Distributed hardware architecture and intelligent sensors for mobile robots

Mobile robots and unmanned autonomous vehicles need sufficient sensors and real time information on the environment throughout the mission. This paper describes major constrains related to the mission of an unmanned autonomous vehicle or a team of mobile robots and suggests a few solutions for each of them. The paper proposes a system of intelligent sensors that is controlled in a distributed environment via wired fieldbus for an autonomous vehicle and via wireless field bus architecture for a group of mobile robots. In the proposed system each device has low cost computing power installed in it, making each device a 'smart' device throughout the work-cell of robotic system. Each device will be able to execute simple functions on its own such as diagnostic, control, and maintenance functions as well as providing bi-directional communication capabilities to communicate with the neighboring robots.