Object positioning apparatus and method
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorR. Marc Gottshall
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatus and method are provided for automatically controlling the position of one or more objects. The apparatus comprises a position control network which receives macro-type movement commands from a mainframe computer. The network includes a plurality of interface processors each adapted to provide a plurality of micro-commands in response to each macro-command. The micro-commands are supplied to motion controllers which in turn control the movement of servomotors. The servomotors position the object. Position encoders are provided to monitor the position of the objects and provide position data to the interface processor for transmission to the mainframe computer. A novel method is disclosed which employs the foregoing apparatus to provide synchronous motion of two or more objects.
Claims18
A network for positioning an object, comprising:
- a mainframe computer for providing macro-commands indicative of the desired movement of the object;
- interface processing means for providing a plurality of micro-commands in response to each macro-command received from said mainframe computer;
- servo means responsive to an applied signal for moving the object;
- feedback encoder means responsive to the movement of said servo means for providing a feedback signal indicative thereof;
- motion control means responsive to the micro-commands provided by said interface means for providing the applied signal to said servo means, said motion control means being further responsive to the feedback signal provided from said feedback encoder to vary the applied signal;
- and
- position encoder means for providing position data indicative of the position of the object, said position encoder means being coupled to supply the position data to said interface processing means, said interface processing means being adapted to process the position data and supply the processed position data to said mainframe computer.
A network for positioning an object in response to macro-commands received from a mainframe computer, said network comprising:
- interface processing means for providing a plurality of micro-commands in response to each macro-command, said interface processing means including a first transceiver for receiving said macro-commands from said mainframe computer;
- a plurality of motion means associated with said interface processing means, each said motion means being responsive to micro-commands provided by said interface processing means for moving the object;
- and
- encoding means for supplying position data indicative of the position of the object, said interface processing means being coupled to receive the position data, said interface processing means including a second transceiver for transmitting the position data to said mainframe computer.
A method for synchronous positioning of first and second objects wherein each object is moved by a respective motion control system under control of a mainframe computer, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) transferring a macro-command from the mainframe computer to an interface processor associated with the motion control system of the first and second objects;
- (b) decoding each macro-command to provide a first plurality of micro-commands to the motion control system associated with the first object;
- (c) monitoring the position of the first and second objects to provide an error signal indicative of the difference in position between the first and second objects;
- and
- (d) providing a second plurality of microcommands to the motion control system associated with the second object, the second plurality of micro-commands being provided in response to the error signal such that the error signal is minimized and the first and second objects undergo substantially the same motion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.