Control system for coordinating robotic machines to collaborate on tasks

• US 10,065,317 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Tan, Huan, Lizzi, John Michael, Theurer, Charles Burton, Kannan, Balajee, Patrick, Romano
• Primary Examiner(s): Bendidi, Rachid
• Application Number:
  US15/198,673
• Publication Number:
  US 20180001476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/16 Programme controls programme controls in general G05B19/00, e.g. numerical pogramme controls G05B19/18; recording or playback systems G05B19/42
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1666 Avoiding collision or forbidden zones
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1682 Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: B61G 5/08 for fluid conduits
• CPC Class Codes: B61G 7/04 Coupling or uncoupling by means of trackside apparatus

Abstract

A system includes first and second robotic machines and a task manager. The first and second robotic machines have respective first and second sets of capabilities for interacting with a surrounding environment. The task manager selects the first and second robotic machines from a group to perform a task based on the first and second sets of capabilities of the robotic machines. The task involves manipulating and/or inspecting a target object of a vehicle. The task manager assigns a first sequence of sub-tasks to be performed by the first robotic machine and a second sequence of sub-tasks to be performed by the second robotic machine. The first and second robotic machines are configured to coordinate performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks by the first robotic machine with performance of the second sequence of sub-tasks by the second robotic machine to accomplish the task.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first robotic machine having a first set of capabilities for interacting with a surrounding environment;

a second robotic machine having a second set of capabilities for interacting with the surrounding environment; and

a task manager having one or more processors, the task manager configured to select the first and second robotic machines from a group of robotic machines to perform a task that involves at least one of manipulating or inspecting a brake actuator of a vehicle that is separate from the first and second robotic machines, the task manager configured to select the first and second robotic machines to perform the task based on the first and second sets of capabilities of the respective first and second robotic machines, the task manager assigning a first sequence of sub-tasks to the first robotic machine for performance by the first robotic machine and a second sequence of sub-tasks to the second robotic machine for performance by the second robotic machine,

wherein the first and second robotic machines are configured to coordinate performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks by the first robotic machine with performance of the second sequence of sub-tasks by the second robotic machine to accomplish the task,

wherein the first robotic machine is configured to perform the first sequence of sub-tasks by flying at least one of above or along a side of the vehicle, identifying the brake actuator of the vehicle, determining a position of the brake actuator relative to the vehicle, and providing a notification to the second robotic machine of the position of the brake actuator, and

wherein the second robotic machine is configured to perform the second sequence of sub-tasks by moving on the ground to the vehicle proximate to the brake actuator responsive to the notification from the first robotic machine indicating that the brake actuator is in a non-actuated position, extending a robotic arm of the second robotic machine to the brake actuator, engaging and manipulating the brake actuator to move the brake actuator from the non-actuated position to an actuated position relative to the vehicle, releasing the brake actuator, and retracting the robotic arm.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second set of capabilities of the second robotic machine includes at least one capability that differs from the first set of capabilities of the first robotic machine.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the task includes at least one of actuating a brake lever that represents the brake actuator to open a valve of an air brake system of the vehicle, setting or releasing a hand brake of the vehicle that represents the brake actuator, mechanically coupling or uncoupling the vehicle relative to another vehicle, or connecting or disconnecting an air hose of the vehicle relative to an air hose of another vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second robotic machines coordinate performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks by the first robotic machine with the performance of the second sequence of sub-tasks by the second robotic machine by communicating directly with each other.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein, responsive to completing a corresponding sub-task in the first sequence, the first robotic machine is configured to notify the second robotic machine that the corresponding sub-task is completed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the sub-tasks are sequential such that the second robotic machine is configured to begin performance of a corresponding sub-task in the second sequence responsive to receiving a notification from the first robotic machine that the first robotic machine has completed a specific sub-task in the first sequence.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first robotic machine is configured to perform at least one of the sub-tasks in the first sequence concurrently with performance of at least one of the sub-tasks in the second sequence by the second robotic machine.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the task manager is configured to access a database that stores capability descriptions corresponding to each of the robotic machines in the group of robotic machines, the task manager configured to select the first and second robotic machines to perform the task instead of other robotic machines in the group based on a suitability of the capability descriptions of the first and second robotic machines to the task.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the first robotic machine is configured to perform the first sequence of sub-tasks by lifting the second robotic machine from a starting location to a lifted location such that the second robotic machine in the lifted location is disposed more proximate to the brake actuator of the vehicle than when the second robotic machine is in the starting location, and, responsive to receiving a notification from the second robotic machine that manipulation of the brake actuator is complete, lowering the second robotic machine back to the starting location.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a first vehicle of a vehicle system that includes multiple vehicles coupled together, the first robotic machine further configured to perform the first sequence of sub-tasks by extending a robotic arm of the first robotic machine and grasping an air hose of the first vehicle, the second robotic machine further configured to perform the second sequence of sub-tasks by extending the robotic arm of the second robotic machine to an air hose of a second vehicle adjacent to the first vehicle in the vehicle system and grasping the air hose, the robotic arms of the first and second robotic machines moving relative to one another with the corresponding air hoses to at least one of connect or disconnect the air hoses of the first and second vehicles.

11. A system comprising:

a first robotic machine having a first set of capabilities for interacting with a surrounding environment, the first robotic machine configured to receive a first sequence of sub-tasks related to the first set of capabilities of the first robotic machine; and

a second robotic machine having a second set of capabilities for interacting with the surrounding environment, the second robotic machine configured to receive a second sequence of sub-tasks related to the second set of capabilities of the second robotic machine,

wherein the first and second robotic machines are configured to perform the first and second sequences of sub-tasks, respectively, to accomplish a task that involves at least one of manipulating or inspecting a brake actuator of a vehicle that is separate from the first and second robotic machines, the first and second robotic machines configured to coordinate performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks by the first robotic machine with performance of the second sequence of sub-tasks by the second robotic machine,

wherein the first robotic machine is configured to perform the first sequence of sub-tasks by flying at least one of above or along a side of the vehicle, identifying the brake actuator of the vehicle, determining a position of the brake actuator relative to the vehicle, and providing a notification to the second robotic machine of the position of the brake actuator, and

wherein the second robotic machine is configured to perform the second sequence of sub-tasks by moving on the ground to the vehicle proximate to the brake actuator responsive to the notification from the first robotic machine indicating that the brake actuator is in a non-actuated position, extending a robotic arm of the second robotic machine to the brake actuator, engaging and manipulating the brake actuator to move the brake actuator from the non-actuated position to an actuated position relative to the vehicle, releasing the brake actuator, and retracting the robotic arm.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the second set of capabilities of the second robotic machine includes at least one capability that differs from the first set of capabilities of the first robotic machine.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the task includes at least one of actuating a brake lever that represents the brake actuator to open a valve of an air brake system of the vehicle, setting or releasing a hand brake of the vehicle that represents the brake actuator, mechanically coupling or uncoupling the vehicle relative to another vehicle, or connecting or disconnecting an air hose of the vehicle relative to an air hose of another vehicle.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein at least some of the sub-tasks are sequential such that the second robotic machine is configured to begin performance of a corresponding sub-task in the second sequence responsive to receiving a notification from the first robotic machine that the first robotic machine has completed a specific sub-task in the first sequence.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the first robotic machine is configured to perform the first sequence of sub-tasks by lifting the second robotic machine from a starting location to a lifted location such that the second robotic machine in the lifted location is disposed more proximate to the brake actuator of the vehicle than when the second robotic machine is in the starting location, and, responsive to receiving a notification from the second robotic machine that manipulation of the brake actuator is complete, lowering the second robotic machine back to the starting location.

16. A system comprising:

a first robotic machine having a set of capabilities for interacting with a surrounding environment, the first robotic machine having a communication circuit configured to receive a first sequence of sub-tasks for performing a task that involves at least one of manipulating or inspecting a brake actuator of a vehicle that is separate from the first robotic machine, the first sequence of sub-tasks related to the set of capabilities of the first robotic machine, the first robotic machine configured to perform the first sequence of sub-tasks, and to communicate with a second robotic machine during the performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks, the second robotic machine being separate from the vehicle and configured to perform a second sequence of sub-tasks for performing the task,

wherein the first robotic machine is configured to perform the first sequence of sub-tasks by flying at least one of above or along a side of the vehicle, identifying the brake actuator of the vehicle, determining a position of the brake actuator relative to the vehicle, and providing a notification to the second robotic machine of the position of the brake actuator,

wherein the second robotic machine is configured to perform the second sequence of sub-tasks by moving on the ground to the vehicle proximate to the brake actuator responsive to the notification from the first robotic machine indicating that the brake actuator is in a non-actuated position, extending a robotic arm of the second robotic machine to the brake actuator, engaging and manipulating the brake actuator to move the brake actuator from the non-actuated position to an actuated position relative to the vehicle, releasing the brake actuator, and retracting the robotic arm, and

wherein completion of both the first and second sequences of sub-tasks accomplishes the task.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first robotic machine is configured to communicate with the second robotic machine during the performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks to coordinate with the second robotic machine such that the first robotic machine starts a corresponding sub-task in the first sequence responsive to a received notification from the second robotic machine that the second robotic machine has at least one of started or completed a specific sub-task in the second sequence.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein, responsive to completing a corresponding sub-task in the first sequence, the first robotic machine is configured to transmit a notification to the second robotic machine that the corresponding sub-task is completed.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the robotic arm of the second robotic machine is configured to engage the brake actuator by grasping the brake actuator.