Smart Community Robot Return Routing and Carrier Transport

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing smart home and smart community systems lack effective methods for ensuring robots return to their designated areas when they move outside their preconfigured operational ranges, particularly in cases of unauthorized or unexpected movement.

Innovation Solution

A method and device that facilitate the download of a software application and routing map to a robot within its preconfigured range, enabling communication with a smart home controller and determining a return route, and dispatching a carrier robot for transport when the robot is outside the range, even if it is not configured for autonomous movement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a robot moves outside its preconfigured range of operation, then the robot can perform tasks or be transported beyond its designated area, but the robot cannot determine its return route to the smart home

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverobot movement rangeVSAvoidreturn route information

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by downloading the software application and routing map to the robot's memory while the robot is still within its preconfigured range of operation. This ensures that the robot has the necessary navigation data stored locally before it ventures outside the designated area, allowing it to determine its return route even when beyond the original operational boundary

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The smart home controller acts as an intermediary that facilitates the download of the software application and routing map to the robot. The controller receives the robot's location data, determines the appropriate return route, and transmits this information to the robot, enabling the robot to navigate back without autonomous movement capabilities

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Ease of manufacture

If the robot is not configured for autonomous movement, then the robot can be simpler and easier to manufacture, but the robot cannot return to the smart home on its own when outside the preconfigured range

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverobot configuration simplicityVSAvoidrobot self-return capability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The smart home controller serves as a mediator that provides the return route determination and navigation guidance to the robot. Since the robot lacks autonomous movement capabilities, the controller receives location data from the robot, calculates the return path using the stored routing map, and communicates the necessary navigation instructions back to the robot, enabling self-return without complex autonomous navigation hardware

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service by allowing the robot to initiate communication with the smart home controller when it detects it is outside the preconfigured range. The robot automatically requests return route information and receives navigation guidance, allowing it to return to the smart home autonomously in terms of initiating the return process, even though physical movement requires external assistance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Use of energy by moving object

If the system waits for the robot to initiate communication when outside the range, then the system uses less energy actively tracking the robot, but the return process takes longer to start

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesystem energy consumptionVSAvoidreturn process initiation time

Core Design Contradiction:

Use of energy by moving objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-downloading the routing map and software application to the robot's memory while the robot is within range. This preparation ensures that when the robot detects it is outside the preconfigured range, it can immediately initiate communication and receive return route information without delay, as all necessary navigation data is already available locally

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The robot continuously monitors its location and provides feedback to the system by initiating communication when it detects it is outside the preconfigured range of operation. This feedback mechanism triggers the return process automatically, balancing energy efficiency with timely response by only activating the return sequence when actually needed

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12510898B2Method and apparatus to provide communication and transport for a robot of a smart community

Publication Date: 2025.12.30 AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY I L P

AI summary

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method in which a processing system automatically downloads a software application and a routing map to a robot of a smart home (SH) in a smart community (SC); the application facilitates communication between the robot and a smart home controller (SHC) of the SH, and the routing map facilitates determining by the robot of a route to the SH when the robot is at a location outside a preconfigured range of operation for the robot. The method also includes initiating a procedure for dispatching to the location of the robot a carrier robot to transport the robot to the SH, responsive to a request for transport of the robot; the request is directed to the SHC using the software application, and the request is in accordance with the robot not being configured for autonomous movement. Other embodiments are disclosed.