Communication method for controlling and monitoring robots

• US 5,416,906 A
• Filed: 03/22/1994
• Issued: 05/16/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army
• Inventors: Mariani, Daniele
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowler, Alyssa H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kyle, Charles R.
• Application Number:
  US08/215,880
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 395/80, 395/82, 395/83, 395/85, 395/905, 395/84, 395/800, 395/81, 395/200, 395/325, 346/401, 342/456, 380/21, 375/1, 370/60.1, 370/69.1, 370/85.8, 370/95.2, 180/169, 180/165, 180/168, 364/424.02, 340/825.06, 340/825.07, 340/825.08, 340/825.54, 340/825.22, 340/825.23
• US Class Current: 700/248
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The method for routing communications is designed for a particular set of entities including robotic vehicles and a control center governing the vehicles. The method includes the construction of variable length informational transmissions whose components are arranged in a fixed order. The transmissions are modularly formatted so as to be compatible with a universal OSI-RM communication model.

Claims

1. A method for communication between a control center and a plurality of mobile robots, wherein the robots have common sets of devices, the method comprising:

a. assigning a first point address to the control center;

b. assigning second, mutually dissimilar point addresses to the robots;

c. establishing a database that is common among the control center and the robots and that represents controllable features of the robots, including the substeps of;

(1) giving like identification codes to like devices of the robots;

(2) representing value ranges for attributes of the like devices;

the value ranges being the similar for the like devices;

(3) developing data unit types and giving data unit type codes thereto;

(4) putting the codes in memories both at the control center and the robots;

d. creating a transmission from the codes by;

(1) choosing one of the devices and an associated one of the attributes;

(2) determining a value of the one attribute;

(3) from one of the memories, getting appropriate codes, including an appropriate unit identification code, appropriate attribute code and a representation of the value in the transmission;

(4) put the appropriate codes in the transmission;

(5) add a source address to the transmission identifying a sender of the transmission;

(6) add a destination address to the transmission;

(7) after substep d.(6), keep the transmission as so far created at constant length;

(8) add a sequence number code to the transmission;

(9) add the point address codes to the transmission;

e. sending each of the transmissions on direct path between the center and one of the robots;

f. allow only robot-to-center and center-to-robot transmissions, whereby the robots form a mutually independent, non-networking set.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the robots are unmanned vehicles remotely controlled by the center.

3. A method for communication between a control center and multiple vehicular robots, wherein the robots have common sets of devices, the method comprising:

a. assigning mutually dissimilar point addresses to the control center and each of the robots;

b. using a database common to the control center and the robots and representing controllable features of the robots, including the substeps of;

(1) giving like identification codes to like devices of the robots;

(2) representing value ranges for attributes of the like devices;

the value ranges being the similar for the like devices;

(3) developing data unit types and giving data unit type codes thereto;

(4) putting the codes in memories both at the control center and the robots;

c. creating a transmission from the codes by;

(1) choosing one or more of the devices and one or more attributes associated therewith;

(2) determining values of the one or more associated attributes;

(3) from one of the memories, getting appropriate codes, including an appropriate unit identification code, appropriate attribute code and a representation of the value in the transmission;

(4) grouping together in the transmission the appropriate codes associated with a same device;

(5) adding a source address to the transmission identifying a sender of the transmission;

(6) adding a destination address to the transmission;

(8) adding the point address codes to the transmission;

d. sending each of the transmissions on direct path between the center and one of the robots;

e. allow only robot-to-center and center-to-robot transmissions, whereby the robots form a mutually independent, non-networking set.