The Framework for Mobile Robot Task Planning Based on the Optimal Manufacturing Schedule

Abstract

Integrated process planning and scheduling of manufacturing entities represents one of the most impactful processes for optimizing production systems. The result of integrated process planning and scheduling is visually presented in the form of the Gantt chart that summarizes the timing and order of all manufacturing operations. Moreover, a sequence of actions that needs to be performed by a transportation system to ensure the smooth execution of all manufacturing processes is also incorporated within the Gantt chart. Therefore, in this paper, we develop a framework for mobile robot action planning based on high-level action, e.g., transporting the part from one machine to another. The idea is to automatically plan a sequence of robot-performable actions that, if performed accurately, results in achieving a high-level goal. The framework is developed in the standard Robot Operative System 2 (ROS2) middleware. The system, domain, and essential entities are modeled by using Planning Domain Definition Language (PDDL). The mobile robot actions are modeled by Behavior trees within the PlanSys2 framework. Even though the system for task planning is developed for a manufacturing environment, the framework can be used in various fields such as service or medical mobile robotics applications where scheduling activity is of the essence.