Carrier control system and control method therefor

Abstract

To provide a carrier control system and a carrier control method improved so that many communication interfaces can be supported by adopting a single board computer of a newer architecture.SOLUTION: A carrier control system for controlling movement of a carrier includes the following elements. An integrated control module is connected to at least a first interface and a second interface. A processing module is connected to the integrated control module via the first interface and transmits autonomous system commands. A power module is connected to the integrated control module via the second interface and provides power for the carrier in response to the autonomous system commands. The processing module is a single-board computer of a Second-Generation architecture of a Robot Operating System (ROS-II).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control system and a control method, and particularly to a carrier control system and a carrier control method.

Background Art

[0002] Smart carriers are widely used in various aspects of daily life, such as drones, private cars, and automated agricultural implements. The control system of a conventional smart carrier usually uses a single-board computer to control and manage the carrier by using a vehicle-wide control module (or an integrated control module) connected to the carrier.

[0003] The single-board computer of the control system of a conventional smart carrier usually uses the architecture of the first-generation ROS-I of the robot operating system and uses the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) method to control the motors of the carrier. However, there are defects in the control mechanism of the single-board computer with the ROS-I architecture. For example, the ROS-I architecture requires a master node that plays the role of central control (ROS master). When an abnormality occurs in the master node, the control of the carrier may be lost because other nodes cannot immediately acquire the mastership. In addition, the conventional integrated control module cannot support multiple communication interfaces simultaneously, so the management performance of the carrier is greatly restricted.

[0004] In view of the above problems, it is necessary to provide an improved carrier control system and a carrier control method that adopt a single-board computer with a newer architecture and can support multiple communication interfaces.

[0005] The related technology with publication number TW200632657A and title "Host and device with multiple communication protocol modes, single-mode device, and method for initializing a host or device by using its socket or connector to perform data communication" relates to the improvement of insertable cards and related interfaces. It uses various different communication protocols through the physical interfaces of Secure Digital (SD) and Multi Media Card (MMC), constructs multi-mode hosts, devices, and single-mode devices, and initializes these hosts or devices to perform data communication, aiming to achieve faster transport interface communication.

[0006] The related technology with publication number TW200707940A and title "Method, terminal device, and receiver for controlling the linearity of a communication system" is a terminal device, which includes a control unit for controlling the functions of the terminal device, and a plurality of communication units connected to the control unit for transmitting communication signals with one or more transmitters and / or receiving communication signals with one or more receivers. This control unit is configured to detect the transmission power criteria of one or more transmitters and adjust the linearity of one or more receivers based on the detected transmission power criteria of the transmitters.

[0007] The related technology with publication number CN201659565U and title "Navigation and Positioning System for Indoor Mobile Robots" is a navigation and positioning system for indoor mobile robots, including a mobile robot, an in-vehicle control subsystem arranged on the mobile robot, and a positioning subsystem located above the working space of the mobile robot. The in-vehicle control subsystem includes a first microprocessor provided at the front and rear ends of the mobile robot, an infrared light transmitter provided on each first microprocessor, and an ultrasonic generator. The positioning subsystem includes a host computer and a plurality of second microprocessors. The plurality of second microprocessors are arranged in a matrix form to form a rectangular array with equal pitch. An infrared light receiver and an ultrasonic receiver are arranged on each second microprocessor. The advantages of this system are that the positioning error is not accumulated, the positioning accuracy is high, there are no special requirements for the working environment of indoor mobile robots, the path planning is flexible, and the anti-interference ability is strong.

[0008] The related technology with publication number CN217157453U and title "Wireless Remote Control Device and Engineering Device for One-to-Many Communication" is a wireless remote control device and engineering device for one-to-many communication. The transmission device therein includes a multi-rank switch, a transmission-end module, and a wireless transmission module. The transmission-end module obtains a corresponding rank signal based on the current rank. The wireless transmission module obtains a corresponding wireless address code based on the rank signal and establishes communication with a receiving device of the same frequency based on the frequency corresponding to the wireless address code. When it is necessary to switch the receiving device communicating with this transmission device, it is only necessary to operate the multi-rank switch to switch to another rank. In this application, the wireless address code of the transmission device is switched by the multi-rank switch, and further the communication frequency is switched. By establishing communication with a plurality of receiving devices through the switching of the multi-rank switch by one transmission device, one-to-many communication can be realized.

[0009] The related technology with the publication number CN102075370A and the name "ECM Communication Calibration and Verification System Based on Virtual Network and Virtual Node" is a virtual in-vehicle communication network used for the calibration and verification of automotive ECM communication and related functions. Its features are as follows. Software is used to simulate the in-vehicle communication network and network nodes to construct a virtual in-vehicle communication network. These virtual nodes can simulate the message sending and receiving processes of in-vehicle nodes in various driving situations and operation processes of the vehicle. By operating the user interface of the computer, the virtual vehicle can be put into the desired driving situation or operation process to simulate a specific communication process of the in-vehicle communication network. Finally, these virtual processes interact with the communication process of the ECM through the simulator and the real communication bus, enabling this hardware to calibrate and verify the communication and related functions of the ECM in the ring simulation system.

[0010] The related technology with the publication number TW202140305A and the name "Vehicle Control System" is a vehicle control system including a vehicle-wide wireless communication device, an engine control device, and an idling stop control device. The vehicle-wide wireless communication device communicates and connects with a personal mobile communication device through a short-range communication interface. The engine control device is connected to the vehicle-wide wireless communication device through a vehicle-wide communication interface to control the unlocking and starting of the vehicle. The idling stop control device is connected to the vehicle-wide wireless communication device through a vehicle-wide communication interface to control the motor drive mechanism to smoothly start the engine. Here, the application of the personal mobile communication device selectively determines whether to turn on the vehicle control system. If so, the vehicle receives the communication signal of the personal mobile communication device; otherwise, the vehicle does not receive the communication signal of the personal mobile communication device.

[0011] The related technology with publication number CN112019638A and title "ITS Protocol Stack Based on ROS2" is an ITS protocol stack based on ROS2, including an ITS protocol stack and an ITS main service system. The ITS protocol stack includes an application layer, a network layer, an access layer, ROS2 architecture management, and a security module. The application layer includes a user application and a message layer. The network layer includes a management sub-layer and a data sub-layer. The management sub-layer includes a dedicated entity management DME. The data sub-layer mainly includes an adaptation layer, IP and UDP or TCP and DSMP. The access layer includes a cellular communication interface, a direct communication interface, wireless communication interfaces such as wifi and Bluetooth®, and Ethernet®, various serial ports, and parallel ports. The ROS2 architecture management core includes a distributed network and a distributed communication mechanism, is related to the field of smart transportation technology, enables vehicles to have functions such as automatic recognition of road obstacles, automatic warning, automatic steering, automatic braking, maintaining a safe distance between vehicles, cruise control, and blind spot monitoring, and gives drivers the necessary attention when the possibility of danger is automatically detected.

[0012] The related art with publication number US20130158762A1 and title "Configuration of Energy Management System and Energy Management Method in Electric Vehicles" is an energy management system installed in electric vehicles and includes the following. A mobile communication interface module for communicating between an electric vehicle charging station management center and an electric vehicle via a mobile communication network, a charging station information receiving module for receiving information on a charging station that provides charging power, a vehicle battery state information receiving module for receiving information on the battery state of an electric vehicle from a battery management module, an energy control algorithm module for generating control information for power use based on battery state information and charging station information, and an energy control module for individually generating control commands regarding the power use of devices managed by related vehicle control systems, vehicle multimedia systems, and service management systems, respectively.

Summary of the Invention

[0013] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a carrier control system for controlling the movement of a carrier is provided. An integrated control module connected to at least a first interface and a second interface, a processing module connected to the integrated control module via the first interface and transmitting autonomous system commands, and a power module connected to the integrated control module via the second interface and supplying power to the carrier in response to the autonomous system commands. This processing module is a single-board computer of the second generation (ROS-II) architecture of a robot operating system.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a carrier control method for controlling the movement of a carrier including the following steps is provided. A self - governing system command is generated by a processing module, the self - governing system command is transmitted to an integrated control module via a first interface, the integrated control module converts the self - governing system command into a first control signal, the first control signal is transmitted to a power module via a second interface, and the power module supplies power to the carrier according to the first control signal. The processing module is a single - board computer of a second - generation (ROS - II) architecture of a robot operating system.

[0015] Other aspects and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent by reading the following diagrams, detailed descriptions, and claims of the patent application.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Technical terms in this specification refer to the commonly used terms in this technical field. However, when this specification explains or defines some terms, the interpretation of the terms in that part shall comply with the explanations or definitions in this specification. Each embodiment in the present disclosure has one or more technical features. On the premise of possible implementations, those with general knowledge in the technical field can selectively implement some or all of the technical features in any embodiment, or can selectively combine some or all of the technical features in these embodiments.

[0018] Referring to FIG. 1 showing a block diagram of an integrated control module 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The integrated control module 100 is connected to a plurality of interfaces including interface IF1, interface IF2, interface IF3, and interface IF4. The integrated control module 100 includes a control circuit 110, a control circuit 120, a control circuit 130, and a control circuit 140. The control circuits 110 to 140 are respectively used to control the operations of the interfaces IF1 to IF4.

[0019] The interface IF1 is, for example, an interface of Ethernet for Control Automation Technology (EtherCAT). The EtherCAT-based interface IF1 is an Ethernet-based bus system suitable for industrial communication. The interface IF1 uses the Ethernet data box of the IEEE802.3 standard to transmit data, and adopts a full-duplex Ethernet entity layer, a distributed I / O system, and a distributed clock mechanism. It is suitable for transmitting short data and having a short update time. The interface IF2 is, for example, an interface of a Controller Area Network Bus (CAN-Bus). The CAN-Bus-based interface IF2 adopts a broadcast mechanism of an information-oriented transmission protocol, facilitates the mutual communication between single chips and devices on the network, and can be applied to vehicle bus standards.

[0020] Interface IF3 is, for example, an RS-485 interface that performs multi-point serial communication using a bidirectional half-duplex communication protocol. It can reduce inter-code interference, reduce the unit load of the receiver, and improve the transmission speed. Interface IF4 is, for example, an interface of a Universal Asynchronous Receiver / Transmitter (UART). The UART-based interface IF4 performs transmission using a synchronous sequence signal.

[0021] In addition, the integrated control module 100 has a function of a bridge similar to a North-Bridge chipset or a South-Bridge chipset. The integrated control module 100 has a high data rate processing ability and can simultaneously process data and control signals from interfaces IF1 to IF4, so it can support the hybrid multi-communication interface of the carrier control system 1000.

[0022] FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a carrier control system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 simultaneously. The carrier control system 1000 is used to control the movement of a carrier. The carrier control system 1000 includes an integrated control module 100, a processing module 200, a power module 300, a battery module 400, an instrument module 500, a work module 600, and a remote control receiving module 700. The processing module 200 is connected to the integrated control module 100 via interface IF1. The power module 300, the battery module 400, and the instrument module 500 are connected to the integrated control module 100 via interface IF2. The work module 600 is connected to the integrated control module 100 via interface IF3. The remote control receiving module 700 is connected to the integrated control module 100 via interface IF4.

[0023] The processing module 200 plays a role in the upper-level control of the carrier control system 1000. The processing module 200 is, for example, a single-board computer having an architecture of the Robot Operating System II (ROS-II), and can be equipped with an operating system such as Linux (registered trademark) or Windows (registered trademark). The architecture of ROS-II is suitable for the collaboration of multiple robots and has the ability to process instantaneously. More specifically, the ROS-II architecture separates the upper-level application and the lower-level network communication, and performs network communication in a distributed manner using the technology of the Data Distributed Service (DDS). In addition, each processing module in the ROS-II architecture (for example, the processing module 200 according to the present embodiment and other collaborating processing modules) is defined as a Publisher or a Subscriber for executing the functions of a Data Writer and a Data Reader.

[0024] The processing module 200 generates an autonomous system command cm_s and controls the movement of the carrier including autonomous movement and following movement. Also, the processing module 200 can execute calculations related to autonomous movement, such as map construction, path planning, and carrier positioning. The processing module 200 transmits the autonomous system command cm_s to the integrated control module 100 via the interface IF1. The integrated control module 100 converts the autonomous system command cm_s into a plurality of control signals and transmits these control signals to the power module 300, the battery module 400, and the work module 600 respectively. The autonomous system command cm_s can be converted into, for example, control signals cm1, cm2, and cm3. The control signal cm1 is transmitted to the power module 300 via the interface IF2. The control signal cm2 is transmitted to the battery module 400 via the interface IF2. The control signal cm3 is transmitted to the work module 600 via the interface IF3.

[0025] The power module 300 can supply the power required for the movement of the carrier. The power module 300 includes, for example, a motor 310. The power module 300 receives the control signal cm1 from the integrated control module 100 via the interface IF2 and controls the operating state of the motor 310 including forward or reverse rotation according to the control signal cm1.

[0026] The battery module 400 can supply the power of the carrier. The battery module 400 receives the control signal cm2 from the integrated control module 100 via the interface IF2. Also, the battery module 400 can provide state information st2 indicating whether there is an abnormality in the battery module 400. The state information st2 is transmitted to the integrated control module 100 via the interface IF2. The processing module 200 and the integrated control module 100 continuously detect the state information st2 of the battery module 400 via the interface IF2, and when the state information st2 indicates that there is an abnormality in the battery module 400, the operation of the battery module 400 is forcibly stopped according to the control signal cm2.

[0027] The instrument module 500 can display the status of each module of the carrier control system 1000. For example, the instrument module 500 can display the operating status of the motor 310 of the power module 300. Also, the instrument module 500 can display whether the battery module 400 is normal or abnormal according to the status information st2 of the battery module 400.

[0028] The work module 600 manages the moving state and moving trajectory of the carrier according to the power module 300, acting as an external operating system of the carrier control system 1000. The work module 600 can execute a plurality of task functions corresponding to a plurality of task types. When the carrier is an agricultural implement, the task types may include a mowing task, a dosing task, a weeding task, and a fertilizing task. The work module 600 receives a control signal cm3 from the integrated control module 100 via the interface IF3 and executes a task function corresponding to a different task type according to the control signal cm3. Thereby, the moving state and moving trajectory of the carrier are optimally adapted to these task types. For example, when the work module 600 executes a task function for the mowing task, the work module 600 manages the moving state and moving trajectory of the carrier according to the power module 300 and moves the carrier like a carpet scan to correspond to the mowing task.

[0029] The carrier control system 1000 can operate in a first control mode or a second control mode. The first control mode is a single-board computer control mode, and the processing module 200 has the mastership. The second control mode is a remote control mode, and an external remote control device 710 has the mastership. When the remote control receiving module 700 detects the wireless connection of the remote control device 710 but does not receive the autonomous system command cm_s of the processing module 200, the carrier control system 1000 switches to the second control mode. In the second control mode, the remote control receiving module 700 receives the control command cm_r of the remote control device 710 and transmits the command cm_r to the integrated control module 100 via the interface IF4. The integrated control module 100 transmits control signals cm1, cm2, and cm3 to the power module 300, the battery module 400, and the working module 600 according to the control command cm_r.

[0030] Referring to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a carrier control system 1000b according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The carrier control system 1000b according to this embodiment further includes a remote processing module 200b. The remote processing module 200b is communicably connected to the processing module 200. For example, the remote processing module 200b can communicate with the processing module 200 by means of WiFi, 4G, or 5G wireless communication.

[0031] The remote processing module 200b is also a single-board computer of the ROS2 architecture. The ROS-II architecture adopts a data distribution service and uses a distributed discovery mechanism (DDP) to connect between multiple nodes under the ROS-II architecture. Therefore, each node under the ROS-II architecture can communicate with each other without depending on a master node that plays the role of central control (ROS master). Therefore, any node can be connected to other nodes by means of the data distribution service.

[0032] In other words, both the processing module 200 and the remote processing module 200b are nodes under the ROS-II architecture. The processing module 200 and the remote processing module 200b can communicate with each other through a data distribution service. When an abnormality occurs in the processing module 200, the carrier control system 1000b can switch to a third control mode. The third control mode is a remote single-board computer control mode, and the remote processing module 200b acquires the mastership. Thereby, the reliability of the carrier operation can be improved.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 4, a schematic diagram of the operation of the processing module 200 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The carrier control system 1000 may further include a photoelectric (LiDAR) sensor 210, an attitude sensor 220, and a camera 230. The photoelectric sensor 210 is, for example, a two-dimensional or three-dimensional photoelectric sensor. The attitude sensor 220 is, for example, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). The processing module 200 is connected to the photoelectric sensor 210, the attitude sensor 220, and the camera 230 described above.

[0034] The processing module 200 receives the sensing information det1 of the photoelectric sensor 210, the sensing information det2 of the attitude sensor 220, and the image information img1 of the camera 230. The sensing information det1, the sensing information det2, and the image information img1 can assist in the execution of the movement function of the processing module 200 including the autonomous movement function func1, the following movement function func2, and the path planning function func3.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 5, a flowchart of a carrier control method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. First, in step S500, the remote control receiving module 700 determines whether the carrier control system 1000 should operate in the first control mode (single-board computer control mode) or the second control mode (remote control device control mode) by detecting the wireless connection of the remote control device 710. If the remote control receiving module 700 does not detect the wireless connection of the remote control device 710, step S502 is executed in which the carrier control system 1000 operates in the first control mode. Next, step S504 is executed to determine whether the integrated control module 100 has received the autonomous system command cm_s of the processing module 200. If the autonomous system command cm_s is received, step S506 is executed to cause the power module 300 and the work module 600 to operate based on the autonomous system command cm_s. For example, the integrated control module 100 converts the autonomous system command cm_s into a control signal cm1, and the motor of the power module 300 operates according to the control signal cm1. Also, the integrated control module 100 converts the autonomous system command cm_s into a control signal cm3, and the work module 600 executes functions of different task types according to the control signal cm3.

[0036] In step S500, if the remote control receiving module 700 detects the wireless connection of the remote control device 710, step S508 is executed in which the carrier control system 1000 operates in the second control mode. Next, step S510 is executed for the remote control device 710 to obtain mastership. That is, the remote control device 710 has priority. In the second control mode, the remote control receiving module 700 receives the control command cm_r of the remote control device 710, and each module of the carrier control system 1000 operates according to the control command cm_r of the remote control device 710.

[0037] On the other hand, in step S504 above, if the integrated control module 100 does not receive the autonomous system command cm_s, step S510 is executed.

[0038] Also, after step S500 (or in synchronization with step S500), an integrated control module 100 can execute step S512 of continuously detecting state information st2 of a battery module 400 via an interface IF2. Next, step S514 of determining whether there is an abnormality in the battery module 400 based on the state information st2 of the battery module 400 is executed. When there is an abnormality in the battery module 400, step S518 of the integrated control module 100 forcibly stopping the operation of the battery module 400 according to a control signal cm2 is executed. For example, the battery module 400 turns off the power according to the control signal cm2.

[0039] When it is determined in step S514 that the battery module 400 is normal, an instrument module 500 executes step S516 of displaying the normal state of the battery module 400.

[0040] As described above, the carrier control system 1000 and the carrier control method according to the present disclosure provide the processing ability of a hybrid multi-communication interface and can simultaneously process data and control signals of an EtherCAT interface, a CAN-Bus interface, an RS-485 interface, and a UART interface. Thereby, the power module 300, the battery module 400, and the work module 600 can be managed simultaneously, and various functions such as the power and electric power of the carrier can be integrally managed. Then, by the work module 600 executing task functions for different task types, the moving state and moving trajectory of the carrier can be optimally adapted to these task types. Furthermore, if necessary (for example, when an abnormality occurs in the processing module 200), since the remote control device 710 and the remote processing module 200b can obtain the mastership for managing the carrier control system 1000, the stability and reliability of the carrier can be improved.

[0041] As described above, although the present disclosure has been disclosed in detail with preferred embodiments and examples, it is understood that these examples are not limiting but for illustrative purposes. Those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present disclosure pertains can expect various modifications and combinations. Various modifications and combinations are within the spirit of the present disclosure and the scope of the appended patent application.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0042] Carrier control systems 1000, 1000b Integrated control module 100 Control circuits 110, 120, 130, 140 Processing module 200 Remote processing module 200b Photoelectric sensor 210 Attitude sensor 220 Camera 230 Power module 300 Battery module 400 Instrument module 500 Work module 600 Remote control receiving module 700 Remote control device 710 Interfaces IF1, IF2, IF3, IF4 Autonomous system command cm_s Control command cm_r Control signals cm1, cm2, cm3 Status information st2 Sensing information det1, det2 Image information img1 Autonomous movement function func1 Following movement function func2 Route planning function func3 Steps S500~S518

Claims

1. A carrier control system for controlling the movement of a carrier, comprising: an integrated control module connected to at least a first interface and a second interface; a processing module connected to the integrated control module via the first interface for transmitting autonomous system commands; a power module connected to the integrated control module via the second interface for supplying power to the carrier in response to the autonomous system commands; wherein the processing module is a single-board computer of a second-generation (ROS-II) architecture of a robot operating system, the carrier control system.

2. The carrier control system according to claim 1, wherein the first interface is an interface of Ethernet for Control Automation Technology (EtherCAT), and the second interface is an interface of a Controller Area Network bus (CAN-Bus).

3. further comprising a work module connected to the integrated control module via a third interface for executing a plurality of task functions corresponding to a plurality of task types in response to the autonomous system commands, wherein the third interface is an RS-485 interface, the carrier control system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The carrier control system according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of task types include at least a mowing task, a spraying task, a hoeing task, and a fertilizing task.

5. The carrier control system according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a battery module connected to the integrated control module via the second interface for supplying power to the carrier in response to the autonomous system commands.

6. The battery module transmits status information to the integrated control module via the second interface, and when the status information indicates that there is an abnormality in the battery module, the integrated control module stops the operation of the battery module, the carrier control system according to claim 5.

7. further comprising an instrument module connected to the integrated control module via a second interface When the battery module is indicated to be normal according to the state information, the instrument module displays the normal state of the battery module, the carrier control system according to claim 6.

8. It is connected to the integrated control module via a fourth interface, and further includes a remote control receiving module for receiving a control command of a remote control device. The fourth interface is an interface of a universal asynchronous transceiver (UART), the carrier control system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. When the remote control receiving module detects a wireless connection of the remote control device, the remote control device has a mastership, the carrier control system according to claim 8.

10. When the remote control receiving module does not detect a wireless connection of the remote control device, the processing module has a mastership, the carrier control system according to claim 8.

11. It further includes a remote processing module which is a single-board computer of a ROS-II architecture communicably connected to the processing module. When an abnormality occurs in the processing module, the remote processing module acquires a mastership, the carrier control system according to claim 10.

12. A carrier control method for controlling the movement of a carrier, A processing module generates an autonomous system command, The autonomous system command is transmitted to an integrated control module via a first interface, The integrated control module converts the autonomous system command into a first control signal, The first control signal is transmitted to a power module via a second interface, According to the first control signal, the power module supplies power to the carrier. Including, The processing module is a single-board computer of a second-generation robot operating system (ROS-II) architecture, a carrier control method.

13. The first interface is an interface of Ethernet control automation technology (EtherCAT), and the second interface is an interface of a controller area network bus (CAN-Bus), the carrier control method according to claim 12.

14. The integrated control module converts the autonomous system command into a second control signal, and transmits the second control signal to the working module via a third interface, and in response to the second control signal, the working module executes a plurality of task functions corresponding to a plurality of task types. The method further includes The third interface is an RS-485 interface. The carrier control method according to claim 12 or 13.

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