Multi-Robot Control Switching With Permission Conflict Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems require multiple user interfaces for operators to manually control a plurality of robots, which is inefficient and impractical.
Innovation Solution
A robot system with multiple slave arms, master arms, motion controllers, operation target selectors, and an operation permitting device that allows a single master arm to control multiple slave arms, enabling manual or automatic operation modes and preventing simultaneous manipulation by different master arms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If multiple master arms are prepared to manually control multiple slave arms, then each slave arm can be controlled independently, but the system complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
A single master arm is designed to perform multiple functions by sequentially controlling different slave arms. The master arm serves as a universal control interface that can operate any slave arm in the system, eliminating the need for dedicated master arms for each slave arm while maintaining independent control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
An operation permitting device acts as an intermediary between the master arm and multiple slave arms. This mediator manages permission requests, determines whether permission should be granted based on current system state, and coordinates control rights, enabling one master arm to safely control multiple slave arms without direct one-to-one pairing.
2Device complexity
If a single master arm controls multiple slave arms, then the number of user interfaces is reduced, but the risk of simultaneous manipulation and control conflicts increases
Solution Approach 1:
The operation permitting device implements a feedback mechanism by receiving permission requests from the master arm, checking the current operational state of slave arms, and returning permission decisions. This feedback loop ensures that permission is only granted when safe, preventing simultaneous manipulation conflicts while maintaining system accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary checks before granting control permission. The operation permitting device evaluates the current state of slave arms and determines permission eligibility in advance, before the master arm actually takes control. This preliminary action prevents conflicting operations from being initiated simultaneously.
3Productivity
If automatic operation mode is used for all slave arms, then operational efficiency is high, but the ability to handle abnormalities and perform complex tasks decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between automatic and manual operation modes based on task requirements and system state. Slave arms can operate in automatic mode for routine high-efficiency tasks, while the master arm can take over for abnormal situations or complex operations, providing adaptive operational flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The operation mode parameter of slave arms can be changed between automatic and manual states. This parameter change allows the system to transition from high-efficiency automatic operation to flexible manual control when abnormalities occur or when complex tasks require human judgment, maintaining both productivity and adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
A robot system includes a plurality of robot bodies, a plurality of operation devices each configured to accept operation and generate operational information for causing the robot body to operate, a plurality of motion controllers configured to control operation of the corresponding robot body in response to the operational information, a plurality of operation target selectors configured to receive an operation for selecting any of the plurality of robot bodies and request a permission to operate the selected robot body based on the operational information from the corresponding operation device, and an operation permitting device having a determinator configured to receive the permission request from the operation target selector and determine whether a permission is to be granted for the permission request. When the permission request is received, and the operation of the robot body selected by the operation target selector based on the operational information from a different operation device is permitted, the determinator prohibits the permission to the permission request.