Apparatus and method of distributed object handling

An object handling apparatus usable with objects that are movable along a path, comprising:

• a device that determines an actual position in a trajectory space of a specified object;
• at least one actuator that performs an operation on the specified object;
• at least one module controller that controls the operation of the at least one actuator;
• a system controller that plans a system function based on the operation of the at least one actuator and based on whether the actual position in the trajectory space of the specified object is within a trajectory envelope, the trajectory envelope indicating control criteria of interest relative to a specified trajectory in the trajectory space that accomplishes the system function and the trajectory envelope determines a collision envelope that is defined between an early collision boundary that indicates the earliest time that the specified object can embark from a location and not collide with another object, and a late collision boundary that indicates the latest time that the specified object can embark from the location and not collide with another object.

A method of handling objects, comprising:

• determining a specified trajectory in a trajectory space for a specified object to accomplish a system function;
• determining a trajectory envelope in a trajectory space for use with the specified trajectory to indicate criteria of interest;
• determining an actual position in a trajectory space of the specified object;
• determining whether the actual position in a trajectory space of the specified object is within the trajectory envelope;
• and
• determining a control envelope that is defined between an early control boundary that indicates the earliest time that the specified object can embark from a location and still accomplish a task, and a late control boundary that indicates the latest time that the specified object can embark from the location and still accomplish the task.

An object handling apparatus usable with objects that are movable along a path, comprising:

• a device that determines an actual position in a trajectory space of a specified object;
• at least one actuator that performs an operation on the specified object;
• at least one module controller that controls the operation of the at least one actuator;
• a system controller that plans a system function based on the operation of the at least one actuator and based on whether the actual position in the trajectory space of the specified object is within a trajectory envelope, the trajectory envelope indicating control criteria of interest relative to a specified trajectory in the trajectory space that accomplishes the system function;
• and
• a memory that stores a collision envelope that is defined between an early collision boundary that indicates the earliest time that the specified object can embark from a location and not collide with another object, and a late collision boundary that indicates the latest time that the specified object can embark from the location and not collide with another object.

An object handling apparatus usable with objects that are movable along a path, comprising:

• a device that determines an actual position in a trajectory space of a specified object;
• at least one actuator that performs an operation on the specified object;
• at least one module controller that controls the operation of the at least one actuator;
• a system controller that plans a system function based on the operation of the at least one actuator and based on whether the actual position in the trajectory space of the specified object is within a trajectory envelope, the trajectory envelope indicating control criteria of interest relative to a specified trajectory in the trajectory space that accomplishes the system function;
• and
• a memory that stores a control envelope that is defined between an early collision boundary that indicates the earliest time that the specified object can embark from a location and still accomplish a task, and a late collision boundary that indicates the latest time that the specified object can embark from the location and still accomplish the task.

An object handling apparatus usable with objects that are movable along a path, comprising:

• a device that determines an actual position in a trajectory space of a specified object;
• at least one actuator that performs an operation on the specified object;
• at least one module controller that controls the operation of the at least one actuator;
• a system controller that plans a system function based on the operation of the at least one actuator and based on whether the actual position in the trajectory space of the specified object is within a trajectory envelope, the trajectory envelope indicating control criteria of interest relative to a specified trajectory in the trajectory space that accomplishes the system function;
• and
• the trajectory envelope includes a collision envelope and a control envelope, an area defined by the collision envelope being smaller than and contiguous with an area defined by the control envelope, such that when the system controller determines that the actual position of the specified object is within the collision envelope, then the actual position of the specified object must also be within the control envelope.