| CPC B25J 9/0084 (2013.01) [G05B 2219/39001 (2013.01)] | 6 Claims |
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1. A control system comprising a control apparatus and a plurality of robots,
wherein the control apparatus includes:
a first memory storing first instructions; and
one or more first processors configured to execute the first instructions to:
acquire an input function to which observation values output by sensors provided in the robots are input;
perform a function form conversion which converts the input function into a distributed calculable form which is calculable by the plurality of robots in a distributed manner; and
based on the converted function form, perform a variable conversion of setting variables to be stored by each of the robots and a variable process for the variables to be performed by each of the plurality of robots,
wherein the function form conversion comprises:
converting the function into a source graph including a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges, where:
each node has a value,
each edge points from a first node to a second node and corresponds to a function which receives as input the value of the first node and provides as output a function value to the second node,
the nodes include a plurality of root nodes and a plurality of sum nodes, the root nodes respectively corresponding to the plurality of robots,
the value of each root node being the observation value output by the sensor provided in the robot to which the root node corresponds,
the value of each sum node being a sum of the function value of each edge pointing to the sum node,
generating a plurality of target graphs for the plurality of robots from the source graph, where each target graph has a plurality of nodes and a plurality of edges that are assigned to only one robot of the plurality of robots, by:
for each robot, assigning, as belonging to the robot, the root node corresponding to the robot and each sum node to which only the root node corresponding to the robot points;
for each sum node not assigned to any robot, copying the sum node a number of times so that there is a copy of the sum node for each node pointing to the sum node;
for each copy of each sum node, deleting the edges pointing to the sum node so that the copy of the sum node depends only on the root node corresponding to one of the robots; and
assigning each copy of each sum node as belonging to the robot having the root node to which the copy of the sum node depends,
wherein the variable conversion comprises:
setting each copy of each sum node to a variable subjected to a consensus control in the robot to which the copy of the sum node belongs; and
for each copy of each sum node, associating the function of the edge from the copy of the sum node with a function of dividing by a number of the robots, and
wherein each of the plurality of robots includes:
a second memory storing second instructions; and
one or more second processors configured to execute the second instructions to:
update the variables stored by the robot as the sensor of the robot outputs the observation value thereof, and while the robot sends and receives variable values with other of the robots, and
infer a value of the input function based on the variable process.
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