Patent ID: 7024257

Claim:
A motion control system, comprising: a central controller configured to generate first and second demand control signals defining actuation motion of respective first and second actuators, the central controller comprising a propagation delay parameter measuring mechanism configured to measure first and second propagation delay parameters between the central controller and respective first and second slaves, the first and second propagation delay parameters being communicated to the respective first and second slaves; the first and second slaves in communication with said central controller, each slave comprising, at least a respective one of said actuators configured to implement at an actuator time an action based upon said respective demand control signal, a memory configured to store the respective propagation delay parameter communicated by the central controller, and a phase-locked loop timing mechanism configured to establish timing at which the respective actuator is to be actuated, said timing mechanism being adjusted by an amount of time corresponding to the respective propagation delay parameter for information passed from the central controller to the respective slave so that the actuator times of actuators at each of said first and second slaves occur simultaneously; and a data network configured to place said first and second slaves in communication with said central controller and by which the first and second delay parameters are communicated from the central controller to the respective first and second slaves.