Automatically generating code from drawing specifications for use in motion control

• US 7,702,417 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2006
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: National Instruments Corporation (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Chandhoke, Sundeep, Shivananda, Praveen, Ramchandani, Mahesh, Ravish, Sushrutha
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNES-BULLOCK, CRYSTAL JOY
• Application Number:
  US11/343,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20070179644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 700 86- 88, 700/182, 700/186, 700/187, 700/119, 700/159, 700/264, 715/211, 715/771, 717/106, 717/136, 345/440, 345/441
• US Class Current: 700/182
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35488 Graphical user interface, labview
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36036 Motion, graphical motion control language gmcl

Abstract

System and method for utilizing drawing specifications for use in motion control. Elements in a drawing specification may be automatically identified. The drawing specification may include one or more drawings, digital files, AutoCAD drafting files, and/or drawing specifications. Code may be automatically generated based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema, and may include instructions in a data representation language, e.g., a markup language such as HTML, XML, etc. The automatically generated code may include move operations, e.g., arc, contour, line, raise, lower, halt, begin, etc., with associated parameters, e.g., move constraints, digital outputs, position compares, etc. The schema may include one or more blocks, each associated with a portion of the drawing specification, one or more elements, each associated with a block, one or more move operations, each associated with an element, and one or more parameters, each associated with a move operation.

Claims

1. A method for utilizing drawing specifications for use in motion control, comprising using a computer to perform:

automatically identifying one or more elements in a drawing specification, wherein the drawing specification is stored in a memory; and

automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema, wherein the code comprises instructions in a data representation language, wherein the data representation language comprises a markup language, and wherein the code is usable for implementing motion control;

wherein said automatically generating code comprises automatically generating one or more move operations and wherein the one or more move operations comprise one or more of;

a line move operation;

an arc move operation;

a contour move operation;

a begin move operation;

a halt move operation;

a raise move operation;

or

a lower move operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema comprises:

generating one or more blocks, each corresponding to a respective portion of the drawing specification;

wherein each of the one or more blocks comprises a respective one or more elements of the one or more elements; and

wherein each of the respective one or more elements comprises one or more associated move operations.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein each of the one or more move operations comprises one or more associated parameters.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the one or more respective portions comprises one or more of:

a drawing;

or

a digital drafting file.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the drawing specification comprises one or more digital files.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the drawing specification comprises one or more AutoCAD digital drafting files.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the drawing specification comprises one or more drawings.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the drawing specification comprises one or more drawing specifications.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more move operations each have one or more associated parameters.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein the one or more associated parameters comprise one or more of:

one or more move constraints;

one or more digital outputs;

or

one or more position compares.

11. The method of claim 1,

wherein the data representation language comprises eXtensible Markup Language (XML).

12. The method of claim 1,

wherein the generated code comprises instructions usable to control a motion control device, wherein the motion control device is operable to perform one or more of:

drawing on one or more materials;

tracing one or more materials;

etching one or more materials;

or

cutting one or more materials.

13. The method of claim 11,

wherein the one or more materials comprise one or more of:

metal;

wood;

polymer;

one or more chemical compounds;

or

one or more chemical elements.

14. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more elements comprise one or more of:

one or more lines;

one or more polygons;

one or more arcs;

one or more splines;

one or more alphanumeric characters in one or more associated fonts;

one or more ellipses;

or

one or more clouds.

15. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more shapes, wherein each shape of the one or more shapes comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

16. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more complex elements, wherein each complex element of the one or more complex elements comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

17. The method of claim 1,

wherein said automatically identifying the one or more of elements and said automatically generating code is performed by one or more graphical programs, wherein each of the one or more graphical programs comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program.

18. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

displaying a visual representation of the generated code in a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a display device of a computer system.

19. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving user input to a GUI invoking one or more of said automatically identifying the one or more elements and said automatically generating code.

20. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving user input to a GUI specifying modification of the generated code; and

automatically modifying the generated code based on the user input.

21. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

automatically inserting move operations into the generated code; and

receiving user input to a GUI displayed on a display device of a computer system, wherein the GUI indicates the move operations, and wherein the user input specifies enabling or disabling display of the move operations.

22. A system for utilizing drawing specifications for use in motion control, comprising:

means for automatically identifying one or more elements in a drawing specification; and

means for automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema, wherein the code comprises instructions in a data representation language, wherein the data representation language comprises a markup language, and wherein the code is usable for implementing motion control;

wherein said automatically generating code comprises automatically generating one or more move operations and wherein the one or more move operations comprise one or more of;

a line move operation;

an arc move operation;

a contour move operation;

a begin move operation;

a halt move operation;

a raise move operation;

or

a lower move operation.

24. The memory medium of claim 22, wherein said automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema comprises:

generating one or more blocks, each corresponding to a respective portion of the drawing specification;

wherein each of the one or more blocks comprises a respective one or more elements of the one or more elements; and

wherein each of the respective one or more elements comprises one or more associated move operations.

23. A computer-accessible memory medium for utilizing drawing specifications for use in motion control, comprising instructions executable by a processor to implement:

automatically identifying one or more elements in a drawing specification; and

automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema, wherein the code comprises instructions in a data representation language, wherein the data representation language comprises a markup language, and wherein the code is usable for implementing motion control;

wherein said automatically generating code comprises automatically generating one or more move operations and wherein the one or more move operations comprise one or more of;

a line move operation;

an arc move operation;

a contour move operation;

a begin move operation;

a halt move operation;

a raise move operation;

or

a lower move operation.

25. The memory medium of claim 23,

wherein each of the one or more move operations comprises one or more associates parameters.

26. The memory medium of claim 23,

wherein the drawing specification comprises one or more digital files.

27. The memory medium of claim 23,

wherein the drawing specification comprises one or more AutoCAD digital drafting files.

28. The memory medium of claim 23,

wherein the drawing specification comprises one or more drawings.

29. The memory medium of claim 23, wherein the one or more elements compose one or more shapes, wherein each shape of the one or more shapes comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

30. The memory medium of claim 23, wherein the one or more elements compose one or more complex elements, wherein each complex element of the one or more complex elements comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

31. The memory medium of claim 23,

wherein said automatically identifying the one or more of elements and said automatically generating code is performed by one or more graphical programs, wherein each of the one or more graphical programs comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program.

32. The memory medium of claim 23, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

display a visual representation of the generated code in a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a display device of a computer system.

33. The memory medium of claim 23, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive user input to a GUI invoking one or more of said automatically identifying the one or more elements and said automatically generating code.

34. The memory medium of claim 23, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive user input to a GUI specifying modification of the generated code; and

automatically modify the generated code based on the user input.

35. The memory medium of claim 26, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

automatically insert move operations into the generated code; and

receive user input to a GUI displayed on a display device of a computer system, wherein the GUI indicates the move operations, and wherein the user input specifies enabling or disabling display of the move operations.

36. A method for utilizing drawing specifications for use in motion control, comprising using a computer to perform:

automatically identifying one or more elements in a drawing specification, wherein the drawing specification is stored in a memory; and

automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema, wherein the code comprises instructions in a data representation language, wherein the data representation language comprises a markup language, and wherein the code is usable for implementing motion control;

wherein said automatically identifying the one or more of elements and said automatically generating code is performed by one or more graphical programs, wherein each of the one or more graphical programs comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein said automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema comprises:

generating one or more blocks, each corresponding to a respective portion of the drawing specification;

wherein each of the one or more blocks comprises a respective one or more elements of the one or more elements; and

wherein each of the respective one or more elements comprises one or more associated move operations.

38. The method of claim 36,

wherein the one or more move operations each have one or more associated parameters.

39. The method of claim 38,

wherein the one or more associated parameters comprise one or more of:

one or more move constraints;

one or more digital outputs;

or

one or more position compares.

40. The method of claim 36,

wherein the generated code comprises instructions usable to control a motion control device, wherein the motion control device is operable to perform one or more of:

drawing on one or more materials;

tracing one or more materials;

etching one or more materials;

or

cutting one or more materials.

41. The method of claim 36,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more shapes, wherein each shape of the one or more shapes comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

42. The method of claim 36,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more complex elements, wherein each complex element of the one or more complex elements comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

43. The method of claim 36, the method further comprising:

receiving user input to a GUI specifying modification of the generated code; and

automatically modifying the generated code based on the user input.

44. A computer-accessible memory medium for utilizing drawing specifications for use in motion control, comprising instructions executable by a processor to implement:

automatically identifying one or more elements in a drawing specification; and

automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema, wherein the code comprises instructions in a data representation language, wherein the data representation language comprises a markup language, and wherein the code is usable for implementing motion control;

wherein said automatically identifying the one or more of elements and said automatically generating code is performed by one or more graphical programs, wherein each of the one or more graphical programs comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program.

45. The memory medium of claim 44, wherein said automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema comprises:

generating one or more blocks, each corresponding to a respective portion of the drawing specification;

wherein each of the one or more blocks comprises a respective one or more elements of the one or more elements; and

wherein each of the respective one or more elements comprises one or more associated move operations.

46. The memory medium of claim 44,

wherein the one or more move operations each have one or more associated parameters.

47. The memory medium of claim 46,

wherein the one or more associated parameters comprise one or more of:

one or more move constraints;

one or more digital outputs;

or

one or more position compares.

48. The memory medium of claim 44,

wherein the generated code comprises instructions usable to control a motion control device, wherein the motion control device is operable to perform one or more of:

drawing on one or more materials;

tracing one or more materials;

etching one or more materials;

or

cutting one or more materials.

49. The memory medium of claim 44,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more shapes, wherein each shape of the one or more shapes comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

50. The memory medium of claim 44,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more complex elements, wherein each complex element of the one or more complex elements comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

51. The memory medium of claim 44, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive user input to a GUI specifying modification of the generated code; and

automatically modify the generated code based on the user input.

52. A method for utilizing drawing specifications for use in motion control, comprising using a computer to perform:

automatically identifying one or more elements in a drawing specification, wherein the drawing specification is stored in a memory; and

automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema, wherein the code comprises instructions in a data representation language, wherein the data representation language comprises a markup language, and wherein the code is usable for implementing motion control;

automatically inserting move operations into the generated code; and

receiving user input to a GUI displayed on a display device of a computer system, wherein the GUI indicates the move operations, and wherein the user input specifies enabling or disabling display of the move operations.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein said automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema comprises:

generating one or more blocks, each corresponding to a respective portion of the drawing specification;

wherein each of the one or more blocks comprises a respective one or more elements of the one or more elements; and

wherein each of the respective one or more elements comprises one or more associated move operations.

54. The method of claim 52,

wherein the one or more move operations each have one or more associated parameters.

55. The method of claim 54,

wherein the one or more associated parameters comprise one or more of:

one or more move constraints;

one or more digital outputs;

or

one or more position compares.

56. The method of claim 52,

wherein the generated code comprises instructions usable to control a motion control device, wherein the motion control device is operable to perform one or more of:

drawing on one or more materials;

tracing one or more materials;

etching one or more materials;

or

cutting one or more materials.

57. The method of claim 52,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more shapes, wherein each shape of the one or more shapes comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

58. The method of claim 52,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more complex elements, wherein each complex element of the one or more complex elements comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

59. The method of claim 52, the method further comprising:

receiving user input to a GUI specifying modification of the generated code; and

automatically modifying the generated code based on the user input.

60. A computer-accessible memory medium for utilizing drawing specifications for use in motion control, comprising instructions executable by a processor to implement:

automatically identifying one or more elements in a drawing specification; and

automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema, wherein the code comprises instructions in a data representation language, wherein the data representation language comprises a markup language, and wherein the code is usable for implementing motion control;

automatically inserting move operations into the generated code; and

receiving user input to a GUI displayed on a display device of a computer system, wherein the GUI indicates the move operations, and wherein the user input specifies enabling or disabling display of the move operations.

61. The memory medium of claim 60, wherein said automatically generating code based on the one or more elements in accordance with a schema comprises:

generating one or more blocks, each corresponding to a respective portion of the drawing specification;

wherein each of the one or more blocks comprises a respective one or more elements of the one or more elements; and

wherein each of the respective one or more elements comprises one or more associated move operations.

62. The memory medium of claim 60, wherein the one or more move operations each have one or more associated parameters.

63. The memory medium of claim 62,

wherein the one or more associated parameters comprise one or more of:

one or more move constraints;

one or more digital outputs;

or

one or more position compares.

64. The memory medium of claim 60,

wherein the generated code comprises instructions usable to control a motion control device, wherein the motion control device is operable to perform one or more of:

drawing on one or more materials;

tracing one or more materials;

etching one or more materials;

or

cutting one or more materials.

65. The memory medium of claim 60,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more shapes, wherein each shape of the one or more shapes comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

66. The memory medium of claim 60,

wherein the one or more elements compose one or more complex elements, wherein each complex element of the one or more complex elements comprises a subset of the one or more elements.

67. The memory medium of claim 60, wherein the program instructions are further executable to:

receive user input to a GUI specifying modification of the generated code; and

automatically modify the generated code based on the user input.