Robot control method, robot control system, and robot control program

A robot system comprising:

• one or more robots;
• one or more lower-level controllers respectively coupled to the one or more robots and respectively controlling one of the one or more robots;
• and
• an upper-level controller coupled to the one or more lower-level controllers and transmitting command information for control of the one or more robots to the one or more lower-level controllers, wherein
• the upper-level controller including a processor having a plurality of processor cores, the one or more robots have a first robot, and the one or more lower-level controllers have a first lower-level controller, and
• the upper-level controller is configured to:
• cause the first lower-level controller to receive a robot sensor signal from the first robot via a real-time communication interface;
• receive the robot sensor signal from the first lower-level controller via a non-real-time communication interface;
• isolate part of the processor cores of the plurality of processor cores from the other processor cores of the plurality of processor cores;
• assign one or more communication tasks with the first lower-level controller to the isolated part of the processor cores;
• transmit the command information to the first lower-level controller via the non-real-time communication interface in synchronization with a robot control cycle by controlling the isolated part of the processor cores to execute the one or more communication tasks with the first lower-level controller;
• cause the first lower-level controller to transmit the command information to the first robot via the real-time communication interface and to cause the first robot to perform an operation based on the command information;
• and
• release the isolation of the isolated part of the processor cores after the first robot has completed the operation,
• wherein the upper-level controller is configured to transmit the command information to the first lower-level controller within a first period of time from receiving the robot sensor signal, and
• the first period of time is shorter than one unit cycle of the robot control cycle.

A robot system comprising:

• one or more robots having a first robot;
• one or more lower-level controllers respectively coupled to the one or more robots and respectively controlling one of the one or more robots, the one or more lower-level controllers having a first lower-level controller;
• and
• an upper-level controller coupled to the one or more lower-level controllers and transmitting command information for control of the one or more robots to the one or more lower-level controllers, wherein
• the upper-level controller is configured to:
• cause the first lower-level controller to receive a robot sensor signal from the first robot via a real-time communication interface;
• and
• receive the robot sensor signal from the first lower-level controller via a non-real-time communication interface,
• the upper-level controller includes:
• a processor having a plurality of processor cores;
• a multitask operating system;
• a plurality of tasks executed on the multitask operating system by one or more processor cores of the plurality of processor cores and including one or more communication tasks with the one or more lower-level controllers,
• an isolation script describing for isolating part of the processor cores of the plurality of processor cores from the other processor cores of the plurality of processor cores,
• an assignment script describing for assigning one or more communication tasks with the first lower-level controller to the isolated part of the processor cores,
• a communication processing script describing for transmitting the command information to the first lower-level controller via the non-real-time communication interface in synchronization with a robot control cycle by controlling the isolated part of the processor cores to execute the one or more communication tasks with the first lower-level controller such that the command information is transmitted, by the first lower-level controller, to the first robot via the real-time communication interface to cause the first robot to perform an operation based on the command information, and
• a release script describing for releasing the isolation of the isolated part of the processor cores after the first robot has completed the operation, wherein
• the upper-level controller is configured to transmit the command information to the first lower-level controller within a first period of time from receiving the robot sensor signal, and
• the first period of time is shorter than one unit cycle of the robot control cycle.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, in a robot system including one or more robots having a first robot, one or more lower-level controllers respectively coupled to the one or more robots and respectively controlling one of the one or more robots, the one or more lower-level controllers having a first lower-level controller, and an upper-level controller coupled to the one or more lower-level controllers and transmitting command information for control of the one or more robots to the one or more lower-level controllers, the computer program executed by the upper-level controller for controlling the one or more robots,

• the upper-level controller is configured to:
• cause the first lower-level controller to receive a robot sensor signal from the first robot via a real-time communication interface;
• and
• receive the robot sensor signal from the first lower-level controller via a non-real-time communication interface,
• the upper-level control unit including:
• a processor having a plurality of processor cores;
• a multitask operating system;
• and
• a plurality of tasks executed on the multitask operating system by one or more processor cores of the plurality of processor cores and including one or more communication tasks with the one or more lower-level controllers,
• the computer program comprising:
• an isolation script describing for isolating part of the processor cores of the plurality of processor cores from the other processor cores of the plurality of processor cores;
• an assignment script describing for assigning one or more communication tasks with the first lower-level controller to the isolated part of the processor cores,
• a communication processing script describing for transmitting the command information to the first lower-level controller via the non-real-time communication interface in synchronization with a robot control cycle by controlling the isolated part of the processor cores to execute the one or more communication tasks with the first lower-level controller such that the command information is transmitted, by the first lower-level controller, to the first robot via the real-time communication interface to cause the first robot to perform an operation based on the command information, and
• a release script describing for releasing the isolation of the isolated part of the processor cores after the first robot has completed the operation, wherein
• the upper-level controller is configured to transmit the command information to the first lower-level controller within a first period of time from receiving the robot sensor signal, and
• the first period of time is shorter than one unit cycle of the robot control cycle.