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Apparatus and method for systematic control of robotic deployment and extraction

  • US 8,868,238 B1
  • Filed: 01/10/2013
  • Issued: 10/21/2014
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2013
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A system control apparatus (2000) for systematic control of (i) extraction of a vehicle (100) from an environment, (ii) stowage of the vehicle in a modular handling and stowage system (1000), the system having a primary module (1102) and zero or more secondary modules (1104a-1104n), wherein the secondary modules are serially, mechanically coupled to the primary module and together, and (iii) deployment of the vehicle from the module group in response to command signals, sensor signals, and status signals, the system control apparatus comprising:

  • an operator control unit OCU (2012) operated by a User, wherein the OCU generates the command signals as directed by the User, and receives the sensor signals and the status signals;

    a modules supervisory controller (2110), a primary individual motor controller (2112_PM), and a primary module sensor suite (1250_PM), wherein, the modules supervisory controller (2110), the primary individual motor controller, and the primary module sensor suite are included in the primary module, wherein,the primary individual motor controller (2112_PM) is electrically coupled to the modules supervisory controller, and the modules supervisory controller and the primary module sensor suite are electrically coupled to the OCU, andthe modules supervisory controller (2110) receives the command signals, the sensor signals and the status signals,the primary individual motor controller (2112_PM) generates one or more of the status signals and receives the command signals,and the primary module sensor suite generates and presents one or more of the sensor signals; and

    a secondary individual motor controller (2112a-2112-n) and a secondary module sensor suite (1250a-1250n) that are included in each of the zero or more secondary modules,wherein each of the zero or more secondary modules are electrically coupled to the primary individual motor controller (2112_PM),the secondary individual motor controller (2112a-2112-n) generates one or more of the status signals and receives the command signals, andthe secondary module sensor suite generates and presents one or more of the sensor signals;

    wherein,the modules supervisory controller (2110) having a microcontroller that includes state control programming configured as a state machine (4000) to control operation of the primary and the secondary module controllers and the primary and the secondary sensor suites with respect to transition between states, the states including;

    UNKNOWN (4102);

    UNKNOWN_CLEAR_TO_STOW (4104);

    STOWED (4106);

    STOWED_CLEAR (4108);

    SOLENOID_ACTIVE (4110);

    READY_TO_DEPLOY (4120);

    DEPLOYED (4122);

    DEPLOYED_CLEAR (4124); and

    READY_TO_STOW (4126);

    wherein, an acknowledgment status signal (ACK) indicates proper receipt of one of the command signals, a non-acknowledgment status signal (NAK) indicates failure to receive one of the command signals, and a SUCCESS condition for the state machine (4000) is defined as receipt of the status signal ACK;

    wherein the transition between the states comprises;

    starting with one of the primary and the secondary modules at the UNKNOWN state (4102), when the vehicle (100) is not present and the one of the primary and the secondary modules is at either of the STOWED and STOWED_CLEAR states, the state of the one of the primary and the secondary modules autonomously transitions to the UNKNOWN_CLEAR_TO_STOW state (4104);

    from the UNKNOWN_CLEAR_TO_STOW state (4104), when the one of the primary and the secondary modules achieves a SUCCESS condition that is defined as receipt of the signal ACK and includes one of the primary and the secondary modules the vehicle (100) in the stowed position, the state of the one of the primary and the secondary modules command-directed transitions to the STOWED state (4106);

    from the STOWED state (4106), when a second of the primary and the secondary modules which is mechanically coupled immediately, serially lower to the one of the primary and the secondary modules does not have the vehicle (100) present and the state of the second of the primary and the secondary modules is either of DEPLOYED state or DEPLOYED_CLEAR state, the state of the one of the primary and the secondary modules autonomously transitions to the STOWED_CLEAR state (4108);

    from the state (4108), the SUCCESS condition always includes a command-directed transition to the READY_TO_DEPLOY state (4120);

    from the READY_TO_DEPLOY state (4120), the SUCCESS condition always includes a command-directed transition back to the STOWED_CLEAR state (4108), and, from the READY_TO_DEPLOY state (4120), when a SUCCESS condition that includes receipt of the ACK signal and the commanded status of the one of the primary and the secondary modules is the DEPLOYED state, the one of the primary and the secondary modules command-directed transitions to the DEPLOYED state (4122);

    from the DEPLOYED state (4122), when the vehicle (100) is not present, and the second of the secondary modules which is mechanically coupled immediately, serially higher to the one of the primary and the secondary modules is in either of the STOWED state (4106) or the STOWED_CLEAR state (4108), the one of the primary and the secondary modules autonomously transitions to the DEPLOYED_CLEAR state (4124);

    from the DEPLOYED_CLEAR state (4124), the SUCCESS condition always includes a command-directed transition back to the STOWED state (4106), and, from the DEPLOYED_CLEAR state (4124), when a SUCCESS condition that includes receipt of the ACK signal and the command-directed state of the one of the primary and the secondary modules is the STOWED state (4106), the one of the primary and the secondary modules command-directed transitions to the READY_TO_STOW state (4126); and

    from the READY_TO_STOW state (4126), the SUCCESS condition always includes a command-directed transition back to the DEPLOYED_CLEAR state (4124), and, from the READY_TO_STOW state (4126), when the SUCCESS condition includes receipt of the ACK signal and the command-directed state of the one of the primary and the secondary modules is the STOWED state (4106), the one of the primary and the secondary modules command-directed transitions back to the STOWED state (4106).

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