General purpose robotics operating system

• US 20070208442A1
• Filed: 02/27/2006
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Perrone Robotics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Perrone Robotics, Inc.
• Inventors: Perrone, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/95
• 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

Abstract

The present invention provides a general purpose operating system that shows particular usefulness in the robotics and automation fields. The operating system provides individual services and the combination and interconnections of such services using built-in service extensions, built-in completely configurable generic services, and a way to plug in additional service extensions to yield a comprehensive and cohesive framework for developing, configuring, assembling, constructing, deploying, and managing robotics and/or automation applications.

Claims

1. A general purpose robotics and/or automation operating system (GPROS) comprising:

a set of application services that provides access to configuration data using a generic abstraction, wherein the application services are independent of any underlying hardware platform and allow for any combination of communication or operational conduct for any communication or operational task.

2. The GPROS of claim 1, wherein the set of application services comprises one or more of the following services:

a sensor service, an actuator service, a conduct service, a robot service, an obstacle service, a navigation service, a mobility service, a thought service, a plan service, a rules service, a neural service, a motor service, a pwm service, a god service, a mechanism service, a gear service, a reference service, a range service, a ladar service, a radar service, a feedback service, a digital service, an analog service, a fusion service, a watchdog service, and a safety service.

3. The GPROS of claim 1, wherein the service is one or more of the following services:

range;

ladar;

ladar sick;

radar;

radar vorad;

reference;

reference geo;

reference nmea;

mechanism, gear;

actuator;

motor;

timer, pwm;

conduct; and

/or mobility services.

4. The GPROS of claim 1, wherein the set of application services comprises at least one service that utilizes a wheeled platform;

utilizes a legged platform;

utilizes a tracked platform;

utilizes flight operations;

provides navigation;

provides robot god; and

/or provides rules, neural.

5. The GPROS of claim 1, wherein the operating system is a robotics operating system that allows for any combination of communication or operational conduct for any communication or operational task.

6. The GPROS of claim 1, wherein the set of application services is completely configurable and can be adapted statically and dynamically.

7. The GPROS of claim 1, wherein the GPROS provides individual services and the combination and interconnections of such services using built-in service extensions, built-in completely configurable generic services, and a way to plug in additional service extensions to yield a comprehensive and cohesive framework for developing, configuring, assembling, constructing, deploying, and managing robotics and/or automation applications.

34. The GPROS of claim 2, further comprising a set of application services comprising one or more of the following services:

a config service, a registry service, a comm service, an ap service, an envoy service, a peripheral service, an any service, a signals service, a signals.message service, a signals.mapping service, a hardware service, a system service, an id service, and an automaton service,

wherein the GPROS services of claim 2 extend, use, and are combined with the additional application services.

8. A general purpose applications services operating system comprising:

a set of application services that provides access to configuration data using a generic abstraction, wherein the application services are independent of any underlying hardware platform and allow for any combination of communication or operational conduct for any communication or operational task.

9. The operating system of claim 8, wherein the set of application services comprises one or more of the following services:

a config service, a registry service, a comm service, an ap service, an envoy service, a peripheral service, an any service, a signals service, a signals.message service, a signals.mapping service, a hardware service, a system service, an id service, and an automaton service.

10. The operating system of claim 8, wherein the operating system provides individual services and the combination and interconnections of such services using built-in service extensions, built-in completely configurable generic services, and a way to plug in additional service extensions to yield a comprehensive and cohesive framework for developing, configuring, assembling, constructing, deploying, and managing robotics and/or automation applications.

11. A method for using a general purpose robotics and/or automation operating system (GPROS), the GPROS comprising:

providing a set of application services for accessing configuration data using a generic abstraction, wherein the application services are independent of any underlying hardware platform and are capable of performing any communication or operational conduct for any communication or operational task; and

executing at least one application service of the set of application services.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein executing comprises executing at least one of the following services:

a sensor service, an actuator service, a conduct service, a robot service, an obstacle service, a navigation service, a mobility service, a thought service, a plan service, a rules service, a neural service, a motor service, a pwm service, a god service, a mechanism service, a gear service, a reference service, a range service, a ladar service, a radar service, a feedback service, a digital service, an analog service, a fusion service, a watchdog service, and a safety service.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein executing comprises executing at least one of the following services:

a service that utilizes a wheeled platform;

a service that utilizes a legged platform;

a service that utilizes a tracked platform;

a service that utilizes flight operations;

a service that provides navigation;

a service that provides robot god; and

/or a service that provides rules, neural.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the set of application services are robotics application services and the operating system is a robotics operating system.

15. A device comprising:

software for a general purpose robotics and/or automation operating system; and

hardware upon which the software resides.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the hardware retains the software indefinitely.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the hardware is a computer hard drive or memory stick.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the hardware retains the software ephemerally.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the hardware is one or more banks of random access memory.

20. The device of claim 15, wherein the hardware is a central processing unit.

21. The device of claim 15, wherein the hardware comprises a mechanical component capable of movement.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the mechanical component comprises an articulated joint, a wheel, a leg, a wing, a rudder, an arm, a knob, or a pivot point.

23. The device of claim 15, which is an autonomously controlled device.

24. The device of claim 23, which is a robot.

25. The device of claim 23, which is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) or an unmanned air vehicle (UAV).

26. The device of claim 15, wherein the software is capable of being updated or otherwise modified before, during, and after fabrication of the device.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the device is capable of learning by way of updates or modifications of the software, either through human intervention or autonomously.

28. An article of manufacture comprising:

a medium for storage of computer software; and

computer software for a general purpose robotics and/or automation operating system.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the medium is capable of storing computer software by magnetic means or optical means.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein the medium comprises a floppy disk, a hard drive, a memory stick, a tape, or a CD.

31. A method of controlling an autonomously controlled device, said method comprising:

providing a set of instructions in the form of computer software that is functionally connected to the device; and

executing the software to effect desired action by the device.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising modifying the software.

33. A general purpose robotics and/or automation operating system (GPROS) comprising:

a set of application services that provides access to configuration data using a generic abstraction, wherein the application services are independent of any underlying hardware platform and allow for any combination of communication or operational conduct for any communication or operational task; and

a general purpose applications services operating system comprising;

a set of application services that provides access to configuration data using a generic abstraction, wherein the application services are independent of any underlying hardware platform and allow for any combination of communication or operational conduct for any communication or operational task,

wherein the GPROS extends, uses, and is combined with the general purpose applications services operating system.