CONTROL SYNCHRONIZATION FOR HIGH-LATENCY TELEOPERATION

• US 20150120048A1
• Filed: 10/24/2013
• Published: 04/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Harris Corporation (L3Harris Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Summer, Matthew D., Bosscher, Paul M., Summer, Michael J., Ortega-Morales, Miguel
• Granted Patent: US 9,144,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/254
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1689 Teleoperation
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1692 Calibration of manipulator
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40147 Variable time delay, through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40149 Local intelligence for global planning, remote intelligence for tuning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40151 Time delay, problems caused by time delay between local and remote
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40174 Robot teleoperation through internet
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0022 characterised by the communication link data switching networks in general H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/02 Arm motion controller

Abstract

Robotic system (100) includes a processing device (512) and a plurality of robot actuators (501) to cause a specified motion of the robot (102). The processing device (512) responds to one or more user robot commands (115) initiated by a control operator input at a remote control console (108). A user robot command will specify a first movement of the robot from a first position to a second position. The processing device will compare a current pose of the robot to an earlier pose of the robot to determine a difference between the current pose and the earlier pose. Based on this comparing, the processing device will selectively transform the user robot command to a latency-corrected robot command which specifies a second movement for the robot which is different from the first movement.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a robotic system, comprising:

receiving at a control console a user input to generate a user robot command specifying a first action of a robot;

comparing a current state of the robot to an earlier state of the robot;

responsive to determining a difference between the current state and the earlier state, selectively transforming the user robot command to a latency-corrected robot command that specifies a second action for the robot which is different from the first action.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said first action is a first movement of said robot from a first position or orientation to a second position or orientation, and the second action is a second movement of said robot different from the first movement.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said current state includes at least one of a current pose of the robot and a current orientation of the robot.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting as the earlier state a state of the robot as represented to a robot control operator at a time when an input from the robot control operator was received at the control console.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting as the current state a state of the robot at the time when the user robot command is received at the robot.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein said transforming causes said second movement to differ from the first movement with respect to at least one of a direction and a distance.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein said second movement is selected to cause a motion trajectory of said robot to at least partially align with a motion trajectory which would have resulted from said first movement had the current state of the robot remained the same as the earlier state.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first movement is defined by a first velocity and the second movement is defined by a second velocity, and the transforming causes the first velocity to be different as compared to the second velocity.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said comparing is performed at said robot, remote from said control console.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said transforming is performed at said robot, remote from said control console.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising communicating the user robot command and at least one metadata corresponding to said user robot command from said control console to said robot over a wireless data link.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising determining at said robot said earlier state based on said metadata.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising accessing at said robot a database containing a plurality of state definitions, each said state definition specifying a state of said robot at a point in time preceding receipt of said user robot command at said robot, and selecting said earlier state from said plurality of state definitions based on said metadata.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current state and the earlier state each specify a position of a manipulator of said robot with respect to a base of said robot.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current state and the earlier state each specify a geographic position of the base with respect to the earth.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current state and the earlier state each specify an orientation of the base with respect to the earth.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising estimating said earlier robot state based on an evaluation of communication conditions existing on a data link between said robot and said control console.

18. A robot, comprising:

a processing device;

a plurality of actuators responsive to said processing device for causing motion of said robot;

wherein said processing device is configured to

respond to user robot commands initiated by a control operator input at a remote control console, said user robot commands specifying a first action;

compare a current state of the robot to an earlier state of the robot; and

responsive to determining a difference between the current state and the earlier state, selectively transform the user robot command to a latency-corrected robot command that specifies a second action for the robot which is different from the first action.

19. The robot according to claim 18, wherein the first action is a first movement of the robot from a first position or orientation to a second position or orientation, and the second action is a second movement of the robot different from the first movement.

20. The robot according to claim 19, where the current state includes at least one of a current pose of the robot and a current orientation of the robot.

21. The robot according to claim 18, wherein the earlier state is a state of the robot as represented to a robot control operator at a time when an input from the robot control operator was received at the control console.

22. The robot according to claim 18, wherein the current state is a state of the robot at the time when the user robot command is received at the robot.

23. The robot according to claim 19, wherein said transforming causes said second movement to differ from the first movement with respect to at least one of a direction and a distance.

24. The robot according to claim 19, wherein said second movement causes a motion trajectory of said robot to at least partially align with a motion trajectory which would have resulted from said first movement had the current state of the robot remained the same as the earlier state.

25. The robot according to claim 18, wherein said processing device is further configured to determine said earlier state based on metadata communicated from said control console.

26. The robot according to claim 25, wherein said processing device is further configured to access a local database at said robot containing a plurality of state definitions, each said state definition specifying a state of said robot at a point in time preceding receipt of said user robot command at said robot, and to select said earlier state from said plurality of state definitions based on said metadata.