Multi-Robot Emergency Stop Position Allocation for Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions lack effective methods to prevent mutual collisions among multiple robots in a logistics site due to faults, such as deviated routes or mechanical failures, which can lead to collisions between robots.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that arrange position points in the site, monitor robot situations, and allocate emergency stop positions for all robots when faults occur, allowing them to stop and avoid collisions by moving to designated positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple robots work in a logistics site with fixed moving routes, then the service level of the logistics industry is improved, but the risk of mutual collision between robots increases when faults occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-arranges multiple position points in the site before any fault occurs. When a fault is detected, the control device immediately allocates one of these pre-existing position points as an emergency stop position for the faulty robot, and other robots automatically adjust their routes to avoid this position, preventing collisions without requiring complex real-time calculations
Solution Approach 2:
The control device acts as an intermediary that receives fault information from robots, processes the emergency stop position allocation, and sends control instructions to all robots. This centralized mediation coordinates the emergency response, ensuring that the faulty robot and other robots adjust their movements in a coordinated manner to avoid collisions
2Reliability
If all robots are controlled to emergently stop when faults occur, then mutual collision is avoided, but the loss of time for stopping and re-starting operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of stopping all robots uniformly, the system applies different actions to different robots based on their situation: the faulty robot is directed to a specific emergency stop position, while other robots are instructed to adjust their routes to avoid this position and continue working. This localized response minimizes the overall time loss while ensuring collision avoidance
3Reliability
If emergency stop positions are allocated for all robots, then faulty robots can stop safely, but the device complexity for monitoring and controlling increases
Solution Approach 1:
The site is segmented into multiple discrete position points, each with a unique position identifier. The control device monitors robots by receiving their position information and communicates emergency stop positions through allocated position identifiers. This segmentation simplifies the control logic by using discrete, identifiable locations rather than continuous coordinate calculations
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and device for controlling a great number of robots to emergently stop. The method comprises: arranging multiple position points in a site where robots work and position identifiers corresponding to the position points, and arranging corresponding recognizers at bottoms of the robots; when fault signals reported by the robots are monitored, determining, according to the fault signals, whether all the robots in the site need to be controlled to emergently stop; if yes, respectively allocating, according to current positions and moving speeds of the robots, position points in the site to the robots to serve as respective emergency stop positions; and controlling the robots to move to the corresponding emergency stop positions, and after the robots move to the corresponding emergency stop positions, controlling the robots to stop movement. The device comprises a configuration module (31), a determining module (32), an allocation module (33), a control module (34). When faults occur on some robots in the site, all the robots in the site can be controlled to emergently stop, and accordingly the faulty robots are prevented from colliding with other robots.