Mobile Robot Formation Control Across Non-Connected Positions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot formation control techniques struggle to manage the movement of robots when there are non-connection locations between initial and target positions, limiting their application to scenarios with no gaps in the common portion between formation positions.
Innovation Solution
A mobile robot system that includes units capable of position distance calculation, void generation, and movement commands to navigate through obstacles and gaps, ensuring connectivity and efficient reconfiguration by selecting a head and tail robot unit and using tunneling operations to maintain structure integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If robot formation control is performed assuming continuous contact between robots, then formation control is simplified and additional position measurement equipment is not required, but the method cannot handle cases with non-connection locations between initial and target positions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the formation control problem into multiple phases: identifying non-connection locations, selecting head and tail robot units, and performing tunneling operations. This segmentation allows the system to handle discontinuous formations by treating them as a sequence of connected operations rather than a single continuous movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces the concept of head robot units and tail robot units as intermediaries to manage the formation transformation. These intermediary robot units facilitate the tunneling operation by serving as entry and exit points for robots moving through non-connection locations, enabling controlled passage through gaps in the formation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tunneling operations are performed to navigate through non-connection locations, then robots can reach target positions with gaps in formation, but the control complexity and calculation requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary identification of non-connection locations between initial and target formation positions before executing the tunneling operation. The system pre-calculates which robot units will serve as head and tail units, and determines the movement paths in advance. This preliminary planning reduces real-time control complexity by converting dynamic decision-making into pre-computed instructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic role assignment where robot units can transition between different functional states (normal robot, head robot unit, tail robot unit) based on the formation configuration. This dynamic adaptation allows the same robot hardware to serve different control functions depending on its position and the current operation phase, managing complexity through role flexibility rather than hardware differentiation.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a control technique for achieving formation control which is applicable even when there is a non-connection location in a common portion between a set of initial positions of robot units and a set of target positions of the robot units. Each of a plurality of robots constituting a mobile robot includes a position distance calculation command transmission unit 1, a position distance calculation command transfer unit 2, a return position distance calculation command transmission unit 3, a direction storage unit 4, a return position distance calculation command transfer unit 5, a first head robot determination command transmission unit 6, a void generation order determination unit 7, a void generation command transfer unit 8, a push command transmission unit 9, a return push command transmission unit 10, a return push command transfer unit 11, a void operation command transmission unit 12, a first movement unit 13, a void operation command transfer unit 14, a movement command transmission unit 15, a return movement command transmission unit 16, a second movement unit 17, a pull command transmission unit 18, a return pull command transmission unit 19, a third movement unit 20, a control unit 21, a set updating unit 22, and a second head robot determination command transmission unit 23.