Physical and logical components of a long line loiter control system address control of a long line loiter maneuver conducted beneath a carrier, such as a fixed-wing aircraft. Control may comprise identifying, predicting, and reacting to estimated states and predicted states of the carrier, a suspended load control system, and a long line. Identifying, predicting, and reacting to estimated states and predicted states may comprise determining characteristics of state conditions over time as well as response time between state conditions. Reacting may comprise controlling a hoist of the carrier, controlling thrusters of the suspended load control system, and or controlling or issuing flight control instructions to the carrier so as not to increase the response time and or to avoid a hazard.

Continued and precise operation of an agricultural implement exists even where a subsystem, such as a GPS receiver, wireless communicator, a sensor, or the like, fails, falters, or is otherwise unusable. Data is continually tracked to the extent possible during failure or faltering and is temporarily stored. To continue operations during periods of unavailability, a representation of planted ground is anticipated by other agricultural implements and/or calculated with agricultural data from other agricultural implements. Normal operations then continue until data sync can catch back up to real-time.

Continued and precise operation of an agricultural implement exists even where a subsystem, such as a GPS receiver, wireless communicator, a sensor, or the like, fails, falters, or is otherwise unusable. Data is continually tracked to the extent possible during failure or faltering and is temporarily stored. To continue operations during periods of unavailability, a representation of planted ground is anticipated by other agricultural implements and/or calculated with agricultural data from other agricultural implements. Normal operations then continue until data sync can catch back up to real-time.

In a network of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, an alert may be triggered when one of the vehicles switches from autonomous to manual mode. The alert may be communicated to nearby autonomous vehicles so that drivers of those vehicles may become aware of a potentially unpredictable manual driver nearby. Drivers of autonomous vehicles who may have become disengaged (e.g., sleeping, reading, talking, etc.) during autonomous driving may become re-engaged upon noticing the alert. A re-engaged driver may choose to switch his/her own vehicle from autonomous to manual mode in order to appropriately react to an unpredictable nearby manual driver. In additional or alternative embodiments, the alert may be triggered or intensified when indications of impairment of a nearby driver or malfunction of a nearby vehicle are detected.

In a network of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, an alert may be triggered when one of the vehicles switches from autonomous to manual mode. The alert may be communicated to nearby autonomous vehicles so that drivers of those vehicles may become aware of a potentially unpredictable manual driver nearby. Drivers of autonomous vehicles who may have become disengaged (e.g., sleeping, reading, talking, etc.) during autonomous driving may become re-engaged upon noticing the alert. A re-engaged driver may choose to switch his/her own vehicle from autonomous to manual mode in order to appropriately react to an unpredictable nearby manual driver. In additional or alternative embodiments, the alert may be triggered or intensified when indications of impairment of a nearby driver or malfunction of a nearby vehicle are detected.

A control system for controlling a flight vehicle, includes the following elements. A first buffer, coupled to a motor unit of the flight vehicle. A second buffer, coupled to the motor unit. A master control unit, for generating a first actuation signal, the first actuation signal is selectively provided to the motor unit through the first buffer. A slave control unit, for generating a second actuation signal, the second actuation signal is selectively provided to the motor unit through the second buffer. A logic determination unit, for generating a switch control signal to control the first buffer and the second buffer to be turned ON or turned OFF. The master control unit and the slave control unit monitor each other for abnormality, when the master control unit is abnormal, the second actuation signal is provided to the motor unit in response to the switch control signal.

A control system for controlling a flight vehicle, includes the following elements. A first buffer, coupled to a motor unit of the flight vehicle. A second buffer, coupled to the motor unit. A master control unit, for generating a first actuation signal, the first actuation signal is selectively provided to the motor unit through the first buffer. A slave control unit, for generating a second actuation signal, the second actuation signal is selectively provided to the motor unit through the second buffer. A logic determination unit, for generating a switch control signal to control the first buffer and the second buffer to be turned ON or turned OFF. The master control unit and the slave control unit monitor each other for abnormality, when the master control unit is abnormal, the second actuation signal is provided to the motor unit in response to the switch control signal.

The present invention provides methods and systems for remote operation of a vehicle with the capability to deal with communications jitter and intermittency. In particular, the methods and systems herein may safely predict a remote operator's intent (e.g., remote pilot) over long time scales, and up to the lost link timeout T.sub.LL.

The present invention provides methods and systems for remote operation of a vehicle with the capability to deal with communications jitter and intermittency. In particular, the methods and systems herein may safely predict a remote operator's intent (e.g., remote pilot) over long time scales, and up to the lost link timeout T.sub.LL.

A control system an unmanned vehicle includes a first processing unit configured to execute a primary autopilot process for controlling the unmanned vehicle. The control system further includes a programmable logic array in operative communication with the first processing unit. The control system also includes a state machine configured in the programmable logic array. The state machine is configured to enable control of the unmanned vehicle according to a backup autopilot process in response to an invalid output of the first processing unit.