US 5,047,700 AGranted

Universal computer control system for motors

AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration

InventorZoltan F. Szakaly

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Abstract

A control system for a multi-motor system such as a space telerobot having a remote computational node and a local computational node inter-connected with one another by a high speed data link is described. A Universal Computer Control System (UCCS) for the telerobot motors is located at each node. Each node is provided with a multibus computer system which is characterized by a plurality of processors with all processors being connected to a common bus leading to a command processor. The command processor controls joint hardware and/or software for a plurality of direct current torque motors of the type used in telerobot joints and telerobot hand-held controllers. The motors are connected to the joint processor cards and respond to digital control signals from the joint command processor and a joint motor control card. Essential motor operating parameters are sensed by analog sensing circuits and the sensed analog signals are converted to digital signals which are stored at the controller card for processing by the command processor. The invention described herein was made in the performance of work under a NASA contract and is subject to the provisions of Public Law 96-517 (35 USC 202) in which the Contractor has elected not to retain title.

Claims33

Dependent claims

A universal computer control system for controlling and sensing the operating parameters of a plurality of motors that are software-controllable, said system having a command processor with a read/write memory address signal cycle, which command processor is dedicated to controlling said plurality of motors in accordance with a software program system itself, and said system comprising:

at least one controller card and a plurality of software-controllable motors which are connected to said controller card;
a signal user-accessible command processor connected to said controller card by a first digital bus;
a user-accessible code generator located in said command processor and responsive to user-initated inputs in order to control and/or sense the plurality of motors by said single command processor in accordance with digital signals sent to or from said controller card by said signal command processor;
digital storage means at said controller card accessible by read/write signals from said single command processor over said first digital bus, for storing at an address associated with each of said motors, user-initated software command written by said code generator, which software commands individually control or sense the operational status of any one of the plurality of motors connected to said controller card;
sensor circuits at each of said motors for delivering to said controller card, digital signals stored at the motor's address at said controller card, which signals are indicative of the operating status of each of said motors to be controlled by said card;
and
address means at said controller card accessible by said command processor over said first digital bus during the command processor's read/write memory cycle for transferring digital signals, indicative of said user-desired control and/or each individual motor's operational status, from said digital storage means at said controller card to said command processor.

4 more elements

A universal computer control system having a control processor with a memory storage device that is software accessible by a user, said control processor being dedicated to control/sense a plurality of software-controllable motors, and said system further comprising:

a code generator in said memory storage device of said control processor with a predetermined code therein for electronically writing a control program to control said plurality of motors in accordance with the motor configuration that are supplied to said code generator by said user;
a plurality of software-controllable motors connected under common control of a single dedicated control processor;
means available to said user and connected to said code generator for supplying to said control processor the hardware configuration and operating parameters for each one of said plurality of motors to be controlled by said system;
and
means responsive to said electronic software program as written by said code generator and taking into account said hardware configuration and said operating parameters as input into said processor by said user, for emitting a plurality of command signals to control the operation of each one of said plurality of motors by said dedicated control processor.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.