阅读说明：本技术 管理机器人交通工具的有限安全模式操作 (Managing limited safety mode operation of a robotic vehicle ) 是由 W·H·冯诺瓦克三世 V·凯勒 C·维尔兰德 L·托马斯 C·库利 D·B·赫特森 M· 于 2018-12-17 设计创作，主要内容包括：实施例包括当来自主控制器的控制信号丢失时用于维持对机器人交通工具的控制的设备和方法。检测器电路可监视从主控制器到电子速度控制器(ESC)的信号,以检测有效控制信号的丢失。检测器电路可响应于检测到有效控制信号的丢失而使辅助控制器开始向ESC发出电动机控制信号。辅助控制器可根据预加载的电动机控制指令集来向ESC发出电动机控制信号。预加载的电动机控制指令集可以从主控制器接收和/或可被配置成使辅助控制器向ESC发出电动机控制信号,该电动机控制信号以使机器人交通工具进入安全操作模式或执行特定操纵的方式来控制电动机。(Embodiments include apparatus and methods for maintaining control of a robotic vehicle when control signals from a master controller are lost. The detector circuit may monitor the signal from the main controller to the Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) to detect a loss of a valid control signal. The detector circuit may cause the auxiliary controller to initiate issuance of a motor control signal to the ESC in response to detecting the loss of the active control signal. The auxiliary controller may issue motor control signals to the ESC according to a pre-loaded motor control instruction set. The preloaded motor control instruction set may be received from the main controller and/or may be configured to cause the auxiliary controller to issue motor control signals to the ESC that control the motors in a manner that causes the robotic vehicle to enter a safe mode of operation or to perform a particular maneuver.)

1. A method for maintaining control of a robotic vehicle when a control signal from a master controller is lost, comprising:

monitoring, by a detector circuit, a control signal from a master controller of the robotic vehicle to an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) to detect a loss of a valid control signal to the ESC; and

in response to detecting a loss of active control signals to the ESC, causing an auxiliary controller to initiate issuance of motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein causing a secondary controller to begin issuing motor control signals to the ESC in response to detecting a loss of active control signals from the primary controller to the ESC comprises: disconnecting a first signal path coupling the primary controller to the ESC and connecting a second signal path coupling the secondary controller to the ESC.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the master controller is capable of resuming sending valid control signals to the ESC; and

causing the secondary controller to cease sending motor control signals to the ESC in response to determining that the primary controller is capable of resuming sending active control signals to the ESC.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the master controller is capable of resuming sending valid control signals to the ESC comprises: detecting that the master controller has completed a reboot process.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary controller is configured by motor control instructions stored in memory to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the motor control instructions stored in the memory configure the auxiliary controller to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving, by the secondary controller, a motor control command from the primary controller prior to the loss of a valid control signal; and

storing, by the auxiliary controller, the received motor control instructions in the memory.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the motor control instructions received from the master controller configure the auxiliary controller to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to maintain the attitude, direction, or speed of the robotic vehicle prior to the loss of active control signals.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein issuing, by the auxiliary controller, motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle comprises:

executing a motor control instruction set to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to perform a maneuver;

determining whether the motor control instruction set is complete; and

in response to determining that the set of motor control instructions has been completed, issuing motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

initializing a timer upon detecting a loss of a valid control signal to the ESC;

determining whether the timer has elapsed in response to determining that the motor control instruction set has not been completed; and

in response to determining that the timer has elapsed, issuing a motor control signal to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a test of the secondary controller;

determining whether a fault in the secondary controller is detected; and

taking an action to protect the robotic vehicle in response to detecting a fault in the auxiliary controller.

12. A robotic vehicle comprising:

an electric motor;

an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) coupled to the motor;

a main controller coupled to the ESC;

a detector circuit configured to monitor control signals from the master controller to the ESC to detect a loss of valid control signals to the ESC; and

a secondary controller configured to issue motor control signals to the ESC to control the motor to maintain control of the robotic vehicle in response to the detector circuit detecting a loss of active control signals from the primary controller to the ESC.

13. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, further comprising a switch connected to the detector circuit and the auxiliary controller and configured to: in response to the detector circuit detecting a loss of a valid control signal from the primary controller to the ESC, disconnecting a first signal path coupling the primary controller to the ESC and connecting a second signal path coupling the secondary controller to the ESC to cause the secondary controller to begin sending the motor control signal to the ESC.

14. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, wherein the detector circuit is further configured to determine whether the master controller can resume sending valid control signals to the ESC.

15. The robotic vehicle of claim 14, further comprising a switch connected to the detector circuit and the auxiliary controller and configured to: in response to the detector circuit determining that the primary controller is capable of resuming sending active control signals to the ESC, disconnecting a signal path coupling the secondary controller to the ESC to cause the secondary controller to stop sending motor control signals to the ESC, and connecting a signal path coupling the primary controller to the ESC.

16. The robotic vehicle of claim 14, wherein the detector circuit is further configured to determine that the master controller is capable of resuming sending active control signals to the ESC in response to detecting that the master controller has completed a reboot process.

17. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary controller is configured by motor control instructions stored in memory to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle.

18. The robotic vehicle of claim 17, wherein the motor control instructions stored in the memory configure the auxiliary controller to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation.

19. The robotic vehicle of claim 17, wherein the auxiliary controller is configured to:

receiving a motor control command from the master controller prior to the loss of a valid control signal; and

storing the received motor control command in the memory.

20. The robotic vehicle of claim 19, wherein the motor control instructions received from the master controller configure the auxiliary controller to: issuing motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to maintain a pose, direction, or speed of the robotic vehicle prior to the loss of valid control signals.

21. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary controller is further configured to:

executing a motor control instruction set to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to perform a maneuver;

determining whether the motor control instruction set is complete; and

in response to determining that the set of motor control instructions has been completed, issuing motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation.

22. The robotic vehicle of claim 21, wherein the auxiliary controller is further configured to:

initializing a timer upon detecting a loss of a valid control signal from the master controller to the ESC;

determining whether the timer has elapsed in response to determining that the motor control instruction set has not been completed; and

in response to determining that the timer has elapsed, issuing a motor control signal to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation.

23. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, wherein the master controller is configured with processor-executable instructions to:

performing a test of the secondary controller;

determining whether a fault in the secondary controller is detected; and

taking an action to protect the robotic vehicle in response to detecting a fault in the auxiliary controller.

24. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, wherein the detector circuit is a component within the auxiliary controller.

25. The robotic vehicle of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary controller is a component within the ESC.

26. An auxiliary controller for use in a robotic vehicle, configured to:

in response to a detector circuit detecting a loss of a valid control signal from a master controller to an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC), issuing motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle.

27. The secondary controller of claim 26, wherein the secondary controller is further configured to: issuing a motor control signal to the ESC in response to the detector circuit controlling a switch to disconnect a first signal path coupling the primary controller to the ESC and connect a second signal path coupling the secondary controller to the ESC.

28. The secondary controller of claim 26, wherein the secondary controller is further configured to:

determining whether the master controller is able to resume controlling the ESC; and

ceasing sending motor control signals to the ESC in response to the detector circuit determining that the master controller is capable of resuming control of the ESC.

29. The auxiliary controller of claim 26, wherein the auxiliary controller is configured by motor control instructions stored in memory to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle.

30. A robotic vehicle comprising:

means for monitoring for a loss of a valid control signal from a master controller of the robotic vehicle to an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC); and

means for issuing motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle in response to detecting a loss of active control signals from the master controller to the ESC.

Background

Robotic vehicles (e.g., "UAVs" or "drones") are configured with increasingly complex hardware and software. The robotic vehicle is controlled by a master controller that handles various functions of the robotic vehicle, such as flight control and navigation, processing sensor data (e.g., input from cameras, sonar, gyroscopes, accelerometers, etc.), receiving and processing GPS signals, controlling the radio for communication, and so forth. As the complexity of these component and task functionalities increases, the chances of hardware or software failures causing the main controller to "crash" and reboot also increases.

In the event of a host controller software crash, the host controller will perform a hard reboot. When a hard restart is performed, the master controller stops sending signals to an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) that controls the motors used for vehicle propulsion (such as motors that drive the vehicle's rotors, wheels, propellers, etc.). Thus, during a hard restart, the main controller is unable to control vehicle propulsion, which can cause the ESC to stop powering rotors, wheels, propellers, etc., resulting in a temporary loss of control of the robotic vehicle.

SUMMARY

Various embodiments include a method, implementable on a processor of a robotic vehicle, for maintaining control of the robotic vehicle when a signal from a master controller is lost. Various embodiments may include: monitoring, by a detector circuit, a control signal from a master controller of the robotic vehicle to an Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) to detect a loss of a valid control signal to the ESC; and in response to detecting the loss of valid control signals to the ESC, causing the auxiliary controller to initiate issuing motor control signals to the ESC for controlling the one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle.

In some embodiments, initiating the auxiliary controller to issue the motor control signal to the ESC in response to detecting a loss of active control signal from the main controller to the ESC may comprise: a first signal path coupling the primary controller to the ESC is disconnected and a second signal path coupling the secondary controller to the ESC is connected.

Some embodiments may further comprise: determining whether the main controller can resume sending effective control signals to the ESC; and in response to determining that the primary controller is capable of resuming sending valid control signals to the ESC, causing the secondary controller to stop sending motor control signals to the ESC. In such embodiments, determining whether the master controller is capable of resuming sending valid control signals to the ESC may include: it is detected that the master controller has completed the reboot process.

In some embodiments, the auxiliary controller may be configured by motor control instructions stored in memory to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle. In such embodiments, the motor control instructions stored in the memory may configure the auxiliary controller to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation.

Some embodiments may further comprise: receiving, by the secondary controller, a motor control command from the primary controller prior to loss of the active control signal; and storing, by the auxiliary controller, the received motor control instructions in a memory. In such embodiments, the motor control instructions received from the master controller may configure the auxiliary controller to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to maintain the attitude, direction, or speed of the robotic vehicle prior to the loss of the active control signals.

In some embodiments, issuing motor control signals to the ESC by the auxiliary controller for controlling one or more motors to maintain control of the robotic vehicle may comprise: executing a motor control instruction set to issue motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to perform a maneuver; determining whether the motor control instruction set has been completed; and in response to determining that the set of motor control instructions has been completed, sending motor control signals to the ESC for controlling the one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation. Such embodiments may further comprise initializing a timer upon detecting a loss of a valid control signal to the ESC; determining whether a timer has elapsed in response to determining that the motor control instruction set has not been completed; and in response to determining that the timer has elapsed, issuing motor control signals to the ESC for controlling one or more motors to cause the robotic vehicle to assume a safe mode of operation.

Some embodiments may further comprise: performing a test of the secondary controller; determining whether a fault in the secondary controller is detected; and taking action to protect the robotic vehicle in response to detecting the fault in the auxiliary controller.

Further embodiments may include a robotic vehicle having at least one electric motor, an ESC coupled to the electric motor, a main controller, a detector circuit, and an auxiliary controller, wherein the detector circuit and the auxiliary controller are configured to perform the operations of the methods described above. In some embodiments, the detector circuit may be included in the secondary controller. In some embodiments, a secondary controller may be included in the ESC. Further embodiments include an auxiliary controller for use in a robotic vehicle, the auxiliary controller configured to perform the operations of the methods described above. Further embodiments include a robotic vehicle comprising means for performing the functions of the methods described above.