6.4 Research Assignment Control Station Analysis

Black Knight Unmanned Vehicle Control Station

The Black Knight is an armored Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle (UGCV) (Valois, Herman, Bares, & Rice, 2008).  This UGCV is capable of forward scouting, surveillance, target acquisition, and performing missions that are deemed too hazardous to military personnel (National Robotics Engineering Center, 2016).  The 12 ton Black Knight with its 300 horsepower diesel engine can achieve speeds up to 15 miles per hour (mph) while being teleoperated or in autonomous mode in off highway terrain (National Robotics Engineering Center, 2016).  The National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) designed and engineered the control, teleoperation, perception, and on-board safety systems (National Robotics Engineering Center, 2016).  The platform is equipped with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology, Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), sophisticated stereo video cameras, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) sensors, wireless data link, and sensors that support both semi-autonomous and autonomous operations (National Robotics Engineering Center, 2016).  The vehicle is controlled by an operator in another vehicle from the Robotic Operator Control Station (ROCS) or off-board with a safety controller (National Robotics Engineering Center, 2016).

Figure 1. Black Knight unmanned ground vehicle with 25-mm cannon. Adapted from “Black Knight prototype unmanned combat vehicle” by Miliary-Today.com (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.military-today.com/apc/black_knight.htm.

As stated previously, the Black Knight is controlled by the ROCS, which is located with the operator in another independent armored vehicle (Valois, et al. 2008).  The ROCS is composed of a video monitor which displays synthesized views of the driving camera, the Operator Control Software (OCS), and the hand controller (Valois, et al. 2008).  The Operator Control Station (OCS) uses Microsoft Windows software which controls the Black Knight though the ROCS interface (Valois, et al. 2008).

Figure 2. Black Knight Robotic Operator Control Station. Adapted from “Remote operation of the black knight unmanned ground combat vehicle” by J. Valois, H. Herman, J. Bares, & D. Rice (2008).

The Autonomy, Perception, and Control Module (APCM), “contains all of the sensors, computers, power management, electronics, and networking equipment required to safely perform remote autonomous operations” (Valois, et al. 2008).  The APCM Planner module provides the information to the driver via the ROCS for orientation (Valois, et al. 2008).  The driver uses the hand controller to input driving commands to the Black Knight, and for camera control (Valois, et al. 2008).

Figure 3. Black Knight Modules and Operators. Adapted from “Remote operation of the black knight unmanned ground combat vehicle” by J. Valois, H. Herman, J. Bares, & D. Rice (2008).

The driver uses the joysticks on the hand controller during teleoperation for steering and speed control (Valois, et al. 2008).

In addition to the ROCS hand controller, the vehicle has a remote hand controller with a dedicated wireless connection to the Vehicle Controller Unit (VCU) (Valois, et al. 2008).  The hand controller is used by a safety officer, who is located in a separate vehicle (Valois, et al. 2008).  In the event that an unsafe condition occurs, the safety officer can issue a “stop” command (Valois, et al. 2008).  The hand controller can also be used for dismounted operations (Valois, et al. 2008).

The Black Knight suffers its own challenges; the most significant control station challenge are the operators’ themselves.  During operations, the vehicle takes a lot of abuse from the operators; since the drivers are not actually in the Black Knight, they tend to treat it more harshly and with more recklessness (Valois, et al. 2008).  I would recommend additional training for the drivers, to ensure they do not unnecessarily drive the vehicles to the breaking point.  The platform needs to be treated with the same care and concern as if the operators were actually inside the platform.

References:

Black Knight prototype combat vehicle. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.military-today.com/apc/black_knight.htm

National Robotics Engineering Center. (2016). Black Knight Overview. Retrieved from http://www.nrec.ri.cmu.edu/projects/black_knight/

Valois, J., Herman, H., Bares, J., & Rice, D. P. (2008). Remote operation of the black knight unmanned ground combat vehicle. Paper presented at the, 6962(1) doi:10.1117/12.782109