Performance analysis of a robotic testbed control architecture

A modeling and analysis tool based on Petri nets which allows a performance analysis of a system during the design stage is presented. The performance analysis criterion is taken as the response time of the system, i.e. the time it takes to complete a task after a command is initiated. This response time takes into account image processing time, a trajectory planning time, control execution time, etc. It permits the system designer to answer numerous 'what if' questions, e.g. what if processor speed is increased, vision processing time is reduced, robot precision is increased, more computers are added, communication protocols are changed? The net result is a common modeling methodology for handling such diverse functions as control, communication, computation, and database problems. Approaches are presented to modeling and analysis of integrated systems, and a brief discussion of Petri net theory and its benefits for modeling and analyzing complex interconnected systems consisting of several diverse functionalities is included. A case study which is based on the actual laboratory configuration is presented.<
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