Hierarchical Surroundings Mapping for Mobile Object Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Industrial manufacturing environments lack flexible and arbitrary connectivity between systems, with security and monitoring systems typically linked in a star-shaped configuration to a central computer, limiting the coordination and monitoring of objects within predefined spatial areas.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize subarea computing systems to collect and update position and movement information from various sensors, creating instantaneous surroundings maps which are then abstracted and transmitted to a higher-order computing system for coordinated management of automated mobile objects, ensuring efficient traffic flow and collision avoidance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a star-shaped network configuration with individual systems connected to a central computer is used, then system connectivity is established, but flexibility and adaptability of system linkages are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The spatial area is divided into multiple subareas, each with its own subarea computing system that independently manages local objects. This segmentation allows each subarea to operate autonomously while contributing to the global system, thereby increasing flexibility without proportionally increasing overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a flat star-shaped network topology to a hierarchical multi-level architecture with subarea systems at one level and a higher-order computing system at another. This dimensional change enables flexible local connections within subareas while maintaining manageable global coordination through the higher-order system.
2Measurement precision
If detailed instantaneous surroundings maps are maintained for all objects, then monitoring precision is improved, but data transmission volume and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
Only essential information elements from the detailed instantaneous surroundings maps are extracted and transmitted to the higher-order computing system. Non-critical details are retained locally at subarea systems, reducing data transmission volume while preserving monitoring precision for decision-making purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transmits partial information (only necessary elements) rather than complete detailed maps. This partial action approach maintains sufficient monitoring precision for coordination while significantly reducing the quantity of data that needs to be transmitted and processed at the higher level.
3Productivity
If abstracted surroundings maps are transmitted to higher-order computing system, then data transmission efficiency is improved, but coordination accuracy may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Different levels of information detail are maintained at different hierarchical levels: detailed instantaneous surroundings maps are kept at subarea systems for local coordination accuracy, while abstracted maps are transmitted upward for efficient global overview. This local quality differentiation ensures both transmission efficiency and coordination accuracy are maintained where needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for coordinating and monitoring objects in a predefined spatial area that includes multiple subareas that are each associated with a respective subarea computing system includes position and movement information of objects in the particular subarea being ascertained by the particular subarea computing system using sensor units. A particular instantaneous surroundings map of the particular subarea is created by the particular subarea computing system using a particular surroundings map of the particular subarea and the position and movement information. The particular instantaneous surroundings maps are transmitted to a shared higher-order computing system which creates an instantaneous surroundings map of the predefined spatial area and, based on the map, coordinates movements of automated mobile objects in the spatial area with ascertainment of movement specifications that are transmitted to the subarea computing systems and from there to the automated mobile objects.