Evaluation method of module granularity partition for intelligent service robot based on D-S evidence theory

The granularity partition for functional modules is a fundamental research topic in robot distributed control technology. How to evaluate the module partition scheme with different granularity, and then obtain the optimum scheme is the urgent problem. In this paper, we proposed a novel evaluation strategy for the granularity partition of functional modules in robotic system using RTM as control platform based on D-S evidence theory. The fuzzy clustering algorithm is primarily used to get the collection of granularity partition schemes for RT Components encapsulated by the platform of OpenRTM. As the two source of evidence, the indices of cohesion and coupling for the robotic system are achieved to measure the degree of module independence by analyzing the correlation matrix of RT Components. Then the Dempster's combination rule and the priority method for utility intervals are applied to obtain the optimal partition granularity. In the end, the effectiveness and progressiveness of the novel evaluation strategy are verified by applying it to the robotic 3D mapping system.