Numerical control system dependent on vector magnitude

Claim 2

Apparatus for moving a controlled device along a segment of a path in accordance with coordinate difference input information, said path comprising a number of segmental portions, said apparatus comprising: means for developing repetitive output information in at least two axes, said information being proportional to the coordinate input information for each of said segmental portions, said controlled device being responsive in movement in sAid two axes to said repetitive output information. means also responsive to the coordinate input information for developing a digital quantity proportional to the vector resultant of the coordinate input information, digital differential analyzer means for providing an additional repetitive output in proportion to said digital quantity, means for adjusting an adding rate input to said digital differential analyzer means for causing said additional repetitive output to correspond to a desired feedrate, and means for simultaneously applying the same control input in control relation to the means for developing repetitive output information in the two axes.

Claim 3

Apparatus for moving a controlled device along a path, said path comprising a number of segmental portions, wherein the apparatus successively receives coordinate input information for directing a corresponding movement of said controlled device, said apparatus comprising: input register means for receiving said input information and providing a digital positional error indication in at least two axes between input information and the actual position of said controlled device, rate command means responsive to said digital error information for generating pulse outputs in two axes ratioed according to the positional error in said two axes, digital servomechanism means, and positioning motors operated thereby, responsive to said pulse outputs to provide movement of said controlled device, feedback means actuated by said movement of said controlled device to provide feedback pulse information in response thereto, means for coupling said feedback pulse information to said input register means for updating and reducing said error indication, means for providing a desired feedrate input value, digital differential analyzer means responsive to said digital error indication for generating a pulse output representative of a vector resultant velocity for said controlled device wherein said vector resultant velocity is proportional to the vector resultant of the positional error indication in said axes, means responsive to said feedrate input value and to the pulse output of said digital differential analyzer means for generating a feedrate command causing the said digital differential analyzer means to produce an output pulse rate in accordance with said feedrate input value, and means for also applying said feedrate command to said rate command means in said two axes to produce output pulse rates therefrom the resultant of which is responsive to said feedrate input value.

Claim 4

Apparatus for moving a controlled device along a path, said path comprising a number of segmental portions, wherein the apparatus successively receives coordinate input information for directing a corresponding movement of said controlled device, said apparatus comprising: input register means for receiving said input information and providing a digital positional error indication in at least two axes between input information and the actual position of said controlled device, rate command means responsive to said digital error information for generating pulse outputs in two axes ratioed according to the positional error in said two axes, digital servomechanism means, and positioning motors operated thereby, responsive to said pulse outputs to provide movement of said controlled device, feedback means actuated by said movement of said controlled device to provide feedback pulse information in response thereto, means for coupling said feedback pulse information to said input register means for updating and reducing said error indication, means for providing a desired feedrate input value, digital differential analyzer means responsive to said digital error indication for generating a pulse output representative of a vector resultant velocity for said controlled device wherein said vector resultant velocity is proportional to the vector resultant of the positional error indication in said axes, means responsive to said feedrate input value and to the pulse output of said digital differential analyzer means for generating a feedrate command causing the said digital differential analyzer means to produce an output pulse rate in accordance with said feedrate input value, and means for also applying said feedrate command to said rate command means in said two axes to produce output pulse rates therefrom the resultant of which is responsive to said feedrate input value.

Claim 5

A circuit for providing the vector sum of a plurality of input quantities comprising: a vector register, first digital differential analyzer means for repeatedly adding said input quantities and the output of the vector register and providing an addition overflow proportional to the various quantities added, second digital differential analyzer means for repeatedly adding said input quantities as well as the output of the vector register at a rate determined by the overflow frequency of the first digital differential analyzer means, means for increasing the contents of said vector register in response to overflow from said second digital differential analyzer means corresponding to addition of said plurality of input quantities, and means for reducing the contents of said vector register in response to an overflow from said second digital differential analyzer means corresponding to the addition of said output of the vector register.

Claim 6

A circuit for providing the vector sum of a plurality of input quantities comprising: a vector register, first digital differential analyzer means for repeatedly adding said input quantities and the output of the vector register and providing an addition overflow proportional to the various quantities added, second digital differential analyzer means for repeatedly adding said input quantities as well as the output of the vector register at a rate determined by the overflow frequency of the first digital differential analyzer means, means for increasing the contents of said vector register in response to overflow from said second digital differential analyzer means corresponding to addition of said plurality of input quantities, and means for reducing the contents of said vector register in response to an overflow from said second digital differential analyzer means corresponding to the addition of said output of the vector register.

Claim 7

The circuit according to claim 3 wherein said first and second digital differential analyzer means each comprise digital differential analyzers time shared for receiving said plurality of input and vector values.

Claim 8

Apparatus for moving a controlled device along a segment of a path in accordance with coordinate difference input information, said path comprising a number of segmental portions, said apparatus comprising: means for developing repetitive output information in two axes, said information being proportional to the coordinate input information for each of said segmental portions, said controlled device being responsive in movement in said two axes to said repetitive output information, digital means for developing repetitive output information proportional to the repetitive output information in two axes summed vectorally with respect to the two axes, said digital means comprising a digital differential analyzer and means for providing the square root of the sum of the squares of said coordinate input information as an input to said digital differential analyzer, and means for controlling said digital means as well as said means for developing repetitive output information in said two axes so that said vector sum corresponds to a desired feedrate value for establishing the actual feedrate of said controlled device at such value, said means for controlling said digital means comprising a regulator responsive to a desired feedrate value as well as responsive to the overflow output of said digital differential analyzer for providing an adding rate input to said digital differential analyzer causing said overflow output to correspond with the desired feedrate value.

Claim 9

Apparatus for moving a controlled device along a segment of a path in accordance with coordinate difference input information, said path comprising a number of segmental portions, said apparatus comprising: means for developing repetitive output information in two axes, said information being proportional to the coordinate input information for each of said segmental portions, said controlled device being responsive in movement in said two axes to said repetitive output information, digital means for developing repetitive output information proportional to the repetitive output information in two axes summed vectorally with respect to the two axes, said digital means comprising a digital differential analyzer and means for providing the square root of the sum of the squares of said coordinate input information as an input to said digital differential analyzer, and means for controlling said digital means as well as said means for developing repetitive output information in said two axes so that said vector sum corresponds to a desired feedrate value for establishing the actual feedrate of said controlled device at such value, said means for controlling said digital means comprising a regulator responsive to a desired feedrate value as well as responsive to the overflow output of said digital differential analyzer for providing an adding rate input to said digital differential analyzer causing said overflow output to correspond with the desired feedrate value.

Claim 10

The apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the means for developing repetitive output information in two axes comprises a pair of digital differential analyzers receiving the adding rate input from the regulator.

Claim 11

Apparatus for moving a controlled device along a segment of a path in accordance with coordinate difference input information, said path comprising a number of segmental portions, said apparatus comprising: means for developing repetitive output information in two or more axes, said information being proportional to the coordinate difference input information for each of said segmental portions, said controlled device being responsive in movement in said two axes to said repetitive output information, digital differential analyzer means for developing repetitive output information proportional to the coordinate difference input information in two axes summed vectorally with respect to the two axes, and means for making a comparison between the vector sum and a desired feedrate value, and in response to such comparison controlling said digital differential analyzer means as well as said means for developing repetitive output information in said two axes so that said vector sum corresponds to a desired feedrate value to establish the actual feedrate of said controlled device at such value.

Claim 12

Apparatus for moving a controlled device along a segment of a path in accordance with coordinate difference input information, said path comprising a number of segmental portions, said apparatus comprising: means for developing repetitive output information in two or more axes, said information being proportional to the coordinate difference input information for each of said segmental portions, said controlled device being responsive in movement in said two axes to said repetitive output information, digital differential analyzer means for developing repetitive output information proportional to the coordinate difference input information in two axes summed vectorally with respect to the two axes, and means for making a comparison between the vector sum and a desired feedrate value, and in response to such comparison controlling said digital differential analyzer means as well as said means for developing repetitive output information in said two axes so that said vector sum corresponds to a desired feedrate value to establish the actual feedrate of said controlled device at such value.

Claim 13

The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said means for making a comparison and controlling said digital means comprises a regulator responsive to a desired feedrate value as well as responsive to the overflow output of said digital differential analyzer means for providing an adding rate input to said digital differential analyzer means causing said overflow to correspond with the desired feedrate value.

Claim 14

The apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the means for developing repetitive output information in two axes comprises a pair of digital differential analyzers receiving the adding rate input from the regulator.

Claim 15

The apparatus according to claim 7 including means for providing an input in said digital differential analyzer means comprising second digital differential analyzer means for producing output frequencies proportional to said coordinate input information and to the square root of the sum of the squares of said coordinate input information as applied in feedback fashion from the first mentioned digital differential analyzer means, third digital differential analyzer means responsive in adding rate to said output frequencies of said second digital differential analyzer means and receiving said coordinate input information and said square root of the sum of the squares as applied in feedback fashion, for producing output frequencies proportional to the squaRes thereof, and further including means responsive to the last mentioned output frequencies for adjusting said square root of the sum of the squares in the first mentioned digital differential analyzer means until the square thereof equals the sum of the squares of the coordinate input information.

Claim 16

The apparatus according to claim 10 including discriminator means for adding to the input in the first mentioned digital differential analyzer means in response to an overflow from the third digital differential analyzer means proportional to the squares of coordinate input information, and for subtracting from the input in said first mentioned digital differential analyzer means in response to an overflow from the third digital differential analyzer means proportional to the square of said square root of the sum of the squares.

Claim 17

The apparatus according to claim 11 wherein each of said second and third digital differential analyzer means comprises a single digital differential analyzer timed shared for number inputs applied thereto.

Claim 18

The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said means for developing repetitive output information in two axes comprises input register means for receiving new input information and providing said difference input information in at least two axes between new input information and the actual position of said controlled device, and rate command means responsive to said difference information for generating pulse output information in two axes ratioed according to the positional error in said two axes, said apparatus further including digital servomechanism means, and positioning motors operated thereby, responsive to said pulse output information to provide movement of said controlled device, feedback means actuated by said movement of said controlled device to provide feedback pulse information in response thereto, means for coupling said feedback pulse information to said input register means for updating and reducing said difference information, and means for providing the desired feedrate input value.

Claim 19

The apparatus according to claim 7 wherein said digital differential analyzer means comprises a vector register, a digital differential analyzer for repeatedly adding input quantities and the output of the vector register and providing an addition overflow proportional to the various quantities added, an additional digital differential analyzer for repeatedly adding said input quantities as well as the output of the vector register at a rate determined by the overflow frequency of the first mentioned digital differential analyzer, means for increasing the contents of said vector register in response to overflow from said additional digital differential analyzer corresponding to addition of said input quantities, and means for reducing the contents of said vector register in response to an overflow from said additional digital differential analyzer corresponding to the addition of said output of the vector register.

Claim 20

The circuit according to claim 14 wherein said digital differential analyzers each comprise digital differential analyzers timed shared for receiving a plurality of input and vector values.