Robotic operation libraries

• US 9,840,007 B1
• Filed: 08/24/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: X Development LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuffner, James Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Marc, McDieunel
• Application Number:
  US14/834,191
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 700245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1671 characterised by simulation, either to verify existing program or to create and verify new program, CAD/CAM oriented, graphic oriented programming systems
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0088 characterized by the autonomous decision making process, e.g. artificial intelligence, predefined behaviours using knowledge based models G06N5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/31 Gripping jaw
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 901/50 Miscellaneous

Abstract

Example implementations relate to robotic operations libraries. An example library may include sets of operation instructions and other information for robotic devices to use to complete desired tasks. For instance, a respective set of operation instructions is determined based on successive simulations in which a virtual robotic device comprising an adjustable configuration initially based on the given configuration of a robotic device performs operations related to a task in an adjustable virtual environment until one or more simulations result in the virtual robotic device performing respective operations that complete the task at a success level that satisfies a predefined threshold. The library may provide a set of instructions for performing operations to a robotic device based on a query received from the robotic device that includes information indicative of a configuration and an environment of the robotic device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

maintaining, at a computing system, a library having sets of instructions for robotic devices to use to perform respective operations, wherein a given set of instructions enables a robotic device having a given configuration to perform respective operations related to completing a task, and wherein the given set of instructions is determined based on a set of successive simulations in which a virtual robotic device comprising an adjustable configuration initially based on the given configuration of the robotic device performs a plurality of operations related to the task in an adjustable virtual environment until one or more simulations of the set of successive simulations results in the virtual robotic device performing respective operations that complete the task at a success level that satisfies a predefined threshold;

receiving, at the computing system, a query from a first robotic device requesting instructions for performing operations related to a first task, wherein the query includes information indicative of a configuration and an environment of the first robotic device;

based on the query including the configuration of the first robotic device, identifying a set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task; and

based on the identified set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task, providing, by the computing system, the identified set of instructions to the first robotic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the library having the sets of instructions for robotic devices to use to perform respective operations comprises:

respective sets of instructions for one or more configurations of a plurality of different types of robotic devices to use to perform respective operations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein consecutive simulations in the set of successive simulations in which the virtual robotic device comprising the adjustable configuration initially based on the given configuration of the robotic device performs the plurality of operations related to the task in the adjustable virtual environment comprise:

one or more adjustments to the adjustable configuration, the plurality of operations related to the task, and the adjustable virtual environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein based on the query including the configuration of the first robotic device, identifying the set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task further comprises:

performing one or more simulations using the virtual robotic device in which the adjustable configuration of the virtual robotic device corresponds to the configuration of the first robotic device, wherein the simulation includes the virtual robotic device using one or more sets of instructions of the library related to the task in a virtual environment that corresponds to the environment of the first robotic device; and

based on results of the one or more simulations, identifying the set of instructions of the one or more sets of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein based on the query including the configuration of the first robotic device, identifying the set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task comprises:

selecting one or more sets of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task based on the configuration of the first robotic device; and

identifying the set of instructions from the one or more selected sets of instructions of the library based on the environment of the first robotic device, wherein the set of instructions from the one or more selected sets of instructions is based on a given set of successive simulations in which the virtual robotic device comprising the adjustable configuration based on the particular configuration of the first robotic device performs a plurality of operations related to the task in a virtual environment that corresponds to the environment of the first robotic device until one or more simulations of the set of successive simulations results in the virtual robotic device performing respective operations that complete the task at a success level that satisfies the predefined threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined threshold is a predefined range of percentages for successful completion of the task.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving results associated with the first robotic device performing the operations related to the first task based on the set of instructions of the library; and

adjusting one or more sets of instructions of the library based on the results.

8. A system comprising:

at least one processor; and

a memory having stored thereon executable instructions that, upon execution by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform functions comprising;

maintaining a library having sets of instructions for robotic devices to use to perform respective operations, wherein a given set of instructions enables a robotic device having a given configuration to perform respective operations related to completing a task, and wherein the given set of instructions is determined based on a set of successive simulations in which a virtual robotic device comprising an adjustable configuration initially based on the given configuration of the robotic device performs a plurality of operations related to the task in an adjustable virtual environment until one or more simulations of the set of successive simulations results in the virtual robotic device performing respective operations that complete the task at a success level that satisfies a predefined threshold;

receiving a query from a first robotic device requesting instructions for performing operations related to a first task, wherein the query includes information indicative of a configuration and an environment of the first robotic device;

based on the query including the configuration of the first robotic device, identifying a set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task; and

based on the identified set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task, providing the identified set of instructions to the first robotic device.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a given query from a second robotic device requesting instructions for performing operations related to a second task, wherein the query includes information indicative of a configuration and an environment of the second robotic device, and wherein the second task is similar to the first task and the configuration of the second robotic device differs from the configuration of the first robotic device;

determining whether the identified set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task enables the second robotic device to complete the second task; and

based on determining that the identified set of instructions enables the second robotic device to complete the second task, providing the identified set of instructions to the second robotic device.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a given query from a second robotic device requesting instructions for performing operations related to a second task, wherein the query includes information indicative of a configuration and an environment of the second robotic device, and wherein the second task is similar to the first task and the configuration of the second robotic device differs from the configuration of the first robotic device;

determining whether the identified set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task enables the second robotic device to complete the second task;

based on determining that the identified set of instructions fails to enable the second robotic device to complete the second task, identifying a second set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the second task; and

based on the identified second set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task, providing the identified second set of instructions to the second robotic device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining whether the identified set of instructions enables the second robotic device complete the second task comprises:

performing a given simulation in which the virtual robotic device executes respective operations of the identified set of instruction related to the second task, wherein the adjustable configuration of the virtual robotic device corresponds to the configuration of the second robotic device; and

based on results of the given simulation, determining whether the identified set of instructions enables the second robotic device complete the second task.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein providing the identified set of instructions to the first robotic device includes:

providing respective simulations that correspond to the identified set of instructions in addition to the identified set of instructions to the first robotic device.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein based on the query including the configuration of the first robotic device, identifying the set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task comprises:

identifying the set of instructions of the library for performing operations related to the first task is further based on one or more parameters associated with the environment of the first robotic device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the library operates in a cloud network.

15. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing system, information indicative of a configuration of a first robotic device;

performing a first series of simulations comprising an adjustable virtual robotic device having a virtual configuration initially based on the configuration of the first robotic device executing one or more operations related to a task in an adjustable virtual environment, wherein successive simulations in the first series of simulations differ based on one or more adjustments to the virtual configuration of the adjustable virtual robotic device, the one or more operations, and the adjustable virtual environment;

based on the first series of simulations, identifying one or more simulations of the first series of simulations in which the adjustable virtual robotic device executed respective operations related to the task at a success level that satisfies a predefined threshold;

based on the identified one or more simulations of the first series of simulations, generating one or more sets of instructions that enable one or more robotic devices having respective configurations similar to the configuration of the first robotic device execute the respective operations related to the task; and

storing, by the computing system, the one or more sets of instructions for providing to the one or more robotic devices.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first robotic device is a single robotic component.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

performing a second series of simulations comprising the adjustable virtual robotic device having the virtual configuration initially based on the configuration of the first robotic device executing one or more operations related to a second task in the adjustable virtual environment;

based on the second series of simulations, identifying one or more simulations of the second series of simulations in which the adjustable virtual robotic device executed respective operations related to the second task at a given success measure above the threshold;

based on the identified one or more simulations of the second series of simulations, generating one or more additional sets of instructions that enable the plurality of robotic devices to execute the respective operations related to the second task; and

storing, by the computing system, the one or more additional sets of instructions for providing to the one or more robotic devices.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more adjustments to the virtual configuration of the adjustable virtual robotic device, the one or more operations, and the adjustable virtual environment comprises:

respective adjustments to one or more of the structure, material, and size of the virtual configuration of the adjustable virtual robotic device.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more adjustments to the virtual configuration of the adjustable virtual robotic device, the one or more operations, and the adjustable virtual environment comprises:

respective adjustments to one or more parameters associated with the adjustable virtual environment, wherein the one or more parameters includes forces, positions of objects, temperature, and weather associated with the adjustable virtual environment.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, at a computing system, information indicative of a configuration of a second robotic device;

performing a given series of simulations comprising the adjustable virtual robotic device having the virtual configuration initially based on the configuration of the second robotic device executing one or more operations related to a given task in the adjustable virtual environment;

based on the given series of simulations, identifying one or more simulations of the given series of simulations in which the adjustable virtual robotic device executed respective operations related to the given task at a respective success level that satisfies the predefined threshold;

based on the identified one or more simulations of the given series of simulations, generating one or more sets of instructions that enable one or more robotic devices having respective configurations similar to the configuration of the second robotic device execute the respective operations related to the task; and

storing, by the computing system, the one or more sets of instructions for providing to the one or more robotic devices.