Transferable Real-Time Clock for Deterministic Robotics Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Real-time software control systems for physical machines face issues such as random phase offsets and beating effects due to unsynchronized processes, leading to errors and performance hindrances in custom real-time control.
Innovation Solution
A real-time robotics control framework with transferable clock ownership synchronizes multiple software processes across different functional components, allowing for deterministic timing and minimizing errors by combining processes into a single execution unit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple software processes are executed independently in different processes, then each process can operate autonomously with its own timing, but phase offsets and beating effects occur leading to synchronization errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a clock object as an intermediary that mediates between multiple software processes. This clock object serves as a shared time reference that all processes can access and synchronize to, eliminating phase offsets and beating effects while preserving process autonomy. The clock object acts as the mediator that coordinates timing across processes without requiring them to be merged into a single process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If software modules are provided by different entities, then system versatility and integration of specialized functions are improved, but establishing clock synchronization becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The clock object is designed as a universal synchronization mechanism that can be shared across software modules from different entities. It provides a common time reference that works regardless of the origin or ownership of the software modules, enabling versatile multi-entity integration while maintaining simple synchronization coordination through a single unified clock interface.
3Reliability
If processes are pinned to distinct processor cores, then timing determinism is improved, but computational costs increase and flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple software processes into a single process that executes on a single processor core, eliminating the need to pin processes to distinct cores. By combining processes while maintaining their functional autonomy through the clock object synchronization mechanism, the system achieves timing determinism without the computational overhead and flexibility loss associated with multi-core pinning.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for a real-time robotics control framework that implements a real-time clock with transferable ownership. One of the systems being configured to operate a real-time control loop for a robot in multiple modes include a base mode and an augmented mode, wherein when operating the robot in the base mode, the system is configured to operate a base real-time control loop in which a start of each tick of the base real-time control loop is initiated by a real-time software control module, and wherein when operating the robot in the augmented mode, the system is configured to operate multiple real-time control loops comprising the base real-time control loop and a robot real-time control loop in which a start of each tick of the real-time control loop is initiated by the real-time software drive module.