Multi-axis contouring control system

A control system for a pair of positioning motors comprising:

• first computing means for computing a plurality of sets of control data including acceleration, velocity and position for a pair of motors;
• second coupling means for computing a sequence of digital command signals including position for each set of control data received from said first computing means and providing said digital command signals to a respective motor drive;
• and
• timing means responsive to control data from said first computing means for synchronizing the operating of said first and second computing means, including means for controlling the number of iterations in said sequence and means for controlling the rate of said iterations of said sequence.

A numerically controlled machine including driver means for positioning a member along a path and a numerical control system for deriving drive command signals from sets of command data for points along said path to operate said drive means, said numerical control system comprising a programmable computer which comprises:

• a first memory means for storing a first set of command data for a point on said path and a second set of command data for a point on said path adjacent said point of said first set;
• a second memory means for storing a program for calculating a sequence of driver command signals for a set of stored command data;
• means for calculating said sequence of driver command signals using one set of stored command data under the control of said stored program, said sequence having a predetermined number of iterations;
• means responsive to the end of said sequence for exchanging the addressing of said first and second sets in said first memory means so that the calculating means begins calculating a second sequence of driver command signals using the set of stored command data for the adjacent point, said address reversal being invisible to said program;
• and
• means for outputting said sequence of drive command signals to said driver means.

A numerically controlled machine including driver means for positioning a member along a path and a numerical control system for deriving driver command signals for sets of command data for points along said path to operate said driver means, said numerical control system comprising a programmable computer which comprises:

• a first memory means for storing a set of command data for a point along said path;
• a second memory means for storing a program for calculating a sequence of driver command signals for a set of stored point command data;
• means for calculating a sequence of driver command signals from a set of stored point command data under the control of said stored program;
• means for outputting said sequence of driver command signals to said driver means;
• first input means for receiving sets of point command data and storing same in said first memory means;
• second input means for receiving manually induced velocity vectors;
• said second memory means including a manual program for calculating said sequence of driver command signals using said manually induced velocity vectors.

A numerically controlled machine including driver means for positioning a member along a path and a numerical control system for deriving driver command signals from command data for said path to operate said driver means, said numerical control system comprising:

• a first programmable computer including a first memory means for storing said command data and means for deriving sets of interpolation point data including acceleration, velocity and position from said command data for a plurality of points along said path according to a stored interpolation program;
• a second programmable computer including a second memory means for storing a mode program, a third memory means for storing sets of interpolation point data from said first computer, means for calculating a sequence of driver command signals from a set of said stored interpolation point data according to said mode program by incrementing velocity with acceleration and position with velocity, and means for outputting said sequence of driver command signals to said driver means;
• timing means for providing a timing signal to said second computer to determine the number and rate of iterations of drive command signals in said sequence as predeterminedl by the first computer for each set of interpolation point data;
• and
• means from interconnecting said first computer, said second computer and said timing means.

A numerically controlled machine including a plurality of driver means for positioning a respective member along a path and a numerical control system for deriving driver command signals from sets of command data for points, along each path to operate a respective driver means, said numerical control system comprising a programmable computer which comprises:

• a first memory means for storing a set of point command data for each driver means;
• a second memory means for storing a program for calculating a sequence of driver command signals from a set of point command data;
• means for calculating said sequence of driver command signals using a set of point command data under the control of said stored program;
• a plurality of means for outputting said sequence of driver command signals to a respective driver means;
• and
• index means for controlling the addressing of said sets of point command data for each motor in said first memory means in progression invisibly to said program in said second memory means to calculate driver command signals for each driver means by repitition of said program and for controlling said plurality of outputting means to receive and output from said calculating means driver command signals for a respective driver means.

A numerically controlled machine including driver means for positioning a member along a path and a numerical control system for deriving driver command signals from sets of command data for points along said path to operate said driver means, said numerical control system comprising a programmable computer which comprises:

• first memory means for storing acceleration, velocity and position as a set of command data for a point on said path;
• second means for storing a velocity carry bit;
• third means for storing a position carry bit;
• fourth memory means for storing a set of instructions to perform multiple precision calculation of driver command signals by incrementing a word segment of velocity with a corresponding word segment of accelerating and with the stored velocity carry bit and incrementing a corresponding word segment of position with the acceleration and carry incremented corresponding word segment of velocity and with the stored position carry bit before incrementing the next word segment of velocity with a corresponding word segment of acceleration;
• means for calculating said driver command signals under the control of said istructions;
• and
• means for outputting said calculated driver command signals to said driver means.

A numerically controlled machine including driver means for positioning a member along a path and a numerical control system for deriving driver command signals from sets of command data for points along said path to operate said driver means, said numerical control system comprising a programmable computer which comprises:

• first memory means for storing acceleration, velocity and position as a set of command data for a point on said path;
• second means for storing a sign bit of acceleration or velocity;
• third memory means for storing a set of instructions to perform multiple precision calculation of driver command signals by incrementing a word segment of velocity with a corresponding word segment of acceleration, incrementing a word segment of position with a word segment of velocity, testing the stored sign bit and executing a load with carry or load minus one with carry for the to be incremented word segment depending upon the sign bit test in lieu of incrementing a word segment with a sign word segment by two load instructions,
• means for calculating said driver command signals under the control of said instructions;
• and
• means for outputting said calculated driver command signals to said driver means.

A numerically controlled machine including driver means for positioning a member along a path and a numerical control system for deriving driver command signals from command data for said path to operate said driver means, said numerical control system comprising:

• a programmable computer including a first memory means for storing said command data and means for deriving sets of interpolation point data including acceleration, velocity and position from said command data for a plurality of points along said path according to a stored interpolation program;
• and
• calculating means for receiving a set of interpolation point data from said computer and calculating a sequence of driver command signals including
• first means for storing acceleration,
• second means for storing velocity,
• third means for storing position,
• first incrementing means interconnecting said first and second storing means for adding acceleration to velocity and storing the new velocity in said second storing means,
• second incrementing means interconnecting said second and third storing means for adding velocity to position and storing the new position in said third storing means, and
• means for outputting said position as said sequence of driver command signals to said driver means.

A numerically controlled machine including driver means for positioning a member along a path and a numerical control system for deriving driver command signals from command data for said path to operate said driver means, said numerical control system comprising:

• programmable computer including a first memory means for storing said command data and means for deriving sets of interpolation point data from said command data for a plurality of points along said path according to a stored interpolation program;
• calculating means for calculating a sequence of driver command signals form a set of interpolation point data received from said computer and outputting said sequence of driver command signals to said driver means;
• and
• timing means for providing timing signals to said computer means to determine the rate of iterations of drive command signals in said sequence as predetermined by said computer for each set of interpolation point data including means for receiving a stop signal and controllably reducing said rate of iteration to zero in response to a stop signal.

A control system for causing a machine to traverse a path comprising:

• a programmable computer means for dividing said path into a plurality of interpolation points and calculating a set of interpolation point data for each point;
• calculating means for receiving a set of interpolation point data, calculating a sequence of extrapolated point data from said set of interpolation point data and outputting extrapolated point data to said machine to cause said machine to traverse said path;
• timing means for providing a timing signal to said calculating means to determine the number of extrapolated points and the rate of said extrapolated point data in said sequence as predetermined by said computer means for each set of interpolation point data;
• and
• means for interconnecting said computer means, said calculating means and said timing means.

A control system for stepping motors comprising:

• first means for providing digital position and velocity command signals;
• second means responsive to said digital position command signals for producing an analog position command signal;
• and
• third means responsive to said analog position command signal and said digital velocity command signal for energizing said stepping motor.

A control system for a motor comprising:

• a means for producing multiple digital commands;
• a means for developing an analog position command in response to one of said digital commands;
• and
• means for energizing said motor in response to said analog position command and a second digital command.