Multi-objective robot path planning

A system comprising:

• one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:
• receiving, by a motion planner that runs one or more path planning algorithms, and in response to receiving a request to generate a path for a robot between a start point and an end point in a workcell of the robot, a plurality of different waypoints each corresponding to a possible configuration of the robot within the workcell, wherein the workcell is associated with one or more soft margins that define respective spaces surrounding objects in the workcell, wherein one or more of the plurality of different waypoints lie within a soft margin and wherein one or more of the plurality of different waypoints lie in free space outside of all of the one or more soft margins;
• generating a plurality of path segments between the plurality of different waypoints in the workcell;
• identifying one or more crossing path segments that each cross over a boundary of a soft margin in the workcell;
• partitioning each of the one or more crossing path segments at the soft margin boundary to generate respective pairs of path segments, wherein each generated pair of path segments includes a first path segment lying within a soft margin and a second path segment lying within free space outside all of the one or more soft margins;
• generating a respective cost for each of the plurality of path segments within the workcell, wherein the generated path segments that are inside a soft margin have a higher cost than generated path segments that are outside all of the one or more soft margins;
• generating, from the plurality of path segments, one or more alternative paths between the start point and the end point in the work cell, including generating a first path that passes through at least one waypoint inside the soft margin and generating a second path that does not pass through any waypoints that are inside the soft margin;
• generating a respective total cost of each of the one or more alternative paths according at least to the respective costs for the path segments inside the soft margin and for the path segments outside the soft margin;
• selecting, based on the respective total costs of the one or more alternative paths, the first path that passes through the at least one waypoint inside the soft margin;
• and
• submitting, by the motion planner, the first path that passes through the at least one waypoint inside the soft margin to an onsite execution engine for execution by the robot.

A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that are operable, when executed by data processing apparatus, to cause the data processing apparatus to perform the operations comprising:

• receiving, by a motion planner that runs one or more path planning algorithms, and in response to receiving a request to generate a path for a robot between a start point and an end point in a workcell of the robot, a plurality of different waypoints each corresponding to a possible configuration of the robot within the workcell, wherein the workcell is associated with one or more soft margins that define respective spaces surrounding objects in the workcell, wherein one or more of the plurality of different waypoints lie within a soft margin and wherein one or more of the plurality of different waypoints lie in free space outside of all of the one or more soft margins;
• generating a plurality of path segments between the plurality of different waypoints in the workcell;
• identifying one or more crossing path segments that each cross over a boundary of a soft margin in the workcell;
• partitioning each of the one or more crossing path segments at the soft margin boundary to generate respective pairs of path segments, wherein each generated pair of path segments includes a first path segment lying within a soft margin and a second path segment lying within free space outside all of the one or more soft margins;
• generating a respective cost for each of the plurality of path segments within the workcell, wherein the generated path segments that are inside a soft margin have a higher cost than generated path segments that are outside all of the one or more soft margins;
• generating, from the plurality of path segments, one or more alternative paths between the start point and the end point in the work cell, including generating a first path that passes through at least one waypoint inside the soft margin and generating a second path that does not pass through any waypoints that are inside the soft margin;
• generating a respective total cost of each of the one or more alternative paths according at least to the respective costs for the path segments inside the soft margin and for the path segments outside the soft margin;
• selecting, based on the respective total costs of the one or more alternative paths, the first path that passes through the at least one waypoint inside the soft margin;
• and
• submitting, by the motion planner, the first path that passes through the at least one waypoint inside the soft margin to an onsite execution engine for execution by the robot.