Robot Group Safety Communication via Master-Slave Wireless Relay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems for robot groups face challenges in efficiently transmitting safety and status information between mobile robots and a stationary communication unit, particularly in large groups, due to limited point-to-point connections, leading to high costs and complexity.
Innovation Solution
A method where a robot group uses a master robot with a long-distance wireless communication interface to receive safety information from a stationary communication unit, which then forwards this information to slave robots using short-distance wireless communication interfaces, reducing the need for direct connections between slave robots and the stationary unit, thus minimizing point-to-point connections and lowering infrastructure costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple stationary communication units are provided to increase the number of point-to-point connections for large robot groups, then the coverage and connectivity are improved, but the cost and complexity of the communication infrastructure increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The master robot acts as an intermediary node between the stationary communication unit and slave robots. It receives safety information from the stationary unit via long-range wireless communication and forwards it to slave robots via short-range wireless communication, eliminating the need for multiple stationary communication units
Solution Approach 2:
The robot group provides its own communication infrastructure by designating one robot as master to handle communication with the stationary unit. This self-organized hierarchy allows the system to serve itself without requiring additional external communication infrastructure
2Productivity
If multiple stationary communication units are deployed to establish sufficient point-to-point connections for all robots, then the information transmission capability is improved, but the cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The master robot combines multiple functions: it acts as both a slave robot (performing task operations) and a communication gateway (receiving and distributing safety information). This merging eliminates the need for separate communication infrastructure for each robot
Solution Approach 2:
The master robot serves as a cost-effective intermediary that enables information transmission to multiple slave robots without requiring expensive additional stationary communication units. It uses short-range wireless communication which is less costly than long-range infrastructure
3Reliability
If each robot establishes a direct point-to-point connection with the stationary communication unit, then the communication reliability is improved, but the number of required connections and system complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system is segmented into two layers: a long-range layer (stationary unit to master robot) and a short-range layer (master robot to slave robots). This segmentation reduces the total number of long-range connections required while maintaining communication reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The master robot acts as a mediator that maintains communication reliability by receiving safety information directly from the stationary unit and reliably forwarding it to all slave robots, ensuring that critical safety information reaches all robots without requiring direct connections from each robot to the stationary unit
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for transmitting safety information to a robot group (4), wherein the robot group (4) comprises several mobile robots (6a-6d) and the safety information is transmitted wirelessly to the robot group (4) from a stationary communication unit (8a-8c).According to the invention, a robot (6a-6d) of the robot group (4) is operated as a master robot with respect to communication with the stationary communication unit (8a-8c), which is connected to the stationary communication unit (8a-8c) via a long-range wireless communication interface (12) and to which the safety information is transmitted by the stationary communication unit (8a-8c) via the long-range wireless communication interface (12), and at least one robot (6a-6d) of the robot group (4) is operated as a slave robot with respect to communication with the stationary communication unit (8a-8c), to which the safety information received by the master robot is forwarded by the master robot via a short-range wireless communication interface (14).