Method for coordinated management of multi-robot subsystems and related devices

Abstract

The application discloses a method for cooperatively managing a multi-robot subsystem and related equipment, relates to the technical field of robot management, and comprises the following steps: receiving a robot gateway task function, wherein the robot gateway task function comprises a logic function in which a robot gateway controls and manages a multi-robot subsystem according to preset management logic; generating a software development kit according to the robot gateway task function, and sending the software development kit to the robot gateway, so that the robot gateway executes the acquired task function through the software development kit, and controls and manages the multi-robot subsystem. The application solves the problem in the prior art that the whole robot task management logic is realized by a user and then deployed into a full-hosted computing service platform, and the realization cost of the user is extremely high.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of robot management technology, and more specifically, to a method and related equipment for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems. Background Art

[0002] This section is intended to provide a background or context to the embodiments of the invention that are recited in the claims. No statement herein is admitted to be prior art by virtue of its inclusion in this section.

[0003] Industrial enterprises often use management systems such as Robot Control Systems (RCS), Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) to coordinate and manage multiple robot subsystems. These subsystems are essentially "operational subsystems" composed of multiple robots, or multiple different robot subsystems. The robot collaboration logic within each management system typically needs to be customized based on the service scenario, resulting in significant communication costs for both the management system provider and the user.

[0004] Large industrial enterprises may even combine multiple management systems, such as the Robot Control System (RCS), the Warehouse Management System (WMS), and the Manufacturing Execution System (MES). These management systems may be provided by different providers, are inherently incompatible, and are typically deployed on local networks. Rapidly connecting multiple robot subsystems to cloud computing through these management systems is costly, and it is difficult to coordinate the operations of robots from multiple vendors. Cloud computing systems, for example, are intelligent platforms that provide large-scale, on-demand resources (such as computing resources, storage resources, application software, services, and networks), a new model for IoT platforms.

[0005] Although Amazon's Robo Runner cloud service can coordinate the operation of robots from multiple vendors, the architecture of the management system that coordinates and manages multiple robot subsystems is as follows: Figure 1 As shown in the figure, industrial enterprise users can use the Robo Runner cloud service to manage and coordinate robot fleets from different providers. However, the RoboRunner cloud service has the following shortcomings:

[0006] 1. The entire robot task management logic is implemented by the user and then deployed to the fully managed computing service platform. The user implementation cost is extremely high. Among them, the "fully managed computing service" can be a fully managed computing service using Function Compute.

[0007] 2. The IoT platform is relatively independent of task management, and the control of task management is white box, which has low stability.

[0008] 3. The robot gateway logic is completely implemented by the user and then burned into the gateway, which results in high user implementation costs. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The embodiments of the present application provide a method and related equipment for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems to at least solve the problem in the prior art that the entire robot task management logic is implemented by the user and then deployed to a fully managed computing service platform, resulting in extremely high implementation costs for the user.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present application, a method for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems is also provided, wherein the multiple robot subsystems are connected to a robot gateway and the method is performed by a robot task management subsystem provided by a cloud computing system. The method includes:

[0011] receiving a robot gateway task function, wherein the robot gateway task function includes a logic function for the robot gateway to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem according to a preset management logic;

[0012] A software development kit is generated according to the robot gateway task function, and the software development kit is sent to the robot gateway so that the robot gateway executes the acquired task function through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further comprises:

[0014] Creating pending tasks for the multi-robot subsystem to be executed, and sending the pending tasks to the robot gateway;

[0015] The preset management logic includes a logic function for sending different tasks to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem, and the task function includes a task distribution operation logic;

[0016] Then, the robot gateway executes the acquired task function through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem, including the following steps:

[0017] The robot gateway executes the task distribution operation logic through the software development tool kit to distribute the tasks to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem.

[0018] In some embodiments, before sending the task to be executed to the robot gateway, the method further includes:

[0019] The robot task extension function is called and executed, wherein the robot task extension function is configured with an extension logic for performing an extension process on the task to be performed, so that the task to be performed after the extension process is sent to the robot gateway.

[0020] In some embodiments, before calling and executing the robot task extension function, the method further includes:

[0021] Receiving the robot task extension function, and synchronizing the robot task extension function to the fully managed computing service platform;

[0022] Then, the steps of calling and executing the robot task extension function include:

[0023] After the robot task extension function is retrieved from the fully managed computing service platform, the robot task extension function is executed to perform extended processing on the task to be executed.

[0024] In some embodiments, the expansion logic includes:

[0025] Task splitting logic, the task splitting logic is used to split the task to be executed into a predetermined number of subtasks;

[0026] Then, when the robot gateway executes the task distribution operation logic through the software development kit, the predetermined number of subtasks are sent to the multi-robot subsystem.

[0027] In some embodiments, when calling and executing the robot task extension function, the method further includes:

[0028] Generate task extension information for describing the extended content in the extended logic, and send the task extension information to the robot gateway;

[0029] Among them, the task function also includes task processing logic for processing the task to be executed according to the task extension information, and the robot gateway task function also includes a logic function for calling the task processing logic according to different task extension information, so that the robot gateway executes the task processing logic before executing the task distribution operation logic through the software development kit.

[0030] In some embodiments, the expansion logic further includes:

[0031] Task scheduling frequency logic, the task scheduling frequency logic is used to set the sending time interval between two adjacent tasks to be executed, and generate first task extension information for describing the sending time interval, the sending time interval being the time interval for the robot gateway to send the next task to be executed after the multi-robot subsystem completes the execution of the previous task to be executed;

[0032] Then, after executing the task scheduling frequency logic, the first task extension information is sent to the robot gateway so that the robot gateway executes the task processing logic through the software development kit. The task processing logic is, according to the first task extension information, when the time interval after the previous task to be executed is completed reaches the sending time interval, notifying the software development kit to execute the task distribution operation logic.

[0033] In some embodiments, the expansion logic further includes:

[0034] a first state switching logic configured to switch the cloud state record type to a target state record type according to a preset switching rule, and to generate second task extension information describing the target state record type, wherein the cloud state record type is a record type used by the cloud computing system to record the execution state of the task to be executed;

[0035] Then, after executing the first state switching logic, the second task extension information is sent to the robot gateway, so that the robot gateway executes the task processing logic through the software development kit. The task processing logic is to record the execution status of the task to be executed according to the target state record type based on the second task extension information, and then notify the software development kit to execute the task distribution operation logic.

[0036] According to another aspect of the present application, a method for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems is provided, wherein the multiple robot subsystems are connected to a robot gateway, and the multiple robot subsystems are connected to a robot task management subsystem provided in a cloud computing system through the robot gateway. The method is applied to the robot gateway, and the method includes:

[0037] Receiving a software development kit, where the software development kit is generated by a robot task management subsystem set up by a cloud computing system according to a received robot gateway task function, where the robot gateway task function includes a logic function for the robot gateway to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem according to a preset management logic;

[0038] The software development kit executes the acquired task functions to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem.

[0039] In some embodiments, before executing the acquired task function through the software development kit, the method further includes:

[0040] Receive tasks to be executed created and issued by the robot task management subsystem;

[0041] The preset management logic includes a logic function for sending different tasks to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem, and the task function includes a task distribution operation logic;

[0042] Then, the steps of executing the task function through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem include:

[0043] The task distribution operation logic is executed by the software development tool kit to distribute the tasks to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem.

[0044] In some embodiments, the preset management logic further includes:

[0045] A logic function for reporting the execution status of the tasks to be executed by different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem to the robot task management subsystem;

[0046] The task function also includes information reporting logic;

[0047] Then, the step of executing the task function through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem further includes:

[0048] The information reporting logic is executed through the software development kit to report the execution status to the robot task management subsystem.

[0049] In some embodiments, the preset management logic further includes:

[0050] A logical function for recording the execution status recorded according to the system status record type according to the cloud status record type, where the subsystem record type is the record type used by the multi-robot subsystem to record the execution status, and the cloud status record type is the record type used by the cloud computing system to record the execution status;

[0051] The task function also includes:

[0052] Second state switching logic, the second state switching logic is used to convert the system state record type into the cloud state record type, and record the execution state according to the cloud state record type;

[0053] Then, before reporting the execution status to the robot task management subsystem, the method further includes:

[0054] After the second state switching logic is executed through the software development kit, the information reporting logic is executed through the software development kit.

[0055] According to another aspect of the present application, a cloud computing system is provided, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the above-mentioned method steps when executing the computer program.

[0056] According to another aspect of the present application, a robot gateway is also provided, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor implements the above-mentioned method steps when executing the computer program.

[0057] According to another aspect of the present application, a system for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems is provided, the system comprising:

[0058] A robot gateway, one end of which is connected to the multi-robot subsystem;

[0059] A cloud computing system, wherein the cloud computing system is provided with a robot task management subsystem;

[0060] The robot task management subsystem is used to generate a software development kit according to the received robot gateway task function and send the software development kit to the robot gateway, wherein the robot gateway task function includes a logic function for the robot gateway to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem according to a preset management logic;

[0061] The robot gateway is used to execute the acquired task functions through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem.

[0062] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program implements the above method steps when executed by a processor.

[0063] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product includes a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the above method steps are implemented.

[0064] In an embodiment of the present application, the core management logic of the robot gateway is encapsulated in a software development kit (SDK) via a cloud computing system. Since the SDK is generated by the cloud computing system through the robot task management subsystem, the robot gateway can establish a communication connection with the cloud computing system via the SDK, thereby connecting the multi-robot system to the cloud computing system. Consequently, users only need to provide the corresponding task functions to the robot gateway to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem. Since both the robot gateway task functions and the task functions are script files based on configurable scripts, suppliers and enterprise users only need to configure the relevant task logic in the script files, eliminating much of the development work for suppliers and enterprise users. This not only enables the cloud computing system to collaborate with the robot gateway to manage and coordinate robot fleets from different providers, but also reduces user implementation costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0065] The accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this application, are intended to provide a further understanding of this application. The exemplary embodiments and descriptions of this application are intended to explain this application and do not constitute an improper limitation on this application. In the accompanying drawings:

[0066] Figure 1 A diagram of the architecture of the management system that coordinates and manages multiple robotic subsystems for Amazon's Robo Runner cloud service;

[0067] Figure 2 A schematic flow chart of a method for collaboratively managing a multi-robot subsystem provided by a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 3 A schematic flow chart of a method for collaboratively managing a multi-robot subsystem provided by a second embodiment of the present invention;

[0069] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the architecture of a system for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems provided in a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

[0070] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of issuing and running tasks to be executed provided in the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] The above drawings include the following reference numerals:

[0072] 10. Multi-robot subsystem; 20. Robot gateway; 30. Fully managed computing service platform; 40. Internet of Things platform. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments in this application can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0074] It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowcharts of the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer subsystem such as a set of computer executable instructions, and that, although a logical order is shown in the flowcharts, in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in an order different from that shown here.

[0075] Amazon's Robo Runner cloud service can coordinate the operation of robots from multiple suppliers. The architecture of the management system that coordinates and manages multiple robot subsystems is as follows: Figure 1 As shown, although the RoboRunner cloud service can connect multiple robot subsystems to the Internet of Things platform 40 as a cloud computing system, in the RoboRunner cloud service, since the entire robot task management logic is implemented by the user and then deployed to the fully managed computing service platform 30, the user implementation cost is extremely high. The Internet of Things platform 40 is relatively independent of the robot task management subsystem, and the control of the robot task management subsystem is a white box, which has low stability. In response to this, the first embodiment of the present invention provides a method for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems 10. The method is based on a system implementation for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems 10. The system for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems 10 includes a robot gateway 20 and a cloud computing system. The cloud computing system in the embodiment of the present invention is the Internet of Things platform 40. The robot gateway 20 is connected to the multiple robot subsystems 10, and the cloud computing system (i.e., the Internet of Things platform 40) is provided with a robot task management subsystem. The embodiment of the present invention deploys the robot task management subsystem in the Internet of Things platform 40, encapsulates and uniformly optimizes the task management process of the robot task management subsystem, and can ensure that the overall architecture of the system has higher stability and performance.

[0076] The method for collaboratively managing the multi-robot subsystem 10 provided in the embodiment of the present invention is executed by the robot task management subsystem set up by the cloud computing system. Figure 2 The robot task management subsystem executes the method for collaboratively managing the multi-robot subsystem 10, including the following steps:

[0077] Step S11: receiving a robot gateway task function, where the robot gateway task function includes a logic function for the robot gateway 20 to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem 10 according to a preset management logic.

[0078] Step S12: Generate a software development kit according to the robot gateway task function, and send the software development kit to the robot gateway 20, so that the robot gateway 20 executes the acquired task function through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem 10.

[0079] In an embodiment of the present invention, the robot task management subsystem, established through the cloud computing system, encapsulates the core management logic of the robot gateway 20 within a software development kit (SDK). Since the SDK is generated by the cloud computing system through the robot task management subsystem, the robot gateway 20 can communicate with the cloud computing system through the SDK, establishing a communication connection between the robot gateway 20 and the robot task management subsystem, thereby connecting the multi-robot system to the cloud computing system. Thus, users only need to provide the robot gateway 20 with the corresponding task functions to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem 10. Since both the robot gateway task functions and the task functions are script files based on configurable scripts (configurable scripts are executable files that can dynamically change logic during program execution), suppliers and industrial users only need to configure the relevant task logic within the script files, thereby eliminating most of the development work for suppliers and industrial users. This allows the cloud computing system to collaborate with the robot gateway 20 to manage and coordinate robot fleets from different providers, while also reducing user implementation costs and the cost of quickly connecting the multi-robot subsystem 10 to the cloud computing system.

[0080] The method provided by the embodiment of the present invention also includes: creating pending tasks to be executed by the multi-robot subsystem 10, and sending the pending tasks to the robot gateway 20. Among them, the preset management logic includes a logical function for sending different pending tasks to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem 10. The task function includes a task distribution operation logic. Then, the robot gateway 20 executes the acquired task function through the software development tool kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem 10, including: the robot gateway 20 executes the task distribution operation logic through the software development tool kit to distribute the pending tasks to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem 10. Therefore, the user only needs to configure the task distribution operation logic in the task function, and does not need to worry about the management process of the robot task management subsystem in the cloud computing system to create pending tasks, which reduces the user's development workload and greatly improves the cloud-based speed of the multi-robot subsystem 10.

[0081] Before the robot task management subsystem sends the pending task to the robot gateway 20, the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention further includes: calling and executing a robot task extension function, wherein the robot task extension function is configured with extension logic for performing extension processing on the pending task, so that the expanded pending task is sent to the robot gateway 20. This extension logic can be processing logic for performing extension processing on the pending task based on user-defined extension content. For example, the task name of the pending task can be adjusted according to a user-defined naming method to facilitate the user's management of the pending task within their respective management systems. For example, if there is a pending task named "Task 1", but "Task 1" is not the name the user wants, the user can customize the extension logic and modify the name "Task 1" to the user's desired name "Task A". That is, the name "Task 1" belongs to the standard name configured by the robot task management subsystem of the cloud computing system, while the name "Task A" is a user-defined name. In this way, user-defined extensions are implemented through the robot task extension function running in the cloud computing system, facilitating the user's management of the multi-robot subsystem 10.

[0082] Before the robot task management subsystem calls and executes the robot task extension function, the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention further includes: receiving the robot task extension function, and synchronizing the robot task extension function to the fully-hosted computing service platform 30. Then, the step of the robot task management subsystem calling and executing the robot task extension function includes: after calling the robot task extension function from the fully-hosted computing service platform 30, executing the robot task extension function to perform extended processing on the task to be executed. When there is no need to perform extended processing on the task to be executed, the robot task management subsystem of the embodiment of the present invention synchronously deploys the robot task extension function on the fully-hosted computing service platform 30, deploys the specific extended logic related to the user-defined extended task on the fully-hosted computing service platform 30, and calls it again when needed, thereby alleviating the pressure of management and operation on the cloud, thereby better managing and coordinating robot fleets from different providers.

[0083] Specifically, in an embodiment of the present invention, the extended logic of the robot task extension function configuration also includes task splitting logic, which is used to split the task to be executed into a predetermined number of subtasks. Then, when the robot gateway 20 executes the task distribution operation logic through the software development toolkit, the predetermined number of subtasks will be sent to the multi-robot subsystem 10. Generally, the task to be executed may need to be split into multiple subtasks and sent to the multi-robot subsystem 10. The task splitting logic needs to be used to determine whether the task to be executed needs to be split and how many subtasks it is divided into. In this embodiment of the present invention, the task splitting logic is implemented through the robot task management subsystem of the cloud computing system. The user does not need to implement the task splitting logic originally used to be implemented on the robot gateway 20 side, further reducing the user's development workload and development costs.

[0084] When the robot task management subsystem calls and executes the robot task extension function, the method provided by the embodiment of the present invention also includes: generating task extension information for describing the extended content in the extension logic, and sending the task extension information to the robot gateway 20. At this time, the task function also includes task processing logic for processing the task to be executed according to the task extension information, and the robot gateway task function also includes a logic function for calling the task processing logic according to different task extension information, so that the robot gateway 20 executes the task processing logic before executing the task distribution operation logic through the software development kit. Specifically, the extension logic configured by the robot task extension function also includes task scheduling frequency logic, which is used to set the sending time interval between two adjacent tasks to be executed, and generate first task extension information for describing the sending time interval. The sending time interval is the time interval for the robot gateway 20 to send the next task to be executed after the multi-robot subsystem 10 completes the execution of the previous task to be executed. After executing the task scheduling frequency logic, the first task extension information is sent to the robot gateway 20, so that the robot gateway 20 executes the task processing logic through the software development kit. The task processing logic is to notify the software development kit to execute the task distribution operation logic when the time interval after the previous pending task is completed reaches the sending time interval based on the first task extension information. In this way, the robot gateway 20 can sequentially send the corresponding pending tasks according to the sending time interval. Because the task scheduling frequency logic is configured in the robot task extension function running on the Internet of Things platform 40, the user does not need to implement the task scheduling frequency logic originally implemented on the robot gateway 20 side. This not only improves the cloud migration speed of the multi-robot subsystem 10, but also further reduces the user's development workload and development costs.

[0085] In an embodiment of the present invention, the extended logic configured for the robot task extension function further includes a first state switching logic, which is used to switch the cloud state record type to a target state record type according to a preset switching rule, and generate a second task extension information for describing the target state record type. The cloud state record type is a record type used by the cloud computing system to record the execution status of the task to be executed. For example, the record types used by the Internet of Things platform 40 to record the execution status of the task to be executed include: a, initial state, b, task dispatching, c, task dispatching completed, d, task execution in progress, e, task execution interrupted, f, task recovery, g, task execution completed. The preset switching rules here can, for example, merge a and b in the Internet of Things platform 40 into task dispatching, and d, e, and f into task execution in progress, based on the user's state recording requirements. Thus, the target state record types obtained by conversion can include: task dispatching, task execution in progress, and task execution completed. After executing the first state switching logic, the robot task management subsystem sends the second task extension information to the robot gateway 20, causing the robot gateway 20 to execute the task processing logic through the software development kit. At this point, the task processing logic records the execution status of the pending task according to the target state record type based on the second task extension information, and then notifies the software development kit to execute the task distribution operation logic, thereby sending the pending task recorded according to the target state record type to multiple robot subsystems 10. The first state switching logic is configured in the robot task extension function running on the IoT platform 40, further reducing user development workload and development costs.

[0086] The second embodiment of the present invention also provides a method for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems 10. The multiple robot subsystems 10 are connected to a robot gateway 20, and the multiple robot subsystems 10 are connected to a robot task management subsystem set up in a cloud computing system through the robot gateway 20. Figure 2 The method is applied to the robot gateway 20. When the robot gateway 20 executes the method for collaboratively managing the multi-robot subsystem 10, the method includes the following steps:

[0087] Step S21: Receive a software development kit. The software development kit is generated by the robot task management subsystem set up by the cloud computing system based on the received robot gateway task function. The robot gateway task function includes a logical function for the robot gateway 20 to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem 10 according to a preset management logic.

[0088] Step S22: Execute the acquired task function through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem 10.

[0089] In an embodiment of the present invention, the core management logic of the robot gateway 20 is encapsulated in a software development kit (SDK) through the cloud computing system and then distributed to the robot gateway 20 for use. Since the SDK is generated by the cloud computing system through the robot task management subsystem, the robot gateway 20 can communicate with the cloud computing system through the SDK, establishing a communication connection between the robot gateway 20 and the robot task management subsystem, thereby connecting the multiple robot subsystems 10 to the cloud computing system and enabling rapid cloud migration of the multiple robot subsystems 10. Thus, users only need to provide the robot gateway 20 with corresponding task functions to control and manage the multiple robot subsystems 10. Since both the robot gateway task functions and the task functions are script files based on configuration scripts, only the relevant task logic needs to be configured in the script files, eliminating much of the development work for suppliers and enterprise users. This allows the cloud computing system to collaborate with the robot gateway 20 to manage and coordinate robot fleets from different providers, while reducing user implementation costs and the cost of rapidly connecting multiple robot subsystems 10 to the cloud computing system.

[0090] In an embodiment of the present invention, before the robot gateway 20 executes the acquired task function via the software development kit, the method for collaboratively managing the multi-robot subsystem 10 executed by the robot gateway 20 further includes: receiving pending tasks created and issued by the robot task management subsystem. The preset management logic includes a logic function for sending different pending tasks to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem 10. The task function includes task distribution operation logic. Then, the robot gateway 20 executes the task function via the software development kit to implement control and management of the multi-robot subsystem 10, including: executing the task distribution operation logic via the software development kit to distribute the pending tasks to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem 10. Thus, users only need to configure the task distribution operation logic within the task function and do not need to worry about the pending task creation and management process performed by the robot task management subsystem in the cloud computing system. This reduces the user's development workload and significantly improves the speed of cloud migration for the multi-robot subsystem 10.

[0091] The management logic preset in the robot gateway task function also includes a logic function for reporting the execution status of pending tasks being executed by different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem 10 to the robot task management subsystem. The task function also includes information reporting logic. Therefore, the step in which the robot gateway 20 executes the task function via the software development kit to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem 10 further includes: executing the information reporting logic via the software development kit to report the execution status to the robot task management subsystem. This completes the reporting of status information, allowing the cloud computing system's robot task management subsystem to adjust and update the dispatch process for pending tasks based on the information reported by the robot gateway 20, thereby ensuring a high degree of stability for the overall architecture of the cloud computing system.

[0092] The management logic preset in the robot gateway task function also includes a logic function for recording the execution status recorded according to the system status record type according to the cloud status record type. The subsystem record type is the record type used by the multi-robot subsystem 10 to record the execution status, and the cloud status record type is the record type used by the cloud computing system to record the execution status. For example, system status record types include: execution progress, execution time, execution completion, execution cancellation, and execution pause. Cloud status record types include: initial task creation (initial), allocated task, working task, suspended task, and completed task. To address this, the task function provided by this embodiment of the present invention also includes: second state transition logic, which is used to convert the system status record type to the cloud status record type and record the execution status according to the cloud status record type. For example, the execution status of a pending task is converted to "completed" for recording, and the execution pause is converted to "suspended" for recording. Before the robot gateway 20 reports the execution status to the robot task management subsystem, the robot gateway 20 also executes the following method: after executing the second state transition logic through the software development kit, the software development kit executes the information reporting logic. This reports the execution status information recorded according to the cloud status record type to the IoT platform 40, which can then update the execution status of the relevant pending tasks through the robot task management subsystem.

[0093] A third embodiment of the present invention further provides a cloud computing system comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method for collaboratively managing the multi-robot subsystem 10 performed by the robot task management subsystem are implemented. The details of the method for collaboratively managing the multi-robot subsystem 10 performed by the robot task management subsystem are described in detail in the first embodiment of the present invention and will not be further elaborated herein.

[0094] A fourth embodiment of the present invention further provides a robot gateway 20, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the computer program, the method steps for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems 10 are implemented. For details on the method steps for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems 10, please refer to the content provided in the second embodiment of the present invention, and will not be further described in detail in this embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] See Figure 4 The fifth embodiment of the present invention further provides a system for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems 10. This system includes a robot gateway 20 and a cloud computing system. The cloud computing system in this embodiment of the present invention is an Internet of Things platform 40. The robot gateway 20 is connected to the multiple robot subsystems 10. The Internet of Things platform 40 is provided with a robot task management subsystem. This embodiment of the present invention deploys the robot task management subsystem on the Internet of Things platform 40, encapsulating and uniformly optimizing the task management process of the robot task management subsystem, thereby ensuring higher stability and performance of the overall system architecture.

[0096] Among them, the robot task management subsystem is used to generate a software development kit based on the obtained robot gateway task function and send the software development kit to the robot gateway 20. The robot gateway task function includes a logic function for the robot gateway 20 to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem 10 according to a preset management logic. The preset management logic of the robot gateway task function includes a logic function for sending different tasks to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem 10. The robot gateway 20 is used to execute the obtained task function through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem 10. The task function includes task distribution operation logic, and the robot gateway 20 executes the task distribution operation logic through the software development kit to distribute the tasks to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem 10. For the specific methods and steps executed by the robot task management subsystem and the robot gateway, please refer to the contents provided in the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention respectively, and the embodiments of the present invention will not be repeated here.

[0097] In an embodiment of the present invention, the core management logic of the robot gateway 20 is encapsulated in a software development kit (SDK) through a cloud computing system, and the SDK is then distributed to the robot gateway 20 for use. Since the SDK is generated by the cloud computing system through the robot task management subsystem, the robot gateway 20 can communicate with the cloud computing system through the SDK, thereby establishing a communication connection with the robot task management subsystem of the cloud computing system, and further connecting the multi-robot system to the robot task management subsystem of the cloud computing system. Thus, the user only needs to provide the corresponding task function to the robot gateway 20 to achieve control and management of the multi-robot subsystem 10. Since both the robot gateway task function and the task function are script files based on configuration scripts, it is only necessary to configure the relevant task logic in the script file, thereby eliminating most of the development work for suppliers and enterprise users, and realizing that the cloud computing system collaborates with the robot gateway 20 to manage and coordinate robot fleets from different providers, while reducing user implementation costs.

[0098] The sixth embodiment of the present invention introduces a specific implementation process of collaboratively managing a multi-robot subsystem 10 in combination with the fifth embodiment. The implementation process is as follows:

[0099] 1) The robot task management configuration process includes the following:

[0100] The robot task management subsystem is activated on the IoT platform 40, a cloud computing system. It creates a robot scenario, receives robot task extension functions and robot gateway task functions, and synchronizes the robot task extension functions to the fully managed computing service platform 30. The robot task management subsystem generates a software development kit (SDK) based on the robot gateway task functions and burns the SDK into the robot gateway 20. Because the SDK is generated in the cloud, it can communicate with the IoT platform 40, enabling rapid cloud connectivity for multiple robot subsystems 10.

[0101] 2) Connect the multi-robot subsystem 10 and the robot gateway to the robot task management subsystem of the Internet of Things platform 40.

[0102] 3) For the dispatch and execution process of tasks to be executed, please refer to Figure 5 , including the following:

[0103] The robot task management subsystem of the Internet of Things platform 40 sends the created tasks to be executed to the robot gateway 20. The robot gateway 20 routes the tasks to be executed to the multi-robot subsystem 10 through the software development kit SDK. The multi-robot subsystem 10 feeds back the execution status generated after executing the tasks to be executed to the robot gateway 20. The robot gateway 20 summarizes the execution status and feeds it back to the robot task management subsystem. The robot task management subsystem updates the specific status node of the execution status previously recorded on the platform according to the uploaded execution status, and then continues to mobilize the tasks to be executed.

[0104] In the embodiment of the present invention, the overall management process of the robot task management subsystem is run in the cloud IoT platform 40. The robot task extension functions that the user needs to customize and extend are deployed in the fully managed computing service platform 30.

[0105] The software development kit (SDK) provided by the IoT platform 40 is burned into the robot gateway 20, ensuring automatic communication between the robot gateway 20 and the robot task management subsystem in the cloud. The specific task distribution logic of the robot gateway 20 is configured and implemented by a user-provided task function file. The SDK automatically loads this task function and implements the task distribution logic, distributing different pending tasks to different robots and robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem 10.

[0106] Specifically, the user creates a task to be executed for the multi-robot subsystem 10 in the robot task management subsystem of the Internet of Things platform 40. The robot task management subsystem stores the task information of the task to be executed in a related task information table.

[0107] The robot task management subsystem automatically pulls the tasks to be executed according to the task information table and performs preprocessing. The preprocessing performed by the robot task management subsystem includes one of the following: (1) pulling the full amount of tasks to be executed. (2) filtering the tasks to be executed based on conditions, such as filtering based on the execution status, label, creation time, etc. of the tasks to be executed, thereby screening out the tasks to be executed. The pulled tasks to be executed are then converted to some models to facilitate the delivery of the tasks to be executed to the robot gateway 20. The model conversion here includes:

[0108] Convert the DataObject object, which stores the task to be executed in the database, into a more understandable BusinessObject object. The DataObject object is relatively concise and not easy to understand intuitively. The BusinessObject object is processed and converted to better reflect the task characteristics and facilitate task logic processing.

[0109] After the robot task management subsystem completes preprocessing, it calls the robot task extension function from the fully managed computing service platform 30 to complete the customized extension processing of the pending task. For details on the extension logic during this extension processing, please refer to the first and second embodiments of the present invention. The robot task management subsystem then sends the final pending task and its task information (including the task extension information obtained in the first embodiment of the present invention) to the robot gateway 20.

[0110] The software development kit SDK of the robot gateway 20 automatically parses the task information sent down, notifies the execution task function, and sends the specific tasks to be executed to the corresponding robot / robot system. Since the cloud is connected, even different robot subsystems can achieve communication between different robots and robot subsystems through the cloud adaptation logic (i.e. robot gateway task function, robot task extension function, etc.).

[0111] While the multi-robot subsystem 10 is executing its pending tasks, it also reports the execution status to the cloud-based IoT platform 40. When the robot / robot system reports the robot's execution status, the SDK receives the execution status information and executes the second state transition logic of the task function. The robot gateway 20 then reports the execution status, recorded according to the cloud-based status record type, to the IoT platform 40. The IoT platform 40 can then update the execution status of the pending tasks through the robot task management subsystem.

[0112] Compared with the prior art in which the entire task management logic is implemented by the user and then deployed to the fully managed computing service platform 30, resulting in extremely high implementation costs for the user, the embodiment of the present invention uses the system provided by the embodiment of the present invention. The user only needs to focus on his own task logic. After implementing the corresponding script function (i.e., task function), there is no need to worry about the execution process of the robot task management subsystem, which greatly improves the cloud migration speed of the multi-robot subsystem.

[0113] Given that the Internet of Things platform 40 is relatively independent of the robot task management subsystem, and the task management control is a white box with low stability, the embodiment of the present invention deploys the robot task management subsystem in the Internet of Things platform 40, encapsulates and uniformly optimizes the process of the robot task management subsystem, and the Internet of Things platform 40 has better architecture and stability.

[0114] The existing processing logic of the robot gateway 20 is completely implemented by the user and then burned into the gateway, which is costly. This processing logic includes the core management logic of the robot gateway 20 (such as sending different tasks to different robots). In contrast, the embodiment of the present invention encapsulates the core management logic of the robot gateway 20 in a software development kit (SDK). Users only need to implement the corresponding script file (i.e., task function) to enable the robot gateway 20 to complete information reporting and sending operations.

[0115] The seventh embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the method steps for collaboratively managing the multi-robot subsystem 10. The method steps for collaboratively managing the multi-robot subsystem 10 are described in detail in the first embodiment of the present invention and will not be further elaborated here.

[0116] The eighth embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the method steps for collaboratively managing a multi-robot subsystem 10. The method steps for collaboratively managing a multi-robot subsystem 10 are described in detail in the first embodiment of the present invention and will not be further elaborated herein.

[0117] The above are merely embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application may have various changes and variations. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application should all be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for collaboratively managing a multi-robot subsystem, characterized in that: The multi-robot subsystem (10) is connected to a robot gateway (20), and the method is executed by a robot task management subsystem provided by a cloud computing system, and the method comprises: receiving a robot gateway task function, wherein the robot gateway task function includes a logic function for the robot gateway (20) to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem (10) according to a preset management logic; Creating tasks to be executed by the multi-robot subsystem (10), and sending the tasks to be executed to the robot gateway (20); wherein the preset management logic includes a logic function for sending different tasks to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem (10); A software development kit is generated according to the robot gateway task function, and the software development kit is sent to the robot gateway (20), so that the robot gateway (20) executes the acquired task function through the software development kit and distributes the task to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem (10); wherein the task function includes task distribution operation logic.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Before sending the task to be executed to the robot gateway (20), the method further includes: The robot task extension function is retrieved and executed, wherein the robot task extension function is configured with an extension logic for performing an extension process on the task to be performed, so that the task to be performed after the extension process is sent to the robot gateway (20).

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that Before calling and executing the robot task extension function, the method further includes: receiving the robot task extension function and synchronizing the robot task extension function to the fully managed computing service platform (30); Then, the steps of calling and executing the robot task extension function include: After the robot task extension function is retrieved from the fully managed computing service platform (30), the robot task extension function is executed to perform extended processing on the task to be executed.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The expansion logic includes: Task splitting logic, the task splitting logic is used to split the task to be executed into a predetermined number of subtasks; Then, when the robot gateway (20) executes the task distribution operation logic through the software development kit, the predetermined number of subtasks are sent to the multi-robot subsystem (10).

5. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that When calling and executing the robot task extension function, the method further includes: Generate task extension information for describing the extended content in the extended logic, and send the task extension information to the robot gateway (20); The task function further includes a task processing logic for processing the task to be executed according to the task extension information, and the robot gateway task function further includes a logic function for calling the task processing logic according to different task extension information, so that the robot gateway (20) executes the task processing logic before executing the task distribution operation logic through the software development kit.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The expansion logic further includes: Task scheduling frequency logic, the task scheduling frequency logic is used to set the time interval between two adjacent tasks to be executed, and generate first task extension information for describing the time interval, the time interval being the time interval between the robot gateway (20) issuing the next task to be executed after the multi-robot subsystem (10) completes the execution of the previous task to be executed; Then, after executing the task scheduling frequency logic, the first task extension information is sent to the robot gateway (20) so that the robot gateway (20) executes the task processing logic through the software development kit. The task processing logic is to notify the software development kit to execute the task distribution operation logic according to the first task extension information when the time interval after the previous task to be executed is completed reaches the sending time interval.

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The expansion logic further includes: a first state switching logic configured to switch the cloud state record type to a target state record type according to a preset switching rule, and to generate second task extension information describing the target state record type, wherein the cloud state record type is a record type used by the cloud computing system to record the execution state of the task to be executed; Then, after executing the first state switching logic, the second task extension information is sent to the robot gateway (20) so that the robot gateway (20) executes the task processing logic through the software development tool kit. The task processing logic is to record the execution status of the task to be executed according to the target state record type based on the second task extension information, and then notify the software development tool kit to execute the task distribution operation logic.

8. A method for collaboratively managing a multi-robot subsystem, characterized in that: The multi-robot subsystem (10) is connected to a robot gateway (20), and the method is applied to the robot gateway (20), and the method comprises: receiving a software development kit, wherein the software development kit is generated by a robot task management subsystem set up by a cloud computing system according to a received robot gateway task function, wherein the robot gateway task function includes a logic function for the robot gateway (20) to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem (10) according to a preset management logic; Receiving tasks to be executed created and issued by the robot task management subsystem; wherein the preset management logic includes a logic function for sending different tasks to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem (10); The task function is executed by the software development kit to distribute the task to be executed to different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem (10); wherein the task function includes task distribution operation logic.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The preset management logic also includes: A logic function for reporting the execution status of the tasks to be executed by different robots and / or robot subsystems in the multi-robot subsystem (10) to the robot task management subsystem; The task function also includes information reporting logic; Then, the step of executing the task function through the software development kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem (10) further includes: The information reporting logic is executed through the software development kit to report the execution status to the robot task management subsystem.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The preset management logic also includes: A logical function for recording the execution status recorded according to the system status record type according to the cloud status record type, where the subsystem record type is the record type used by the multi-robot subsystem to record the execution status, and the cloud status record type is the record type used by the cloud computing system to record the execution status; The task function also includes: Second state switching logic, the second state switching logic is used to convert the system state record type into the cloud state record type, and record the execution state according to the cloud state record type; Then, before reporting the execution status to the robot task management subsystem, the method further includes: After the second state switching logic is executed through the software development kit, the information reporting logic is executed through the software development kit.

11. A cloud computing system comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein: When the processor executes the computer program, the method steps described in any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

12. A robot gateway comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein: When the processor executes the computer program, the method steps described in any one of claims 8 to 10 are implemented.

13. A system for collaboratively managing multiple robot subsystems, characterized in that: The system comprises: The robot gateway (20) of claim 12, wherein the robot gateway (20) is connected to the multi-robot subsystem (10); The cloud computing system of claim 11, wherein the cloud computing system is provided with a robot task management subsystem; The robot task management subsystem is used to generate a software development kit according to the received robot gateway task function and send the software development kit to the robot gateway (20), wherein the robot gateway task function includes a logic function for the robot gateway (20) to control and manage the multi-robot subsystem (10) according to a preset management logic; The robot gateway (20) is used to execute the acquired task function through the software development tool kit to realize the control and management of the multi-robot subsystem (10).

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method steps of any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

15. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method steps of any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

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