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