignment and flocking data back to the UAVs in the root's sub-trees; in conditions where communication between the UAV's is constantly disrupted due to dynamic changes in the field, the constant flow of upstream and downstream data improves the overall efficiency of the UAV's in the tree; and (iii) task assignment means configured so that each UAV, using a graph-theoretic approach, locates all detectable attack targets; identifies said attack targets; computes the distance to each of said attack targets; and independently produces an attack plan based on system parameters, such that said attack plan optimizes the distances between said UAV's to said attack targets.