Coordinator-Controlled Shared Environment Updates With Local Rollback
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Solution Overview
Problem
In shared automated environments, coordinating modifications among multiple users and devices to maintain a consistent environment model is challenging due to the need for synchronized updates across various controller devices, while allowing for concurrent modifications and ensuring data integrity.
Innovation Solution
Designating a coordinator device to manage updates to the environment model, allowing other devices to request and potentially implement modifications, while also enabling immediate local updates without propagating changes until accepted by the coordinator, and reverting if rejected, thus maintaining consistency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple users are allowed to modify the environment model concurrently, then the ease of operation and user collaboration is improved, but the risk of conflicts and data inconsistency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordinator device as an intermediary between multiple user devices and the environment model. The coordinator receives modification requests from multiple users, processes them sequentially, and manages the updates to maintain consistency. This mediator approach allows concurrent user access while preventing direct conflicts on the shared environment model.
Solution Approach 2:
The system requires users to submit modification requests to the coordinator before changes are applied to the environment model. The coordinator evaluates requests and determines acceptance or rejection in advance, preventing conflicting modifications from being applied simultaneously. This preliminary processing ensures data consistency before actual updates occur.
2Reliability
If a coordinator device is introduced to manage updates, then the data consistency and reliability are improved, but the device complexity and coordination overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The coordinator device combines multiple functions including receiving requests from multiple users, evaluating modification requests, managing the environment model updates, and communicating with all user devices. By merging these coordination functions into a single device, the system avoids the complexity of distributed coordination protocols while maintaining reliability.
3Ease of operation
If immediate local updates are allowed without propagation, then the ease of operation and responsiveness are improved, but the risk of data divergence and inconsistency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system allows user devices to immediately update their local environment model copies when requests are submitted, providing responsive feedback to users. However, the actual propagation of changes to other devices is controlled by the coordinator after evaluating the request, ensuring synchronization is maintained while preserving user experience.
Data Source
AI summary
Modifications made by multiple controller devices to an environment model describing a shared automated environment can be coordinated. One of the controller devices can be designated as a coordinator, and any controller device other than the coordinator can send an update request to the coordinator. The coordinator can determine whether to accept or reject the requested modification and can report its determination to the requesting controller device. If the coordinator accepts the request, the coordinator can instigate operations to update the environment model across all controller devices of all users. If the coordinator rejects the request, the environment model is not updated. The controller device that made the request can update its local copy of the environment model and roll back the update if the request is rejected.