Mobile Robot Traffic Control Using Blocked-Transition Forecasting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for managing traffic among mobile robots are not robust, reliable, and scalable, particularly in large heterogeneous fleets with uncertain conditions, temporary obstacles, and overlapping navigation graphs, often requiring manual intervention and global synchronization.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that determine blocked transitions based on the configurations of mobile robots, using a look-up table to associate configurations with blocked transitions, segment configurations into subsets, and forecast future paths to avoid deadlocks by adjusting configurations and version numbers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multi-agent pathfinding methods are used to solve traffic deadlocks, then deadlock safety is improved, but device complexity and scalability deteriorate due to global synchronization requirements and manual intervention needs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the traffic management system into autonomous mobile robots that independently determine their own blocked transitions using local configuration data and look-up tables, eliminating the need for global pathfinding computation and manual intervention while maintaining deadlock safety
Solution Approach 2:
Each mobile robot autonomously determines blocked transitions by querying local look-up tables with its current configuration and the configurations of other robots, without requiring external control or global synchronization, thereby reducing system complexity while ensuring reliable deadlock avoidance
2Reliability
If existing traffic management methods are applied to large heterogeneous fleets, then deadlock avoidance is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to manual intervention requirements and lack of scalability
Solution Approach 1:
Mobile robots autonomously determine blocked transitions using local look-up tables and configuration data without manual intervention, enabling large heterogeneous fleets to operate efficiently while maintaining reliable deadlock avoidance through self-directed traffic management
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-computes and stores blocked transition data in look-up tables based on robot configurations, allowing robots to quickly determine blocked transitions during operation without real-time computation, thereby improving fleet productivity while ensuring deadlock avoidance
3Ease of operation
If navigation graphs are used to specify allowed movements, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability deteriorates when dealing with temporary obstacles and uncertain conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically determines blocked transitions by querying look-up tables with current robot configurations and comparing against stored configuration data, allowing the navigation system to adapt to temporary obstacles and uncertain conditions while maintaining ease of operation through configuration-based movement specification
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses robot configurations as dynamic parameters that can change based on environmental conditions and robot states, allowing flexible adaptation to temporary obstacles and uncertain conditions while maintaining structured movement specification through the configuration-lookup table framework
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for managing traffic in an area traversed by a plurality of mobile robots, wherein each of the plurality of mobile robots is configured to attain one of a plurality of allowed configurations, each of the plurality of mobile robots being further configured to change the configuration by making one of a plurality of allowed transitions, wherein the method comprises determining a blocked transition of a second mobile robot based, at least in part, on a configuration of a first mobile robot. The present invention also relates to a system for carrying out the method, and to a corresponding computer program product.