Scalable motion control system
AssigneeBrooks Automation, Inc.
InventorsMartin Hosek, Stuart Beale, Roumen Botev, Matthew Coady, Christopher Hofmeister, Mark Ives, Jairo Moura, Robert Caveney
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control system includes a clustered architecture having a master controller, a central control section including one or more first remote controllers under direct control of the master controller, and a distributed control section including a cluster controller controlled by the master controller. The cluster controller controls the activities of one or more second remote controllers. Each of the first and second remote controllers are utilized to drive one or more axes.
Claims8
A method for controlling an axis of a control system comprising:
- calculating an operating parameter value describing a predetermined trajectory of the end effector of the axis and defining a predetermined force value of the end effector of the axis along at least a continuous portion of the predetermined trajectory generated in a first mode of axis operation, which predetermined force value is different than a corresponding predetermined force value of the end effector along at least the continuous portion of the predetermined trajectory generated in a second mode of axis operation;
- and
- generating a motion profile for an individual joint of the axis such that a motion profile for the end effector along the at least continuous portion of the predetermined trajectory does not exceed the predetermined force value of the end effector in the first mode of axis operation.
A method for controlling an axis comprising:
- calculating, with a controller, a velocity and a torque for a position of the axis describing a predetermined trajectory of the end effector of the axis;
- calculating, with the controller, a predetermined first maximum time period during which an axis velocity along the predetermined trajectory may exceed the calculated velocity along the predetermined trajectory;
- calculating, with the controller, a predetermined second maximum time period during which an axis torque along the predetermined trajectory may exceed the calculated torque along the predetermined trajectory;
- and
- disabling, with the controller, the axis if one or more of the predetermined first maximum time period and the predetermined second maximum time period is exceeded along the predetermined trajectory.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.