Swarm Management

• US 20170146994A9
• Filed: 05/24/2015
• Published: 05/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hereford Zone Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Brendan Clark
• Inventors: Ammar, Philip George, Krosky, Ronald Charles, Clark, Brendan Edward
• Granted Patent: US 9,857,792 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4011 Regulation of the cleaning machine by electric means; Control systems and remote control systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 11/4061 Steering means; Means for avoiding obstacles; Details related to the place where the driver is accommodated
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 2201/04 Automatic control of the travelling movement; Automatic obstacle detection
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/28 Installation of the electric equipment, e.g. adaptation or attachment to the suction cleaner; Controlling suction cleaners by electric means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0027 involving a plurality of vehicles, e.g. fleet or convoy travelling fleet control of land vehicles from a control room G05D1/0297; traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/00; for marine craft G08G3/00; for aircraft G08G5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0291 Fleet control monitoring fleets in traffic control systems for road vehicles G08G1/127, G08G1/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/01 Mobile robot

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with swarm management are described. One example system comprises a communication component configured to establish a communication link with at least one element, where the at least one element is part of a swarm. The example system also comprises a management component configured to manage performance of a task list by the swarm through the communication link.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a communication component configured to establish a communication link with at least one element of a swarm, where a first element and a second element are part of the swarm and where the swarm is configured to at least partially accomplish a task list collaboratively and autonomously; and

a management component configured to cause removal of the second element from the swarm, where the removal of the second element is forwarded through use of the communication link.

2. The system of claim 1, where, prior to causation of the removal of the second element from the swarm, the management component removes an information set from the second element and where the information set pertains to operation of the second element as part of the swarm.

3. The system of claim 1,

where the management component is to make a determination on if the swarm should be disbanded,

where the management component is to cause a disband of swarm when the determination is that the swarm should be disbanded, and

where removal of the second element is part of the disband.

4. The system of claim 1, where the second element is added to the swarm and where the communication link is instituted as part of the addition of the second element to the swarm.

5. The system of claim 1, where the communication link is instituted as part of creation of the swarm and where the first element and the second element are part of the swarm to execute the task list collaboratively and autonomously after the communication link is instituted.

6. The system of claim 1,

where the management component is to make a determination on if the removal of the second element should occur and

where the management component is to cause the removal of the second element in when the determination is that the removal of the second element should occur.

7. The system of claim 1,

where the swarm is a first swarm and

where after the removal of the second element from the first swarm the second element is added to a second swarm that is, at least in part, distinct from the first swarm.

8. The system of claim 1, where the second element is removed from the swarm after the second element becomes lost from the swarm.

9. The system of claim 1, where the management component replaces the second element with a third element and where the third element performs at least part of a role of the second element in the swarm to compensate for the removal of the second element.

10. The system of claim 1,

where after removal the second element is serviced and

where after being serviced the second element is added to the swarm.

11. The system of claim 1, comprising:

an evaluation component to evaluate the swarm after removal of the second element and the task list to produce an evaluation result,

where the management component is to distribute a task list of one or more tasks among an element set of the swarm prior to removal of the second element,

where the management component is to distribute the task list among the element set of the swarm after removal of the second element, and

where distribution of the task list among the element set of the swarm after removal of the second element is based, at least in part, on the evaluation result.

12. A system, comprising:

a processor that is coupled to a computer-readable medium and that executes an instruction set of one or more instructions retained by the computer-readable medium, where execution of the instructions set facilitates operation of components comprising;

a communication component that establishes a communication link with an element; and

a management component configured that causes the element to become part of a swarm through utilization of the communication link,

where the swarm is a group of two or more elements that function with swarm intelligence,

where the element is part of the group after being caused to become part of the swarm,

where the swarm intelligence is a coordination of the elements of the group,

where the elements of the group are decentralized, and

where the elements of the group are self-organized.

13. The system of claim 12, where the swarm is a first swarm and where the element is concurrently part of the first swarm and the second swarm.

14. The system of claim 13,

where the first swarm is not a sub-swarm of a larger swarm and

where the second swarm is not a sub-swarm of a larger swarm.

15. The system of claim 12,

where the communication component and the management component reside on a master element of the swarm and

where the element added is a slave element of the swarm.

16. The system of claim 12, where the element is caused to become part of the swarm after the element is lost from the swarm.

17. A system, comprising:

a communication component that establishes a communication link with an element set of a swarm that comprises a first element and a second element, the communication component is disposed, at least in part, on the first element; and

a management component that manages performance of a task list by the swarm through utilization of the communication link and that manages performance of the task list by the swarm in a decentralized manner, the management component is disposed, at least in part, on the first element,

where the task list comprises at least one task capable of being performed, at least in part, by the swarm,

where the communication link is between at least the first element and the second element,

where management of performance of the task list in a decentralized manner includes at least performance on an element-level, and

where management of performance occurs independent of a central entity that exercises control over the first element and the second element with regard to performance of the task list.

18. The system of claim 17, comprising:

an evaluation component that evaluates a performance capability of the first element and a performance capability of the second element to produce an evaluation result,

where the management component manages the performance of the task list through an assignment of at least one task to at least one of the first element, the second element, or a combination thereof,

where the management component bases the assignment, at least in part, on the evaluation result.

19. The system of claim 17,

where a specific task of the task list is removed from the task list after the specific task is completed by the swarm,

where the management component manages performance of the task list by the swarm before the removal of the specific task of the task list, and

where the management component manages performance of the task list by the swarm after the removal of the specific task of the task list.

20. The system of claim 17,

where the task list comprises at least two tasks capable of being performed, at least in part, by the swarm,

where the management component creates a prioritization for the individual tasks of the task list, and

where the management component manages performance of a task list by the swarm in accordance with the prioritization.