Work Planner Divider Adjustor for Robot Task Coordination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing work planners fail to efficiently coordinate actions among multiple executors, such as robots, leading to overlapping tasks and unreliable work plans due to fixed start times and lack of flexibility in handling changes in action durations.
Innovation Solution
A work planner system that divides actions among multiple executors and adjusts start times based on dependency information, ensuring non-overlapping tasks and flexibility in handling changes in action durations through a divider and adjustor module.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If fixed start times are assigned to actions involving multiple executors, then the work plan structure is simple and easy to manage, but task overlaps occur and reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic start time adjustment by introducing an adjustor that modifies start times of actions based on dependency relationships. Instead of fixed start times, the system dynamically calculates and adjusts start times to prevent overlaps while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. This resolves the contradiction by making the start time assignment flexible rather than rigid.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the adjustor continuously monitors action dependencies and adjusts start times accordingly. When an action's duration changes or dependencies are identified, the system feedbacks this information to recalculate and adjust start times, ensuring reliability without requiring complex pre-planning.
2Productivity
If actions are assigned to multiple executors simultaneously, then productivity increases through parallel execution, but coordination complexity increases and task overlaps occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing actions into smaller sub-actions that can be independently assigned to different executors. The divider component automatically splits actions based on executor availability and dependencies, allowing parallel execution while reducing coordination complexity through modular task assignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustor acts as an intermediary between actions and executors, mediating the assignment and timing of tasks. It coordinates multiple executors by calculating optimal start times based on dependencies, enabling parallel execution without direct complex coordination between executors themselves.
3Ease of operation
If start times are fixed in advance, then the work plan is easy to schedule and manage, but flexibility to handle duration changes is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains ease of scheduling through automated algorithms while introducing dynamic adaptability. The adjustor automatically recalculates start times when duration changes occur, providing flexibility without requiring manual rescheduling. This keeps the operation simple for users while adapting to changes automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of start time from fixed to variable based on actual execution conditions. When action durations change, the system automatically adjusts start time parameters to maintain optimal scheduling, combining ease of management with adaptability to changes.
4Device complexity
If actions involving multiple executors are kept as unified actions, then the work plan structure is simple, but coordination difficulty increases and overlaps cannot be prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The divider automatically segments unified actions into sub-actions assigned to individual executors. This maintains a simple overall work plan structure while enabling precise coordination of each executor's tasks, preventing overlaps through automated division and timing adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustor serves as an intermediary that coordinates the divided actions across multiple executors. It manages the complexity of coordination by calculating and adjusting start times based on dependencies, keeping the work plan structure simple while ensuring proper task coordination.
Data Source
AI summary
A work planner includes a divider and an adjustor. Based on action information including a plurality of first actions indicating work units that involve one executor or a plurality of executors including a robot and that start at respective defined start timings, the divider is configured to divide one action among the plurality of first actions that involves the plurality of executors into a plurality of second actions corresponding to the respective plurality of executors. Based on dependency information indicating a relationship of dependency among the plurality of first actions including the plurality of second actions, the adjustor is configured to adjust a start timing of at least one of third actions, among the plurality of first actions, that involve an identical executor.