All of the parameters necessary to configure and operate the controller plus those values that are necessary for monitoring the activity of the system are accessible via a unified Configuration and Parameter Database.
There are several benefits to capturing all of this system information in such a manner. For one, we are able to provide a simple web interface that permits local or remote access to all of this data. This interface is available via any standard browser so you do not need to obtain special utilities in order to configure or monitor the system. Second, we are able to provide a system object within the GPL programming language that allows runtime access to all of this key information. Third, and most importantly, we can provide a data logging facility that has access to all of this data and can therefore be used for both tuning the system and as an aid in resolving system and programming issues.
In order to provide the maximum flexibility for a mechanism builder, the Configuration Database contains a very large number of parameters. But, only those individuals who are interfacing a mechanism to the controller for the first time need to access a substantial number of the database elements and even those individuals can restrict themselves to a subset of the total available parameters. In all cases, once a robot system is operational, the controller can be operated on a day-to-day basis through a series of simple-to-use web based Control Panels and the Configuration and Parameter Database need not be understood nor directly accessed.
The following sections contain additional details concerning this database and its data logging facilities.