MOTION CONTROL SYSTEMS

• US 20090271007A1
• Filed: 03/18/2009
• Published: 10/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Automation Middleware Solutions, Inc. (Quarterhill Inc. (f/k/a Wi-LAN Inc.))
• Original Assignee: ROY-G-BIV Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, David W., Clark, Jay S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,073,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/21
• 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 2219/34208 Motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34216 Programmable motion controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34263 OLE object linking and embedding, OPC ole for process control
• 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 2219/36037 Application programming interface associates component code with driver function
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/43167 Distributed motion control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A system for debugging motion control software used to communicate with a motion control system, comprising a set of hardware motion control attributes, a set of common motion control attributes a motion control device, a set of software drivers, a software application, and a motion component. A selected software driver is capable of causing debug information to be sent to a debug target and converting a common motion control attribute to a hardware motion control attribute. The software application calls a motion component function to cause the motion component function to call a driver function. The called driver function causes 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 cause debug information to be sent to the debug target.

Claims

1. A system for debugging motion control software used to communicate with a motion control system, comprising:

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 can be emulated using at least one other primitive hardware motion control attribute;

a set of common motion control attributes;

a motion control device capable of storing at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute;

a set of software drivers, where at least one software driver is capable of causing debug information to be sent to a debug target, where the debug information contains diagnostic information associated with at least one hardware motion control attribute;

at least one selected software driver selected from the set of software drivers, where the selected software driver is capable of converting at least one common motion control attribute to at least one hardware motion control attribute;

a software application that calls at least one motion component function to exchange at least one common motion control attribute with the at least one selected software driver; and

at least one called motion component function is called to cause a motion component to exchange at least one common motion control attribute with the at least one selected software driver by calling at least one software driver function; and

at least one called software driver function causes 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

cause debug information to be sent to the debug target.

2. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, wherein the debug information sent to the debug target contains data read from the motion control device.

3. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, further comprising a set of command codes, wherein:

at least one command code is capable of causing the motion control device to perform at least one primitive motion operation, and

the selected software driver causes at least one command code to be sent to the debug target.

4. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, wherein the debug information sent to the debug target contains data written to the motion control device.

5. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, wherein the at least one motion component causes debug information to be sent to the debug target when the at least one motion component exchanges at least one common motion control attribute with the selected software driver.

6. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, wherein, when the selected software driver exchanges at least one hardware motion control attribute with the motion control device:

the motion control device moves an object;

the motion control device sends debug information to the selected software driver; and

the selected software driver causes the debug information to be sent to the debug target.

7. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, wherein the debug target is a file.

8. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, wherein further comprising a user interface, where the debug target displays at least some of the debug information in the user interface.

9. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, further comprising a debug stream capable of sending at least a portion of the debug information to the debug target.

10. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, further comprising a debug stream capable of sending at least some of the debug information to at least one of a file and a user interface.

11. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, in which the selected software driver exposes a driver software interface, where the driver software interface comprises at least one driver function used to access at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute received from the motion control device.

12. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 11, wherein the motion component is capable of using the driver software interface.

13. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 1, in which the motion component exposes a motion software interface containing at least one motion component function, where the software application is capable of using the motion software interface.

14. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 13, wherein the software application is capable of querying the motion software interface.

15. A system for debugging motion control software, comprising:

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 can be emulated using at least one other primitive hardware motion control attribute;

a set of common motion control attributes;

a motion controller capable of storing at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute;

a motion control device capable of being controlled using the motion controller;

a set of software drivers, where

at least one software driver is a selected software driver, and

the selected 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;

a software application that calls at least one driver function to cause the selected software driver to cause

at least one hardware motion control attribute to be exchanged with the motion controller, and

debug information to be sent the debug target.

16. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, in which:

the software application causes at least one driver function to be called to cause the at least one selected software driver to read at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute from the motion control device; and

the debug information contains the at least one primitive motion control attribute read from the motion control device.

17. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, in which:

the software application calls the at least one driver function to cause the at least one selected software driver to write at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute to the motion control device; and

the debug information contains the at least one primitive motion control attribute written to the motion control device.

18. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, in which:

the software application causes at least one driver function to be called to cause the at least one selected software driver to write at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute to the motion control device, where the at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute written to the motion control device is capable of causing the motion control device to move an object; and

the debug information contains the at least one primitive motion control attribute written to the motion control device.

19. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, wherein at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute exchanged with the motion control device is:

capable of causing the motion control device to move; and

sent to the debug target.

20. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, wherein the selected software driver exposes a driver interface that contains at least one driver function capable of being used to access at least one primitive hardware motion control attribute exchanged with at least one motion control device.

21. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 20, wherein the software application is capable of using the driver interface.

22. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 20, wherein the software application is capable of querying the driver interface.

23. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, wherein the debug target is a file.

24. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, wherein the debug target is a user interface that displays at least some of the debug information.

25. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, further comprising the step of providing a debug stream, where the debug stream is capable of sending at least a portion of the debug information to the debug target.

26. A system for debugging motion control software as recited in claim 15, further comprising the step of providing a debug stream, where the debug stream is capable of sending at least a portion of the debug information to a user interface.