Wideband signal transmission by QoS ad hoc networking for multi-robot rescue systems

A bandwidth reservation scheme by QoS ad hoc networking is investigated for wideband signal transmission in multi-robot rescue systems. The wideband signals such as moving picture images must be transmitted from robots to their base station that provide the operators with essential informations of the disaster area. As the QoS scheme for the ad hoc networking in multi-robot rescue systems, rapid control method based on synchronized QoS routing is introduced. The synchronized QoS routing reserves a specified bandwidth throughout the communication path in ad hoc networking and the rapid control method improves the performances of the synchronized QoS routing including the rate of successful communication. The improvements become noticeable especially in multi-robot rescue systems where robots explore a disaster area forming chain networks from the base station to distant locations. The QoS scheme for ad hoc networking and the applicability of rapid control method to chain networks are explained. Computer simulations confirm the performance of QoS ad hoc networking with moving picture image transmissions through the chain networks.