Methods and systems for robot cloud computing using slug trails

• US 8,886,829 B1
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Poursohi, Arshan, Hickman, Ryan
• Primary Examiner(s): DAILEY, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US13/897,934
• Time in Patent Office: 540 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 700/248, 901/1
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5038 considering the execution order of a plurality of tasks, e.g. taking priority or time dependency constraints into consideration scheduling strategies G06F9/4881 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A method includes receiving a first request for a first robot to perform a first task and processing the first request through first and second computing resources to identify instructions for the first robot to perform the first task. The method also includes providing the one or more instructions to the first robot and identifying information associated with the second computing resource, wherein such information includes environmental information related to a location where the first task is to be performed. The method further includes associating the identified information with the first computing resource, receiving a second request for a second robot to perform a second task, processing the second request through the first computing resource, accessing the information associated with the first computing resource, and, based upon the accessed information, providing instructions to the second robot to perform the second task.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first request for a first robot to perform a task at a location, wherein the first robot includes a mechanical actuator and at least one sensor;

processing the first request along a processing route through a first node and a subsequent second node of a plurality of nodes of a cloud computing system to identify environmental information related to the location where the task is to be performed from the second node of the plurality of nodes, wherein the second node is assigned to store the environmental information;

selecting a given node upstream from the second node along the processing route, wherein the given node includes the first node;

associating the environmental information with the first node of the plurality of nodes;

associating the first node with the processing route so that the environmental information can be accessed earlier in the processing route for a subsequent command to perform a subsequent task at the location;

receiving a second request for a second robot to perform a given task at the location; and

processing the second request along the processing route through the plurality of nodes of the cloud computing system to identify the environmental information related to the location where the given task is to be performed from the first node of the plurality of nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein associating the environmental information with the first node of the plurality of nodes comprises temporarily caching the environmental information at the first node for a predetermined time period.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing first instructions to the first robot for performing the task at the location based on the identified environmental information.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a time for which the processing route is active to so as provide current environmental information related to the location.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying the processing route to be indicative of a route followed by the first request and a first matching response found for the first request.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the processing route is active due to non-expiration of a time period associated with the environmental information; and

in response to determining that the processing route is active, processing the second request along the processing route through the plurality of nodes of the cloud computing system to identify the environmental information related to the location where the given task is to be performed from the first node of the plurality of nodes.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data associated with the location collected by the at least one sensor of the first robot while performing the task at the location; and

revising the processing route to reflect at least some of the data collected by the first robot.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising providing instructions to the second robot for performing the given task at the location, wherein the instructions are based at least in part on the data associated with the location collected by the at least one sensor of the first robot while performing the task at the location.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein instructions, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

receiving a first request for a first robot to perform a task at a location, wherein the first robot includes a mechanical actuator and at least one sensor;

processing the first request along a processing route through a first node and a subsequent second node of a plurality of nodes of a cloud computing system to identify environmental information related to the location where the task is to be performed from the second node of the plurality of nodes, wherein the second node is assigned to store the environmental information;

selecting a given node upstream from the second node along the processing route, wherein the given node includes the first node;

associating the environmental information with the first node of the plurality of nodes;

associating the first node with the processing route so that the environmental information can be accessed earlier in the processing route for a subsequent command to perform a subsequent task at the location;

receiving a second request for a second robot to perform a given task at the location; and

processing the second request along the processing route through the plurality of nodes of the cloud computing system to identify the environmental information related to the location where the given task is to be performed from the first node of the plurality of nodes.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise associating a time for which the processing route is active so as to provide current environmental information related to the location.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise modifying the processing route to be indicative of a route followed by the first request and a first matching response found for the first request.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

determining whether the processing route is active due to non-expiration of a time period associated with the environmental information; and

in response to determining that the processing route is active, processing the second request along the processing route through the plurality of nodes of the cloud computing system to identify the environmental information related to the location where the given task is to be performed from the first node of the plurality of nodes.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving data associated with the location collected by the at least one sensor of the first robot while performing the task at the location; and

revising the processing route to reflect at least some of the data collected by the first robot.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the functions further comprise providing instructions to the second robot for performing the given task at the location, wherein the instructions are based at least in part on the data associated with the location collected by the at least one sensor of the first robot while performing the task at the location.

15. A system comprising:

a processor; and

memory configured to stored instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the system to perform functions comprising;

receiving a first request for a first robot to perform a task at a location, wherein the first robot includes a mechanical actuator and at least one sensor;

processing the first request along a processing route through a first node and a subsequent second node of a plurality of nodes of a cloud computing system to identify environmental information related to the location where the task is to be performed from the second node of the plurality of nodes, wherein the second node is assigned to store the environmental information;

selecting a given node upstream from the second node along the processing route, wherein the given node includes the first node;

associating the environmental information with the first node of the plurality of nodes;

associating the first node with the processing route so that the environmental information can be accessed earlier in the processing route for a subsequent command to perform a subsequent task at the location;

receiving a second request for a second robot to perform a given task at the location; and

processing the second request along the processing route through the plurality of nodes of the cloud computing system to identify the environmental information related to the location where the given task is to be performed from the first node of the plurality of nodes.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the functions further comprise:

determining whether the processing route is active due to non-expiration of a time period associated with the environmental information; and

in response to determining that the processing route is active, processing the second request along the processing route through the plurality of nodes of the cloud computing system to identify the environmental information related to the location where the given task is to be performed from the first node of the plurality of nodes.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the functions further comprise:

receiving data associated with the location collected by the at least one sensor of the first robot while performing the task at the location;

revising the processing route to reflect at least some of the data collected by the first robot; and

providing instructions to the second robot for performing the given task at the location, wherein the instructions are based at least in part on the data associated with the location collected by the at least one sensor of the first robot while performing the task at the location.