Multiple connection architecture for communication with a computer numerical control resident in a workstation and other networked computer numerical controls

• US 6,606,665 B2
• Filed: 09/27/1999
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Allen-Bradley Company LLC (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Rajagopalan, Ganesh, Slagter, James M., Govindaraj, Subbian, Martin, James L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/406,657
• Publication Number:
  US 20030046436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/225, 709/227-228, 709/230, 709/246, 709/250, 700/180-181, 710/104-105
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A workstation utilized in machine control. The workstation comprises a computer having an open control interface and a computer numerical control resident on the workstation. Communications between the computer and the computer numerical control are converted into an acceptable protocol for the receiving entity and communicated through a PCI connection. The workstation also is configured for connection to a network for communication with other networked devices.

Claims

1. A open control interface system utilizing a computer having a central processing unit, to facilitate accessing large varieties of computer numerical control (CNC) data and to provide to a CNC that is either resident or networked, comprising:

a workstation having an operating system that is a workstation-based system and on which an application is executable;

a resident CNC that resides on the workstation; and

a protocol module, wherein the protocol conversion module is configured to selectively communicate with either the resident CNC residing op the workstation or a networked CNC, further wherein the protocol conversion module interacts with the application to convert data received from the application into a format suitable for use by either the resident CNC or the networked CNC and to convert data received from either the resident CNC or the networked CNC into a format appropriate for the application resident on the workstation.

2. The open control interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the workstation-based system is a personal computer, Windows-based system and the application is a Windows compliant application.

3. The open control interface system as recited in claim 2, further comprising an application program interface configured to establish a link for data transfer between the Windows-compliant application and the protocol conversion module.

4. The open control interface system as recited in claim 3, further comprising a network interface cooperating with the protocol conversion module to send data through a network.

5. The open control interface system as recited in claim 4, further comprising the networked CNC located at a remote network location.

6. The open control interface system as recited in claim 4, wherein the network interface comprises an Ethernet driver coupleable to a Ethernet network.

7. The open control interface system as recited in claim 2, wherein the operating system utilizes Dynamic Data Exchange®

(DDE) communication protocol to accomplish process-to-process communication of data between the Windows-compliant application and the protocol conversion module.

8. The open control interface system as recited in claim 1, wherein the workstation includes a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) slot and the resident CNC is communicatively coupled with the PCI slot.

9. The open control interface system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a file handler.

10. The open control interface system as recited in claim 9, wherein the file handler is configured to support multiple computer numerical controls, including the resident CNC and the networked CNC.

11. CNC system that may be coupled to a machine to control machine motion, comprising:

a computer having a processor and an open control interface resident on a workstation;

a resident computer numerical control having at least one processor, the computer numerical control being resident on the workstation; and

a networked computer numerical control, wherein the open control interface is usable to electively monitor or control both the resident computer numerical control and the networked computer numerical control.

12. The workstation as recited in claim 11, wherein the open control interface comprises a Windows-based operator interface.

13. The workstation as recited in claim 12, wherein the open control interface comprises a data server that provides an interface permitting the Windows-based operator interface to send and receive data from the resident computer numerical control and the networked computer numerical control.

14. The workstation as recited in claim 13, wherein the open control interface implements as its communication protocol for DDE-compliant Windows applications and the data server provides a DDE interface between the resident computer numerical control and the DDE-compliant Windows applications as well as between the networked computer numerical control and the DDE-compliant Windows applications.

15. The workstation as recited in claim 14, further comprising a network interface to permit communication between the computer and the networked computer numerical control.

16. The workstation as recited in claim 15, wherein the resident computer numerical control is mounted on a PC card.

17. The workstation as recited in claim 16, wherein the workstation includes a PCI card slot for receiving the computer numerical control personal computer (CNC PC) card.

18. The workstation as recited in claim 15, wherein the network interface permits communication with a plurality of networked devices.

19. A method for utilizing an open control interface with a computer numerical control to increase the versatility of the computer numerical control, comprising:

providing a computer workstation with an open control interface through which a computer processor is accessible;

combining a computer numerical control with the computer workstation;

converting data entered via the open control interface into a format recognizable by the computer numerical control; and

connecting the computer workstation to a network to permit communications between the open control interface and other networked devices.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein providing includes providing a Windows-based operator interface.

21. The method as recited in claim 20, further comprising loading a DDE-compliant application into the computer workstation and configuring a data server to provide the DDE-compliant application access to the data server via a DDE link.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein converting includes converting data supplied to the data server in DDE format to a format recognizable and usable by the computer numerical control.

23. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein combining includes mounting the computer numerical control on a PC card and engaging the PC card with a PCI slot on the computer workstation.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, further comprising utilizing a file handler to support the computer numerical control and the networked computer numerical control.

25. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising transmitting data between the open control interface and a networked computer numerical control.