Cross-Control Workflow Scripting Without Runtime Recompilation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated systems for executing workflow tasks across control objects, such as robots, face limitations including poor openness, instability, and low programming efficiency due to the need for re-compilation of runtime executors, inadequate version control, and difficulty in data visualization.
Innovation Solution
The system provides an interpretable and executable textual description for workflow tasks, allowing dynamic creation of function blocks without re-compilation, using a script engine to generate and execute text-based scripts, thereby improving user programming efficiency and stability through middleware-assisted data exchange and visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a runtime executor is re-compiled when a new function is added, then the system maintains strict type safety and compilation correctness, but the programming efficiency decreases and the system becomes less adaptable
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the runtime executor from the function block definitions. The runtime executor remains fixed and compiled, while function blocks are defined externally through XML configuration files. This segmentation allows the runtime to maintain type safety without requiring re-compilation when new functions are added, as new functions are simply registered through configuration rather than code modification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges the function block definitions with the runtime executor during execution. The XML-based function block definitions are dynamically loaded and integrated with the compiled runtime executor, allowing new functions to be combined with the existing runtime without re-compilation. This merging occurs at runtime through dynamic registration and loading mechanisms.
2Reliability
If function blocks are defined by C++, then the system maintains strong typing and compile-time checking, but the openness decreases and user accessibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an XML-based configuration format as an intermediary between the C++ runtime executor and user-defined function blocks. This intermediary allows users to define function blocks using a more accessible XML syntax rather than requiring C++ programming knowledge, while the runtime executor maintains type safety through its compiled C++ implementation. The XML serves as a bridge that preserves type safety while improving accessibility.
3Manufacturing precision
If the runtime executor requires re-compilation for new functions, then the system maintains execution precision and type checking, but the device complexity increases and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes the function block registry dynamic rather than static. Instead of requiring re-compilation to add new functions, the system dynamically loads and registers function blocks from XML configuration files at runtime. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to new functions without changing the compiled runtime executor, reducing system complexity while maintaining execution precision through the existing type-safe runtime.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments include systems and/or methods for executing a workflow task across control objects. An example method includes: receiving, from a programming tool, workflow description data associated with a workflow task executed across at least one control object; extracting, from the workflow description data, a workflow task model associated with the at least one control object; generating, on the basis of the workflow task model, a text-based script for realizing the workflow task; and interpreting and executing the script using a script engine.