Dual-Network Robot Control for Faster Cycles and Redundant Sensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot systems face challenges in improving the control period due to increased communication volume and complexity, particularly with redundant sensor value acquisition systems, which can lead to safety concerns and operational inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A robot system with at least two control devices and dual communication mediums that selectively operate in different modes to optimize communication, allowing for reduced communication periods in normal conditions and redundant communication in abnormal conditions, ensuring reliable data transfer and improved safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If redundant sensor value acquisition system is implemented with two communication lines for each sensor, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and communication volume increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides control devices into two groups: head control devices that require redundant communication for safety-critical operations, and body control devices that use single communication lines for non-critical functions. This segmentation allows reliability enhancement only where necessary, reducing overall system complexity and communication volume.
Solution Approach 2:
Redundant communication lines are applied selectively to specific control devices based on their functional importance. Head control devices receive dual communication lines for high reliability, while body control devices use single lines, creating local quality differences that optimize the balance between reliability and complexity.
2Reliability
If redundant sensor value acquisition system is implemented with two communication lines for each sensor, then reliability is improved, but communication volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication system is segmented into redundant channels for head control devices and single channels for body control devices. This reduces the total quantity of communication data by eliminating unnecessary redundant transmissions from non-critical devices while maintaining safety-critical redundancy where needed.
3Productivity
If control period is reduced for improved responsiveness, then productivity is improved, but communication complexity and error handling requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system implements different control periods for different device groups: short control periods for head control devices to ensure rapid response to safety-critical events, and longer control periods for body control devices. This segmentation improves overall productivity by optimizing responsiveness where needed without unnecessarily increasing communication frequency and complexity system-wide.
Solution Approach 2:
Different quality levels of control responsiveness are applied locally: high-speed control for head devices requiring immediate response, and standard-speed control for body devices. This local quality differentiation achieves improved productivity through targeted responsiveness while avoiding uniform system-wide complexity increases.
Data Source
AI summary
A robot system includes a robot body, at least two first control devices provided in the robot body, a second control device that communicates with the first control devices, and first and second communication media each enabling the first control devices to communicate with the second control device. The second control device selectively operates in one of a first mode and a second mode. In the first mode, the second control device transmits information to a subset of the first control devices not using the second communication medium and using the first communication medium, and the second control device transmits information to the other first control devices not using the first communication medium and using the second communication medium, and in the second mode, the second control device transmits information to all the first control devices using both the first communication medium and second communication medium.