Selecting physical arrangements for objects to be acted upon by a robot

• US 9,724,826 B1
• Filed: 05/28/2015
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Prats, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Mott, Adam
• Application Number:
  US14/724,193
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1664 characterised by motion, path, trajectory planning
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40463 Shortest distance in time, or metric, time optimal
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40465 Criteria is lowest cost function, minimum work path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/40519 Motion, trajectory planning

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for determining one or more spatial constraints associated with an object to be acted upon by a robot; determining a plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object that satisfy the one or more spatial constraints; calculating, for one or more of the plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object, a candidate physical arrangement cost that would be incurred as a result of the robot acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement; and selecting, from the plurality of candidate physical arrangements, a candidate physical arrangement associated with a candidate physical arrangement cost that satisfies a criterion.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, one or more spatial constraints associated with an object to be acted upon by a robot;

determining, by one or more of the processors, a plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object that satisfy the one or more spatial constraints;

receiving as input, by one or more of the processors for each of the candidate physical arrangements, a plurality of candidate paths traversable by a reference point of an end effector in acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement;

calculating, by one or more of the processors, for each of the plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object and for each of the candidate paths for the candidate physical arrangement, a cost that would be incurred as a result of the robot acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement using the candidate path, wherein the calculating includes;

determining, from the plurality of candidate paths, a path traversable by the reference point associated with the end effector of the robot to a site corresponding to at least one of the plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object,

determining a plurality of candidate instructions sets, each candidate instruction set configured to cause the robot to assume a different respective set of poses while traversing the reference point along the path, and

calculating, for each candidate instruction set, a candidate instruction set cost that would be incurred to implement the candidate instruction set to traverse the reference point along the path;

selecting, by one or more of the processors, the candidate physical arrangement and candidate path associated with the cost that satisfies a criterion, wherein the selecting includes selecting, from the plurality of candidate instruction sets, the candidate instruction set associated with the candidate instruction set cost that satisfies the criterion or another criterion; and

with the object in the selected candidate physical arrangement, operating the robot to act upon the object using the selected candidate path.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of physical arrangements comprise a plurality of potential sites of the object that satisfy the spatial constraints.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of physical arrangements comprise a plurality of potential orientations of the object that satisfy the spatial constraints.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of candidate paths are traversable by a reference point of the end effector of the robot between a first site and a plurality of sites corresponding to the plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating the cost that would be incurred as a result of the robot acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement is based at least in part on a candidate path cost associated with the selected candidate path.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating the cost that would be incurred as a result of the robot acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement is based at least in part on the candidate instruction set cost associated with the selected candidate instruction set.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising building, by the one or more processors, a pose tree and calculating the costs based on traversal of the pose tree.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein calculating, for each of the plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object and for each of the candidate paths for the candidate physical arrangement, the cost that would be incurred as a result of the robot acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement comprises calculating the cost that would be incurred by a one or more operational components of the robot as a result of the robot acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement.

9. A method comprising:

determining a plurality of candidate physical arrangements of an object to be acted upon by a robot;

for one or more of the plurality of candidate physical arrangements;

receiving input that defines a plurality of candidate paths traversable by a reference point associated with an end effector of the robot while the robot acts upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement;

determining one or more candidate path costs associated with one or more of the plurality of candidate paths, wherein each of the candidate path costs is incurred by one or more operational components of the robot while traversing the reference point along a corresponding one of the candidate paths;

selecting, from the plurality of candidate paths, a given candidate path, of the candidate paths, that has a determined given candidate path cost, of the candidate path costs, that satisfies a first criterion; and

associating, with the candidate physical arrangement as a candidate physical arrangement cost, the given candidate path cost associated with the selected given candidate path, and

selecting, from the one or more of the plurality of candidate physical arrangements, the candidate physical arrangement associated with the candidate physical arrangement cost that satisfies a second criterion; and

operating the robot to act upon the object in the selected candidate physical arrangement;

wherein determining the one or more candidate path costs associated with one or more of the plurality of candidate paths comprises, for each of the one or more of the plurality of candidate paths;

determining a plurality of candidate instructions sets, each candidate instruction set configured to cause the robot to assume a different respective set of poses while traversing the reference point along the candidate path;

calculating, for each of the plurality of candidate instruction sets, an associated candidate instruction set cost that would be incurred by the particular operational component of the robot while implementing the candidate instruction set to traverse the reference point along the candidate path;

selecting, from the plurality of candidate instruction sets, the candidate instruction set associated with the candidate instruction set cost that satisfies a third criterion; and

associating, with the candidate path as the candidate path cost, the candidate instruction set cost associated with the selected candidate instruction set.

10. A system comprising one or more processors and memory operably coupled with the one or more processors, wherein the memory stores instructions that, in response to execution of the instructions by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

determine one or more spatial constraints associated with an object to be acted upon by a robot;

determine a plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object that satisfy the one or more spatial constraints;

receive as input for each of the candidate physical arrangements, a plurality of candidate paths traversable by a reference point of an end effector in acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement;

calculate, for each of the plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object and for each of the candidate paths for the candidate physical arrangement, a cost that would be incurred as a result of the robot acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement using the candidate path;

select the candidate physical arrangement and candidate path associated with the cost that satisfies a criterion;

determine a path traversable by the reference point associated with the end effector of the robot to a site corresponding to at least one of the plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object;

determine a plurality of candidate instructions sets, each candidate instruction set configured to cause the robot to assume a different respective set of poses while traversing the reference point along the path;

calculate, for each candidate instruction set, a candidate instruction set cost that would be incurred to implement the candidate instruction set to traverse the reference point along the path;

select, from the plurality of candidate instruction sets, the candidate instruction set associated with the candidate instruction set cost that satisfies the criterion or another criterion; and

with the object in the selected candidate physical arrangement, operate the robot to act upon the object using the selected candidate path.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of physical arrangements comprise a plurality of potential sites of the object that satisfy the spatial constraints.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of physical arrangements comprise a plurality of potential orientations of the object that satisfy the spatial constraints.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of candidate paths are traversable by a reference point of the end effector of the robot between a first site and a plurality of sites corresponding to the plurality of candidate physical arrangements of the object.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the cost that would be incurred as a result of the robot acting upon the object in the candidate physical arrangement is calculated based at least in part on a candidate path cost associated with the selected candidate path.