Direct feed rate control circuit

Claim 2

In a numerical control system for controlling the relative positioning of two objects, velocity control means for providing, in response to a velocity command signal having a pulse rate indicative of a programmed velocity, an iterative command signal for commanding the iteration of a function generator to provide a plurality of individual axis motion command signals, each having a pulse rate indicative of a component of a commanded velocity, comprising in combination: a. a plurality of first register means, each responsive to a respective axis command signal for storing a number therein indicative of the motion commanded along an axis; b. second register means coupled to said velocity command signal for storing a number therein indicative of the programmed motion; c. a squares summing register; d. adding/subtracting means coupled between each of said first register means and said squares summing register and between said second register means and said squares summing register for providing numbers for subtraction from the number stored in said squares summing register indicative of the square of motion commAnded along an axis and for providing a number indicative of the square of programmed motion for addition to the number stored in said squares summing register, whereby the number appearing in said squares summing register at any tine is indicative of the difference between the programmed and commanded velocities at that time, said adding/subtracting means being responsive to an input pulse supplied to any register means to operate on the number in said register means to provide a number 2n+1 from said register means to said squares summing register, where n is the number in said register means remaining from a prior storage operation, said adding/subtracting means further operating to increase the number in said register by one; and e. means for producing the iterative command signal when the number in said squares summing register is of a predetermined sign.

Claim 3

A velocity control means according to claim 1 in which said means responsive to the number in said squares summing register comprises a bistable switching means having an input coupled to said squares summing register and an output coupled to said function generator.

Claim 4

An arrangement according to claim 1 comprising means responsive to the second register storing a number larger than a predetermined number for clearing all of said registers.

Claim 5

In a numerical control system for controlling the relative positioning of two objects, velocity control means for providing, in response to a velocity command signal having a pulse rate indicative of a programmed velocity, an iterative command signal for commanding the iteration of a function generator to provide a plurality of individual axis motion command signals each having a pulse rate indicative of a component of a commanded velocity comprising in combination: a. first register means each responsive to a respective axis command signal for storing a number therein indicative of the motion commanded along an axis; b. second register means for storing a number therein indicative of a resultant commanded motion; c. a squares summing register; d. adding/subtracting means coupled between each of said first register means and said squares summing register and between said second register means and said squares summing register for providing numbers for subtraction from the number stored in said squares summing register each indicative of the square of motion commanded along an axis and for providing a number indicative of the square of said resultant commanded motion for addition to the number stored in said squares summing register, whereby the number appearing in said squares summing register at any time is indicative of the difference between the resultant commanded motion and the sum of the squares of the individual axis commanded motions at that time; e. a resultant increment generator for producing said resultant commanded motion by providing an output having a pulse rate indicative of the commanded velocity, said resultant increment generator having an input coupled to said squares summing register and an output coupled to said second register means, said resultant increment generator producing an output when the number in said squares summing register is of a predetermined sign; f. a difference register for storing a number therein having a first input responsive to said velocity command signal for adding a value of a first sign to the number therein and a second input coupled to the output of said resultant increment generator for adding a value to the number therein of a second sign, whereby the presence of a non-zero number in said difference register is indicative of a difference between the programmed and commanded velocities; and g. means responsive to the provided number in said difference register for producing the iterative command signal only when the number in said difference register is of a predetermined sign.

Claim 6

In a numerical control system for controlling the relative positioning of two objects, velocity control means for providing, in response to a velocity command signal having a pulse rate indicative of a programmed velocity, an iterative command signal for commanding the iteration of a function generator to provide a plurality of individual axis motion command signals each having a pulse rate indicative of a component of a commanded velocity comprising in combination: a. first register means each responsive to a respective axis command signal for storing a number therein indicative of the motion commanded along an axis; b. second register means for storing a number therein indicative of a resultant commanded motion; c. a squares summing register; d. adding/subtracting means coupled between each of said first register means and said squares summing register and between said second register means and said squares summing register for providing numbers for subtraction from the number stored in said squares summing register each indicative of the square of motion commanded along an axis and for providing a number indicative of the square of said resultant commanded motion for addition to the number stored in said squares summing register, whereby the number appearing in said squares summing register at any time is indicative of the difference between the resultant commanded motion and the sum of the squares of the individual axis commanded motions at that time; e. a resultant increment generator for producing said resultant commanded motion by providing an output having a pulse rate indicative of the commanded velocity, said resultant increment generator having an input coupled to said squares summing register and an output coupled to said second register means, said resultant increment generator producing an output when the number in said squares summing register is of a predetermined sign; f. a difference register for storing a number therein having a first input responsive to said velocity command signal for adding a value of a first sign to the number therein and a second input coupled to the output of said resultant increment generator for adding a value to the number therein of a second sign, whereby the presence of a non-zero number in said difference register is indicative of a difference between the programmed and commanded velocities; and g. means responsive to the provided number in said difference register for producing the iterative command signal only when the number in said difference register is of a predetermined sign.

Claim 7

An arrangement according to claim 4 comprising means responsive to the second Register storing a number larger than a predetermined number for clearing all of said registers.

Claim 8

A velocity control means according to claim 4 further comprising scaling means connected between each first register means and each individual axis command signal for selectively supplying to each of said first registers an input indicative of the motion commanded along an axis or an input indicative of a multiple of the motion commanded along an axis, and further comprising a bistable scale selection means having a condition responsive input and an output coupled to said scaling means for selecting the inputs to said first register means.

Claim 9

A velocity control means according to claim 4 in which said adding/subtracting means is responsive to an input pulse supplied to any register means to operate on the number in said register means to provide a number 2n+1 from said register means to said squares summing register, where n is the number in said register means remaining from a prior storage operation, said adding/subtracting means further operating to increase the number in said register by one, and means for producing the iterative command signal when the number in said squares summing register is of a predetermined sign.

Claim 10

A velocity control means according to claim 7 in which each of said first register means and said second register means comprise binary shift registers, said adding/subtracting means comprises a serial binary adder/subtracter and gating means for serially circulating in a predetermined order the number in each of said first register means and said second register means simultaneously with the number in said squares summing register, adding the value 1 to the least significant digit of the number of said squares summing register, and adding to the remaining digits of the number of said squares summing register to the digits of the number being simultaneously circulated through said binary adder/subtracter.

Claim 11

A numerical control system for controlling the feed rate of a workpiece to an automatic machine tool, comprising in combination: a. a feed rate generator for producing a velocity command signal having a pulse rate indicative of a programmed velocity; b. a function generator for providing a plurality of individual axis command signals when enabled by an iterative command signal, each individual axis command signal being coupled to means for providing motion along a machine tool axis and having a pulse rate indicative of a component of commanded velocity; c. first register means each coupled to an individual axis command signal for storing a number therein indicative of the motion commanded along an axis; d. second register means for storing a number therein indicative of a resultant commanded motion; e. a squares summing register; f. adding/subtracting means coupled between each of said first register means and said squares summing register and between said second register means and said squares summing register for providing for subtraction from the number stored in said squares summing register each indicative of the square of motion commanded along an axis and for providing a number indicative of the square of programmed motion for addition to the number stored in said squares summing register, whereby a number is provided in said squares summing register indicative of the difference between the programmed and commanded velocities; g. a resultant increment generator for producing an output having a pulse rate indicative of the commanded velocity having an input coupled to said squares summing register, and an output coupled to said second register means, said resultant increment generator producing an output when the number in said squares summing register is of a predetermined sign; h. a difference register for storing a number therein having a first input coupled to said velocity command signal for adding a value of a first sign to the number therein and a second input coupled to the output of said resultant increment generator for adding a value to the number therein of a second sign, whereby the presence of a non-zero number in said difference register is indicative of a difference between the programmed and commanded velocities; and i. means responsive to the number in said difference register for producing the iterative command signal when the number in said difference register is of a predetermined sign.

Claim 12

A numerical control system for controlling the feed rate of a workpiece to an automatic machine tool, comprising in combination: a. a feed rate generator for producing a velocity command signal having a pulse rate indicative of a programmed velocity; b. a function generator for providing a plurality of individual axis command signals when enabled by an iterative command signal, each individual axis command signal being coupled to means for providing motion along a machine tool axis and having a pulse rate indicative of a component of commanded velocity; c. first register means each coupled to an individual axis command signal for storing a number therein indicative of the motion commanded along an axis; d. second register means for storing a number therein indicative of a resultant commanded motion; e. a squares summing register; f. adding/subtracting means coupled between each of said first register means and said squares summing register and between said second register means and said squares summing register for providing for subtraction from the number stored in said squares summing register each indicative of the square of motion commanded along an axis and for providing a number indicative of the square of programmed motion for addition to the number stored in said squares summing register, whereby a number is provided in said squares summing register indicative of the difference between the programmed and commanded velocities; g. a resultant increment generator for producing an output having a pulse rate indicative of the commanded velocity having an input coupled to said squares summing register, and an output coupled to said second register means, said resultant increment generator producing an output when the number in said squares summing register is of a predetermined sign; h. a difference register for storing a number therein having a first input coupled to said velocity command signal for adding a value of a first sign to the number therein and a second input coupled to the output of said resultant increment generator for adding a value to the number therein of a second sign, whereby the presence of a non-zero number in said difference register is indicative of a difference between the programmed and commanded velocities; and i. means responsive to the number in said difference register for producing the iterative command signal when the number in said difference register is of a predetermined sign.