Group robot system, and sensing robot and base station used therefor

• US 7,082,351 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2002
• Issued: 07/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ohta, Kenji, Hara, Keita, Hamamoto, Masaki, Ohta, Yoshiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US10/299,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20030105534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 700/245, 700/248, 700/258, 700/2, 700/255, 700/250, 700/259, 701/207, 701/23, 701/217, 701/220, 342/357.07, 318/568.16, 901 46- 47, 901/31, 901/33, 901/37, 294/88
• US Class Current: 700/248
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1682 Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39155 Motion skill, relate sensor data to certain situation and motion
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39168 Multiple robots searching an object
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/104 involving a plurality of aircrafts, e.g. formation flying traffic control systems for aircraft G08G5/00

Abstract

Communication system of a group robot system is made hierarchical, having a base station as an uppermost layer and a plurality of layers formed by a plurality of sensing robots, and the plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that a sensing robot belonging to an upper layer of the hierarchical structure has higher sensing resolution than a sensing robot belonging to a lower layer of the hierarchical structure. Thus, a group robot system capable of efficiently searching for an object can be obtained.

Claims

1. A group robot system, comprising:

a plurality of sensing robots used for searching for an object; and

a base station controlling the plurality of sensing robots;

wherein

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled to have different manner related to searching of said object, in accordance with distance from said base station;

wherein said sensing robot is a fluttering sensing robot capable of flying through fluttering motion; and

the manner related to searching of said object is frequency of the fluttering motion of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots.

2. The group robot system according to claim 1, wherein

said manner related to searching of said object also is sensing resolution of each of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots, where the sending sensing resolution is controlled in accordance with the distance from said station.

3. The group robot system according to claim 2, wherein

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots includes a plurality of groups in accordance with distance from said base station;

and

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are controlled such that a group of fluttering sensing robots closer to said base station has higher resolution than a group of fluttering sensing robots far from said base station.

4. The group robot system according to claim 2, wherein

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are controlled such that said fluttering sensing robot closer to said base station has higher resolution than said fluttering sensing robot far from said base station.

5. The group robot system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots include a plurality of groups in accordance with distance from said base station;

and

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are controlled such that a group of said fluttering sensing robots closer to said base station has lower frequency of fluttering motion than a group of said fluttering sensing robots far from said base station.

6. The group robot system according to claim 1, wherein

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are controlled such that said fluttering sensing robot closer to said base station has lower frequency of fluttering motion than said fluttering sensing robot far from said base station.

7. The group robot system according to claim 1, wherein

the manner related to searching of said object also is type of a detection sensor of said fluttering sensing robot or method of processing sensor information.

8. The group robot system according to claim 1, wherein:

the manner related to searching of said object is changed for of the one of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots which has detected said object.

9. The group robot system according to claim 8, wherein:

the manner related to searching of said object is changed for of said sensing fluttering robots positioned in an area around the one of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots which has detected said object.

10. The group robot system according to claim 8, wherein:

the manner of searching of said object is changed for the one of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots which ceases to detect said object.

11. The group robot system according to claim 10, wherein:

the manner of searching of said object is changed for fluttering sensing robots positioned in an area around the one of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots which ceases to detect said object.

12. A group robot system according to claim 1, wherein:

the base station for controlling said plurality of fluttering sensing robots is moveable; and

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots search for said object while moving along with movement of said base station, keeping a tolerable range of positional relation with said base station.

13. The group robot system according to claim 12, wherein

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots move while maintaining tolerable range of positional relation with each other.

14. The group robot system according to claim 12, set to move in such a state in that said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are arranged concentrically with said base station positioned at the center of concentric circles.

15. The group robot system according to claim 12, wherein said base station is set to move toward the object, when said object is detected by said fluttering sensing robot.

16. The group robot system according to claim 12, wherein

said base station moves such that there is no gap or overlapping between search areas by said plurality of fluttering sensing robots.

17. The group robot system according to claim 12, wherein:

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are configured and arranged for independent movement;

said base station is configured and arranged to control said plurality of fluttering sensing robots and also to move independently;

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots and said base station are configured and arranged so as to be capable of search for said object while said base station and said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are moving, and

said base station is configured and arranged to control movement of the plurality of fluttering sensing robots with respect to the base station so that said plurality of fluttering sensing robots keep a tolerable range of positional relation with respect to said base station.

18. A group robot system according to claim 1, wherein:

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are controlled such that the manner related to searching of said object of each of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots is independent from each other.

19. The group robot system according to claim 18, wherein

independent control of the manner related to searching of said object of each of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots includes control in which the manner related to searching of said object by each of said plurality of fluttering sensing robots is differently fixed, in accordance with environment.

20. The group robot system according to claim 1, wherein:

each of said plurality of sensing fluttering sensing robots includes a sensing device that is configured and arranged so as to be capable of sensing an object,

the base station includes a controlling device, the controlling device being configured and arranged so to provide outputs to each of the plurality of fluttering sensing robots so as to thereby as control the manner of searching being implemented by the plurality of fluttering sensing robots, where the manner of searching is controlled by the controlling device so that the manner of searching for the object is set so as to be different in accordance with the distance between the base station and each of the plurality of fluttering sensing robots.

21. The group robot system of claim 20, wherein the sensing device is operable in different operating modes and wherein the base station controlling device is configured and arranged to provide an output setting an operating mode from the different operating modes, where the setting of the operating mode is controlled by the controlling device so that the set operating mode is set so as to be different in accordance with the distance between the base station and each of the plurality of fluttering sensing robots.

22. The group robot system of claim 20, wherein:

the sensing device includes a plurality of sensing devices, each sensing device being configured so as to be capable of one of being operated in a different operating modes or being capable of performing different sensing techniques;

when the plurality of sensing devices are operable in different operating modes, the base station controlling device is configured and arranged to provide an output setting an operating mode from the different operating modes, where operating mode is set so as to be different in accordance with the distance between the base station and each of the plurality fluttering sensing robots, and

when the plurality of sensing devices embody different sensing techniques, the base station controlling device is configured and arranged to provide an output that selects one of the plurality of sensing devices for detection of the object.

23. A group robot system, comprising

a plurality of sensing robots used for searching for an object;

a base station controlling said plurality of sensing robots; and

a communication system wherein said communication system of said group robot system has a hierarchical structure including said base station as an uppermost layer and a plurality of layers formed by said plurality of sensing robots;

wherein, in said hierarchical structure, information related to control of each of said plurality of sensing robots is transmitted from said base station downward through said hierarchical structure to each of said plurality of sensing robots,

wherein, in said hierarchical structure, information related to searching of said object of each of said plurality of sensing robots is transmitted from each of said plurality of sensing robots upward through said hierarchical structure to said base station, and

wherein said sensing robots are controlled such that manner related to searching of said object differ layer by layer of said hierarchical structure.

24. The group robot system according to claim 23, wherein

the manner related to searching of said object is sensing resolution of said sensing robots.

25. The group robot system according to claim 24, wherein

said plurality of sensing robots include a plurality of groups in accordance with layers of said hierarchical structure;

and

said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that said sensing robots of said group belonging to an upper layer of said hierarchical structure has higher resolution than said sensing robots of a group belonging to a lower layer of said hierarchical structure.

26. The group robot system according to claim 24, wherein

said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that said sensing robot belonging to an upper layer of said hierarchical structure has higher resolution than said sensing robot belonging to a lower layer of said hierarchical structure.

27. The group robot system according to claim 23, wherein

the manner related to searching of said object is speed of movement of said sensing robots.

28. The group robot system according to claim 27, wherein

said plurality of sensing robots includes a plurality of groups in accordance with layers of said hierarchical structure;

and

said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that said sensing robots of a group belonging to an upper layer of said hierarchical structure moves slower than said sensing robots of a group belonging to a lower layer of said hierarchical structure.

29. The group robot system according to claim 27, wherein

said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that said sensing robot belonging to an upper layer of said hierarchical structure moves slower than said sensing robot belonging to a lower layer of said hierarchical structure.

30. The group robot system according to claim 23, wherein said sensing robot is a fluttering sensing robot capable of flying through fluttering motion;

and

the manner related to searching of said object is frequency of fluttering motion of said fluttering sensing robot.

31. The group robot system according to claim 30, wherein

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots includes a plurality of groups in accordance with layers of said hierarchical structure;

and

said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that said fluttering sensing robots of a group belonging to an upper layer of said hierarchical structure have lower frequency of fluttering motion than said fluttering sensing robots of a group belonging to a lower layer of said hierarchical structure.

32. The group robot system according to claim 30, wherein

said plurality of fluttering sensing robots are controlled such that said fluttering sensing robot belonging to an upper layer of said hierarchical structure has lower frequency of fluttering motion than said fluttering sensing robot belonging to a lower layer of said hierarchical structure.

33. A group robot system, comprising:

a plurality or sensing robots used for searching for an object;

a base station controlling the plurality of sensing robots;

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled to have different manner related to searching of said object, in accordance with distance from said base station;

wherein said manner related to searching of said object is sensing resolution of each of said plurality of sensing robots, where the sensing resolution is controlled in accordance with the distance from said base station;

wherein said plurality of sensing robots includes a plurality of groups in accordance with distance from said base station; and

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that a group of sensing robots closer to said base station has higher resolution than a group of sensing robots far from said base station.

34. A group robot system, comprising:

a plurality of sensing robots used for searching for an object;

a base station controlling the plurality of sensing robots;

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled to have different manner related to searching of said object, in accordance with distance from said base station;

wherein said manner related to searching of said object is sensing resolution of each of said plurality of sensing robots, where the sensing resolution is controlled in accordance with the distance from said base station; and

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that said sensing robot closer to said base station has higher resolution than said sensing robot far from said base station.

35. A group robot system, comprising:

a plurality of sensing robots used for searching for an object;

a base station controlling the plurality of sensing robots;

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled to have different manner related to searching of said object, in accordance with distance from said base station;

wherein the manner related to searching of said object is speed of movement of each of said plurality of sensing robots;

wherein said plurality of sensing robots includes a plurality of groups in accordance with distance from said base station; and

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that a group of said sensing robots closer to said base station move slower than a group of said sensing robots far from said base station.

36. A group robot system, comprising:

a plurality of sensing robots used for searching for an object;

a base station controlling the plurality of sensing robots;

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled to have different manner related to searching of said object, in accordance with distance from said base station;

wherein the manner related to searching of said object is speed of movement of each of said plurality of sensing robots;

wherein said plurality of sensing robots are controlled such that said sensing robot closer to said base station moves slower than said sensing robot far from said base station.