Fleet Robot Identification Signals for Remote Emergency Shutdown
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack efficient methods for rapidly identifying and remotely disabling individual or groups of robots, especially in emergency situations where sudden shutdown is required without causing damage to the robots.
Innovation Solution
The method involves transmitting a first-signal to a robot, which responds with a unique ID, allowing identification and subsequent command for task execution, including shutdown. This can be achieved through various signals such as electromagnetic, audio, or visual cues, and can differentiate between soft and hard shutdowns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If a sudden full power-off shutdown is used to rapidly disable a robot, then the shutdown speed is improved, but the robot may be impaired or damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification and selection of the target robot before executing the shutdown command. The operator uses a remote device to identify the specific robot in the fleet, and the system prepares the shutdown protocol in advance, allowing for rapid yet controlled disablement without sudden power-off damage
Solution Approach 2:
The shutdown process is made dynamic and adaptable based on robot state. The system can adjust the shutdown protocol depending on the robot's current operation, allowing for controlled cessation that maintains reliability while achieving rapid disablement when needed
2Speed
If traditional communication methods are used to identify and control individual robots in a fleet, then the system complexity is reduced, but the identification and control speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The fleet communication system is segmented into individual robot channels, allowing simultaneous independent communication with multiple robots. Each robot has its own identification protocol and communication pathway, enabling rapid targeting of specific robots without interfering with others in the fleet
Solution Approach 2:
A remote device serves as an intermediary between the operator and the robot fleet. This intermediary handles the complex tasks of signal transmission, robot identification, and command routing, simplifying the operator's interface while enabling rapid and precise control of individual robots within the fleet
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a remote disablement system is implemented for robots, then the safety of human operators is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The disablement function is extracted and isolated into a dedicated remote system separate from the robot's operational control. This allows emergency shutdown to be handled by a specialized subsystem that can rapidly disable robots from a distance without requiring complex integration into the robot's primary control architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The remote device is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as an identification tool and a control interface. The same device that identifies robots can also issue shutdown commands, reducing the need for separate specialized equipment while maintaining safety and simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method of identifying at least one deployed robot in a group of robots, differentially commanding the identified robot, and initiating a remote shutdown or disablement of at least one robot selected from a group of robots.