Mobile Robot Movable Region Control for Communication and Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-agent robot systems face challenges in maintaining real-time communication and collision avoidance as the number of robots increases, due to packet loss from collisions and the inability to accurately predict the positions and speeds of other robots.
Innovation Solution
A mobile robot system that calculates and maintains a movable region where robots can communicate and avoid collisions by determining a first region for collision avoidance and a second region for communication, ensuring these regions overlap to allow movement without interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If many robots communicate simultaneously in the same space, then the communication coverage is improved, but packet loss occurs due to packet collisions making real-time communication difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the communication problem by dividing robots into groups that communicate sequentially rather than simultaneously. The communication control unit manages transmission timing to avoid packet collisions, allowing multiple robots to communicate without overwhelming the communication medium.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary determination of transmission timing and packet routing before actual communication occurs. The communication control unit pre-calculates optimal transmission schedules and packet routes based on current robot positions and communication requirements, preventing collisions before they happen.
2Reliability
If each robot knows the position and speed of other robots in real-time, then collision avoidance is achieved, but the communication overhead increases enormously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential information needed for collision avoidance from full real-time state data. Instead of sharing complete position and speed information among all robots, the system selectively transmits only critical movement data relevant to collision prevention, significantly reducing communication overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial monitoring where robots track only the positions and speeds of nearby robots that pose collision risks, rather than monitoring all robots in the system. This selective approach provides sufficient collision avoidance capability while minimizing communication data volume.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If prediction is used to estimate current information when communication fails, then communication continuity is maintained, but collision avoidance and communication maintenance may not be achieved if prediction is incorrect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares compensatory measures in advance by establishing fallback communication channels and alternative routing paths before communication failures occur. When packet loss is detected, the system can immediately switch to pre-planned alternative routes or use buffered historical data, reducing reliance on potentially inaccurate real-time predictions.
Data Source
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AI summary
In a mobile robot, a control unit performs movement control for moving toward a target direction while remaining in a movable region representing a communicable region without a collision between an own robot and another robot. A movable region calculation unit calculates, from a state of the own robot and a state of the other robot, a first region where the own robot and the other robot do not collide, a second region where the own robot and the other robot are capable of communicating, and the movable region in which the first region and the second region overlap.