Peripheral control device

A peripheral control device for controlling the movements of a robot with a microprocessor, said robot having a plurality of stepper motors and sensors, said peripheral control device comprising:

• an address buffer and a decoder, the inputs of said address buffer being connected to the address buses of said microprocessor, and the outputs of the address buffer being connected to the inputs of said decoder;
• a control buffer, the outputs of said control buffer being connected to second inputs of the decoder, the inputs of the control buffer being connected to the control buses of the microprocessor;
• a bidirectional buffer, the write-read signal from the outputs of the control buffer being connected to the direction control input of the bidirectional buffer and the enable input of the bidirectional buffer being connected to an output of the decoder;
• the data buses of the microprocessor being connected bidirectionally to the inputs/outputs of the bidirectional buffer;
• a first register and a second register, the second inputs/outputs of the bidirectional buffer being connected to the outputs of said first register and to parallel data inputs of said second register;
• a second output of the decoder being connected to the write-enable input of the first register, and a third output of the decoder being connected to the write input of the second register;
• a third, fourth, fifth and sixth register and n-number of stepper motor control units, each stepper motor control unit having inputs for clock, parallel data, loading, reset, direction and motion and outputs for ready;
• the second inputs/outputs of the bidirectional buffer being connected also to the outputs of said third register, to the parallel data inputs of said fourth register, to the parallel data inputs of said fifth register, to the parallel data inputs of n stepper motor control units, and to the parallel data inputs of said sixth register;
• a fourth output of the decoder being connected to the write-enable input of the third register, a fifth output of the decoder being connected to the write input of the fourth register, a sixth output of the decoder being connected to the write input of the fifth register, a seventh output of the decoder being connected to a loading input of the first stepper motor control unit, an n+6th output of said decoder being connected to the loading input of the n-th stepper motor control unit, an n+7th output of said decoder being connected to the write input of the sixth register;
• an initial setting circuit, the reset signal from the outputs of the control buffer being connected to the input of the initial setting circuit, the output of the initial setting circuit being connected to the reset inputs of the second and fifth registers and of the first and of the n-th stepper motor control unit;
• a monostable multivibrator and a programmable counter, the clock signal from the outputs of the control buffer being connected to the input of said monostable multivibrator;
• the output of the monostable multivibrator being connected to the counting input of said programmable counter, the inputs of the programmable counter being connected to the outputs of the sixth register and a first output of the programmable counter being connected to the clock input of the first stepper motor control unit, and an n-th output of the programmable counter being connected to the clock input of the n-th stepper motor control unit;
• an output of the fourth register being connected to the direction input of the first stepper motor control unit and an n-th output of the fourth register being connected to the direction input of the n-th stepper motor control unit;
• an output of the fifth register being connected to the movement input of the first stepper motor control unit, and an n-th output of the fifth register being connected to the movement input of the n-th stepper motor control unit;
• a ready output of the first stepper motor control unit being connected to an input of the third register and the n-th input of the third register being connected to the ready output of the n-th stepper motor control unit;
• the control outputs of the first stepper motor control unit being connected to the windings of the first stepper motor of the robot, and the control outputs of the n-th stepper motor control unit being connected to the windings of the n-th stepper motor of the robot;
• and
• a signal shaper, the sensors being connected to the inputs of said signal shaper, the outputs of said signal shaper being connected to the inputs of the first register.