A control host and robot control system

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of control host computer and robot control system.The control host computer includes: mainboard and extension board, the mainboard and the extension board are connected by high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard PCIE extension interface;The extension board integrates AUTBUS module;The control host computer communicates with the node board of robot foot by the AUTBUS module.The above technical solution expands AUTBUS module for control host computer, and the control host computer can control robot using AUTBUS, improves uplink and downlink bandwidth, and improves data transmission efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of robot control technology, and in particular to a control host and robot control system. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of robotics technology, the types of sensors used are becoming more and more diverse, the circuits are becoming more and more complex, and the amount of data is becoming larger and larger. The Controller Area Network (CAN) bus scheme used by the control host and various sensor units has a large wiring space, and the message transmission speed and data load are greatly limited, which seriously affects the lightweighting of the robot control host and the data transmission efficiency is low. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention provides a control host and robot control system to improve uplink and downlink bandwidth and increase data transmission efficiency.

[0004] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a control host, comprising:

[0005] A motherboard and an expansion board, the motherboard and the expansion board being connected via a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard (Peripheral Component Interconnect Express, PCIE) expansion interface;

[0006] The expansion board integrates a two-wire broadband bus AUTBUS module; the control host communicates with the node board of the robot's foot through the AUTBUS module.

[0007] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a robot control system, including:

[0008] The control host as described in the first aspect, and the node plate disposed in the robot's foot;

[0009] The motherboard of the control host includes at least one processor and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor, the computer program being executed by the at least one processor to enable the control host to communicate with the node board through the AUTBUS module.

[0010] This invention provides a control host and a robot control system. The control host includes a motherboard and an expansion board, which are connected via a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard PCIe expansion interface. The expansion board integrates a two-wire broadband bus AUTBUS module. The control host communicates with the node board of the robot's foot via the AUTBUS module. This technical solution, by expanding the control host with an AUTBUS module, allows the control host to control the robot using AUTBUS, increasing uplink and downlink bandwidth and improving data transmission efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The above and other features, advantages, and aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description. Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements. It should be understood that the drawings are schematic, and the originals and elements are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a control host provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0013] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an expansion board provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0014] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another control host provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of communication between a control host and a node board based on AUTBUS, provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another control host and node board communicating based on AUTBUS, provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a robot control system provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a motherboard provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is to be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, the embodiments and features described herein can be combined with each other unless otherwise specified. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the present invention are shown in the drawings, not the entire structure.

[0020] Before discussing the exemplary embodiments in more detail, it should be noted that some exemplary embodiments are described as processes or methods depicted as flowcharts. Although the flowcharts describe the steps as sequential processes, many of these steps can be performed in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. Furthermore, the order of the steps can be rearranged. The process can be terminated when its operation is complete, but may also have additional steps not included in the figures. The process can correspond to a method, function, procedure, subroutine, subroutine, etc.

[0021] It should be noted that the concepts of "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to distinguish different devices, modules, units or other objects, and are not used to limit the order of functions performed by these devices, modules, units or other objects or their interdependencies.

[0022] Example 1

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a control host provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This embodiment focuses on robot control scenarios and aims to provide a miniaturized, lightweight, simple-wiring, high-bandwidth, and highly stable robot control host. Figure 1 As shown, the control host 10 includes a motherboard 110 and an expansion board 120, which are connected via a PCIe expansion interface. The expansion board 120 integrates an AUTBUUS module 121. The control host 10 communicates with the node board of the robot's legs via the AUTBUUS module 121. The robot can be a multi-legged (e.g., quadrupedal) robot.

[0024] AUTBUS is a time-sensitive broadband industrial bus that divides the smallest unit of message transmission into more granular time slices. For example, the AUTBUS bus has a bandwidth of 100Mbps, a transmission distance of 500 meters, supports 254 nodes, and has a minimum one-way transmission latency of less than 40µs. It can meet the access requirements of various sensors and actuators and supports bus and ring topologies. By expanding the AUTBUS module 121 in the control host 10, the AUTBUS module 121 can integrate an AUTBUS interface and connect to the node board on the robot's foot via a two-wire broadband AUTBUS bus. Communication between the control host 10 and the node board is achieved through the AUTBUS module 121, which improves the uplink and downlink bandwidth between the control host and the robot node board, resulting in high real-time performance, improved data transmission efficiency, and guaranteed accuracy of subsequent data transmission.

[0025] Optionally, the expansion board 120 also integrates one or more of the following modules: an Artificial Intelligence (AI) accelerator card, a wireless communication module (such as a 5G communication module), a mobile hotspot WIFI module, a long-range radio (LoRa) module, a global positioning system (GPS) module, and a gyroscope module (MTi).

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of an expansion board provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the expansion board is connected via the motherboard's reserved PCIe signal expansion interface, maintaining the same size and mounting hole positions as the motherboard. The expansion board integrates an AUTBUS module, AI accelerator card, 5G module, WIFI6 module, LoRa module, GPS module, and gyroscope (MTi) module. The entire unit is waterproof and dustproof, meeting IP56 requirements, and features a reinforced shock-resistant design. Furthermore, it provides real-time collaboration across the entire network, with network-wide clock synchronization. This means all modules and nodes on the network use the same clock for reference and corresponding operations. Based on this mechanism, the motion control protocol interaction details are optimized, further enhancing synchronization performance in conjunction with the synchronized clock.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of another control host provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, CN and J3 are connectors, and NVMe SSD is a Non-Volatile Memory Host Controller Interface (NVM Express) solid-state drive. The AUTBUS two-wire broadband bus technology enables unified access to the robot's sensors, actuators, and edge servers, simplifying the overall network structure, significantly reducing cabling, and achieving miniaturization, lightweight design, simple wiring, high bandwidth, and strong stability for multi-legged robots. It also retains CAN access functionality and is compatible with the original solution. The motherboard can use a 3.5-inch motherboard designed with Phytium D2000, with a 2.6GHz clock speed and an eight-core processor.

[0028] The control unit supports 2 USB ports, 2 RS232 ports, 4 Gigabit Ethernet ports, 2 CAN 2.0 ports, 1 HDMI port, and 1 AUTBUS port (including 4 node boxes located in the robot's legs). It supports AI computing card expansion, 5G, WIFI6, and LoRa communication, GPS positioning, and integrates an MTi 630 module. The overall dimensions (length and width) cannot exceed 200mm, and the height cannot exceed 135mm. It features a fully ruggedized design, making it dustproof and waterproof. Its high bandwidth margin allows for the connection of more different types of communication nodes (such as more joints and cameras, or other subsystem nodes), maximizing the reuse of existing network infrastructure without requiring separate wiring. This meets the robot's requirements for a miniaturized, lightweight, simple-wiring, high-bandwidth, and highly stable control unit.

[0029] The control unit can be manufactured using high-density aerospace-grade magnesium-aluminum alloy milling, resulting in a lightweight structure and rapid heat dissipation. The entire structure undergoes conductive anodizing, and all interfaces are sealed with conductive sealing strips to ensure seamless grounding. All fastening screws are made of stainless steel. Furthermore, the control unit can be designed without a fan, featuring small size, low power consumption, strong overall performance, high stability, abundant interfaces, and strong expandability.

[0030] Optionally, the AUTBUS module 121 has two external AUTBUS interfaces via a PCIe card; the first AUTBUS interface is used to connect the robot's first AUTBUS communication connector and power supply; the second AUTBUS interface is used to connect the robot's second AUTBUS communication connector; the first AUTBUS interface, the node board, and the second AUTBUS interface form an AUTBUS ring network.

[0031] The AUTBUS communication connector for the robot mainly refers to the AUTBUS interface set in the robot's foot node board, which can be used to connect and communicate with the AUTBUS interface of the control host. In the AUTBUS module, two AUTBUS interfaces are output through a PCIe card. These two AUTBUS interfaces can connect to one or more AUTBUS interfaces in the robot's foot node board, forming a ring network. A ring network is a network structure that uses a continuous loop to connect each device or node together, ensuring that the signal sent by one node can be received by all other nodes in the ring network. Based on this, a reliable foundation is provided for data reporting from each foot, data distribution from the control host, and real-time communication of the robot based on AUTBUS.

[0032] Optionally, the first AUTBUS interface is used to connect a four-core cable, two of which are used to communicate with the first AUTBUS communication connector, and the other two are used for power supply; the second AUTBUS interface is used to connect a two-core cable, which is used to communicate with the second AUTBUS communication connector.

[0033] For the first AUTBUS interface, the four-core cable can be understood as a basic unit consisting of four insulated metal wires twisted together. Two of the wires are used for AUTBUS communication, and the other two are used for power supply. For the second AUTBUS interface, both cores can be used for AUTBUS communication.

[0034] Optionally, the first AUTBUS communication connector and the second AUTBUS communication connector are respectively connected to the node board in the corresponding foot node box of the robot. The node board is an AUTBUS three-in-one board, and the interfaces of the AUTBUS three-in-one board are used to connect to the CAN bus, power supply and communication respectively.

[0035] In this embodiment, the AUTBUS three-in-one board can be understood as integrating three functions and corresponding interfaces on a single node board, specifically including an interface for connecting the CAN bus, a power supply interface, and a communication node, thereby realizing real-time transmission of CAN bus signals, power supply, and data communication between the control motherboard and each node board.

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating AUTBUS-based communication between a control host and a node board, as provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, the robot has a control host installed inside (for example, it can be located in the robot's head). Taking a quadruped robot as an example, each leg can have a node box, and each node box contains a node board. The AUTBUS module in the control host is connected to each node board via an AUTBUS bandwidth bus to form a ring network. The AUTBUS module has a built-in three-way connection structure, with each channel used to connect to the PCIe card and two AUTBUS interfaces respectively. Based on this, in addition to ensuring the reliability of the entire network communication, ring network construction and module power supply are also achieved, and the wiring is simple. AUTBUS - PCIe card with two external AUTBUS interfaces ( Figure 4 The left and right arrows of the three-way connection structure point to ATB. The first AUTBUS interface connects to the robot's first AUTBUS communication connector via a four-core cable and receives power input. The connection to the first AUTBUS communication connector occupies two wires, and the power input also occupies two wires. The power input range can be 12-28V. The second AUTBUS interface connects to the robot's second AUTBUS communication connector (occupying two wires) and requires only two cores.

[0037] Furthermore, the quadruped robot reuses four node box spaces in its legs, with each node box containing an AUTBUS 3-in-1 board. Each AUTBUS 3-in-1 board can output five interfaces. Figure 4 Taking node box 2 as an example, the five interfaces are used to connect three CAN buses and two AUTBUS bandwidth buses. The three CAN buses are used to collect signals from the three joints of foot 2, and the two AUTBUS bandwidth buses are used to transmit signals with adjacent node boxes or control motherboards. All five interfaces can use four-pin connectors, with two pins each for power supply and communication. For the AUTBUS interface, 12-28V power supply and AUTBUS communication can be achieved; for the CAN bus, 5V power supply and CAN communication can be achieved.

[0038] Optionally, the control host and node board can transmit data based on time slice resources within a time unit.

[0039] Specifically, in existing technologies, the smallest time unit for message transmission is 1ms. AUTBUS can divide 1ms into more time slots. Within a 1ms period, the amount of data carried in a unit communication time slot is much greater than 8 bytes, which can perfectly support the integrity and accuracy of information, thereby enabling more detailed and precise control of message transmission and improving transmission efficiency and data volume.

[0040] Optionally, the angle and current data of each foot within a unit of time can be aggregated into an interrupt signal and uploaded to the control host.

[0041] Specifically, this embodiment provides real-time collaborative processing at the network level based on its strong periodicity and time determinism. It plans the reporting time of data (including angle data and current value data) of each node board, aggregates the data reported by each node board, and uses an interrupt signal to aggregate the data of each node board into a frame and report it to the control host, which simplifies the interaction between the node board and the control host, thereby reducing the burden on the control host and leveraging the data processing capabilities of the control host.

[0042] Optionally, the control host is also used to send out the current settings of each leg of the robot within a time unit at once, and the current settings of each leg are received synchronously by the corresponding node board.

[0043] Specifically, the current settings of each node board can be aggregated into a single frame and sent out by the control host at once. In other words, the current settings of each foot are sent out to the corresponding node board, and each node board can receive the current settings synchronously. For example, each node board can set the frequency synchronization between its feet.

[0044] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of another control host and node board communication based on AUTBUS provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the prior art, data is reported by each node box, with the same frequency (1ms) but asynchronous time. For example, for a quadruped robot, the node board of each leg needs to report angle data and current value data. The control host needs to process eight interrupts within 1ms (each leg uses one interrupt to report angle data and another terminal to report current value, because a quadruped needs to process a total of eight terminals) and send four transmissions (each time only the current setting can be sent to one leg). In this embodiment, according to the characteristics of the AUTBUS bus, by reasonably arranging the time slice resources within the 1ms period, the data reported by each node board can correspond to different time slots and have different time information. On this basis, these data can be aggregated into an interrupt signal for reporting. The reported content of each leg data has higher precision time information. For example, the data of leg 1 to leg 4 (including angle data and current data) correspond to Time Slot 2 to Time Slot 4 respectively. Thus, the control host only needs to process one interrupt to obtain the high-precision data of each leg. Similarly, the current settings of each node board can also be aggregated into a single frame and sent out at once. For example, the current settings can be sent out using the first time slot resource (Time Slot 1) within a single cycle (1ms). Each node board can receive them synchronously at the same frequency (every 1ms). In other words, the control host only needs one interrupt processing and one sending processing to ensure the overall coordination and time determinism of the data frequency and time, and also avoid the problem of low time control accuracy caused by the load limitation of a single CAN communication.

[0045] Example 2

[0046] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a robot control system provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the robot control system specifically includes: a control host 10 and a node board 20 disposed in the robot's foot. The main board 110 of the control host 10 includes at least one processor 11 and a memory 101 communicatively connected to the processor 11. The memory 101 stores a computer program that can be executed by at least one processor 11. The computer program is executed by at least one processor 11 to enable the control host 10 and the node board 20 to communicate based on AUTBUS.

[0047] Figure 7This is a schematic diagram of a motherboard 110 provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention. The memory can be a read-only memory (ROM) 12, a random access memory (RAM) 13, etc., wherein the memory stores computer programs executable by at least one processor. The processor 11 can perform various appropriate actions and processes based on the computer program stored in the ROM 12 or the computer program loaded from the storage unit 18 into the RAM 13. The RAM 13 can also store various programs and data required for controlling the operation of the host 10. The processor 11, ROM 12, and RAM 13 are interconnected via a bus 14. An input / output (I / O) interface 15 is also connected to the bus 14.

[0048] Multiple components in the control host 10 are connected to the I / O interface 15, including: an input unit 16, such as a keyboard, mouse, etc.; an output unit 17, such as various types of displays, speakers, etc.; a storage unit 18, such as a disk, optical disk, etc.; and a communication unit 19, such as a network card, modem, wireless transceiver, etc. The communication unit 19 allows the control host 10 to exchange information / data with other devices through computer networks such as the Internet and / or various telecommunications networks and wireless networks.

[0049] Processor 11 can be a variety of general-purpose and / or special-purpose processing components with processing and computing capabilities. Some examples of processor 11 include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), various special-purpose artificial intelligence (AI) computing chips, various processors running machine learning model algorithms, a digital signal processor (DSP), and any suitable processor, controller, microcontroller, etc. Processor 11 performs the various methods and processes described above, such as enabling communication between the control host 10 and the node board 20 based on AUTBUS.

[0050] In some embodiments, the method for communication between the control host 10 and the node board 20 based on AUTBUUS can be implemented as a computer program tangibly contained in a computer-readable storage medium, such as storage unit 18. In some embodiments, part or all of the computer program can be loaded and / or installed on the communication node via ROM 12 and / or communication unit 19. When the computer program is loaded into RAM 13 and executed by processor 11, one or more steps of the method described above can be performed. Alternatively, in other embodiments, processor 11 can be configured to perform communication between the control host 10 and the node board 20 based on AUTBUUS by any other suitable means (e.g., by means of firmware).

[0051] Various embodiments of the systems and techniques described above herein can be implemented in digital electronic circuit systems, integrated circuit systems, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application-specific standard products (ASSPs), systems-on-a-chip (SoCs), payload-programmable logic devices (CPLDs), computer hardware, firmware, software, and / or combinations thereof. These various embodiments may include implementations in one or more computer programs that can be executed and / or interpreted on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be a dedicated or general-purpose programmable processor, capable of receiving data and instructions from a storage system, at least one input device, and at least one output device, and transmitting data and instructions to the storage system, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device.

[0052] Computer programs used to implement the methods of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These computer programs may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device, such that when executed by the processor, the computer programs cause the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be performed. The computer programs may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, or as a standalone software package, partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0053] In the context of this invention, a computer-readable storage medium can be a tangible medium that may contain or store a computer program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A computer-readable storage medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination thereof. Alternatively, a computer-readable storage medium may be a machine-readable signal medium. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections based on one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0054] To provide interaction with the user, the systems and techniques described herein can be implemented on a communication node having: a display device (e.g., a CRT (cathode ray tube) or LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor) for displaying information to the user; and a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse or trackball) through which the user provides input to the communication node. Other types of devices can also be used to provide interaction with the user; for example, feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback (e.g., visual feedback, auditory feedback, or tactile feedback); and input from the user can be received in any form (including sound input, voice input, or tactile input).

[0055] The systems and technologies described herein can be implemented in computing systems that include backend components (e.g., as data servers), or computing systems that include middleware components (e.g., application servers), or computing systems that include frontend components (e.g., user computers with graphical user interfaces or web browsers through which users can interact with implementations of the systems and technologies described herein), or any combination of such backend, middleware, or frontend components. The components of the system can be interconnected via digital data communication of any form or medium (e.g., communication networks). Examples of communication networks include local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), blockchain networks, and the Internet.

[0056] A computing system can include clients and servers. Clients and servers are generally located far apart and typically interact through communication networks. The client-server relationship is created by computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client-server relationship with each other. The server can be a cloud server, also known as a cloud computing server or cloud host, which is a hosting product within the cloud computing service system to address the shortcomings of traditional physical hosts and VPS services, such as high management difficulty and weak business scalability.

[0057] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used, with steps reordered, added, or deleted. For example, the steps described in this invention can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution of this invention can be achieved, and no limitation is imposed herein.

[0058] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A control host, characterized by, include: A motherboard and an expansion board, wherein the motherboard and the expansion board are connected via a high-speed serial computer expansion bus standard PCIe expansion interface; The expansion board integrates a two-wire broadband bus AUTBUS module. The control host communicates with the node plate of the robot's foot through the AUTBUS module; The AUTBUS module has two external AUTBUS interfaces via a PCIe card; among them... The first AUTBUS interface is used to connect the robot's first AUTBUS communication connector and power supply; The second AUTBUS interface is used to connect the robot's second AUTBUS communication connector. The first AUTBUS interface, the node board, and the second AUTBUS interface form an AUTBUS ring network. The first AUTBUS communication connector and the second AUTBUS communication connector are respectively connected to the node board in the corresponding foot node box of the robot. The node board is an AUTBUS three-in-one board, and the interfaces of the AUTBUS three-in-one board are respectively used to connect to the CAN bus, power supply and communication.

2. The control host according to claim 1, characterized in that, The expansion board also integrates one or more of the following modules: an AI accelerator card, a wireless communication module, a mobile hotspot WIFI module, a long-range LoRa radio module, a global positioning system GPS module, and a gyroscope module.

3. The control host according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first AUTBUS interface is used to connect a four-core cable. Two of the four cores are used to communicate with the first AUTBUS communication connector, and the other two are used for power supply. The second AUTBUS interface is used to connect two wires, which are used to communicate with the second AUTBUS communication connector.

4. The control host according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control host and the node board transmit data based on time slice resources within a time unit.

5. The control host according to claim 1, characterized in that, The angle and current data of each leg of the robot within a time unit are aggregated into an interrupt signal and uploaded to the main board.

6. The control host according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control host is also used to send out the current settings of each leg of the robot within a time unit at once, and the current settings of each leg are received synchronously by the corresponding node board.

7. A robot control system, characterized in that, include: The control host as described in claim 1, and the node plate disposed in the robot's foot; The motherboard of the control host includes at least one processor and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor, the computer program being executed by the at least one processor to enable the control host to communicate with the node board through the AUTBUS module.

8. The robot control system according to claim 7, characterized in that, The control host and the node board transmit data based on time slice resources within a time unit.

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