Method for automatic recovery of lost communications for unmanned ground robots
First Claim
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1. A lost communications link recovery method for a remotely-operated robot comprising the following steps:
- receiving command and control (C2) signals transmitted over a wireless network from an operator control unit (OCU) to the robot, wherein the C2 signals comprise movement instructions for the robot;
issuing received C2 signals to the robot;
storing past C2 signals in a sliding window buffer;
monitoring the wireless network for communication link breaks between the OCU and the robot;
creating, and issuing to the robot, reverse C2 commands based on the stored C2 signals upon detecting a communication link break, wherein the reverse C2 commands are opposites of the stored C2 signals that are issued to the robot on a last-in-first-out basis until the communication link is restored or the sliding window buffer is empty; and
wherein the above steps are performed by a radio processor inside a radio receiver without the aid of external environmental characteristic sensors, and wherein the radio receiver is mounted to the robot and is electronically connected to an internal processor inside the robot.
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Abstract
A lost communications link recovery method for a remotely-operated robot comprising the following steps: monitoring command and control (C2) signals transmitted over a wireless network from an operator control unit (OCU) to the robot; storing the C2 signals in a sliding window buffer; monitoring the wireless network for communication link breaks between the OCU and the robot; and creating, and issuing to the robot, reverse C2 commands based on the stored C2 signals upon detecting a communication link break.
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Citations
16 Claims
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1. A lost communications link recovery method for a remotely-operated robot comprising the following steps:
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receiving command and control (C2) signals transmitted over a wireless network from an operator control unit (OCU) to the robot, wherein the C2 signals comprise movement instructions for the robot; issuing received C2 signals to the robot; storing past C2 signals in a sliding window buffer; monitoring the wireless network for communication link breaks between the OCU and the robot; creating, and issuing to the robot, reverse C2 commands based on the stored C2 signals upon detecting a communication link break, wherein the reverse C2 commands are opposites of the stored C2 signals that are issued to the robot on a last-in-first-out basis until the communication link is restored or the sliding window buffer is empty; and wherein the above steps are performed by a radio processor inside a radio receiver without the aid of external environmental characteristic sensors, and wherein the radio receiver is mounted to the robot and is electronically connected to an internal processor inside the robot. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for restoring wireless network connectivity between a remotely-operated robot and an operator control unit (OCU) comprising the following steps performed by a radio processor inside a radio receiver without the aid of external environmental characteristic sensors:
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receiving command and control (C2) signals transmitted to the robot over the wireless network from the OCU, wherein the C2 signals comprise movement instructions for the robot; issuing the received C2 signals to the robot to execute; storing the received C2 signals in a sliding window buffer such that when a new C2 signal is received and stored the oldest stored C2 signal is purged from the buffer; monitoring the wireless network for communication link breaks between the OCU and the robot; and performing the following steps upon detecting a communication link break; resuming normal operations if the communication link is reestablished before the end of a predefined period, creating reverse C2 commands based on the stored C2 signals if the communication link is not reestablished before the end of the predefined period, wherein the reverse C2 commands comprise opposite movement instructions to the stored C2 signals, and issuing the reverse C2 commands to the robot to execute on a last-in-first-out basis, such that the reverse C2 command corresponding to the newest stored C2 signal is issued to the robot first, until the communication link is restored or the sliding window buffer is empty. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13)
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14. A lost communications link recovery method for a remotely-operated robot comprising the following steps:
1.) receiving wirelessly-transmitted command and control (C2) signals from an operator control unit (OCU) with a radio receiver mounted to the robot, wherein the C2 signals comprise movement instructions for the robot, and wherein the radio receiver performs the following steps; a.) relaying the received C2 signals to an internal processor inside the robot such that the robot executes the movement instructions; b.) storing the received C2 signals in a sliding window buffer; c.) monitoring a wireless network for communication link breaks between the OCU and the robot; d.) upon detecting a communication link break, creating a reverse C2 command that comprises a movement instruction that is opposite of the last-received C2 signal in the sliding window buffer; e.) issuing the reverse C2 command to the robot as if the reverse C2 command came from the OCU such that the robot executes the reverse C2 command; f.) removing the last-received C2 signal from the sliding window buffer after its corresponding reverse C2 command is issued to the robot; and g.) repeating steps (d) through (f) until the communication link is restored or the sliding window buffer is empty. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16)
Specification