Digital feedrate generator

Claim 2

A feedrate generator circuit arrangement comprising: means for generating a first set of digital signals; means for generating a second set of digital signals; first rate multiplier means; means for applying said first set of digital signals to said first rate multiplier means, said first rate multiplier means being operative to recurrently produce a train of pulses in response to said first set of digital signals, the number of pulses in each train being Determined by said first set of digital signals; clock pulse means for driving said first rate multiplier means to cause recurrence of each pulse train of said recurrent pulse trains at a predetermined rate; second rate multiplier means; means for intermittently applying said second set of digital signals to said second rate multiplier means, said second rate multiplier means being operative to recurrently produce a train of pulses in response to said second set of digital signals, the number of pulses in each train being determined by said second set of digital signals; and means for applying the recurrent pulse train output of said first rate multiplier means to said second rate multiplier means, said second rate multiplier means being operative in response to the recurrent pulse train output of said first rate multiplier means to provide pulse trains having a rate of recurrence responsive to the output of said first rate multiplier means and having a number of pulses in each pulse train determined by said second set of digital signals.

Claim 3

A feedrate generator as recited in claim 1, wherein said means for applying said second set of digital signals to said second rate multiplier means includes: a counter; means for causing said counter to count up from its lowest count condition for successively producing digital signals having successively increasing numerical values; and means responsive to said second set of digital signals and to the output of said counter for applying said successively produced digital signals to said second rate multiplier means until said counter digital output signals exceed in value said second digital signals and thereafter applying said second set of digital signals to said second rate multiplier means.

Claim 4

Apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said means for applying the digital output signals of said counter to said rate multiplier means until the value exceeds the value of said second digital signals comprises: a comparator having an output and first and second inputs; means for applying said counter digital output signals to the first input of said comparator; means for supplying said second digital signals to the second input of said comparator; a first set of AND gates to which said digital output signals of said counter are applied; a second set of AND gates to which said second digital signals are applied; a plurality of OR gates; means for connecting the inputs of said OR gates to said first and second AND gates; means for connecting the outputs of said OR gates to the inputs of said second rate multiplier means; means for enabling said first set of AND gates responsive to said comparator output when said counter digital output signals are equal or less than said second digital signals; and means for enabling said second set of AND gates when said counter digital output signals exceed in value the value of said second digital signals.

Claim 5

Apparatus as recited in claim 3 wherein said means for producing second digital signals includes: means for generating jog digital signals and means for generating motion modifier digital signals; a third and a fourth set of AND gates; means for applying said jog digital signals to said third set of AND gates; means for applying said motion modifier digital signals to said fourth set of AND gates; OR gate means for coupling the outputs of said third and fourth sets of AND gates to the input of said comparator means and to the inputs of said second set of AND gates; means for enabling said third set of AND gates to pass said job digital signals when a jog operation is desired; means for enabling said fourth set of AND gates to pass said motion modifier digital signals when an automatic operation is desired; and gate means, for providing a first output from said second rate multiplier in response to said third set of AND gates being enablEd, and a second output from said second rate multiplier means when said fourth set of AND gates is enabled.

Claim 6

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for producing first digital signals includes a plurality of switch means settable to establish a plurality of signals having a desired numerical value.

Claim 7

Apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said means for applying the recurrent pulse train output of said first rate multiplier to said second rate multiplier to drive said second rate multiplier includes: a third rate multiplier having an input connected to the output of said first rate multiplier to be driven thereby and having its output connected to said second rate multiplier to drive said second rate multiplier; a counter; means for applying pulses to said counter to cause it to count from its lowest count condition to its highest count condition to produce binary output signals; and means for applying said binary output signals to the input of said third rate multiplier for enabling said third rate multiplier to produce recurrent output pulse trains each having a number responsive to the value of the digital signals applied to said third rate multiplier input by said counter.

Claim 8

Apparatus as recited in claim 6 wherein said means for producing second digital signals includes: jog digital signal producing means and motion modifier digital signal-producing means; a first plurality of AND gates; a second plurality of AND gates; means for applying jog digital signals to said first plurality of AND gates; means for applying said motion modifier digital signals to said second plurality of AND gates; a plurality of OR gates; means for connecting the outputs of said first and second pluralities of AND gates to respective inputs of said plurality of OR gates; means for connecting the outputs of said plurality of OR gates to the input of said second rate multiplier; means for enabling said first plurality of AND gates when it is desired to execute a jog operation; means for enabling said second plurality of AND gates when it is desired to execute an automatic operation; and gate means for producing a second recurrent train of pulses from the output of said second rate multiplier only when said first plurality of AND gates is enabled.

Claim 9

A feedrate generator for a numerical control system comprising: a first rate multiplier means for producing recurrent pulse trains; a second rate multiplier means for producing recurrent pulse trains; clock pulse input means for determining a frequency of operation of each of said rate multiplier means; digital signal input means for determining the number of pulses in each of said recurrent pulse trains; manually controllable means for generating first digital signals; means for applying said first digital signals to the digital signal input means of said first rate multiplier means; means for generating jog digital signals; means for generating motion modifier digital signals; first gate means for applying, when enabled, said jog digital signals to said digital signal input means of said second rate multiplier means; second gate means for applying, when enabled, said motion modifier digital signals to said digital signal input means of said second rate multiplier means; control means for enabling said first gate means when a jog operation is desired; for enabling said second gate means when an automatic operation is desired; and means for applying the output of said first rate multiplier means to the clock pulse input means of said second rate multiplier means.

Claim 10

A feedrate generator for a numerical control system comprising: a first rate multiplier means for producing recurrent pulse trains; a second rate multiplier means for producing recurrent pulse trains; clock pulse input means for determining a frequency of operation of each of said rate multiplier means; digital signal input means for determining the number of pulses in each of said recurrent pulse trains; manually controllable means for generating first digital signals; means for applying said first digital signals to the digital signal input means of said first rate multiplier means; means for generating jog digital signals; means for generating motion modifier digital signals; first gate means for applying, when enabled, said jog digital signals to said digital signal input means of said second rate multiplier means; second gate means for applying, when enabled, said motion modifier digital signals to said digital signal input means of said second rate multiplier means; control means for enabling said first gate means when a jog operation is desired; for enabling said second gate means when an automatic operation is desired; and means for applying the output of said first rate multiplier means to the clock pulse input means of said second rate multiplier means.

Claim 11

Apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said control means comprises: reversible counter means having a clock pulse input for causing said counter to alter its count states responsive to clock pulses and a control input terminal means for enabling said counter to count in an incrEasing direction, producing digital output signals of an increasing value responsive to a first signal, and enabling said counter to count in a decreasing direction, producing output digital signals of a decreasing value, responsive to a second signal; flip-flop means having a first state for applying a first signal to said reversible countercontrol input terminal means and a second state for applying a second signal to said countercontrol input terminal means; a third gate means; a fourth gate means; means for connecting the outputs of said first and second gate means to said fourth gate means; means for connecting the output of said countermeans to said third gate means; means connecting the outputs of said third and fourth gate means to said digital signal input means of said second rate multiplier means; means for driving said flip-flop means to its first state to produce a first output upon the actuation of either said first or said second gate means; comparator means for enabling said third gate means to permit the output of said countermeans to be applied to said second rate multiplier means for a predetermined interval, and thereafter enabling said fourth gate means to apply its digital output in place of the digital output of said third gate means to said digital signal input means of said second rate multiplier mean; means operative upon the termination of an enabling signal to either said first or said second gate means for driving said flip-flop means to its second state to cause said reversible counter means to commence counting in a downward direction; and means responsive to said counter means counting in said downward direction for disabling said fourth gate means and enabling said third gate means for applying the output of said third gate means to said digital signal input means of said second binary rate multiplier means.

Claim 12

Apparatus as recited in claim 8 wherein said means for applying the output of said first rate multiplier means to the clock pulse input means of said second rate multiplier means includes: a third rate multiplier means having a clock pulse input means and a plurality of digital inputs responsive to which the number of pulses in a recurrent pulse train output of said third rate multiplier means is determined; means for connecting the output of said first rate multiplier means to the clock pulse input means of said third rate multiplier means; means for connecting the output of said third rate multiplier means to the clock pulse input means of said second rate multiplier means; a reversible counter having a clock pulse input terminal means for driving said counter responsive to clock pulses being applied thereto and a control terminal means for causing said counter to count in an increasing direction producing a sequence of binary signals having an increasing value in response to a first signal, and for causing said counter to count in a decreasing direction producing digital output signals having a decreasing value in response to a second signal; flip-flop means having a first state for applying a first signal to said reversible countercontrol terminal means and a second state for applying a second signal to said reversible countercontrol terminal means; means for applying the output of said reversible counter to the digital inputs of said third rate multiplier means; means responsive to the application of an enabling signal to said first gate means or to said second gate means for transferring said flip-flop means to its first state; and means responsive to the removal of said enabling signal from said first gate means or from said second gate means for transferring said flip-flop means to its second state.

Claim 13

In combination with a numerically controlled machine tool system, wherein there is provided a feedrate generator for generating recurrent pulse trains having the number of pulses in a pulse train determined by a feedrate word, said rEcurrent pulse trains being applied to an interpolator circuit for each axis for determining the total number of pulses to be applied to servocontrol circuits for each axis for controlling the amount of movement to occur along each axis over a predetermined interval: an additional feedrate generator means having a first output connected to the feedrate generator of said machine tool system for providing clock pulses thereto and a second output selectively connected to the respective servocontrol circuits for each of the axes of said machine tool system, said additional feedrate generator including a manually controllable means for generating a plurality of digital signals having desired values; means for producing for each axis a plurality of jog digital signals representative of desired numerical values for each axis of said machine tool system; counter means for generating digital signals of successively increasing numerical values; feedrate means responsive to said digital signals from said manually controllable means for generating digital signals, and responsive to the digital signals from one of said jog digital signal-producing means and to the digital signals from said counter means for producing at its output recurrent pulse trains having the number of pulses in each pulse train initially determined by the digital output of said counter means reaching a maximum number determined by the value of said one of the jog digitals signals and at a frequency determined by the value of the digital signals generated by said manually controllable means for generating digital signals; and means for applying the output of said additional feedrate generator means to the one of said servocontrol circuits which drives the slide axis corresponding to the one of the jog digital signals associated with that axis which is applied to said additional feedrate generator means.

Claim 14

In combination with a numerically controlled machine tool system, wherein there is provided a feedrate generator for generating recurrent pulse trains having the number of pulses in a pulse train determined by a feedrate word, said rEcurrent pulse trains being applied to an interpolator circuit for each axis for determining the total number of pulses to be applied to servocontrol circuits for each axis for controlling the amount of movement to occur along each axis over a predetermined interval: an additional feedrate generator means having a first output connected to the feedrate generator of said machine tool system for providing clock pulses thereto and a second output selectively connected to the respective servocontrol circuits for each of the axes of said machine tool system, said additional feedrate generator including a manually controllable means for generating a plurality of digital signals having desired values; means for producing for each axis a plurality of jog digital signals representative of desired numerical values for each axis of said machine tool system; counter means for generating digital signals of successively increasing numerical values; feedrate means responsive to said digital signals from said manually controllable means for generating digital signals, and responsive to the digital signals from one of said jog digital signal-producing means and to the digital signals from said counter means for producing at its output recurrent pulse trains having the number of pulses in each pulse train initially determined by the digital output of said counter means reaching a maximum number determined by the value of said one of the jog digitals signals and at a frequency determined by the value of the digital signals generated by said manually controllable means for generating digital signals; and means for applying the output of said additional feedrate generator means to the one of said servocontrol circuits which drives the slide axis corresponding to the one of the jog digital signals associated with that axis which is applied to said additional feedrate generator means.