COMMUNICATIONS REQUIREMENTS FOR AUTONOMOUS MOBILE ROBOTS: ANALYSIS AND EXAMPLES

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are becoming pervasive and, in consequence, the optimization of their electronics is also becoming a current research topic. In particular, the use of distributed architectures is an issue. In the presence of distribution, a network must be used to interconnect the several modules of an AMR. This network must be able to support the traffic requirements to carry on the data flows produced by the nodes. In this paper a characterization of the subsystems required in AMRs is made, analyzing typical AMRs. Then, the data flows produced by them are quantified and the adequacy of popular fieldbuses, in particular CAN - Controller Area Network, to accommodate the required traffic in two robots is analyzed.