ROS Bridge for Cloud Robotics Inter-Network Communication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current robotics software frameworks, such as ROS, lack reliable solutions for communication over wireless networks and internet-WAN, particularly in dynamic topologies and fail to handle transient network failures, leading to compromised latency and reliability in cloud robotics systems.
Innovation Solution
A system with communication bridges and a broker that manages inter-network communication between heterogeneous devices and clouds, using message-type agnostic proxies and Advanced Message Queuing Protocol (AMQP) to ensure reliable data transfer and fine-grain control over communication mechanisms, optimizing bandwidth and Quality of Service (QoS).
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If ROS uses a fully connected graph approach for communication between devices, then communication management within a single network is achieved, but communication between different ROS networks managed by different ROS masters is not supported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces ROS bridges as intermediary components that connect different ROS networks. These bridges act as mediators that translate and forward messages between networks managed by different ROS masters, enabling inter-network communication while maintaining the existing ROS architecture. The bridges subscribe to topics in one network and publish to corresponding topics in another network, effectively bridging the communication gap without requiring a complete architectural overhaul.
2Adaptability or versatility
If ROS handles communication over wireless network or internet-WAN, then cloud robotics collaboration is enabled, but reliability and latency requirements are compromised due to bandwidth consumption and lack of dynamic topology support
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic topology support by making ROS bridges adaptable to changing network conditions. The bridges can dynamically discover and connect to new networks, adapt to transient failures by implementing retry logic and fallback mechanisms, and adjust their communication behavior based on network status. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain reliability in wireless and WAN environments where network conditions are inherently unstable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates error handling and fallback mechanisms that prepare for potential network failures in advance. The ROS bridges implement message queuing, retry logic, and alternative routing paths to cushion against transient network failures. By preparing these protective measures beforehand, the system maintains communication reliability even when wireless or WAN connections experience interruptions or degradation.
3Productivity
If ROS consumes bandwidth for communication between devices, then data distribution is achieved, but latency increases and reliability decreases in wireless network environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes bandwidth consumption and latency by adjusting communication parameters specific to wireless and WAN environments. The ROS bridges implement configurable message publishing frequencies, selective topic filtering, and compression techniques to reduce bandwidth usage. They also implement asynchronous communication patterns and buffer management strategies to minimize latency while maintaining data distribution efficiency across the network.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method to manage communication between a plurality of heterogeneous devices and a cloud has been described. A speaker communication property of a speaker node executing at one of the plurality of heterogeneous devices and the cloud in a first network is compared with a listener communication property of a listener node executing at another of the plurality of devices in a second network. A message-type agnostic listener proxy included in the first network is then generated based on the comparison. Next a message-type agnostic buffer including serialized message corresponding to a message sent by the speaker node is received at the first communication bridge in the first network. Finally, the message-type agnostic speaker proxy forwards the serialized message included in the message-type agnostic buffer to the listener node in the second network.