Mobile Robot Formation Control Around Obstacles on a Shared Track
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mobile robot technology struggles to maintain formation when a robot to be followed encounters obstacles or decelerates, leading to potential breakdown of the formation traveling configuration.
Innovation Solution
A mobile robot system that includes a map storage for travel path information and an intelligence processor to recognize and manage the position of a mobile body to be followed, setting a temporary destination when the robot is not on the designated path, allowing for autonomous navigation around obstacles and maintaining formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If mobile robot follows target using range sensor, then mobile robot can detect and follow target, but mobile robot cannot distinguish target to be followed from other targets when multiple targets exist
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses recognition marks (visual copies) attached to mobile bodies to represent their identity and position. Instead of relying solely on sensor detection of physical objects, the system creates and processes visual copies of target information through recognition marks, enabling accurate distinction between multiple targets.
Solution Approach 2:
Recognition marks serve as intermediaries between the mobile robot and the targets. These marks mediate the recognition process by providing clear, distinguishable visual information that allows the robot to differentiate between the target to be followed and other targets in the environment.
2Stability of the object's composition
If mobile robot travels autonomously along predesignated path at designated speed, then mobile robot can maintain formation traveling, but formation breaks when target mobile robot goes around obstacle or decelerates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic formation traveling where the following mobile robot continuously adjusts its speed and position based on real-time detection of the target mobile robot's state. Instead of maintaining fixed speed and path, the system dynamically adapts to keep the following distance within the predetermined range, preserving formation stability even when the target changes its motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses continuous feedback from the range sensor to monitor the distance between following and target mobile robots. This feedback loop enables the following robot to detect when the target has deviated from the path or changed speed, and automatically adjust its own motion to maintain proper formation, preventing formation breakdown.
3Stability of the object's composition
If following mobile robot maintains fixed distance from target mobile robot, then formation traveling can be maintained, but following robot cannot respond when target moves off path due to obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static distance maintenance to dynamic distance adjustment. The following mobile robot continuously monitors the target's position and adjusts its own position dynamically, allowing the formation to adapt to disturbances while maintaining consistency. The predetermined distance range provides flexibility to handle target deviations without breaking formation.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile body configured so that multiple mobile robots can travel along the same track in formation even when an obstacle is present on the travel path of the mobile robots, and a method of controlling the mobile body. This mobile body (100) includes: a map storage (6) that stores travel path information; and an intelligence processor (10) that recognizes whether or not an object in the periphery is a mobile body to be followed (101). When the object is the mobile body to be followed (101) and the mobile body to be followed (101) does not exist on a travel path (16) indicated by the travel path information, the intelligence processor (10) sets a position on the travel path (16) in which the mobile body to be followed (101) is projected, as a temporary destination (17).