A method, apparatus and system for communication between robots

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method, device and system for communication between robots. In one aspect, the method comprises: establishing at least two wireless communication links of different modes between a first robot and a second robot, the at least two wireless communication links of different modes including at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working state. The at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working state include a first working link and a second working link. The first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate and a lower frequency band mode. The second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. When the first robot determines that a type of information to be transmitted is core control information, the first robot marks the information to be transmitted with a first mark, and sends one copy of the information to be transmitted to the second robot through the first working link and the second working link respectively. This helps to improve the reliability of communication between robots, etc.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of artificial intelligence communication technology, and in particular to a method, device and system for communication between robots. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the progress of science and technology, robot technology is also developing, and robots can achieve more and more functions and are applied in more and more scenarios. However, a single robot has limitations in information acquisition, processing and control capabilities, and cannot handle some complex work tasks. Therefore, in some complex and variable working environments, multiple robots need to work together in a group system to improve efficiency and accuracy. How to flexibly, efficiently and reliably communicate between multiple robots is a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0003] The method, device and system for communication between robots provided by the embodiments of the present application help to solve the problem of reliable communication when multiple robots work together in a group.

[0004] To solve the above problem, the first aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides a method for communication between robots, which comprises: establishing at least two different mode wireless communication links between a first robot and a second robot, the at least two different mode wireless communication links comprising at least two different mode and working state wireless communication links. The at least two different mode and working state wireless communication links comprise a first working link and a second working link. The first working link is a lower rate and lower frequency mode wireless communication link. The second working link is a higher rate mode wireless communication link. When the first robot determines that the type of information to be transmitted is core control information, the first robot marks the information to be transmitted with a first mark, and sends one copy of the information to be transmitted to the second robot through the first working link and the second working link respectively. The core control information is basic and critical information required for robots to establish a group and maintain group work, including but not limited to heartbeat information, relative coordinate position information, emergency braking, low battery, new discovery of group entry robot communication address information, map update notification, and wireless link channel information for service transmission. The first mark is used to indicate that the type of the information to be transmitted is the core control information. The first working link is dedicated to the transmission of the core control information.

[0005] By using the low-rate and low-band mode wireless link to transmit the core control information, the spatial range of the group is expanded, the anti-interference ability is enhanced, and the reliability and standby time are improved. By using the low-rate and low-band mode wireless link as a dedicated working link to transmit only the core control information, the robustness of the multi-robot group is improved, and the transmission of other non-core control information or application service information is avoided to interfere with the system stability of the group. By transmitting one copy of the core control information to each of the first working link and the second working link, the reliability of the core control information transmission is improved, and it is ensured that the core control information can still normally arrive at the second robot when the first working link fails.

[0006] In a possible design, the at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states include, but are not limited to, ZigBee, LoRA, WiFi, 4G, and 5G wireless communication links. The at least two wireless communication links of different modes have different communication frequencies and rates.

[0007] By establishing at least two wireless communication links of different modes between robots, not only the reliability of communication can be improved, but also the advantages of different modes of wireless communication links can be fully utilized to improve the efficiency and flexibility of group communication of robots.

[0008] In a possible design, the at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states further include a third working link. The third working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate. After the first robot marks the core control information with the first mark, the first robot further sends one copy of the core control information to the second robot through the third working link. When the first robot determines that the to-be-transmitted information is non-core control information or service data information, the first robot selects one link or two sharing links according to the situation of the to-be-transmitted information and the situations of the second working link and the third working link, marks the to-be-transmitted information with a second mark, and transmits the to-be-transmitted information through the selected second working link or third working link alone or through the selected second working link and third working link to share the transmission. The non-core control information is other control information than the core control information in the control information exchanged between robots, including but not limited to logs and alarms. The service data information includes but is not limited to application service information. The situation of the to-be-transmitted information includes but is not limited to the size of the information amount and the requirement on the transmission quality. The situation of the wireless communication link includes but is not limited to the transmission bandwidth, rate size, and quality of service (QoS) of the link. The second mark is used to indicate that the type of the to-be-transmitted information is the non-core control information or the service data information.

[0009] By sending a copy of the core control information (referred to as class A information) to the third working link, the reliability of the core control information transmission is further improved, ensuring that the core control information can still normally reach the second robot when the first and second working links fail.

[0010] By classifying the information processed by the robot into class A information (i.e., core control information) and class B information (i.e., non-core control information and service data information) according to importance, and marking the two types of information with an information type marker, it is helpful to provide more reliable transmission protection for the class A key information required by the robot group, and to provide more flexible, efficient and reliable transmission protection for the service application information of the robot. The mobile robot has strong mobility and intelligence. Through the correct transmission of the high-reliability protected class A information, the cluster system between the robots can work normally, and in the case of class B service failure, the robot can automatically troubleshoot and repair the failure.

[0011] In a possible design, the at least two different mode wireless communication links further include a first backup link, and the first backup link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. When the first robot detects that the second working link or the third working link fails, the first robot switches the to-be-transmitted information to the first backup link to send to the second robot.

[0012] By setting backup links for the second working link and the third working link that transmit class B information, the reliability of the transmission of class B information is improved, thereby ensuring the normal operation of non-core control services and data service applications.

[0013] In a possible design, the first robot sets a first cache area and a second cache area, the first cache area is used for storage and forwarding of the core control information, and the second cache area is used for storage and forwarding of the non-core control information and service data information. When the first robot detects that the amount of to-be-transmitted information in the first cache area or the second cache area exceeds a safety threshold, an alarm is sent to an upper layer application, prompting that the current information sending amount is too large and is at risk of loss. When the first robot detects that the amount of to-be-transmitted information in the second cache area is within the safety threshold range, the required transmission link bandwidth is calculated according to the size of the increase in the amount of to-be-transmitted information in the second cache area within a monitoring time length, and one or two of the second working link and the third working link are selected to share the sending.

[0014] Through the setting of the safety threshold, early warning can be achieved, the speed of sending information can be adjusted, and information loss can be avoided, thereby effectively ensuring the reliability of the robot work. By monitoring the size of the increase or decrease of the amount of information to be transmitted in the second cache area within the monitoring duration, the transmission link is flexibly adjusted according to the increase or decrease of data, the risk of data loss caused by data surge and the problem of link waste caused by sudden decrease of data are avoided, the reliability and transmission efficiency of communication are improved, and the emergency response capability of the robot to automatically and flexibly respond to emergencies is improved.

[0015] In a possible design, the data packet issued by the upper application of the first robot contains information of a data type, the data type is divided into two types, A-type information and B-type information, the A-type information is the core control information, and the B-type information is the non-core control information and service data information.

[0016] By dividing the information processed and transmitted by the robot into two types, the efficiency, accuracy, and reliability of the robot in processing tasks can be improved by processing different types of information according to their characteristics.

[0017] In a possible design, the first robot periodically detects the communication quality of each wireless link, and marks a wireless link with low quality if the communication quality of the wireless link is lower than a quality threshold. The low-quality mark of the marked wireless link is canceled after the marked wireless link is detected T times and the quality of the marked wireless link is higher than the quality threshold, where T is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the second working link or the third working link in the working state, the first robot starts a master-backup switching process to switch the first backup link to the working state. When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the first backup link in the backup state, the first robot switches another wireless link in the backup state to the working state in the case of starting the master-backup switching process.

[0018] By marking a wireless link with low quality if the communication quality of the wireless link is lower than a quality threshold, and canceling the low-quality link mark after the marked wireless link is detected T times and the quality of the marked wireless link is higher than the quality threshold, the ability of the robot to flexibly manage and control wireless links is improved, and the efficiency, flexibility, and reliability of the robot in transmitting information are enhanced. Through the robot monitoring the link and the setting of the quality threshold, early warning and processing measures can be taken before the link fails, thereby improving the reliability of the robot in transmitting information.

[0019] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a method for communication between robots, the method comprising: establishing at least two wireless communication links of different modes between a second robot and a first robot, the at least two wireless communication links of different modes including at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states. The at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states include a first working link and a second working link. The first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate mode. The second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. The second robot receives core control information from the first robot through the first working link and the second working link. The second robot determines whether the first information received through the first working link and the second information received through the second working link are consistent, and if so, executes the core control information. If not, executes the first information as the core control information, and sends a first warning message to the first robot, the first warning message indicating that the information transmitted by the first working link and the second working link is inconsistent. The core control information is basic and critical information required for establishing a group and maintaining group work between robots, including but not limited to heartbeat information, relative coordinate position information, emergency braking, low battery, new found group entry robot communication address information, map update notification, and wireless link channel information for service transmission. The first working link is dedicated to transmission of the core control information.

[0020] By comparing the consistency of the first information and the second information, the accuracy and reliability of the second robot in executing the received information are improved. By executing the information received by the first working link in the case of inconsistent information, the relative accuracy of the second robot in executing the received information is improved. By sending a warning to the first robot in a timely manner in the case of link transmission error, the first robot can be notified to check the error cause in a timely manner, and the problem can be solved in a timely manner, thereby improving the reliability of communication between robots.

[0021] In a possible design, the at least two different mode and working state wireless communication links further include a third working link. The third working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. The second robot further receives the core control information from the first robot through the third working link, and the information received through the third working link is third information. After the second robot determines that the first information and the second information are inconsistent, the second robot continues to determine whether the first information and the third information are consistent, and if the first information and the third information are consistent, the second robot executes the first information as the core control information, and sends a second alarm message to the first robot, where the second alarm message indicates that the information transmitted by the second working link is inconsistent with the information transmitted by other working links. If the first information and the third information are inconsistent, the second robot continues to determine whether the second information and the third information are consistent, and if the second information and the third information are consistent, the second robot executes the second information as the core control information, and sends a third alarm message to the first robot, where the third alarm message indicates that the information transmitted by the first working link is inconsistent with the information transmitted by other working links. If the second information and the third information are inconsistent, the second robot executes the first information as the core control information, and sends a fourth alarm message to the first robot, where the fourth alarm message indicates that the information transmitted by the first working link, the second working link and the third working link is inconsistent.

[0022] By comparing the consistency of the information received through the three working links, the most accurate information is selected from the three working links to be executed, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of the second robot in executing the received information. By sending the alarm message to the first robot in time, the first robot can timely troubleshoot the error cause and repair the faulty link, thereby improving the reliability of the communication between the robots. By setting at least two different mode wireless working links to transmit the A-type information (i.e., the core control information), the accuracy and reliability of the transmission of the A-type information are improved, thereby improving the robustness of the group of robots.

[0023] In a possible design, the second robot receives the non-core control information or service data information from the first robot through the second working link and the third working link, and when the second robot determines that the information received from the first robot through the second working link and the third working link is the non-core control information or service data information sent in a sharing manner, the second robot combines the non-core control information or service data information in sequence.

[0024] The B-type information is transmitted by load sharing through at least two working links, and is recombined at a receiving end, thereby improving the efficiency, flexibility and reliability of the robot in transmitting the B-type information.

[0025] In a possible design, the second robot receiving the core control information from the first robot through the first working link and the second working link includes: the second robot receiving information from the first working link and the second working link, and determining the received information as the core control information through a first mark in the received information. The first mark is used to indicate that the type of the received information is the core control information.

[0026] Through the first mark, the second robot can accurately identify the core control information and perform corresponding processing.

[0027] In a possible design, the second robot receiving the non-core control information or service data information from the first robot through the second working link and the third working link includes: the second robot receiving information from the second working link and the third working link, and determining the received information as the non-core control information or service data information through a second mark in the received information. The second mark is used to indicate that the type of the received information is the non-core control information or service data information.

[0028] Through the second mark, the second robot can accurately identify the non-core control information or service data information and perform corresponding processing, thereby improving the working efficiency of the robot.

[0029] In a third aspect, the present application provides a first robot device, which is configured to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. Specifically, the first robot device includes modules configured to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0030] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a first robot device, which includes a link management unit, a processing unit and a transceiver unit. The first robot device is configured to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect. Specifically, the first robot device includes modules configured to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0031] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a first robot device, comprising a processor, a receiver, a transmitter, a read-only memory, a random access memory and a bus. The processor is coupled to the receiver, the transmitter, the read-only memory and the random access memory by the bus respectively. When the first robot device needs to be run, the first robot device is started by a basic input output system or a bootloader in an embedded system solidified in the read-only memory, and is guided to a normal running state. After the first robot device enters the normal running state, an application program and an operating system are run in the random access memory, so that the processor executes the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0032] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0033] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a second robot device for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. Specifically, the second robot device comprises a module for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0034] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a second robot device, comprising a link management unit, a transceiving unit and a processing unit. The second robot device is used for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect. Specifically, the second robot device comprises a module for executing the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0035] In a ninth aspect, the present application provides a second robot device, comprising a processor, a receiver, a transmitter, a read-only memory, a random access memory and a bus. The processor is coupled to the receiver, the transmitter, the read-only memory and the random access memory by the bus respectively. When the second robot device needs to be run, the second robot device is started by a basic input output system or a bootloader in an embedded system solidified in the read-only memory, and is guided to a normal running state. After the second robot device enters the normal running state, an application program and an operating system are run in the random access memory, so that the processor executes the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0036] In a tenth aspect, the present application provides a computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method in the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0037] In an eleventh aspect, the present application provides a system comprising the first robot device of any one of the third aspect to the sixth aspect and the second robot device of any one of the seventh aspect to the tenth aspect.

[0038] It should be understood that the general description above and the detailed description below are only exemplary and explanatory, and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the specific embodiments or prior art in the present application, the drawings needed in the specific embodiments or prior art description will be briefly introduced below. In the drawings, each element or part is not necessarily drawn according to the actual proportion. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments described in the present application, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art according to these drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a robot group cooperation scene of an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication link connection between robots of an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a wireless communication method between robots of an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 is a flowchart of another wireless communication method between robots of an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5A is a structural schematic diagram of a first robot device of an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 5B is a structural schematic diagram of another first robot device of an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 6A is a structural schematic diagram of a second robot device of an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 6B is a structural schematic diagram of another second robot device of an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a system of an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, the embodiments of the technical solutions of the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the present application. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present application should be understood as their usual meanings understood by those skilled in the art to which the present application belongs.

[0050] Before introducing the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the application scenarios of the embodiments of the present application will be exemplarily described. The present application is applied to a scenario in which at least two groups of intelligent robots cooperate to complete a task, such as Figure 1 As exemplified, the robot group or system includes three movable intelligent robots, and the three robots are connected through wireless communication links to interact task information and cooperatively complete a work task. In a specific application scenario, the number of robots can be selected according to factors such as task complexity and environmental conditions.

[0051] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a wireless communication link between robots is provided for the embodiments of the present application. Multiple wireless communication links of multiple types and different rates are established between multiple robots to transmit control information and service data information. The wireless communication links of different types can be ZigBee, Long Range (LoRA), Fourth Generation (4G), Fifth Generation (5G), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), etc. For example, Figure 2 Wireless link 1 is a ZigBee or LoRA type link, wireless link 2 is a 4G type link, wireless link 3 is a WiFi type link, and wireless link 4 is a 5G type link. Similarly, the connection mode of the wireless communication links between robot 1 and robot 2, and between robot 2 and robot 3 is also the same, which will not be described here.

[0052] Figure 3 A flowchart of a wireless communication method between robots is provided for the embodiments of the present application. In combination with the scenario examples shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 The first robot and the second robot in Figure 3 may be any robot shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 .

[0053] At 310, at least two wireless communication links of different specifications are established between the first robot and the second robot, and the at least two wireless communication links of different specifications are in an active state. The at least two wireless communication links of different specifications in the active state include a first active link and a second active link. The first active link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate specification. The second active link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate specification.

[0054] At 312, when the first robot determines that the type of the information to be transmitted is core control information, the first robot marks the information to be transmitted with a first mark, and transmits one copy of the information to be transmitted to the second robot through the first active link and the second active link, respectively. The core control information is basic and critical information required for establishing and maintaining a group of robots, including but not limited to heartbeat information, relative coordinate position information, emergency braking, low battery level, newly discovered group entry robot communication address information, map update notification, and wireless link channel information for service transmission. The first mark is used to indicate that the type of the information to be transmitted is the core control information. The first active link is dedicated to the transmission of the core control information. For the sake of brevity, the core control information can also be referred to as A-type information.

[0055] In combination Figure 2 For example, in a specific embodiment, the first robot is robot 1 shown in Figure 2 and the second robot is robot 2 shown in Figure 2 At least two wireless communication links of different specifications are established between robot 1 and robot 2, as shown in Figure 2The wireless link 1 and the wireless link 2 are in working state, corresponding to the first working link and the second working link respectively. The wireless link 1 is a low-rate and low-band wireless communication link, such as ZigBee, LoRA link. Generally, the low-rate and low-band wireless communication link has the advantages of long propagation distance, strong anti-interference ability and low power consumption, etc., and is suitable for transmitting the core control information when the mobile intelligent robots form a cluster. The characteristics of long distance transmission help the mobile robots to work cooperatively in the largest possible space range. The characteristics of strong anti-interference ability help the reliable transmission between the mobile robots. The characteristics of low power consumption help the mobile robots to work longer in standby mode. Because the core control information is the basic key information required for the robots to establish a group and maintain the group work, once the transmission fails or is wrong during the communication process of the robots, it will cause the whole robot cluster system to malfunction or work abnormally, and cannot correctly execute the task, so it is very important to reliably transmit the core control information. By using the low-rate and low-band wireless link 1 as a dedicated working link to transmit only the core control information, the robustness of the multi-robot cluster can be improved, and the interference of the transmission of other non-core control information or application business information on the system stability of the cluster can be avoided. The wireless link 2 is a high-rate wireless communication link, such as a 4G link. Generally, such a high-rate wireless communication link has the advantages of high bandwidth, fast and efficient data transmission speed, and low delay, etc.

[0056] When the robot 1 determines that the type of the information to be transmitted to the robot 2 is the core control information, the robot 1 marks the to-be-transmitted information with a mark 1, which indicates that the to-be-transmitted information is the core control information. The robot 1 sends a copy of the to-be-transmitted information marked with the mark 1 to the wireless link 1 and the wireless link 2 respectively. It is worth noting that "marking" here means "marking the type of information", and in a specific implementation, a field can be added to the data packet header carrying the information to indicate the type of the to-be-transmitted information. By marking the to-be-transmitted information with the mark 1, it helps the robot 2 to accurately identify the core control information and perform corresponding processing. By sending a copy of the core control information to the wireless link 1 and the wireless link 2 respectively, the reliability of the transmission of the core control information is improved, and it is ensured that the core control information can still normally reach the robot 2 when the wireless link 1 fails.

[0057] In part 314, the at least two different and working wireless communication links further include a third working link. The third working link is a high-rate wireless communication link. The first robot sends a copy of the core control information marked with the first mark to the second robot through the third working link.

[0058] When the first robot determines that the to-be-transmitted information is non-core control information or service data information, the first robot selects one link or two sharing links according to the situation of the to-be-transmitted information and the situation of the second working link and the third working link, marks the to-be-transmitted information with a second mark, and transmits the to-be-transmitted information through the selected second working link or third working link alone or through the selected second working link and third working link in sharing. The non-core control information is other control information in addition to the core control information in the control information exchanged between robots, including but not limited to logs and alarms. The service data information includes but is not limited to application service information. The situation of the to-be-transmitted information includes but is not limited to the information amount and the requirement for transmission quality. The situation of the wireless communication link includes but is not limited to the transmission bandwidth, the rate size and the quality of service (QoS) of the link. The second mark is used to indicate that the type of the to-be-transmitted information is the non-core control information or the service data information. For the sake of brevity, the non-core control information or the data information can also be referred to as B-type information.

[0059] In combination Figure 2 In an example, in a specific embodiment, the robot 1 and the robot 2 are also connected through a wireless link 3 in a working state, which corresponds to the third working link described above. The wireless link 3 is a wireless communication link of a high-speed rate mode, such as a WiFi link, which has the advantages of high bandwidth, high data transmission speed, high efficiency and low delay. In combination with the part 312 described above, the robot 1 will send one copy of the to-be-transmitted information marked with the mark 1 to the wireless link 3 in addition to sending one copy of the to-be-transmitted information marked with the mark 1 to the wireless link 1 and the wireless link 2 respectively. By sending one copy of the core control information (referred to as A-type information) to the wireless link 3, the reliability of the transmission of the core control information is further improved, and it is ensured that the core control information can still normally reach the robot 2 when the wireless link 1 and the wireless link 2 fail.

[0060] When the robot 1 determines that the to-be-transmitted information is non-core control information or service data information (referred to as B-type information), the robot 1 selects one link or two sharing links according to the information amount of the to-be-transmitted information, the requirement for transmission quality, and the transmission bandwidth / rate size and QoS of the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3, marks the to-be-transmitted information with a mark 2, and the mark 2 indicates that the type of the to-be-transmitted information is the non-core control information or the service data information. The robot 1 transmits the to-be-transmitted information marked with the mark 2 through the selected wireless link 2 or wireless link 3 alone or through the selected wireless link 2 and wireless link 3 in sharing.

[0061] By distinguishing the information processed by the robot into A-class information (core control information) and B-class information (non-core control information and service data information) according to importance, and marking the two types of information with information type markers, it is helpful to provide more reliable transmission guarantee for A-class key information required by the robot group, and to provide more flexible, efficient and reliable transmission guarantee for the service application information of the robot. The mobile robot has strong mobility and intelligence. Through the correct transmission of A-class information with high reliability guarantee, the cluster system between the robots can work normally, and in the case of B-class service failure, the robot can automatically troubleshoot and repair the failure.

[0062] The following examples illustrate the selection of a suitable link to transmit information alone or the selection of two links to jointly transmit information by load sharing by the robot 1 according to the information size of the information to be transmitted, the requirement for transmission quality, and the transmission bandwidth / rate size, QoS, etc. of the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3.

[0063] For example 1, the transmission bandwidth of the wireless link 2 is 100M, and the transmission bandwidth of the wireless link 3 is 200M. If the information size of the information to be transmitted is 90M, the wireless link 2 is selected for transmission. If the information size of the information to be transmitted is 130M, the wireless link 2 and 3 are selected for simultaneous transmission by load sharing, 100M is sent to the wireless link 3, and 30M is sent to the wireless link 2.

[0064] For example 2, the transmission bandwidth of the wireless link 2 is 100M, and the QoS quality level is low; the transmission bandwidth of the wireless link 3 is 200M, and the QoS quality level is high. If the information size of the information to be transmitted is 90M, and the transmission quality QoS is required to be high, the wireless link 3 with high QoS quality is selected for transmission. If the information size of the information to be transmitted is 80M, and the transmission quality QoS is required to be low, the wireless link 2 with low QoS quality is selected for transmission. In a possible case, if the information to be transmitted has no requirement for the QoS quality of the link transmission, the robot 1 can select the link according to the QoS of each link under the condition of link bandwidth permission, i.e., first select the link with high QoS level, then select the link with medium QoS level, and finally select the link with low QoS level to send information.

[0065] It is worth noting that this is only a schematic illustration, and in actual implementation, more links (for example, 3, 4, 5, etc.) in working state can participate in the selection of the transmission link. In summary, according to the conditions of the information to be transmitted and the conditions of the links participating in the transmission, various combinations can be used to determine the suitable transmission link, and the principle is similar, which will not be illustrated here.

[0066] The robot 1 automatically selects a transmission link according to the information to be transmitted and the conditions of the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3, which improves the flexibility of the robot automatic routing, helps to differentiate the routing on demand, and better meets the user needs. By selecting one link or two sharing links to transmit information, the utilization rate of the transmission link is improved, which helps to enhance the transmission efficiency and flexibility.

[0067] In the 315 part, the at least two different mode wireless communication links further include a first backup link, which is a high-rate mode wireless communication link. When the first robot detects that the second working link or the third working link fails, the first robot switches the information to be transmitted to the first backup link to send to the second robot.

[0068] In combination Figure 2 For example, in a specific embodiment, the robot 1 and the robot 2 are also connected through a wireless link 4, which is in a backup state, corresponding to the first backup link described above. The wireless link 4 is a high-rate mode wireless communication link, such as a 5G link, which has the advantages of high bandwidth, fast and efficient data transmission, and low delay. When the robot 1 detects that the wireless link 2 or the wireless link 3 fails, the robot 1 switches the information to be transmitted to the wireless link 4 to send to the robot 2. By setting a backup link for the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3 that transmit B-type information, the reliability of the B-type information transmission is improved, thereby ensuring the normal operation of non-core control services and data service applications.

[0069] In the 316 part, the first robot sets a first cache area and a second cache area, the first cache area is used for the storage and forwarding of the core control information, and the second cache area is used for the storage and forwarding of the non-core control information and service data information. When the first robot monitors that the amount of information to be transmitted in the first cache area or the second cache area exceeds a safety threshold, an alarm is sent to the upper layer application, prompting that the current information transmission amount is too large and is at risk of loss. When the first robot monitors that the amount of information to be transmitted in the second cache area is within the safety threshold range, according to the size of the increase of the amount of information to be transmitted in the second cache area within the monitoring time length, the required transmission link bandwidth is calculated, and one or two sharing links are selected from the second working link and the third working link for transmission.

[0070] In combination Figure 2In an example, in a specific embodiment, before the robot 1 performs the above-mentioned 310, 312, 314 and 315 parts, the robot 1 also sets a cache area 1 and a cache area 2, the cache area 1 is used for the storage and forwarding of the core control information (referred to as A type information), and the cache area 2 is used for the storage and forwarding of the non-core control information and service data information (referred to as B type information). The data packet issued by the upper application program of the robot 1 contains information of data types, which is divided into A type information and B type information. The robot puts the A type information into the cache area 1 and the B type information into the cache area 2 according to the data type information. When the robot 1 monitors that the amount of the to-be-transmitted information in the cache area 1 or the cache area 2 exceeds a safety threshold, an alarm is sent to the upper application program to prompt that the current information sending amount is too large and faces the risk of loss. For example, the safety threshold can be set to 85% of the size of the cache area, and when the size of the to-be-transmitted information exceeds 85%, the robot 1 sends an alarm prompt to the upper application that the information sending amount is too large and faces the risk of loss. It is worth noting that the setting range of the safety threshold can be determined according to the actual scene. If it is set too large, such as 95%, the detour margin is low and the risk of information loss is large. If it is set too small, such as 65%, the detour margin is high, the risk of information loss is small, but the sending efficiency is also low and the cache area space is wasted. Generally, it is ideal to set the safety threshold in the range of 75%-85%.

[0071] Through the setting of the safety threshold, early warning can be achieved, the speed of sending information can be adjusted, information loss can be avoided, and thus the reliability of the robot work can be effectively ensured.

[0072] When the robot 1 monitors that the amount of the to-be-transmitted information in the cache area 2 is within the safety threshold range, according to the size of the increase of the amount of the to-be-transmitted information in the cache area 2 within a monitoring time length (for example, 5 seconds), the required transmission link bandwidth is calculated, and one or two of the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3 are selected to share the sending. For example, the transmission bandwidth of the wireless link 2 is 100M, and the transmission bandwidth of the wireless link 3 is 200M. If the information amount of the to-be-transmitted information is 90M and the information is being transmitted by using the wireless link 2. At this time, the data suddenly increases by 50M and increases to 140M within the monitoring time length of 5 seconds, and then 40M of transmission link bandwidth is calculated, and the wireless link 3 is selected to jointly transmit, so that the wireless link 2 and 3 simultaneously transmit in a load sharing manner, 100M is sent to the wireless link 3, and 40M is sent to the wireless link 2. Conversely, if the information is originally transmitted by the wireless link 2 and 3 in a shared manner, if the sudden decrease of data is monitored, it is possible to adjust to a single link to send information according to the degree of data reduction. The specific principle is similar to the case of sudden increase of data, which will not be described here.

[0073] By monitoring the increase or decrease of the amount of information to be transmitted in the cache area 2 within the monitoring duration, the transmission link is flexibly adjusted according to the increase or decrease of data, the risk of data loss caused by data surge and the waste of link caused by data reduction are avoided, the reliability and transmission efficiency of communication are improved, and the emergency response capability of the robot to automatically and flexibly respond to emergencies is improved.

[0074] In the data packet issued by the upper application of the first robot in the 317 part, the information of data type is contained, the data type is divided into two types of A type information and B type information, the A type information is the core control information, and the B type information is the non-core control information and service data information. In a specific implementation, a field can be added in the message header of the data packet to indicate the data type.

[0075] By dividing the information processed and transmitted by the robot into two types, the efficiency, accuracy and reliability of the robot in processing tasks can be improved by processing the different types of information according to their characteristics. The A type information is the basic key information of the robot group, and the information amount is relatively small but very important, so more secure and reliable transmission guarantee is provided. The B type information has relatively large information amount, but the importance is relatively low, so the flexibility and efficiency of transmission are increased on the basis of ensuring safe and reliable transmission. The present application improves the efficiency, flexibility and reliability of robot communication by classifying information and taking various processing methods (as shown in other chapters, which will not be repeated) according to the classification.

[0076] In the 318 part, the first robot periodically detects the communication quality of each wireless link, and marks the wireless link with low quality when the communication quality is lower than the quality threshold. After the marked wireless link is detected for T times and the quality is better than the quality threshold, the low quality mark of the marked wireless link is cancelled, T is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the second working link or the third working link in the working state, the first robot starts the master-slave switching process to switch the first backup link to the working state. When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the first backup link in the backup state, the first robot switches other wireless links in the backup state to the working state in the case of starting the master-slave switching process.

[0077] In combination Figure 4In an example, in a specific embodiment, the robot 1 periodically detects the communication quality of the wireless link 1, the wireless link 2, the wireless link 3 and the wireless link 4, and marks the wireless link with low quality if the communication quality is lower than a quality threshold. The quality threshold can be set in terms of signal-to-noise ratio, bit error rate, noise intensity, etc. quality parameters. After the marked wireless link is detected for T times and the quality is better than the quality threshold, the low quality mark of the marked wireless link is cancelled, and T is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. For example, if T is 1, the low quality mark of the marked wireless link is cancelled when it is detected for 1 time and the quality is better than the quality threshold, and the wireless link resumes as a high-quality transmission link. If T is 3, the low-quality link mark needs to be cancelled after 3 detections of high quality. In summary, the larger the value of T, the more stringent the detection, and the more guaranteed the transmission quality.

[0078] By marking the wireless link with low quality when the communication quality is lower than the quality threshold, and cancelling the low-quality link mark after T detections of quality, the ability of the robot to flexibly manage and control the wireless link is improved, and the efficiency, flexibility and reliability of the robot to transmit information are enhanced. By monitoring the link and setting the quality threshold, the robot can provide early warning and take measures before the link fails, thereby improving the reliability of the robot to transmit information.

[0079] When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the wireless link 2 or the wireless link 3 in the working state, the robot 1 starts a master-slave switching process to switch the wireless link 4 in the backup state to the working state. When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the wireless link 4 in the backup state, the robot 1 selects other wireless links in the backup state to switch to the working state in the case of starting the master-slave switching process. For example, if the wireless link 5 in the backup state is also established between the robot 1 and the robot 2, the wireless link 5 is selected to switch to the working state at this time.

[0080] By detecting and marking the quality of the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3 that transmit the B-type information, early warning and measures can be taken before failure occurs, thereby improving the reliable transmission of the B-type information and ensuring the normal operation of the non-core control service and data service application.

[0081] Figure 3 Another flowchart of a wireless communication method between robots is provided for the embodiments of the application. The above Figure 4 Part of the description describes the processing flow of the first robot as the information sending end, Figure 1 The method described is the processing flow of the second robot as the information receiving end.

[0082] At 410, at least two different mode wireless communication links are established between the second robot and the first robot, including at least two different mode and working state wireless communication links. The at least two different mode and working state wireless communication links include a first working link and a second working link. The first working link is a lower rate mode wireless communication link. The second working link is a higher rate mode wireless communication link.

[0083] At 412, the second robot receives core control information from the first robot through the first working link and the second working link.

[0084] At 414, the second robot determines whether the first information received through the first working link and the second information received through the second working link are consistent, if consistent, the core control information is executed; if not consistent, the first information is executed as the core control information, and a first warning message is sent to the first robot, indicating that the information transmitted by the first working link and the second working link is inconsistent. The core control information is basic key information required for establishing a group between robots and maintaining group work, including but not limited to heartbeat information, relative coordinate position information, emergency braking, low battery, newly discovered group entry robot communication address information, map update notification, and wireless link channel information for service transmission. The first working link is dedicated to the transmission of the core control information.

[0085] At 415, the second robot receives core control information from the first robot through the first working link and the second working link includes that the second robot receives information from the first working link and the second working link, and determines that the received information is the core control information through a first mark in the received information. The first mark is used to indicate that the type of the received information is the core control information.

[0086] Based on the above Figure 2 and Figure 3 the scene examples shown, and Figure 4 the method described in part, Figure 2 the concepts and descriptions of core control information (referred to as A type information), non-core control information and service data information (referred to as B type information), and wireless link appearing in the part of the description are consistent with the foregoing, and are not repeated here for brevity.

[0087] In combination with Figure 2In an example, in one embodiment, the robot 2 receives the core control information from the robot 1 through the wireless link 1 and the wireless link 2. The robot 2 compares the information 1 received through the wireless link 1 and the information 2 received through the wireless link 2, and if it is determined that the information 1 and the information 2 are consistent, the core control information is executed. By comparing the consistency of the information 1 and the information 2, the accuracy and reliability of the robot 2 executing the received information are improved.

[0088] If the comparison result is inconsistent, the information 1 is executed as the core control information, and an alarm message 1 is sent to the robot 1 through the wireless link 1, indicating that the information transmitted through the wireless link 1 and the wireless link 2 is inconsistent. Since the wireless link 1 is a channel dedicated to transmitting the type A information and has high reliability, in the case of inconsistent information, the accuracy of the information transmitted by the wireless link 1 is preferred. By executing the information received by the wireless link 1 in the case of inconsistent information, the relative accuracy of the robot 2 executing the received information is improved, and by sending the alarm to the robot 1 in a timely manner, the robot 1 can be notified in a timely manner to troubleshoot the error cause in the case of link transmission error, and the problem can be solved in a timely manner, thereby improving the reliability of communication between robots.

[0089] In a possible design, the robot 2 receives information from the robot 1 through the wireless link 1 and the wireless link 2, and determines that the received information is the core control information through a marker 1 in the received information. The marker 1 is used to indicate that the type of the received information is the core control information. Through the marker 1, the robot 2 can accurately identify the core control information and perform corresponding processing.

[0090] In the 416 part, the at least two different modes and in working state of the wireless communication link further includes a third working link. The third working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. The second robot further receives the core control information from the first robot through the third working link, and the information received through the third working link is third information.

[0091] After the second robot determines that the first information and the second information are inconsistent, it continues to determine whether the first information and the third information are consistent. If the first information and the third information are consistent, the first information is executed as the core control information, and a second alarm message is sent to the first robot, indicating that the information transmitted by the second working link is inconsistent with other working links.

[0092] If the first information and the third information are inconsistent, it is determined whether the second information and the third information are consistent, if the second information and the third information are consistent, the second information is executed as the core control information, and a third warning message is sent to the first robot, the third warning message indicating that the information transmitted by the first working link is inconsistent with other working links.

[0093] If the second information and the third information are inconsistent, the first information is executed as the core control information, and a fourth warning message is sent to the first robot, the fourth warning message indicating that the information transmitted by the first working link, the second working link and the third working link are inconsistent with each other.

[0094] In combination Figure 2 In an example, in a specific embodiment, the robot 1 and the robot 2 are also connected through a wireless link 3, the wireless link 3 being in a working state, corresponding to the third working link described above. The wireless link 3 is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode, such as a WiFi link, having the advantages of high bandwidth, fast and efficient data transmission speed and low delay. The robot 2 also receives the core control information from the robot 1 through the wireless link 3, referred to as information 3.

[0095] After the robot 2 determines that the information 1 and the information 2 are inconsistent through comparison, it continues to compare whether the information 1 and the information 3 are consistent, if the information 1 and the information 3 are consistent, the information 1 is executed as the core control information, and a warning message 2 is sent to the robot 1 through the wireless link 1, the warning message 2 indicating that the information transmitted by the wireless link 2 is inconsistent with other working links. By further comparing the consistency of the information 1 and the information 3, it is ensured that the most accurate information is selected from the three working links for execution, improving the accuracy of the robot 2 in executing the received information. By sending the warning of the error of the information transmitted by the wireless link 2 to the robot 1 in time, it is helpful for the robot 1 to timely investigate the error cause and repair the wireless link 2 in time, thereby improving the reliability of the communication between the robots.

[0096] If information 1 and information 3 are inconsistent, it is determined whether information 2 and information 3 are consistent, if information 2 and information 3 are consistent, information 2 is executed as the core control information, and an alarm message 3 is sent to robot 1 through wireless link 2 or wireless link 3, the alarm message 3 indicating that the information transmitted by wireless link 1 is inconsistent with other working links. By further comparing the consistency of information 2 and information 3, it is ensured that the most accurate information is selected from the three working links to be executed, and the accuracy of robot 2 in executing the received information is improved. By sending the alarm that the information transmitted by wireless link 1 is wrong to robot 1 in time, it is helpful for robot 1 to troubleshoot the error in time and repair wireless link 1 in time, thereby improving the reliability of communication between robots.

[0097] If information 2 and information 3 are inconsistent, information 1 is executed as the core control information, and an alarm message 4 is sent to robot 1 through wireless link 1, the alarm message 4 indicating that the information transmitted by wireless link 1, wireless link 2 and wireless link 3 is inconsistent with each other. By comparing the A-type information received from the three links, in the case that the information is inconsistent with each other, the information received on the relatively high-reliability wireless link 1 is executed, it is ensured that robot 2 can continue to work and has time opportunity to troubleshoot the error in time and self-repair, and the relative accuracy of robot 2 in executing the received information is improved. By sending the alarm that the information transmitted by wireless link 1, wireless link 2 and wireless link 3 is inconsistent with each other to robot 1 in time, it is helpful for robot 1 to troubleshoot the problem in time and repair the problematic wireless link in time, thereby improving the reliability of communication between robots.

[0098] It is worth noting that only the comparison of the A-type information received by robot 2 from two or three working links is described here, in the specific implementation, the A-type information can also be received from four, five, six or the like number of working links. The more working links that can transmit the A-type information at the same time, the higher the quality of the A-type information transmission and the more reliable the A-type information transmission. By setting at least two wireless working links of different types to transmit the A-type information at the same time, the accuracy and reliability of the A-type information transmission are improved, thereby improving the robustness of the group of robots.

[0099] The method of the robot 2 in the embodiment of the present application compares the consistency of the A-type information received from the working links, which can be abstracted from a theoretical model as follows: the robot 2 receives the A-type information from N (N is a positive integer greater than or equal to 2) different mode wireless working links, compares the information received by the N links, executes the information with the most occurrences, and alarms the error of the information received by the non-most-occurrence link. If the information with the most occurrences is different from the information received by the N links or there are at least two information with the most occurrences, the information of the wireless link 1 (which is dedicated to the transmission of the A-type information) is executed, and an alarm is given to indicate that the information transmitted by the N links may be transmitted incorrectly. The algorithm model of this function can be as follows:

[0100] 1. Define the information set:

[0101] M={m1, m2, …, mN} N}

[0102] wherein mi is the information received by the ith link, and mi can be any string or an empty string.

[0103] 2. Count the information frequency:

[0104] Define a function f(m) to represent the number of occurrences of the information m in the set M:

[0105]

[0106] wherein (mi=m) is an indicator function, which is 1 when mi=m, and 0 otherwise.

[0107] Find the information with the most occurrences:

[0108] 3. Define fmax as the maximum number of information occurrences:

[0109] fmax=max m∈M f(m)

[0110] 4. Determine whether to alarm:

[0111] If there is a unique information m * that satisfies f(m * )=fmax, the information is executed, and an alarm is given for the error of the information received by the non-most-occurrence link.

[0112] If all the information is different (i.e., |{m∈M∣f(m)=1}|=N), or there are at least two information with the most occurrences (i.e., |{m∈M∣f(m)=fmax}|≥2), the information m1 of the wireless link 1 is executed, and an alarm is given.

[0113] The robot 2 executes the algorithm model, which is beneficial to automatically and quickly select accurate information in the case of multiple wireless working links, and improves the execution efficiency and automation / intelligence of the robot.

[0114] In the 418 part, the second robot receives the non-core control information or service data information from the first robot through the second working link and the third working link, and when the second robot determines that the information received from the first robot through the second working link and the third working link is the non-core control information or service data information sent in a load sharing manner, the second robot sequentially combines the non-core control information or service data information.

[0115] In the 419 part, the second robot receives the non-core control information or service data information from the first robot through the second working link and the third working link, which includes that the second robot receives information from the second working link and the third working link, and determines that the received information is the non-core control information or service data information through a second mark in the received information. The second mark is used to indicate that the type of the received information is the non-core control information or service data information.

[0116] In combination Figure 5A For example, in a specific embodiment, the robot 2 receives the non-core control information or service data information (referred to as B-type information) from the robot 1 through the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3, and when the robot 2 determines that the information received from the robot 1 through the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3 is the B-type information sent in a load sharing manner, the robot 2 sequentially recombines the B-type information into the original sending information at the robot 1 end.

[0117] The B-type information is transmitted in a load sharing manner through at least two working links, and is recombined at the receiving end, which improves the efficiency, flexibility and reliability of the robot in transmitting the B-type information.

[0118] The robot 2 receives information from the robot 1 through the wireless link 2 and the wireless link 3, and determines that the received information is the B-type information (i.e. non-core control information or service data information) through a mark 2 in the received information. The mark 2 is used to indicate that the type of the received information is the B-type information. Through the mark 2, the robot 2 can accurately identify the B-type information and perform corresponding processing.

[0119] By marking the transmitted information with mark 1 or mark 2, the robot 2 can accurately identify different types of information and perform corresponding processing, which improves the efficiency, accuracy and reliability of the robot in processing tasks.

[0120] Figures 1 to 4 A possible structure diagram of the first robot involved in the above embodiments is shown. The first robot device 500 comprises a link management unit 520, a transceiving unit 530 and a processing unit 510.

[0121] The link management unit 520 is configured to establish at least two wireless communication links of different modes with a second robot, the at least two wireless communication links of different modes comprising at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states. The at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states comprise a first working link and a second working link. The first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate and a lower frequency band mode. The second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode.

[0122] The processing unit 510 is configured to mark the to-be-transmitted information with a first mark when determining that the type of the to-be-transmitted information is core control information.

[0123] The transceiving unit 530 is configured to respectively send one copy of the core control information to the second robot through the first working link and the second working link.

[0124] The at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states further comprise a third working link. The third working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. After the processing unit 510 marks the core control information with the first mark, the transceiving unit 530 is further configured to send one copy of the core control information to the second robot through the third working link.

[0125] When the processing unit 510 determines that the to-be-transmitted information is B-type information (non-core control information or service data information), the processing unit 510 selects one link or two sharing links according to the situation of the to-be-transmitted information and the situations of the second working link and the third working link, and marks the to-be-transmitted information with a second mark. The transceiving unit 530 sends the B-type information through the selected second working link or third working link alone, or through the selected second working link and third working link to share.

[0126] The at least two different mode wireless communication links further include a first backup link, and the first backup link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. The first robot device 500 further includes a link detection unit 540 configured to detect whether the second working link or the third working link fails. When the link detection unit 540 detects that the second working link or the third working link fails, the link detection unit 540 switches the information to be transmitted to the second robot via the first backup link.

[0127] The first robot device 500 further includes a storage unit 550 configured to store the information to be transmitted. The storage unit 550 is configured to set a first buffer area and a second buffer area, the first buffer area is configured to store and forward the core control information, and the second buffer area is configured to store and forward the non-core control information and service data information. When the processing unit 510 monitors that the amount of the information to be transmitted in the first buffer area or the second buffer area exceeds a safety threshold, an alarm is sent to an upper layer application to prompt that the current information transmission amount is too large and faces a risk of loss. When the processing unit 510 monitors that the amount of the information to be transmitted in the second buffer area is within the safety threshold, according to the size of the increase of the amount of the information to be transmitted in the second buffer area within a monitoring time length, a required transmission link bandwidth is calculated, and one or two transmission links are selected from the second working link and the third working link to share the transmission.

[0128] The link detection unit 540 periodically detects the communication quality of each wireless link, and marks a wireless link with a low quality mark when the communication quality of the wireless link is lower than a quality threshold. The low quality mark of the marked wireless link is cancelled after the marked wireless link is detected T times and the quality of the marked wireless link is better than the quality threshold, where T is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the second working link or the third working link in a working state, the link detection unit 540 starts a master-backup switching process to switch the first backup link to a working state. When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the first backup link in a backup state, the link detection unit 540 selects another wireless link in a backup state to switch to a working state in the case of starting the master-backup switching process.

[0129] It should be understood that the first robot device 500 of the embodiments of the present application can correspond to the first robot in the method embodiments of the robot communication described above, and each module in the first robot device 500 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively used to implement various steps and methods implemented by the first robot in the corresponding embodiments. For brevity, they will not be described here again. Figure 5B The corresponding embodiments of the first robot. For brevity, they will not be described here again.

[0130] Figures 1 to 5A A possible structure diagram of the first robot involved in the above embodiments is shown. The first robot device 500B includes a processor 520B, a receiver 510B, a transmitter 530B, a read-only memory 550B, a random access memory 540B and a bus 560B. Among them, the processor 520B is coupled to the receiver 510B, the transmitter 530B, the read-only memory 550B and the random access memory 540B through the bus 560B respectively. When the first robot device 500B needs to run, it is started by the basic input and output system solidified in the read-only memory 550B or the bootloader boot system in the embedded system, and the first robot device 500B is guided to enter the normal operation state. After the first robot device 500B enters the normal operation state, the application program and the operating system are run in the random access memory 540B, so that:

[0131] The processor 520B is configured to establish at least two wireless communication links of different modes with the second robot, the at least two wireless communication links of different modes including at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working state. The at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working state include a first working link and a second working link. The first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate and a lower frequency band mode. The second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode.

[0132] The processor 520B is configured to mark the to-be-transmitted information with a first mark when it is determined that the type of the to-be-transmitted information is core control information.

[0133] The transmitter 530B is configured to respectively transmit one copy of the core control information to the second robot through the first working link and the second working link.

[0134] The at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working state further include a third working link. The third working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. The processor 520B is further configured to mark the core control information with the first mark, and the transceiver 530 is further configured to transmit one copy of the core control information to the second robot through the third working link.

[0135] When the processor 520B determines that the information to be transmitted is Class B information (non-core control information or service data information), the processor 520B selects one or two shared links based on the information to be transmitted and the conditions of the second and third working links, and marks the information to be transmitted with a second tag. The transmitter 530B transmits the Class B information alone through the selected second or third working link, or transmits the Class B information by sharing the transmission through the selected second and third working links.

[0136] The first robot device 500B of this embodiment of the invention may correspond to the above. Figures 1 to 5A The first robot in the corresponding embodiment, and the processor 520B, receiver 510B, transmitter 530B, etc. in the first robot device 500B can realize Figure 6A The functions and / or the various steps and methods implemented by the first robot in the corresponding embodiments are described below. For the sake of brevity, they will not be elaborated here.

[0137] Figures 1 to 4 A possible structural schematic diagram of the second robot involved in the above embodiments is shown. The second robot device 600 includes: a link management unit 620, a transceiver unit 630, and a processing unit 610.

[0138] The link management unit 620 is used to establish at least two wireless communication links of different standards with the first robot. These at least two wireless communication links of different standards are in operation. The at least two wireless communication links of different standards in operation include a first operating link and a second operating link. The first operating link is a low-speed, low-frequency wireless communication link. The second operating link is a high-speed wireless communication link.

[0139] The transceiver unit 630 is used to receive core control information from the first robot through the first working link and the second working link.

[0140] The processing unit 610 is used to determine whether the first information received through the first working link and the second information received through the second working link are consistent. If they are consistent, the core control information is executed. If they are inconsistent, the first information is executed as the core control information, and a first alarm message is sent to the first robot. The first alarm message indicates that the information transmitted by the first working link and the second working link is inconsistent.

[0141] In one possible design, the transceiver 630 receives the core control information from the first robot via the first working link and the second working link includes that the transceiver 630 receives information from the first working link and the second working link, and the processing unit 610 determines that the received information is the core control information via a first flag in the received information. The first flag is used to indicate that the type of the received information is the core control information.

[0142] The at least two different and working wireless communication links further include a third working link. The third working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate. The transceiver 630 further receives the core control information from the first robot via the third working link, and the information received via the third working link is third information.

[0143] After the processing unit 610 determines that the first information and the second information are inconsistent, the processing unit 610 further determines whether the first information and the third information are consistent. If the first information and the third information are consistent, the processing unit 610 executes the first information as the core control information, and the transceiver 630 sends a second alarm message to the first robot, where the second alarm message indicates that the information transmitted via the second working link is inconsistent with that transmitted via other working links.

[0144] If the first information and the third information are inconsistent, the processing unit 610 further determines whether the second information and the third information are consistent. If the second information and the third information are consistent, the processing unit 610 executes the second information as the core control information, and the transceiver 630 sends a third alarm message to the first robot, where the third alarm message indicates that the information transmitted via the first working link is inconsistent with that transmitted via other working links.

[0145] If the second information and the third information are inconsistent, the processing unit 610 executes the first information as the core control information, and the transceiver 630 sends a fourth alarm message to the first robot, where the fourth alarm message indicates that the information transmitted via the first working link, the second working link and the third working link are inconsistent with each other.

[0146] The transceiver 630 receives the non-core control information or service data information from the first robot via the second working link and the third working link, and the processing unit 610 combines the non-core control information or service data information received from the first robot via the second working link and the third working link in sequence when the processing unit 610 determines that the information received from the first robot via the second working link and the third working link is the non-core control information or service data information sent in a sharing manner.

[0147] In a possible design, the transceiver 630 receives the non-core control information or service data information from the first robot via the second working link and the third working link includes that the transceiver 630 receives information from the second working link and the third working link, and the processing unit 610 determines, via a second flag in the received information, that the received information is the non-core control information or service data information. The second flag is used to indicate that the type of the received information is the non-core control information or service data information.

[0148] It should be understood that the second robot apparatus 600 of the embodiments of the present application can correspond to the second robot in the method embodiments of the robot communication described above, and each module in the second robot apparatus 600 and the other operations and / or functions described above are respectively used to implement various steps and methods performed by the second robot in the corresponding embodiments. For brevity, details are not described herein again. Figure 6B

[0149] Figures 1 to 6A A possible structural schematic diagram of the second robot involved in the above embodiments is shown. The second robot apparatus 600B includes a processor 620B, a receiver 610B, a transmitter 630B, a read-only memory 650B, a random access memory 640B, and a bus 660B. The processor 620B is coupled to the receiver 610B, the transmitter 630B, the read-only memory 650B, and the random access memory 640B via the bus 660B, respectively. When the first robot apparatus 600B needs to be run, it is started by a basic input and output system or a bootloader booting system embedded in an embedded system solidified in the read-only memory 650B, and the first robot apparatus 600B is guided to enter a normal running state. After the first robot apparatus 600B enters the normal running state, an application program and an operating system are run in the random access memory 640B, so that the processor 620B is configured to establish at least two wireless communication links of different modes with the first robot, and the at least two wireless communication links of different modes include at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in a working state. The at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in the working state include a first working link and a second working link. The first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate and a lower frequency band mode. The second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate.

[0150] The receiver 610B is configured to receive core control information from the first robot via the first working link and the second working link.

[0151] ​The processor 620B is configured to determine whether the first information received through the first working link and the second information received through the second working link are consistent, and if consistent, execute the core control information; if not consistent, execute the first information as the core control information, and send a first alarm message to the first robot, the first alarm message indicating that the information transmitted by the first working link and the second working link is inconsistent.

[0152] The second robot device 600B of the embodiment of the present application can correspond to the second robot of the above-described Figures 1 to 6A corresponding embodiment, and the processor 620B, the receiver 610B, the transmitter 630B, etc. in the second robot device 600B can implement the functions and / or various steps and methods implemented by the second robot in the corresponding embodiment. For brevity, details are not repeated here. Figure 7 corresponding embodiment, and the processor 620B, the receiver 610B, the transmitter 630B, etc. in the second robot device 600B can implement the functions and / or various steps and methods implemented by the second robot in the corresponding embodiment. For brevity, details are not repeated here.

[0153] Figure 7 is a system schematic diagram of communication between robots provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 5A , the system 700 includes a first robot device 710 and a second robot device 720. The first robot device 710 is the first robot device described above Figure 5B and Figure 6A . The second robot device 720 is the second robot device described above Figure 6B and Figure 5A . For detailed description of the devices in the system, please refer to the above Figure 5B 、 Figure 6A and Figure 6B 、 ​ etc. chapters, which are not repeated here.

[0154] It should be understood that, based on the present application file, those skilled in the art can make non-creative combinations of the optional features, steps or methods described in the embodiments of the present application, which all belong to the embodiments disclosed by the present application, but are not repeated due to the simplicity of description or writing.

[0155] It should be understood that the term "and / or" herein is only a description of the association relationship between the associated objects, which means that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B, which means that there are three cases of A alone, A and B together, and B alone. In addition, the character " / " herein generally represents an "or" relationship between the associated objects before and after it.

[0156] It should be understood that the size of the sequence number of each process described above does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined according to its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the application.

[0157] Those skilled in the art can appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in combination with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized in electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are realized in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. The skilled person can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of the present application. Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working process of the above-described system, device and unit can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0158] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, device and method can be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms. The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed on a plurality of network units. According to actual needs, some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0159] In addition, each function unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. When the functions are realized in the form of software function units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or the parts of the technical solutions that essentially contribute to the prior art can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), a random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0160] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto, any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of communication between robots, characterized in that, The method is applied to a robot cluster system, and the method comprises the following steps: At least two wireless communication links of different modes are established between the first robot and the second robot, and the at least two wireless communication links of different modes are in a working state; the at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in the working state comprise a first working link and a second working link; the first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate and a lower frequency band mode; the second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode; When the first robot determines that the type of the information to be transmitted is core control information, the first robot marks the information to be transmitted with a first mark and respectively sends one copy of the information to be transmitted to the second robot through the first working link and the second working link; The core control information is basic key information required for establishing a group and maintaining a group operation between robots, and comprises but is not limited to heartbeat information, relative coordinate position information, emergency braking, low battery level, newly discovered group entry robot communication address information, map update notification and wireless link channel information of service transmission; the first mark is used to indicate that the type of the information to be transmitted is the core control information; and the first working link is specially used for transmission of the core control information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: The at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in the working state further comprise a third working link; the third working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode; After marking the core control information with the first mark, the first robot further sends one copy of the core control information to the second robot through the third working link; When the first robot determines that the information to be transmitted is non-core control information or service data information, the first robot selects one link or two sharing links according to the condition of the information to be transmitted and the condition of the second working link and the third working link, marks the information to be transmitted with a second mark, and separately transmits the information to be transmitted through the selected second working link or third working link or shares transmission of the information to be transmitted through the selected second working link and third working link; The non-core control information is other control information than the core control information in the control information exchanged between robots, and comprises but is not limited to logs and alarms; the service data information comprises but is not limited to application service information; the condition of the information to be transmitted comprises but is not limited to information amount and transmission quality requirement; the condition of the wireless communication link comprises but is not limited to transmission bandwidth, rate size and quality of service (QoS) of the link; and the second mark is used to indicate that the type of the information to be transmitted is the non-core control information or service data information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises the following steps: The at least two wireless communication links of different modes further comprise a first backup link; and the first backup link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. When the first robot detects that the second working link or the third working link fails, the first robot switches the to-be-transmitted information to the first backup link to send to the second robot.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The method further comprises: The first robot sets a first cache area and a second cache area, the first cache area is used for store-and-forward of the core control information, and the second cache area is used for store-and-forward of the non-core control information and service data information; When the first robot monitors that the amount of the to-be-transmitted information in the first cache area or the second cache area exceeds a safety threshold, an alarm is sent to an upper-layer application, prompting that the current information sending amount is too large and is at risk of loss; When the first robot monitors that the amount of the to-be-transmitted information in the second cache area is within the safety threshold range, according to the size of the increase of the amount of the to-be-transmitted information in the second cache area within a monitoring time length, the required transmission link bandwidth is calculated, and one or two of the second working link and the third working link are selected to share sending.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein, The method further comprises: The first robot periodically detects the communication quality of each wireless link, and marks a wireless link with low quality when the communication quality of the wireless link is lower than a quality threshold; after the marked wireless link is detected for T times and the quality is better than the quality threshold, the low-quality mark of the marked wireless link is cancelled, T is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1; When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the second working link or the third working link in the working state, the first robot starts a master-slave switching process to switch the first backup link to the working state; When it is determined that the marked wireless link is the first backup link in the backup state, the first robot selects other wireless link in the backup state to switch to the working state in the case of starting the master-slave switching process.

6. A method of communication between robots, c h a r a c t e r i s e d b y, The method is applied to a robot cluster system, and the method comprises: At least two wireless communication links of different modes are established between the second robot and the first robot, the at least two wireless communication links of different modes comprise at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in the working state; the at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in the working state comprise a first working link and a second working link; the first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate and a lower frequency band mode; and the second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode; The second robot receives core control information from the first robot through the first working link and the second working link; The second robot determines whether first information received through the first working link and second information received through the second working link are consistent, if yes, the core control information is executed, and if no, the first information is taken as the core control information to be executed, and a first alarm message is sent to the first robot, the first alarm message indicating that the information transmitted by the first working link and the second working link is inconsistent; The core control information is basic key information required for the robots to establish a group and maintain group work, including but not limited to heartbeat information, relative coordinate position information, emergency braking, low battery, new found group robot communication address information, map update notification, and wireless link channel information for service transmission; and the first working link is specially used for transmission of the core control information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, The method further includes: The at least two different mode and working state wireless communication links further include a third working link; the third working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode; the second robot further receives the core control information from the first robot through the third working link, and the information received through the third working link is third information; After the second robot determines that the first information and the second information are inconsistent, the second robot continues to determine whether the first information and the third information are consistent; if the first information and the third information are consistent, the second robot executes the first information as the core control information, and sends a second alarm message to the first robot, the second alarm message indicating that the information transmitted by the second working link is inconsistent with other working links; If the first information and the third information are inconsistent, the second robot continues to determine whether the second information and the third information are consistent; if the second information and the third information are consistent, the second robot executes the second information as the core control information, and sends a third alarm message to the first robot, the third alarm message indicating that the information transmitted by the first working link is inconsistent with other working links; If the second information and the third information are inconsistent, the second robot executes the first information as the core control information, and sends a fourth alarm message to the first robot, the fourth alarm message indicating that the information transmitted by the first working link, the second working link and the third working link is inconsistent with each other.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The method further includes: The second robot receives non-core control information or service data information from the first robot through the second working link and the third working link; when the second robot determines that the information received from the first robot through the second working link and the third working link is non-core control information or service data information sent in a sharing manner, the second robot combines the non-core control information or service data information in sequence.

9. A robot device for use as a first robot, characterized by The first robot includes: A link management unit, configured to establish at least two different mode wireless communication links with a second robot, the at least two different mode wireless communication links including at least two different mode and working state wireless communication links; the at least two different mode and working state wireless communication links include a first working link and a second working link; the first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate mode; and the second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode. a processing unit, configured to mark the to-be-transmitted information with a first mark when it is determined that the type of the to-be-transmitted information is core control information; a transceiving unit, configured to respectively send one copy of the core control information to the second robot through the first working link and the second working link; wherein the core control information is basic and critical information required for establishing a group among robots and maintaining group work, including but not limited to heartbeat information, relative coordinate position information, emergency braking, low battery, newly discovered group-entering robot communication address information, map update notification, and wireless link channel information for service transmission; the first mark is used to indicate that the type of the to-be-transmitted information is the core control information; and the first working link is dedicated to transmission of the core control information.

10. A robot device for use as a second robot, characterized by The second robot comprises: a link management unit, configured to establish at least two wireless communication links of different modes with the first robot, wherein the at least two wireless communication links of different modes include at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states; the at least two wireless communication links of different modes and in working states include a first working link and a second working link; the first working link is a wireless communication link of a lower rate mode; and the second working link is a wireless communication link of a higher rate mode; a transceiving unit, configured to receive core control information from the first robot through the first working link and the second working link; a processing unit, configured to determine whether first information received through the first working link and second information received through the second working link are consistent, and if so, execute the core control information; if not, execute the first information as the core control information, and send a first alarm message to the first robot, the first alarm message indicating that the information transmitted through the first working link and the second working link is inconsistent; wherein the core control information is basic and critical information required for establishing a group among robots and maintaining group work, including but not limited to heartbeat information, relative coordinate position information, emergency braking, low battery, newly discovered group-entering robot communication address information, map update notification, and wireless link channel information for service transmission; and the first working link is dedicated to transmission of the core control information.

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