Robot-Agnostic Mission GUI for Heterogeneous Fleet Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current robot management systems struggle to integrate and coordinate heterogeneous robot fleets across different vendors and types, lacking a robot-agnostic method to create and record sequences of commands, leading to inefficiencies and reliance on vendor-specific controllers, which hinders effective mission coordination.
Innovation Solution
A robot management system utilizing a robot-agnostic graphical user interface (GUI) that translates robot-agnostic commands into vendor-specific commands, records them in mission files, and identifies common tasks across different robots, enabling the creation of robot missions that can be executed by a diverse fleet of robots without requiring specific knowledge of each robot type.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If vendor-specific controllers are used to manage robot fleets, then each robot type can be controlled with precise vendor-specific commands, but the system complexity increases and integration across heterogeneous robot types becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a robot-agnostic mission file format as an intermediary layer between the control system and heterogeneous robots. This mission file serves as a universal interface that can be translated into vendor-specific commands, reducing the complexity of integrating different robot types while maintaining precise control capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal mission file format that can serve multiple robot types simultaneously. This single format can be adapted to control different vendor-specific robots through translation, eliminating the need for separate control systems for each robot type and reducing overall system complexity.
2Ease of operation
If robot-agnostic commands are implemented through a standardized mission file format, then coordination across heterogeneous robot fleets is simplified, but the precision of vendor-specific command execution may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the command structure into two distinct layers: a robot-agnostic mission file layer for high-level task coordination and a vendor-specific command layer for precise execution. This segmentation allows each layer to fulfill its specific function optimally without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic translation mechanism that adapts the standardized mission file format into vendor-specific commands based on the target robot type. This dynamic adaptation ensures that the precision requirements of each specific robot vendor are met while maintaining the benefits of a unified command interface.
3Reliability
If multiple vendor-specific command formats are supported simultaneously, then each robot type can execute tasks with optimal precision, but the operator burden increases due to the need to understand multiple command formats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a standardized copy or representation of robot tasks in the robot-agnostic mission file format. This standardized copy captures the essential task requirements without requiring operators to understand vendor-specific command formats, thereby reducing operator burden while maintaining execution reliability through accurate translation to the target robot format.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and robot management systems for building a robot mission are described, including: electronically receiving a first set of commands associated with operating a first robot device to perform a first set of tasks; recording the first set of commands to a first mission file; electronically receiving a second set of commands associated with operating a second robot device to perform a second set of tasks; recording the second set of commands to a second mission file; identifying a third set of tasks common to the first set of tasks and the second set of tasks; and providing the first mission file and the second mission file in response receiving a search request indicating one or more tasks of the third set of tasks.