Substitutional Command Control for Cloud Robot Communication Delays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud robotics systems face challenges in maintaining reliable robot control due to communication failures, such as delays and losses of commands, which can lead to degraded or failed operations, especially in continuous control schemes where low transmission delay is critical.
Innovation Solution
A computing unit with a concealment component that detects missing commands and generates substitutional commands using a machine learning-based model, trained on typical and random robot trajectories, to ensure continuous operation by predicting control values based on sensor data and operation range limits, and initiates a safety stop when delays exceed a predetermined time limit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wireless connections are used in cloud robotics systems to enable remote control, then adaptability and ease of operation are improved, but reliability deteriorates due to communication delays and packet loss
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by predicting future robot states and generating compensation commands in advance. The prediction module forecasts robot states based on historical data and current conditions, then generates compensation commands before actual communication failures occur, allowing the system to proactively counteract potential delays or losses in command transmission
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the robot continuously reports its actual state back to the control system. This feedback loop enables the prediction module to adjust its forecasts based on actual versus predicted deviations, and allows the compensation command generator to create corrective commands that account for communication channel issues, thereby maintaining reliable control despite wireless transmission problems
2Reliability
If retransmission mechanisms are implemented for lost commands, then reliability is improved, but transmission delay increases which degrades continuous control performance
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of retransmitting original commands that may be outdated, the system creates compensation commands that are copies or alternatives based on predicted robot states. These compensation commands replicate the necessary control actions without requiring retransmission of potentially obsolete original commands, thus avoiding delays while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameters of control commands by generating compensation commands with adjusted timing and content based on predicted versus actual robot states. Rather than simply retransmitting original commands with unchanged parameters, the compensation commands are dynamically modified to account for communication delays, transforming the control approach from static retransmission to adaptive parameter adjustment
3Manufacturing precision
If continuous control with high frequency commands is used to achieve fine-grained movement, then manufacturing precision is improved, but the system becomes more vulnerable to communication failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies beforehand cushioning by generating compensation commands that anticipate and counteract the effects of communication failures. The prediction module forecasts potential deviations in robot state, and the compensation command generator creates protective control actions in advance, cushioning the system against the impact of communication interruptions and maintaining precision despite high-frequency control requirements
Data Source
AI summary
A technique for providing reliable control of a robot (304) in a cloud robotics system (300) is disclosed. A computing unit configured to execute a concealment component (100) for concealing delayed or lost commands sent to the robot (304) by a robot controller (302) in the cloud robotics system (300) comprises at least one processor and at least one memory, wherein the at least one memory contains instructions executable by the at least one processor such that the concealment component (100) is operable to detect a missing command expected to be received by the robot (304) from the robot controller (302), the missing command detected based on a delay or loss of the command in a communication path between the robot (304) and the robot controller (302), generate a substitutional command corresponding to an expected instruction of the missing command, and send the substitutional command to the robot (304).