METHOD FOR INFORMATION TRANSMISSION WITH BACKBONE NETWORK AND A POSITION MONITORING SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLE ROBOTIC DEVICES

• US 20080151908A1
• Filed: 03/21/2007
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: King, Chung-Ta, Chen, Long-Der, Yeh, Fu-Kuang, Lin, Chun-Han
• Application Number:
  US11/689,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20080151908A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update

Abstract

A method for information transmission with backbone network and a position monitoring system for multiple robotic devices are provided in the present invention, wherein positions of multiple robotic devices disposed and operated in a widespread area are capable of being monitored. The present invention provides a plurality of positioning and transmitting modules for constructing a backbone network for transmitting position information. The positioning and transmitting modules disposed in the positioning area functions to identify the position of robotic device disposed therein and then report the position information to a central managing unit located in the monitoring center through the backbone network. By means of the foregoing method and system, the monitoring center can monitor the position of the plurality of robotic devices and dispatch orders and assign jobs to those robotic devices in a way of distributed and cooperative multitasking.

Claims

1. 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 nodes;

assigning one of the communicating nodes to be a central managing unit; and

creating, by the central managing unit, a backbone network for information transmission.

2. The method according to the claim 1, wherein the way to generate the link table further comprises 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.

3. The method according to the claim 2, further comprising a step of iterating the step (a) to (c) a number of times so as to confirm the communication with the communicating nodes listed in the link table is normal.

4. The method according to the claim 1, wherein creating the backbone network further comprises steps of:

generating and transmitting, by the central managing unit, a request message to the communicating nodes listed in the 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 complete to transmit the request message to the communicating nodes listed in its own link table so as to create the backbone network.

5. The method according to the claim 4, wherein the confirming process further 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 transmits the request message is not in its own link table.

6. The method according to the claim 5, further comprising 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 step until the central managing unit receives the registering message.

7. 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 nodes;

assigning one of the communicating nodes 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.

8. The method according to the claim 7, wherein the way to generate the link table comprises 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.

9. The method according to the claim 8, further comprising a step of iterating a step (a) to (c) a number of times so as to confirm the communication with the communicating nodes listed in the link table is normal.

10. The method according to the claim 7, wherein creating the backbone network further comprises steps of:

generating and transmitting, by the central managing unit, a request message to the communicating nodes listed in the 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 complete to transmit the request message to the communicating nodes in its own link table so as to create the backbone network.

11. The method according to the claim 10, wherein the confirming process further 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 transmits the request message is not in its own link table.

12. The method according to the claim 11, further comprising 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 step until the central managing unit receives the registering message.

13. The method according to the claim 7, wherein the way for reporting the location of the at least one robotic device further comprises steps of:

assigning one of communicating nodes in the positioning area to be a root node; and

reporting, from the root node, the location of the at least one robotic device to the central managing unit through the backbone network.

14. 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, functioning to locate the at least one robotic device 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.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein the first 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.

16. The system according to claim 14, wherein the 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.

17. The system according to claim 14, wherein the central managing unit is selected from a group consisting of a computer, workstation, and server.