A method for realizing alarm triggering and alarm disabling cooperative control based on UWB

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of based on UWB and realizes the method for the cooperative control of alarm trigger and alarm disable, related to industrial safety technology field, this method includes: personnel end ranging module C-tag is collected state information by UART command and GPIO pin, after being assembled as 8 STATE bytes, multiplexing UWB ranging response package RRMSG broadcast transmission.After message is received by robot end ranging module A-tag, load partition alarm parameter, for each region, each C-tag independently executes evaluation logic: priority detects the matching condition of STATE and trigger mask, if match, ignore distance and force trigger alarm;If not match, then detect the matching condition with disable alarm mask, if match, exclude the distance contribution of this C-tag.The application realizes the low-delay response of hardware signal end to end by trigger priority failure safety design, solves the problem of strong dependence of host computer, alarm strategy rigidification.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of industrial safety technology, and in particular to a method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB. Background Technology

[0002] In automated factories and warehouses, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) operate within the factory area, while workers are also active in the work area. To ensure worker safety, a high-precision ranging system based on UWB technology is typically used. A ranging module (A-tag) is installed on the robot, and a ranging module (C-tag) is installed on the worker's work uniform. This ranging system monitors the distance between the robot and the worker and provides collision avoidance protection.

[0003] Existing UWB ranging systems have the following problems:

[0004] Alarm response relies on a host computer: In existing UWB ranging systems, the C-tag only provides ranging functionality, and alarm judgment depends entirely on the host computer (such as a robot controller) of the A-tag receiving the ranging results via serial port and then performing logical judgments. This means that when the host computer software malfunctions, communication is interrupted, or processing is delayed, safety alarms cannot be triggered in a timely manner, posing a safety hazard.

[0005] Lack of tag status broadcasting mechanism: The existing C-tag does not have the ability to broadcast status, and cannot transmit key status information (such as low battery, emergency help, area marking, etc.) from the personnel tag side to the robot, which makes it impossible for the robot to make differentiated safety responses based on the personnel status.

[0006] The alarm configuration is not flexible enough: Existing systems typically use fixed distance thresholds for alarms, which cannot implement differentiated alarm strategies based on different tag states. For example, even if a tag is known to be outside the work area, the system will still issue a distance alarm, causing unnecessary robot deceleration or shutdown, thus affecting production efficiency.

[0007] Hardware alarm signals cannot be directly accessed: In scenarios where external hardware signals (such as emergency buttons, safety relay outputs, etc.) need to be directly mapped to UWB alarms, the existing system lacks a mechanism to directly acquire hardware signals from the C-tag side GPIO and trigger alarm outputs on the A-tag side, which cannot meet the end-to-end low latency requirement of "hardware signal-alarm output" under the security level requirements.

[0008] Unable to achieve coordinated control of triggering and disabling alarms: In complex deployments with multiple tags and multiple areas, certain tag states are required to trigger alarms (such as emergency help, low battery alarms, etc.), while certain tag states are required to suppress distance alarms (such as tags leaving the work area). Existing systems lack a unified configuration and coordinated control mechanism for these two opposing behaviors. Summary of the Invention

[0009] This application provides a method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB. The purpose is to: enable real-time broadcasting of C-tag status information to A-tag via UWB ranging response packets without requiring additional communication links or dedicated channels; enable local parsing and alarm output of C-tag status on the A-tag side without relying on host computer participation for alarm judgment, meeting low-latency response requirements for security levels; enable configuration of trigger and disable alarm masks based on each region and each tag, supporting differentiated alarm strategies; enable direct mapping of C-tag GPIO hardware signals to UWB status broadcasting, meeting the end-to-end alarm requirements of hardware signals in security scenarios; and implement trigger-priority security alarm logic to ensure that hardware-driven security signals are not masked by software-disabled alarm configurations.

[0010] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, this application provides a method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB, comprising: In step S10, the personnel-end ranging module C-tag receives the status value configured by the host computer through UART command, and samples the level signal of the GPIO pin in real time. It assembles the two into an 8-bit status byte STATE, and appends the STATE byte to the end of the payload of the UWB ranging response message RRMSG for broadcast. Step S20: The robot-side ranging module A-tag receives the ranging response message RRMSG, parses out the STATE byte, and loads the pre-configured STATE-based partition alarm control parameters. The partitioned alarm control parameters include a trigger mask (trigger_mask) and a mute mask (mute_mask) that are set independently for each physical output area, which are the basis for realizing coordinated control of triggering and disabling. Step S30: The robot-end ranging module A-tag performs independent evaluation and cooperative control based on STATE for each physical output area. The STATE byte is matched with the trigger mask of the current area. If the trigger mask is matched successfully, the alarm output of the area is forcibly triggered regardless of the ranging distance. If the trigger mask is not matched, the STATE byte is matched with the alarm disable mask of the current area. If the alarm disable mask is matched successfully, it is determined that the contribution of the C-tag suppression to the distance alarm of the area is excluded from the distance threshold comparison of the area. Step S40: Based on the evaluation results of step S30, drive the alarm terminal of the corresponding physical output area.

[0011] Furthermore, in step S20, the partition alarm control parameters are stored in the non-volatile memory of the A-tag, which supports power-off retention; The trigger mask and the alarm disable mask are associated with 8 bits of the STATE byte through a bit mapping mechanism, which allows for flexible adjustment of the response strategies of different physical output areas to different C-tag states by modifying the mask configuration, thereby achieving dynamic coordination of triggering and disabling.

[0012] Furthermore, in step S30, the independent evaluation also includes multi-C-tag aggregation logic: Within the same physical output area, the A-tag independently performs the evaluation process of trigger mask matching and disable alarm mask matching for each C-tag within the radio frequency range; The evaluation results of each C-tag are independent of each other. As long as any C-tag is forcibly triggered, or the ranging distance of any C-tag not covered by the disabled alarm is less than the preset threshold, the physical output area will output an alarm signal, realizing the partition control in a multi-C-tag environment.

[0013] The contribution of the suppression to regional distance alarms includes: only blocking the possibility of the C-tag triggering an alarm due to distance factors, the ranging data of the C-tag is still used in other business logics besides distance alarms, and if the C-tag meets the trigger mask conditions at the same time, the forced trigger logic is executed first to ensure that the disabled configuration does not cover up the real danger.

[0014] Furthermore, the method also includes an end-to-end hardware alarm link where the C-tag's GPIO pins are directly mapped to the A-tag alarm output, including the following detailed steps: The C-tag's GPIO pins are connected to an external hardware signal source. Each time the C-tag sends an RRMSG, it samples the GPIO pin level in real time and assembles it into a STATE byte. After receiving the RRMSG, the A-tag extracts the STATE byte. If the trigger mask is configured with the corresponding GPIO bit, it directly triggers the area alarm. The area alarm drives the physical output, realizing an end-to-end response from hardware signal to safety output. The entire process does not require the involvement of the host computer software.

[0015] Furthermore, the method also includes a master-slave synchronization mechanism: Each A-Tag and C-Tag contains two UWB modules operating on different channels, namely master and slave modules. Regional alarms triggered based on STATE are kept synchronized between the master and slave modules of A-tag. The master and slave modules of A-tag independently receive RRMSG of C-tag and evaluate STATE. After triggering an alarm, they coordinate the alarm output according to the existing master-slave synchronization mechanism to ensure that the alarm behavior of the two channels of A-tag is consistent.

[0016] This application discloses the following technical effects: This application provides a method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB. It introduces STATE byte broadcast multiplexing of UWB ranging response packets, eliminating the need for additional communication links or dedicated time slots. C-tag status information is transmitted in real-time with the ranging cycle, and the alarm delay is consistent with the ranging cycle (maximum 16Hz), meeting the real-time requirements of safety scenarios. This invention establishes an end-to-end hardware alarm link, with GPIO pins directly mapped to STATE bits. After UWB broadcasting, the A-tag directly drives the physical alarm output according to the trigger mask. The entire link requires no host computer software intervention, meeting the reliability requirements of functional safety standards for hardware signal to safety output. Through a trigger-priority fail-safe design, the trigger mask priority is set higher than the alarm disabling mask, ensuring that hardware-driven safety signals (GPIO bits) are never masked by software-disabled alarm configurations, guaranteeing that alarms under safe conditions are not erroneously suppressed.

[0017] Furthermore, this invention introduces a flexible zoned alarm strategy. Through the STATE_ZONE_MASKS parameter, trigger masks and disable alarm masks can be independently configured for each zone, supporting various differentiated alarm scenarios, such as low-battery trigger alarms, tag-out-of-zone disable alarms, and distance alarms. In this invention, the extended RRMSG distinguishes whether a STATE is included based on frame length. Traditional C-tags and A-tags can coexist without any firmware modifications, making upgrades and deployments risk-free. The mask mechanism supports bit-level operations. The CMD_SET_STATE command uses a two-parameter design of mask + value, supporting independent setting or clearing of individual status bits, avoiding read-write-modify-write operations when performing multi-bit operations. Competition issues; the method proposed in this invention has almost no impact on system capacity. The STATE payload is only 1 byte, appended to the end of the existing RRMSG, without introducing new message types or time slot occupancy, and the impact on ranging capacity and cycle is negligible. All A-tags report independently. Each A-tag that receives the extended RRMSG independently reports NTF_STATE, not limited to the A-tag that initiated ranging, ensuring that all robots can know the personnel status information. This invention particularly emphasizes the consistency of master-slave synchronization. Regional alarms triggered by STATE are kept synchronized between master and slave A-tags, ensuring that the alarm behavior of a pair of A-tags is consistent and avoiding misjudgments caused by unilateral alarms. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a system architecture diagram of a method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB, provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB, provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description of this application will be provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The described embodiments should not be considered as limitations on this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] Example 1: This application provides a method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB. The system architecture of this method is as follows: Figure 1 As shown: Based on the existing UWB ranging system, two major functional modules are added: status (STATE) broadcasting and STATE-based zone alarm triggering. The system includes: C-tag (personnel-side ranging module) responsible for status acquisition, assembly, and broadcasting; and A-tag (robot-side ranging module) responsible for status reception, parsing, and alarm output.

[0022] C-tag acquires status information via UART commands and GPIO pins, assembles it into an 8-bit STATE byte, appends it to a UWB Ranging Response Message (RRMSG), and broadcasts it. After receiving the RRMSG containing the STATE, A-tag independently evaluates whether to trigger an alarm for each C-tag and each region based on the pre-configured trigger mask and alarm disable mask, and drives the physical alarm output. The basic process is as follows: Figure 2 As shown, it includes the following steps: In step S10, the personnel-end ranging module C-tag receives the status value configured by the host computer through UART command, and samples the level signal of the GPIO pin in real time. It assembles the two into an 8-bit status byte STATE, and appends the STATE byte to the end of the payload of the UWB ranging response message RRMSG for broadcast. Step S20: The robot-side ranging module A-tag receives the ranging response message RRMSG, parses out the STATE byte, and loads the pre-configured STATE-based partition alarm control parameters. The partitioned alarm control parameters include a trigger mask (trigger_mask) and a mute mask (mute_mask) that are set independently for each physical output area, which are the basis for realizing coordinated control of triggering and disabling. In step S30, the robot-end ranging module A-tag performs independent evaluation and collaborative control based on STATE for each physical output area; Step S40: Based on the evaluation results of step S30, drive the alarm terminal of the corresponding physical output area.

[0023] In this embodiment, the personnel-end ranging module (C-tag) integrates a UWB chip and an MCU, and its status acquisition and packaging process is as follows: Dual-source data acquisition: The MCU acquires data through two methods. First, it samples the GPIO pin levels of external hardware (such as an emergency stop button) in real time; second, it receives the CMD_SET_STATE configuration command from the host computer via the UART serial port.

[0024] Bit-level mask configuration: To improve configuration flexibility, C-tag uses a mask mechanism to handle UART commands. This command contains a mask byte and a status value byte. The MCU only updates the bits marked '1' in the mask byte, leaving the bits marked '0' unchanged. This mask mechanism allows the host computer to independently set or clear individual status bits without affecting other bits. For example: setting bit0 (mask 0x01, value 0x01), clearing bit0 (mask 0x01, value 0x00), and simultaneously setting bits2 and bit0 (mask 0x05, value 0x05).

[0025] Message Extension and Broadcast: The MCU assembles the aforementioned GPIO levels and latched status values ​​into an 8-bit STATE byte. During the transmission of the standard UWB Ranging Response Message (RRMSG), this STATE byte is appended to the end of the message payload. Since the existing ranging time slot is reused, this process does not occupy additional independent communication time slots, and has minimal impact on the original system capacity.

[0026] In this embodiment, the robot-end ranging module (A-tag) has a built-in non-volatile memory (such as Flash) to store the STATE_ZONE_MASKS parameter. After the A-tag is powered on, the parameter is loaded. For each physical output area (such as area 1 corresponding to ALARM1, area 2 corresponding to ALARM2), a pair of masks are configured: a trigger mask and a mute mask. The trigger mask is used to force the alarm output of the area when the corresponding bit in the STATE of the C-tag is set. The mute mask is used to suppress the contribution of the C-tag to the distance alarm of the area when the corresponding bit in the STATE of the C-tag is set. After receiving an RRMSG containing STATE, the A-tag notifies the host computer via NTF_STATE. The processing logic of the A-tag after receiving the extended message is as follows: Step S201: Parse the STATE byte at the end of RRMSG from the A-tag; Step S202: Select a physical output area and load the trigger_mask and mute_mask corresponding to that area; Step S203, trigger priority judgment (Fail-Safe logic), A-tag performs a bitwise AND operation between the STATE byte and the trigger_mask of the current region: If the result is non-zero: it is determined to be a forced trigger state. At this time, the system ignores the ranging distance and subsequent alarm disable judgment, and directly jumps to step S205 to execute alarm output. This ensures that hardware signals such as emergency stop button presses have the highest priority and will not be blocked by software configuration.

[0027] If the result is 0: it is determined that it was not triggered, and the program proceeds to the next step; Step S204, disable alarm judgment (distance contribution suppression). The A-tag performs a bitwise AND operation between the STATE byte and the mute_mask of the current region: If the result is non-zero: the C-tag is determined to be in an alarm-disabled state. The system will exclude the contribution of this C-tag to area distance alarms within the current ranging cycle. This means that although the C-tag is still within the radio frequency range, its ranging data will be ignored and not included in the distance threshold comparison. It is worth noting that the data of this C-tag can still be used for logging or non-security-related business logic.

[0028] If the result is 0: the C-tag is determined to be normal, and its ranging data is normally used in the distance threshold comparison.

[0029] Step S205, multi-tag aggregation and output driving: within the same physical output region, the A-tag integrates the evaluation results of all C-tags. If any C-tag is determined to be forcibly triggered, an alarm will be output immediately in that area. If there is no forced trigger, but there is a C-tag that is not covered by a disabled alarm and whose ranging distance is less than the threshold, an alarm will be output in that area. Otherwise, the alarm output will be either deactivated or maintained.

[0030] Subsequently, the A-tag reports the STATE information to the robot's host computer via the NTF_STATE message and drives the corresponding physical alarm output terminal (such as the OSSD safety output port).

[0031] In step S206, A-tag executes steps S202 to S205 repeatedly until all configured physical output areas are traversed.

[0032] The method also includes a master-slave synchronization mechanism. Each A-Tag and C-Tag contains two UWB modules (master and slave modules) operating on different channels. Region alarms triggered based on STATE are synchronized between the master and slave modules of the A-tag. Each A-tag master and slave module independently receives the RRMSG from the C-tag and evaluates the STATE. After triggering an alarm, they coordinate alarm output according to the existing master-slave synchronization mechanism to ensure consistent alarm behavior across the two channels of the A-tag. Output is only driven when both parties confirm that the triggering conditions are met, further improving system reliability.

[0033] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. In some cases, the actions or steps described in this application can be performed in a different order than that shown in the embodiments and still achieve the desired results. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require a specific or sequential order to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

Claims

1. A method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB, characterized in that, The method includes: In step S10, the personnel-end ranging module C-tag receives the status value configured by the host computer through UART command, and samples the level signal of the GPIO pin in real time. It assembles the two into an 8-bit status byte STATE, and appends the STATE byte to the end of the payload of the UWB ranging response message RRMSG for broadcast. Step S20: The robot-side ranging module A-tag receives the ranging response message RRMSG, parses out the STATE byte, and loads the pre-configured STATE-based partition alarm control parameters. The partitioned alarm control parameters include a trigger mask (trigger_mask) and a mute mask (mute_mask) that are set independently for each physical output area, which are the basis for realizing coordinated control of triggering and disabling. In step S30, the robot-end ranging module A-tag performs independent evaluation and collaborative control based on STATE for each physical output area; Step S40: Based on the evaluation results of step S30, drive the alarm terminal of the corresponding physical output area.

2. The method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S20, the partition alarm control parameters are stored in the non-volatile memory of the A-tag, which supports power-off retention; The trigger mask and the alarm disable mask are associated with 8 bits of the STATE byte through a bit mapping mechanism, which allows for flexible adjustment of the response strategies of different physical output areas to different C-tag states by modifying the mask configuration, thereby achieving dynamic coordination of triggering and disabling.

3. The method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step S30, the independent evaluation and collaborative control based on STATE includes: matching the STATE byte with the trigger mask of the current area; if the trigger mask is successfully matched, the alarm output of the area is forcibly triggered regardless of the ranging distance; if the trigger mask is not matched, the STATE byte is matched with the alarm disabling mask of the current area; if the alarm disabling mask is successfully matched, the contribution of the C-tag suppression to the distance alarm of the area is determined, so that it does not participate in the distance threshold comparison of the area.

4. The method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The independent evaluation also includes multi-C-tag aggregation logic: Within the same physical output area, the A-tag independently performs the evaluation process of trigger mask matching and disable alarm mask matching for each C-tag within the radio frequency range; The evaluation results of each C-tag are independent of each other. As long as any C-tag is forcibly triggered, or the ranging distance of any C-tag not covered by the disabled alarm is less than the preset threshold, the physical output area will output an alarm signal, realizing the partition control in a multi-C-tag environment.

5. The method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The contribution of the suppression to regional distance alarms includes: only blocking the possibility of the C-tag triggering an alarm due to distance factors, the ranging data of the C-tag is still used in other business logics other than distance alarms, and if the C-tag meets the trigger mask condition at the same time, the forced trigger logic is executed first.

6. The method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB as described in claim 1, characterized in that, This method also includes an end-to-end hardware alarm link where the C-tag's GPIO pins are directly mapped to the A-tag alarm output, comprising the following detailed steps: The C-tag's GPIO pins are connected to an external hardware signal source. Each time the C-tag sends an RRMSG, it samples the GPIO pin level in real time and assembles it into a STATE byte. After receiving the RRMSG, the A-tag extracts the STATE byte. If the trigger mask is configured with the corresponding GPIO bit, it directly triggers the area alarm. The area alarm drives the physical output, realizing an end-to-end response from hardware signals to safety output.

7. The method for coordinated control of alarm triggering and alarm disabling based on UWB as described in claim 1, characterized in that, This method also includes a master-slave synchronization mechanism: Each A-Tag and C-Tag contains two UWB modules operating on different channels, namely master and slave modules. The area alarms triggered based on STATE are kept synchronized between the master and slave modules of the A-tag. The A-tag master and slave modules independently receive the RRMSG of the C-tag and evaluate the STATE. After triggering the alarm, they coordinate the alarm output according to the existing master-slave synchronization mechanism to make the alarm behavior of the two channels of the A-tag consistent.

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