Ching-Min Huang
June 12, 2007
Translators: W. Y. Huang & Kay Chuang et al.
War has been an inevitable part of human civilization, and injuries and deaths seem unavoidable. However, if the form of war could be changed, it may be possible to reduce the number of injuries and deaths, i.e. if machines fought machines, instead of humans fighting each other. The Robotic Fighting System is a new frame that decreases war casualties.
- Structure of the System
The system consists of coordinate robot, signal robot, attacking robot, supply robot, logistic supercomputer, coordinate device, identity device, and digital map. Each component is as follows.
- Coordinate Robot
The coordinate robot is installed with pantoscopic cameras with high zoom ratio. The space coordinate of each moving object, taken by pantoscopic cameras, is calculated by logistic supercomputer at the synchronous time. The time lag of two moving coordinates allow for the calculation of moving speed and coordinate, and identification of objects as human, animal or robot (types of the robots), information which the signal robot uses to arrange the deployment of the army. In a war situation, setting up a coordinate device on the battlefield provides each robot with the calculated coordinates, and the coordinate robot can replace the work of the signal robot when it is insufficient. - Signal Robot
The signal robot is installed with pantoscopic cameras with high zoom ratio to calculate coordinates around itself. The signal robot, according to the coordinates that coordinate robot provides, selects battle array and attacking tactics, observes the situation to change the array and tactics, and sends attacking robots to assault the enemy nearby. The signal robot can replace the work of coordinate robot when insufficient. - Attacking Robot
The attacking robot is installed with pantoscopic cameras to calculate the coordinates around itself and the enemy nearby with images from the coordinate robot. The attacking robot can be divided into three types, near-distance attacking robot, distant attacking robot (land to land, land to air and land to sea) and casting attacking robot, by its use of weapons. It calculates the relative coordinates of the attacking robot, that is, the moving coordinates of each component, to attack the enemy that the signal robot has selected, and avoids the possibility of its own robots attacking each other. - Supply Robot
The supply robot is installed with pantoscopic cameras to calculate the coordinates around itself. More than one soldier is required to operate the robot in order to change its power devices, damaged parts, ammunition supply, or to retrieve coordinate devices. According to the situation, soldiers can change the communication channels of all robots, coordinate devices and identity devices to avoid being usurped or controlled by the enemy. The power of each robot can be switched off (against electro-magnetic pulse attack) and then restarted again by itself. Soldiers can disregard the result of the calculation from the signal robot in order to command the army to change the array and attacking tactics, to pursue or to retreat. - Logistic Supercomputer
The logistic supercomputer, built underground, processes the calculated procedure for each robot to assist the army at the battlefront. When the logistic supercomputer is damaged, its management system is transformed from centralized control to distri-buted computing. Data transmitting should be encrypted and communication channels should be changed periodically to avoid enemy control. - Coordinate Device
The coordinate device establishes the coordinates for every robot in the battle so that the absolute coordinate calculation can be transformed into the relative coordinate calculation. When the device is installed, the space coordinate is calculated by the coordinate robot for adjustment. The coordinate of the effective area is calculated by coordinate device for each robot. - Identity Device
The identity device can distinguish the enemy army from the home army. It is installed in each robot, soldier and army. It malfunctions when robots are damaged or soldiers dead. - Digital Map
The digital map is obtained through aerial survey, satellite or sophisticated equipment. It is installed in each robot to calculate the relative position and space coordinate of all objects.
- Coordinate Robot
- Operation of the System
The calculation procedure of each robot is processed by logistic supercomputer. Coordinate robot, airplanes and satellite provide the coordinates for short and long distance, which assist the signal robot in selecting tactics and allocating work to the attacking robots. The supply robot follows behind the array to supply weaponry and ammunition. The use of the coordinate device remarkably reduces the calculation load of the coordinate, while the identity device clearly distinguishes the enemy from the home army. Before the battle, the digital map is obtained through aerial survey, satellite or sophisticated equipment to assist in tactical evaluation.
- The robot system consists of the coordinate robot, the signal robot, the attack robot, the supply robot, the logistic supercomputer, the coordinate device, the identity device, and the digital map. The system includes the memory units, robot move-ment, robot reaction, coordination between different robots, image calculation, attack and the computing system.
- The memory units in Claim 1 are classified into short-term and long-term memory units, which store databases of limited sizes. Files in the short-term memory units are sorted according to their last accessed or modified time, with the most recently accessed or modified file listing on the top; files in the long-term memory units are sorted according to the ways they are stacked. The size of a short-term memory unit is the total data capacity that can be reached within the maximum allowed data query time; the size of a long-term memory unit is the maximum size that can be reached with the current computer hardware technology.
- The robot movement in Claim 1 is not based on the precise calculation of coordinates; rather, it is a fixed-pattern mechanical movement with a modification model. On an even surface, the fixed-pattern mechanical movement enables the robot to reach the desired destination; however, when the surface is uneven, calculation should be done based on the coordinates of the moved robot in order to modify its path so that the robot can reach the desired destination.
- The mechanical movement in Claim 3 is based on the kinematics; the mechanical movement of the robot is formed by calculating the 3D coordinates of the destination space of the robot before and after the movement, as well as the rotating angle in the 3D space, comprising a mechanical movement that has 6 degrees of freedom.
- The robot reaction in Claim 1 is classified into real-time reaction and non-real-time reaction. The real-time reaction is the movement or attack that is programmed and stored in the short-term memory unit in Claim 2, based on any possible on-site scenarios which require the immediate action of the robot. The non-real-time reaction is the movement or attack that is programmed and stored in the long-term memory unit in Claim 2, based on any possible on-site scenarios that require the robot to act after prediction.
- The major difference between the real-time reaction and the non-real-time reaction in Claim 5 is that real-time reaction must be performed in a very short time; therefore the movement or attack plan of the robot is stored in the short-term memory unit that requires less data query time. In contrast, any action that is not an immediate reaction to the on-site scenario is a non-real-time reaction; therefore it is stored in the long-term memory unit. The data query is a synchronous, continuous and repeated database searching action.
- The coordination in Claim 1 is calculated based on the actions of the robot system because the movement of a robot should coordinate with the efficient organization of other members of the system. For example, when the logistic supercomputer determines a certain battle order through calculation, the robots must cooperate proactively and move to their designated spots for defense or attack.
- The image calculation in Claim 1 refers to the process of calculating the positions and moving velocities of objects based on space coordinates; at least three cameras (coordinate robot or signal robot) should photograph the same area from different locations in the area, and photographed images from the cameras should be pieced together using the coordinate device as the coordinate reference point. The position and velocity of a moving object are used to provide the target coordinates for the robot's attack and to predict the movement of the object.
- When the number of cameras in Claim 8 exceeds four, image coordinates should be adjusted. The coordinates of large or small angles calculated using trigonometric functions have a larger error and thus should be prioritized during the adjustment. The coordinates of objects moving in the middle or far distance should be adjusted according to the digital map and the curvature of the surface. Within the effective attack range of the short-range attack robot, the modification of object coordinates based on the surface curvature should be omitted.
- The attack in Claim 1 is an organized group behavior in which the logistic supercomputer is responsible for coordination and the signal robot summarizes attack tasks and assigns each robot its target. As tactics evolve, the attack robot should be further developed into large, middle or small robots, which can act in the proactive attack mode or the induced attack mode, can attack the targets from the short, middle or long range, and can form diversified attack groups.
- The computing system in Claim 1 works in the centralized computing mode before the logistic supercomputer is damaged; when the logistic supercomputer is damaged, the calculation works in the distributed computing mode. The distributed computing mode is provided by civil institutes, which should be requisitioned by the government during war time.
- The digital map in Claim 1 is obtained via satellite measurement, aerial survey or area scanning by robots. A digital map is saved in the built-in system of each robot. After a robot loses contact with the logistic supercomputer of the signal robot, it should return to its departure place on its own to prepare for withdrawal.
- 本專利之機器人系統,由座標機器人、信號機器人、攻擊機器人、補給機器人、後勤超級計算機、座標參考器、身分識別器及數值地形圖組成,涉及記憶單元、移動行為、反應行為、組織活動、影像計算、攻擊行為及計算系統。
- 第一項提及之記憶單元,分為短期存取記憶單元和長期存取記憶單元,皆為有限規模之資料庫。短期存取記憶單元以最後一次修訂或存取時間,為其先後排序之依據;長期存取記憶單元以堆疊形式為其先後排序之依據。短期記憶單元之規模,考慮最大容許搜尋資料之計算時間下,得完成之搜尋完整工作之總容量,為其記憶存取空間;長期記憶單元之規模,隨計算機硬體技術極限之演進,為其記憶存取空間。
- 第一項提及之移動行為,乃非精確之座標計算,因而僅為固定之機構運動,並搭配修正模式進行移動行為。在普通平坦地形下,固定機構運動即可達成移動行為;而在崎嶇不平地形下,則因應機構運動後之座標進行計算,以修正至預定之移動座標位置。
- 第三項提及之機構運動,根據運動學原理,在運動前後座標,計算機構自身體系所需之空間三維座標,以及根據空間三軸之旋轉角度,構成六個自由度之機構運動行為。
- 第一項提及之反應行為,分為即時反應與非即時反應。即時反應之反應行為根據,乃由臨場可能遭遇之任何必須立即反應之活動,預先將其活動所需之移動行為或攻擊活動,儲存於機器人之第二項提及之短期記憶單元內。非即時反應之反應行為根據,乃由臨場可能遭遇之任何必須透過預測之活動,預先將其活動所需之移動行為或攻擊活動,儲存於機器人之第二項提及之長期記憶單元內。
- 第五項提及之即時反應與非即時反應之主要差異,在於機器人作出即時反應行為,必須是在極短時間內作出回應,因而其作出反應所需之移動行為或攻擊活動,乃儲存於搜尋時間較短之短期記憶單元內。相對地,不涉及立即性作出反應之任何行為,皆可列屬非即時反應行為,僅需儲存於長期記憶單元內。記憶單元搜尋活動,乃為同步並持續不停止之重覆性資料庫搜尋活動。
- 第一項提及之組織活動,乃根據群體活動之計算結果,因應所需之移動行為配置,而必須配合整體進行組織活動行為。例如:後勤超級計算機根據計算結果,採用某種戰術陣形,因而各機器人必須配合組織活動,而移動至指派之地點進行防禦或攻擊活動。
- 第一項提及之影像計算,乃經由三個以上之獨立攝影機(座標機器人或信號機器人),就同一區域進行影像拍攝,攝影機之位置應分散於整體區域範圍內,以座標參考器為三組獨立影像拼湊之座標參考點,經空間座標計算取得各移動物體之位置及其移動速度。移動物體之位置及其移動速度,是用以提供攻擊機器人攻擊之座標及其推測移動物體之活動。
- 第八項提及之攝影機,在有四個以上獨立攝影機時,得進行影像座標平差,尤以三角函數所涉及之大角度或小角度下之座標偏差為大,應列為優先校正座標之對象。對於中、遠距移動物體,根據數值地形圖及大地曲率,修正移動物體之空間座標。在近程攻擊機器人有效之攻擊範圍內,得省略依據大地曲率修正空間座標之計算。
- 第一項提及之攻擊行為,是一種組織性地集體活動,透過後勤超級計算機組織作戰,經信號機器人彙整與分配攻擊機器人各自之攻擊對象。攻擊機器人隨戰術之演進,得發展成大、中或小型機器人,帶有主動攻擊或誘導攻擊模式,並因應武器之發展進程,得就近、中或遠程攻擊,建立起各式各樣之攻擊隊伍。
- 第一項提及之計算系統,在後勤超級計算機遭破壞前,採集中式計算模式,而在後勤超級計算機遭破壞後,改採分散式計算模式。分散式計算模式乃由民間機構提供,在戰爭時期接受政府徵用為預備計算系統。
- 第一項提及之數值地形圖,得透過衛星攝影、航空攝影或機器人對區域進行掃描,以獲得所需之數值地形圖。在所有機器人內建系統中,皆存有一份數值地形圖,在失去與後勤超級計算機或信號機器人聯繫時,得自行依據原路徑返回出發地,以進行撤退程序。