CN117621030A

CN117621030A - Multi-stage control system of robot

Info

Publication number: CN117621030A
Application number: CN202210948344.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 任化龙
Original assignee: Shenzhen Yihai Yuan Knowledge Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Shenzhen Yihai Yuan Knowledge Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2022-08-09
Filing date: 2022-08-09
Publication date: 2024-03-01
Also published as: WO2024032601A1

Abstract

The application provides a multistage control system of robot includes: the system comprises a central processing module, one or more peripheral processing modules, one or more sensing management modules and one or more execution management modules; a central processing module which communicates with the peripheral processing module and controls the peripheral processing module; the peripheral processing module is communicated with the sensing management module and controls the sensing management module; and the peripheral processing module is communicated with the execution management module and controls the execution management module. The emergency response speed of the central processing module is fast to slow, the operation processing capacity is weak to strong, and the emergency response speed can be reasonably matched with the emergency response speed of the central processing module and the emergency response speed of the peripheral processing module can be reasonably matched with the emergency response speed of the central processing module. For the response which needs faster feedback, the response can be completed by a sensing management module, an execution management module or a peripheral processing module; for the more complex situation that needs to comprehensively process a large amount of information, the information can be intensively processed by the central processing module; the response speed of the multistage control system is high.

Description

Multi-stage control system of robot

Technical Field

The application belongs to the technical field of robots, and more particularly relates to a robot multistage control system.

Background

The degree of freedom of the robots such as the bionic robot, the robot type robot, the operation type robot, the cooperative robot, the smart hand system and the like is large, often exceeds 30, and the robots need to be correspondingly adjusted according to the environment when working, so the number of sensing elements and executing elements is large; therefore, the circuits are more, the information is redundant, the burden of a central processing module (computer) is too large, and the response speed is low.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a robot multistage control system, which comprises: the system comprises a central processing module, one or more peripheral processing modules, one or more sensing management modules and one or more execution management modules;

the central processing module is communicated with the peripheral processing module and controls the peripheral processing module;

the peripheral processing module is communicated with the sensing management module and controls the sensing management module;

the peripheral processing module is communicated with the execution management module and controls the execution management module.

The application comprises a central processing module, a peripheral processing module, a sensing management module and an execution management module to form a multi-stage control system; the emergency response speed of the central processing module is from high to low, the operation processing capacity is from low to high, and the emergency response speed and the operation processing capacity can be reasonably matched with each other and divided into work. For the response which needs faster feedback, the response can be completed by a sensing management module, an execution management module or a peripheral processing module; for the more complex situation that needs to comprehensively process a large amount of information, the information can be intensively processed by the central processing module; the response speed of the multistage control system is high.

In one embodiment of the present application, the robot multi-stage control system includes a direct control path, in which the sensing management module or the execution management module processes signals of the controlled element to obtain output information; the sensing management module and the execution management module monitor the corresponding controlled elements according to the output information and output monitoring results; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the robot multi-stage control system comprises a secondary control path, wherein in the secondary control path, the sensing management module or the execution management module processes the signals of the controlled elements to obtain output information, the sensing management module or the execution management module monitors the controlled elements, and at least one of the internal information of the sensing management module or the execution management module is uploaded to the peripheral processing module; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

the robot multi-stage control system comprises a three-stage control path, wherein in the three-stage control path, the peripheral processing module outputs information obtained by processing signals of controlled elements, the sensing management module or the execution management module monitors results of the controlled elements, the sensing management module or the execution management module stores internal information, and at least one of the internal information of the peripheral processing module is uploaded to the central processing module.

The controlled element comprises a sensing element connected to the sensing management module and/or the execution management module. The controlled element comprises an executing element, and the executing management module is connected with and controls at least one executing element.

When the driving element or the sensing element works abnormally, such as the driving element fails, the sensing element fails and is absent, or the robot joint and the moving part reach the limit state, the quick response processing can be carried out through the direct control path without waiting for the upper-level module to give an instruction. This shortens the response time and improves the response speed of the system. The upper module can send out instructions to interfere with the lower processing process under certain conditions, so that the reliability and the flexibility of the system are further ensured.

In one embodiment of the present application, a first preset condition set and a first preset processing procedure set are set in the sensing management module and the execution management module; when any one of the output information processed by the sensing management module or the executing management module on the signal of the controlled element and the monitoring result of the sensing management module or the executing management module on the controlled element reaches a first preset condition, the executing management module and/or the sensing management module executes a first preset processing process; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

A second preset condition set and a second preset processing procedure set are arranged in the peripheral processing module; when any one of output information obtained by processing the signal of the controlled element by the sensing management module or the execution management module, a monitoring result of the controlled element by the sensing management module or the execution management module, internal information of the sensing management module or the execution management module, and a monitoring result obtained by further processing the received information by the peripheral processing module reaches a second preset condition, executing a second preset processing process by the peripheral processing module; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

a third preset condition set and a third preset processing process set are arranged in the central processing module; when any one of the output information processed by the sensing management module or the execution management module on the signal of the controlled element, the monitoring result of the sensing management module or the execution management module on the controlled element, the internal information of the sensing management module or the execution management module, the monitoring result of the peripheral processing module, the internal information of the peripheral processing module and the monitoring result obtained by further processing the received information by the central processing module reaches a third preset condition, the central processing module executes a third preset processing procedure.

In one embodiment of the present application, the peripheral processing module issues a second control instruction when executing a second preset processing procedure; the central processing module sends out a three-level control instruction when executing a third preset processing process;

the direct control path executes the instruction of the first preset processing process, the second-level control instruction and the third-level control instruction respectively with an importance coefficient;

when the direct control path executes the instruction of the first preset processing process and any lower-level instruction and upper-level instruction in the second-level control instruction and the third-level control instruction have conflict, executing the instruction with the largest importance coefficient.

In one embodiment of the application, the central processing module is provided with a brain-like computing platform, and operates a brain-like neural network to realize autonomous control of the robot.

In one embodiment of the present application, the central processing module has an algorithm or program for referencing the cerebral nerve loop.

In an embodiment of the present application, the central processing module is equipped with a program module, and is configured to run a program/script to implement robot program control.

In an embodiment of the present application, the central processing module and/or the peripheral processing module is further connected to a motion capture device, where the motion capture device converts a motion of a user into an input signal and provides the input signal to the system, so as to implement remote control of the robot.

The robot autonomous control, the robot program control and the robot remote control are used in a mixed mode. The multi-stage control system of the robot can meet the requirements of different application environments, and the reliability of the system is ensured.

In an embodiment of the present application, the motion capture device further includes a feedback module, and the central processing module and/or the peripheral processing module outputs feedback information to the motion capture device, and the feedback module transmits the information to the user. The user of the motion capture device can experience environmental feedback such as strength feel, resistance, object shape texture and the like.

In one embodiment of the present application, the central processing module is further connected to an image input module and a sound input module, so as to realize visual and auditory perception (advanced cognition).

In one embodiment of the present application, the central processing module is implemented by one or more of software, firmware, hardware, and reconfigurable devices;

the peripheral processing module is realized by one or more of software, firmware, hardware and reconfigurable equipment.

In one embodiment of the present application, the execution management module includes at least one driving unit; the driving unit includes a driving circuit.

In one embodiment of the present application, the execution management module further includes at least one management unit, and in the same execution management module, the management unit communicates with the driving units and coordinates each driving unit; the management unit is in communication with the peripheral processing module.

In one embodiment of the application, the driving circuit is composed of an H-bridge chip or discrete components to form a voltage, current, moment, rotating speed and rotating angle control loop; and an isolation device is arranged between the management unit and each driving unit. The signals between the management unit and each driving unit are electromagnetically isolated by the isolating device. The isolation device may be an optocoupler, a magnetic couple, or other isolation chip. The electromagnetic noise crosstalk of the executive component can be reduced to the analog signal sampling part of the digital circuit and the sensing management module.

In one embodiment of the present application, the sensing element comprises one or more of a tactile sensing element, a force sensing element, a torque sensing element, a position sensing element, a speed sensing element, a current sensing element, a voltage sensing element, and a temperature sensing element.

In one embodiment of the present application, a high-signal-quantity sensing element is connected to a sensing management module; the sensor element with small signal quantity is connected to the execution management module.

In one embodiment of the present application, the sensor management module is incorporated in a peripheral processing module and/or the execution management module is incorporated in a peripheral processing module. When the number of the sensing elements under the control of one sensing management module is small, the sensing management module can be combined into the peripheral processing module; when the number of the execution elements under the control of an execution management module is small, the execution management module can be combined into the peripheral processing module.

In one embodiment of the present application, the actuator comprises one or more of an electric motor, a hydraulic element, a pneumatic element, and an artificial muscle.

In one embodiment of the present application, the central processing module and/or the peripheral processing module are further connected to an emergency braking device.

In one embodiment of the present application, the central processing module communicates with the peripheral processing module via one or more of ethernet, wiFi, bluetooth, 5G, 4G, USB, serial bus, industrial bus.

In one embodiment of the present application, the peripheral processing module communicates with the execution management module via one or more of ethernet, wiFi, bluetooth, USB, serial bus, and industrial bus.

In one embodiment of the present application, the management unit communicates with each driving unit through a bus, where the bus uses one or more of CAN and I2C, SPI.

In one embodiment of the present application, the communication between the central processing module and the peripheral processing module is a first-level communication, and the target of the first-level communication includes macroscopic operation of the joint; the communication between the peripheral processing module and the execution management module is second-level communication, and the target of the second-level communication comprises an execution element connected with the execution management module.

In one embodiment of the present application, one or more layers of protocols exist in each of the first-level communication and the second-level communication;

in the upper layer protocol of the first-level communication, the data packet format comprises an instruction; the packet format may also include targets and/or parameters;

in the upper layer protocol of the second-level communication, the data packet format comprises an instruction; the packet format may also include targets and/or parameters.

In one embodiment of the present application, the peripheral processing module is configured as an embedded circuit based on a reconfigurable unit and a communication management unit;

the communication management unit is communicated with the central processing module, the central processing module sends a first message to the communication management unit, the communication management unit decodes the first message to obtain a second message, and the second message is transmitted to the reconfigurable unit.

In one embodiment of the present application, the reconfigurable unit may be configured as an FPGA; the communication management unit is ARM or DSP;

the FPGA and ARM or DSP serving as a communication management unit can be independent chips or can be bound in the same chip so as to improve the communication bandwidth between the FPGA and the ARM or the DSP; alternatively, firmware of an ARM or DSP may also be embedded in the reconfigurable unit FPGA.

Alternatively, the reconfigurable unit may also be configured as reconfigurable hardware. Reconfigurable hardware refers to hardware lines, and functions of hardware devices that can be reconfigured at runtime according to software.

In one embodiment of the present application, the robot multi-stage control system is provided with an electric storage device as a backup power source. Under the condition that the main power supply is cut off, the power can be supplied temporarily, so that the action of the executive component can be completed or the movement of the robot can be put into a safe state.

In one embodiment of the present application, the sensing management module is provided with an operation power source (for example, battery power supply) to further reduce electromagnetic interference suffered by the analog signal sampling portion.

In one embodiment of the present application, the robot multi-stage control system further comprises a protective shell having one or more of an explosion-proof structure, an electromagnetic radiation-proof structure, a waterproof structure, a dust-proof structure, and a vibration-proof structure.

The utility model provides a multistage control system of robot, beneficial effect lies in:

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings that are required for the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below, it being obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings may be obtained according to these drawings without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-stage control system for a robot provided herein;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-stage control system for a robot according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a multi-stage control system for a robot according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a peripheral processing module according to an embodiment of the present application.

Wherein, each reference sign in the figure:

the system comprises a 10-central processing module, a 20-peripheral processing module, a 30-sensing management module, a 40-execution management module, a 50-execution element, a 60-sensing element, an 11-brain-like computing platform, a 12-program module, a 13-emergency braking device, a 21-communication management unit, a 22-FPGA, a 31-management unit, a 32-driving unit, a 70-motion capturing device, a 71-motion capturing module, a 72-feedback module, an 81-image input module and an 82-sound input module.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical schemes and beneficial effects to be solved by the present application more clear, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the present application.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "mounted" or "disposed" on another element, it can be directly on the other element or be indirectly on the other element. When an element is referred to as being "connected to" another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or be indirectly connected to the other element.

It is to be understood that the terms "length," "width," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," and the like indicate or are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, merely to facilitate description of the present application and simplify description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be configured and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present application.

Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying a relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defining "a first" or "a second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more such feature. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more, unless explicitly defined otherwise.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, a multi-stage control system for a robot according to an embodiment of the present application will now be described.

As shown in fig. 1, the multi-stage control system for a robot provided in the present application includes: a central processing module 10, one or more peripheral processing modules 20, one or more sensor management modules 30, and one or more execution management modules 40.

A central processing module 10 in communication with each of the peripheral processing modules 20 and controlling the peripheral processing modules 20;

the peripheral processing module 20 is communicated with the sensor management module 30 under the control of the peripheral processing module and controls the sensor management module 30;

the peripheral processing module 20 communicates with the execution management module 40 under the control thereof and controls the execution management module 40.

The controlled elements include actuators 50, the controlled elements include sensing elements 60, and the robot includes one or more actuators 50, one or more sensing elements 60. The execution management module 40 is connected with and controls at least one execution element 50; the sensor element 60 is connected to the sensor management module 30 and/or the execution management module 40.

In the present invention, the central processing module 10 and the peripheral processing module 20 form a superior and inferior relationship. The peripheral processing module 20 and the sensor management module 30 form a superior-inferior relationship. The peripheral processing module 20 and the execution management module 40 form an upper-level and lower-level relationship. The sensor management module 30 and the execution management module 40 are in the same relationship.

The actuator 50 may include one or more of an electric motor, a hydraulic element, a pneumatic element, and an artificial muscle. The actuator 50 is controlled by the execution management module 40.

The sensing elements 60 include one or more of tactile sensing elements, force sensing elements such as tendon tension sensing elements, torque sensing elements, position sensing elements such as joint angle sensing elements, speed sensing elements such as joint angular speed sensing elements, motor speed sensing elements, current sensing elements, voltage sensing elements, and temperature sensing elements. It is understood that the sensing element 60 includes, but is not limited to, those described above.

The signals of the sensing element 60 and the actuating element 50 include the output signals of the sensing element 60 and the actuating element 50 and the detection information of the power supply end on the sensing element 60 and the actuating element 52, such as signals of voltage, current and the like. So as to determine whether the sensing element 60 and the actuating element 50 are abnormal, such as missing, abnormal operation such as short circuit, etc., according to the signals.

The joint angle sensing elements are arranged at each joint of the robot, and the output signals are processed by the sensing management module 30 to obtain joint position information; the tactile sensing elements are distributed in the bionic skin, and the output signals are processed by the sensing management module 30 to obtain tactile information; the moment sensing element is arranged at the joint of the robot, and the output signal of the moment sensing element is processed by the sensing management module 30 to obtain joint moment information; the tendon tension sensor is mounted on the tendon, and the output signal is processed by the sensor management module 30 to obtain tendon tension information.

The sensor management module 30 powers the sensor element 60 by applying a constant power or applying power in a periodic scan. The sensing management module 30 amplifies, filters, samples and converts the output signals of the sensing elements 60, monitors whether there is a missing or abnormal operation of the sensing elements 60, and transmits the processed output signals and/or the monitoring result to the upper module or the execution management module 40.

The sensing management module 30 may adopt elements such as an analog-to-digital conversion device, a control device, a communication protocol chip, a power management chip and the like to form a circuit, and carry programs to realize the functions. The sensing management module 30 applies power to and samples each sensing element 60, and the frequency of applying power and the sampling frequency of the output signal thereof can be automatically adjusted.

In an improved scheme, the sensing management module 30 is provided with a battery or other direct current (voltage stabilizing) power source as an operation power source, so as to further reduce electromagnetic interference suffered by the analog signal sampling part.

The execution management module 40 generally monitors only the current, voltage, temperature, etc. of the execution element 50 to form a current loop, voltage loop, temperature loop, etc. The performance management module 40 also monitors the performance element 50, such as an encoder carried by the motor, to measure rotational speed and rotational angle.

The execution management module 40 controls the execution element 50, monitors whether the execution element 50 is missing or abnormal in operation, and transmits the current, voltage, speed and monitoring result of the execution element 50 to the peripheral processing module 20.

As shown in fig. 2, the execution management module 40 of the embodiment of the present application includes at least one driving unit 32. The drive unit 32 is connected to an actuator 50. The driving unit 32 includes a driving circuit. The driving circuit can be composed of an H-bridge chip, other integrated chips and discrete components to form a voltage, current, moment, rotating speed and rotating angle control loop.

The execution management module 40 further includes at least one management unit 31; in the same execution management module 40, the management unit 31 and each driving unit 32 form an upper-level and lower-level relationship; the management unit 31 communicates with the driving units 32, and controls and coordinates each driving unit 32 to provide PWM signals, enable signals, and direction signals. The communication mode is configured as a bus; for example, the bus may employ one or more of CAN, I2C, SPI. The management unit 31 communicates with the peripheral processing module 20 at the previous stage, and the management unit 31 reports the information of each actuator 50 and the information of each current loop to the peripheral processing module.

In an improved solution, isolation devices are arranged between the management unit 31 and each driving unit 32, and signals between the management unit 31 and each driving unit 32 are isolated electromagnetically through the isolation devices. The isolation device may be an optocoupler, a magnetic couple, or other isolation chip. Advantageously, electromagnetic noise crosstalk of the actuator can be reduced to the digital circuit, analog signal sampling portion of the sensor management module 40.

As shown in fig. 3, the sensing element 60 with large signal quantity (or more output lines), such as contacts in bionic skin, touch sensing element, slide sensing element, etc., is directly connected to the sensing management module 30. The sensor element 60 with small signal quantity, such as the encoder, torque sensor element and current sensor signal of the motor, and the signal wire can be connected to the execution management module 40 to form a torque ring, a speed ring, a position ring and the like.

The multi-stage control system of the robot comprises a direct control path (a primary control path), a secondary control path and a tertiary control path.

The robot multi-stage control system includes a direct control path (primary control path) in which the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40 processes signals of controlled elements to obtain output information. In one embodiment, the signals of the sensing element 60 and the signals of the executing element 50 are transmitted to the corresponding sensing management module 30 or the corresponding executing management module 40, and the signals are processed to obtain output information. The sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40 monitors the corresponding controlled element (the sensing element 60 or the execution element 50) according to the output information and outputs a monitoring result, wherein the monitoring result information mainly refers to whether the controlled element such as the sensing element 60 or the execution element 50 is normal, whether overload exists, whether the controlled element is absent or not, and the like.

In one embodiment, the sensing element 60 may be connected to the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40; the corresponding sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40 processes the signals of the sensing element 60 and obtains output information; the sensor management module 30 or the execution management module 40 monitors the sensor element 60 according to the output information and outputs the monitoring result.

In one embodiment, the actuator 50 may be coupled to the execution management module 40; the corresponding execution management module 40 processes the signals of the execution element 50 and obtains output information; the execution management module 40 monitors the execution element 50 according to the output information and outputs the monitoring result.

In one embodiment, a first set of preset conditions and a first set of preset processes are provided in the sensor management module 30 and the execution management module 40. The preset processing refers to making a decision by the corresponding module when a preset condition occurs, and instructing other modules and/or elements to take further processing or actions.

In the direct control path (primary control path), when any one of the output information of the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40 processed the signal of the controlled element (i.e. the output information of the direct control path processed), the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40 processed the monitoring result of the controlled element (i.e. the monitoring result of the direct control path) reaches the first preset condition, the execution management module 40 or the sensing management module 30 of the direct control path performs the fast response processing on the sensing element 60 or the execution element 50 according to the first preset processing procedure.

In a specific embodiment, when the execution management module 40 monitors that the execution element 50 reaches the first preset condition, the execution management module 40 executes the first preset process, and the direct control path performs the fast response process. For example, the execution management module 40 may monitor the execution element 50 through the sensor element 60, and the output signal of the temperature sensor element at the execution element 50 may be processed to obtain the temperature information (output information) of the execution element 50. The execution management module 40 monitors temperature information of the execution element 50, and when the execution management module 40 monitors that the temperature of a certain execution element 50 reaches a preset temperature, the execution management module 40 executes a first preset processing procedure, automatically stops supplying power to the execution element 50 until the temperature drops below the preset temperature, so as to reduce short circuit risk and avoid burning out the execution element 50. The sensing element 60 matched with the executing element 50 can be connected to the executing management module 40 to which the executing element 50 belongs, and also can be connected to the corresponding sensing management module 30 to form a first direct control path. For another example, the execution management module 40 may monitor signals such as voltage and current of the execution element 52 through a signal acquisition circuit, so as to determine whether the execution element 50 has abnormal operation; when the execution management module 40 monitors that the voltage or the current of a certain execution element 50 reaches a preset condition, the execution management module 40 executes a first preset processing procedure, and automatically stops supplying power to the execution element 50.

In a specific embodiment, when the sensing management module 30 monitors that the information of the sensing element 60 reaches the first preset condition, the sensing management module 30 transmits the monitoring result to the execution management module 40, and the execution management module 40 executes the first preset processing procedure and performs the quick response processing on the corresponding execution element 50 by the direct control path. For example, the output signal of a torque sensor element at a certain joint is processed to obtain joint torque information (output information). When a certain sensing management module 30 detects that a certain joint reaches a preset moment, the sensing management module 30 transmits a monitoring result to the execution management module 40; the execution management module 40 issues instructions to the actuators 50 to not add force to the joint or loosen the joint to avoid damage to the joint. In this embodiment, the torque sensor for measuring the moment information of the joint may be connected to the sensing management module 30 to which it belongs, or may be connected to the execution management module 40 to which the corresponding execution element 50 belongs, so as to form a second direct control path. Or, when the sensing management module 30 monitors that the information of the sensing element 60 reaches the first preset condition, the sensing management module 30 executes a first preset processing procedure; for example, a torque sensor or force sensor is connected to its sensing management module 30; if the sensing management module 30 monitors that the moment sensor or the force sensor has short circuit, missing and the like, the sensing management module 30 directly performs power-off processing on the corresponding moment sensor or force sensor.

In a specific embodiment, the sensing element 60 is connected to the sensing management module 30, and the sensing management module 30 processes the output signal of the sensing element 60 to obtain output information, and monitors whether the sensing element 60 is abnormal. When the sensing management module 30 monitors that the output information of the sensing element 60 reaches a preset condition, the sensing management module 30 executes a first preset processing procedure to control the sensing element 60.

In short, when the actuator 50 or the sensor 60 works abnormally, such as the actuator 50 fails, the sensor 60 fails, lacks, or the robot joints and moving parts reach the limit state (position limit, force limit, collision), the quick response processing can be performed through the direct control path without waiting for the upper module to issue instructions. This shortens the response time, and when certain events are encountered, the "lower" module can respond quickly before listening for further instructions from the "upper" module. The upper module can send out instructions to interfere the lower processing process under certain conditions. For example, the "lower level" module determines that the robot limb (manipulator arm) collides with the operated object greatly, and adopts a certain quick response to retract the limb (the manipulator arm is retracted to the rest position), but the central processing module 10 can use the image input device or the image input module (such as the image capturing device and the visual perception module) to determine whether the robot is abnormal with the surrounding environment, if it is determined that the robot limb may contact with the approaching person in the retracting path, the central processing module 10 may interfere with the lower level processing process, for example, can weaken the force applied by the actuator 50 to the moving part, change the moving track, and even stop the movement of the moving part, so as to avoid.

Although the output lines of the sensing element 60 and the actuator 50 are not directly connected to the peripheral processing module 20, in the secondary control path, the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40 uploads the output information processed by the direct control path and the monitoring result of the direct control path to the peripheral processing module 20. The peripheral processing module 20 may intervene in the processing of the direct control path through the secondary control path. The internal information of the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40, such as the information about whether the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40 is normal, what kind of emergency treatment process is adopted, etc., is also uploaded to the peripheral processing module 20. The peripheral processing module 20 can further process the received information and monitor the preset target.

The emergency response speed of the direct control path, the secondary control path and the tertiary control path is from high to low. The operation processing capacity of the direct control path, the secondary control path and the tertiary control path is from weak to strong.

In one embodiment, a second set of preset conditions and a second set of preset processes are disposed in the peripheral processing module 20. In the secondary control path, when any one of the output information obtained by processing the signal of the controlled element by the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40, the monitoring result of the controlled element by the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40, the internal information of the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40, and the monitoring result obtained by further processing the received information by the peripheral processing module 20 reaches a second preset condition, the peripheral processing module 20 executes a second preset processing procedure. When executing the second preset processing procedure, the peripheral processing module 20 can issue a secondary control instruction, and can control the administered execution management module 40 or the sensing management module 30 to interfere with the processing procedure of the direct control path.

In the three-stage control path, the peripheral processing module 20 uploads the output information processed by the direct control path and the monitoring result of the direct control path, the internal information of the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40, and the monitoring result of the peripheral processing module 20, and the internal information of the peripheral processing module 20 of the two-stage control path to the central processing module 10. The central processing module 10 may intervene in the processing of the direct control path and/or the secondary control path via the tertiary control path. The internal information of the peripheral processing module 20 includes relevant information such as the operating state of the peripheral processing module 20 (whether it is normal, which algorithm is being executed), what kind of emergency processing procedure is being adopted, and the like.

In one embodiment, a third set of preset conditions and a third set of preset processing procedures are disposed in the central processing module 10. In the three-stage control path, at least one piece of information monitored by the central processing module 10 includes output information obtained by processing signals of the controlled element by the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40, a monitoring result of the controlled element by the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40, internal information of the sensing management module 30 or the execution management module 40, a monitoring result of the peripheral processing module 20, internal information of the peripheral processing module 20, and a monitoring result obtained by further processing the received information by the central processing module 10, when any one of the monitoring results reaches a third preset condition, the central processing module 10 executes a third preset processing procedure. When executing the third preset processing procedure, the central processing module 10 may issue a third level control instruction to control the peripheral processing module 20 under jurisdiction, or the execution management module 40 and the sensing management module 30 of the next level, and intervene in the processing procedure of the direct control path and/or the second level control path.

The robot multistage control system of one specific embodiment of the application comprises: the peripheral processing module 20 can process the output information processed by the plurality of direct control paths and the information such as the monitoring result, and then comprehensively judge whether the second preset condition is reached.

The robot multistage control system of one specific embodiment of the application comprises: the central processing module 10 may process the received information, such as the output information processed by the direct control path and the monitoring result of the direct control path, and the monitoring result of the peripheral processing module 20 and the information of the secondary control path, and then comprehensively determine whether the third preset condition is reached.

In the three-level control path, the three-level control instruction sent by the central processing module 10 can be macroscopically operated around joints and the like, the target can be a specific joint, the corresponding instruction is internal rotation, external rotation and the like, and the corresponding parameters are joint angle, joint angular velocity, joint angular acceleration, joint moment and the like.

In the secondary control path, the secondary control instruction sent by the peripheral processing module 20 may be specific to a certain executing element 50, the corresponding instruction is start and stop of the executing element 50, the steering, rotating speed and torque around the executing element 50 (such as a motor), and the corresponding parameter is the rotating angle, rotating speed and torque of the executing element 50 (such as a motor).

The direct control path executes the instruction of the first preset processing process, the second control instruction and the third control instruction respectively have an importance coefficient. When any lower order instruction in the first preset processing procedure, the second order control instruction and the third order control instruction is executed by the direct control path and conflict with the upper order instruction, the instruction with the largest importance coefficient is executed. This importance coefficient may be specified by the user.

In a refinement, the sensor management module is incorporated in the peripheral processing module and/or the execution management module is incorporated in the peripheral processing module. For example, when the number of the sensing elements 60 under the control of a certain sensing management module 30 is small, the sensing management module 30 may be incorporated into the peripheral processing module 20 or the execution management module 40 according to the type of the sensing elements 60 and whether there is a dependency on the execution element 50. When the number of execution elements 50 under the control of a certain execution management module 40 is small, the execution management module 40 may be incorporated into the peripheral processing module 20.

When the number of the execution elements 50 under the control of one execution management module 40 is smaller, the number of the sensing elements 60 under the control of one sensing management module 30 is smaller, the corresponding sensing management module 30 and execution management module 40 can be integrated into the peripheral processing module 20.

In one embodiment, the central processing module 10 has an algorithm or program that references the cerebral nerve loop.

As shown in fig. 2, the central processing module 10 is provided with a brain-like computing platform 11, runs and accelerates a brain-like neural network, runs an algorithm or a program referencing the brain neural loop, and realizes autonomous control of the robot. The brain-like neural network can refer to brain neural loops such as visual cortex, middle temporal lobe, forehead lobe, motion cortex, basal nucleus, cerebellum and the like to form a plurality of modules including a perception module, a memory module, a decision module, a motion planning module, a motion executing module and a motion coordination module. As described in the related patents of application No. 201910738132.7, application No. 202010424999.8, application No. 202010425110.8, etc., the autonomous control of the robot is realized by referring to an algorithm or a program of the cerebral nerve loop.

The central processing module 10 can be provided with a program module 12, and the program module 12 is provided with a program/script designated by a user to guide the robot operation for realizing the control of the robot program. The script can specify the motion trail of each joint of the robot, the priority of various instructions, the initial value of the importance coefficient and various necessary preset values required by the system operation.

As shown in fig. 3, the central processing module 10 may also be connected to a motion capture device 70, where the motion capture device 70 includes a motion capture module 71 (which may be a motion capture glove, a whole body motion capture device, or an optical motion capture device) for converting motion of a user into an input signal and providing the input signal to the system, so as to realize remote control of the robot. The motion capture device 70 may also be coupled to the peripheral processing module 20.

In practical applications, robot autonomous control, robot program control, and robot remote control are generally used in combination.

As shown in FIG. 3, the motion capture device 70 may also be provided with a feedback module 72, and the corresponding central processing module 10 or peripheral processing module 20 outputs feedback information to the motion capture device 70, which is transmitted to the user via the feedback module 72. The feedback module 72 may be force feedback or vibration feedback, which may enable the user of the motion capture device 70 to experience environmental feedback such as force, resistance, object shape and texture. This is called a remote control, teleoperation, or virtual operation, and the central processing module 10 may not actually execute.

The central processing module 10 is also connected with an input module and an output module.

As shown in fig. 3, in the autonomous robot control, an image input module 81 such as a monocular/binocular camera, a sound input module 82, etc. may be connected to the central processing module 10 for realizing visual and auditory perception. This approach is suitable for fully autonomous control of the robot. The image input module 81 and the sound input module 82 may be directly disposed in the central processing module 10, or may be used as a peripheral device and connected to the central processing module 10 in a communication manner.

The central processing module 10 may also be configured with general I/O devices such as a keyboard, a display, etc.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the central processing module 10 and/or the peripheral processing module 20 are/is further connected to an emergency braking device 13.

In one embodiment, the central processing module 10 is implemented by one or more of software, firmware, hardware, and reconfigurable devices. For example, the central processing module 10 may be composed of a computer or a server cluster, or may be composed of one or more of a single board computer, a single chip microcomputer, and an embedded device. For example, the cpu 10 is configured as a computer with a strong core computing resource such as CPU, GPU, TPU.

In one embodiment, the peripheral processing module 20 is implemented by one or more of software, firmware, hardware, and reconfigurable devices. For example, the peripheral processing module 20 may be composed of one or more single board computers, a single chip microcomputer, and an embedded circuit.

Reconfigurable devices are devices based on reconfigurable hardware that reconstruct internal logic at run-time via software.

In one embodiment, the central processing module 10 communicates with the peripheral processing module 20 via one or more of ethernet, wiFi, bluetooth, 5G, 4G, USB, serial bus, industrial internet. Preferably, the central processing module 10 can communicate with the peripheral processing module 20 in full duplex, and the full duplex communication between the two is preferably ethernet or industrial internet.

In one embodiment, the peripheral processing module 20 communicates with the execution management module 40 via one or more of Ethernet, wiFi, bluetooth, USB, serial bus, and industrial bus.

The communication between the central processing module and the peripheral processing module is first-stage communication, and the macro operation of the joints and the like is surrounded, the target can be a specific joint, the corresponding instruction is internal rotation, external rotation and the like, and the corresponding parameters are joint angle, joint angular velocity, joint angular acceleration, joint moment and the like. The communication between the peripheral processing module and the execution management module is a second-stage communication, the target can be a specific execution element, the corresponding instruction is the start and stop of the execution element, the steering, the rotating speed and the moment around the execution element (such as a motor), and the corresponding parameters are the rotating angle of the execution element (such as the motor), the rotating speed of the motor, the torque of the motor and the like.

The first-level communication and the second-level communication are both bidirectional communications.

In an upper layer protocol of the first-level communication, a data packet (payload) format includes an instruction; the packet format may also include targets and/or parameters. In one embodiment, the packet (payload) format may include: target, instruction and parameter.

In an upper protocol of the second-level communication, the payload format includes instructions; the packet format may also include targets and/or parameters. In one embodiment, the packet (payload) format may include: target, instruction and parameter.

Depending on the hardware implementation, one to multiple layers of protocols exist for the first-level communication and the second-level communication respectively; for example, in the first-level communication, if ethernet communication is used, the protocol stack may include layers such as a physical layer, a link layer, IP, TCP, etc., and the upper layer protocol is an application layer; for another example, in the second-level communication, the communication management function of the chip includes a lower layer protocol (SPI, CAN), and an upper layer protocol is formed by a packet (payload).

In some cases, control allows override, i.e., the central processing module 10 can directly control to the execution element 50, so that the control algorithm is flexible to implement and also convenient to debug. In this case, the target may be a specific joint, the corresponding instruction is internal rotation, external rotation, and the like, and the corresponding parameter is joint angle, joint angular velocity, joint angular acceleration, joint moment, and the like; or a specific executing element, the corresponding instruction is the start and stop of the executing element, the steering, the rotating speed and the moment around the executing element (such as a motor), and the corresponding parameters are the rotating angle of the executing element (such as the motor), the rotating speed of the motor, the torque of the motor and the like.

In the upstream communication of the first level communication and the second level communication, the corresponding parameters are the actual information obtained by the sensor element 60, so that the default instruction can be given in the packet (payload).

The lower level should transmit various signals to the upper level as much as possible, and the upper level decides how to process the signals, so that the protocol (protocol) should include a fault code from bottom to top and a spare instruction code for releasing the fault from top to bottom. The method can be realized by flexibly utilizing the instruction and parameter parts in the data packet (payload).

As shown in fig. 4, the peripheral processing module 20 is configured as an embedded circuit based on the reconfigurable unit 22 and the communication management unit 21;

in one embodiment, reconfigurable unit 22 may be configured as an FPGA and communication management unit 21 includes an ARM.

The FPGA of the reconfigurable unit 22 and the ARM of the communication management unit 21 may be independent chips, or may be bound in the same chip, or may be embedded with firmware of the ARM in the FPGA.

In a preferred scheme, the FPGA and the ARM are bound in the same chip so as to improve the communication bandwidth between the FPGA and the ARM.

Wherein the communication management unit 21 is configured to be responsible for communication with the central processing module 10; preferably, the communication management unit 21 can perform full duplex communication with the central processing module 10. The central processing module 10 sends a first message to the communication management unit 21. The communication management unit 21 decodes the first message to obtain a second message and transmits the second message to the reconfigurable unit 22. If the first message is encrypted, the communication management unit 21 is also responsible for decryption.

The reconfigurable unit 22 includes at least one sensor management driver component, at least one execution management driver component. The sensing management driving component is used for driving the sensing management module 40 under the control of the peripheral processing module, and the execution management driving component is used for driving the execution management module 30 under the control of the peripheral processing module 20.

The peripheral processing module 20 includes a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) through which an algorithm or program simulating a spinal neural loop is executed. A Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) encodes motion trajectories through linkage relationships and weights between neurons. The Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) may be embedded in an FPGA, with the neural network components comprising the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) being independent of other components of the FPGA. The neural network component communicates with the execution management driving component 30 and the sensing management driving component 40 in one or two directions simultaneously, i.e. it receives the sensing information and sends out the execution signal.

Alternatively, the reconfigurable unit 22 may also be configured as reconfigurable hardware. Reconfigurable hardware refers to hardware lines, and functions of hardware devices that can be reconfigured at runtime according to software.

Alternatively, the ARM of the communication management unit 21 may be replaced by a DSP circuit/chip, and the same function may be realized. The former is more flexible and can support any communication protocol stack; the latter is simple and reliable and is cheap.

The advantage of the FPGA adopted by the peripheral processing module 20 is that each component carried by the FPGA can be executed in parallel, which is particularly suitable for solving the situations of multiple sensing elements, multiple executing elements and multiple control targets, and can respond in real time at high speed. The ARM or the DSP is adopted for communication management, so that the encoding and decoding are efficient, and software (compared with firmware) can realize and upgrade a communication protocol and routing rules more flexibly, and development is convenient and fast. Especially, ARM can be used for carrying an embedded system, and a WiFi/Ethernet protocol stack is better supported.

The management unit 31 is configured as a single chip microcomputer or CPLD. Under the condition that the I/O pins of the FPGA are not enough, the I/O can be expanded with lower cost, and more motor driving chips and analog-to-digital converters (ADC) can be connected. When the management unit 31 is configured as a CPLD, the CPLD and the FPGA may be integrated on one circuit as a peripheral processing module, so as to reduce the communication cost between the execution management module 30 and the peripheral processing module 20, which takes electromagnetic compatibility and signal integrity into consideration; wherein, CPLD doubles as the management unit, communicates with each drive unit.

In one embodiment, the management unit 31 communicates with each drive unit 32 via a bus that employs one or more of CAN, I2C, SPI.

The communication between any two stages can have an encryption process to avoid hijacking (hi-jack) of the device.

In one embodiment, each module can be powered on and powered off respectively according to a certain sequence, so as to avoid misoperation.

In an improved solution, the multi-stage control system of the present application has an electrical storage device (such as a capacitor or a battery) as a backup power source, and can temporarily supply power when the main power source is cut off, so as to ensure that the action of the actuator 50 can be completed or the movement of the robot can be put into a safe state.

In one embodiment, the robotic multilevel control system further includes a protective housing having one or more of an explosion-proof structure, an electromagnetic radiation-proof structure (e.g., using a metal shielding mesh), a waterproof structure, a dust-proof structure (e.g., using a seal ring to achieve waterproof, dust-proof, and explosion-proof), and a shock-proof structure (e.g., installing a rubber cushion at the connection of the circuit to other structures). Is used for realizing the functions of explosion prevention, electromagnetic radiation prevention, water prevention, dust prevention, vibration prevention and the like.

The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present application is not intended to be limiting, but is intended to cover any and all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and principles of the present application.

Claims

1. A multi-stage control system for a robot, comprising: the system comprises a central processing module, one or more peripheral processing modules, one or more sensing management modules and one or more execution management modules;

2. The multi-stage control system for a robot of claim 1, wherein,

the robot multistage control system comprises a direct control path, wherein in the direct control path, the sensing management module or the execution management module processes signals of controlled elements to obtain output information; the sensing management module and the execution management module monitor the corresponding controlled elements according to the output information and output monitoring results; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

3. The multi-stage control system for a robot of claim 1, wherein,

the sensing management module and the execution management module are internally provided with a first preset condition set and a first preset processing procedure set; when any one of the output information processed by the sensing management module or the executing management module on the signal of the controlled element and the monitoring result of the sensing management module or the executing management module on the controlled element reaches a first preset condition, the executing management module and/or the sensing management module executes a first preset processing process; and/or the number of the groups of groups,

4. The multi-stage control system of a robot of claim 3, wherein the peripheral processing module issues a secondary control instruction when executing a second predetermined process; the central processing module sends out a three-level control instruction when executing a third preset processing process;

5. The robot multistage control system of claim 1, wherein the central processing module is mounted with a brain-like computing platform.

6. The multi-stage control system of claim 1 or 5, wherein the central processing module has an algorithm or program for referencing a cerebral nerve loop.

7. The robot multistage control system of claim 1, wherein the central processing module is provided with a program module.

8. The multi-stage control system of claim 1, wherein the central processing module and/or the peripheral processing module are further coupled to a motion capture device that converts user motion into input signals for the system.

9. The multi-stage control system of claim 8, wherein the motion capture device further comprises a feedback module, and the central processing module and/or the peripheral processing module outputs feedback information to the motion capture device, and the feedback module transmits the information to the user.

10. The multi-stage control system of a robot of claim 1, wherein the central processing module is further connected to an image input module and a sound input module for realizing visual and auditory perception.

11. The multi-stage control system for a robot of claim 1, wherein,

the central processing module is realized by one or more of software, firmware, hardware and reconfigurable equipment;

12. The robotic multilevel control system of claim 1, wherein the execution management module includes at least one drive unit; the driving unit includes a driving circuit.

13. The robot multistage control system of claim 12, wherein the execution management module further comprises at least one management unit, wherein the management unit communicates with and coordinates the drive units within the same execution management module; the management unit is in communication with the peripheral processing module.

14. The robot multistage control system of claim 13, wherein the drive circuit comprises a voltage, current, torque, rotational speed, rotational angle control loop formed by an H-bridge chip, or discrete components; and an isolation device is arranged between the management unit and each driving unit.

15. The robotic multilevel control system according to claim 2, wherein the controlled element comprises a sensing element connected to the sensing management module and/or the execution management module; the sensing elements include one or more of a tactile sensing element, a force sensing element, a torque sensing element, a position sensing element, a speed sensing element, a current sensing element, a voltage sensing element, and a temperature sensing element.

16. The robotic multilevel control system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor management module is incorporated in a peripheral processing module and/or wherein the execution management module is incorporated in a peripheral processing module.

17. The robot multistage control system of claim 1, wherein the central processing module and/or peripheral processing module is further coupled to an emergency braking device.

18. The robotic multilevel control system of claim 1, wherein the central processing module communicates with the peripheral processing module via one or more of ethernet, wiFi, bluetooth, 5G, 4G, USB, serial bus, industrial bus.

19. The robotic multilevel control system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral processing module communicates with the execution management module via one or more of ethernet, wiFi, bluetooth, USB, serial bus, and industrial bus.

20. The robotic multilevel control system according to claim 13, wherein the management unit communicates with each drive unit via a bus employing one or more of CAN, I2C, SPI.

21. The robot multistage control system of claim 1, wherein the communication between the central processing module and the peripheral processing module is a first stage communication, the goal of the first stage communication comprising macroscopic operation of the joint; the communication between the peripheral processing module and the execution management module is second-level communication, and the target of the second-level communication comprises an execution element connected with the execution management module.

22. The robotic multilevel control system of claim 21, wherein the first level communication and the second level communication each have one or more protocols.

23. The robotic multilevel control system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral processing module is configured as an embedded circuit based on a reconfigurable unit and a communication management unit;

24. The robotic multilevel control system according to claim 23, wherein the reconfigurable unit is an FPGA or reconfigurable hardware and the communication management unit is an ARM or DSP.

25. The robot multistage control system according to claim 1, wherein the robot multistage control system is provided with an electric storage device as a backup power supply.

26. The robotic multilevel control system of claim 1, wherein the sensor management module has an operational power source.

27. The robotic multilevel control system of claim 1, further comprising a protective housing having one or more of an explosion-proof structure, an electromagnetic radiation-proof structure, a waterproof structure, a dust-proof structure, and a shock-proof structure.