Patent GB-1154761-A (GB)
Title: A Programmed Position Control Device for a Machine, Incorporating an Interpolating Unit
IPC: G05B19/4103
Filed: 1966-08-31
Abstract: 1,154,761. Programmed control of machine tools. ING. C. OLIVETTI & C., S.p.A. Aug.31, 1966 [Sept.3, 1965], No.38821/66. Heading G3N. A movable part of a machine is positioned along one or more axes by a control device comprising an interpolating unit responsive to discontinuous digital positioning orders from a programme unit and operating in interpolation cycles of fixed periods, the interpolating unit accumulating digital position increments until the current digital position order is attained and is adapted to control the speed and acceleration of the movable part, the device further comprising a servosystem responsive in real time to the accumulated digital increments to position the movable part along an axis. The movement between programmed points is effected as shown in Fig.2 and comprises a section T1 wherein the part moves with a constant acceleration to the programmed velocity VxM which is maintained during a section T2, the part is then decelerated at a constant rate in section T3 until the velocity falls to a predetermined value Vxf, at which the part is maintained during section T4 and the final section T5 is initiated when the part reaches a predetermined distance from end point and is terminated when the part is positioned within the desired accuracy. The section T2 may be absent and sections T1, T3 restricted when the distance between programmed points is such that the set value of the constant velocity is not reached. In the positioning system, a perforated paper tape bearing the programme information is read and the decoded signals fed to an interpolator. The output of the interpolator is switched through a digital to analogue converter controlling retroactive servosystems positioning the movable part about the axis as disclosed in Specification 1,090,240. The interpolator, Fig. 12 (not shown), incorporates a cyclic memory, constituted by a magnetostrictive delay line (LDR) as disclosed in Specification 1,103,384 storing in sequence the position information relating to the co-ordinate axes, which together with reading registers (LEAB-LECD) and writing registers (REEF-RECD) by suitable inter-connections form a set of four parallel recirculating registers A, E, I, C and a further set of four registers B, F, L, D having common inputs and outputs but spaced six bit periods with respect to the first four registers. The register A is used to summate movement during an interpolating cycle, register B stores the programmed maximum displacement increment in a cycle (representative of maximum speed along an axis), register C is used to contain the quantity employed to determine the speed increment, register D, during entering of programmed data stores the co-ordinate of an end-point to enable to distance still to be travelled at any instant during interpolation to be calculated. At the end of the interpolation the contents of D are transferred to register L as the initial co-ordinate of the next rectilinear interpolation. The register E contains, during interpolation, a measure of acceleration derived by subtracting the contents of register I from that of register C. The register F is used to contain a correction quantity for the delay in a interpolation cycle before a control signal is sent to a servosystem. At the end of an interpolation the contents of register C is transferred to register I to enable the acceleration to be calculated for the next rectilinear segment. The contents of register L is continuously increased during interpolation so that it contains the instantaneous value of a co-ordinate, register I being freed to contain the position increments as they are calculated. Before starting the programme recorded on a tape, the movable part of the machine is positioned on the point chosen as the programme origin by manual actuation of controls which simulate tape dependent signals.