Robot Control System with Segmented Workflow Engine
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robot control systems face challenges in maintaining real-time control and scenario management due to unstable network connections between robots and control clouds, leading to offline states and potential collisions.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a communication device and a controller that loads workflow engines into both the control cloud and the robot, allowing the control cloud and robot to interwork by determining the robot's and network's states and transmitting commands or scenarios accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot operates in offline state due to network infrastructure limitations, then the robot can continue service operations in shadow areas, but real-time control and state monitoring become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the workflow engine into two instances: one in the control cloud and one embedded in the robot. This allows the robot to independently execute scenarios downloaded beforehand when offline, while the cloud-based engine handles real-time control when connected, thus resolving the contradiction between offline adaptability and real-time control reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The scenario serves as an intermediary that transfers control logic from the cloud to the robot. The robot downloads scenarios containing workflow definitions before entering shadow areas, enabling autonomous operation without real-time cloud connection while maintaining control integrity through pre-synchronized scenarios
2Ease of operation
If the scenario engine is embedded in the robot, then the robot can operate autonomously offline, but it becomes difficult to identify and control the robot state in real time
Solution Approach 1:
The robot's embedded workflow engine continuously reports execution status, current scene index, and task progress back to the control cloud when connected. This feedback mechanism ensures real-time state visibility while maintaining autonomous operation capability through the embedded engine, resolving the contradiction between autonomy and state monitoring
3Reliability
If the control cloud manages the scenario engine, then real-time control is improved, but the robot cannot operate autonomously in offline or shadow areas
Solution Approach 1:
The workflow engine is segmented into cloud-based and embedded instances. The cloud engine provides real-time control when connected, while the embedded engine enables autonomous offline operation by executing pre-downloaded scenarios, thus resolving the contradiction between real-time control and offline adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The robot performs preliminary actions by downloading scenarios and workflow definitions from the control cloud before entering shadow areas or offline states. This preliminary synchronization enables autonomous operation without real-time connection while maintaining control integrity through pre-fetched control logic
Data Source
AI summary
A system for controlling a robot is provided. The system may comprise a controller configured to communicate with a robot, over a network via a communication device, wherein the controller may comprise a workflow engine and configured to determine a state of the robot and a state of the network, transmit at least one of a command or a scenario to the robot, cause, based on a first state of the robot, the robot to receive a task group from the controller, and perform an operation associated with the command, wherein the command is associated with at least one task of the task group, and cause, based on a second state of the robot, the robot to receive the scenario from the controller, apply, to another workflow engine, the scenario to obtain a plurality of tasks, and perform an operation associated with the plurality of tasks.