Device for controlling drives in machine tools or production machines

• US 7,110,850 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Issued: 09/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Heidl, Thomas, Becker, Arnd, Heinemann, Gerhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo
• Assistant Examiner(s): KASENGE, CHARLES R
• Application Number:
  US10/928,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20050055120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 753 Days
• Field of Search: 700/159, 700/169, 700/174, 700/175, 700/177, 700/108, 700/109, 700/110, 700/95, 702/182, 702/183, 702/184, 702/187, 702/188
• US Class Current: 700/174
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/406 characterised by monitoring or safety G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/408 characterised by data handling or data format, e.g. reading, buffering or conversion of data

Abstract

A device for controlling drives of machine tools or production machines is disclosed, whereby the device includes a permanent storage medium associated with the device and a trace module that records actual process values after the trace module is triggered. The actual process values are permanently stored on the permanent storage media in form of files in a standard file format. The device makes it possible to permanently store actual process values recorded by a trace functionality, in particular by a trace module, in the device for controlling drives in a standard data format.

Claims

1. A device for controlling drives of machine tools or production machines, comprising:

a device controller that controls the device;

a permanent storage medium associated with the device and storing externally generated process reference values in form of files in a standard format;

a trace module that records actual process values after the trace module is triggered by an event in the device, wherein the actual process values are permanently stored on the permanent storage medium in form of files having a standard file format; and

an evaluation unit comparing the process reference values with the actual process values of the device and evaluating the actual process values using evaluation functions,

wherein a time when the trace module is triggered or parameters present in the device controller at the time when the trace module is triggered are stored in the storage medium.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein file names of the stored files are generated automatically or by a programmable algorithm.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the stored data are protected from deletion or changes.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the storage medium is a flash card.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a diagnostic/startup device that is connected externally to the device, said diagnostic/Startup device triggering the trace module.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising a function generator capable of being triggered, wherein the function generator supplies to the device controller test signals stored on the storage medium in the form of files in a standard file format stored, said device controller adding the test signals to the actual process values.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the function generator is triggered synchronously with the trace module.

8. The device of claim 6, further comprising a diagnostic/startup device connected externally to the device, said diagnostic/startup device triggering the function generator.

9. The device of claim 6, further comprising a supervisory controller, wherein an application program executed on the supervisory controller triggers the function generator.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the evaluation unit provides a user with a quality parameter representing a result of the evaluation.

11. The device of claim 1, further comprising a supervisory automation plane or an Internet service, wherein a quantity selected from the group consisting of the actual process values, process reference values, test signals, parameters present in a device controller and/or results of an evaluation of the actual process values and the process reference values is provided to the supervisory automation plane or Internet service.

12. The device of claim 1, further comprising a function generator capable of being triggered by the event in the device, wherein the storage medium stores parameter sets for configuring the trace module or the function generator.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the standard file format is a file format based on FAT 16 format, FAT 32 format, NTFS format or ASCII format.

14. A system for controlling drives of machine tools or production machines, comprising:

a supervisory controller including a motion program;

a plurality of devices connected with each other or with the supervisory controller, each of the devices including a trace module, wherein the trace modules are triggered synchronously by an event in one or more devices and record actual recess values after being triggered;

a permanent storage medium associated with the devices and storing externally generated process reference values in form of files in a standard format; and

an evaluation unit comparing the process reference values with the actual process values of the devices and evaluating the actual process values using evaluation functions,

wherein the actual process values are permanently stored on the permanent storage medium in form of files having a standard file format.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein file names of the stored flies are generated automatically or by a programmable algorithm.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the stored process values are protected from deletion or changes.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage medium is a flash card.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein each of the devices comprises a device controller that controls the devices and a function generator capable of being triggered by the event in the one or more devices, wherein the function generator supplies to the device controller test signals stored on the storage medium In the form or files in a standard file format, said device controller adding the test signals to the actual process values.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein an application program executed on the supervisory controller triggers the function generators.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the function generators are triggered synchronously.