Selectively uploading operational data generated by robot based on physical communication link attribute

• US 10,307,909 B1
• Filed: 10/05/2015
• Issued: 06/04/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Saboo, Rohit Ramesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Application Number:
  US14/875,634
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/30 Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes

Abstract

Methods, robots, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for selectively uploading operational data generated by a robot to a remote computing system. In various implementations, a robot may classify a plurality of operational data points generated by the robot with a plurality of operational data types. The robot may also identify one or more attributes of a physical communication link between the robot and a remote computing system. Based on the one or more attributes of the physical communication link, the robot may identify a plurality of strategies for uploading operational data from the robot to the remote computing system. Each strategy may govern how operational data points of at least one of the plurality of operational data types is uploaded. The robot may then selectively upload the plurality of classified operational data points to the remote computing system pursuant to the plurality of strategies.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

operating a robot to move around an environment to perform one or more tasks;

classifying, by the robot, a plurality of operational data points generated by the robot while it moves around the environment with a plurality of operational data types;

monitoring, by the robot, one or more attributes of a wireless communication link between the robot and a remote computing system to detect that the wireless communication link has become degraded as a consequence of the movement of the robot around the environment, wherein the monitoring is based on information obtained from one or more wireless communication interfaces of the robot;

organizing, by the robot, the wireless communication link into a plurality of logical channels, wherein the logical channels are associated with at least two different operational data types corresponding to at least two different sources of the plurality of classified operational data points;

assigning a priority to each logical channel of the plurality of logical channels based on the operational data type of the at least two different operational data types that is associated with the logical channel;

identifying, by the robot, based on the detected degradation of the wireless communication link and one or more of the priorities assigned to one or more of the plurality of logical channels, a plurality of strategies for uploading operational data from the robot to the remote computing system, wherein the plurality of strategies determine how operational data points of the at least two operational data types are uploaded, and wherein at least one of the plurality of strategies is generated automatically based on a pattern of operational data requests transmitted to one or more robots over one or more respective wireless communication links while the one or more respective wireless communication links were degraded; and

selectively uploading the plurality of classified operational data points from the robot to the remote computing system via the logical channels and pursuant to the plurality of strategies.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more attributes of the wireless communication link comprises available bandwidth and the at least two operational data types correspond to data that is generated by the robot during operation.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication link is associated with a range of wireless frequencies, and the logical channels correspond to sub-ranges of frequencies of the range of wireless frequencies.

4. The method of claim 3,

wherein the assigning includes assigning a priority to each logical channel further based on a size of a sub-range of frequencies of the sub-ranges of frequencies.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively uploading comprises uploading a statistic computed based on operational data points of a particular operational data point type pursuant to a strategy associated with the particular operational data point type.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectively uploading comprises uploading a latest operational data point of a set of operational data points of a particular operational data point type pursuant to a strategy associated with the particular operational data point type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two different sources of the operational data points include a sensor that is connected to the robot.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of operational data types comprises robot heartbeats.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of operational data types comprises robot location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein organizing the wireless communication link into the plurality of logical channels is performed dynamically based at least on the plurality of operational data points generated by the robot.

11. A robot comprising one or more processors and memory storing instructions that cause the one or more processors to:

operate a robot to move around an environment to perform one or more tasks;

classify a plurality of operational data points generated by the robot while it moves around the environment with a plurality of operational data types;

monitor one or more attributes of a wireless communication link between the robot and a remote computing system to detect that the wireless communication link has become degraded as a consequence of the movement of the robot around the environment, wherein the monitoring is based on information obtained from one or more wireless communication interfaces of the robot;

organize, by the robot, the wireless communication link into a plurality of logical channels, wherein the logical channels are associated with at least two different operational data types corresponding to at least two different sources of the plurality of classified operational data points;

assign a priority to each logical channel of the plurality of logical channels based on the operational data type of the at least two different operational data types that is associated with the logical channel;

identify, based on the detected degradation of the wireless communication link and one or more of the priorities assigned to one or more of the plurality of logical channels, a plurality of strategies for uploading operational data from the robot to the remote computing system, wherein the plurality of strategies determine how operational data points of the at least two operational data types are uploaded, and wherein at least one of the plurality of strategies is generated automatically based on a pattern of operational data requests transmitted to one or more robots over one or more respective wireless communication links while the one or more respective wireless communication links were degraded; and

selectively upload the plurality of classified operational data points from the robot to the remote computing system via the logical channels and pursuant to the plurality of strategies.

12. The robot of claim 11, wherein the at least two operational data types correspond to data that is generated by the robot during operation.

13. The robot of claim 11, wherein the wireless communication link is associated with a range of wireless frequencies, and the logical channels correspond to sub-ranges of frequencies of the range of wireless frequencies.

14. The robot of claim 13,

wherein the assigning includes assigning a priority to each logical channel based on a size of a sub-range of frequencies of the sub-ranges of frequencies.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, in response to execution of the instructions by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the following operations:

operating a robot to move around an environment to perform one or more tasks;

classifying, by the robot, a plurality of operational data points generated by the robot while it moves around the environment with a plurality of operational data types;

monitoring, by the robot, one or more attributes of a wireless communication link between the robot and a remote computing system to detect that the wireless communication link has become degraded as a consequence of the movement of the robot around the environment, wherein the monitoring is based on information obtained from one or more wireless communication interfaces of the robot;

organizing, by the robot, the wireless communication link into a plurality of logical channels, wherein the logical channels are associated with at least two different operational data types corresponding to at least two different sources of the plurality of classified operational data points;

assigning a priority to each logical channel of the plurality of logical channels based on the operational data type of the at least two different operational data types that is associated with the logical channel;

identifying, by the robot, based on the detected degradation of the wireless communication link and one or more of the priorities assigned to one or more of the plurality of logical channels, a plurality of strategies for uploading operational data from the robot to the remote computing system, wherein the plurality of strategies determine how operational data points of the at least two operational data types are uploaded, and wherein at least one of the plurality of strategies is generated automatically based on a pattern of operational data requests transmitted to one or more robots over one or more respective wireless communication links while the one or more respective wireless communication links were degraded; and

selectively uploading the plurality of classified operational data points from the robot to the remote computing system via the logical channels and pursuant to the plurality of strategies.