Motion control systems and methods

• US 20060241811A1
• Filed: 05/03/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ROY-G-BIV Corporation
• Original Assignee: ROY-G-BIV Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, David W., Clark, Jay S.
• Application Number:
  US11/416,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20060241811A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/245
• CPC Class Codes: B25J 9/1602 characterised by the control system, structure, architecture
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0426 Programming the control sequence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/19 characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/416 characterised by control of velocity, acceleration or deceleration G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23262 DDE direct data exchange, DLL dynamic library linking
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/23265 Select device driver for actuator, sensor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34216 Programmable motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34287 Plc and motion controller combined
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36035 Special language, task programming, oop object oriented programming
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36036 Motion, graphical motion control language gmcl
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/43167 Distributed motion control

Abstract

A method in a robot of providing hardware abstraction for robot control software. A plurality of resource drivers for the robot includes resource drivers for which no corresponding hardware is present on the robot. Resources that are available on the robot are automatically detected based a hardware configuration detected for the robot. A request is received from the robot control software to use a type of resource. A resource that corresponds to the type of resource requested by the robot control software is automatically selected. A first information related to use of the selected resource is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a robot. A second information related to the use requested by the robot control software is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a corresponding device. The method converts between the first information and the second information based on the detected configuration of the robot.

Claims

1. A method in a robot of providing hardware abstraction for robot control software, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of resource drivers for the robot, where the plurality of resource drivers includes resource drivers for which no corresponding hardware is present on the robot;

detecting a hardware configuration for the robot;

automatically detecting resources that are available on the robot based on the detected hardware configuration;

receiving a request from the robot control software to use a type of resource;

automatically selecting a resource from the available resources that corresponds to the type of resource requested by the robot control software;

exchanging a first information with the robot control software, where the first information is related to use of the selected resource and is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a robot;

exchanging a second information with a low-level device driver corresponding to the resource, where the second information is related to the use requested by the robot control software, where the second information is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a corresponding device, and where the second information is different than the first information; and

converting between the first information and the second information based on the detected configuration of the robot.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, where the first information is linear velocity and the second information is angular velocity.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in an application program interface (API).

4. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

including a security parameter with a method call;

verifying a security ticket when access is requested to a resource; and

controlling access to the resource based on the security ticket.

5. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

providing a plurality of resource drivers for the robot, where the plurality of resource drivers includes resource drivers for which no corresponding hardware is present on the robot;

detecting a hardware configuration for the robot;

automatically detecting resources that are available on the robot based on the detected hardware configuration;

receiving a request from the robot control software to use a type of resource;

automatically selecting a resource from the available resources that corresponds to the type of resource requested by the robot control software;

exchanging a first information with the robot control software, where the first information is related to use of the selected resource and is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a robot;

exchanging a second information with a low-level device driver corresponding to the resource, where the second information is related to the use requested by the robot control software, where the second information is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a corresponding device, and where the second information is different than the first information; and

converting between the first information and the second information based on the detected configuration of the robot.

6. A method in a motion device of providing hardware abstraction for motion control software, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of resource drivers for the motion device, where the plurality of resource drivers includes resource drivers for which no corresponding hardware is present on the motion device;

receiving a request from the motion control software to use a type of resource;

automatically selecting a resource from the available resources that corresponds to the type of resource requested by the motion control software;

exchanging a first information with the motion control software, where the first information is related to use of the selected resource and is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a motion device;

exchanging a second information with a low-level device driver corresponding to the resource, where the second information is related to the use requested by the motion control software, where the second information is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a corresponding device, and where the second information is different than the first information; and

converting between the first information and the second information based on the motion device.

7. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the method is embodied in an application program interface (API).

8. The method as defined in claim 6, wherein the type of resource comprises a motion controller.

9. The method as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

including a security parameter with a method call;

verifying a security ticket when access is requested to a resource; and

controlling access to the resource based on the security ticket.

10. The method as defined in claim 6, further comprising:

maintaining a reservation count parameter that is updated based on access to a resource; and

controlling access to the resource based on the count.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

providing a plurality of resource drivers for the motion device, where the plurality of resource drivers includes resource drivers for which no corresponding hardware is present on the motion device;

receiving a request from the motion control software to use a type of resource;

automatically selecting a resource from the available resources that corresponds to the type of resource requested by the motion control software;

exchanging a first information with the motion control software, where the first information is related to use of the selected resource and is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a motion device;

exchanging a second information with a low-level device driver corresponding to the resource, where the second information is related to the use requested by the motion control software, where the second information is provided in a unit of measure that is related to a corresponding device, and where the second information is different than the first information; and

converting between the first information and the second information based on the motion device.