Wireless Robot Control Tunneling for Deterministic Data Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial robot control systems face challenges in using wireless connections due to delay and jitter issues, which are not adequately addressed by existing technologies, making it difficult to transition from wired to wireless communication without compromising deterministic data transmission and robot control precision.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of tunneling units with time-alignment functionality and synchronized jitter buffering to ensure deterministic packet delivery and synchronization, allowing wireless connections to emulate wired connectivity between robot devices and controllers, thereby maintaining deterministic data transmission and reducing the impact of delay and jitter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If wireless connection is used for robot control, then cost and flexibility are improved, but delay and jitter increase making deterministic transmission difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by establishing synchronized clocks between transmitter and receiver before data transmission, and by pre-calculating jitter buffer delays based on these synchronized time references. This allows the system to compensate for wireless delay and jitter in advance, enabling deterministic transmission over wireless connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces time synchronization as an intermediary mechanism between the wireless transmission layers. By using synchronized clocks as a reference, the system mediates the timing differences introduced by wireless delay and jitter, allowing industrial protocol packets to be delivered deterministically despite the unreliable wireless medium.
2Reliability
If retransmission mechanisms are added to wireless connection, then data reliability is improved, but delay and jitter increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of relying on retransmission mechanisms that duplicate data transfer, the patent creates a virtual copy of the wired connection experience by using jitter buffers and time synchronization. The system copies the deterministic behavior characteristics of wired connections and applies them over wireless, avoiding the need for multiple retransmission attempts that would increase delay.
3Reliability
If update time of industrial protocol is increased, then wireless delay impact is reduced, but control precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the time-related parameters of the system by introducing synchronized time references and jitter buffer delay values. By dynamically adjusting these time parameters based on actual wireless conditions and synchronized clock differences, the system maintains both wireless robustness and control precision without needing to increase the industrial protocol update time.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure relates to delivery of data traffic over a wireless connection. In more particular, it relates to methods, a tunneling unit (208), and system for emulating wired connectivity between two or more robot devices (202, 204) and a controller (222). Buffering (212) of data frames, from two or more robot devices, received up-streams a wireless access network (206) is performed. Based on the time-stamps extracted (210) from data frames a relative time offset is determined for the two or more robot devices. Buffered uplink frames are forwarded (216) to the controller in a pre-define order, enabling using the relative time offset when forwarding downlink frames (232), being received over the wireless access network (206), to said two or more robot devices, such the that the downlink frames reach each one of two or more robot devices simultaneously. A deterministic delivery of data frames over a wireless connection is provided.