System controlling exclusive access by control programs to system resources

• US 20030100957A1
• Filed: 11/27/2001
• Published: 05/29/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Original Assignee: KUKA Roboter GmbH (Midea Group Co., Ltd)
• Inventors: Kneifel, R. William II, Stoddard, Kenneth A., Volcic, Edward, Chaffee, Michael C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,114,157 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/18
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/042 using digital processors G05B19/05 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32239 Avoid deadlock, lockup
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32328 Dynamic scheduling, resource allocation, multi agent negotiation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35283 Plausibility check for function, program, inhibit dangerous, unallowed program
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/39135 For multiple manipulators operating at same time, avoid collision
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

The present invention is a system for controlling exclusive access by control programs (30) to system resources (52). A system in accordance with the invention includes a plurality of addressable locations (12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22) in the system; a communication system (24) connecting the addressable locations which transmits communications between the addressable locations; a plurality of machines (26), the machines being located at at least one of the addressable locations; a plurality of control programs which use resources including a plurality of machine control programs, each machine control program controlling at least one machine; and a plurality of resource managers (32), the resource managers being located at a plurality of the addressable locations, each resource manager communicating over the communication system with at least one other resource manager, and the plurality of resource managers arbitrating which control program of the plurality of control programs is given exclusive use of at least one resource during execution of the control program.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a plurality of addressable locations in the system;

a communication system connecting the addressable locations which transmits communications between the addressable locations;

a plurality of machines or processes, the machines or processes being located at at least one of the addressable locations;

a plurality of control programs which use resources including a plurality of machine or process control programs, each machine or process control program controlling at least one machine or process; and

a plurality of resource managers, the resource managers being located at a plurality of the addressable locations, each resource manager communicating over the communication system with at least one other resource manager, and the plurality of resource managers arbitrating which control program of the plurality of control programs is given exclusive use of at least one resource during execution of the control program.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the at least one resource is a physical workspace that is at least in part shared by at least two machines.

3. A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

the physical workspace is defined logically.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the at least one resource is control of an input/output function shared between the machines.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the at least one resource effects transport of items processed by the machines.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the at least one resource is control of exchange of tools used by the machines.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the at least one resource is control of processing performed at processing stations in a manufacturing process.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the at least one resource is control of a sensor system.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the control pro gram is executed by a computer located at an addressable location in the system.

10. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein:

the computer comprises a general purpose industrial computer.

11. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein:

the computer comprises a personal computer.

12. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein:

the computer comprises a machine controller.

13. A system in accordance with claim 9 wherein:

the computer comprises a programmable logic controller.

14. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

at least one resource manager is executed by a computer located at an addressable location in the system.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14 wherein:

the computer comprises a general purpose industrial computer.

16. A system in accordance with claim 14 wherein:

the computer comprises a personal computer.

17. A system in accordance with claim 14 wherein:

the computer comprises a machine controller.

18. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the control program uses a resource that is controlled locally by a resource manager at the same addressable location as the control program.

19. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the control program uses a resource that is controlled remotely by a resource manager at an addressable location different from the control program.

20. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the at least one resource comprises a data object.

21. A system in accordance with claim 1 comprising:

a human machine interface, coupled to at least one resource manager, which provides a point of access to the at least one resource manager, to permit establishing of the resources under control of the at least one resource manager, to observe the state of the resources under the control of the at least one resource manager and to modify the state of the resources under the control of the at least one resource manager.

22. A system in accordance with claim 21 wherein:

the human machine interface is local to at least one of the resource managers.

23. A system in accordance with claim 21 wherein:

the human machine interface has access to at least one resource manager through at least one other resource manager.

24. A system in accordance with claim 21 wherein:

the human machine interface is remote from the at least one of the machines controlled by the at least one resource manager.

25. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

during arbitration, at least one resource manager communicates over the communication system to another resource manager which is associated with at least some of the plurality of control programs.

26. A system in accordance with claim 1 comprising:

each resource manager arbitrates access to a plurality of resources with access to the plurality of resources being in a set order;

each resource manager tracks each control program requesting control of the resources and in what order; and

if a control program requests access to at least two resources out of the set order, a warning is issued that a deadlock between the control program requesting access to the at least two resources and another control program is possible.

27. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of resource managers collaborate to determine if a set of machine control programs requesting access to a set of resources is found to form a deadlock and then the deadlock state is communicated to the user.

28. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the plurality of machines are robots which use a plurality of workspaces which at least in part are located within a mutual workspace.

29. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the control program includes user programmable instructions to the plurality of resource managers to control the state of the at least one resource.

30. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the communication system is a wireless system.

31. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the communication system is a wire line system.

32. A system in accordance with claim 30 wherein:

the wire line system is an Ethernet system.

33. A system comprising:

a plurality of addressable locations in the system;

a communication system connecting the addressable location which transmits communications between the addressable locations;

a plurality of machines or processes, the machines or processes being located at at least one of the addressable locations;

a group of control programs including a plurality of machine or process control programs, each machine or process control program controlling at least one machine or process; and

a plurality of resource managers, the resource managers being located at a plurality of the addressable locations, each resource manager communicating over the communication system with at least one other resource manager, such that the resource managers implement at least one interlock on behalf of at least one resource, each interlock providing mutually exclusive use of at least one resource by one of the control programs, each interlock being controlled by programmable instructions from within the one of the control programs.

34. A system in accordance with claim 33 wherein:

the instructions are user instructions.