MANAGING A FLEET OF INDOOR AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS WITHOUT A DEDICATED NETWORK

Abstract

The invention relates to the management of fleets of autonomous indoor mobile vehicles, in particular vehicles that can be deployed within infrastructures such as factories, logistics centers, hospitals, or public places. Figure 1 (for the abstract)

Description

Title of the invention: MANAGEMENT OF A FLEET OF AUTONOMOUS INDOOR ROBOTS WITHOUT A DEDICATED NETWORK Technical field of the invention

[0001] The technical field of the invention is that of indoor autonomous mobile vehicles, in particular vehicles which can be deployed within infrastructures such as factories, logistics centers, hospitals or public places without requiring substantial modifications to these infrastructures. Technological background

[0002] Autonomous mobile vehicles, better known by the English acronym AIV for Autonomous Intelligent Vehicles or AMR for Autonomous Mobile Robot, are robots designed to move around warehouses, production centers, logistics centers, etc., in free navigation, without guidance elements and without piloting. These robots thus make it possible to transport goods from one point to another in the warehouse, without external intervention or supervision.

[0003] In existing systems, vehicles and the fleet manager are connected to a Wi-Fi or GMS connection to exchange orders.

[0004] The fleet manager retransmits the orders received from centralized production management software.

[0005] Fleet software is mostly hosted on a remote central site (SAAS) requiring a WAN connection

[0006] Fleet software requires complex integration with the central management system (ERP) as well as the intervention of IT teams.

[0007] The cost of implementation, organization, personnel and method structuring exclude 96% of French companies.

[0008] Known solutions encounter the following problems: - Wi-Fi or GSM coverage in order to communicate homogeneously and continuously with mobile systems (mobile robots / vehicles) on a production site is generally very expensive and complex to set up. - More than 96% of SMEs / VSEs are not equipped with production management software. - Internet interconnection, the speed and range of WIFI or GSM connections lead to a significant cyber risk and significant implementation times (intervention of IT and Cybersecurity teams in high demand and costly) Objective of the invention

[0009] The objective of the invention is to overcome the drawbacks of prior solutions. Statement of the invention

[0010] To do this, the invention uses a long-range communication technology and protocol to communicate. This technology has the advantage of having a very long point-to-point range and therefore does not require the installation of a communication network on the production site; it has the disadvantage of having a low data exchange rate.

[0011] To compensate for the lack of production software, we developed call buttons using this long-range communication technology and placed on the workstation. These buttons allow operators to directly send an order to the fleet manager when necessary.

[0012] The fleet manager dynamically manages the priorities of the mobile robots needed to perform the requested action (distance, type of equipment, autonomy, etc.)

[0013] The fleet manager keeps up to date the position of each mobile robot, its status and the usage statistics of the requests and their execution.

[0014] Optionally, the fleet manager can be connected via a secure network socket (RJ45) to the company's IT system. This connection makes it possible to remote controls and displays and / or to take orders from a possible ERP, under the secure control of the user.

[0015] The workstations are equipped with a call button (or trigger). The operator only has to press the button to send an order to the fleet manager when needed. ([Fig.l])

[0016] Once the call button is pressed, a message is made available to the communication protocol and then received by the fleet manager via the long-range / low-speed transmission network and protocol.

[0017] The fleet manager equipped with a transmitter / receiver receives the message, determines the vehicle that must perform the action and transmits a message by this same long-range communication technology to the vehicles.

[0018] Each vehicle equipped with a transmitter receives the message and moves according to the requested action.

[0019] The main characteristics of the invention are as follows: - use of integrated low-speed long-range communication technology. - Independence from any WIFI / GSM and LAN network - no mandatory integration with an existing system - avoids specialist intervention for system deployment - no external connection, can work in the absence of an external internet network or with a severely degraded external network (white zone, or old lines for example).

[0020] In addition, this allows the display of usage statistics allowing the improvement of usage conditions (speeds, traffic problems, etc.)

[0021] The invention also relates to sending a movement order to the vehicle (from or to one or more workstations for example) without depending on any network (in place or not), in a cybersecure manner and in a radio-complex environment such as an industrial production site (electromagnetic disturbance), a logistics center (metallic environment and size of the building) or a hospital (multiple floors, low radio power).

[0022] In existing systems, the vehicle is connected to a Wi-Fi or GSM connection to receive an order.

[0023] Orders are sent via centralized production management software to a fleet manager, who transmits them to the relevant robots.

[0024] The implementation of homogeneous Wifi or GSM coverage of a production site, radio disturbed or multi-story is complex, expensive and requires IT and structural modifications of the site which induce a significant cost in equipment as well as operating conditions limiting their access and extending the implementation.

[0025] The operating cost is expensive due to maintenance and the intervention of specialized teams for each modification.

[0026] Technologies evolve and require continuous adaptation to accept the integration of new mobile robots

[0027] Fleet management software to coordinate everything is required and requires a link with a production ERP system.

[0028] All outgoing communications (case of SAAS cloud offers, majority) involve security risks

[0029] The cost of such solutions excludes all companies that do not have the structural or IT capacity to implement traditional solutions based on ERP, WIFI and / or GSM.

[0030] Some companies do not have a high-speed WAN connection and cannot use solutions requiring high-speed external connections for fleet management and the reporting of navigation information and usage statistics.

[0031] The solution uses low-speed, low-power, long-range communication technology, commonly used for IoT, to communicate.

[0032] The solution presented does not require any prior installation, has a high resistance to electromagnetic disturbances and a high penetration rate as well as a long range and can manage P2P, Mesh or broadcast links.

[0033] Acceptance of the use of mobile robotics is improved through the use of call buttons, at the service of the user, or mechanical triggers using the same radio and protocol means.

[0034] The lack of production software is overcome by the 2 available call systems (call button and trigger). The call buttons use long-range communication technology and can be placed on a workstation or fixed at a specific location to allow operators to directly call a robot or trigger a series of actions via the fleet manager when necessary. The trigger is fixed on a machine and activated in the desired situation to cause a robot call to the position linked to the button or a series of actions.

[0035] Each call button is associated with an identifier. The fleet manager associates a position (destination transmitted to the robot) or action(s) to be triggered.

[0036] The operator only has to press the button to trigger the desired action.

[0037] Once the call button is pressed, communication is established with the fleet manager using long-range communication technology.

[0038] The fleet manager also manages secondary task lists, statistics, the building map and the real-time position of the robots, their destination and assignments. It also collects all logs and possible incidents.

Claims

Claims

0.

Images