Fleet Management System Communication Cycle Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for managing fleets of autonomous mobile robots in facilities face challenges in identifying and addressing inadequate or deficient communications between robots and the fleet management system, which can impair robot operations and facility efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented system that logs and analyzes communication cycle times between autonomous mobile robots and wireless access points, identifying overrepresented characteristics associated with inadequate communications, and outputs notifications and heatmaps to aid in troubleshooting and improving communication efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the fleet management system monitors and logs communication cycle times for all robots, then communication reliability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors communication cycle times and logs performance data, creating a feedback loop that enables identification of communication deficiencies. The analysis component processes logged characteristics and generates notifications when inadequate communications are detected, allowing the system to self-diagnose and improve communication reliability without manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an analysis component as an intermediary between the communication system and the fleet management system. This component automatically analyzes logged communication characteristics, identifies patterns of inadequate communication, and generates notifications, thereby reducing the complexity burden on the overall system while maintaining high communication reliability.
2Productivity
If the system performs detailed analysis of logged communication characteristics, then communication efficiency is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis by continuously logging communication characteristics during normal operations. This preliminary data collection enables the analysis component to quickly identify communication deficiencies when they occur, rather than performing extensive analysis only when problems are detected, thus reducing processing time while maintaining communication efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual communication troubleshooting with an automated analysis component that uses algorithmic processing of logged characteristics. This substitution of mechanical/manual analysis with automated computational analysis significantly reduces processing time while improving communication efficiency through systematic pattern recognition.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If the system generates notifications and heatmaps for communication deficiencies, then troubleshooting capability is improved, but information processing load increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system generates heatmaps that use color variations to represent communication cycle time patterns and identify locations with inadequate communication. This visual encoding transforms complex communication data into intuitive color-coded representations, improving troubleshooting capability while reducing the information processing load on operators who can quickly assess communication quality through visual patterns rather than raw data analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies (heatmaps and notifications) of the underlying communication data, allowing operators to troubleshoot without directly processing the raw information. These visual representations serve as simplified copies that convey essential communication quality information while reducing the cognitive and computational load associated with analyzing detailed communication logs.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, systems, and non-transitory machine-readable media encoding instructions for managing a fleet of autonomous mobile robots in a facility. In one aspect, a computer-implemented system for managing a fleet of autonomous mobile robots in a facility can include a log of characteristics of cycle times of communications between the system and the autonomous mobile robots in the fleet over time, and an analysis component configured to determine, based on the logged characteristics of the cycle times, i) a location in a facility at which or ii) a time of day during which or iii) equipment used in communications between the system and the autonomous mobile robots in the plurality that are either inadequate or deficient. Each communications cycle includes wireless transmission of test signals to a plurality of the autonomous mobile robots in the fleet and receipt of responses to the test signals transmitted wirelessly from each of the autonomous mobile robots in the plurality.