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General terms

This glossary contains general, technical terminology.

General terms​

This section contains definitions of terms that are used across the stack, in documents and in communication. These are standard terms from external literature. In many cases, there is some variation in terminology for the same thing. Therefore, Intrinsic in some cases make distinct choices of one term to represent one thing. For example, "Joint Configuration" also goes by many other names in different contexts and authors (joint position, position, joint vector to name a few). Intrinsic uses the term "Joint Configuration".

1P (first party) vs 3P (third party)​

1P components are entities (e.g. assets, skills, services) that have been implemented by the Intrinsic engineering team. In contrast, 3P modules have been contributed by external parties, such as partners or users.

Actuator​

An actuator is a physical motor that drives the motion of a robot joint between two robot links. An actuator can also refer to the combination of a motor, transmission mechanism, (such as a gearbox) and in-built sensors (such as hall-effect sensors and encoders).

Application Programming Interface (API)​

A well-defined interface between components which are specified as services or libraries.

Approach pose​

A location close to a work point or path that is confidently collision-free, given allowable or expected tolerances from a nominal state.

Architecture​

An organizational structure of a system that describes the relationships and interactions between the system's elements. Architectural aspects can be found at different levels of abstraction. Software architecture acts as the skeleton of a system, influences quality attributes, is orthogonal to functionality, and uses constraints to influence a system's properties.

Brown goods​

Brown goods, also called consumer electronics (computers, TVs, gaming systems) are separate from white goods (dishwashers, dryers, and refrigerators).

Circularity​

A revolute joint contains a circularity if its joint limits allow it to rotate by 360 degrees or more, allowing one or more joint positions to produce the same physical angle. Joints with circularities therefore result in more possible inverse kinematics solutions than joint without circularities.

Cluster​

A set of computers that work together so that they can be viewed as a single system.

Configuration​

A configuration may refer to:

Control domain​

A collection of degrees of freedom (DOF) that can be controlled in tight coordination.

Controller​

Generically, any device or software that drives real or simulated actuators.

Cycle time​

The expected repeatable execution time for a specific task.

Degree of freedom (DOF)​

One of the independent parameters that define the configuration of a system. In the Intrinsic context, it is typically an axis of motion of a robot.

End effector​

Synonymous with end of arm tool (EoAT).

End of arm tool (EoAT)​

A device that is attached to a robot's flange. An example of an EoAT is a spot welder, dispense nozzle, or a gripper. It is also called an end-effector.

Fault analysis​

When a fault is detected, the overall system is analyzed to determine the cause of the fault and its implications.

Fault detection​

Detecting when actual execution diverts from the nominal expected execution. This generates a general signal that something is going wrong.

Flange​

Typically, the mounting area on the end of a robot's arm which the End of Arm Tool (EoAT) is attached to.

Force/torque sensor​

A sensor capable of measuring the force and torque applied to it. These sensors are typically mounted on the robot as part of the end of arm tools to detect the amount of force being applied by the robot on a workpiece. The typical output includes forces along 3 Cartesian axes measured in Newtons, and torques on the same axes measured in Newton-Meters.

Frame​

A named pose relative to some other pose. Usually used to denote common attachment points or expected tool locations. For example, one common frame is the "flange" of a robot, which refers to the robot's end-effector.

Framework​

A software abstraction provided through libraries and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) which enable users to selectively extend the functionality of specific components. A key feature of a framework is inversion of control. In Intrinsic's architecture, an example is that customers can provide additional capabilities, via skills and services, but the framework invokes them through the executive.

Inverse kinematics​

The process of computing one or more joint configurations in a kinematic chain that result in a given transform between two rigid bodies in the chain.

Joint​

The moveable parts in the robot hardware. The most common joint types are those that can rotate, like a hinge, called revolute joints, and those that can extend linearly, like a drawer slide or telescopic pole, called prismatic joints. Joints contain the actuators that make the robot move.

Joint configuration​

The positions of one or more joints, usually corresponding to joints in a kinematic chain (cf. Degree of Freedom (DOF)). Note that for revolute joints, this is not synonymous with the joint's angle, since joints with circularities have multiple positions that produce the same angle.

Joint torque sensor​

A sensor mounted between two robot links as part of the joint mechanism that allows direct measurement of the torque applied by the actuator on the output link. The sensed quantity is output force for a prismatic joint, and output torque for a revolute joint or spherical joint. Joint torque sensors are required for closed-loop joint torque control on robots.

Kinematic chain​

An alternating sequence of rigid bodies ( links ) and joints that constrain the relative poses between their neighboring bodies. At Intrinsic, a kinematic chain does not contain branches (more than two joints connected to the same body) or loops (multiple paths of joints connecting the same pair of bodies).

Kinematic branch​

A classification of a joint configuration, such that joint configurations that are separated by a singularity are said to lie on different kinematic branches. Constraining a robot to remain on one or more kinematic branches can therefore prevent the robot from crossing some singularities.

Kubernetes (K8s)​

A system for automating deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.

Library​

A collection of programs and software packages made generally available, often loaded and stored on disk for immediate use.

A rigid mechanical part connecting the joints. The links give the robot its shape and make up the bulk of what is visible when looking at a robot.

Low latency​

Operations which must be carried out in a short time, typically (far) less than one second. Some jitter in loop or execution time is acceptable. For stricter requirements, see real-time.

Margin​

See tolerance.

MES (Manufacturing Execution System)​

Software that tracks and documents parts as they move through a plant or facility, possibly routing and managing the production flow (ISA-95, Level 3).

Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)​

The average time elapsed between failures. Calculated as total (operational time divided by total number of failures).

Mean Time to Repair (MTTR)​

A basic measure of the maintainability of repairable items. It represents the average time required to repair a failed component or device - including repair, testing, and return to normal operating condition. Calculated as total (maintenance time divided by total number of repairs).

Motion planning​

  • Input: start and target pose, work space representations with obstacles
  • Output: collision-free path (or error if none can be found)
  • Find a sequence of joint configurations that take an end-effector from the start to the target pose without colliding with an obstacle.
  • Motion planning can be done offline (perform planning ahead of time before the robot starts operating) or on-line (adapt enable the path (re-)calculation or adaptation, or both, during robot motions in order to react to and interact with dynamic environments.This means a robot may move along a path that has not necessarily been computed completely, and which may change during the movement). The term Real-time path planning is used for online path planning algorithms that are deterministic and can be executed within a worst-case computation time.
  • May include aspects of trajectory generation .

Nominal​

The expected or ideal state without real-world input or error.

Offline​

Describes aspects performed ahead of time before execution starts.

Offline Programming (OLP)​

A robot programming method in which the program for the robot is written outside the production process on an external PC and independent of the actual hardware.

Online​

Describes aspects performed at run-time while the robot is operating.

Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)​

A company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer.

Path​

A path defines a set of points with regards to a reference frame from a start to a target (e.g., Cartesian pose or joint coordinates). It does not contain any information about numeric data such as time or velocity ( cf. trajectory ). For example, paths can be represented by splines, piecewise consistent polynomials, or in the most simple case, a set of waypoints.

Parallel-chain robot​

Refers to the kinematic topology of a robot where at least one of the links is connected to another link that is neither its parent link nor its child link to form a closed loop. An example is the delta robot. In contrast to serial-chain robots, parallel-chain robots typically have more movable joints than the number of actuators. This is because the number of degrees of freedom (DOFs) is smaller than the number of joints (Grubler's Formula) when a kinematic closed loop is present. Parallel-chain robots typically have a smaller workspace compared to serial-chain robots, but can achieve higher movement speeds and handle larger payloads.

Perception​

The extraction of semantic meaning from raw sensor data. Software modules that are concerned with acquiring information about the world. Perception services and skills can store perceived information in the world service.

Planning​

Planning is a term with many meanings in a robotics context. It should hence be used with care and avoided for new concepts.Examples of well-known established uses of are:

  • Task planning: Causal relations
  • Temporal planning: Folds (some aspects of) scheduling into the task planning process
  • Motion planning: Combined phrase for path planning and trajectory generation

Pod​

A set of one or more containerized services running on a Kubernetes cluster.

Pose​

A pose is position and orientation in Euclidean space.

Position control​

A method of control where the controller regulates the position of one or more degrees of freedom (DOF) to track a wanted reference position vector. Velocity control is a related method where the regulated quantity is the first time-derivative of the position, such as the velocity. This is the only control mode supported on position-controlled robots.

Position-controlled robot​

While all robots support position control, the term position-controlled robot is typically used to describe robot arms without joint torque sensors. Joints on position-controlled robots are typically actuated using servo or stepper motors with high gear ratios. This leads to high precision but poor backdrivability.

Prismatic joint​

A joint mechanism between two robot links that allow translation between the two links. This joint adds one degree of freedom (DOF) motion between the links and to the overall robot DOF. Prismatic joint positions (i.e. distances) are measured in meters as part of the joint configuration. This type of joint is typically actuated by a linear actuator or a ball screw/rack-and-pinion/belt drive connected to a rotary actuator.

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)​

Software that manages all information regarding a product. Often integrates business processes and data into a single platform.

Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)​

A rugged computer used for industrial automation to automate different electro-mechanical processes. It receives information from connected input devices and sensors, processes the received data, and triggers required outputs as per its pre-programmed parameters.

Reactive​

Operation in the now that infers an immediate action to respond to sensor inputs. Durations are typically sub-second.

Real-time​

Software that runs in real-time executes some piece of code and delivers the output within a guaranteed deadline. Real-time software usually runs some sort of loop at a high rate, but note that the defining characteristic here is deterministic or bounded execution time, not the high rate. Motion controllers need to operate in real-time in order to provide timely instructions.

Revolute joint​

A joint mechanism between two robot links that allow relative rotation between the two links on a fixed axis (joint axis). Revolute joint positions (i.e. angles) are measured in Radians as part of the joint configuration. Also known as a hinge or pin joint. This type of joint is typically actuated by a rotary actuator, either attached directly or through a belt or cable or capstan drive.

Robot​

A unit of multiple degrees of freedom (DOF) actuation hardware driven by a controller.

Sampled waypoints​

All of the waypoints required for a robot to complete a path.

SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)​

A system that provides insight into what is taking place on a plant floor (ISA-95, Level 2).

SDK​

An SDK is a set of APIs potentially accompanied by command line tools.

Sensing​

The act of acquiring information about the world. Active sensing takes action in order to acquire data, e.g., looking at an object from multiple sides. Passive sensing observes the world as the regular task is carried out. Passive is the more typical case.

Simulation​

Imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the simulation represents the evolution of the model over time.

Singularity​

For a given kinematic chain, a singularity is a transform between two bodies in the chain that results in an infinite number of inverse kinematics solutions. In literature, this is sometimes called an internal singularity or a "joint space singularity". See also kinematic branch.

Software component​

  • Software Component describe software entities or blocks in the overall system.
  • A software component is the unit of composition that provides functionality to the system through formally defined services at a certain level of abstraction.
  • In the literature, some properties of software components are described:
    • A software component is a binary (non-source-code) unit of deployment.
    • A software component implements (one or more) well-defined interfaces.
    • A software component provides access to an interrelated set of functionalities.
    • A software component may have its behavior customized in well-defined manners without access to the source code.
  • Intinsic also uses this term to refer to the unit of source code that implements a software component
    • A software component can also refer to the abstract concept of a module, which provides that functionality, and which is why the properties above can guide the discussion.
    • A software module can implement one or more conceptual software components by implementing one or more of the specified interfaces.

Tier 1 supplier​

Companies that supply parts (door panels, seats, bumpers) directly to OEMs. Example Tier 1 companies include Bosch, Continental, Faurecia, and TRW.

Tier 2 supplier​

Companies that sell parts that end up in OEM products, but don't directly engage in business with them (oftentimes unknown and smaller companies).

Tier 3 supplier​

Companies that supply raw materials to both tier 1 suppliers and tier 2 suppliers.

Tolerance​

The freedom or allowable error in a geometric constraint, also known as margin.

Tool Center Point (TCP)​

A frame that is defined relative to a robot's flange based on the useful work that an end-effector can perform. There can be multiple per end-effector.

Torque control​

A method of robot joint control where the output torque on each joint is directly regulated, typically with the actual torque being sensed through an integrated joint torque sensor. Torque controlled robots are capable of precisely sensing external forces such as contact at any part of the robot's body. They are also capable of precisely regulating the applied force at the end effector. See also position control and position-controlled robot.

Trajectory​

A trajectory is a path that also includes velocities, accelerations, and jerks along the path (information about time).

Trajectory Generation​

  • Input: Path
    • Output: Trajectory
    • Enrich a path information such as acceleration or velocities that make it feasible for execution by a controller.

Waypoint​

A representation of a point with regards to a coordinate frame (e.g., in Cartesian or joint space) along a path or a point along a trajectory that also includes velocity/acceleration/jerk.

White Goods​

Large home appliances such as washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, and dishwashers. Also called major appliances. These are differentiated from brown goods - computers, TVs, and gaming systems.

World model​

Synonymous with digital twin.