Control system with task manager

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11312018-B2
Application number	US-201916692784-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2019
Priority date	Nov 14, 2014
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

A system includes a first robotic machine having a first set of capabilities for interacting with a target object; a second robotic machine having a second set of capabilities for interacting with the target object; and a task manager that can determine capability requirements to perform a task on the target object. The task has an associated series of sub-tasks. The task manager can assign a first sequence of sub-tasks for performance by the first robotic machine based on the first set of capabilities and a second sequence of sub-tasks for performance by the second robotic machine based on the second set of capabilities. The first and second robotic machines can coordinate performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks by the first robotic machine with performance of the second sequence of sub-tasks by the second robotic machine to accomplish the task.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system, comprising:
a first robotic machine having a first set of capabilities for interacting with a target object on stationary equipment;
a second robotic machine having a second set of capabilities for interacting with the target object, at least one of the first robotic machine or the second robotic machine having a first mode of operation that is a fast, gross movement mode and a second mode of operation that is a slow, fine movement mode; and
a task manager having one or more processors and that is configured to determine capability requirements to perform a task on the target object, the task having an associated series of sub-tasks, with the sub-tasks having one or more capability requirements,
the task manager being configured to assign a first sequence of sub-tasks within the associated series of sub-tasks to the first robotic machine for performance by the first robotic machine based at least in part on the first set of capabilities, and to assign a second sequence of sub-tasks within the associated series of sub-tasks to the second robotic machine for performance by the second robotic machine based at least in part on the second set of capabilities,
the first and second robotic machines being configured to coordinate performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks by the first robotic machine with performance of the second sequence of sub-tasks by the second robotic machine, and thereby to accomplish the task.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the stationary equipment is a railroad track, a road, a bridge, a building, a stack, or a stationary machine.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sets of capabilities of the first and second robotic machines each include at least one of flying, driving, diving, lifting, imaging, grasping, rotating, tilting, extending, retracting, pushing, or pulling.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the second set of capabilities of the second robotic machine includes at least one capability that differs from the first set of capabilities of the first robotic machine.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first and second robotic machines coordinate performance of the first sequence of sub-tasks by the first robotic machine with the performance of the second sequence of sub-tasks by the second robotic machine by communicating directly with each other.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first robotic machine notifies the second robotic machine, directly or indirectly, that one of the corresponding sub-tasks is complete, and the second robotic machine is configured to perform a corresponding sub-task in the second sequence responsive to being notified.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first robotic machine provides to the second robotic machine, directly or indirectly, a sensor signal having information about the target object, and the task manager is configured to decide whether the second robotic machine proceeds with a sub-task of the second sequence based at least in part on the sensor signal.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein at least some of the sub-tasks are sequential such that the second robotic machine begins performance of a dependent sub-task in the second sequence responsive to receiving a notification from the first robotic machine that the first robotic machine has completed a specific sub-task in the first sequence.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first robotic machine concurrently performs at least one of the sub-tasks in the first sequence with performance of at least one of the sub-tasks in the second sequence by the second robotic machine.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the task manager is configured to access a database that stores capability descriptions corresponding to each robotic machine in a group of robotic machines, and the task manager is further configured to select the first and second robotic machines to perform the task instead of other robotic machines in the group based on a suitability of the capability descriptions of the first and second robotic machines relative to capability needs ascribed in the database to the task or corresponding sub-tasks.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first robotic machine is configured to perform one or more sub-tasks of the first sequence of sub-tasks by moving the second robotic machine from a first location to a second location such that the second robotic machine in the second location is positioned relative to the target object to complete one or more sub-tasks of the second sequence of sub-tasks.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the first robotic machine is configured to identify the target object and determine at least two of: a position of the target object, a position of the first robotic machine, or a position of the second robotic machine, and
the second robotic machine is configured to perform one or more sub-tasks of the second sequence of sub-tasks by manipulating the target object.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first robotic machine, having been assigned a sequence of sub-tasks by the task manager:
determines to travel a determined path from a first location to a second location, or determines to act using a capability of the first set of capabilities, or both determines to travel the determined path and determines to act using the capability, and
signals to the second robotic machine, to the task manager, or both the second robotic machine and the task manager, information including at least one of the determined path, the act of using the capability, or both.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first robotic machine and the second robotic machine each are configured to generate one or more of:
time indexing signals associated with one or both of the first sequence of sub-tasks or the second sequence of sub-tasks,
position indexing signals for locations of one or both of the first robotic machine or the second robotic machine, or
orientation indexing signals for one or more tools configured to implement one or both of the first set of capabilities of the first robotic machine or the second set of capabilities of the second robotic machine.

15. The system of claim 1 , further comprising one or more of a stabilizer, an outrigger, or a clamp, and wherein a transition in operation from the first mode to the second mode comprises deploying and setting said one or more of the stabilizer, the outrigger, or the clamp.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the first mode of operation comprises moving at least one of the first robotic machine or the second robotic machine to a determined location relative to the target object; and
the second mode of operation comprises actuating one or more tools of at least one of the first robotic machine or the second robotic machine to accomplish the task or a sub-task.

17. A system, comprising:
a first robotic machine having a first set of capabilities for interacting with stationary equipment, the first robotic machine being configured to receive a first sequence of sub-tasks related to the first set of capabilities of the first robotic machine; and
a second robotic machine having a second set of capabilities for interacting with the stationary equipment, the second robotic machine being configured to receive a second sequence of sub-tasks related to the second set of capabilities of the second robotic machine, at least one of the first robotic machine or the second robotic machine having a first mode of operation that is a fast, gross movement mode and a second mode of operation that is a slow, fine movement mode, and
the first and se

Assignees

• Transp Ip Holdings Llc

Inventors

• Lizzi John Michael
• Tan Huan
• Theurer Charles Burton
• Kannan Balajee
• Patrick Romano

Classifications

• B61G7/04

  Coupling or uncoupling by means of trackside apparatus · CPC title

• B25J9/1661

  characterised by task planning, object-oriented languages · CPC title

• B25J9/16

  Program controls (total factory control, i.e. centrally controlling a plurality of machines, G05B19/418) · CPC title

• B61J99/00

  Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass · CPC title

• B25J9/1666

  Avoiding collision or forbidden zones · CPC title