Method and apparatus for digital data transmission
AssigneeAgie Charmilles SA
InventorsErnst Buehler, Reto Knaak, Rino D'Amario
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An expansion of known serial data links, for example ETHERNET, published in IEEE802.3, for directly transmitting random events without having to carry out synchronization with a clock signal or having to wait for a cyclical transmission time. Two different, random events are represented using two differently coded individual pulses and are transmitted in an event-controlled manner. A jitter-free latency of 45 ns between the event and its reception is possible over a line length of 8 m, for example. The expansion is particularly suitable for the short, digital data links between a node and a plurality of modules, as are required in modern electrical discharge machines, machine tools and similar electronic systems.
Claims16
A method for digital data transmission of stochastic events in a machine tool, comprising the steps of:
- providing a data cable comprising a plurality of twisted conductor pairs;
- configuring at least one of the plurality of twisted conductor pairs for serial data transfer;
- configuring at least another of the plurality of twisted conductor pairs for transmitting stochastic events;
- signalling stochastic events by a first individual pulse transmitted by the another twisted conductor pair without a clock;
- and
- providing as a first individual pulse one of a positive and negative pulse for signalling a first stochastic event and the other of the positive and negative pulse for signalling a second stochastic event, wherein the absence of an individual pulse signalling no event.
An apparatus for digital data transmission of stochastic events in a machine tool comprising a data cable (6) having a plurality of twisted conductor pairs, at least one conductor pair (UP_LINK, DOWN_LINK) configured for serial data transfer, at least one further conductor pair (A_LINK, _BLINK) configured to transmit stochastic events, a transmitting device (22, 23) coupled at least at one end of the data cable and a receiving device (24, 25) coupled at an opposite end of the data cable (6), the transmitting and receiving devices are connected to associated logic circuits (11, FPGA_N, 12, FPGA_M), wherein, for signalling stochastic events, the at least one transmitting device (22, 23) is designed to transmit individual pulses without a clock, an individual pulse state being able to be a positive pulse or a negative pulse, wherein a positive pulse signalling a first stochastic event, a negative pulse signalling a second stochastic event and the absence of an individual pulse signalling no event, and the at least one receiving device (24, 25) for receiving the individual pulses is designed to detect the pulse state of positive pulse, negative pulse and no pulse.
An electrical discharge machine comprising:
- a central node (5),
- a plurality of modules (2, 8) configured to control an electrical discharge machine, and
- at least one data cable (6) which connects at least one module (2, 8) to the central node (5), the electrical discharge machine having an apparatus for digital data transmission of stochastic events in a machine tool via the data cable (6) comprising a plurality of twisted conductor pairs, at least one conductor pair (UP_LINK, DOWN_LINK) of which is intended for serial data transfer, at least one further conductor pair (A_LINK, B_LINK) is configured to transmit stochastic events, a transmitting device (22, 23) being provided and coupled at least at one end of the data cable and a receiving device (24, 25) being provided and coupled at an opposite end of the data cable (6), the transmitting and receiving devices are connected to associated logic circuits (11, FPGA_N, 12, FPGA_M), and the at least one transmitting device (22, 23) for signalling stochastic events transmits individual pulses without a clock, an individual pulse state being able to be a positive pulse or a negative pulse, wherein a positive pulse signalling a first stochastic event, a negative pulse signalling a second stochastic event and the absence of an individual pulse signalling no event, and the at least one receiving device (24, 25) for receiving the individual pulses is designed in such a manner that it can detect the pulse states of positive pulse, negative pulse and no event pulse.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.