Information processing device, information processing method, and robot apparatus

• US 20030040839A1
• Filed: 08/09/2002
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sabe, Kohtaro, Kawamoto, Kenta
• Granted Patent: US 7,228,201 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4187 by tool management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/008 based on physical entities controlled by simulated intelligence so as to replicate intelligent life forms, e.g. based on robots replicating pets or humans in their appearance or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A robot device (1) has a central processing process (CPU) having a plurality of objects and adapted for carrying out control processing on the basis inter-object communication carried out between the objects, the central processing process controlling accesses by the plurality of objects to a shared memory shared by the plurality of objects and thus carrying out inter-object communication. Specifically, the central processing process generates pointers P11, P12, P13, P21, P22 in accordance with accesses by the objects to predetermined areas M1, M2 on a shared memory M, then measures the pointers by the corresponding number-of-reference measuring objects RO1, RO2, and controls the accesses in accordance with the number of pointers measured, thereby carrying out inter-object communication. This enables easy realization of smooth inter-process communication.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising control means having a plurality of information processing processes and adapted for carrying out control processing based on inter-process communication carried out between the information processing processes, the control means controlling accesses by the plurality of information processing processes to a shared memory shared by the plurality of information processing processes and thus carrying out inter-process communication.

2. The information processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the information processing processes are made up of programs prepared on the basis of an object-oriented system.

3. The information processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein as the control means, in the inter-process communication, controls accesses by the plurality of information processing processes to data in the same area on the shared memory, the data is shared by the plurality of information processes.

4. The information processing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein as the control means, in the inter-process communication, automatically allocates the same area on the shared memory in which data is to be recorded, as a transmission buffer used for the inter-process communication.

5. The information processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means controls the accesses by the plurality of information processing processes to the shared memory by using a communication management process.

6. The information processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means transmits a message for accessing the shared memory by the information processing processes constituted in different memory spaces, and controls the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes on the basis of the message.

7. The information processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means controls the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes on the basis of the number of accesses to the shared memory by the information processing processes.

8. The information processing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control means generates pointers in accordance with the accesses to the shared memory by the information processing processes and controls the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes on the basis of the number of pointers as the number of accesses.

9. The information processing device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control means has a number-of-access measuring process for measuring the number of accesses and enables dynamic change of a communication counterpart in the inter-process communication, and

the control means controls the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes on the basis of the number of accesses measured by the number-of-access measuring process.

10. The information processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of information processing processes are constituted in different memory spaces, respectively, and

the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes are made over the different memory spaces.

11. The information processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means controls the access to the shared memory on the basis of the processing cycle of the information processing process on the receiving side.

12. The information processing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control means generates a queue for the access to the shared memory on the basis of the load on the information processing process on the receiving side, and controls the access to the shared memory in accordance with the queue.

13. An information processing method having a plurality of information processing processes and adapted for carrying out control processing based on inter-process communication carried out between the information processing processes, the information processing method comprising controlling accesses by the plurality of information processing processes to a shared memory shared by the plurality of information processing processes and thus carrying out inter-process communication.

14. A robot device comprising:

output means for expressing a motion; and

control means having a plurality of information processing processes and adapted for carrying out control processing of the output means based on inter-process communication carried out between the information processing processes, the control means controlling accesses by the plurality of information processing processes to a shared memory shared by the plurality of information processing processes and thus carrying out inter-process communication.

15. The robot device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the information processing processes are made up of programs prepared on the basis of an object-oriented system.

16. The robot device as claimed in claim 14, wherein as the control means, in the inter-process communication, controls accesses by the plurality of information processing processes to data in the same area on the shared memory, the data is shared by the plurality of information processes.

17. The robot device as claimed in claim 16, wherein as the control means, in the inter-process communication, automatically allocates the same area on the shared memory in which data is to be recorded, as a transmission buffer used for the inter-process communication.

18. The robot device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control means controls the accesses by the plurality of information processing processes to the shared memory by using a communication management process.

19. The robot device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control means transmits a message for accessing the shared memory by the information processing processes constituted in different memory spaces, and controls the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes on the basis of the message.

20. The robot device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control means controls the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes on the basis of the number of accesses to the shared memory by the information processing processes.

21. The robot device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the control means generates pointers in accordance with the accesses to the shared memory by the information processing processes and controls the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes on the basis of the number of pointers as the number of accesses.

22. The robot device as claimed in claim 21, wherein the control means has a number-of-access measuring process for measuring the number of accesses and enables dynamic change of a communication counterpart in the inter-process communication, and

the control means controls the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes on the basis of the number of accesses measured by the number-of-access measuring process.

23. The robot device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the plurality of information processing processes are constituted in different memory spaces, respectively, and

the accesses to the shared memory by the plurality of information processing processes are made over the different memory spaces.

24. The robot device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control means controls the access to the shared memory on the basis of the processing cycle of the information processing process on the receiving side.

25. The robot device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the control means generates a queue for the access to the shared memory on the basis of the load on the information processing process on the receiving side, and controls the access to the shared memory in accordance with the queue.