Real-Time Robotic Control Error Handling Framework
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Real-time software control systems for industrial robots face challenges in identifying and handling errors effectively, particularly in complex environments where multiple software modules collaborate, leading to delayed detection and insufficient information for error resolution, which can result in system faults and operational disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A real-time robotic control framework that allows users to specify custom real-time control actions and reactions, providing error handling mechanisms to halt execution and display stack traces upon encountering bugs, enabling timely recovery and debugging within the same tick, thus maintaining system reliability and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional error handling mechanisms are used in real-time robotic control systems, then the system structure remains simple, but error detection is delayed and insufficient information is provided for error resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary error handling layer that sits between the real-time control code and the robot execution. This layer includes error condition definitions, error handlers, and a error handling framework that intercepts and processes errors before they propagate to the robot control, providing detailed error information without complicating the core real-time control structure
Solution Approach 2:
The error handling system is segmented into distinct components: error condition definitions (specifying what errors to watch for), error handlers (defining recovery actions), and an error handling framework (orchestrating the error response). This segmentation allows each component to be developed and maintained independently, improving reliability without overwhelming system complexity
2Measurement precision
If complex error handling mechanisms are implemented to identify and report errors in real-time, then error detection precision improves, but system execution time increases
Solution Approach 1:
Error conditions and handlers are defined in advance before real-time execution begins. The system pre-configures what errors to watch for and what recovery actions to take, allowing the error handling framework to quickly match and respond to errors during real-time operation without performing complex analysis that would delay execution
Solution Approach 2:
The error handling mechanism uses parameter-based error conditions that can be configured to match specific error patterns. By changing the parameters of what constitutes an error condition and how to respond, the system can achieve high detection precision for specific error types while maintaining fast execution through efficient pattern matching rather than comprehensive analysis
3Object-affected harmful factors
If real-time error handling is implemented to halt execution and execute recovery processes, then system safety improves, but operational continuity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The error handling system implements feedback through error handlers that define recovery actions. When an error is detected, the system executes the predefined recovery action (such as halting or returning to maintenance position), then provides feedback about the error and recovery outcome. This allows the system to maintain safety through immediate error response while enabling operational continuity by automatically recovering from recoverable errors without requiring full system shutdown
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for handling errors in a real-time robotic control system. One of the methods include: receiving a definition of a custom real-time action to be performed in real-time by the real-time robotic control system to control a robot; executing the custom real-time action according to the definition at each tick of a real-time control cycle to effectuate real-time operation of the robot, including: determining, by the custom real-time action, that a first error condition is satisfied, in response, returning a first error object from the custom real-time action to a real-time session which invoked the custom real-time action, receiving, by the real-time session, the first error object generated by the custom real-time action, and in response, executing a first recovery process.