Method for coordinating cooperative robots

• US 8,108,071 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lin, Yen-Chun, Wu, Jen-Hua, Tseng, Kuo-Tsung
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, LUAT T
• Application Number:
  US11/970,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20090015404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,484 Days
• Field of Search: 700245-246, 700249-250, 700/253, 318/568.11, 318/568.13, 901/1, 901/6, 901/46
• US Class Current: 700/248
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1674 characterised by safety, monitoring, diagnostic
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1682 Dual arm manipulator; Coordination of several manipulators
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40352 Combination of priority, basic task, tip position, and task for link movement

Abstract

A method for coordinating cooperative robots is provided. The method includes following steps. An abnormal event is detected by a sensor disposed in an environment or in a robot. The abnormal event is broadcasted to the cooperative robots. Each robot determines whether the priority of the abnormal event is higher than that of its currently executing task. If the answer is “yes,” whether function attributes of the robot meet attributes of the abnormal event is then determined. If the function attributes of the cooperative robot do not meet the attributes of the abnormal event, the robot broadcasts to acquire help from other robots, thereby constituting an instantly designated task team. The instantly designated task team goes to where the abnormal event takes place to process the abnormal event. After the abnormal event has been eliminated, the instantly designated task team is dismissed and these robots resume their original tasks.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating a plurality of cooperative robots, comprising:

detecting an abnormal event through a sensor;

broadcasting the abnormal event to the cooperative robots;

determining whether a priority of the abnormal event is higher than a priority of the task being currently executed by the robot, wherein if the priority of the abnormal event is higher than the priority of the task being currently executed by the robot, whether function attributes of the robot meet attributes of the abnormal event is then determined, and if the function attributes of the robot do not meet the attributes of the abnormal event, the robot broadcasts to acquire help from other robots to constitute an instantly designated task team, and the instantly designated task team goes to where the abnormal event takes place to process and eliminate the abnormal event; and

dismissing the instantly designated task team and resuming the original tasks of the robots after the abnormal event has been eliminated;

wherein the priority of the abnormal event is calculated according to a dot product of an attribute vector of the abnormal event and a function attribute vector of each robot, the weight of the abnormal event, and a distance between each robot and where the abnormal event takes place, and the priority of the task being currently executed is calculated according to a dot product of an attribute vector of the task being currently executed and the function attribute vector of each robot, the weight of the task, and a distance between each robot and where the task is currently executed.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the attribute vector of the abnormal event, the attribute vector of the robot, and the attribute vector of the task being currently executed are respectively represented by a vector (1, 2 . . . , n) consisting of n parameters, wherein n is an integer greater than 1 and each of the n parameters represents a different function.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of whether the function attributes of each robot meet the attributes of the abnormal event, is determined by subtracting the function attribute vector of the robot from the attribute vector of the abnormal event, wherein if the parameters corresponding to the abnormal event in the subtraction result are all 0 or negative, it is determined that the function attributes of the robot meet the attributes of the abnormal event;

otherwise, it is determined that the function attributes of the robot does not meet the attributes of the abnormal event.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein in the step of broadcasting the abnormal event to the robots, the abnormal event is first transmitted to a main system and then transmitted to the robots by the main system.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor may be a plurality of different sensors disposed in a particular environment.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is disposed in each of the robots.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the different sensors comprise image sensors, fire sensors, smoke sensors, infrared ray sensors, movement sensors, vibration sensors, temperature sensors, gas sensors, human figure sensors or a combination thereof.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein the abnormal event is transmitted to the main system through one of cable transmission and wireless transmission.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the robot broadcasts to acquire help from other robots through a control unit and a communication unit disposed in the robot.

10. A method for avoiding task conflict among a plurality of cooperative robots, comprising:

detecting an abnormal event through a sensor;

broadcasting the abnormal event to the cooperative robots;

increasing the weight of the abnormal event and issuing a broadcast message of the weighted abnormal event through a first robot when the first robot determines that a priority of a task being currently executed by the first robot is equal to a priority of the abnormal event;

continuing to execute the task being currently executed through the first robot and receiving the weighted broadcast message of the abnormal event through a second robot;

determining whether the priority of the weighted abnormal event is higher than a priority of a task being currently executed by the second robot through the second robot, wherein if the priority of the weighted abnormal event is higher than the prioirity of the task being currently executed by the second robot, the second robot goes to where the abnormal event takes place and then process the abnormal event;

otherwise, if the priority of the task being currently executed by the second robot is higher than the priority of the weighted abnormal event, the second robot increases the weight of the weighted abnormal event and issues a broadcast message of the twice-weighted abnormal event; and

repeating foregoing steps until a particular robot goes to process the abnormal event;

wherein the priority of the abnormal event is calculated according to a dot product of an attribute vector of the abnormal event and a function attribute vector of each robot, the weight of the abnormal event, and a distance between each robot and where the abnormal event takes place, and the priority of the task being currently executed is calculated according to a dot product of an attribute vector of the task being currently executed and the function attribute vector of each robot, the weight of the task, and a distance between each robot and where the task is currently executed.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the attribute vector of the abnormal event, the function attribute vector of the robot, and the attribute vector of the task being currently executed are respectively represented by a vector (1, 2 . . . , n) consisting of n parameters, wherein n is an integer greater than 1 and each of the n parameters represents a different function.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein in the step of broadcasting the abnormal event to the robots, the abnormal event is first transmitted to a main system and then transmitted to the robots by the main system.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sensor may be a plurality of different sensors disposed in a particular environment.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the sensor is disposed in each of the robots.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the different sensors comprise image sensors, fire sensors, smoke sensors, infrared ray sensors, movement sensors, vibration sensors, temperature sensors, gas sensors, human figure sensors or a combination thereof.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the abnormal event is transmitted to the main system through one of cable transmission and wireless transmission.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the step of robot'"'"'s broadcasting to acquire help from other robots, is achieved through a control unit and a communication unit disposed in the robot.