The present invention relates generally to a method for information transmission and a monitor system and, more specifically, to a method and system in which a backbone network is created for transmitting position information of at least one robotic device in at least one positioning area to a central managing unit so that the central managing unit is capable of managing and monitoring the position of the at least one robotic device dynamically and then dispatches orders and assigns jobs for the at least one robotic device in a way of distributed and cooperative multitasking.
Before a monitoring center dispatching orders in a way of distributed and cooperative multitasking to multiple robotic devices in a wide area for performing jobs such as guard robots patrolling building in the night, or tour-guide robots explaining and guiding for visitors in a museum, it is necessary for the monitoring center to know the location of each robotic device exactly so that the monitoring center is capable of dispatching orders to command the robotic devices to execute their jobs.
Conventional technique, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,940,346 which is known as “Modular robotic platform with acoustic navigation system”, has disclosed a navigation system and method for identifying a position or navigating an autonomous robotic platform within an area wherein a robotic platform with positioning function is provided so that engineers are capable of utilizing architecture built by such robotic platform for designing robots in demand.
The navigation system and method is provided including a moveable device having an acoustic transmitter for transmitting an acoustic signal, an electronic processor device, an RF receiver and three or more beacons positioned proximate the area. Each beacon including a signal receiving apparatus responsive to the acoustic signal and an RF transmitter. The acoustic signal and the RF signal received from each of the beacons are processed in the electronic processor device to identify the location of the platform within the area. The foregoing navigation system and method, however, is operated only in a smaller positioning area. It could not provide an effective way for widespread area, especially for widespread area having plural robotic devices.
Another conventional way, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,597, discloses an autonomous mobile robot system which is provided with a sensor-based and map-based navigation system for navigating in a pipe network. The navigation is based on the classification of pre-existing natural landmarks. The navigation system can compensate for inaccurate robot system's motion control, sensor information, and landmark classification.
The primary objective of the foregoing technique is not to build exactly positioning system but to control the robot navigating network of sewerage pipes through the sensor-based and map-based navigation system instead. Although the technique discloses a way allowing the robots to know its location so as to execute job autonomously, it does not provide way or method for managing and monitoring multiple robotic devices in a widespread area.
Accordingly, there is a need of a method for information transmission with backbone network and a position monitoring system for multiple robotic devices to solve the problem of the conventional disclosure.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method for information transmission with backbone network wherein a link table and a reporting tree are created for constructing a backbone network so as to achieve a purpose of information transmission.
Another primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method for information transmission with backbone network and a position monitoring system for robotic device wherein a backbone network is constructed in a monitoring area having at least one positioning area, each of which having at least one robotic device, defined therein and position information related to the each robotic device is transmitted to a central managing unit disposed in a monitoring center through the backbone network so that a purpose of managing and monitoring the at least one robotic device dynamically in a widespread area is capable of being achieved.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for information transmission with backbone network and a position monitoring system for robotic device, wherein loading of the information transmission may be reduced through a backbone network constructed in a monitoring area having at least one positioning area, each of which having at least one robotic device, defined therein so as to achieve the purpose of improving system efficiency.
For achieving the foregoing objectives, the present invention discloses a method for information transmission with backbone network comprising steps of: constructing a plurality of communicating nodes in an area; generating, for each of the plurality of communicating nodes, its own link table recording at least one of the communicable communicating node; assigning one of the communicating node to be a central managing unit; and creating a backbone network for information transmission by the central managing unit.
Preferably, the way to generate the link table comprises the steps of: (a) distributing, for each of the plurality of communicating nodes, a confirming message; (b) reporting, for each of the plurality of communicating nodes receiving the confirming message, an acknowledge message to the communicating node distributing the confirming message; and (c) recording the communicating node sending the acknowledge message in its own link table by the communicating node distributing the confirming message. Moreover, it further comprises a step of iterating the step (a) to (c) a number of times so as to confirm the communication between the communicating node and the communicating nodes listed in the link table is normal.
Preferably, creating the backbone network further comprises steps of: the central managing unit generating and transmitting a request message to the communicating nodes listed in its own link table for creating a reporting tree; performing, for each of the communicating nodes receiving the request message, a confirming process and then transmitting the request message to the communicating nodes in its own link table; and iterating the previous step until the communicating nodes completing to transmit the request message to the communicating nodes in its own link table so as to create the backbone network.
Furthermore, the foregoing confirming process comprises steps of: determining, for each of the communicating nodes receiving the request message, if the communicating node transmitting the request message is in its own link table or not; assigning the communicating node transmitting the request message to a father layer, if the communicating node transmitting the request message is in its own link table; and abandoning the request message, if the communicating node transmitting the request message is not in its own link table.
The confirming process further comprises steps of: replying a registering message to the communicating node in the father layer by the communicating node receiving the request message; replying, by the communicating nodes receiving the registering message, to the communicating nodes in its own father layer; and iterating the previous steps until the central managing unit receiving the registering message.
For the objectives described above, the present invention further discloses a method for information transmission with backbone network comprising steps of: creating a monitoring area which has at least one positioning area in which at least one robotic device is capable of being monitored; arranging a plurality of communicating nodes inside the monitoring area; generating, for each of the plurality of communicating nodes, its own link table recording at least one of the communicable communicating node; assigning one of the communicating node to be a central managing unit; creating a backbone network for information transmission by the central managing unit; and reporting, by each of the at least one positioning area, the location of the at least one robotic device to the central managing unit.
For achieving the foregoing objectives, the present invention further provide a position monitoring system for robotic devices comprising: at least one robotic device disposed in at least one positioning area respectively, wherein the robotic device includes a first positioning and transmitting module; a plurality of second positioning and transmitting modules, disposed in a monitoring area that has the at least one positioning area and at least one backbone network for information transmission, wherein the second positioning and transmitting modules, disposed in the positioning area, functions to locate the at least one robotic device therein and to transmit at least one position information related to the at least one robotic device through the backbone network built by the second positioning and transmitting modules; and a central managing unit, functioning to receive the at least one position information from the backbone network so as to monitor the at least one robotic device.
More preferably, the first or second positioning and transmitting module is selected from a group consisting of a supersonic positioning and transmitting module, an electromagnetic wave positioning and transmitting module and a combination thereof.
Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the present invention.
The drawings, incorporated into and form a part of the disclosure, illustrate the embodiments and method related to this invention and will assist in explaining the detail of the invention.
For your esteemed members of reviewing committee to further understand and recognize the fulfilled functions and structural characteristics of the invention, several preferable embodiments cooperating with detailed description are presented as the follows.
Refer to
Finally, the process iterating the step 110 to step 112 a number of times so as to confirm if the communication between the communicating node and the communicating nodes listed in the link table is normal or not. In this embodiment the times for iterating is 3 times, but should not be a limitation of the present invention. The reason for iterating plural times for communicating confirmation is because the communication status between communicating nodes may be unstable due to some environmental causes. Therefore, through the procedure of iterating confirmation steps, the communication status between communicating nodes is capable of being checked and ensured in a stable situation.
Returning to
After the step 130, the process goes to step 131, wherein each of the communicating nodes receiving the request message performs a confirming process and then transmits the request message to the other communicating nodes in its own link table. The confirming process of step 131 is to determine whether the communicating node transmitting the request message is in the link table, built in the communicating nodes receiving the request message, or not. If yes, then the process goes to step 132 to assign the communicating node, which transmits the request message, to a father layer and then distributing the request message to the communicating nodes in the link table. On the contrary, if not, then the process goes to step 133 to abandon the request message. Thereafter, the step 134 is processed to iterate the step 131 to step 133 until the communicating nodes complete to transmit the request message to the communicating nodes in its own link table so as to create the backbone network.
On the other hand, the step 135 will be processed after step 132, wherein each of the communicating nodes receiving the request message replies a registering message to the communicating node in the father layer. Then the step 136 is processed, wherein the communicating nodes in the farther layer of step 135 receive the registering message and further reply the registering message to the communicating nodes in its own father layer. Then it is iterating the step 136 until the central managing unit receiving the registering message. By means of the step 135 and 136, the central managing unit is capable of managing and monitoring the communication status of the communicating nodes and physical backbone network structure of the reporting tree.
Please refer to
The monitoring area 90 comprises a plurality of second positioning and transmitting module 3a˜3m. Each of the positioning area 91, 92, and 93 includes the plural second positioning and transmitting modules 3a˜3m that function to form a communicating network inside the positioning area 91, 92, and 93 so as to monitor the at least one robotic device 2 and process and transmit a position information related to the robotic device 2 to the central managing unit. The first and second positioning and transmitting module may be selected to be supersonic communication module, electromagnetic communication module or a combination thereof. In the embodiment, the first and second positioning and transmitting module is a Cricket positioning module, but should not be limited.
Please refer to
Practically, the operation of the first procedure is described as following (the first and second positioning and transmitting module have the same process):
1. transmitting stage: a period is configured for transmitting the beacon message.
2. transmitting stage: a supersonic signal is transmitted after a first byte of the beacon message is transmitted.
3. receiving stage: waiting and starting to count time required for the arrival of supersonic signal while receiving the first byte of the beacon message.
4. receiving stage: calculating the distance between the transmitter and receiver according to the counted time after the receiver receives the supersonic signal.
The transmitter and receiver in the forgoing 4th stage refers to the first and the second positioning and transmitting module in the present invention. Take the first positioning and transmitting module 20 and the second positioning and transmitting module 3d in
After calculating the distance to generate a distance information 73, the second positioning and transmitting module 3d will recode the distance information 73 into a database 33 disposed therein and transmit the distance information 73 to the neighbor positioning and transmitting module such as 3a, 3b, and 3c in
In addition to transmitting distance information 73 in the first procedure, the second positioning and transmitting module 3d will perform position calculation so as to generate a coordinate position related the robotic device in every unit of time. Take the
Therefore in the system of the present embodiment, a virtual coordinate built by one of the second positioning and transmitting module will be picked to be a standard coordinate in the positioning area, i.e. picking up one of the second positioning and transmitting modules to be an origin point of the positioning area. In this embodiment in
Returning to
The central managing unit 5 is capable of being a computer, workstation, or server. By means of the method disclosed in
Before building the information backbone network, it is necessary to create a link table for each of the positioning and transmitting module. Please refer to
After receiving the acknowledge message from the positioning and transmitting module 2 and 3, the positioning and transmitting module 0 set the positioning and transmitting module 2 and 3 in its own link table. Then it is iterating the previous steps 3 times for ensuring the communication status. In the
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In another words, after the reporting tree is formed to build the backbone network in the way shown in
Please refer to
While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been set forth for the purpose of disclosure, modifications of the disclosed embodiment of the invention as well as other embodiments thereof may occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all embodiments which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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095148192 | Dec 2006 | TW | national |