RU2760731C1 - Animatronic device control system - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: animatronic devices.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to devices that control animatronic systems. The system contains the main and subordinate controllers, each of which is designed for a specific group of propellers and/or sensors. The main controller contains a processor, a power indicator, an LCD display, a power supply unit and a connector board that connects via communication and control cables to the connectors of subordinate controllers, subordinate controllers contain a processor, a power indicator, a control module for motors or sensors, sensors whose thresholds are adjusted using a sensor controller and a sensor threshold controller.

EFFECT: simplification of the process of setting the algorithm for the functioning of the animatronic system through the use of a modular structure.

1 cl, 2 dwg

Description

Technology area

The invention relates to devices that control animatronic systems. The main features of the device are versatility, modularity, expandability and orientation towards the end user - not a technician. The system is focused on areas using animatronic systems: Science Art (area of contemporary art), advertising, etc.

State of the art

The nomenclature of controllers that solve the problems of controlling propellers and other electrical appliances according to a given algorithm is extremely wide. These include, first of all, industrial controllers used in production, control of vehicles, CNC machines, automated process control systems, etc.

At the same time, there are quite a few devices that could be attributed to animatronic controllers, since for end users, such as artists or advertising specialists, the methods of controlling and configuring these controllers are too complex. The closest to the proposed device is an industrial controller device and a control method described in the application US 5493185 A. The presented device includes software and hardware implementation of the doll control system. However, the process of setting up the system takes place manually via a PC, which is a significant disadvantage for end users who are poorly versed in the nuances of configuring the controller, for example, for artists.

In the application US 20020019891 A1 describes a device for controlling a modular system of controllers in real time, using a single protocol. This device is characterized by high performance and has the property of unification.

Often, to achieve the set task in the field of animatronics, industrial controllers are used that are used in production, control of vehicles, CNC machines, etc., for example, controllers of the 1-8000 series, manufactured by ICP DAS. This device is a modular controller based on the DOS-like operating system MiniOS7, used to solve simple tasks of the automated process control system.

However, the above controller systems do not allow their use in this subject area due to the fact that they:

1. They have surplus computing power for the Science Art field, since most of their capabilities are not used due to the low qualifications of the end user and with the formulation of most of the tasks.

2. They do not have sufficiently simple methods of configuration and work with them for the end user.

3. Require high qualifications in handling them.

4. Too expensive for widespread use in animatronics.

5. They do not have the ability to control a large set of executable devices.

Disclosure of invention

The technical problem to be solved by the claimed invention is the creation of a modular control system for animatronic devices with simple and understandable methods for controlling and configuring the system, since end users, for example, artists or advertising specialists, do not have sufficient qualifications to work with such devices. In addition, the range of effectors and sensors used in animatronic systems is extremely wide, therefore, for each specific animated product, a kind of "constructor" is required in the form of a set of modules integrated into a single system with unified protocols. In this case, the most natural form for the user to specify the functioning algorithm is the so-called. classic cyclogram - description of typical operations deployed in time.

The technical result of the claimed invention is to create a system, which is configured using the method of constructing cyclograms, which simplifies the process of setting the algorithm for the functioning of the animatronic system by using a modular structure consisting of a master and subordinate controllers, each of which is intended for a specific group of propulsions and / or sensors.

The technical result is achieved in that the proposed control system for animatronic devices, consisting of a main controller connected by cables of communication and power supply with at least one slave controller and a communication channel with an external device, including a console application and an input device connected through a personal terminal computer to the communication cable with the main controller, which contains a microprocessor, a 12V power supply, a power indicator, a connector and an LCD display, while the slave controller contains a microprocessor, a power indicator, a connector, at least one module for controlling propellers or other electronic devices, a display for adjusting the sensors and at least one sensor with regulators of the sensor and sensor thresholds.

The combination of the above essential features leads to the fact that:

- the processes of setting up and managing the system are greatly simplified due to the method of constructing cyclograms (naturalness and transparency of the form of setting the operating algorithm);

- the load of the main controllers is significantly reduced due to the creation of a modular structure and the installation of its own controllers in each module (scalability of the system without significant deterioration in the time parameters of the operation);

- the ability to receive and use signals from analog and digital sensors was added to the information received from the device (in most projects related to animatronic systems, this was not possible);

- modularity and scalability, achieved by the ability to use a large number of modules (up to 50 pieces) with a single interface.

Brief Description of Drawings

The essence of the invention is illustrated by the figures.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a control system, where:

1 - main controller, including microprocessor 2, power supply unit for service voltage 12-220V 3, power indicator 4, main controller connector board 5, LCD display 6; 7 - slave controller, including microprocessor 2, system power indicator 4, slave controller connector 8, communication cable and power supply of controllers 9. The slave controller 7 may include optional devices - control modules for servo drives or other actuators 10, sensors 11, sensor regulator 12, sensor threshold regulator 13, display for adjusting sensors 14 and power wires for supplying non-standard voltage and increased current 15. External devices 16 include console application 17, input devices 18 (tablet, light pen) and computer terminal 19.

FIG. 2 shows a general view of the structure of the control system for animatronic devices, where:

1 - main controller, which includes a microprocessor, a power supply, a power indicator 4 and a main controller connector board 5, an LCD display 6; slave controller 7 includes a slave controller connector 8, a power indicator 4, a communication and power cable for controllers 9, a display for adjusting sensors 14. The slave controller 7 may include optional devices - control modules for servo drives or other electronic devices, sensors, sensor regulator , sensor threshold regulator and power wires for supplying non-standard voltage and increased current (not indicated on the diagram).

Implementation of the invention

The proposed device is focused on use in Science Art, the field of contemporary art, as well as for advertising purposes, for the implementation of which animatronics are required. The device has modularity and simplified control, it allows you to configure the system by constructing cyclograms manually through the terminal or drawing the latter using a digital pen. Modular structure, the system consists of master and slave controllers. The system can service up to 50 slave controllers without losing data transfer rate. The master and slave controllers are based on the ATmega 328 microprocessor. The master controller controls and collects information from the slave controllers, and displays information on the screen, while the slave controllers control the movers and the feedback system. The control and configuration of the device is carried out by the method of constructing cyclograms, which simplifies the configuration and operation of the system for unprepared users.

The options for combining sensors and propulsion control devices may be different, but each individual slave controller serves only one group of performers, for example, slave controller # 1 controls a group of electric motors, and slave controller # 2 serves sensors.

The main task of the main controller is to control and collect information from the subordinate controllers, and display information on the screen.

The slave controllers are equipped with a status indication system and address switches. Depending on the requirements, slave controllers can be equipped with additional control modules, propellers and other electronic devices, sensors, sensor regulators and sensor threshold regulators. The system serves up to 50 slave controllers without loss of data transfer rate. The control and configuration of the device is carried out by constructing cyclograms using both a digital pen and a console application, which greatly simplifies the configuration and operation of the system for untrained users. The system also allows controlling the propellers in debug mode, determining the required motion characteristics manually or using the terminal.

Below is an example of a specific implementation of the device, which does not limit the options for its implementation.

The proposed control system consists of a master controller 1 and slave controllers 7. The system can serve up to 50 slave controllers. The main controller 1 is located in a rectangular Plexiglas case, with a screw connection in which microprocessor 2, power supply 3 for service voltage 12-220V and connector board 5 of main controller 1 are installed. Microprocessors 2 contain a control program in C ++. Power indicator 4 and LCD display 6 are fixed on the top cover of the main controller 1 using a screw connection. The slave controllers 7 are also located in plexiglass housings, in which microprocessor 2, connector 8 of the slave controller 7 and the motor control device are located using a screw connection 10. Power indicators 4, sensors 12 adjusters, 13 sensors threshold adjusters and a display for adjusting sensors 14 are rigidly fixed to a screw connection on the side walls of the case. All modules communicate with the main controller using a serial interface through the communication cable between the controllers 9. Through this cable, the main controller transmits commands to the slave controllers, which in turn control the various servos.

The slave controllers use the same communication channel to transmit the sensor values to the master controller. The logic part of the motor driver 10 is powered from the common power bus 9, and its power part has a separate power supply 15. From the external device 16 commands are given, which can be used to adjust the operation of the animatronic device control system. In order to configure the programs for the controllers, you need to connect to them through the PC terminal 19 using the console application 17 or using an input device (tablet or digital pen).

The device can have various implementations, for example the following.

Slave controllers include various modules for controlling propellers or other electrical devices, and can also serve sensors.

To control high-voltage devices, high-voltage power is supplied to the slave controller module, and the device control module is installed on board.

To control electrical appliances that consume more power, an additional power supply is provided to the slave controller, which is transmitted to the device control device.

Implementation examples

The operating principle of this complex is as follows. Voltage from power supply 3 is supplied to processor 2 and to the connector of the main controller 5. Power wires 15, connected to the connector of the main controller, supply voltage to the propeller control modules 10. Power indicators 4 show the voltage on the master and slave controllers. The communication and power cable of the controllers connects the master and slave controllers using the connectors of the master 5 and slave controllers 8, respectively. Microcontrollers 2 have a program that controls the system. On controllers 1 and 7, device addresses are set, which determine which controller is the master and which is the slave. All slave controllers are individually numbered. Next comes the setting of the operation algorithm of the modules by the user by constructing a sequence diagram from external devices 16 - manually through the PC terminal using the console application 17, setting values for each device of each module, or using an input device (tablet or digital pen) 18, drawing a sequence diagram. These settings are transmitted using the computer terminal 19 to controller 1. The sensor values thresholds are manually adjusted using the sensor controller 12, the sensor threshold controller 13 and the display for adjusting the sensors 14. Signals from the sensor controller 12 and the sensor threshold controller 13 are transmitted to the controllers 2. Signal from controller 2 goes to the display for adjusting the sensors 14. Then the final algorithm is stitched into the main controller. Further, via the communication and power cable 9, commands from the main controller are sent to the slave controllers, which, in turn, give commands to the devices that control the propellers 10. Feedback is carried out via the same cable 9. The status of the slave controllers 7 is transmitted through the feedback. and the values of the sensors 11. The microcontroller of the main controller displays information about the system operation on the LCD-display 6.

Claims (1)

A control system for animatronic devices, including a main controller connected by communication and power cables with slave controllers and a communication channel with an external device consisting of a console application and an input device connected to a computer terminal, while the main controller consists of a processor connected to a power indicator, showing the voltage on the main controller, and an LCD display that displays information about the operation of the system, the power supply supplying the processor and the main controller connector board, which connects via communication and control cables to the connectors of the slave controllers, while the slave controllers consist of a processor connected to a power indicator showing the voltage at the slave controller, the propellers or sensors control module, sensors, the thresholds of which are set using the sensor regulator and the sensor threshold regulator, the signals from which are transmitted through the processor to the dis play for setting up sensors.

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