CN110632895A - Management method of motion control component, control device and motion control system - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a management method of a motion control component, control equipment, a motion control system and a storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: starting the communication device; searching for a motion control part connected with a communication device; establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control part; and reading configuration information of the at least one motion control component. The method according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to a fixed motion control part, allows different motion control parts to be connected, and allows a plurality of motion control parts to be connected at the same time, which helps to provide a user with a large right to select. Furthermore, this approach facilitates autonomous management and control of the communication device and/or the motion control component.

Description

Management method of motion control component, control device and motion control system

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of motion control technologies, and in particular, to a method for managing a motion control component, a control device, a motion control system, and a storage medium.

Background

In a motion control system based on a robot (e.g., a robot arm) or the like, a device to be controlled (e.g., a robot or a motion control unit) and a control device (e.g., an upper computer or the like) establish a connection relationship, and a user can control the robot to move through the control device.

In the prior art, the control devices and the motion control components are configured in a one-to-one correspondence and are usually connected in advance, so that a user cannot autonomously select the control device to be connected with different motion control components. The solution of the above-described fixed arrangement of control devices and motion control components is inconvenient if the user wants to compose a more complex motion system with various robots and/or various motion components, such as motors.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. The invention provides a management method of a motion control component, a control device, a motion control system and a storage medium.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a management method of a motion control part, including: starting the communication device; searching for a motion control part connected with a communication device; establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control part; and reading configuration information of the at least one motion control component.

Illustratively, prior to establishing the connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control component, the method further comprises: checking whether there is a repetition of the address coding of at least one motion control part; and in the case that there is a duplication of the address code of at least one motion control unit, assigning a new address code to the motion control unit whose address code is duplicated.

Illustratively, prior to activating the communication device, the method further comprises: type indication information for indicating a type of the communication apparatus input by a user is received.

Illustratively, after searching for a motion control component connected to the communication device, the method further comprises: and displaying the search result, wherein the search result comprises the searched number information of the motion control parts.

Illustratively, searching for a motion control component connected to the communication device includes: transmitting a broadcast query command to a motion control component connected to the communication device; receiving reply information returned by a motion control part connected with the communication device; and determining the number of the at least one motion control component and/or identifying the at least one motion control component according to the received reply information.

Illustratively, after reading the configuration information of the at least one motion control component, the method further comprises: the identification information of the at least one motion control part and the identification information of all axes of each of the at least one motion control part are displayed.

Illustratively, the method further comprises: responding to the operation of a user on the identification information of a target motion control component in at least one motion control component, and displaying a control window of the target motion control component; and/or displaying a control window of the target axis in response to a user operation on identification information of the target axis of a target motion control part of the at least one motion control part.

Illustratively, the method further comprises: displaying configuration information of the target motion control part in a control window of the target motion control part; and/or displaying the configuration information of the target axis in a control window of the target axis.

Illustratively, the method further comprises: receiving a motion parameter edited by a user in a control window of a target motion control component and/or a control window of a target axis; the motion parameters are sent to the target motion control component via the communication device.

Illustratively, the initiating the communication means comprises: sending a start command to the communication device to notify the communication device of start; after sending the start command to the communication device, the method further comprises: and receiving starting information returned by the communication device and used for indicating whether the communication device is started normally.

Illustratively, the initiating the communication means comprises: and starting the communication device in response to a starting instruction input by a user.

Illustratively, searching for a motion control component connected to the communication device includes: in response to a search instruction input by a user, a motion control section connected to the communication device is searched.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control apparatus comprising: the starting module is used for starting the communication device; a search module for searching for a motion control part connected with the communication device; a connection module for establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control part; and the reading module is used for reading the configuration information of at least one motion control component.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a motion control system comprising a communication device and a control apparatus, wherein the communication device is configured to connect to and communicate with a motion control unit; the control device is used for combining with the communication device to execute the management method of the motion control component.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a control device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory has stored therein computer program instructions for executing the above-described method of managing a motion control unit when executed by the processor.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium having stored thereon program instructions for executing the above-described method of managing a motion control unit when executed.

According to the management method, the control device, the motion control system and the storage medium of the motion control component of the embodiment of the invention, the control device can control the communication device to start and establish connection with the motion control component corresponding to the communication device, the mode is not limited to a fixed motion control component any more, different motion control components are allowed to be connected, and a plurality of motion control components are allowed to be connected simultaneously, which is beneficial to providing a larger selection right for a user. Furthermore, this approach facilitates autonomous management and control of the communication device and/or the motion control component.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in more detail embodiments of the present invention with reference to the attached drawings. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention and not to limit the invention. In the drawings, like reference numbers generally represent like parts or steps.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a motion control system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a motion control system according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method of managing a motion control component according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a connection window according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of a connection window according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of a connection window according to another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a device list window in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a human-machine interface including a control window, according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a control window according to one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 shows a schematic block diagram of a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

fig. 11 shows a schematic block diagram of a control device according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the described embodiments are merely a subset of embodiments of the invention and not all embodiments of the invention, with the understanding that the invention is not limited to the example embodiments described herein. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments of the invention described herein without inventive step, shall fall within the scope of protection of the invention.

To at least partially solve the above problem, an embodiment of the present invention provides a control apparatus. The control device may control the communication means to be activated and establish a connection with the at least one motion control means by means of hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The control device described herein may be any suitable computing device having data processing capabilities and/or instruction execution capabilities, which may be implemented using, for example, a conventional computer. For example, the control device may be an upper computer, a teach pendant, or the like. For example, the control apparatus described herein may provide a user with a control interface, i.e., a human-machine interface, via a display, with which the user may effect management and control of the communication device and/or the motion control component. Further, the control device described herein may also be equipped with control software for implementing algorithmic functions associated with the control interface, for example.

With regard to the control apparatus described above, an embodiment of the present invention provides a management method of a motion control section applicable thereto. The management method of the motion control component can flexibly establish the connection between the control equipment and at least one motion control component, is convenient for a user to select and control the motion control component through the control equipment, provides great free option for the user, and is not limited to a fixed motion control component any more. In addition, the scheme allows a plurality of motion control components to be simultaneously connected with the control device, and management and control of the plurality of motion control components are facilitated.

The management method and the control apparatus of the motion control section according to the embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the control of the robot. For example, motion control components may be used to control and drive moving components (e.g., motors, etc.), which may be used on both robotic and non-robotic products. For example, the conveyor belt on the production line is driven by a plurality of motors, the motion control unit can drive and control the motors, and further, the management method and the control device of the motion control unit according to the embodiment of the invention can be used for managing and controlling the motion control unit in the production line field. In summary, the management method and the control apparatus of a motion control section according to the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the field of control of any robot or apparatus that operates in a manner similar to a robot or other apparatus having a motion section.

In the following description, the present invention is described in connection with an application environment of a management method of a motion control section according to an embodiment of the present invention, that is, a motion control system. The motion control system may include a control device and a device to be controlled. As described above, the control device may include, for example, an upper computer, a teach pendant, or the like. The device to be controlled may comprise, for example, a robot, a motion control part for driving the robot in motion, etc. The robot can be a four-axis robot, an H2 type plane portal robot and other robots with various configurations, and the motion control component can be a single-axis drive controller, a multi-axis drive controller and other drives. The moving part described herein may be a motor only, or a motor combined with a speed reducer, or a motor combined with a lead screw, etc.

The robots described herein may be robotic devices that automatically perform work. A robot may include a robot body, an end effector (or referred to as a tool). The body may include a plurality of joints, such as a base, a large arm, a small arm, a wrist, and the like. The end effector is, for example, a jaw/object holder that can be opened and closed, but also other operating tools. The end effector is controlled by the control device to move according to the corresponding route and complete the preset action. Specifically, for example, the end effector is manipulated by the control device, performs a motion in three dimensions, and performs a related action, such as a grasping, releasing, or other action, at a specified position.

Taking a motor matched with a reducer as an example, the motor matched with the reducer is a main motion execution component of a mechanical arm (or called as a mechanical arm, a multi-axis robot, a multi-joint robot and the like), and the mechanical arm is mainly used for clamping a target object from an initial position to a target position according to a preset route, so that the mechanical arm is suitable for mechanical automation operation in various industrial fields.

The mechanical arm on the market mainly comprises a four-axis robot (with four joints) and a six-axis robot (with six joints), each of which comprises a base, an arm and a tail end object clamping part, wherein the number of the joints on the arm determines the number of 'axes' of the robot, and each joint is driven by the rotation of a motor to realize the movement of the joint.

A motion control system according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 1 to help understand an exemplary application environment of a management method of a motion control section according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a motion control system 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that the management method of the motion control component provided in the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented on other systems similar to the motion control system 100, and is not limited to the specific example shown in fig. 1.

As shown in fig. 1, the motion control system 100 may include a human-machine interaction unit (i.e., control device) 110, a Controller Area Network (CAN) data line 120, a motion control component 130, and a motor (i.e., motion component) 140. The motion control part 130 includes a CAN data transceiving unit 1302, a buffer 1304, a resolving unit 1306, a wave table 1308, a PWM waveform generator 1310, and a motor driving unit 1312.

The user may edit the motion parameters through the human interaction unit 110 while controlling the motor 140 using the motion control part (e.g., the driver) 130. The human-computer interaction unit 110 sends the motion parameters edited by the user to the motion control component 130 through the CAN data line 120, and the motion control component 130 calculates the received motion parameters to obtain wavetable data, and then generates a PWM waveform to drive the motor to move.

Specifically, the calculation unit 1306 in the motion control unit 130 may read the motion parameters, perform processing such as interpolation calculation using a calculation formula on the read motion parameters, convert the motion parameters into wave table data, and store the wave table data in the wave table 1308.

The wave table 1308 may be implemented by a DDR memory or the like, and is used to store wave table data, and the size of the storage depth of the wave table 1308 may be set according to design requirements.

The PWM waveform generator 1310 is configured to generate corresponding PWM waveform data according to the wave table data stored in the wave table 1308. The PWM waveform can be also called as a pulse waveform sometimes, has two states of high level and low level, and can achieve the purposes of controlling the rotating speed of a motor, the switching state of a solenoid valve and the like by adjusting the duty ratio of the PWM waveform in the field of motion control. The PWM waveform generator 1310 may be implemented using various existing PWM waveform generators, such as a PWM waveform generator implemented using a direct digital frequency synthesis (DDS) signal generation technique, a PWM waveform generator implemented using a digital counting technique, and so on.

Therefore, the calculating unit 1306 converts the actual motion parameters set by the user into wave table data for generating PWM waveforms, and the PWM waveform generator 1310 generates corresponding PWM waveform data according to the wave table data, and sends the PWM waveform data to the motor driving unit 1312 to drive the motor 140 to move after digital-to-analog conversion, amplification and filtering.

The motor driving unit 1312 is configured to drive the motor 140 to move according to the PWM waveform, and may be implemented by using various motor driving chips.

In the example shown in fig. 1, only one motion control part 130 connected to the control device 100 is shown. An example in which one control apparatus controls a plurality of motion control sections is described below. Fig. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of a motion control system 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 2, the motion control system 200 includes a control device 201, a gateway 202, N motion control components 203, N motion components 204, and N sensors 205. N may be an integer greater than 1.

The control device 201 is used to implement human-computer interaction, and is, for example, a computer with control software installed therein. The user can set various parameters of the robot or the motion control component on the man-machine interaction interface provided by the control device 201, so as to realize the control of the robot.

The gateway 202 is used to implement data exchange between the control device 201 and the motion control section 203. Gateway 202 is the communication device described herein, the implementation of which will be described below.

The motion control component 203 is configured to calculate the motion parameters sent by the control device 201, and generate a driving current for controlling and driving the motion component 204 to move based on the motion parameters edited by the user, so as to drive the motion component 204 to move, and further drive a corresponding moving body (for example, a joint of a robot) to move. Each of the motion control sections 203 may be implemented using a structure similar to that of the motion control section 130 described above.

The moving parts 204 may be motors, each of which may be used to drive one joint of the robot.

The sensor 205 is used for detecting the moving position of the moving body in real time, and may be an encoder, an angle sensor, an optoelectronic switch, a machine vision system, or the like. Some robots may not have sensors.

As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of motion control units 203 may be simultaneously connected to the control apparatus 201, and the control apparatus 201 may manage and control these motion control units 203 at the same time.

A management method of a motion control section according to an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to fig. 3. FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method 300 for managing a motion control component in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the management method 300 of the motion control part includes steps S310, S320, S330, and S340.

In step S310, the communication apparatus is started.

The control device and the motion control unit may be connected and communicate via communication means. The gateway 202 described above may be understood as a communication device as described herein.

The communication device may be any suitable communication enabled device including, but not limited to, MRH-E, MRH-U, MRH-T, USBCAN II, etc. MRH-E, MRH-U, MRH-T, USBCAN II may each support a control device connected thereto via a universal serial bus (USB line). In addition, the MRH-T may also support the connection of control devices thereto via a network cable (e.g., twisted pair, etc.).

The communication means may comprise a first interface for connection with the control device and a second interface for connection with the motion control means. The first interface may be a USB interface, a network cable interface, a Controller Area Network (CAN) interface, or other suitable type of interface, and the second interface may be a CAN interface or other suitable type of interface. The control device may be connected to the communication means via a USB cable or a network cable, and the communication means may be connected to the motion control means via a CAN bus, such that the control device may establish a physical link connection with the motion control means.

Illustratively, the control device may be interacted with by a user through a human-machine interaction interface displayed on the control device, inputting and outputting information to manage and control the communication device, the motion control part, and the like.

Illustratively, before the communication device is started (step S310), the method 300 may further include: type indication information for indicating a type of the communication apparatus input by a user is received. Illustratively, before receiving the type indication information for indicating the type of the communication device input by the user, the method 300 may further include: displaying a connection window on a human-computer interaction interface, wherein the connection window comprises a type designation control, and the type designation control can be a text box control or a list control; the receiving of the type indication information for indicating the type of the communication apparatus input by the user may include: receiving type input information input by a user in the textbox control or receiving selection information of a type of a communication device selected by the user from the list control, wherein the type indication information comprises the type input information or the selection information.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of a connection window according to an embodiment of the invention. In FIG. 4, a list control labeled "type" is shown, which is a type-specific control. The list control may contain a plurality of entries, each entry showing a type of communication device, and the user may select any one of the entries to specify the type of communication device that needs to be activated in step S310. Currently selected in the list control is the type "MRH-E-USB". After the type of communication device is selected, the "start CAN" button control (referred to as a start control) may be clicked to start the communication device. The role of the launch control will be described below.

The control device can support management and control of various different types of communication devices, and a user can specify the type of the communication device to be started.

Illustratively, the starting the communication device (step S310) may include: sending a start command to the communication device to notify the communication device of start; after sending the start command to the communication device, the method 300 may further include: and receiving starting information returned by the communication device and used for indicating whether the communication device is started normally.

The activation of the communication means may be performed autonomously by the control device, or controlled by the user or under the control of other devices. For example, sending the activation command to the communication device may include: and responding to the operation of the user on the starting control, and sending a starting command to the communication device. For example, before sending the activation command to the communication device in response to the user operating the activation control, the method 300 may further include: and displaying a connection window on a human-computer interaction interface, wherein the connection window comprises the starting control. Alternatively, the launch control may be a button control, and the user operation on the launch control may be a single click or double click operation.

As shown in fig. 4, a button control (i.e., launch control) having a "launch CAN" tab is shown on the right side of the connection window, which the user clicks to instruct the control device to launch the communication apparatus. After receiving the start instruction information input by the user through the button control, the control device may send a start command to the communication apparatus. After receiving the start command, the communication device may start according to the command. After the start, the communication device may return normal start information to the control apparatus, or may return abnormal start information to the control apparatus if the start of the communication device fails.

In step S320, a motion control part connected to the communication device is searched.

The search motion control component may be performed autonomously by the control device, or controlled by the user or under the control of other devices. For example, searching for a motion control part connected to the communication device (step S320) may include: in response to user operation of the search control, a motion control component connected with the communication device is searched. Illustratively, prior to searching for a motion control component connected with the communication device in response to user operation of the search control, the method 300 may further comprise: and displaying a connection window on a human-computer interaction interface, wherein the connection window comprises the search control. Alternatively, the search control may be a button control, and the user's operation of the search control may be a single click or double click operation.

With continued reference to FIG. 4, a button control labeled "search driver," which is a search control, is shown to the right of the launch control. After activating the communication device, for example after clicking the "activate CAN" button control, the user may click the "search driver" button control. The control apparatus may search for a motion control part connected to the communication device via the communication device.

Exemplarily, after searching for a motion control part connected to the communication device (step S320), the method 300 may further include: and displaying the search result, wherein the search result comprises the searched number information of the motion control parts. Optionally, displaying the search results may include: and displaying a connection window on a human-computer interaction interface and displaying the search result in the connection window. The search result is displayed, so that the user can conveniently check the search result, and can know whether the search is correctly executed and the searched condition of the motion control component, and the user can conveniently perform subsequent operation.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of a connection window according to another embodiment of the invention. After the communication device is activated and/or the search motion control means, the content displayed in the connection window may be updated, for example as in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 5, below the search control, information "1 driver is searched" is shown, and this information is the search result.

In step S330, a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control part is established.

Establishing a connection with a motion control component may be performed autonomously by the control device, or controlled by the user or under the control of other devices. For example, establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control part (step S330) may include: and responding to the operation of the user on the connection control, and establishing the connection of the control equipment and the searched at least one motion control component. Alternatively, the connection control may be a button control, and the operation of the connection control by the user may be a single-click or double-click operation.

With continued reference to FIG. 5, a button control labeled "connect," i.e., a connection control, is shown in the lowermost position of the connection window. After searching for the motion control feature, e.g., displaying the search results, the user may click on the "connect" button control. The control device can establish a connection with the searched motion control component via the communication means.

In step S340, configuration information of at least one motion control component is read.

Illustratively, reading the configuration information of the at least one motion control component (step S340) may include: configuration information for each axis of each of the at least one motion control components is read.

The control device can read the configuration information of the at least one motion control component via the communication means when or after the connection with the at least one motion control component. Fig. 6 shows a schematic view of a connection window according to another embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 6, after the user clicks the "connect" button control shown in fig. 5, the control device may traverse the searched at least one motion control element, reading configuration information of the motion control elements.

Referring to fig. 6, at this time, the control device reads the configuration information of the first axis of the driver (i.e., the driver axis 1). Since only one of the drivers is searched before (as shown in fig. 5), the configuration information of each driver axis of the one driver can be read one by one at this time.

Illustratively, the configuration information of the motion control component may include one or more of the following information: basic information of the motion control part, motor parameters of each shaft, driving parameters of each shaft, encoder parameters of each shaft, and the like. The configuration information of the shaft may include one or more of the following information: motor parameters of the shaft, drive parameters of the shaft, encoder parameters of the shaft, etc.

The basic information may include, for example, the model number, serial number, version number, transmission address, reception address, channel number (i.e., the number of axes), and the like of the motion control part. The motor parameters may include parameters such as motor size, step angle, rated voltage, rated current, etc. The drive parameters may include parameters such as the number of full steps of the motor, drive current, idle current, switching time, etc. The encoder parameters may include the type of encoder, the resolution of the encoder, and the like.

For example, after the connection is established and the configuration information is read, the control device may visualize the information of the connected motion control components on the human-computer interaction interface in a tree structure. Clicking on a node of the tree may display a corresponding control window. The window for displaying the information of the motion control part may be referred to as a device list window.

FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic diagram of a device list window in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. In fig. 7, a tree structure containing identification information of a motion control section is shown. Clicking on the identification information of any one of the motion control parts (e.g., the motor driver 1) can further display the identification information of the respective axes of that motion control part.

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a human-machine interface including a control window, according to one embodiment of the invention. In fig. 8, a control window of the driver shaft 1 of the motor driver 1 is shown. In the control window, the configuration information of the driver axis 1 can be checked, and the motion planning and the like can be performed on the driver axis 1.

According to the management method of the motion control component, the control device can control the communication device to start and establish connection with the motion control component corresponding to the communication device, the mode is not limited to a fixed motion control component any more, different motion control components are allowed to be connected, and a plurality of motion control components are allowed to be connected simultaneously, so that the method is beneficial to providing a larger selection right for a user. Furthermore, this approach facilitates autonomous management and control of the communication device and/or the motion control component.

Further, due to the presence of the communication means, such as the MRH-T, MRH-E, the control device has the condition to store the motion parameters in advance in the communication means. Therefore, the user can be separated from the control equipment, and the motion parameters in the communication device are sent to the motion control component in a triggering mode, so that the motion component is controlled to operate.

Alternatively, the control apparatus may connect only a single communication device and control the communication device to be turned on and/or off. The control apparatus may establish a connection between one or more motion control components connected to the single communicator. In this case, the user may not need to select a communication device. In this case, the user may input type indication information indicating the type of the communication apparatus, or may not input the type indication information.

Optionally, the control apparatus may also be connected to a plurality of communication devices, i.e. two or more than two communication devices, and control the activation and/or deactivation of any of the plurality of communication devices. In this case, a target communication apparatus to be controlled can be selected by the user. Further, in this case, the user can input type indication information for indicating the type of the target communication apparatus.

In one example, initiating the communication device (step S310) may include: a target communication device of the at least one communication device is initiated. That is, step S310 starts with the target communication device. It is to be understood that the communication device in the subsequent steps of searching for a motion control section or the like connected to the communication device is also referred to as a target communication device.

Optionally, before the initiating the target communication device of the at least one communication device, the method 300 may further include: device indication information about a target communication device input by a user is received. The user can further give more options for selecting the target communication device by himself.

Optionally, providing the identification information of the at least one communication device to the user may comprise: displaying a connection window on a human-computer interaction interface, wherein the connection window comprises a communication device specified control, and the communication device specified control can be a text box control or a list control; the receiving of the device indication information on the target communication device input by the user may include: and receiving identification information of the target communication device input in the text box control by the user or receiving selection information of the identification information of the communication device selected by the user from the list control, wherein the device indication information comprises the identification information of the target communication device input in the text box control by the user or the selection information.

The identification information of the target communication device may include a device identifier of the target communication device. The identification information of the target communication device may also include the type of the target communication device in case the type of the at least one communication device is not duplicated. At this time, the device indication information may be the above-described type indication information.

According to the above embodiment, the control device can manage and control a plurality of communication apparatuses, and is not limited to a single communication apparatus, so that the management flexibility of the control device can be further improved, and the control device is beneficial to further providing greater selection rights for users.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, searching for a motion control part connected to a communication device (step S320) may include: transmitting a broadcast query command to a motion control component connected to the communication device; receiving reply information returned by a motion control part connected with the communication device; and determining the number of the at least one motion control component and/or identifying the at least one motion control component according to the received reply information.

The control device can issue a broadcast query command via the communication means, which can be received by all motion control components connected to the communication means. The motion control means may return a reply message to the control device via the communication means after receiving the broadcast query command. The control device may determine the number of motion control means connected to the communication apparatus according to the number of received reply messages. For example, the reply message may include only a simple broadcast reply message, such as an acknowledgement message confirming receipt of the broadcast. Furthermore, the control device may also recognize the respective motion control part from the received reply information. For example, the reply message may include basic information of the motion control part (see description above).

The motion control component can be simply and quickly searched in a broadcasting mode, the condition of the motion control component can be known, and the follow-up connection with the motion control component is facilitated.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, before establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control component (step S330), the method 300 may further include: checking whether there is a repetition of the address coding of at least one motion control part; and in the case that there is a duplication of the address code of at least one motion control unit, assigning a new address code to the motion control unit whose address code is duplicated.

An address code (may be simply referred to as CAN ID) is assigned to each motion control unit by the communication device for use in the communication system as unique identification information for each motion control unit. The communication device may identify each motion control component based on the address code when sending information to or receiving information from the motion control component.

When the control device searches for at least one motion control component connected with the communication device through the communication device, whether the address codes of the motion control components are repeated or not can be checked, and if the repeated condition exists, the control device can automatically reassign the address codes to the motion control components according to a preset rule. Therefore, the confusion of the motion control part can be avoided, and the information transmission between the subsequent control equipment and the motion control part is convenient.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, after reading the configuration information of the at least one motion control component (step S340), the method 300 may further include: the identification information of the at least one motion control part and the identification information of all axes of each of the at least one motion control part are displayed.

Optionally, the identification information of the motion control component may comprise a device identifier and/or a virtual identifier. The device identifier is physical identification information that the motion control section itself has, such as the above-mentioned model number, serial number, and the like. The virtual identifier may be information that the control device assigns to any motion control component for identifying the motion control component, such as driver 1, driver 2, etc. shown in fig. 7.

The identification information of the axis, similar to the identification information of the motion control component, may also include a device identifier and/or a virtual identifier. The identification information of the axes can be understood with reference to the above description of the identification information on the motion control part, and will not be described in detail.

The embodiment in which the identification information of the at least one motion control section and the identification information of all axes of each of the at least one motion control section are displayed in the device list window has been described above in conjunction with fig. 7, and can be understood in conjunction with the above description.

It is to be noted that the identification information of the motion control part and the identification information of the axis of the motion control part may be displayed in batches, not necessarily at the same time. For example, referring back to fig. 7, the identification information of at least one motion control part may be first displayed in a tree structure, and after the user clicks the identification information of a certain motion control part, the identification information of all axes of the motion control part may be further displayed in branches of the tree structure.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, after displaying the identification information of the at least one motion control component and the identification information of all axes of each of the at least one motion control component, the method 300 may further include: responding to the operation of a user on the identification information of a target motion control component in at least one motion control component, and displaying a control window of the target motion control component; and/or displaying a control window of the target axis in response to a user operation on identification information of the target axis of a target motion control part of the at least one motion control part.

The display mode and the content of the control window of a certain axis have already been described above with reference to fig. 8, and are not repeated here. Similarly to the control window of the target axis, when the user clicks the identification information of any one of the motion control parts as shown in fig. 7 or 8, the control window of the motion control part may be displayed on the right side accordingly. In the control window of the motion control section, the configuration information of the entire motion control section may be displayed.

And displaying a control window of the target motion control component or the target axis, so that a user can conveniently view some information (such as the basic information) of the target motion control component or the target axis, and meanwhile, the user can conveniently control the target motion control component or the target axis, such as motion planning on the target motion control component or the target axis and the like.

Illustratively, the method 300 may further include: displaying configuration information of the target motion control part in a control window of the target motion control part; and/or displaying the configuration information of the target axis in a control window of the target axis. The implementation of the present embodiment has been described above, and details are not described here.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the method 300 may further include: receiving a motion parameter edited by a user in a control window of a target motion control component and/or a control window of a target axis; the motion parameters are sent to the target motion control component via the communication device.

By way of example and not limitation, sending the motion parameters to the target motion control component via the communication device may include: displaying a download control in a control window of the target motion control component and/or the target axis; and responding to the operation of the user on the download control, and sending the motion parameters to the target motion control component through the communication device. Alternatively, the download control may be a button control, and the user's operation on the download control may be a single-click or double-click operation.

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a control window according to one embodiment of the invention. In fig. 9, the control window of the driver shaft 1 of the motor driver 1 is shown. The user may enter the motion planning interface by clicking on the "motion planning" tab in the control window. At the exercise planning interface, a user may edit a series of exercise parameters (e.g., PVT parameters). After the user has edited the motion parameters, the right "download to module" button control (i.e., the download control) may be clicked. In response to a click operation of the download control by the user, the control device may transmit the motion parameters to the motor controller 1 via the communication means. The drive shaft 1 of the motor drive 1 can drive the motor connected thereto to move on the basis of the received movement parameters.

The content of the motion parameters described herein may vary depending on the actual configuration of the moving part (e.g., motor). Illustratively, the motion parameters may include one or more of position data, velocity data, and time data. The position data may be coordinate data in a rectangular spatial coordinate system, or may be rotation angle or other data related to a position. In the case where the position data is coordinate data in a spatial rectangular coordinate system, the motion parameter may be referred to as an LVT parameter. In case the position data is a rotation angle, the motion parameters may be referred to as PVT parameters. The LVT parameters may include coordinates in a rectangular spatial coordinate system (which may be referred to as X, Y, Z) and a time to reach a corresponding coordinate point (which may be referred to as T). The PVT parameters may include a rotation angle (which may be referred to as P), a rotation speed (which may be referred to as V), a rotation time (which may be referred to as T).

The motion parameters, whether edited by the user in the control window of the target motion control element or the control window of the target axis, may be sent to the target motion control element, with the corresponding motion element being driven in motion by at least one axis of the target motion control element based on the corresponding motion parameters.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the starting the communication apparatus (step S310) may include: and starting the communication device in response to a starting instruction input by a user. The process of the user executing the operation on the start control is the process of inputting the start instruction, and is not described here again.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, searching for a motion control part connected to a communication device (step S320) may include: in response to a search instruction input by a user, a motion control section connected to the communication device is searched. The process of the user performing the operation on the search control is the process of inputting the search instruction, and is not described herein again.

For example, in a case where the communication apparatus is started by using the above-mentioned start control, after the start command is sent to the communication apparatus in response to the user operating the start control, the method 300 may further include: and updating the connection window to convert the starting control into a closing control. Illustratively, the method 300 may further include: and sending a closing command to the communication device to close the communication device in response to the operation of the closing control by the user. Alternatively, the closing control may be a button control, and the user operation on the closing control may be a single-click or double-click operation.

Referring back to fig. 5, after the communication device is activated, the display on the connection window may be updated, with the activation control transitioning to a close control, i.e., a "close CAN" button control. The user can click the close control to close the communication device when desired.

For example, in the case of searching for a motion control component using the above search control, before the communication device is started (step S310), the method 300 may further include: configuring a search control to a disabled state; after the communication device is activated (step S310), the method 300 may further include: the search control is configured to an available state.

Referring back to fig. 4, at this point the user has not clicked the "start CAN" button control, and the "search driver" button control to the right is grey, indicating that the button control is temporarily disabled and cannot be clicked. With continued reference to fig. 5, the user has clicked the "start CAN" button control, at which point the button control transitions to a "close CAN" button control, while the "search driver" button control turns black, indicating that the button control may be clicked. Alternatively, the search control may be hidden to be disabled before the communication device is started, and displayed to be available after the communication device is started.

The configuration scheme for the search control can effectively prevent misoperation of the user, and can achieve the purposes of guiding and assisting the user operation, thereby being beneficial to improving the user experience.

For example, in the case of establishing the connection between the control apparatus and the motion control component by using the connection control, before searching for the motion control component connected to the communication device (step S320), the method 300 may further include: the connection control is configured to a disabled state. Further, optionally, after searching for a motion control component connected to the communication device (step S320) or after searching for at least one motion control component, the method 300 may further include: and configuring the connection control to be in an available state.

The configuration of the connection control and the advantages thereof can be understood by referring to the above description about the search control, and the description thereof is omitted here.

One exemplary flow of the control apparatus connecting with the motion control section via the communication means is briefly described below.

First, a connection window is initiated, in which the type of communication device is selected.

Then, the user clicks the 'start CAN' button control, the control device sends a start command to the communication device to inform the communication device of starting and prepare for receiving the command sent by the control device, the communication device CAN inform the control device after starting, and the control device CAN also be informed if the communication device is abnormal, and the process is equivalent to handshake.

Then, the user clicks the 'search drive' button control, searches all the drives connected with the communication device, and displays the number of the searched drives.

And then, clicking a connection button control by the user to establish connection between the searched drive controller and the control equipment, and reading the configuration information of the drive controller.

Subsequently, the control device visualizes the information of the connected drives in the tree structure to complete the connection.

In the prior art, when a motion control part has a problem and the control equipment cannot control the motion control part, a user cannot know the state. And control software and a man-machine interaction interface are adopted to interact with a user, the communication device and/or the motion control component are managed and controlled by the user, and when problems occur, the user can obtain feedback in time.

In the whole motion control system, the control device plays the role of a brain neuron, and can send commands to control the motion control part, and the motion control part drives the motor to operate so as to control the motion of the robot. The communication device can transmit a command sent by the control equipment to the motion control component, or transmit information such as an operation result returned by the motion control component to the control equipment, and the motion control component is responsible for analyzing the command, configuring parameters, controlling the operation of the motor and the like.

For example, the control device requires a 360 ° rotation of the motor, which can be achieved by: firstly, a control device receives motion parameters (such as PVT parameters) edited or imported by a user; secondly, the control equipment receives the selection information of the user on the motion planning mode, and determines the motion planning mode according to the selection information; thirdly, the control equipment transmits the motion parameters to the motion control part through the communication device, the motion control part analyzes the motion parameters, and the control equipment can be reported to complete the task after the analysis is completed; and fourthly, the control equipment can receive click operation information of a user on an operation button displayed on the human-computer interaction interface and sends an operation command to the motion control part in response to the click operation so as to inform the motion control part of starting to drive the motor to operate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a control apparatus is provided. Fig. 10 shows a schematic block diagram of a control device 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 10, the control apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a start module 1010, a search module 1020, a connection module 1030, and a reading module 1040. The various modules may each perform the various steps/functions of the motion control component management method 300 described above in connection with fig. 3-9. Only the main functions of the respective components of the control apparatus 1000 will be described below, and details that have been described above will be omitted.

The initiating module 1010 is used to initiate a communication device.

The search module 1020 is used to search for a motion control component connected to the communication device.

The connection module 1030 is configured to establish a connection between the control device and the searched at least one motion control component.

The reading module 1040 is configured to read configuration information of the at least one motion control component.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a motion control system is provided. The motion control system comprises a communication device and a control device, wherein the communication device is used for connecting and communicating with the motion control component; the control device is arranged to perform the above described method 300 of managing a motion control means in connection with a communication means. When the control apparatus executes the above-described management method 300 of the motion control section, the communication device may be understood as a communication device activated in step S310.

The structures and connection relationships of the communication apparatus and the control device included in the motion control system can be understood with reference to fig. 1 and 2 and the above description about fig. 1 and 2, and the working manners of the communication apparatus and the control device can be understood with reference to the management method 300 of the motion control section described above in conjunction with fig. 3 to 9, which are not described again here.

For example, the motion control system may include a plurality of communication devices. The above-mentioned communication device, which performs the above-mentioned management method 300 of the motion control means in conjunction with the control apparatus, may be a target communication device among the plurality of communication devices, that is, the motion control system may further include at least one communication device in addition to the target communication device. The above description has been given of the embodiment of selecting and activating a target communication apparatus from a plurality of target communication apparatuses, and the details are not repeated here.

Illustratively, the motion control system may further include at least one motion control component coupled to the communication device.

For example, the motion control system may be a robot motion control system, and the motion control component connected to the communication device may be used to drive a motion component (e.g., a motor) of the robot to move. Optionally, the robot motion control system may comprise a robot comprising at least one moving part, the at least one motion control part being connected to the communication means for driving the at least one moving part in motion.

Fig. 11 shows a schematic block diagram of a control device 1100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The control apparatus 1100 includes a storage (i.e., memory) 1110 and a processor 1120.

The storage 1110 stores computer program instructions for implementing the corresponding steps in the method 300 for managing a motion control means according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The processor 1120 is configured to execute the computer program instructions stored in the storage 1110 to perform the corresponding steps of the management method 300 for motion control components according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In one embodiment, the computer program instructions, when executed by the processor 1120, are for performing the steps of: starting the communication device; searching for a motion control part connected with a communication device; establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control part; and reading configuration information of the at least one motion control component.

Illustratively, the control device 1100 may further include a display for displaying the human-machine interaction interface described above.

Illustratively, the control device 1100 may further include an input means for receiving an instruction input by a user.

Illustratively, the display and the input device may be implemented using the same touch screen.

Furthermore, according to still another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a storage medium on which program instructions are stored, which, when executed by a computer or a processor, cause the computer or the processor to execute respective steps of the above-described management method of a motion control section of an embodiment of the present invention. The storage medium may include, for example, a storage component of a tablet computer, a hard disk of a personal computer, Read Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), portable compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM), USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media. The computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

A person skilled in the art can understand specific implementation schemes of the control device and the storage medium by reading the above description related to the device management method, and details are not described herein for brevity.

Although the illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the foregoing illustrative embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art without departing from the scope or spirit of the present invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described device embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical functional division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be omitted, or not executed.

In the description provided herein, numerous specific details are set forth. It is understood, however, that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure an understanding of this description.

Similarly, it should be appreciated that in the description of exemplary embodiments of the invention, various features of the invention are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the invention and aiding in the understanding of one or more of the various inventive aspects. However, the method of the present invention should not be construed to reflect the intent: that the invention as claimed requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into this detailed description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment of this invention.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and all of the processes or elements of any method or apparatus so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where such features are mutually exclusive. Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.

Furthermore, those skilled in the art will appreciate that while some embodiments described herein include some features included in other embodiments, rather than other features, combinations of features of different embodiments are meant to be within the scope of the invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

The various component embodiments of the invention may be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP) may be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some of the modules in a control device according to embodiments of the present invention. The present invention may also be embodied as apparatus programs (e.g., computer programs and computer program products) for performing a portion or all of the methods described herein. Such programs implementing the present invention may be stored on computer-readable media or may be in the form of one or more signals. Such a signal may be downloaded from an internet website or provided on a carrier signal or in any other form.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned embodiments illustrate rather than limit the invention, and that those skilled in the art will be able to design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in a claim. The word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising several distinct elements, and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In the unit claims enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The usage of the words first, second and third, etcetera do not indicate any ordering. These words may be interpreted as names.

The above description is only for the specific embodiment of the present invention or the description thereof, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present invention, and the changes or substitutions should be covered within the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (16)

1. A management method of a motion control component is applied to a control device, and comprises the following steps:

starting the communication device;

searching for a motion control part connected with the communication device;

establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control component; and

reading configuration information of the at least one motion control component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to said establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control component, the method further comprises:

checking whether there is a repetition of the address coding of the at least one motion control means; and

and in the case that the address code of the at least one motion control part is repeated, allocating a new address code to the motion control part with the repeated address code.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to the initiating a communication device, the method further comprises:

type indication information for indicating a type of the communication apparatus, which is input by a user, is received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein after the searching for a motion control component connected to the communication device, the method further comprises:

and displaying a search result, wherein the search result comprises the searched number information of the motion control parts.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the searching for a motion control component connected to the communication device comprises:

sending a broadcast query command to a motion control component connected to the communication device;

receiving reply information returned by a motion control component connected with the communication device; and

determining the number of the at least one motion control component and/or identifying the at least one motion control component according to the received reply information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein after said reading configuration information for said at least one motion control component, said method further comprises:

displaying identification information of the at least one motion control part and identification information of all axes of each of the at least one motion control part.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

responding to the operation of a user on the identification information of a target motion control component in the at least one motion control component, and displaying a control window of the target motion control component; and/or

And responding to the operation of the user on the identification information of the target axis of the target motion control part in the at least one motion control part, and displaying the control window of the target axis.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying configuration information of the target motion control component in a control window of the target motion control component; and/or

And displaying the configuration information of the target axis in a control window of the target axis.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises: receiving the motion parameters edited by the user in the control window of the target motion control component and/or the control window of the target axis;

transmitting the motion parameters to the target motion control component via the communication device.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9,

the initiating communication device comprises:

sending a start command to the communication device to notify the communication device of start-up;

after the sending of the start command to the communication device, the method further comprises:

and receiving starting information returned by the communication device and used for indicating whether the communication device is started normally.

11. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the initiating a communication device comprises:

and starting the communication device in response to a starting instruction input by a user.

12. The method of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the searching for a motion control component connected to the communication device comprises:

and searching the motion control part connected with the communication device in response to a search instruction input by a user.

13. A control device, comprising:

the starting module is used for starting the communication device;

a search module for searching for a motion control part connected to the communication device;

a connection module for establishing a connection of the control device with the searched at least one motion control component;

a reading module for reading configuration information of the at least one motion control component.

14. A motion control system comprising a communication device and a control apparatus, wherein,

the communication device is used for connecting and communicating with the motion control component;

the control apparatus is configured to execute the management method of the motion control section according to any one of claims 1 to 12 in conjunction with the communication device.

15. A control device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the memory has stored therein computer program instructions for execution by the processor for performing a method of managing a motion control unit according to any of claims 1 to 12.

16. A storage medium on which are stored program instructions for performing, when executed, a method of managing a motion control unit according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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