Mobile Robot Stop-Point Control for Safe Breakdown Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile robots, particularly smaller autonomous robots, face challenges in identifying and safely stopping at appropriate locations for charging or repair, especially when they break down or operate erratically, posing safety hazards to pedestrians and vehicles due to their inability to recognize dynamic and changing environments.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing sensors and machine learning to identify real-time stopping points, update GPS maps, and ensure safety criteria are met, combined with a mobile rescue device to capture and evacuate out-of-control robots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If mobile robots operate autonomously in public areas for extended periods, then productivity and service capability are improved, but safety risks increase when robots break down or operate out of control
Solution Approach 1:
The system proactively identifies suitable stopping points along the robot's route before the robot actually needs to stop. By pre-mapping safe locations with adequate space and proper surface conditions, the system ensures that when a robot breaks down or requires maintenance, it can immediately navigate to a pre-identified safe location rather than stopping unpredictably in public areas, thus maintaining productivity while eliminating safety hazards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a mediating control system that acts as an intermediary between the autonomous robot and the public environment. This system continuously monitors robot status, predicts potential failures, and coordinates stopping actions at appropriate locations. The mediator processes sensor data, determines robot state, and manages the interaction between the robot's operational needs and public safety requirements, preventing direct harmful interactions.
2Reliability
If mobile robots stop unexpectedly in public areas, then maintenance needs are addressed, but public safety is compromised due to unpredictable stopping locations
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification and validation of stopping points before the robot encounters a maintenance issue. By pre-mapping locations that meet safety criteria (adequate space, proper surface, away from pedestrian traffic), the system ensures that when maintenance is needed, the robot stops at a predetermined safe location rather than an unpredictable public area, thus ensuring maintenance availability without compromising safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares cushioning measures by identifying and marking safe stopping zones in advance. These pre-identified locations act as buffer zones where robots can stop without affecting public safety. The system validates each potential stopping point for adequate space and surface conditions, creating a safety buffer between the robot's operational failures and the public environment.
3Reliability
If mobile robots are equipped with sensors and control systems to monitor their state, then safety and reliability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a multi-functional control system that performs several functions using a unified architecture. The same processor and sensor suite used for basic navigation and obstacle detection are also employed for monitoring robot state, predicting failures, and determining stopping points. By making the control system universal and multi-functional, the patent improves reliability through enhanced monitoring without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The robot's existing sensors and control systems are leveraged to monitor its own state and identify when maintenance is needed. The robot autonomously determines its own stopping requirements and navigates to predetermined safe locations without external intervention. This self-service capability improves operational reliability through continuous self-monitoring while avoiding the complexity of separate dedicated monitoring systems.
4Reliability
If mobile robots navigate to predetermined stopping points, then safe stopping is achieved, but loss of time occurs during navigation and stopping operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system identifies and validates multiple potential stopping points along the robot's route in advance, before the robot actually needs to stop. By pre-mapping safe locations and having multiple options available, the system minimizes the time required to find and navigate to a stopping point when maintenance is needed. The robot can quickly select from pre-validated options rather than searching for a safe location during an emergency stop.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the robot's operational state and compares it against failure thresholds. When degradation is detected, the system provides feedback to the navigation system to initiate stopping procedures. This feedback mechanism allows for early intervention, enabling the robot to stop at a convenient predetermined location rather than waiting for complete failure, thus reducing downtime while maintaining safety.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and techniques for controlling a mobile robot. In an example, the system may include a processor and memory, including instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to determine a state of the mobile robot. The state of the mobile robot may be determined using at least one of: data provided by the mobile robot or data captured by one or more sensors proximate to or attached to the mobile robot. The system may determine a state of an object proximate to the mobile robot using the data captured by the one or more sensors, and identify information relating to one or more available stopping points. The system may identify a condition of the mobile robot that requires the mobile robot to stop and issue a command to the mobile robot to navigate to a particular one of the one or more available stopping points.