Robotic system with zone-based control

A method to control a robotic line kitting system, comprising:

• storing data indicating, for each of a plurality of operating zones comprising a workspace with which the robotic line kitting system is associated, a corresponding state information indicating an extent to which that operating zone currently is or is not available to the robotic line kitting system to perform tasks using one or more robotic instrumentalities comprising the robotic line kitting system;
• using the data indicating, for each of the plurality of operating zones, the extent to which that operating zone currently is or is not available to the robotic line kitting system to perform tasks using the one or more robotic instrumentalities to dynamically schedule and perform tasks associated with a higher level objective, including by operating the one or more robotic instrumentalities in one or more operating zones, if any, indicated by said data to currently be available to perform tasks using the one or more robotic instrumentalities and by not operating the one or more robotic instrumentalities in one or more operating zones, if any, indicated by said data to not currently be available to perform tasks using the one or more robotic instrumentalities;
• receiving from a first sensor associated with a first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, first operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, wherein the first sensor is located at an entrance to the first operating zone;
• receiving from a second sensor associated with the first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, second operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone, wherein the second sensor is located in the first operating zone at a distance offset from the first sensor;
• in response to receiving the first operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone and the second operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone, updating the corresponding state information associated with the first operating zone to indicate that the first operating zone is not available to the robotic line kitting system;
• and
• in response to the corresponding state information associated with the first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones being updated to indicate that the first operating zone is not available to the robotic line kitting system, altering autonomous behavior of the one or more robotic instrumentalities to ensure safety of any human worker in the first operating zone, wherein the autonomous behavior of the one or more robotic instrumentalities is altered based on whether the first operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone indicates a presence of a human worker in the first operating zone and the second operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone does not indicate the presence of the human worker in the first operating zone or whether the first operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone and the second operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone indicates the presence of the human worker in the first operating zone.

A computer program product to control a robotic line kitting system, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium and comprising computer instructions for:

• storing data indicating, for each of a plurality of operating zones comprising a workspace with which the robotic line kitting system is associated, a corresponding state information indicating an extent to which that operating zone currently is or is not available to the robotic line kitting system to perform tasks using one or more robotic instrumentalities comprising the robotic line kitting system;
• using the data indicating, for each of the plurality of operating zones, the extent to which that operating zone currently is or is not available to the robotic line kitting system to perform tasks using the one or more robotic instrumentalities to dynamically schedule and perform tasks associated with a higher level objective, including by operating the one or more robotic instrumentalities in one or more operating zones, if any, indicated by said data to currently be available to perform tasks using the one or more robotic instrumentalities and by not operating the one or more robotic instrumentalities in one or more operating zones, if any, indicated by said data to not currently be available to perform tasks using the one or more robotic instrumentalities;
• receiving from a first sensor associated with a first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, first operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, wherein the first sensor is located at an entrance to the first operating zone;
• receiving from a second sensor associated with the first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones, second operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone, wherein the second sensor is located in the first operating zone at a distance offset from the first sensor;
• in response to receiving the first operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone and the second operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone, updating the corresponding state information associated with the first operating zone to indicate that the first operating zone is not available to the robotic line kitting system;
• and
• in response to the corresponding state information associated with the first operating zone of the plurality of operating zones being updated to indicate that the first operating zone is not available to the robotic line kitting system, altering autonomous behavior of the one or more robotic instrumentalities to ensure safety of any human worker in the first operating zone, wherein the autonomous behavior of the one or more robotic instrumentalities is altered based on whether the first operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone indicates a presence of a human worker in the first operating zone and the second operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone does not indicate the presence of the human worker in the first operating zone or whether the first operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone and the second operating zone state information associated with the first operating zone indicates the presence of the human worker in the first operating zone.