A multi-zone spray sequencing control method and system

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of multi-region spraying timing control method and system, comprising: obtaining the surface unit of multiple independently associated states of the surface to be sprayed, the surface unit is formed by system generation or external input, and with explicit discrete area or continuous state field dynamic determination local space range expression;After the current spraying operation of surface unit is completed by spraying executor, record timing reference information and update cumulative thin layer state;Based on the timing reference information and cumulative thin layer state of each surface unit last spraying operation, independently determine the permission control information of next spraying operation, and execute differentiation scheduling and write back state accordingly.The application also supports interrupt recovery based on multi-modal reproducible positioning features, multi-actuator concurrent control and external input association verification, which can reduce beat loss and repeated spraying, spraying, improve coating quality consistency and production continuity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robot spraying control technology, specifically to a multi-area spraying timing control method and system. Background Technology

[0002] In automotive aftermarket repair and non-target repair painting scenarios, the shape of the surface to be painted, the state of the original coating, and environmental conditions often have significant uncertainties. Existing painting control schemes typically use the final completion time of the entire workpiece as a unified flash-drying start point, or employ fixed interlayer waiting times. However, this macroscopically unified timing control method is difficult to adapt to microscopically localized differences, causing unnecessary waiting in areas that have already been completed, resulting in lost production cycle time. Simultaneously, fixed waiting times cannot respond to variations in local film thickness, temperature and humidity, and differences in the actual completion sequence, easily leading to quality issues such as localized over-painting or under-painting. Furthermore, in multi-actuator collaborative operations, the lack of a refined scheduling mechanism based on actual coverage facts may result in duplicate coverage or missed spraying. Additionally, when painting operations are interrupted due to emergency stops, power outages, or other reasons, existing schemes often directly resume from preset trajectory points without determining whether a complete deposition has been formed in the localized area, easily leading to re-painting or missed spraying. Furthermore, existing solutions sometimes use tool identification or specific identification locations as core elements of the control system. This binding approach unnecessarily limits the applicable scenarios and deployment flexibility of the regional timing control system, and has no direct connection with the actual regional independent scheduling logic. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a technical solution that can perform independent timing control and scheduling based on the actual state of the surface unit. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide a multi-zone spraying timing control method and system. This invention achieves independent timing control and differentiated scheduling based on the actual state of surface units, reducing cycle time loss and improving coating quality consistency.

[0004] The technical solution of this invention: a multi-zone spraying timing control method, comprising:

[0005] The system acquires multiple independently associatable surface units of the surface to be sprayed; these surface units are generated by a multi-region spraying timing control system, or formed by coordinates, regions, boundaries, coverage, trajectories, or robot tasks provided by external input; the surface units are represented as explicit discrete regions, or as local spatial ranges dynamically determined by continuous state fields, attribute fields, or runtime query rules; surface units formed by external input must be associated with target identity, coordinate reference, surface version, task version, and input source before entering timing control; permission control information is not generated when association is missing, conflicting, or invalid.

[0006] When the spraying actuator completes the current spraying operation on the first surface unit, it records the timing reference information used to characterize the actual physical coverage and subsequent interlayer evolution, and updates the cumulative thin layer state of the first surface unit; the timing reference information includes at least one of the actual coverage completion time and local material state information that can characterize the degree of interlayer evolution of the coating after coverage.

[0007] For each surface unit, based on the timing reference information and cumulative thin layer status of the previous spraying operation of the surface unit, the permission control information for the next spraying operation of the surface unit is determined.

[0008] Based on the permission control information of each of the multiple surface units, the spraying actuator is controlled to perform the corresponding scheduling action.

[0009] Upon completion of the next spraying operation, the timing reference information, cumulative thin-film status, and permissible control information of the corresponding surface unit are written back.

[0010] The determination of the timing reference information in the above method includes at least one of the following:

[0011] The actual completion time of the first surface unit is determined based on at least one of the physical execution feedback of the spraying actuator, actual path events, or planned coverage verification results; and / or, local material state information that can characterize the degree of interlayer evolution of the coating after coverage is determined based on at least one of surface temperature, wetting or evaporation state, solvent state, optical or electrical response, curing or crosslinking related detection results, and validated model estimation; wherein the time-series reference information is used to characterize the actual physical coverage fact and the evolution reference of subsequent spraying conditions;

[0012] A completion of a plan, arrival at the endpoint of a trajectory, or a mission completion marker, if originating solely from external equipment or upstream program reports, does not constitute actual coverage completion on its own. It must be confirmed by at least one of the following: physical execution feedback, verified actual path events, effective spray coverage verification results, or local material status, before it can be considered valid.

[0013] The aforementioned method further includes:

[0014] When the first surface unit is in a partially covered state or an abnormal interruption state, record the three-dimensional coordinates of the last confirmed execution position, the effective coverage ratio, and the spatial distribution of the uncovered part.

[0015] Update the cumulative thin-film state of the first surface unit, including:

[0016] Based on the effective coverage ratio, three-dimensional coordinates, and deposition parameters of the current spraying operation, the actual deposition amount of the first surface unit is calculated;

[0017] The actual deposition amount is added to the historical deposition amount of the first surface unit to update the cumulative thin layer state;

[0018] The deposition parameters include at least one of spray flow rate, spray distance, and moving speed.

[0019] The aforementioned method, wherein determining the permission control information for the next spraying operation of the surface unit includes:

[0020] Obtain at least one of the following parameters for the surface unit: coating system parameters, environmental parameters, and material state parameters;

[0021] Based on the timing reference information of the previous spraying operation of the surface unit, the cumulative thin film state, coating system parameters, environmental parameters and material state parameters, determine at least one of the following for the next spraying operation: the earliest permitted time, the latest permitted time, the retest time, the executability result or the scheduling priority.

[0022] The license control information is formed based on the earliest license time, latest license time, retest time, executability result, or scheduling priority; the license control information is represented by discrete license status, Boolean executability result, time window, continuous score, priority value, or a combination thereof.

[0023] The aforementioned method further includes:

[0024] To generate licensed objects for surface units determined to be executable based on the license control information and their corresponding next spraying operation;

[0025] Once the first spraying actuator receives the licensed object, it binds the licensed object to the first spraying actuator to prevent the second spraying actuator from performing the same spraying operation on the surface unit repeatedly during the effective occupancy period.

[0026] The aforementioned method further includes:

[0027] When the spraying actuator experiences an interruption event, the system saves the three-dimensional coordinates of the last confirmed execution position, the current spraying operation, the actual coverage status, the interruption time, and the task version; and saves the reproducible positioning feature data corresponding to the three-dimensional coordinates, the common reference coordinates bound to the feature data, the area boundary marker, and the coordinate version; the reproducible positioning feature data includes at least one of the following: source image or image features, depth or point cloud features, geometric contour or surface features, artificial marker features, structured light or laser observation features, and spatial registration features;

[0028] When resuming execution, the system determines whether to allow the current spraying operation to continue based on the maximum permissible flash-dry time for a single-layer task or the maximum permissible interlayer interval for a multi-layer task.

[0029] The aforementioned method, after determining whether to allow continued execution of the current spraying operation based on the maximum permissible flash-dry time for a single-layer task or the maximum permissible interlayer interval for multiple-layer tasks during resumption of execution, further includes:

[0030] When continued execution is permitted and a continue instruction is received, the current painting operation restarts from the parameterized overlap distance before the breakpoint or the nearest complete coverage unit. When the vehicle coordinates or task coordinates fail, the saved reproducible positioning feature data and its common reference coordinates are set as positioning anchor points independent of the failed coordinate system. During recovery, the currently acquired reproducible positioning feature data and the saved feature data are spatially geometrically registered. Based on the registration result, the pose transformation relationship of the current painting actuator relative to the common reference coordinates is reconstructed. The restart operation is only performed when the position recovery confidence, residual, area boundary, and task version consistency meet the thresholds.

[0031] The amount of repeated deposition generated in the restored execution area is included in the cumulative thin-layer status;

[0032] The parameterized overlap distance is determined based on the dimensions of the spray footprint in the current path direction and normal direction, the current moving speed, the stable spraying time, and material state parameters.

[0033] In the aforementioned method, the permission control information is associated with configuration version information, which includes at least one of the following: task version, paint configuration version, process configuration version, and spray gun individual identity data; and includes at least one of the following: external task data source version, target or component version, coordinate or relative reference version, surface version, and upstream execution status version.

[0034] The method further includes:

[0035] When the configuration version information changes, freeze the license control information or licensed objects that have not yet started, and retain the completed time reference information and the record of the accumulated thin layer status; when the target identity, coordinate reference, surface version or upstream execution status of the external input area, coverage, trajectory or robot task changes or cannot be verified, the corresponding license is also frozen, and future licenses are rebuilt only after re-association without changing the confirmed physical coverage facts.

[0036] A multi-zone spraying timing control system, comprising:

[0037] The surface unit management module is used to acquire multiple independently associative surface units of the surface to be sprayed. These surface units are generated by a multi-area spraying timing control system or formed by coordinates, regions, boundaries, coverage, trajectories, or robot tasks provided by external input. The surface units are represented by explicit discrete regions or by local spatial ranges dynamically determined by continuous state fields, attribute fields, or runtime query rules. The surface unit management module is also used to associate the externally input surface units with their target identity, coordinate reference, surface version, task version, and input source before entering timing control, and to prevent the corresponding surface units from entering the permitted calculation when the association is missing, conflicting, or invalid.

[0038] The status recording module is used to record the timing reference information that characterizes the actual physical coverage and subsequent interlayer evolution reference when the spraying actuator completes the current spraying operation on the first surface unit, and to update the cumulative thin layer status of the first surface unit.

[0039] The permission calculation module is used to determine the permission control information for the next spraying operation of each surface unit based on the timing reference information and cumulative thin film state of the previous spraying operation of the surface unit.

[0040] The scheduling and control module is used to control the spraying actuator to perform corresponding scheduling actions based on the permission control information of each of the multiple surface units.

[0041] The status write-back module is used to write back the timing reference information, cumulative thin layer status, and permission control information of the corresponding surface unit when the next spraying operation is completed.

[0042] A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the aforementioned multi-area spraying timing control method.

[0043] Compared with existing technologies, this invention divides or characterizes the surface to be sprayed into multiple independently associative surface units, and independently determines the permissible state of the next spray pass based on the actual completion time and cumulative thin-layer state of each surface unit. This constructs a closed loop from microscopic fact recording to independent permissible calculation and then to differentiated scheduling. This mechanism makes timing control no longer dependent on the uniform waiting time of the entire workpiece, but dynamically decoupled according to the actual physical coverage progress of each area, thereby reducing cycle time loss caused by local waiting and improving the consistency of coating quality.

[0044] Furthermore, by determining the actual coverage completion time based on physical execution feedback or path events, and accurately recording the three-dimensional coordinates and effective coverage ratio during partial coverage or interruption, the system ensures that the cumulative thin-layer state reflects the true physical deposition facts rather than the nominal program execution time, providing a reliable data foundation for subsequent permit determination. Simultaneously, by combining multi-dimensional factors such as coating system and environmental parameters to determine the permit status, and by initiating a retest process when the permit expires or the confidence level is insufficient, the system's adaptability to complex operating conditions is enhanced.

[0045] Furthermore, by introducing a license object binding mechanism, anti-conflict control is effectively supported when multiple actuators are operating concurrently. In interruption recovery scenarios, the connection strategy based on time window judgment and parameterized overlap distance ensures the continuity and integrity of the coating at the breakpoint. When the configuration version changes, the strategy of freezing future licenses and retaining historical fact records ensures data consistency and traceability during the process of process change. Attached Figure Description

[0046] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the multi-area spraying timing control method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the surface unit state distribution according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the state transition of the licensed object and the unit time axis in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, but this should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0050] Example 1: This example provides a multi-area spraying timing control method, which constructs a core closed loop based on independent timing and permission scheduling at the surface unit level. Specifically, as follows... Figure 1 As shown, the method includes the following steps:

[0051] Step 1: Obtain multiple independently associative surface units of the surface to be sprayed. These surface units are represented by explicitly stored discrete regions, or by a local spatial range dynamically determined by a continuous spatial state field, surface attribute field, or runtime query rules. In this step, the surface unit is the smallest independent carrier for timing control. Its division method can be flexibly determined according to actual process requirements. It can be generated by this system (i.e., the multi-area spraying timing control system), or formed by coordinates, regions, boundaries, coverage, trajectories, or robot tasks provided by external sensing, automatic or semi-automatic identification, manual measurement or coordinate input, vehicle or component models, maintenance task systems, offline programming systems, external files, or application programming interfaces. In one implementation, the surface unit can be represented by explicitly stored discrete regions. For example, the surface unit can be one or more combinations of regular meshes, curved surface patches, component regions, robot trajectory segments, spray coverage units, or process attribute regions, and overlapping of adjacent surface units is allowed. For example, the surface of a car door to be sprayed can be divided into several strip-shaped trajectory segments as surface units according to the effective spray width of the spray gun; or, according to the coating thickness requirements or geometric curvature changes, complex surfaces can be discretized into a set of irregular surface patches.

[0052] In another implementation, the surface units may not be stored as explicit discrete data, but rather as a local spatial range dynamically determined by a continuous state field, attribute field, or runtime query rules. For example, the system can maintain a continuous state field covering the entire surface to be sprayed, where any point on the surface is associated with attributes such as time-series references, cumulative thin-film states, and permissive control information. When it is necessary to determine the unit state of a certain local spatial range, the system can dynamically generate the characterization data of that range through coordinate queries or runtime aggregation. Alternatively, the system can dynamically delineate the local spatial range at runtime based on query rules (such as "the geometric intersection of the current spray width", "the region that meets a specific film thickness threshold", or "the continuous region with the same process parameters") and calculate its average or aggregated state in real time.

[0053] The "surface unit" referred to in this invention is essentially defined by its ability to associate different local areas of the surface to be sprayed with a temporal reference, accumulated thin-layer state, and subsequent execution conditions. It does not require the existence of explicit objects named "region," "unit," or "Cell" in the software. Continuous two-dimensional or three-dimensional state fields, surface textures, point cloud attributes, mesh attributes, database coordinate query results, or local areas dynamically aggregated at runtime can all serve as equivalent expressions for surface units, as long as they can achieve independent local state transitions.

[0054] During execution, the surface units can be dynamically subdivided into smaller units or merged into larger units based on the actual coverage state or process requirements. By decoupling the macroscopic surface to be sprayed into microscopic surface units that can be independently correlated in state, a data foundation is laid for subsequent independent timing control based on the actual physical coverage facts of each unit.

[0055] Step 2: When the spraying actuator completes the current spraying operation on the first surface unit, it records the timing reference information used to characterize the actual physical coverage and subsequent interlayer evolution, and updates the cumulative thin-layer state of the first surface unit. The timing reference information includes at least one of the actual coverage completion time and local material state information used to characterize the degree of interlayer evolution after coverage. In this step, the timing reference information is used to characterize the actual physical coverage fact and the evolution reference of subsequent spraying conditions. The actual coverage completion time refers to the real time point when the spraying actuator completes the effective physical coverage of the surface unit in this pass, rather than the pre-set planned time or nominal trajectory end time. The cumulative thin-layer state characterizes the physical deposition accumulation of the surface unit at the current moment, and may include, for example, the number of passes completed, the estimated cumulative deposition amount, and the wetting or evaporation state. Before external task data enters the timing control, the system parses and verifies the target or component identity, coordinate system or relative reference, surface version, task version, and data source. The completion of the plan, trajectory endpoint, or task completion markers carried by the upstream data do not directly replace the actual completion time of coverage and the cumulative thin layer status; the timing reference of the corresponding surface unit is only updated after physical execution feedback, actual path events, effective spray coverage verification, or local material status confirmation.

[0056] Combination Figure 2 As shown, the surface to be sprayed is divided into four independent surface units: Region 1 to Region 4. Each region maintains its own independent completion time and status record. For example, when Region 1 completes its first coat of paint at 12:00, the system immediately records that moment and updates the cumulative coat count of Region 1 to 1; while Region 4 may not have started spraying yet, and its status is still uncovered. This mechanism ensures that the timing reference of each surface unit originates from its own physical facts, thereby replacing the coarse mode of using the final completion time of the entire workpiece as a unified flash-drying starting point in traditional technology, effectively avoiding unnecessary waiting for regions that are completed first.

[0057] Preferably, the determination of the timing reference information includes at least one of the following:

[0058] The actual completion time of the first surface unit's coverage is determined based on at least one of the following: physical execution feedback from the spraying actuator, actual path events, or planned coverage verification results. For example, physical execution feedback can refer to a combined signal where the center point of the spraying robot's end-effector reaches a predetermined position and its movement speed enters a stable range, while the paint flow sensor confirms that the flow rate has reached a set threshold. Actual path events can refer to a robot controller trajectory segment completion flag or area coverage completion event verified by the actuator's pose or path feedback. Planned coverage verification results can be confirmation information generated by the system after overlaying and comparing a preset spray pattern model with the real-time acquired actuator pose. It should be understood that a simple spray gun switch signal, solenoid valve on / off signal, or program segment start time is not equivalent to actual coverage completion, because there is a physical delay from valve opening to paint atomization and adhesion to the surface, and abnormal situations such as dry spraying or gun blockage may occur.

[0059] And / or, based on at least one of surface temperature, wet or volatile state, solvent state, optical or electrical response, curing or crosslinking related detection results, and validated model estimates, determine local material state information for characterizing the degree of interlayer evolution of the coating after coverage.

[0060] By employing the aforementioned multi-dimensional data sources, the system can effectively filter out invalid nominal execution times, ensuring that the timestamps used for subsequent permission calculations truly reflect the physical facts of coating deposition. This enhances log visibility and data evidentiary value during quality traceability. Plan completion, trajectory endpoint arrival, or task completion markers, if originating solely from external devices or upstream program reports, do not constitute actual coverage completion on their own. They must be confirmed by at least one of the following: physical execution feedback, verified actual path events, effective spray coverage verification results, or local material status, to be considered valid.

[0061] "Spraying operation" includes full spray passes, partial spray passes, touch-up spraying stages, repeated coverage stages, zone deposition stages, and other spraying actions with independent interlayer timing constraints. Its technical meaning remains unchanged regardless of the software task name or whether a single physical spraying operation is broken down into multiple program segments. The timing reference can be established either by the actual completion time or by direct or indirect detection of material states such as wetting, evaporation, curing, and cross-linking.

[0062] Step 3: For each surface unit, based on the timing reference information of the previous spraying operation and the cumulative thin layer state of the surface unit, determine the permission control information for the next spraying operation of the surface unit.

[0063] In this step, the system no longer relies on a globally unified timer, but instead independently calculates the executable conditions for the next iteration for each surface unit.

[0064] Preferably, determining the permission control information includes: acquiring at least one of the coating system parameters, environmental parameters, and material state parameters of the surface unit; determining at least one of the earliest permission time, latest permission time, retest time, executability result, or scheduling priority of the next spraying operation based on the timing reference information, cumulative thin film state, coating system parameters, environmental parameters, and material state parameters of the previous spraying operation of the surface unit; forming the permission control information based on the earliest permission time, latest permission time, retest time, executability result, or scheduling priority; the permission control information is represented by discrete permission state, Boolean executability result, time window, continuous score, priority value, or a combination thereof, and its name and data structure are not limited.

[0065] For example, for Figure 2 In Region 1, the system independently calculates the earliest permissible time for a second coat based on the actual completion time of the previous coat (12:00) and the current cumulative film thickness (e.g., one coat already applied, current film thickness 15μm), combined with preset process rules. Simultaneously, Regions 2, 3, and 4 also independently calculate their permissible times based on their respective historical data. This means that even if multiple surface units belong to the same workpiece, their next permissible time status may be asynchronous. In this way, the system transforms the macroscopic, whole-workpiece synchronous waiting into microscopic, unit-level independent timing, enabling precise timing control to respond to differences in local film thickness, material state, and actual completion order.

[0066] Furthermore, this embodiment introduces the latest permitting time and retesting time as boundaries for handling anomalies. When the actual waiting time of a surface unit exceeds the latest permitting time allowed by the process, or when the confidence level of the material state parameters collected by the sensor is lower than a preset threshold, the system will not force entry into the executable state, but will instead determine the permitting state of the surface unit as a retesting or rework state. This abnormal flow path design enables the system to identify and intercept painting requests that have reached their time limit but whose physical conditions have failed, thereby avoiding batch quality accidents caused by blind execution and significantly enhancing the adaptability and robustness of the timing control system to complex and variable working conditions.

[0067] Step 4: Based on the permission control information of each of the multiple surface units, control the spraying actuator to perform the corresponding scheduling action.

[0068] Specifically, scheduling actions include, but are not limited to, waiting, selecting another permitted surface unit (i.e., skipping areas), rearranging paths, retesting, or executing the next spray pass. In the traditional unified waiting mode for the entire part, the spraying actuator must wait until all areas meet the conditions before starting the next pass; however, in this embodiment, the scheduling control module scans the permitted status of each surface unit in real time. For example, when the permitted status of area one changes to "executable" while area four is still in the "waiting" state, the system can directly control the spraying actuator to jump to area one to execute the second spray pass, or select another area three that also meets the permitted conditions for operation, without waiting for area four. This differentiated scheduling strategy makes full use of the idle time window of the spraying actuator, significantly reducing the overall cycle time loss caused by local bottlenecks and improving production efficiency.

[0069] It should be understood that permission control information is not limited to discrete enumerated states such as "waiting / executable / retesting". As long as the control information can characterize whether the next spraying operation is suitable for execution in a certain locality, when it is suitable for execution, or the scheduling urgency relative to other localities, it can be represented by Boolean results, time windows, continuous scores, priorities, sorting keys, constraint feasibility results, or combinations thereof. The scheduler directly selects the next target based on the above continuous quantities or scores, which is an equivalent control path as scheduling after generating discrete permission states.

[0070] Step 5: After completing the next spraying operation, write back the timing reference information, cumulative thin layer status and permission control information of the corresponding surface unit.

[0071] In this step, after the spraying actuator completes a new pass for a surface unit, the system updates the actual completion time of that unit to the true end time of the current operation, adds the current deposition amount to the cumulative thin-layer status, and resets or updates its permission status to prepare for subsequent calculations. For example, after area one completes its second pass, its cumulative pass count is updated to 2, the actual completion time is refreshed to the current end time, and the permission status re-enters the calculation cycle based on the new data. This real-time write-back mechanism ensures that the system's status data remains synchronized with the actual progress in the physical world, providing accurate factual basis for the next round of permission calculations, thereby guaranteeing the continuity and reliability of multi-area spraying sequence control.

[0072] By cyclically executing steps 1 to 5 above, this embodiment establishes an independent timing control system based on the actual coverage of surface units. This system allows each region to flow independently according to its own physical state, avoiding unnecessary waiting for regions that are completed earlier and preventing regions that are completed later from being coated prematurely due to time constraints, thereby optimizing the production cycle while ensuring coating quality.

[0073] Preferably, the method further includes an interruption and partial overwrite processing procedure:

[0074] When the first surface unit is partially covered or abnormally interrupted, the system records the three-dimensional coordinates of the last confirmed execution position, the effective coverage ratio, and the spatial distribution of the uncovered portion. When the painting operation fails to completely cover the current surface unit due to emergency stop, power outage, or obstacle avoidance, the system does not simply mark it as "incomplete" or "failed," but rather accurately saves a snapshot of the scene at the moment of interruption. The three-dimensional coordinates of the last confirmed execution position provide a spatial location record for subsequent continuation of the work; the effective coverage ratio quantifies the percentage of the unit's area covered by paint in the current pass; and the spatial distribution of the uncovered portion describes the geometry of the remaining area, such as whether it is located at the edge or center of the unit. This refined recording method allows the system to distinguish between "completely unfinished" and "half-finished," avoiding the risk of repeated painting or missed areas due to ambiguous status.

[0075] Updating the cumulative thin-film state of the first surface unit includes: calculating the actual deposition amount of the first surface unit based on the effective coverage ratio, three-dimensional coordinates, and deposition parameters of the current spraying operation; adding the actual deposition amount to the historical deposition amount of the first surface unit to update the cumulative thin-film state; wherein the deposition parameters include at least one of spraying flow rate, spraying distance, and moving speed.

[0076] Specifically, the update of the cumulative thin-layer state is not a simple count of passes, but a dynamic accumulation based on the physical deposition amount. In interruption or partial coverage scenarios, the system recalculates the theoretical deposition amount based on the effective coverage ratio and combines this with deposition parameters such as the actual spraying distance corresponding to the three-dimensional coordinates of the interruption point, the instantaneous flow rate, and the moving speed at that time to calculate the true deposition contribution value of this incomplete operation. For example, if a surface unit only achieves 60% coverage during the interruption, and the average spraying distance before the interruption is slightly greater than the standard value, resulting in a lower deposition amount per unit area, the system will calculate the actual deposition amount, which is lower than the theoretical value, and add it to the historical record. This mechanism ensures that the cumulative thin-layer state always faithfully reflects the true film formation on the surface. Even after the interruption is resumed, subsequent permissible calculations can be based on an accurate film thickness, preventing premature coating due to overestimation of the existing film thickness or overcompensation due to underestimation of the film thickness.

[0077] Preferably, the method further includes a permission object binding and concurrency control mechanism:

[0078] A licensed object is generated for the surface unit determined to be executable based on the license control information and its corresponding next spraying operation; after the first spraying actuator receives the licensed object, the licensed object is bound to the first spraying actuator to prevent the second spraying actuator from performing repeated coverage of the same spraying operation on the surface unit during the effective occupancy period.

[0079] Combination Figure 3 As shown, the licensed object serves as the intermediary between process license judgment and physical execution, and its lifecycle encompasses the complete state transition process from generation to release. Specifically, when the licensed state of a surface unit becomes executable after calculation, the system instantiates a licensed object for that unit and its specific next spraying pass. Initially, this licensed object is in a waiting allocation queue. When the first spraying actuator (e.g., robot A) requests and successfully acquires the licensed object from the scheduling module, the licensed object's state immediately transitions to allocated, and an exclusive binding relationship is established with the identity of the first spraying actuator. During the effective occupancy period, this binding relationship constitutes a logical mutex lock, ensuring that any other spraying actuator (e.g., robot B) querying or requesting the same spraying pass for the same surface unit will be rejected by the system or redirected to other available units, effectively preventing duplicate spraying or trajectory conflicts during concurrent operations by multiple actuators.

[0080] It should be understood that the state transition of the licensed object also includes the execution verification and completion or retesting phases. After the first spraying actuator completes the operation and submits the write-back data, the licensed object can only be transferred to the completion state and release resources after verification. If an interruption or verification failure occurs during execution, the licensed object may revert to the retesting state or re-enter the waiting queue. In addition, it is important to emphasize that the licensed object in this embodiment is only used to control the timing and sequence at the process flow level, and it is completely decoupled from independent safety permits such as emergency stop, safety door, explosion-proof monitoring, or personnel presence detection. Even if the process permit of a certain surface unit is in an executable state, the spraying actuator must not be started if the independent safety chain issues a prohibition signal. This layered design ensures that efficient scheduling is achieved without weakening or replacing the independence of the underlying safety protection mechanism.

[0081] Preferably, the method further includes an interrupt recovery and reentry control process:

[0082] When the spraying actuator experiences an interruption event, the system saves the three-dimensional coordinates of the last confirmed execution position, the current spraying operation, the actual coverage status, the interruption time, and the task version; and saves the reproducible positioning feature data corresponding to the three-dimensional coordinates, the common reference coordinates bound to the feature data, the area boundary identifier, and the coordinate version; the reproducible positioning feature data includes at least one of the following: source image or image features, depth or point cloud features, geometric contour or surface features, artificial marker features, structured light or laser observation features, and other features (such as spatial registration features) that can establish a spatial correspondence between the current observation and the historical task.

[0083] The interrupted snapshot can also save the source image or its image feature description data corresponding to the last confirmed execution location, the common reference coordinates bound to the features, surface unit or region boundary identifiers, overlay map, and coordinate version. During recovery, the current image is acquired, the current features are matched with features in the snapshot or independent reference record, and the vehicle position or mission coordinates are verified by combining the mission path sequence, local surface geometry, and reprojection or registration residuals.

[0084] Specifically, an interruption event refers to any situation that causes the spraying actuator to stop unexpectedly, including but not limited to emergency stop button triggering, power supply failure, safety light curtain obstruction, collision detection triggering, or communication link loss. When such an event occurs, the system does not simply record an error code, but captures and persistently stores a complete set of on-site snapshot data in real time. Among them, the three-dimensional coordinates of the last confirmed execution position provide a spatial reference for the accurate continuation of the subsequent physical path; the current spraying operation and the actual coverage status together define the logical breakpoint of the process progress; the interruption time is recorded as a freeze point on the timeline; and the task version ensures that the process parameters on which the recovery operation is based remain consistent with those before the interruption. This multi-dimensional on-site data preservation mechanism enables the system to retain traceable physical and logical context at any abnormal node, avoiding rework of the entire part or blind repainting due to loss of state.

[0085] Upon resumption of operation, the system determines whether to allow the current spraying operation to continue based on the maximum permissible flash-dry time for a single-layer task or the maximum permissible interlayer interval for a multi-layer task. The core of this logic lies in acknowledging the irreversible time-dependent physicochemical evolution of the coating material; that is, regardless of whether the equipment is running, the curing, solvent evaporation, or cross-linking reaction of the coating continues with the passage of real time. Therefore, the system's process timer does not stop during interruptions. Specifically, for single-layer tasks, the system calculates the time difference from the interruption point to the intended resumption point and compares it with the maximum permissible flash-dry time defined in the coating configuration. If the timeout occurs, it indicates that the coating surface may be over-dried, and direct re-spraying may result in insufficient interlayer adhesion. In this case, the system will prohibit automatic resumption and proceed to a retest or sanding redo process. For multi-layer tasks, the system makes a similar judgment based on the maximum permissible interlayer interval to prevent the underlying coating from failing due to prolonged exposure. By introducing this window verification mechanism based on real physical time, this embodiment effectively avoids the quality risks caused by blindly continuing operation based solely on the equipment reset signal in the traditional solution, ensuring that the breakpoint continuation is always within the process safety domain.

[0086] When continued execution is permitted and a continue command is received, the current spraying operation restarts from the parameterized overlap distance before the breakpoint or the nearest complete coverage unit. When the vehicle coordinates or task coordinates fail, the saved reproducible positioning feature data and its common reference coordinates are set as positioning anchor points independent of the failed coordinate system. During recovery, the currently acquired reproducible positioning feature data is spatially geometrically registered with the saved feature data. Based on the registration result, the pose transformation relationship of the current spraying actuator relative to the common reference coordinates is reconstructed, and the restart operation is only performed when the position recovery confidence, residual, area boundary, and task version consistency meet the thresholds. The amount of repeated deposition generated in the recovered execution area is included in the cumulative thin layer state.

[0087] Execution continues from the parameterized overlap distance or the nearest complete coverage unit only if the confidence level, error, task version, region boundary, and completed coverage are consistent with the restored location; otherwise, the licensed object is frozen and transitioned to rescanning, repositioning, or manual processing. Surface units formed by selection, drawing, lassoing, masking, or machine vision participate in the above breakpoint verification according to their 3D task object and version; the 2D delineated area itself is not sufficient evidence of restoration or completion.

[0088] To eliminate potential missed spraying or abrupt changes in film thickness at breakpoints, the system does not directly restart the spray gun from the geometric breakpoint. Instead, it backtracks a certain distance based on a dynamically calculated parametric overlap distance before resuming spraying. This parametric overlap distance is determined based on the dimensions of the spray pattern footprint in the current path direction and normal, the current moving speed, the stable start-up time, and material state parameters. For example, when the spraying speed is high or the paint viscosity is high, resulting in a longer atomization build-up delay, the system automatically increases the overlap distance to ensure that the spray gun reaches a stable flow rate and atomization pattern before reaching the original breakpoint. Conversely, if the spray pattern is narrow or the material has excellent flowability, the overlap distance can be appropriately reduced to avoid excessive build-up. Furthermore, if the interruption occurs at the starting edge of a surface unit or in a complex curvature transition zone, the system can also choose to backtrack to the boundary of the most recently confirmed fully covered surface unit as the restart point to obtain a more stable process baseline. This adaptive overlap strategy improves the consistency of coating appearance and thickness at breakpoints.

[0089] Because of the use of parameterized overlap distance, resuming execution inevitably results in a secondary coating of a region prior to the breakpoint. If the system ignores this additional deposition, the cumulative thin-film state in that region will be lower than the actual physical film thickness, thus misleading subsequent permissible calculations and potentially leading to further deposition, causing sagging or exceeding the actual film thickness limit. Therefore, in this embodiment, when updating the cumulative thin-film state, the theoretical or measured repeated deposition amount within the overlap region is accurately added to the historical record of that region. For example, if a surface unit has accumulated 10 micrometers of deposition before the interruption, and the overlapping coating during resumption contributes another 3 micrometers, then the cumulative thin-film state of that unit will be updated to 13 micrometers. In this way, the system ensures that the state data in the digital twin model always faithfully reflects the actual physical film formation on the workpiece surface. This allows subsequent timing control and quality judgment to be based on accurate factual evidence even after the complex process of interruption and resumption, thereby maintaining the stability and traceability of coating quality while ensuring production efficiency.

[0090] Preferably, the method further includes configuring a version change processing flow:

[0091] The permission control information is associated with configuration version information, which includes at least one of the following: task version, paint configuration version, process configuration version, and spray gun individual identity data. Specifically, the configuration version information identifies the process baseline upon which the current spraying operation is based. Its source is neutral and does not depend on a specific reading location or communication path. For example, the task version can be issued by the production management system and circulate with the work order; the paint configuration version can be stored in a local process database or obtained synchronously via the cloud; the process configuration version may include spraying parameter packages, interlayer spacing tables, or environmental correction factors; and the spray gun individual identity data can be obtained through RFID tags on the tool side, identification modules at the end of the robotic arm, barcode scanning devices on the work unit side, or equipment files provided by a remote server. Regardless of the data source, the system binds the above information to the permission status of each surface unit, ensuring that the process conditions used for subsequent permission calculations are consistent with the resources used in actual execution. This version association mechanism enables the system to distinguish process behaviors under different configurations, avoiding quality deviations caused by mixing old parameters.

[0092] The method further includes: when the configuration version information changes, freezing license control information or license objects that have not yet started, and retaining the completed timing baseline information and cumulative thin-layer status records. Specifically, when any change in configuration version information is detected, such as changing the spray gun, switching the paint batch, updating the process parameter package, or receiving a new task instruction, the system will not perform a full reset of the status of all surface units, but will adopt a non-destructive differentiated update strategy. For licenses that have not yet entered the executable state or are still in intermediate states such as waiting or retesting, the system marks them as frozen, suspending their transition to the executable state until they are recalculated and verified based on the new version before being unfrozen; while for surface units that have completed spraying and written back the actual coverage completion time and cumulative thin-layer status, their historical records are regarded as immutable physical facts and are completely retained.

[0093] In traditional solutions, once a configuration change is detected, it is often necessary to clear the timing status of all units and start timing from scratch. This not only causes invalid waiting for completed tasks but may also lead to a break in the quality traceability chain due to the loss of historical facts. In contrast, this embodiment, by accurately distinguishing between events that have occurred and plans to be executed, avoids illegal state inheritance caused by version switching and ensures the continuity of the production process. The calculation of the license status in this embodiment is highly dependent on the process rules defined by the configuration version. If licenses generated under the old version are allowed to continue to be executed in the new version environment, it may lead to insufficient flash drying time, deposition mismatch, or material compatibility issues. On the other hand, if completed records are forcibly cleared, the cumulative thin film status will lose continuity, and subsequent license calculations will lack an accurate film thickness basis. Therefore, this embodiment, through version binding and selective freezing mechanisms, maintains the synchronization between the digital twin model and the physical world while ensuring the robustness and traceability of multi-area spraying timing control in a dynamically changing environment, providing data-level assurance for stable production under complex working conditions. The above processing mainly targets version changes in the process configuration itself. Similarly, when the target identity, coordinate reference, surface version, or upstream execution state carried by an external input region, coverage, trajectory, or robot task changes or cannot be verified, the system freezes the corresponding permits that have not yet started, and rebuilds future permits only after re-association without changing the confirmed physical coverage facts. This mechanism ensures that dynamic changes in external data sources do not contaminate confirmed historical records, while avoiding illegal state inheritance due to external input failures, further enhancing the system's robustness in multi-source heterogeneous data environments.

[0094] Example 2: This example provides a multi-area spraying timing control system. This system, as the logical carrier for implementing the aforementioned method embodiments, is configured to execute the multi-area spraying timing control method described in the aforementioned method embodiments. It should be understood that the system referred to in this invention is a functional entity carrying control logic, and its specific deployment form is diverse. It can be a firmware module embedded inside a robot controller, an independent software service running on an industrial control computer, edge server, or cloud platform, or a hardware logic unit such as an application-specific integrated circuit or a field-programmable gate array. Regardless of the physical form, this system interacts with external spraying actuators (such as robotic arms, spray guns, etc.) through a data interface, and does not necessarily include these mechanical actuators themselves, thereby maintaining the clarity of the control system boundary and the breadth of its protection scope.

[0095] Specifically, the system includes:

[0096] The surface unit management module is used to acquire multiple independently associative surface units of the surface to be sprayed. These surface units are generated by the system or formed from coordinates, regions, boundaries, coverage, trajectories, or robot tasks provided by external input. The surface units are represented by explicit discrete regions or by local spatial ranges dynamically determined by continuous state fields, attribute fields, or runtime query rules. The surface unit management module also associates externally input surface units with their target identity, coordinate reference, surface version, task version, and input source before entering timing control, and prevents the corresponding surface unit from entering permitted calculations when associations are missing, conflicting, or invalid. This module is the system's data initialization entry point, responsible for transforming macroscopic workpiece models or process areas into microscopic data objects that can be independently scheduled. For example, the surface unit management module can read CAD models, point cloud data, or preset process partition tables, generate a set of surface units through meshing algorithms, surface fitting, or trajectory segmentation, and assign a unique identifier to each unit. In one implementation, the module also supports dynamically adjusting the unit boundaries based on real-time sensor feedback, such as subdividing large uncovered areas into smaller sub-units to improve scheduling granularity, or merging adjacent small units to reduce communication overhead.

[0097] The status recording module records time-series reference information characterizing the actual physical coverage and subsequent interlayer evolution benchmarks when the spraying actuator completes the current spraying operation on the first surface unit, and updates the cumulative thin-layer state of the first surface unit. This module constitutes the system's "fact-aware layer," and its core function is to maintain a digital twin state library synchronized with the physical world in real time. Specifically, the status recording module receives event signals from the actuator feedback interface or path monitoring component, and writes timestamps and deposition amount data after validity verification. For example, when a coverage completion event is received for a surface unit, the module not only records the current system clock as the actual coverage completion time, but also calculates the deposition increment based on the flow integral or film thickness prediction model of this operation, and adds it to the historical cumulative thin-layer state of that unit. This event-driven recording mechanism ensures that the system state always reflects the actual physical progress, rather than the nominal planned time.

[0098] The permit calculation module, based on the timing reference information and cumulative thin-film status of the previous coating operation for each surface unit, determines the permit control information for the next coating operation. This module is the system's "decision core," responsible for transforming static process rules into dynamic execution permits. Specifically, the permit calculation module periodically, or when a status change is triggered, traverses all surface units awaiting operation, calling built-in process models (such as flash-dry curves and interlayer spacing tables) and combining them with environmental parameters to calculate the earliest permit time, latest permit time, or retest conditions for each unit. For example, for units where the cumulative thin-film status indicates a thin film thickness and the previous coating was completed early, the module may determine that it has met the earliest permit conditions for the next coating; while for units exceeding the latest permit window, it marks them as retesting. In this way, the permit calculation module realizes the transformation from globally unified timing to unit-level independent timing control.

[0099] The scheduling and control module controls the spraying actuators to perform corresponding scheduling actions based on the permission control information of multiple surface units. This module acts as the "command center" between the decision-making and execution layers. Specifically, the scheduling and control module monitors the status changes output by the permission calculation module in real time and generates specific motion instructions or task queues according to preset priority strategies (such as earliest permission first, latest permission urgent, and minimizing skip zone cost). For example, when multiple surface units are simultaneously in an executable state, the scheduling and control module can select the unit closest to the current spray gun position or with the lowest path switching cost as the next target; when all units are in a waiting state, it controls the actuators to enter standby or perform auxiliary actions. In addition, this module is also responsible for handling resource contention issues in multi-actuator scenarios, coordinating the operation sequence of different actuators by distributing permission objects to prevent duplicate spraying.

[0100] The status write-back module is used to write back the timing reference information, cumulative thin-layer status, and permit control information of the corresponding surface unit upon completion of the next spraying operation. This module forms the final link in the control closed loop, ensuring that the results of each execution are promptly fed back to the status recording module, providing a new benchmark for subsequent permit calculations. Specifically, when the scheduling control module confirms that a new round of work on a surface unit has been completed and passed verification, the status write-back module atomically updates all relevant fields of that unit in the status database, including refreshing the completion time, adding the new deposition amount, and resetting the permit status to pending calculation. This real-time write-back mechanism ensures data consistency in the system during continuous operations, enabling the next round of permit judgments to be based on the latest physical facts, thereby maintaining the accuracy and stability of multi-area spraying timing control.

[0101] Through the collaborative work of the aforementioned modules, the system provided in this embodiment solidifies the timing control method into an implementable control system. The modules are decoupled and interact through standardized data interfaces, enabling the system to operate independently as a whole or be flexibly integrated into existing industrial automation architectures.

[0102] Example 3: This example provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the multi-area spraying timing control method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The storage medium can be a read-only memory, random access memory, flash memory, solid-state drive, hard disk drive, optical disc, magnetic tape, or USB flash drive, or other storage devices with a defined physical form.

[0103] When the processor reads and executes the aforementioned computer program from the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the processor will be configured to sequentially execute a series of control logic operations, including acquiring surface cells, recording the actual coverage completion time, updating the accumulated thin-layer state, calculating the permission state, performing differentiated scheduling, and writing back the state. In practical applications, this storage medium can be provided as an independent program carrier, or the program can be updated to existing robot controllers, industrial control computers, or edge computing nodes via over-the-air (OTA) download technology, thereby enabling remote deployment and version iteration of the control logic.

[0104] In some embodiments, the aforementioned timing control steps are executed by a spraying unit controller, an industrial computer, a robot controller, or a combination thereof; the program instructions may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or provided as a computer program product. When the processor executes the program instructions, it changes the scheduling, start / stop, and overlapping spraying actions of the spraying actuator based on the actual coverage completion event, the coating time window, and breakpoint recovery verification, thereby controlling the interlayer state of the physical coating.

[0105] Example 4: To more clearly illustrate the effectiveness of the technical solution of the present invention in actual industrial production, this example provides an application scenario verification based on a water-based paint spraying process. In this scenario, the workpiece to be sprayed is a car side panel, and multiple thin spraying operations are performed using water-based paint. The ambient temperature is 26 degrees Celsius, and the relative humidity is 56%. The system divides the surface to be sprayed into sections as follows: Figure 2 The four independent surface units shown are Region 1, Region 2, Region 3, and Region 4. It should be understood that the specific parameters and device configurations described below are merely illustrative examples and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this invention.

[0106] First, the timing control effect of the single-robot skip-area scheduling mode was verified. At the start of the operation, the spraying actuators sequentially performed the first coat of paint on each area according to the preset path. Assuming that area 1 completed the first coat of paint first at 12:00, the system immediately recorded this time as the actual completion time of coverage for area 1 and updated its cumulative film thickness status to 1 coat completed. At this time, although area 4 has not yet started spraying, the system does not force the spraying actuators to wait for all areas to complete the first coat before starting the second coat, as in traditional technologies. Instead, the permission calculation module independently calculates the earliest permission time for area 1 to perform the second coat based on the actual completion time of coverage for area 1 at 12:00, the current cumulative film thickness, and the flash-off curve of the water-based paint under 26℃ / 56%RH conditions. For example, if the earliest permitted time is calculated to be 12:15, and the first coat of paint in area four is expected to finish by 12:20 according to the original sequence, the scheduling control module can prioritize controlling the paint actuator to jump back to area one to perform the second coat of paint when 12:15 arrives, and adjust the first coat of paint in area four to be performed later, or select other areas that also meet the permitted conditions for operation. Through this unit-level independent scheduling, the paint actuator effectively utilizes the scheduling space between the permitted windows of different areas, avoids the additional cycle time loss caused by the synchronous waiting of the whole piece, and significantly improves the output efficiency per unit time.

[0107] Further verification of the concurrent control mechanism during dual-robot collaborative operation. In this scenario, two painting robots (referred to as Robot A and Robot B) share the same set of licensed services. When Robot A requests and obtains the licensed object for the second round of painting in Area 2 from the scheduling control module, the licensed object establishes an exclusive binding relationship with Robot A, and its state transitions from waiting for allocation to allocated, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown in the diagram, if robot B also attempts to obtain permission for the same pass in area two, the system will automatically reject the request based on the occupancy status of the permission object and guide robot B to query other surface units in an executable state (such as area three). This mutual exclusion mechanism based on permission objects ensures that the same spraying pass for the same surface unit will not be executed repeatedly in a multi-actuator concurrent environment, thus effectively preventing local overspraying or coating defects caused by task overlap. Furthermore, since the task allocation for each robot is dynamically generated based on the real-time unit-level permission status, rather than a pre-fixed static division of labor, when one robot malfunctions or requires maintenance, another robot can take over the remaining executable units after passing the corresponding permission and safety verification, thereby improving the continuous operation capability of the production line.

[0108] Finally, the recovery control strategy after an abnormal interruption was verified. Assume that during the second coat of paint in area two, robot A is abruptly stopped due to the triggering of a safety light curtain, causing an interruption in the operation. The system immediately saves a snapshot of the scene at the moment of interruption, including the 3D coordinates of the last confirmed execution position, the current paint pass index, the actual coverage ratio, the interruption time, and the task version. Since the physicochemical evolution of the coating material does not stop during the interruption, when resuming execution, the system first calculates the time difference from the interruption time to the current time and compares it with the maximum permissible flash-drying time per layer defined in the water-based paint configuration. If the time difference does not exceed the permissible threshold and the operator issues a continuation command, the system dynamically determines a parameterized overlap distance based on parameters such as the current moving speed, spray footprint size, and material viscosity, and controls robot A to restart painting from that distance before the interruption point to ensure the continuity of film thickness at the junction. Simultaneously, the system accurately accumulates the amount of repeated deposition generated in the overlapping area into the cumulative thin-layer state of area two to prevent inaccurate subsequent permissible calculations due to ignoring the second coat. If the interruption time exceeds the maximum allowable flash-drying time, or if the sensor detects an abnormal surface condition, the system will not blindly continue operation. Instead, it will set the permitted status of Zone 2 to retest status, requiring manual or automatic inspection equipment to verify the coating quality before deciding whether to reopen the permit or proceed with the sanding and rework process. This series of processing logics fully demonstrates that the present invention can maintain the accuracy of timing control and the stability of coating quality when facing complex and ever-changing production disturbances, achieving a dual guarantee of production efficiency and process reliability.

[0109] Example 5: This example further illustrates state recognition and area-level permission control in a multi-layer spraying scenario. In a multi-layer spraying process, the system establishes an independent state record for each combination of area and coating. This state record includes at least the three-dimensional area version, coating or formula identity, required number of passes, number of passes completed, the time of the most recent actual coverage completion, flash-dry window, next pass permission status, and abnormal status. Specifically, the first coat of color paint, the second coat of color paint, each gradient pass of metallic or pearlescent paint, the first clear coat, and the final clear coat all use different layer identities. The system identifies the current layer based on the frozen task formula, spray gun trigger feedback, robot actual positioning record, and coverage unit completion event, rather than solely determining the layer based on color changes in the camera image.

[0110] For example, for different regions R1, R2, and R3 of the surface to be sprayed, the controller calls the corresponding region mask and parameter package respectively. After the first coat of paint is completed, only the completion time is written to its actual coverage unit; only after the flash-dry condition is met is subsequent paint or pearlescent paint allowed to be applied within the expanded R2 range. The clear coat stage uses an independent R3 complete coverage area. After the first clear coat is completed and the specified interlayer window is met, the final clear coat covers all the necessary coverage units of R3 again, instead of only covering the color difference center or using the completion mask of a certain coat of paint. By maintaining independent status records for each region and coating combination, the system can accurately track the completion progress and permission conditions of each layer in a multi-layer process, avoiding the risk of interlayer confusion or subsequent spraying based on the wrong layer identity.

[0111] Furthermore, in the event of a pause, gun change, paint batch change, parameter package version change, or vehicle relocation, the system freezes the permission for unstarted areas and coating combinations while retaining the factual record of completed tasks. Upon resumption, the system first verifies the task version, layer identity, time window, and remaining coverage units. If the maximum inter-layer window is exceeded or the previous complete coverage cannot be proven, the relevant area is switched to a retest, redo of the entire layer, or manual processing state, and is automatically completed without adding a local trajectory. This mechanism ensures the quality controllability and traceability of each layer during multi-layer spraying, maintaining the accuracy of area-level permission judgment even in dynamically changing environments.

[0112] Example 6: This example further illustrates the partitioned independent timing and interval priority scheduling strategy in a multi-station scenario. When the reachable work area of ​​the robotic arm corresponding to a vehicle station cannot cover the entire task area, the system can form multiple spraying zones based on the robotic arm's reach, joint reachability, safety distance, target surface distance, collision constraints, and spray width requirements, and associate each zone with one or more serviceable stations. During spraying, the vehicle remains stationary and reliably braked. Only after the spray gun at the current station is closed, the corresponding coverage completion event has been submitted, and the movement permission is valid, is the vehicle allowed to move to the next station.

[0113] Each partition and coating combination independently calculates the interlayer interval, with the timing starting from the actual completion event of the current layer coverage for that partition, rather than the start of the entire layer program, the end of the nominal trajectory, or the completion time of other partitions. The system can pre-estimate the execution time of all partitions; when a partition has reached the allowable window for the next layer, it can prioritize scheduling the next layer for that partition, without mechanically waiting for all partitions to complete their current layers. Only when process time conditions permit will the order of completing the current layers of all partitions before uniformly executing the next layer be adopted. For example, assuming the workpiece is divided into four spraying partitions, with partition one completing its current layer spraying first, when the interlayer interval of partition one meets the allowable conditions for the next layer, the scheduling control module can directly control the spraying actuator to return to partition one to execute the next layer operation, without waiting for partitions two, three, and four to complete their current layers, thereby reducing the idle waiting time of the actuator.

[0114] Scheduling priorities must simultaneously consider at least the earliest allowed time, latest allowed time, cumulative thin-layer status, station change costs, material or spray gun configuration, accessibility, and security clearance. Cross-station moves or task reordering must not overwrite the completion status of each partition; if the maximum interval is exceeded, a version change occurs, or complete coverage cannot be proven, the relevant partition will enter retesting, full-layer redo, or manual processing, rather than automatically inheriting the time status of other partitions. Through this partition-level independent timing and interval-priority scheduling strategy, the system achieves the same fine-grained timing control in multi-station scenarios as in single-station scenarios, ensuring independent controllability of coating quality in each partition while improving overall production efficiency through flexible cross-region scheduling.

[0115] Example 7: In a distributed implementation, the first node generates the external region, coverage, or trajectory; the second node maintains the cumulative thin-layer state and timing reference of the surface units; and the third node performs permission scheduling and robot control. Messages between nodes carry at least two of the following: task identifier, target or component identifier, coordinates or relative reference, surface version, coating type or operation identifier, planned or executed status, time information, and permission status. Different nodes may not be connected to the network in real time, but imported task states must not overwrite historical coverage facts already confirmed by physical feedback.

[0116] In one implementation of an external robot task import method, the robot controller receives an existing trajectory file or partitioning program. The timing control system maps the trajectory segment to one or more surface units based on the trajectory spray footprint, execution feedback, and current surface state, and maintains the actual completion time, cumulative thin layer state, and next operation permission for each unit. When the external trajectory version or coordinate reference changes, only the permission for the unstarted portion is reconstructed, without erasing confirmed deposition records.

[0117] This invention can also be implemented as a control device or robot system including a processor, memory, external task data interface, execution feedback interface, permission output interface, and robot control interface; it can also be implemented as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, a computer program product, or a distributed system composed of multiple control nodes. The program instructions cause the processor to perform surface cell association, actual coverage fact confirmation, thin-layer state update, permission calculation, scheduling control, and state write-back, and actually change the waiting, execution, retesting, abort, or restart state of the spraying actuator.

[0118] The technical effects of the above processing include: preventing external trajectories or upstream completion markers from bypassing local timing permissions, avoiding resetting the physical coating state when introducing new tasks, reducing repeated spraying, missed spraying and uncontrolled interlayer spacing, and enabling multiple actuators or distributed systems to share verifiable local deposition facts.

[0119] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the timing of multi-zone spraying, characterized in that, include: The system acquires multiple independently associatable surface units of the surface to be sprayed; these surface units are generated by a multi-region spraying timing control system, or formed by coordinates, regions, boundaries, coverage, trajectories, or robot tasks provided by external input; the surface units are represented as explicit discrete regions, or as local spatial ranges dynamically determined by continuous state fields, attribute fields, or runtime query rules; surface units formed by external input must be associated with target identity, coordinate reference, surface version, task version, and input source before entering timing control; permission control information is not generated when association is missing, conflicting, or invalid. When the spraying actuator completes the current spraying operation on the first surface unit, it records the timing reference information used to characterize the actual physical coverage and subsequent interlayer evolution, and updates the cumulative thin layer state of the first surface unit; the timing reference information includes at least one of the actual coverage completion time and local material state information used to characterize the degree of interlayer evolution of the coating after coverage. For each surface unit, based on the timing reference information and cumulative thin layer status of the previous spraying operation of the surface unit, the permission control information for the next spraying operation of the surface unit is determined. Based on the permission control information of each of the multiple surface units, the spraying actuator is controlled to perform the corresponding scheduling action. Upon completion of the next spraying operation, the timing reference information, cumulative thin-film status, and permissible control information of the corresponding surface unit are written back.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determination of the timing reference information includes at least one of the following: The actual completion time of the first surface unit is determined based on at least one of the physical execution feedback of the spraying actuator, actual path events, or planned coverage verification results; and / or, local material state information for characterizing the degree of interlayer evolution of the coating after coverage is determined based on at least one of surface temperature, wetting or evaporation state, solvent state, optical or electrical response, curing or crosslinking related detection results, and validated model estimation; wherein the time-series reference information is used to characterize the actual physical coverage fact and the evolution reference of subsequent spraying conditions; A completion of a plan, arrival at the endpoint of a trajectory, or a mission completion marker, if originating solely from external equipment or upstream program reports, does not constitute actual coverage completion on its own. It must be confirmed by at least one of the following: physical execution feedback, verified actual path events, effective spray coverage verification results, or local material status, before it can be considered valid.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the first surface unit is in a partially covered state or an abnormal interruption state, record the three-dimensional coordinates of the last confirmed execution position, the effective coverage ratio, and the spatial distribution of the uncovered part. Update the cumulative thin-film state of the first surface unit, including: Based on the effective coverage ratio, three-dimensional coordinates, and deposition parameters of the current spraying operation, the actual deposition amount of the first surface unit is calculated; The actual deposition amount is added to the historical deposition amount of the first surface unit to update the cumulative thin layer state; The deposition parameters include at least one of spray flow rate, spray distance, and moving speed.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The permission control information for determining the next spraying operation of the surface unit includes: Obtain at least one of the following parameters for the surface unit: coating system parameters, environmental parameters, and material state parameters; Based on the timing reference information of the previous spraying operation of the surface unit, the cumulative thin film state, coating system parameters, environmental parameters and material state parameters, determine at least one of the following for the next spraying operation: the earliest permitted time, the latest permitted time, the retest time, the executability result or the scheduling priority. The license control information is formed based on the earliest license time, latest license time, retest time, executability result, or scheduling priority; the license control information is represented by discrete license status, Boolean executability result, time window, continuous score, priority value, or a combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The method further includes: To generate licensed objects for surface units determined to be executable based on the license control information and their corresponding next spraying operation; Once the first spraying actuator receives the licensed object, it binds the licensed object to the first spraying actuator to prevent the second spraying actuator from performing the same spraying operation on the surface unit repeatedly during the effective occupancy period.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: When the spraying actuator experiences an interruption event, the system saves the three-dimensional coordinates of the last confirmed execution position, the current spraying operation, the actual coverage status, the interruption time, and the task version; and saves the reproducible positioning feature data corresponding to the three-dimensional coordinates, the common reference coordinates bound to the feature data, the area boundary marker, and the coordinate version; the reproducible positioning feature data includes at least one of the following: source image or image features, depth or point cloud features, geometric contour or surface features, artificial marker features, structured light or laser observation features, and spatial registration features; When resuming execution, the system determines whether to allow the current spraying operation to continue based on the maximum permissible flash-dry time for a single-layer task or the maximum permissible interlayer interval for a multi-layer task.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, When resuming execution, after determining whether to allow the current spraying operation to continue based on the maximum permissible flash-dry time for a single-layer task or the maximum permissible interlayer interval for a multi-layer task, the process further includes: When continued execution is permitted and a continue instruction is received, the current painting operation restarts from the parameterized overlap distance before the breakpoint or the nearest complete coverage unit. When the vehicle coordinates or task coordinates fail, the saved reproducible positioning feature data and its common reference coordinates are set as positioning anchor points independent of the failed coordinate system. During recovery, the currently acquired reproducible positioning feature data and the saved feature data are spatially geometrically registered. Based on the registration result, the pose transformation relationship of the current painting actuator relative to the common reference coordinates is reconstructed. The restart operation is only performed when the position recovery confidence, residual, area boundary, and task version consistency meet the thresholds. The amount of repeated deposition generated in the restored execution area is included in the cumulative thin-layer state; The parameterized overlap distance is determined based on the dimensions of the spray footprint in the current path direction and normal direction, the current moving speed, the stable spraying time, and material state parameters.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The permission control information is associated with configuration version information, which includes at least one of the following: task version, paint configuration version, process configuration version, and spray gun individual identity data; and includes at least one of the following: external task data source version, target or component version, coordinate or relative reference version, surface version, and upstream execution status version. The method further includes: When the configuration version information changes, freeze the license control information or licensed objects that have not yet started, and retain the completed time reference information and the record of the accumulated thin layer status; when the target identity, coordinate reference, surface version or upstream execution status of the external input area, coverage, trajectory or robot task changes or cannot be verified, the corresponding license is also frozen, and future licenses are rebuilt only after re-association without changing the confirmed physical coverage facts.

9. A multi-zone spraying timing control system, characterized in that, include: The surface unit management module is used to acquire multiple independently associative surface units of the surface to be sprayed. These surface units are generated by a multi-area spraying timing control system or formed by coordinates, regions, boundaries, coverage, trajectories, or robot tasks provided by external input. The surface units are represented by explicit discrete regions or by local spatial ranges dynamically determined by continuous state fields, attribute fields, or runtime query rules. The surface unit management module is also used to associate the externally input surface units with their target identity, coordinate reference, surface version, task version, and input source before entering timing control, and to prevent the corresponding surface units from entering the permitted calculation when the association is missing, conflicting, or invalid. The status recording module is used to record the timing reference information that characterizes the actual physical coverage and subsequent interlayer evolution reference when the spraying actuator completes the current spraying operation on the first surface unit, and to update the cumulative thin layer status of the first surface unit. The permission calculation module is used to determine the permission control information for the next spraying operation of each surface unit based on the timing reference information and cumulative thin layer status of the previous spraying operation of the surface unit. The scheduling and control module is used to control the spraying actuator to perform corresponding scheduling actions based on the permission control information of each of the multiple surface units. The status write-back module is used to write back the timing reference information, cumulative thin layer status, and permission control information of the corresponding surface unit after the next spraying operation is completed.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by the processor, it implements the multi-zone spraying timing control method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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