Robot Command Arbitration in Multi-CNC Numerical Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing numerical control systems face limitations when operating multiple machine tools and robots concurrently, as the communication interface capacity of the robot control device becomes a bottleneck, leading to reduced operational performance due to increased communication burden.
Innovation Solution
A numerical control system is designed where the robot control device manages the timing of robot command transmission based on connection requests from multiple numerical control devices, allowing sharing of a single communication interface and reducing the need for constant status checks, thereby alleviating communication load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the robot control device is provided with a communication interface having the capacity of the number of numerical control devices, then multiple numerical control devices can be connected to one robot control device, but the robot control device bears a communication burden proportional to the number of numerical control devices, which may potentially reduce the operational performance of the robot
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a numerical control device as an intermediary that generates robot commands based on numerical control programs and transmits them to the robot control device. This mediator handles the communication burden, allowing multiple numerical control devices to connect to one robot control device without proportionally increasing the robot control device's communication load, thus maintaining robot operational performance while improving adaptability
2Reliability
If other numerical control devices constantly check whether the operation of the robot has been completed through communication, then they can monitor robot status, but the communication burden on the robot control device increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a mechanism where the numerical control device that generated the robot command autonomously monitors whether the robot operation has been completed by checking completion flags or status indicators in the robot command structure. This self-service approach eliminates the need for other numerical control devices to constantly check robot status through communication, maintaining reliable monitoring while reducing communication burden and device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A numerical control system 1 is provided with N numerical control devices 5_1, . . . for controlling the operation of a machine tool on the basis of a numerical control program, and generating a robot command, and a robot control device 6 for controlling the operation of a robot 3 on the basis of a robot command. Each numerical control device is provided with a communication interface 56_1, . . . for transmitting to the robot control device 6 a request for connecting to the robot control device 6, and the robot control device 6 is provided with a robot connection reply unit 63 for generating a connection approval with respect to connection request after a connection request has been received by a communication interface 60, and a robot connection determination unit 64 for selecting one of the plurality of numerical control devices as a connection approval transmission destination. The communication interface 60 transmits the connection approval to the communication interface of the connection approval transmission destination, and the communication interface of each numerical control device begins transmitting a robot command to the communication interface 60 after receipt of the connection approval.