US 8,271,105 B2Granted

Motion control systems

AssigneeRoy-G-Biv Corporation

InventorsDavid W. Brown, Jay S. Clark

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Abstract

A method of debugging software used to communicate with a motion control system comprising the following steps. Debug information containing diagnostic information associated with a hardware motion control attribute is generated. At least one selected software driver is capable of sending the debug information to a debug target. A software application is caused to call a motion component function to exchange a common motion control attribute with a selected software driver. The called motion component function is used to cause a motion component to exchange a common motion control attribute with the selected driver by calling a driver function. A called driver function is used to cause the selected software driver to convert a common motion control attribute to a hardware motion control attribute, exchange a hardware motion control attribute with the motion control device, and send debug information to the debug target.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A method of debugging software used to communicate with a motion control system, comprising the steps of:

providing a set of hardware motion control attributes used for motion control,
where
at least one hardware motion control attribute is a primitive hardware motion control attribute used for motion control that cannot be emulated using at least one other hardware motion control attribute, and
at least one hardware motion control attribute is a non-primitive hardware motion control attribute that does not meet the definition of a primitive hardware motion control attribute;
providing a set of common motion control attributes;
providing a motion control device capable of storing at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute;
generating debug information containing diagnostic information associated with at least one hardware motion control attribute;
providing a set of software drivers, where at least one software driver is capable of sending the debug information to a debug target;
selecting at least one selected software driver, capable of sending the debug information to a debug target, from the set of software drivers;
providing a software application;
causing the software application to call at least one motion component function to exchange at least one common motion control attribute with the at least one selected software driver;
using at least one called motion component function to cause at least one motion component to exchange at least one common motion control attribute with the at least one selected software driver by calling at least one driver function;
and
using at least one called driver function to cause the selected software driver to
convert at least one common motion control attribute to at least one hardware motion control attribute,
exchange at least one hardware motion control attribute with the motion control device, and
send debug information to the debug target.

14 more elements

A method of debugging motion control software, comprising the steps of:

providing a set of hardware motion control attributes comprising
primitive hardware motion control attributes, where the primitive hardware motion control attributes cannot be emulated using at least one other primitive hardware motion control attribute, and
non-primitive hardware motion control attributes that do not meet the definition of primitive hardware motion control attribute;
providing a set of common motion control attributes;
providing a motion controller capable of storing at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute;
providing a motion control device capable of being controlled using the motion controller;
generating debug information containing diagnostic information associated with at least one hardware motion control attribute;
sending the debug information to a debug target;
providing a set of software drivers, where
at least one software driver is capable of being configured to send the debug information to the debug target, and
at least one software driver exposes at least one driver function that converts at least one common motion control attribute to at least one hardware motion control attribute;
selecting a selected software driver from the set of software drivers;
providing a software application;
causing the software application to exchange at least one common motion control attribute with the selected software driver by calling the at least one software driver function;
and
in response to the at least one called software driver function, causing the selected software driver to
exchange at least one hardware motion control attribute with the motion control device, and
send the hardware motion control attribute to the debug target.

15 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/454,053Filed 14 Jun 2006 · continuation
Priority: 30 May 1995
Published: US 2006/0282180 A114 Dec 2006
Granted: 18 Sep 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

G05B 19/0426
Using digital processors: programming the control sequence
B25J 9/1602
Program controls: characterised by the control system, structure, architecture
G05B 19/19
Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to…
G05B 19/416
Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to…

Family

Application08/454,736Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 30 May 1995
Application08/656,421Parent of this continuation · filed 30 May 1996
Application60/067,466Us provisional application · filed 4 Dec 1997
Application09/191,981Parent of this continuation · filed 13 Nov 1998
Application09/205,627Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Dec 1998
Application09/633,633Parent of this continuation · filed 7 Aug 2000
Application09/795,777Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Feb 2001
Application10/021,669Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Dec 2001
Application10/316,451Parent of this continuation · filed 10 Dec 2002
Application10/761,537Parent of this continuation · filed 21 Jan 2004
US 2006/0282180 A1Pre-grant publication · published 14 Dec 2006
US 6,516,236 B1Parent of this continuation
US 5,867,385 AParent of this continuation
US 5,691,897 AParent of this continuation-in-part
Application08/656,421Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 6,513,058 B2Parent of this continuation
US 6,209,037 B1Parent of this continuation
US 6,941,543 B1Parent of this continuation
US 2001/0032268 A1Published application
US 2008/0275576 A1Published application
US 2008/0275577 A1Published application
US 8,271,105 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.