Robot control system and control method thereof, and computer readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a control system of a robot, a control method of the robot and a computer readable storage medium, and the robot comprises more than two different types of sensors; the control system comprises an upper computer and a lower computer, the lower computer is used for acquiring data acquired by each sensor of the robot, merging and packaging the acquired data acquired by each sensor into a data packet, and transmitting the data packet to the upper computer; and the upper computer is used for receiving the data packet transmitted by the lower computer and processing the received data packet. According to the scheme provided by the invention, the synchronism of data transmission can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of control, and in particular to a robot control system and a control method thereof and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In the process of intelligent robot navigation and path planning, data communication between the upper and lower computers is crucial. The lower computer is responsible for collecting real-time data from various sensors, such as position, posture, speed, etc., and transmitting it to the upper computer for processing. However, due to the complexity of the navigation scene and the instability of the communication environment, sensor data often has problems of asynchronous transmission and outliers, which will seriously affect the positioning accuracy and operation stability of the robot. Summary of the invention

[0003] The main purpose of the present invention is to overcome the defects of the above-mentioned related technologies and to provide a robot control system and a control method thereof and a computer-readable storage medium to solve the problems in the related technologies of asynchronous transmission and abnormal values ​​of robot sensor data, which seriously affect the positioning accuracy and operation stability of the robot.

[0004] On the one hand, the present invention provides a control system of a robot, wherein the robot comprises: more than one sensor of different types; the control system comprises: an upper computer and a lower computer; the lower computer is used to obtain data collected by each sensor of the robot, merge and encapsulate the obtained data collected by each sensor into a data packet, and transmit it to the upper computer; the upper computer is used to receive the data packet transmitted by the lower computer and process the received data packet.

[0005] Optionally, the lower computer is further used to: cache the acquired data collected by each sensor into a register first, and then merge and encapsulate them into a data packet.

[0006] Optionally, the lower computer is further used to: perform abnormal value judgment on the acquired data collected by each sensor, and after removing the abnormal values ​​in the data collected by each sensor, merge and encapsulate them into a data packet.

[0007] Optionally, the upper computer communicates with the lower computer based on the TCP protocol.

[0008] On the other hand, the present invention provides a control method for a robot control system, wherein the robot comprises: two or more sensors of different types; the control system comprises: a host computer and a slave computer; the control method comprises: the slave computer acquires data collected by each sensor of the robot, merges and encapsulates the acquired data collected by each sensor into a data packet, and transmits it to the host computer; the host computer receives the data packet transmitted by the slave computer, and processes the received data packet.

[0009] Optionally, it also includes: the lower computer first caches the acquired sensor data into a register, and then merges and encapsulates the acquired data into a data packet.

[0010] Optionally, the method further includes: the lower computer performs abnormal value judgment on the acquired data collected by each sensor, removes abnormal values ​​in the acquired data, and then merges and encapsulates the data into a data packet.

[0011] Optionally, the upper computer communicates with the lower computer based on the TCP protocol.

[0012] Another aspect of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the program implements the steps of any of the aforementioned methods when executed by a processor.

[0013] In another aspect, the present invention provides a robot, comprising any one of the control systems of the aforementioned robots.

[0014] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the aforementioned methods are implemented.

[0015] According to the technical solution of the present invention, the lower computer encapsulates various sensor data transmitted in real time into frames and transmits them to the upper computer, thereby improving the synchronization of data transmission and reducing positioning errors caused by data asynchrony.

[0016] According to the technical solution of the present invention, the lower computer can make real-time judgments on data sampling in the process of forming a data packet, eliminate abnormal values, and ensure the stability and reliability of output data.

[0017] According to the technical solution of the present invention, a stable connection between a lower computer and a remote upper computer is achieved based on a reliable TCP protocol, thereby ensuring accurate sending of data packets.

[0018] According to the technical solution of the present invention, the upper computer receives and processes stable multi-sensor data packets from the lower computer, thereby improving the operating accuracy and stability of the robot during navigation and path planning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present invention and constitute a part of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are used to explain the present invention and do not constitute an improper limitation of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0020] Figure 1 It is a structural block diagram of an embodiment of a control system of a robot provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2A specific example diagram showing the data structure of a data packet according to the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a method schematic diagram of an embodiment of a control method of a robot control system provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the specific embodiments of the present invention and the corresponding drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0025] The artificial intelligence market is becoming more and more extensive, and various types of intelligent robots based on AI are also developing continuously. At the same time, with the increase in business scenarios, robots are required to have a richer hardware foundation to coordinate and handle more complex operations. The intelligent robot navigation multi-sensor data synchronization processing and stable transmission system provided by this patent is designed to improve intelligent robots, such as unmanned vehicles, shopping mall unmanned food delivery vehicles, household intelligent cleaning robots and other practical robots that need to process multi-sensor data for navigation, in terms of real-time stability of navigation data and other aspects, and improve operating efficiency.

[0026] Taking the implementation of the navigation module as an example, the intelligent robot can divide the control system into an upper computer and a lower computer in terms of processing module data. The upper computer is mainly responsible for the design and implementation of complex logical functions such as positioning, mapping, trajectory calibration, etc., and processes the various sensor data transmitted by the lower computer in real time based on the hardware chip with more powerful performance, playing the role of the brain. The lower computer is mainly responsible for the collection of underlying data and the driving of the robot's physical hardware, and gives feedback on the control actions of the upper computer. Due to its independent architecture module, many robots in the industry rely on arm-level dedicated chips, and build a variety of sensors on the lower computer platform, such as encoder odometers to obtain real-time speed information and gyroscopes to obtain real-time angle information, playing the role of limbs.

[0027] However, due to the complexity of navigation scenarios and the instability of communication environments, the traditional lower computer often has problems with asynchronous transmission and abnormal values ​​when transmitting multi-sensor data through serial ports, resulting in the robot upper computer being unable to obtain accurate information in real time. For example, when correcting the posture, the algorithm must be solved based on the real-time odometer and gyroscope data at the same time, but one of the problems may occur, such as abnormal odometer values, abnormal posture solution, and waiting for transmission. These problems will seriously affect the positioning accuracy and operation stability of the robot.

[0028] The present invention provides a control system for a robot, wherein the robot comprises: at least two sensors of different types.

[0029] Figure 1 It is a structural block diagram of an embodiment of the control system of the robot provided by the present invention.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, according to one embodiment of the present invention, the control system of the robot includes at least a host computer and a slave computer.

[0031] The lower computer is used to obtain the data collected by each sensor of the robot, merge and encapsulate the obtained data collected by each sensor into a data packet, and transmit it to the upper computer.

[0032] Specifically, the lower computer acquires the data collected by each sensor of the robot in real time, aggregates and packages them into a data packet, and transmits them to the upper computer. That is to say, when the lower computer acquires the data collected by each sensor, it does not transmit a single byte stream, but merges and aggregates the byte streams transmitted by each sensor to the upper computer into a data packet, which can avoid the disadvantage that the upper computer needs to wait for the transmission of each sensor data in turn, improve the synchronization of data transmission, and reduce the positioning error caused by data asynchrony.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, the lower computer first caches the acquired sensor data to a register, and then merges and packages them into a data packet. That is, after the lower computer acquires the sensor data in real time, it first caches them to a register, and then merges and packages the sensor data into a frame. That is, when the lower computer acquires the sensor data, it merges and summarizes the byte streams transmitted by each sensor to the upper computer, so that the original register increases the register storage function according to the required data frequency according to the timing requirements of the upper computer, and sends the data with a fixed timing. Because the space occupied by the data set summarized in the system frequency is smaller than the register capacity, the register can be used as a buffer container for sensor data of various frequencies (frequency of sending data), and the sensor data byte capacity is small. The cache is used as a buffer pool to achieve the purpose of fast access processing and improve the system transmission efficiency. Different sensors send different data frequencies, and a frame of data packets should contain the same data segments that meet the use of the upper computer, so buffering is required to ensure that the sent frame of data is complete and without redundancy.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the lower computer performs abnormal value judgment on the acquired data collected by each sensor, removes the abnormal value in the data collected by each sensor, and then merges and packages them into a data packet. In other words, in the process of merging and packaging into a data packet, the data collected by each sensor is judged in real time, and the abnormal value is removed, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of the data.

[0035] In a specific implementation manner, the data packet into which the lower computer combines and encapsulates the acquired sensor data may specifically include: a frame header, a confirmation bit, a window bit, a check bit, and data.

[0036] The frame header includes: a sending port, a destination port and a sequence number. The sending port is the sending port of the lower computer, and the destination port is the destination port received by the upper computer, which ensures the stability of the sending and receiving addresses. The sequence number is used to confirm the complete position of the data packet data. The confirmation bit includes the data size information of the data packet transmission, that is, the capacity of each sensor to collect data, so that the upper computer can correctly deframe the data packet after receiving the data and obtain the correct data segments. The window bit is used to control the flow. The check bit is used to ensure the integrity of the data.

[0037] Figure 2A specific example diagram of the data structure of a data packet according to the present invention is shown. Take the IMU sensor that controls the chassis speed motor and calculates the posture angle as an example. For example, the frame header may include 32 bits of each segment of data, wherein bits 0-7 are used to record the sending port of the lower computer, bits 8-16 are used to record the destination port received by the upper computer, thus ensuring the stability of the sending and receiving addresses, and the sequence number of bits 17 to 31 is used to confirm the complete position of the data packet data, and the confirmation bit of 1 to 2 bytes designed for different business scenarios (because the types and quantities of sensors required will be different for different business scenarios, so the data segments sent will also be different, so it is necessary to confirm the number of bytes of the confirmation bit in different situations according to the different characteristics of the sensor types) includes recording the data size of this data packet transmission and the data capacity of each sensor, so that the upper computer can correctly deframe the data packet after receiving the data, and obtain the correct data segments, and add a 4-bit window bit after the confirmation bit to control the flow. Finally, in order to ensure the integrity of the data, a check bit is added. After the destination address (host computer) receives the data, a classic error check in data communication is performed, such as CRC cyclic redundancy check or Hamming code verification. If an error occurs, the source port is asked to retransmit the data. After that, the chassis data and IMU resource data are integrated.

[0038] The upper computer is used to receive the data packet transmitted by the lower computer and process the received data packet, for example, unpacking the data packet, obtaining the data of each segment according to the agreement of the protocol, distributing the data to different ports, and allowing the program to obtain the data.

[0039] In a specific implementation, the host computer communicates with the slave computer based on the TCP protocol. After receiving the data packet transmitted by the slave computer, the host computer performs an error check according to the check bit. If an error occurs, such as data loss or other abnormalities, the slave computer is notified to retransmit. If no error occurs during the check, the frame is deframed to obtain each segment of data.

[0040] According to the embodiment of the present invention, through the set transmission protocol package, the reliable transmission from the source address to the destination address is confirmed, and data loss retransmission, data monitoring, stable and efficient data transmission are realized, thereby improving the robustness of the host computer system.

[0041] As the operations performed by robots become more precise and specialized, the demand for stable and efficient data continues to increase. However, since robots rely on many external devices and sensors to obtain rich data information, and these sensors and devices are manufactured by different manufacturers and have different protocols, it is often difficult to form a unified communication specification. As a result, when robots obtain this data through serial ports and other communication methods, the real-time and concurrency are poor, and they need to rely on the host computer system to decouple and encapsulate the data, resulting in low data utilization efficiency.

[0042] In the related art, the lower computer has many sensors, and the timing and collection and transmission frequencies are different, which is equivalent to the upper computer waiting for the data of each sensor, and it can only work after all are completed. Occasionally, if the data of a sensor is abnormal, it has to be resent. The present invention completes reliable data transmission in the lower computer, so that the upper computer can obtain stable and efficient data after a reliable TCP connection, reduce resource consumption, improve data transmission and stability, and can focus more on the operation logic itself, greatly improving the operation efficiency of the robot.

[0043] The present invention also provides a control method for a control system of a robot. The robot comprises: two or more sensors of different types; the control system comprises: an upper computer and a lower computer.

[0044] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a control method of a robot control system provided by the present invention. Figure 3 As shown, the control method includes step S110 and step S120.

[0045] Step S110, the lower computer obtains data collected by various sensors of the robot, combines and encapsulates the obtained data collected by various sensors into a data packet, and transmits it to the upper computer.

[0046] Specifically, the lower computer acquires the data collected by each sensor of the robot in real time, aggregates and packages them into a data packet, and transmits them to the upper computer. That is to say, when the lower computer acquires the data collected by each sensor, it does not transmit a single byte stream, but merges and aggregates the byte streams transmitted by each sensor to the upper computer into a data packet, which can avoid the disadvantage that the upper computer needs to wait for the transmission of each sensor data in turn, improve the synchronization of data transmission, and reduce the positioning error caused by data asynchrony.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment, the lower computer first caches the acquired sensor data to a register, and then merges and packages them into a data packet. That is, after the lower computer acquires the sensor data in real time, it first caches them to a register, and then merges and packages the sensor data into a frame. That is, when the lower computer acquires the sensor data, it merges and summarizes the byte streams transmitted by each sensor to the upper computer, so that the original register increases the register storage function according to the required data frequency according to the timing requirements of the upper computer, and sends the data with a fixed timing. Because the space occupied by the data set summarized in the system frequency is smaller than the register capacity, the register can be used as a buffer container for sensor data of various frequencies (frequency of sending data), and the sensor data byte capacity is small. The cache is used as a buffer pool to achieve the purpose of fast access processing and improve the system transmission efficiency. Different sensors send different data frequencies, and a frame of data packets should contain the same data segments that meet the use of the upper computer, so buffering is required to ensure that the sent frame of data is complete and without redundancy.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the lower computer performs abnormal value judgment on the acquired data collected by each sensor, removes the abnormal value in the data collected by each sensor, and then merges and packages them into a data packet. In other words, in the process of merging and packaging into a data packet, the data collected by each sensor is judged in real time, and the abnormal value is removed, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of the data.

[0049] In a specific implementation manner, the data packet into which the lower computer combines and encapsulates the acquired sensor data may specifically include: a frame header, a confirmation bit, a window bit, a check bit, and data.

[0050] The frame header includes: a sending port, a destination port and a sequence number. The sending port is the sending port of the lower computer, and the destination port is the destination port received by the upper computer, which ensures the stability of the sending and receiving addresses. The sequence number is used to confirm the complete position of the data packet data. The confirmation bit includes the data size information of the data packet transmission, that is, the capacity of each sensor to collect data, so that the upper computer can correctly deframe the data packet after receiving the data and obtain the correct data segments. The window bit is used to control the flow. The check bit is used to ensure the integrity of the data.

[0051] Figure 2A specific example diagram of the data structure of a data packet according to the present invention is shown. For example, the frame header may include 32 bits of each segment of data, wherein bits 0-7 are used to record the sending port of the lower computer, bits 8-16 are used to record the destination port received by the upper computer, thus ensuring the stability of the sending and receiving addresses, and the sequence number of bits 17 to 31 is used to confirm the complete position of the data packet data, and the confirmation bit of 1 to 2 bytes designed for different business scenarios (because the types and quantities of sensors required are different for different business scenarios, the data segments sent will also be different, so it is necessary to confirm the number of bytes of the confirmation bit in different situations according to the different characteristics of the sensor types) includes recording the data size of this data packet transmission and the data capacity of each sensor, so that the upper computer can correctly deframe the data packet after receiving the data to obtain the correct data segments, and add a 4-bit window bit after the confirmation bit to control the flow. Finally, in order to ensure the integrity of the data, a check bit is added. After the destination address (host computer) receives the data, a classic error check in data communication is performed, such as CRC cyclic redundancy check or Hamming code verification. If an error occurs, the source port is asked to retransmit the data. After that, the chassis data and IMU resource data are integrated.

[0052] Step S120, the upper computer receives the data packet transmitted by the lower computer and processes the received data packet, for example, unpacking the data packet, obtaining data of each segment according to the agreement of the protocol, distributing the data to different ports, and allowing the program to obtain the data.

[0053] In a specific implementation, the host computer communicates with the slave computer based on the TCP protocol. After receiving the data packet transmitted by the slave computer, the host computer performs an error check according to the check bit. If an error occurs, such as data loss or other abnormalities, the slave computer is notified to retransmit. If no error occurs during the check, the frame is deframed to obtain each segment of data.

[0054] According to the embodiment of the present invention, through the set transmission protocol package, the reliable transmission from the source address to the destination address is confirmed, and data loss retransmission, data monitoring, stable and efficient data transmission are realized, thereby improving the robustness of the host computer system.

[0055] As the operations performed by robots become more precise and specialized, the demand for stable and efficient data continues to increase. However, since robots rely on many external devices and sensors to obtain rich data information, and these sensors and devices are manufactured by different manufacturers and have different protocols, it is often difficult to form a unified communication specification. As a result, when robots obtain this data through serial ports and other communication methods, the real-time and concurrency are poor, and they need to rely on the host computer system to decouple and encapsulate the data, resulting in low data utilization efficiency.

[0056] In the related art, the lower computer has many sensors, and the timing and collection and transmission frequencies are different, which is equivalent to the upper computer waiting for the data of each sensor, and it can only work after all are completed. Occasionally, if the data of a sensor is abnormal, it has to be resent. The present invention completes reliable data transmission in the lower computer, so that the upper computer can obtain stable and efficient data after a reliable TCP connection, reduce resource consumption, improve data transmission and stability, and can focus more on the operation logic itself, greatly improving the operation efficiency of the robot.

[0057] The present invention also provides a storage medium corresponding to the control method of the control system of the robot, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the aforementioned methods are implemented.

[0058] The present invention also provides a robot corresponding to the control system of the robot, including the control system of any of the aforementioned robots.

[0059] The present invention also provides a computer program product corresponding to the control method of the control system of the robot, comprising a computer program, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any of the aforementioned methods are implemented.

[0060] According to the solution provided by the present invention, the lower computer encapsulates various sensor data transmitted in real time into frames, thereby improving the synchronization of data transmission and reducing positioning errors caused by data asynchrony.

[0061] According to the solution provided by the present invention, the lower computer can make real-time judgments on data sampling during the process of forming a data packet, eliminate abnormal values, and ensure the stability and reliability of output data.

[0062] According to the solution provided by the present invention, a stable connection between a lower computer and a remote upper computer is achieved based on a reliable TCP protocol, thereby ensuring accurate sending of data packets.

[0063] According to the solution provided by the present invention, the upper computer receives and processes stable multi-sensor data packets from the lower computer, thereby improving the robot's operating accuracy and stability during navigation and path planning. The optimization of the upper computer receiving and processing unit enables the robot to respond to navigation and path planning tasks more quickly and accurately, improving the overall operating efficiency.

[0064] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the present invention and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or a combination of any of these. In addition, each functional unit may be integrated into a processing unit, each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0065] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical content can be implemented in other ways. Among them, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units can be a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of units or modules, which can be electrical or other forms.

[0066] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components of the control device may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed in multiple units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment.

[0067] If the integrated unit is implemented in the form of a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, in essence, or the part that contributes to the relevant technology or all or part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium, including a number of instructions to enable a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server or a network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: U disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), mobile hard disk, magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program codes.

[0068] The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent substitution, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A robot control system, characterized in that: The robot comprises: two or more sensors of different types; the control system comprises: an upper computer and a lower computer; The lower computer is used to obtain the data collected by each sensor of the robot, merge and encapsulate the acquired data collected by each sensor into a data packet, and transmit it to the upper computer; The upper computer is used to receive the data packets transmitted by the lower computer and process the received data packets.

2. The control system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower computer is further used for: The acquired data from each sensor is first cached into a register and then combined and packaged into a data packet.

3. The control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The lower computer is further used for: The acquired data are judged for abnormal values, and after the abnormal values ​​in the acquired data are removed, they are merged and packaged into data packets.

4. The control system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The upper computer communicates with the lower computer based on the TCP protocol.

5. A control method for a robot control system, characterized in that: The robot comprises: two or more sensors of different types; the control system comprises: an upper computer and a lower computer; the control method comprises: The lower computer obtains data collected by each sensor of the robot, combines and encapsulates the obtained data collected by each sensor into a data packet, and transmits it to the upper computer; The upper computer receives the data packet transmitted by the lower computer, and processes the received data packet.

6. The control method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: The lower computer first caches the acquired data collected by each sensor into a register, and then merges and packages them into a data packet.

7. The control method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: Also includes: The lower computer performs abnormal value judgment on the acquired data collected by each sensor, removes the abnormal values ​​in the data collected by each sensor, and then merges and packages them into a data packet.

8. The control method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The upper computer communicates with the lower computer based on the TCP protocol.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program is stored thereon, and when the program is executed by a processor, the steps of any method described in claims 5-8 are implemented.

10. A robot, characterized in that: Comprising a control system as described in any one of claims 1-4.

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