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United States Patent Application
20020191023
Kind Code
A1
Chandhoke, Sundeep ; et al.
December 19, 2002
System and method for graphically creating a sequence of motion control operations
Abstract
A system and method for developing a sequence of motion control operations. Various embodiments of a motion control prototyping environment application are described. The motion control prototyping environment may be designed to enable a user to easily and efficiently develop/prototype a motion control sequence without requiring the user to perform programming, e.g., without needing to write or construct code in any programming language. For example, the environment may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) enabling the user to develop/prototype the motion control sequence at a high level, by selecting from and configuring a sequence of motion control operations using the GUI.
Inventors:
Chandhoke; Sundeep
(Austin, TX)
, Vazquez; Nicolas
(Austin, TX
)
, Fuller; David W.
(Austin, TX
)
, Cifra; Christopher
(Austin, TX
)
Correspondence Name and Address:
Conley, Rose, & Tayon, P.C. P.O. Box 398
Jeffrey C. Hood
Austin
TX
78767
US
Series Code:
051474
Filed:
January 18, 2002
U.S. Current Class:
345/771
U.S. Class at Publication:
345/771
Intern'l Class:
G09G 005/00
Claims
We claim:
1. A computer-implemented method for creating a motion control sequence, the method comprising: displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides GUI access to a set of motion control operations; receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying the sequence of motion control operations; and performing the specified sequence of motion control operations.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing information representing the specified sequence of motion control operations in a data structure in response to said receiving user input specifying the sequence of motion control operations.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the information does not comprise programming language code.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein said performing the sequence of motion control operations comprises: accessing the information representing the sequence of motion control operations to determine program instructions corresponding to motion control operations in the sequence; and executing the program instructions.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein said receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying the sequence of motion control operations comprises receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying parameter values for one or more motion control operations in the sequence; wherein said storing information representing the specified sequence of motion control operations comprises storing the parameter values; wherein said performing the sequence of motion control operations comprises executing software routines corresponding to motion control operations in the sequence, wherein said executing comprises passing the parameter values to the software routines.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying a desired sequence of motion control operations does not include receiving user input specifying programming language code to implement the sequence of motion control operations.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion control sequence is operable to control motion of a device.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein the motion control sequence is operable to control a device to move an object.
9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: executing the sequence of motion control operations; wherein said executing the sequence of motion control operations comprises performing each motion control operation in the sequence to control motion of a device.
10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: creating program instructions executable to perform the specified sequence of motion control operations; wherein said performing the specified sequence of motion control operations comprises executing the program instructions.
11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving user input to the graphical user interface for configuring one or more of the motion control operations in the sequence; wherein, for each motion control operation, said configuring the motion control operation affects the motion control which the operation is operable to perform.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein said receiving user input to the graphical user interface for configuring one or more of the motion control operations in the sequence does not include receiving user input specifying programming language code to configure the motion control operations.
13. The method of claim 11, further comprising: for each motion control operation to be configured, displaying a graphical panel including graphical user interface elements for setting properties of the motion control operation and receiving user input to the graphical panel to set one or more properties of the motion control operation.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: automatically displaying the graphical panel in response to adding the motion control operation to the sequence.
15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving user input requesting to configure a first motion control operation; and displaying a graphical panel for configuring the first motion control operation in response to the request.
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface includes an area which visually represents the motion control operations in the sequence; wherein the method further comprises: for each motion control operation added to the sequence, updating the area visually representing the motion control operations in the sequence to illustrate the added motion control operation.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the area visually representing the motion control operations in the sequence displays a plurality of icons, wherein each icon visually indicates one of the motion control operations in the sequence; wherein said updating the area visually representing the motion control operations in the sequence to illustrate the added motion control operation comprises displaying a new icon to visually indicate the added motion control operation.
18. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface displays a plurality of buttons, wherein each button is operable to add a new motion control operation to the sequence in response to user input; wherein said receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying the sequence of motion control operations comprises receiving user input to the plurality of buttons to create the sequence of motion control operations.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of motion control operations includes: a straight line move operation; an arc move operation; and a contoured move operation.
20. The method of claim 1, furtherer comprising: displaying one or more views of the sequence of motion control operations on the graphical user interface, wherein the one or more views graphically preview the cumulative movement specified by the sequence of motion control operations.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more views includes a two-dimensional position view for viewing a two-dimensional display of position data of the sequence in one or more of an XY, YZ, or ZX plane.
22. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more views includes a three-dimensional position view for viewing a three-dimensional display of position data of the sequence.
23. The method of claim 1, further comprising: programmatically generating a graphical program operable to perform the specified sequence of motion control operations; and executing the graphical program to perform the specified sequence of motion control operations.
24. The method of claim 23, wherein the graphical program comprises a plurality of interconnected nodes that visually indicate functionality of the graphical program.
25. The method of claim 23, wherein the graphical program comprises a graphical data flow program.
26. The method of claim 1, further comprising: programmatically generating a text-based program operable to perform the specified sequence of motion control operations; and executing the text-based program to perform the specified sequence of motion control operations.
27. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving a request from a computer program to execute the sequence of motion control operations, wherein the computer program was not used to create the sequence of motion control operations; and executing the specified sequence of motion control operations in response to the request.
28. The method of claim 1, further comprising: programmatically converting the sequence of motion control operations to a format usable for configuring an embedded device to perform the sequence of motion control operations; and configuring the embedded device to perform the sequence of motion control operations using the format.
29. A computer-implemented method for creating a motion control sequence, the method comprising: displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides GUI access to a set of motion control operations; receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying the sequence of motion control operations; and storing information representing the specified sequence of motion control operations in a data structure.
30. The method of claim 29, wherein the information does not comprise programming language code.
31. The method of claim 29, further comprising: performing the specified sequence of motion control operations.
32. A computer-implemented method for creating a motion control prototype, the method comprising: receiving user input specifying a desired sequence of motion control operations; recording the specified sequence of motion control operations in a data structure, wherein the specified sequence of motion control operations comprises the motion control prototype; and wherein the motion control prototype is useable to control a motion device.
33. The method of claim 32, further comprising: performing the specified sequence of motion control operations to control the motion device.
34. The method of claim 32, further comprising: displaying a set of motion control operations; wherein the user input comprises user input selecting two or more motion control operations from the set of motion control operations.
35. A memory medium for creating a motion control sequence, the memory medium comprising program instructions executable to: display a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides GUI access to a set of motion control operations; receive user input to the graphical user interface specifying the sequence of motion control operations; and perform the specified sequence of motion control operations.
36. The memory medium of claim 35, further comprising program instructions executable to: store information representing the specified sequence of motion control operations in a data structure in response to said receiving user input specifying the sequence of motion control operations.
37. The memory medium of claim 36, wherein the information does not comprise programming language code.
38. The memory medium of claim 36, further comprising program instructions executable to: access the information representing the sequence of motion control operations to determine program instructions corresponding to motion control operations in the sequence; and execute the program instructions, wherein said performing the specified sequence of motion control operations comprises executing the program instructions.
39. The memory medium of claim 36, wherein said receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying the sequence of motion control operations comprises receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying parameter values for one or more motion control operations in the sequence; wherein said storing information representing the specified sequence of motion control operations comprises storing the parameter values; wherein said performing the sequence of motion control operations comprises executing software routines corresponding to motion control operations in the sequence, wherein said executing comprises passing the parameter values to the software routines.
40. The memory medium of claim 35, wherein said receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying a desired sequence of motion control operations does not include receiving user input specifying programming language code to implement the sequence of motion control operations.
41. The memory medium of claim 35, wherein the motion control sequence is operable to control a device to move an object.
42. A system for creating a motion control sequence, the system comprising: a processor; a memory storing program instructions; a display device; wherein the processor is operable to execute the program instructions stored in the memory to: display a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides GUI access to a set of motion control operations on the display device; receive user input to the graphical user interface specifying the sequence of motion control operations; and execute the specified sequence of motion control operations.
43. The system of claim 42, further comprising: a motion control device; wherein said processor executing the program instructions to execute the specified sequence of motion control operations comprises the processor executing the specified sequence of motion control operations to control the motion control device.
44. A system for creating a motion control sequence, the system comprising: means for displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) that provides GUI access to a set of motion control operations; means for receiving user input to the graphical user interface specifying the sequence of motion control operations; and means for performing the specified sequence of motion control operations.
Description
CONTINUATION DATA
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/595,003 titled "System and Method for Automatically Generating a Graphical Program to Implement a Prototype," filed Jun. 13, 2000, whose inventors were Nicolas Vazquez, Jeffrey L. Kodosky, Ram Kudukoli, Kevin L. Schultz, Dinesh Nair, and Christophe Caltagirone.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of computer-based motion control applications. In particular, the invention relates to a system and method for graphically creating a sequence of motion control operations without requiring user programming.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
[0003] Computer-based motion control involves precisely controlling the movement of a device or system. Computer-based motion control is widely used in many different types of applications, including applications in the fields of industrial automation, process control, test and measurement automation, robotics, and integrated machine vision, among others. A typical computer-based motion system includes components such as the moving mechanical device(s), a motor with feedback and motion I/O, a motor drive unit, a motion controller, and software to interact with the motion controller.
[0004] The motor is commonly a stepper motor or a servo motor. Stepper motors are discrete motion devices that move to positions that relate directly to the number of input control pulses, at a velocity that relates directly to the pulse rate. Servo motors are continuous motion devices that use feedback signals to provide position and velocity control in a closed-loop environment. Motors typically have many wire coils oriented in specific magnetic positions within their housing. By pulsing or steadily controlling current through different motor coils in a known pattern, electromagnetic fields develop in the motor, causing incremental or continuous motion.
[0005] The motion controller is often a motion control plug-in board that is connected to an expansion slot or bus of a computer system. The motion controller generates control signals to control the motor and may have various processing components, such as a CPU and/or DSP, for performing tasks related to the motion control. A motor drive is typically located between the motion controller and the motor. Motor drive power devices convert the control signals generated by the motion controller into power signals that are provided to the motor connected to the drive.
[0006] Motion control application development typically has a steep learning curve. A user needs to have specialized knowledge of motion control motors, drives, and controllers. Programming a motion controller requires the user to be familiar with motion control terms and driver application programming interface (API). This can be very daunting, especially for users who are new to the world of motion control. Thus, it would be desirable to provide a system and method enabling users to develop motion control applications more easily.
[0007] In particular, it would be desirable to enable a user to easily and efficiently develop/prototype a motion control (or motion control plus other instrumentation technology) application without requiring the user to perform programming, e.g., without needing to write or construct code in any programming language. For example, it would be desirable to provide a system which includes a graphical user interface (GUI) enabling the user to develop/prototype the motion control application at a high level, by selecting from and configuring a sequence of motion control operations using the GUI.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] One embodiment of the invention comprises a system and method for developing a sequence of motion control operations. Various embodiments of a motion control prototyping environment application are described herein. The motion control prototyping environment may be designed to enable a user to easily and efficiently develop/prototype a motion control sequence without requiring the user to perform programming, e.g., without needing to write or construct code in any programming language. For example, the environment may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) enabling the user to develop/prototype the motion control sequence at a high level, by selecting from and configuring a sequence of motion control operations using the GUI.
[0009] According to one embodiment of the method, a graphical user interface of the motion control prototyping environment may be displayed, wherein the graphical user interface provides graphical access to a set of motion control operations. In various embodiments, any of various motion control operations may be provided. For example, the set of operations may include operations such as: a reference operation (to establish home and index), a straight-line move operation, an arc move operation, a contoured move operation, a gearing operation, etc.
[0010] User input to the graphical user interface may be received, wherein the user input specifies a desired sequence of the motion control operations. For each operation added to the motion control sequence, the user may configure or customize the operation, e.g., by interacting with a graphical panel or dialog. In the preferred embodiment, the user is not required to specify or write any program source code to implement the motion control sequence. Instead, the motion control sequence may be specified graphically by interacting with the graphical user interface of the motion control prototyping environment.
[0011] The motion control prototyping environment may also enable the user to preview the "geometry" of the motion performed by the sequence, e.g., velocity profile, acceleration profile, position plots, etc., in advance before commanding the motor to perform the sequence of moves. The environment may also enable simulation of the motion control sequence, thus enabling users to perform offline development and prototyping.
[0012] The specified sequence of motion control operations may then be performed. Performing the sequence of motion control operations may comprise performing each operation in the sequence. In other words, the computer system may interface with one or more motors (or motion controllers) to command the motors (or motion controllers) to perform the sequence of motion control operations configured by the user. Most operations in the sequence may cause a motion control device coupled to the computer system to perform a movement, such as a straight-line movement, arc movement, contoured movement, etc. Other operations may relate to the motion control performed by the sequence, but may not actually cause the motion control device to perform a movement, such as a reference operation, gearing operation, etc.
[0013] In one embodiment, each operation in the motion control sequence may be performed sequentially. In another embodiment, the user may specify conditional branches which may result in some steps being skipped or performed in different orders, e.g., depending on results of performing previous steps. The user may also specify other types of constructs, such as iteration, looping, jumps, etc.
[0014] In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment application may also be operable to automatically, i.e., programmatically, generate program code implementing the motion control sequence. For example, the environment may generate a standalone program, such as a graphical program or a text-based program, operable to perform the motion control sequence. When executed, the generated program code may have the same functionality as when the motion control sequence is executed under control of the motion control prototyping environment. The user may also modify the generated program code as desired, e.g., to develop a customized or optimized motion control application.
[0015] In another embodiment, the motion control sequence may be developed in the motion control prototyping environment and may then be performed from a separate application development environment (ADE). In this embodiment, the sequence may be invoked under control of the ADE, but a separate program implementing the sequence may not be generated, or code implementing the sequence may be generated, but the code may not be persistently saved and presented to the user as a standalone program. For example, the user may not want to see the program code generated for the sequence, but may still want to execute the sequence from the ADE or from a program implemented in the ADE. In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may provide an application programming interface (API) which enables a caller program to invoke execution of a particular motion control sequence by the motion control prototyping environment.
[0016] In another embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment application may be operable to programmatically configure an embedded device to perform the motion control sequence. For example, configurable hardware of the embedded device may be configured to perform the motion control operations included in the sequence. The configurable hardware may include any type of configurable logic or programmable hardware, such as FPGA hardware. In one embodiment, the embedded device may comprise a motion control device including configurable hardware which may be programmed with the motion control sequence. In one embodiment, program code may first be programmatically generated based on the sequence, and this program code may then be converted to a format that can be used to program the embedded device hardware.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates a computer system that may execute a prototyping environment application for developing a sequence of motion control, machine vision, and/or DAQ (MC/MV/DAQ) operations;
[0019] FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate representative instrumentation and process control systems including various I/O interface options;
[0020] FIG. 3 is a block diagram representing one embodiment of the computer system illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A, and/or 2B;
[0021] FIG. 4 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for creating and performing a motion control (or MC/MV/DAQ) sequence;
[0022] FIG. 5 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of step 402 of FIG. 4, in which user input specifying a desired sequence of motion control (or MC/MV/DAQ) operations is received to the graphical user interface of the prototyping environment;
[0023] FIGS. 6A-6F illustrate an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) for one embodiment of a motion control prototyping environment application;
[0024] FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating the abstract relationship between a client program, an API to programmatically create/edit a graphical program, and a server program;
[0025] FIGS. 8A-8G illustrate a graphical program executable to implement the motion control sequence described with reference to FIGS. 6A-6F;
[0026] FIG. 9 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for dynamically (programmatically) updating a graphical program as a user interactively changes a motion control sequence on which the graphical program is based;
[0027] FIG. 10 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for invoking execution of a sequence created in a prototyping environment application from an external program;
[0028] FIG. 11 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for programming an FPGA device to perform a motion control sequence; and
[0029] FIGS. 12-16 illustrate an exemplary graphical user interface and property pages associated with a set of ActiveX components which are useable for creating a motion control sequence.
[0030] While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms specific embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood however, that drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternative following within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Incorporation by Reference
[0031] The following references are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as though fully and completely set forth herein.
[0032] U.S. Pat. No. 6,064,812 titled "System and Method for Developing Automation Clients Using a Graphical Data Flow Program," issued on May 16, 2000.
[0033] U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,965 titled "System and Method for Providing Client/Server Access to Graphical Programs," issued on Aug. 15, 2000.
[0034] U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,438 titled "Embedded Graphical Programming System" filed Aug. 18, 1997.
[0035] U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,628 titled "System and Method for Configuring an Instrument to Perform Measurement Functions Utilizing Conversion of Graphical Programs into Hardware Implementations," filed Aug. 18, 1997.
[0036] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/499,503 titled "System and Method for Configuring a Programmable Hardware Instrument to Perform Measurement Functions Utilizing Estimation of the Hardware Implementation and Management of Hardware Resources" filed Feb. 7, 2000.
[0037] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/617,600 titled "Graphical Programming System with Distributed Block Diagram Execution and Front Panel Display," filed Jun. 13, 2000.
[0038] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/518,492 titled "System and Method for Programmatically Creating a Graphical Program," filed Mar. 3, 2000.
[0039] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/587,682 titled "System and Method for Automatically Generating a Graphical Program to Perform an Image Processing Algorithm," filed Jun. 6, 2000.
[0040] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/595,003 titled "System and Method for Automatically Generating a Graphical Program to Implement a Prototype," filed Jun. 13, 2000.
[0041] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/745,023 titled "System and Method for Programmatically Generating a Graphical Program in Response to Program Information," filed Dec. 20, 2000.
FIG. 1--Computer System
[0042] FIG. 1 illustrates a computer system 82. In one embodiment, the computer system 82 may execute a motion control prototyping environment application for developing a sequence of motion control operations. A motion control sequence is also referred to herein as a "prototype". The motion control prototyping environment may be designed to enable a user to easily and efficiently develop/prototype a motion control sequence without requiring the user to perform programming, e.g., without needing to write or construct code in any programming language. For example, the environment may provide a graphical user interface (GUI) enabling the user to develop/prototype the motion control sequence at a high level, by selecting from and configuring a sequence of motion control operations using the GUI.
[0043] The motion control prototyping environment may also enable the user to preview the "geometry" of the motion, e.g., velocity profile, acceleration profile, position plots, etc., in advance before commanding the motor to perform the sequence of moves. The environment may also enable simulation of the motion control sequence, thus enabling users to perform offline development and prototyping.
[0044] After configuring and previewing the motion control sequence, the user may request the motion control prototyping environment to perform the motion control sequence. Performing the motion control sequence may comprise interfacing with one or more motors (or motion controllers) coupled to the computer system to command the motor (or motion controller) to perform the sequence of motion control operations configured by the user.
[0045] In another embodiment, in addition to providing motion control operations for inclusion in a sequence, the motion control prototyping environment may provide other types of operations as well, including machine vision and data acquisition (DAQ) operations. In this embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may be referred to as a MC/MV/DAQ prototyping environment. (The abbreviation "MC/MV/DAQ" is used herein to refer to "motion control/machine vision/DAQ".) Although the majority of this specification uses the term "motion control prototyping environment" rather than the term "MC/MV/DAQ prototyping environment," it is noted that a "motion control prototyping environment" may not be limited to developing sequences or prototypes involving motion control only, but may also be used to develop sequences or prototypes including operations related to other technologies, and, in particular, may be used to develop prototypes or sequences which integrate motion control, machine vision, and DAQ functionality.
[0046] In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment application (or MC/MV/DAQ prototyping environment application) may also be operable to automatically, i.e., programmatically, generate program code implementing the motion control sequence (or MC/MV/DAQ sequence). For example, the environment may generate a standalone program, such as a graphical program or a text-based program, operable to perform the motion control sequence. When executed, the generated program code may have the same functionality as when the motion control sequence is executed under control of the motion control prototyping environment. The user may also modify the generated program code as desired, e.g., to develop a customized or optimized motion control application (or MC/MV/DAQ application).
[0047] In another embodiment, the motion control sequence (or MC/MV/DAQ sequence) may be developed in the motion control (or MC/MV/DAQ) prototyping environment and may then be performed from a separate application development environment (ADE). In this embodiment, the sequence may be invoked under control of the ADE, but a separate program implementing the sequence may not be generated, or code implementing the sequence may be generated, but the code may not be persistently saved and presented to the user as a standalone program. For example, the user may not want to see the program code generated for the sequence, but may still want to execute the sequence from the ADE or from a program implemented in the ADE. In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may provide an application programming interface (API) which enables a caller program to invoke execution of a particular sequence by the motion control prototyping environment.
[0048] Various aspects of the motion control prototyping environment are described in more detail below.
[0049] The computer system 82 may be any type of computer system, including a personal computer system, mainframe computer system, workstation, network appliance, Internet appliance, personal digital assistant (PDA), television system or other device. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.
[0050] The computer system 82 may include a memory medium(s) on which one or more computer programs or software components may be stored according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, the memory medium may store a motion control prototyping environment application (or portion of such an application) such as described above. The memory medium may also store one or more sequences created using the motion control prototyping environment application. The memory medium may also store one or more programs, including graphical programs and/or text-based programs, automatically generated by the motion control prototyping environment application based on a sequence. The memory medium may also store an application development environment operable to invoke (or operable to create a program that invokes) a motion control sequence developed in the motion control prototyping environment. The memory medium may also store operating system software, as well as other software for operation of the computer system 82.
[0051] The term "memory medium" is intended to include an installation medium, e.g., a CD-ROM, floppy disks 104, or tape device; a computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; or a non-volatile memory such as a magnetic media, e.g., a hard drive, or optical storage. The memory medium may comprise other types of memory as well, or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in a first computer in which the programs are executed, or may be located in a second different computer which connects to the first computer over a network, such as the Internet. In the latter instance, the second computer may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution.
[0052] In the present application, the term "graphical program" or "block diagram" is intended to include a program comprising graphical code, e.g., two or more interconnected nodes or icons, wherein the interconnected nodes or icons may visually indicate the functionality of the program. The nodes may be connected in one or more of a data flow, control flow, and/or execution flow format. The nodes may also be connected in a "signal flow" format, which is a subset of data flow. Thus the terms "graphical program" or "block diagram" are each intended to include a program comprising a plurality of interconnected nodes or icons which visually indicate the functionality of the program.
[0053] A graphical program may also comprise a graphical user interface or front panel. The user interface portion may be contained in the block diagram or may be contained in one or more separate panels or windows. The user interface of a graphical program may include various graphical user interface elements or front panel objects, such as user interface controls and/or indicators, that represent or display the respective input and/or output that will be used by the graphical program or VI, and may include other icons which represent devices being controlled. The user interface or front panel may be comprised in a single window of user interface elements, or may comprise a plurality of individual windows each having one or more user interface elements, wherein the individual windows may optionally be tiled together. As another example, the user interface or front panel may comprise user interface or front panel objects, e.g., the GUI, embedded in the block diagram. The user interface of a graphical program may display only output, only input, or both input and output. Further, in some embodiments the user interface or front panel of a graphical program may enable the user to interactively control or manipulate the input being provided to the graphical program.
[0054] Examples of graphical programming development environments that may be used to create and/or execute graphical programs include LabVIEW, DasyLab, and DiaDem from National Instruments, VEE from Agilent, WiT from Coreco, Vision Program Manager from PPT Vision, SoftWIRE from Measurement Computing, Simulink from the MathWorks, Sanscript from Northwoods Software, Khoros from Khoral Research, SnapMaster from HEM Data, VisSim from Visual Solutions, ObjectBench by SES (Scientific and Engineering Software), and VisiDAQ from Advantech, among others.
Prototypes in General
[0055] A motion control sequence developed in a motion control prototyping environment is one example of what is referred to herein as a "prototype". Prototyping environments may be used to develop prototypes for any of various other types of applications, in addition to motion control. In general, a "prototyping environment" may refer to a specialized application that provides an environment that is conducive to rapidly and conveniently prototyping a problem solution, preferably without requiring the user to write code in a programming language or minimizing the amount of code the user would otherwise have to write.
[0056] A prototyping environment may integrate various capabilities in order to aid developers of problem solutions, depending on the particular problem domain. For example, a prototyping environment may provide a library of operations that are specific to a problem domain (such as the library of motion control operations discussed above) and may enable the user to select and execute various operations from the library. The prototyping environment may include a graphical user interface that is streamlined for interactively experimenting with various parameters associated with the selected operations and seeing the effects of the adjusted parameters. A prototyping environment may also include capabilities for simulating real-world objects or processes. A prototyping environment may be used to generate a sequence, solution, or script, also called a prototype, which represents an algorithm or process designed by the user in the prototyping environment.
[0057] In addition to motion control, prototyping environments may be utilized for many other problem domains. For example, a prototyping environment for image processing may enable a user to load or acquire an image and apply various image processing operations to the image, such as filtering operations, morphology operations, edge detection operations, etc. Such a prototyping environment may enable the user to build a script including various operations that are applied to images, e.g., for use in a machine vision, pattern matching, shape matching, or other imaging application. Other examples of prototyping environments include:
[0058] a sound processing environment for applying various audio operations to a sound clip, e.g., in order to analyze the sound clip, eliminate background noise, etc.
[0059] an instrumentation environment for interacting with hardware instruments, e.g., in order to initialize an instrument, acquire data from the instrument, analyze the acquired data, etc.
[0060] a circuit design environment for developing and testing circuit designs, e.g., for programmable logic devices
[0061] Since prototyping environments are usually designed for ease of use and are specialized for users familiar with a particular problem domain, they may enable users to create a computer-implemented solution to a problem without requiring the users to utilize or understand traditional programming techniques. For example, the prototyping environment may aid the user in creating a sequence or script (called a prototype) and offer other guidance to help the user in creating the solution.
FIGS. 2A and 2B--Instrumentation and Industrial Automation Systems
[0062] FIG. 2A illustrates an exemplary instrumentation control system 100
which may implement embodiments of the invention. The system 100 includes a host computer 82 that comprises a CPU, a display screen, memory, and one or more input devices such as a mouse or keyboard as shown. The host computer 82 may connect to one or more instruments to analyze, measure, or control a unit under test (UUT) or process 150.
[0063] In particular, the host computer 82 may interface with a motion control device 136 via an associated motion control interface card 138. The host computer 82 may execute a motion control sequence developed in a motion control prototyping environment such as described herein to command the motion control device 136 to perform the motion control operations of the sequence. For example, the motion control device 136
maybe involved in analyzing, measuring, or controlling the unit under test (UUT) or process 150.
[0064] The host computer 82 may also be coupled to a data acquisition (DAQ) board 114, which may interface through signal conditioning circuitry 124 to the UUT. In one embodiment, the signal conditioning circuitry 124 may comprise an SCXI (Signal Conditioning Extensions for Instrumentation) chassis comprising one or more SCXI modules 126. The sequence developed in the prototyping environment described herein may include one or more DAQ operations. Thus, when the host computer 82
executes the sequence, the DAQ operations may control the DAQ board 114, e.g., to cause the DAQ board 114 to acquire data from the WUT.
[0065] Similarly, the sequence may include one or more machine vision operations which cause the host computer 82 to acquire images via the video device or camera 132 and associated image acquisition (or machine vision) card 134.
[0066] The instrumentation control system 100 may include other types of instruments as well, such as a GPIB instrument 112 and associated GPIB interface card 122, a VXI instrument 116, a PXI instrument 118, and/or one or more computer based instrument cards 142, among other types of devices.
[0067] The GPIB instrument 112 may be coupled to the computer 82 via the GPIB interface card 122 provided by the computer 82. In a similar manner, the video device 132 may be coupled to the computer 82 via the image acquisition card 134, and the motion control device 136 may be coupled to the computer 82 through the motion control interface card 138.
[0068] The GPIB card 122, the image acquisition card 134, the motion control interface card 138, and the DAQ card 114 are typically plugged in to an I/O slot in the computer 82, such as a PCI bus slot, a PC Card slot, or an ISA, EISA or MicroChannel bus slot provided by the computer 82. However, these cards 122, 134, 138 and 114 are shown external to computer 82 for illustrative purposes. These devices may also be connected to the computer 82 through a serial bus or through other means.
[0069] The VXI chassis or instrument 116 may be coupled to the computer 82
via a VXI bus, MXI bus, or other serial or parallel bus provided by the computer 82. The computer 82 may include VXI interface logic, such as a VM, MXI or GPEB interface card (not shown), which interfaces to the VXI chassis 116. The PXI chassis or instrument may be coupled to the computer 82 through the computer's PCI bus.
[0070] A serial instrument (not shown) may also be coupled to the computer 82 through a serial port, such as an RS-232 port, USB (Universal Serial bus) or IEEE 1394 or 1394.2 bus, provided by the computer 82. In typical instrumentation control systems an instrument will not be present of each interface type, and in fact many systems may only have one or more instruments of a single interface type, such as only GPIB instruments.
[0071] The instruments may be coupled to a unit under test (UUT) or process 150, or may be coupled to receive field signals, typically generated by transducers. The system 100 may be used in motion control application, a data acquisition and control application, a test and measurement application, an image processing or machine vision application, a process control application, a man-machine interface application, a simulation application, and/or a hardware-in-the-loop validation application.
[0072] FIG. 2B illustrates an exemplary industrial automation system 160
which may implement embodiments of the invention. The industrial automation system 160 is similar to the instrumentation or test and measurement system 100 shown in FIG. 2A. Elements which are similar or identical to elements in FIG. 2A have the same reference numerals for convenience. The system 160 includes a host computer 82 that comprises a CPU, a display screen, memory, and one or more input devices such as a mouse or keyboard as shown. The host computer 82 may connect to one or more devices or instruments to interact with a process or device 150 to perform an automation function, such as MMI (Man Machine Interface), SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition), portable or distributed data acquisition, process control, advanced analysis, or other control.
[0073] In particular, the host computer 82 may interface with a motion control device 136 via an associated motion control interface card 138. The host computer 82 may execute a motion control sequence developed in a motion control prototyping environment such as described herein to command the motion control device 136 to perform the motion control operations of the sequence. For example, the motion control device 136
may be involved in performing the automation function performed by the industrial automation system 160.
[0074] The host computer 82 may also be coupled to a data acquisition (DAQ) board 114, which may interface through signal conditioning circuitry 124 to the UUT. In one embodiment, the signal conditioning circuitry 124 may comprise an SCXI (Signal Conditioning Extensions for Instrumentation) chassis comprising one or more SCXI modules 126. The sequence developed in the prototyping environment described herein may include one or more DAQ operations. Thus, when the host computer 82
executes the sequence, the DAQ operations may control the DAQ board 114, e.g., to cause the DAQ board 114 to acquire data from the WLT.
[0075] Similarly, the sequence may include one or more machine vision operations which cause the host computer 82 to acquire images via the video device or camera 132 and associated image acquisition (or machine vision) card 134.
[0076] The industrial automation system 160 may include one or more other devices as well, such as a PXI instrument 118, a fieldbus device 170 and associated fieldbus interface card 172, a PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) 176, a serial instrument 182 and associated serial interface card 184, or a distributed data acquisition system, such as the Fieldpoint system available from National Instruments, among other types of devices.
[0077] The DAQ card 114, the PXI chassis 118, the video device 132, and the image acquisition card 134 may be connected to the computer 82 as described above. The serial instrument 182 may be coupled to the computer 82 through a serial interface card 184, or through a serial port, such as an RS-232 port, provided by the computer 82. The PLC 176 may couple to the computer 82 through a serial port, Ethernet port, or a proprietary interface. The fieldbus interface card 172 may be comprised in the computer 82 and may interface through a fieldbus network to one or more fieldbus devices. Each of the DAQ card 114, the serial card 184, the fieldbus card 172, the image acquisition card 134, and the motion control card 138 are typically plugged in to an I/O slot in the computer 82 as described above. However, these cards 114, 184, 172, 134, and 138 are shown external to computer 82 for illustrative purposes. In typical industrial automation systems a device will not be present of each interface type, and in fact many systems may only have one or more devices of a single interface type, such as only PLCs. The devices may be coupled to the device or process 150.
[0078] As used herein, the term "instrument" is intended to include any of the devices that are adapted to be connected to a computer system as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, traditional "stand-alone" instruments, as well as other types of measurement and control devices. The term "measurement function" may include any type of data acquisition, measurement or control function, such as that implemented by the instruments shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. For example, the term "measurement function" includes acquisition and/or processing of an image. In the embodiments of FIGS. 2A and 2B above, one or more of the various instruments may couple to the computer 82 over a network, such as the Internet.
[0079] Graphical software programs which perform functions such as motion control, measurement, instrumentation control, industrial automation, or simulation, such as in the applications shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, may be referred to as virtual instruments.
FIG. 3--Computer System Block Diagram
[0080] FIG. 3 is a block diagram representing one embodiment of the computer system 82 illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2A, and/or 2B. It is noted that any type of computer system configuration or architecture can be used as desired, and FIG. 3 illustrates a representative PC embodiment. It is also noted that the computer system may be a general purpose computer system, a computer implemented on a VXI card installed in a VXI chassis, a computer implemented on a PXI card installed in a PXI chassis, or other types of embodiments. Elements of a computer not necessary to understand the present description have been omitted for simplicity.
[0081] The computer may include at least one central processing unit or CPU 160 which is coupled to a processor or host bus 162. The CPU 160 may be any of various types, including an .times.86 processor, e.g., a Pentium class, a PowerPC processor, a CPU from the SPARC family of RISC processors, as well as others. Main memory 166 is coupled to the host bus 162 by means of memory controller 164. In one embodiment, the main memory 166 may store a motion control prototyping environment application for graphically creating, configuring, simulating, and/or performing a sequence of motion control operations (or MC/MV/DAQ operations). In another embodiment, the main memory 166 may store a program that was automatically, i.e., programmatically generated by the motion control prototyping environment, wherein the program is operable to perform a motion control sequence. In one embodiment, the main memory 166 may store an application development environment in which a motion control sequence created in a motion control prototyping environment may be executed. The main memory may also store operating system software, as well as other software for operation of the computer system.
[0082] The host bus 162 may be coupled to an expansion or input/output bus 170 by means of a bus controller 168 or bus bridge logic. The expansion bus 170 may be the PCI (Peripheral Component Interconnect) expansion bus, although other bus types can be used. The expansion bus 170 includes slots for various devices such as a data acquisition board 114 and a GPIB interface card 122 which provides a GPIB bus interface to a GPIB instrument. The computer 82 further comprises a video display subsystem 180 and hard drive 182 coupled to the expansion bus 170.
[0083] A reconfigurable instrument 190 may also be connected to the computer. In various embodiments, the configurable logic may be comprised on an instrument or device connected to the computer through means other than an expansion slot, e.g., the instrument or device may be connected via an IEEE 1394 bus, USB, or other type of port. Also, the configurable logic may be comprised on a device such as the data acquisition board 114. In one embodiment, at least a portion of the motion control sequence may execute on the reconfigurable instrument 190.
FIG. 4--Creating and Performing a Motion Control (or MC/MV/DAQ) Sequence
[0084] FIG. 4 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method for creating and performing a motion control (or MC/MV/DAQ) sequence. It is noted that FIG. 4 represents an exemplary embodiment, and various alternative embodiments are contemplated. Also, the steps of FIG. 4 may be performed in various orders or multiple times, and steps may be combined, added, or omitted, etc.
[0085] In step 401, a graphical user interface of a motion control (or MC/MV/DAQ) prototyping environment may be displayed, wherein the graphical user interface provides graphical access to a set of motion control operations. One embodiment of such a graphical user interface is described below with reference to FIGS. 6A-6F. In various embodiments, any of various motion control operations may be provided. For example, the set of operations may include operations such as: a reference operation (to establish home and index), a straight-line move operation, an arc move operation, a contoured move operation, a gearing operation, etc. These operations are described below.
[0086] As noted above, in one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may provide access to other types of operations as well, e.g., machine vision and DAQ operations. Any of various types of DAQ operations may also be provided. For example, the DAQ operations may include operations related to digital I/O, analog input, analog output, signal conditioning, calibration and configuration (e.g., to calibrate and configure specific devices), counting operations, etc.
[0087] Any of various types of machine vision or image analysis operations may also be provided. Exemplary functions related to machine vision and image analysis include:
[0088] filtering functions for smoothing, edge detection, convolution, etc.
[0089] morphology functions for modifying the shape of objects in an image, including erosion, dilation, opening, closing, etc.
[0090] thresholding functions for selecting ranges of pixel values in grayscale and color images
[0091] particle filtering functions to filter objects based on shape measurements
[0092] a histogram function that counts the total number of pixels in each grayscale value and graphs it
[0093] a line profile function that returns the grayscale values of the pixels along a line drawn through the image with a line tool and graphs the values
[0094] particle analysis functions that computes such measurements on objects in an image as their areas and perimeters
[0095] a 3D view function that displays an image using an isometric view in which each pixel from the image source is represented as a column of pixels in the 3D view, where the pixel value corresponds to the altitude.
[0096] an edge detection function that finds edges along a line drawn through the image with a line tool
[0097] a pattern matching function that locates regions of a grayscale image that match a predetermined template
[0098] a shape matching function that searches for the presence of a shape in a binary image and specifies the location of each matching shape
[0099] a caliper function that computes measurements such as distances, areas, and angles based on results returned from other image processing functions
[0100] a color matching function that quantifies which colors and how much of each color exist in a region of an image and uses this information to check if another image contains the same colors in the same ratio
[0101] In step 403, user input to the graphical user interface may be received, wherein the user input specifies a desired sequence of the motion control (or MC/MV/IDAQ) operations. One embodiment of step 403 is described in detail below with reference to FIG. 5. For each operation added to the motion control sequence, the user may configure or customize the operation, e.g., by interacting with a graphical panel or dialog to configure properties or parameters for the operation. In the preferred embodiment, the user is not required to specify or write any program source code to implement the motion control sequence. Instead, the motion control sequence may be specified graphically by interacting with the graphical user interface of the motion control prototyping environment. As described below, the motion control prototyping environment preferably enables the user to preview or simulate the motion control sequence before the sequence is actually performed by a motion control device.
[0102] In response to the user input specifying the sequence of motion control operations, information representing the specified sequence of motion control operations may be stored, e.g., in a data structure representing the sequence. For example, the data structure may specify information regarding the sequence, such as names or other identifiers that identify the operations in the sequence. The data structure may also specify information regarding various properties or parameter values configured for one or more operations in the sequence.
[0103] In step 405, the specified sequence of motion control operations may be performed. Performing the sequence of motion control operations may comprise performing each operation in the sequence. Motion control operations in the sequence may cause a motion control device coupled to the computer system to perform a movement, such as a straight-line movement, arc movement, contoured movement, etc. Other operations may relate to the motion control performed by the sequence, but may not actually cause the motion control device to perform a movement, such as a reference operation, gearing operation, etc.
[0104] If the sequence includes DAQ operations, the computer system may interface with a DAQ device coupled to the computer system to perform the DAQ operations configured by the user. For example, a DAQ operation may command the DAQ device to acquire data from an analog input channel or may cause signal conditioning to be performed on such data.
[0105] If the sequence includes machine vision operations, the computer system may interface with an image acquisition device coupled to the computer system to acquire images as configured by the user. Also, the machine vision operations may cause the computer system to analyze such acquired images.
[0106] In one embodiment, each operation in the motion control sequence may be performed sequentially. In another embodiment, the user may specify conditional branches which may result in some steps being skipped or performed in different orders, e.g., depending on results of performing previous steps. The user may also specify other types of constructs, such as iteration, looping, jumps, etc.
[0107] In various embodiments, the sequence may be performed in any of various ways, as described below. For example, as shown in step 405A, in one embodiment the sequence may be performed under control of the motion control prototyping environment. In other words, the motion control prototyping environment may be operable to interface with a motion control device, DAQ device, and/or image acquisition device connected to the computer system to command the device(s) to perform the sequence of operations. In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may perform the sequence of operations by accessing the stored information representing the sequence of motion control operations to determine program instructions corresponding to motion control operations in the sequence and may then execute the program instructions. For example, the motion control prototyping environment may access a library of software routines corresponding to various operations. For each operation included in the sequence, the motion control prototyping environment may execute or invoke the appropriate software routine. If the user configured parameter values or properties for the operations, then the parameter values may be passed to the software routine to cause the software routine to execute properly as configured by the user.
[0108] As shown in step 405B, in another embodiment, rather than performing the sequence under control of the motion control prototyping environment, a graphical program operable to perform the sequence may be automatically, i.e., programmatically generated based on the sequence. This graphical program may then be executed to perform the sequence. The generated graphical program may include various interconnected nodes or icons which visually represent the sequence of MC/MV/DAQ operations configured by the user and which are executable to perform the sequence of MC/MV/DAQ operations.
[0109] The graphical program may be programmatically generated with little or no user input received during the generation process. In one embodiment, the graphical program is programmatically generated with no user input required. In another embodiment, the user may be prompted for certain decisions during or prior to the programmatic generation, such as the type of graphical program to generate, the look and feel of a user interface for the graphical program, the number or degree of comments contained within the graphical program, etc.
[0110] In one embodiment, the prototyping environment may interact with another application to programmatically generate the graphical program, such as a graphical programming development environment application. For example, the graphical programming development environment may provide an application programming interface (API) for programmatically generating graphical programs.
[0111] As shown in step 405C, in another embodiment, a text-based program operable to perform the motion control sequence may be automatically, i.e., programmatically generated, and may then be executed. The text-based program may include program code in any of various text-based programming languages, such as C, C++, Visual C++, Visual Basic, Java, Pascal, etc. The generated text-based program may include various functions or methods which are executable to perform the sequence of MC/MV/DAQ operations configured by the user.
[0112] After a graphical program or text-based program has been generated based on a motion control sequence in step 405B or 405C respectively, the user may modify the generated program code as desired, e.g., to develop a customized or optimized motion control application. For example, the user may utilize an application development environment separate from the motion control prototyping environment to interactively modify the generated program.
[0113] As shown in step 405D, in another embodiment, the sequence of MC/MV/DAQ operations may be performed under control of an application development environment. In this embodiment, the sequence may be executed under control of the ADE, but a separate program implementing the sequence may not be generated, or code implementing the sequence may be generated, but the code may not be persistently saved and presented to the user as a standalone program. For example, the user may not want to see the program code generated for the sequence, but may still want to execute the sequence from the ADE or from a program implemented in the ADE. In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may provide an application programming interface (API) which enables a caller program to invoke execution of a particular motion control sequence by the motion control prototyping environment.
[0114] As shown in step 405E, in another embodiment, the sequence of motion control operations may be performed on an embedded device. For example, configurable hardware of the embedded device may be configured to perform the motion control operations included in the sequence. The configurable hardware may include any type of configurable logic or programmable hardware, such as FPGA hardware. In one embodiment, the embedded device may comprise a motion control device including configurable hardware which may be programmed to perform motion control operations in the sequence.
[0115] In one embodiment, program code implementing the sequence may first be generated, e.g., as shown in steps 405B and 405C, and this program code may then be used to facilitate programming of the embedded device to perform the motion control sequence. Performing the sequence on an embedded device is described in more detail below.
FIG. 5--Specifying a Sequence of Motion Control (or MC/MV/DAQ) Operations
[0116] FIG. 5 is a flowchart diagram illustrating one embodiment of step 403, in which user input specifying a desired sequence of motion control (or MC/MV/DAQ) operations is received to the graphical user interface of the motion control prototyping environment.
[0117] In step 421, a MC/MV/DAQ operation may be added to the sequence in response to user input. In various embodiments, the user may interact with the graphical user interface of the motion control prototyping environment in any of various ways to select a MC/MV/DAQ operation. For example, in one embodiment, a plurality of buttons may be displayed, each button corresponding to a particular operation. The user may press the appropriate button to add the desired operation. In another embodiment, a plurality of icons may be displayed, each icon corresponding to a particular operation. The user may select the appropriate icon to add the desired operation, e.g., by dragging and dropping the icon onto an area of the display screen representing the sequence. In other embodiments, the user may utilize menu, keyboard, and/or voice commands to add the motion control operation to the sequence. Step 421 preferably does not involve the user specifying or writing any program code. In other words, the user preferably interacts with the graphical user interface at a high level to add the desired MC/MV/DAQ operation to the sequence.
[0118] In one embodiment, the sequence of MC/MV/DAQ operations that the user selects may be represented to the user graphically, e.g., as a sequence of icons. For example, as shown in FIG. 6A, one area of the graphical user interface may display an icon strip comprising a plurality of icons. Each icon may correspond to a MC/MV/DAQ operation in the sequence and may visually indicate that operation. In another embodiment, the sequence of operations may be represented textually, e.g., as a list of names of the operations, such as "Straight-line move", "Arc move", etc.
[0119] If the operation added to the sequence was a motion control operation, then in step 423, the graphical user interface of the motion control prototyping environment may be updated to illustrate the effect of adding the new motion control operation selected in step 421 to the sequence. As described in detail below, the graphical user interface may display one or more views of the sequence, such as a two-dimensional and/or three-dimensional view of the cumulative movement specified by the sequence, as well as other types of views, such as a graph indicating a velocity profile for the sequence. Thus, in step 423 these views may be updated to illustrate the effect of the new motion control operation.
[0120] Each operation may have various associated properties, attributes, or parameters affecting the operation. For example, an arc move motion control operation may have parameters or properties such as a radius, a start angle, and a travel angle. These parameters may initially have default values, e.g., 180 degrees for the travel angle of an arc move. In step 423, the graphical user interface may be updated according to these default values. In steps 425 and 427, the user may configure these parameters to customize the function performed by each operation.
[0121] In the preferred embodiment, the user may configure the parameters of the MC/MV/DAQ operations graphically, without having to write any program code. Thus, in step 425, a graphical panel for configuring the MC/MV/DAQ operation may be displayed. This panel may be automatically displayed in response to adding the operation to the sequence, or the panel may be displayed in response to user input requesting to configure the operation. In step 427, user input for configuring the MC/MV/DAQ operation may be received to the graphical panel. For example, the panel may include various user interface elements for changing parameter or property values of the operation, such as numeric GUI controls, check boxes, etc.
[0122] If the operation selected in step 421 was a motion control operation, then in step 429, the graphical user interface may then be updated again to illustrate the effect of configuring the motion control operation. For example, if the user changed a travel angle parameter of an arc move operation, then one or more views of the motion control sequence may be updated to visually reflect the new travel angle performed by the arc move operation.
[0123] As indicated by the flowchart arrow from step 429 to step 421, the process described above may be repeated for new operations the user adds to the sequence. New operations may be added any place within the sequence, e.g., at the beginning, end, or between two other operations. The user may select any operation in the sequence to view or edit its configuration. As the user changes the sequence, the graphical views illustrating the motion and other characteristics may be updated accordingly.
[0124] Thus, the method of FIG. 5 enables the user to easily prototype a sequence of MC/MV/DAQ operations without requiring the user to write program code. The method also enables the user to preview the motion of the sequence without requiring the motion to actually be performed by a motion control device. For example, the MC/MV/DAQ sequence may be developed on a first computer system that does not have a coupled motion control device and may then be transferred to and performed by a second computer system coupled to a motion control device.
FIGS. 6A-6F: Exemplary Graphical User Interface
[0125] FIGS. 6A-6F illustrate an exemplary graphical user interface (GUI) for a motion control prototyping environment application such as described above. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6F, the prototyping environment provides access to motion control operations only. However, as discussed above, other embodiments of the prototyping environment may provide access to machine vision and DAQ operations as well. In addition, in various embodiments, the graphical user interface may take any of various forms, and the GUI illustrated in FIGS. 6A-6F is exemplary only.
[0126] As shown in FIG. 6A, the GUI includes several buttons 600 which the user may press to add a new motion control operation to the motion control sequence, such as a reference operation, a straight-line move operation, an arc move operation, or a contoured move operation.
[0127] The GUI also includes an icon strip 602 that displays icons representing the operations currently in the motion control sequence. In FIG. 6A, the motion control sequence includes only one operation, a reference move operation represented by the icon 604A.
[0128] The GUI also includes a graphical panel 606 that enables the user to configure a currently selected motion control operation. The properties displayed on the graphical panel 606 may differ for each possible type of move operation. In FIG. 6A, the only operation currently in the motion control sequence is selected, i.e., the reference move operation. Thus, the graphical panel 606 displays properties of this reference move operation. As shown, the graphical panel includes multiple tabs labeled, "Configure", "Move Constraints", and "Reference Parameters". The user may select the desired tab to view/edit the desired properties of the selected operation.
[0129] The GUI also includes three views of the motion that the sequence is configured to perform. These include a two-dimensional view 608 and a three-dimensional view 610 of the cumulative movement specified by the sequence, as well as a graph 612 indicating a velocity profile for the sequence. Since no actual movement is performed by the reference operation, these views do not yet indicate any motion.
[0130] FIG. 6B illustrates the GUI after the user has included a straight-line move operation in the sequence, represented by the icon 604B in the icon strip 602. In FIG. 6B, this straight-line move operation is currently selected, and the "Position" tab of the graphical panel 606
displays some of its properties. When the move is initially added to the sequence, it may have default property values, such as the illustrated values of 5000 for both the X and Y positions. (The X and Y position values specify the desired ending location for the motion control device performing a straight-line move from the starting location.) In one embodiment, the user may configure the default property values to use when an operation is initially added to a sequence. The views 608, 610, and 612 visually indicate the effect of performing the straight-line move operation, as it is currently configured.
[0131] In FIG. 6C, the user has changed the Y position property value from 5000 to 10000. Note that the views 608 and 610 are updated to illustrate the new Y position.
[0132] FIG. 6D illustrates the GUI after the user has included a two-dimensional arc move operation in the sequence, represented by the icon 604C in the icon strip 602. In FIG. 6D, this arc move operation is currently selected, and the "Arc Parameters" tab of the graphical panel 606 displays some of its properties. When the move is initially added to the sequence, it may have default property values, such as the illustrated values of 5000 for the radius, 0 for the start angle, and 180
for the travel angle. The views 608, 610, and 612 visually indicate the effect of performing the cumulative movement of the sequence as it is currently configured, i.e., the effect of performing the straight-line move operation followed by the arc move operation.
[0133] In FIG. 6E, the user has changed the radius property value from 5000 to 7000 and the travel angle property value from 180 to 90. Note that the views 608 and 610 are updated to illustrate the new motion performed by the motion control sequence.
[0134] FIG. 6F illustrates the GUI after the user has included a contoured move operation in the sequence, represented by the icon 604D in the icon strip 602.
Motion Control Operations
[0135] This section describes possible motion control operations which the user can include and configure in a motion control sequence, according to one embodiment.
[0136] Straight Line Move Operation--This operation performs a straight-line move in 1-D, 2-D, or 3-D space. The user can choose a controller, the axes for his "motion space" and specify the move constraints such as velocity, acceleration, deceleration, and jerk. The user may utilize a graphical panel to specify desired values for these properties. The user may also graphically edit the position and velocity profiles for the operation and view the changes caused to the property values.
[0137] Arc Move Operation--This operation performs an arc in 2-D or 3-D space. The user can choose a controller, the axes for his "motion space" and specify the move constraints such as velocity, acceleration, deceleration, and jerk. The user may utilize a graphical panel to specify desired values for these properties. The user may also graphically edit the position and velocity profiles for the operation and view the changes caused to the property values.
[0138] Contoured Move Operation--This operation performs a custom-profiled move for 1-D, 2-D, or 3-D space. Once the user has inserted a contouring step into the prototype script, the user can select a file with coordinates that depict the geometry of the position profile or move the motors/actuators and record their positions to create a splined geometry. After this the user can specify move constraints such as maximum velocity, maximum acceleration, maximum deceleration and maximum jerk that the mechanical system can tolerate while moving in the geometry specified. After that the method will remap the coordinates keeping the geometry intact by ensuring that at no instant the specifications of the move constraints are violated.
[0139] Reference Operation--This operation may be used for initialization purposes. It allows the user to specify the reference for his axis or axes in 1-D, 2-D or 3-D space. This operation may cause the motion controller to find the home switch and/or the encoder index for the axis or axes specified.
[0140] Gearing Configuration Operation--This operation allows an axis to be electronically geared to a feedback device or another axis. It may also allow users to specify a CAM table if supported by the motion control hardware.
Views Provided by the Motion Control Prototyping Environment
[0141] As described above, the graphical user interface of the motion control prototyping environment may display one or more views of the motion produced by the motion control sequence or of various characteristics of this motion, such as velocity and acceleration profiles. This section describes a set of views provided by the motion control prototyping environment, according to one embodiment.
[0142] 2D Position view--This view may display the entire position profile for the motion control sequence in a two-dimensional display. The user can edit the position data of operations in the sequence by interacting graphically with the data displayed in this view. The user may also edit the position data by entering text data into the graphical panels for configuring the operations. The user may select to view and edit the position data in the XY, YZ, or the ZX plane. The view 608 shown in FIG. 6A illustrates one example of a 2D position view.
[0143] 3D position view--This view may display the entire position profile for the motion control sequence in a three-dimensional display. The view 610 shown in FIG. 6A illustrates one example of a 3D position view.
[0144] Velocity view--This view may display the trapezoidal/S-curve or custom profile (only applicable if a contoured move operation is currently selected) of the velocity for the selected operation. The user may edit the velocity profile data of operations in the sequence by interacting graphically with the data displayed in this view. The user may also edit the velocity profile data by entering text data into the graphical panels for configuring the operations.
[0145] Acceleration view--This view may display the profile of the acceleration/deceleration for the selected operation. This view may be editable only if a contoured move operation is selected.
[0146] In addition to these views the motion control prototyping environment may provide tools available to display other information, such as:
[0147] Status Tool--This tool may display status information for each axis/vector space, e.g., in a separate window or tab. This provides a way to monitor the status of the motion control hardware.
[0148] Real World View Tool--This tool may display a real world view of the setup of the motion control system, e.g., in a separate window or tab. For example, a selection of stages/cartesian robot models may be provided so that the user can view the motion in the real mechanical sense of his system.
Previewing Motion Performed by a Motion Control Sequence
[0149] The motion control prototyping environment may enable the user to preview various aspects of the motion performed by a motion control sequence in one or more preview windows, e.g., a velocity profile, an acceleration profile, position plots, etc., in advance before commanding the motor to perform the sequence of moves. For example, the 2D and 3D position views discussed above may enable the user to preview the motion in two and three dimensions, respectively.
[0150] The preview window(s) may be updated dynamically as the user interacts with the motion control prototyping environment to create and edit the sequence. For example, after each new operation the user adds to the sequence, the motion control prototyping environment may update the preview window(s) to visually indicate the effect of adding the new operation. Also, when the user edits or changes an operation, the motion control prototyping environment may update the preview window(s) to visually indicate the change.
[0151] Velocity moves may display a velocity profile, and spatial moves may display displacement versus time for one axis moves, planar displacement for two axis moves, and 3D Cartesian displacement for three axis moves. Spatial moves may also take into account configured acceleration and deceleration profiles. Captures and breakpoints may be displayed along the trajectory.
[0152] The user may also be able to edit the motion by interacting directly with the preview windows. For example, in response to receiving user input to the 2D position view to specify a new location within an XY plane, the motion control prototyping environment may change properties of one or more operations in the motion control sequence such that the operations are updated to be operable to control a device to travel to the new location.
[0153] In one embodiment, the preview window(s) may display data for all of the operations in the motion control sequence. For example, if there are three move operations in the sequence, a preview window displaying position data may plot the trajectory for all three of the move operations. In another embodiment, the preview window(s) may display data for only a subset of the operations in the motion control sequence. For example, the user may select one or more operations which he desires to preview.
[0154] In one embodiment, the preview window(s) may display the information in the preview window(s) such that the user can view the entire cumulative motion at a glance. For example, if the sequence includes three motion control operations, the preview window(s) may indicate the motion trajectory of all three operations.
[0155] In another embodiment, the user may be able to request the motion control prototyping environment to simulate the motion trajectory such that the trajectory is interactively traced out in the preview window(s) as the user watches. For example, the preview window(s) may initially be empty (or may only display a coordinate grid), and the motion trajectory may gradually be plotted in the preview window(s). This may help the user to understand how the motion control device moves through space over time. This type of simulation may aid the user in performing offline development and prototyping; in other words, the user may watch a simulation of the motion even if no motion control device is coupled to the computer system.
[0156] The motion control prototyping environment may provide the user with various options relating to the speed at which the motion trajectory is interactively traced out in the preview window(s). For example, in some cases the user may desire for the trajectory to be drawn at a speed such that the time taken to draw the complete trajectory is the same as the time the actual motion would take if performed by the real motion control hardware. In other cases, the user may desire to speed up and/or slow down the drawing speed. For example, if the actual motion would take five minutes to complete on the real hardware, the user may request the motion control prototyping environment to draw the trajectory faster in the preview window, to increase the efficiency of previewing the sequence.
[0157] The motion control prototyping environment may also allow the user to configure the scale at which the trajectory is drawn in the preview window(s). For example, in some cases the user may desire to view the entire motion space at once, e.g., to achieve an overview of the overall sequence. At other times, the user may desire to "zoom in" to certain portions of the motion space. For example, if one portion of the motion sequence involves performing very small and complex movements, the user may request to zoom in to magnify the preview for that portion of the sequence.
[0158] In one embodiment, in response to the user selecting each motion control operation, the motion control prototyping environment may generate program instructions operable to implement the selected operation. These program instructions may be displayed to the user, e.g., in a separate program window. As the user selects new operations or modifies existing operations, the displayed program instructions may be updated to reflect the user's actions. Also, the user may interact with the preview window as described above to affect various aspects of the motion control operations. The displayed program instructions may also be updated in response to such user input to the preview window.
[0159] For example, in one embodiment, the program window may display a graphical program (or portion of a graphical program) implementing the selected operations. Thus, in this embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may interactively generate a graphical program to implement the motion control operations, as the user specifies the operations, rather than generating a graphical program to implement the operations once all the operations have been selected and configured. The displayed graphical program may be interactively updated when the user interacts with the preview window to affect the motion control. For example, in the above example of the user interacting with the 2D position view to specify a new location within an XY plane, the graphical program may be modified to reflect the new location. This may be done in any of various ways, depending on how the location is represented in the graphical program. As one example, an input wire representing the location may be modified to reflect the new value.
[0160] In another embodiment, the program window may display a text-based program (or portion of a text-based program) implementing the selected operations. For example, the text-based program may include text-based language code such as function or method calls as well as possibly including programming constructs such as loops, conditional statements, etc. The displayed text-based language code may be interactively updated when the user interacts with the preview window to affect the motion control. For example, in the above example of the user interacting with the 2D position view to specify a new location within an XY plane, the text-based language code may be modified to reflect the new location. This may be done in any of various ways, depending on how the location is represented in the text-based program. As one example, a parameter to a function or method call representing the location may be modified to reflect the new value.
Breakpoints/High Speed Capture
[0161] In one embodiment, the user may be able to specify various breakpoints in the motion control sequence. When the motion control sequence is performed, the current position of the axis and the velocity of the move may be recorded at the breakpoint.
[0162] The user may specify the breakpoints in various ways. For example, in one embodiment, the user may specify associate a breakpoint with a move by specifying the coordinates at which to perform the breakpoint. In another embodiment, the user may specify a breakpoint graphically. For example, the user may click on a point within the 2D view to specify that a breakpoint should be performed at that point. After the user has created the breakpoint graphically in this manner, he may fine-tune the location of the breakpoint, e.g., by utilizing a text-box to type precise coordinates.
[0163] The user may also be able to enable high-speed capture to be performed at a particular time during a move. For example, this may comprise writing a value to a general purpose digital output port on the motion controller before a move has been started or after a move has been completed.
[0164] In one embodiment, the GUI of the motion control prototyping environment may provide separate operations for inclusion in the motion control sequence for configuring breakpoints, enabling high-speed capture, and enabling writing to the digital output on the motion controller. Thus, in this embodiment, the user may add the desired operation to the motion control sequence rather than configuring another operation already in the sequence, e.g., a move operation, to perform the breakpoint/high-speed capture/write operation. This may help to keep the motion trajectory performed by the sequence separate from other aspects of the sequence.
Events
[0165] In various embodiments, the sequence of execution for the operations in a motion control sequence may be controlled according to any of various techniques or computation models. In one embodiment, an event model is utilized. An event may comprise an occurrence that causes a block in a sequence to execute. Each operation in a motion control sequence may register various events (generators) with the motion control prototyping environment. Each operation may also be operable to listen for various events (consumers). Thus, when a first operation (generator) generates an event, a second operation (consumer) listening for that event may be triggered and may execute in response to the event.
[0166] In one embodiment, a first operation must be next to a second operation in the motion control sequence if the first operation consumes an event generated by the second operation. Thus, for example, if the generator of the event is the first operation in the sequence, the consumer of the event must be the second operation in the sequence, so that the two operations are chained together. In another embodiment, generator/consumer operations may not need to be next to each other in the sequence. Thus, for example, the first operation in the sequence could generate an event that triggers execution of the fifth operation in the sequence.
[0167] One particular advantage of an event mechanism such as described above is its utility for multi-starting axes in motion. For example, if the user needs to start two axes (not part of a vector space) simultaneously, then the user may configure a first operation to generate a synchronized start event and configure a second operation to be the consumer of the synchronized start event. Once the first operation generates the synchronized start event, the second operation may execute and send an atomic start to the motion controller that starts both the axes simultaneously at the driver/firmware level.
[0168] In various embodiments, any of various types of events may be supported by the motion control prototyping environment. For example, supported events may include a Synchronized Start Event, a Synchronized Stop Event, a Position Breakpoint Event, a High Speed Capture Event, a Move Complete Event, a Blend Complete Event, a Motion Error Event, a Following Error Event, a Reference Found Event, etc.
Error Handling
[0169] In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may provide a monitoring tool that allows the user to monitor status information on all the axes, such as following error, axis off status, etc. Errors generated during performance of the motion control sequence may be logged to a log window, and the motion control operation that experienced the error may stop execution.
Plug-in Architecture
[0170] In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may be constructed according to a plug-in architecture which allows new motion control drivers to be easily added into the environment. This may allow an abstraction so that the motion control prototyping environment continues to work with future motion APIs and/or third party plug-ins. The driver plug-ins may be based on a registration scheme that allows the plug-ins to be loaded at runtime. In addition to driver plug-ins, different stage/cartesian robot models may also be plugged in and displayed in the real-world view tool described above.
Use Case 1--Wafer Defect Inspection
[0171] Several exemplary use cases are presented below to further illustrate how a motion control prototyping environment such as described above may be utilized to solve real-world motion control problems.
[0172] The first use case pertains to wafers to be inspected for defects. The wafers are retrieved from a cassette carrier and loaded on an inspection table by a robotic handler. The wafers are then rotated and moved laterally along their radius while a fixed laser beam is directed at the wafer surface. Scattered laser light is collected by multiple detectors and fed to an analysis system. The wafers are removed by another robot and put in output cassettes according to their defect levels.
[0173] This application may be implemented using a sequence in the motion control prototyping environment with four move operations:
[0174] a) A straight-line move operation that moves the robotic arm over the inspection table. A value maybe written to a digital output bit before the move is performed to lift the wafer. Another value may be written to a digital output bit after the move is performed to release the wafer.
[0175] b) A straight-line move operation to move the robotic arm away from the inspection table to its initial position.
[0176] c) A straight-line move operation to cause the rotary stage on the inspection table to rotate the wafer while the laser beam is directed at its surface. The laser can be activated by writing a value to another digital output bit on the motion controller before this move starts, and may be shut off with another write value after the move is performed.
[0177] d) A straight-line move operation that moves the rotating assembly laterally. This operation may be synchronized with the rotary motion, e.g., using a "synchronized start" event such as described above.
[0178] After the analysis step, the wafer may be moved by another robotic arm to either a "defect" parts tray or a "good" parts tray. These operations may be respectively performed by two other motion control sequences. One sequence may move the robotic arm to the position that corresponds with the "defect" parts tray and the other may move the robotic arm to the position that corresponds to the "good" parts tray. Based on the analysis of the wafer, the appropriate sequence may be executed. For example, the analysis of the wafer may be performed by a program written in or executing under control of an application development environment (ADE). As described above, the program may be operable to invoke a sequence to run under control of the motion control prototyping environment. Thus, the program may invoke the appropriate sequence to cause the wafer to be placed in the appropriate tray, depending on the results of the wafer analysis.
[0179] Alternatively, the motion control prototyping environment may programmatically generate program code to implement the sequences developed in the motion control prototyping environment, as described above. The user may then customize the generated program code, e.g., to add code for performing the wafer analysis and for causing the appropriate portion of the automatically generated code to execute in response the results of the analysis. Thus, in this example, the user's program may implement the entire application without requesting the motion control prototyping environment to execute part of the application.
[0180] To facilitate this application, the motion control operations may be synchronized with other types of operations such as data acquisition (DAQ) operations. For example, the sequence may include a DAQ operation that causes a DAQ device to acquire the intensity of the laser beam. At every scan, the DAQ operation may trigger the high-speed capture on the motion device. This may cause synchronized position-intensity readings that make it easy to map the wafer with the defects.
Use Case 2--Glue Dispensing
[0181] The second example use case pertains to glue that needs to be applied to the sole of a shoe. The glue gun is installed on a fixture including two motors. The glue needs to be dispensed consistently; thus, the 2D-vector velocity at which the glue gun traverses the path of the sole must be constant throughout the move.
[0182] This application may be implemented using a sequence in the motion control prototyping environment with two operations:
[0183] a) a reference move operation to move the X and Y axes into their reference starting positions.
[0184] b) a contoured move operation to follow the path of the sole. Position data describing the shape of the sole may be read in. This data may then be used to plot the profile of the move in 2D space. Based on the move constraints such as velocity, acceleration, deceleration and jerk, the points read in may be re-mapped to achieve the desired velocity profile. On execution, the Contoured move operation may send the points to the motion controllers that causes the 2D vector to move through the desired space at constant velocity.
Use Case 3--Capturing Images While Moving
[0185] The third example use case pertains to capturing images while moving. It is required to take images while an XY stage is moving through a pre-determined sequence. Images may be taken based on the hardware triggering the camera.
[0186] This application may be implemented using a sequence in the motion control prototyping environment with two or more operations. The move profile may be defined, e.g., using straight-line, blended, and/or contoured moves. Breakpoints may then be set at the appropriate points within the position plot where the camera needs to be triggered. This enables the breakpoints in the hardware at those positions. When the move operations are executed, the breakpoints may trigger the camera, causing it to capture the images at the desired positions.
[0187] If image analysis needs to be performed on a captured image after a breakpoint has occurred, the analysis may be performed in any of various ways. For example, the sequence developed in the motion control prototyping environment may be integrated with other program code. For example, a program operable to perform the image analysis may be written, wherein the program is operable to invoke a sequence for execution in the motion control prototyping environment, or the user may request the motion control prototyping environment to generate standalone code implementing the sequence and may then modify the generated code to include the image analysis logic, as described above.
[0188] Alternatively, in one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may provide image analysis operations in addition to motion control operations. Thus, the user may develop a sequence that also includes the appropriate image analysis operations for analyzing the images. Thus, in this case, the user may develop a solution for the application entirely within the motion control prototyping environment. This may advantageously enable the user to work at a high-level, by using the GUI of the prototyping environment to implement the application, rather than using a programming language.
Use Case 4--Testing Resistors
[0189] The fourth example use case pertains to retrofitting a system used to test resistors. Assume that the potentiometer head is currently moved manually, and the resistance value of the resistor is tested using a DAQ device. It may be desirable to automate the system using a motor that can move the potentiometer head automatically. Using a single axis, the potentiometer head can be moved in a sinusoidal fashion at different frequencies, and analysis of resistance readings can be performed in conjunction with a DAQ device.
[0190] This application may be implemented using a sequence in the motion control prototyping environment, wherein the sequence includes a contoured move operation. A table of position values describing the sinusoidal motion may be loaded, and the contoured move operation may cause the desired sinusoidal motion. For different frequencies, different tables can be specified.
[0191] Similarly as described above, the motion control performed by the sequence may be integrated with other code, e.g., code that implements DAQ analysis functions. For example, a separate program including the DAQ analysis functions may invoke execution of the motion control sequence within the motion control prototyping environment, or the motion control prototyping environment may automatically generate code which the user can customize by adding the DAQ analysis functions. In another embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment may also enable the user to include DAQ operations in the sequence, as described above. Thus, in this case, the user may develop a solution for the application entirely within the motion control prototyping environment.
Use Case 5--Flying Welding
[0192] The fifth example use case pertains to a flying welding application. The objective is to weld one spot on a part moving on a conveyor belt. The welding gun is installed on a linear arm controlled by a linear motor. The welding needs to happen without stopping the conveyor belt.
[0193] This application may be implemented using a sequence in the motion control prototyping environment as follows:
[0194] A reference move operation to move the arm to its starting position waiting for a part.
[0195] A gearing operation which may start on a high-speed capture trigger. This operation gears the linear axis to an encoder mounted on the conveyor belt. The gearing ratio is set at 2:1.
[0196] A wait block to wait for a predetermined amount of time, to allow the linear arm to be positioned over the piece to be welded.
[0197] A gearing configuration operation to change the gear ratio to 1:1. It writes to a digital output bit to start the welding. The arm may now move at the same speed as the conveyor and perform the welding while moving.
[0198] Another gearing operation to shut off the welding flame by writing to the digital output and then disable gearing.
Programmatic Generation of a Graphical Program
[0199] As described above with reference to step 405B of FIG. 4, in one embodiment, a graphical program operable to perform the motion control (or MC/MV/DAQ) sequence developed in the motion control prototyping environment may be automatically, i.e., programmatically generated. In various embodiments, this programmatic generation may be performed in any of various ways. In one embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment application may include functionality for both creating the motion control sequence and generating the graphical program. In another embodiment, the motion control prototyping environment application may interface with another program to request the graphical program to be generated, e.g., according to a client/server methodology.
[0200] As described above, the graphical program may be programmatically generated with little or no user input received during the generation process. In one embodiment, the graphical program is programmatically generated with no user input required. In another embodiment, the user may be prompted for certain decisions during or prior to the programmatic generation, such as the type of graphical program to generate, a file name or location for the graphical program, the look and feel of a user interface for the graphical program, the number or degree of comments contained within the graphical program, etc.
[0201] Various objects may be included in the generated graphical program, such as nodes and/or programmatic structures (e.g., loops, case structures, etc.) to include in a block diagram of the graphical program. The graphical program may also include a user interface portion including various user interface objects, such as one or more user interface panels having controls for specifying user input to the graphical program and/or indicators for displaying output from the graphical program. As described above, block diagram objects in a graphical program are typically interconnected so as to visually indicate functionality of the program. Thus, generating the graphical program may also comprise connecting or wiring together the block diagram objects appropriately. Also, the positions and/or sizes of the objects may be specified (e.g., to create an easily readable block diagram), among other properties or configuration of the objects (e.g., configuration of data types, parameters, etc.).
[0202] Programmatically generating the graphical program may comprise generating one or more files or data structures defining or representing the graphical program. When a user interactively develops a graphical program from within a graphical programming environment, the graphical programming environment may create one or more program files. For example, the program files may specify information such as a set of nodes included in the graphical program, interconnections among these nodes, programmatic structures such as loops, etc. Also, the program files may store various data structures, e.g., in binary form, which the graphical programming environment uses to directly represent the graphical program. Thus, in programmatically generating the graphical program, one or more files or data structures representing the graphical program may be programmatically generated, wherein these files may be structured or formatted appropriately for a particular graphical programming development environment.
[0203] In various embodiments, any of various types of graphical programs may be generated. The generated graphical program may be targeted toward a particular graphical programming development environment. Thus, in programmatically generating the program, files may be created that are formatted in a manner expected by the targeted graphical programming development environment. This may be desirable or necessary, for example, when the graphical programming development environment includes a runtime environment that is required for the generated graphical program to execute. Examples of graphical programming development environments include LabVIEW, BridgeVIEW, DasyLab, and DiaDem from National Instruments, VEE from Agilent, Simulink from The MathWorks, Softwire from Measurement Computing, Inc., Sanscript from Northwoods Software, WiT from Coreco, and Vision Program Manager from PPT Vision, among others.
[0204] In one embodiment, a database may be utilized in programmatically generating the graphical program, wherein the database stores information specifying how to generate graphical source code to implement each possible MC/MV/DAQ operation. In one embodiment, the targeted graphical programming development environment may provide nodes that correspond directly to MC/MV/DAQ operations in the sequence. For example, to implement a straight-line move operation included in the sequence, a corresponding straight-line move node may be included in the graphical program, wherein the node is executable to cause a motion control device to perform the configured straight-line move. For example, properties of the straight-line move operation that were configured graphically in the motion control prototyping environment, such as the X position value, the Y position value, etc., may be specified as parameters to the straight-line move node.
[0205] In another embodiment, there may not be a graphical program node directly corresponding to one or more of the operations in the motion control sequence. Thus, these operations may need to be implemented using a combination of nodes provided by the graphical programming development environment. For example, in one embodiment, a straight-line move operation may be implemented using a plurality of low-level nodes operable to send appropriate control signals to a motion control device to cause the device to perform a straight-line move. In this example, the graphical source code programmatically generated for the straight-line move operation may include programming constructs such as loops, timers, etc., operable to receive feedback from the motion control device and to cause the device to move to the correct location.
[0206] In one embodiment, the program that generates the graphical program based on the motion control sequence may be a self-contained program that includes all executable logic necessary for programmatically generating the new graphical program. In another embodiment, a client/server programming model may be utilized, in which the client portion creates and/or processes the motion control sequence information and determines the graphical program to be generated based on this information (i.e., determines the block diagram objects to be included in the program, the interconnections among these objects, etc.). The client portion may then call an API provided by t