A concurrent, object-oriented implementation for the tactical level of the rational behavior model software architecture for UUV control

Abstract

The rational behavior model (RBM) is a tri-level, multiparadigm software architecture for robotic vehicles, such as autonomous underwater vehicles. Among the RBM's strategic, tactical, and execution levels, the tactical level performs a role to bridge the strategic and execution levels. That is, it provides behaviors to the strategic level and controls the execution level based on the commands (behavior activations) from the strategic level. To meet these requirements while maintaining non-interrupted vehicle operation, the tactical level has to be able to handle the concurrently operating behaviors. This paper describes a concurrent, object-oriented implementation for the tactical level of the NPS autonomous underwater vehicle with use of the Ada task construct. This paper also presents evaluation scenarios and results obtained from the NPS AUV high fidelity dynamic simulator.