Flexible communication architecture for motion control system

Claim 2

A serial communication motion control system, comprising: a central control node having a central processing unit; at least one of: (a) a plurality of event-driven distributed control nodes, and (b) a plurality of peripheral control nodes; and a serial bus communicating with said central control node, said distributed control nodes, and said peripheral control nodes, said serial bus allowing communication of control signals and data signals between said central control node and said peripheral control nodes and among said distributed control nodes and said central control node.

Claim 3

The system of claim 1 wherein each of said peripheral control nodes comprises: peripheral node interface means for interfacing with said serial bus; and input/output circuitry communicating with said peripheral node interface means for providing front-end processing for hardware components of said motion control system.

Claim 4

The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of said distributed control nodes comprises: local processing means for providing local processing capabilities; and distributed control node serial bus interface means for interfacing with said serial bus, said distributed control node serial bus interface means communicating with said distributed node processing means.

Claim 5

The system of claim 3 wherein said central control node further comprises: means for providing network control and for allowing peer-to-peer communications among said distributed control nodes and between said distributed control nodes and said central control node via said distributed control node serial bus interface means and said serial bus; and at least one of said local processing means comprises a central processing unit.

Claim 6

The system of claim 1 wherein said central control node further comprises: generation means for generating tick signals at regular tick intervals of time; and central node control means for generating peripheral node control signals, each of said peripheral control nodes having an associated time slice interval within said tick interval, each of said peripheral control node time slice intervals having a length of one time slice unit, and each of said peripheral control node time slice intervals having a delay relative to said tick signal that is an integral number of said one time slice units long, whereby said peripheral node control signals that are associated with communications between said central control node and one of said peripheral control nodes are separated from each other by an integral number of tick intervals; and at least one of said peripheral control nodes comprises: receiving means for receiving said peripheral node control signals at said associated peripheral control node time slice intervals; and means for providing response signals corresponding to said peripheral node control signals that are received by said receiving means.

Claim 7

The system of claim 5 wherein said central control node further comprises dynamic rescheduling means for changing said integral number of tick intervals.

Claim 8

The system of claim 1 wherein said central control node and said at least one of said plurality of distributed control nodes and said plurality of peripheral control nodes are connected via said serial bus in a ring configuration.

Claim 9

The system of claim 1 wherein said central control node and said at least one of said plurality of distributed control nodes and said plurality of peripheral control nodes are connected via said serial bus in a multidrop configuration.

Claim 10

The system of claim 7 or 8 further comprising means for communicating with said nodes and determining the physical order of said central control node and said at least one of said plurality of distributed control nodes and said plurality of peripheral control nodes.

Claim 11

The system of claim 9 wherein said central control node further comprises means for downloading unique addresses to said plurality of peripheral control nodes and said plurality of distributed control nodes.

Claim 12

A serial communication motion control system, comprising: a central control node having a first central processing unit; at least one of: (a) a plurality of event-driven distributed control nodes each having an associated local processing means, and (b) a plurality of peripheral control nodes comprising: O peripheral node interface means for interfacing with said serial bus; O input/output circuitry communicating with said peripheral node interface means for providing front-end processing for hardware components of said motion control system; and at least one of: (1) a sensor assembly having at least one sensor and sensor interface means for interfacing with said sensors, said sensor interface means communicating with said peripheral node interface means, (2) a smart motor and smart interface circuitry for interfacing with said smart motor, said smart interface circuitry communicating with said peripheral node interface means, and (3) a solenoid and solenoid interface means for interfacing with said solenoid, said solenoid interface means communicating with said peripheral node interface means; (4) a dedicated input/output means having at least one of: O parallel interface means for sending and receiving parallel data signals and parallel control signals, and O serial interface means for sending and receiving serial data signals and serial control signals; and a serial bus communicating with said control node, said distributed control nodes, and said peripheral control nodes, said serial bus providing communication of control signals and data signals between said central control node and said peripheral control node, and among said distributed control nodes and said central control node.

Claim 13

A serial communication motion control system, comprising: a central control node having a first central processing unit; at least one of: (a) a plurality of event-driven distributed control nodes each having an associated local processing means, and (b) a plurality of peripheral control nodes comprising: O peripheral node interface means for interfacing with said serial bus; O input/output circuitry communicating with said peripheral node interface means for providing front-end processing for hardware components of said motion control system; and at least one of: (1) a sensor assembly having at least one sensor and sensor interface means for interfacing with said sensors, said sensor interface means communicating with said peripheral node interface means, (2) a smart motor and smart interface circuitry for interfacing with said smart motor, said smart interface circuitry communicating with said peripheral node interface means, and (3) a solenoid and solenoid interface means for interfacing with said solenoid, said solenoid interface means communicating with said peripheral node interface means; (4) a dedicated input/output means having at least one of: O parallel interface means for sending and receiving parallel data signals and parallel control signals, and O serial interface means for sending and receiving serial data signals and serial control signals; and a serial bus communicating with said control node, said distributed control nodes, and said peripheral control nodes, said serial bus providing communication of control signals and data signals between said central control node and said peripheral control node, and among said distributed control nodes and said central control node.

Claim 14

The system of claim 11 wherein each of a plurality of said distributed control nodes comprises: distributed control node serial bus interface means for interfacing with said serial bus, said distributed control node serial bus interface means communicating with said distributed node local processing means; and said central control node further comprises means for providing network control and for allowing peer-to-peer communications among said distributed control nodes and between said distributed control nodes and said central control node via said distributed control node serial bus interface means and said serial bus.

Claim 15

The system of claim 12 wherein said central control node further comprises: generation means for generating tick signals at regular tick intervals of time; and central node control means for generating peripheral node control signals, each of said peripheral control nodes having an associated time slice interval within said tick interval, each of said peripheral control node time slice intervals having a length of one time slice unit, and each of said peripheral control node time slice intervals having a delay relative to said tick signal that is an integral number of said one time slice units long, whereby said peripheral node control signals that are associated with communications between said central control node and one of said peripheral control nodes are separated from each other by an integral number of tick intervals; and at least one of said peripheral control nodes comprises: receiving means for receiving said peripheral node control signals at said associated peripheral control node time slice intervals; and means for providing response signals corresponding to said peripheral node control signals that are received by said receiving means.

Claim 16

The system of claim 13 wherein said central control node further comprises dynamic rescheduling means for changing said integral number of tick intervals.

Claim 17

The system of claim 11 wherein said central control node and said at least one of said plurality of distributed control nodes and said plurality of peripheral control nodes are connected via said serial bus in a ring configuration.

Claim 18

The system of claim 11 wherein said central control node and said at least one of said plurality of distributed control nodes and said plurality of peripheral control nodes are connected via said serial bus in a multidrop configuration.

Claim 19

The system of claim 15 or 16 further comprising a third wire means for communicating with said nodes and determining the physical order of said central control node and said at least one of said plurality of distributed control nodes and said plurality of peripheral control nodes.

Claim 20

The system of claim 11 wherein said serial bus further comprises: a connection point for communicating, node identification signals, test vectors, and scan mode signals generated by a tester to said central control node; and said central control node further comprises: means for accepting said node identification signals, said test vectors, and said scan mode signals, said central control node subsequently setting those of said peripheral control nodes and said distributed control nodes to be tested into a static hardware state; means for transmitting said test vectors and said scan mode signals to scan logic of those of said peripheral control nodes and said distributed control nodes that both support scan test and that are to be tested, producing a scan test result vector; means for receiving said scan test result vector for said scan logic; and means for sending said scan test result vector to said tester.