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Increasing wireless reliability for autonomous mobile robots

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 August 2012

Joaquín López ,
Rafael Sanz ,
Miguel D. Cacho  and
Amador R. Diéguez
Joaquín López
Affiliation:
Department of Ingeniería de Sistemas y Automática, University of Vigo, 36200 Vigo, Spain
Rafael Sanz*
Affiliation:
Department of Ingeniería de Sistemas y Automática, University of Vigo, 36200 Vigo, Spain
Miguel D. Cacho
Affiliation:
Department of Ingeniería de Sistemas y Automática, University of Vigo, 36200 Vigo, Spain
Amador R. Diéguez
Affiliation:
Department of Ingeniería de Sistemas y Automática, University of Vigo, 36200 Vigo, Spain
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: rsanz@uvigo.es
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Summary

There is an increasing popularity of mobile robot applications over the Internet. Robots need some kind of wireless communication to receive commands and transmit information to users. This paper describes the problems encountered to keep the mobile robots connected and the solutions adopted. The first problem was related to delays and the very low throughput that occur when the robot roams to a new access point. Most commercial systems currently installed implement proprietary solutions with different behaviors. Here, a simple and device-independent solution for mobile robot applications is proposed. The second problem is the lack of wireless coverage in some areas of buildings. The solutions adopted for these problems are based on coverage maps.

Keywords

Mobile roboticsWireless LANRoamingCoverage mapsNavigation
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , May 2013 , pp. 405 - 416
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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