A behavior-based architecture for unmanned aerial vehicles

This work proposes an overall behavior-based control scheme for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), from concept to implementation. Task plan, event disposal and vehicle-user cooperation are integrated in the architecture. The work is of three parts: first, basic issues for behavior-based architecture are discussed, including definition of behaviors, behavior modes, the concept of schema and user intervention. Second, we give a brief version of software-part of the architecture, making out an overall family of schema for UAV. The schema, which is defined as an event-driven behavior program, is designed to conduct the UAV operation. Third, the system structure for the architecture is proposed consisting of ground station (users), schema block and behavior executor. We make a major discussion on behavior execution, giving a method linking UAV behaviors with flight control system that used to be complicated and hierarchical. The idea of componentialization is involved. Human-machine cooperation is a strong concern and idea of layered cooperation is employed In this work.