Motion Control Systems

Abstract

A system for allowing communication between a software application and at least one motion controller in a set of motion controllers comprising a set of selectable software modules, a software system, and a driver administrator. At least two selectable software modules expose a common software interface. The software application comprises at least one motion command associated with a primitive motion operation. The software system uses the driver administrator to select at least one selected software module and to load the selected software module. The software system commands at least one selected motion controller to perform the desired motion sequence using the plurality of motion commands of the software application and the common software interface.

1 . A system for allowing communication between a software application and at least one motion controller in a set of motion controllers, comprising:
 a set of motion operations consisting of primitive motion operations and non-primitive motion operations, where
 non-primitive motion operations can be performed using a plurality of primitive motion operations, and 
 primitive motion operations cannot be performed using a plurality of primitive motion operations; 
   a set of motion commands, where at least one motion command is associated with one of the primitive motion operations;   a set of selectable software modules, where
 each software module is associated with at least one motion controller in the set of motion controllers, and 
 at least two selectable software modules expose a common software interface; 
   a software system capable of commanding motion controllers to perform motion operations using the common software interfaces exposed by the software modules; and   a driver administrator capable of selecting and loading at least one of the set of selectable software modules; wherein   the software application comprises a plurality of motion commands associated with a desired motion sequence, where the application comprises at least one motion command associated with a primitive motion operation;   the software system uses the driver administrator to select at least one selected software module;   the software application uses the driver administrator to load the selected software module: and   the software system commands at least one selected motion controller to perform the desired motion sequence using
 the plurality of motion commands of the software application, and 
 the common software interface exposed by the at least one selected software module associated with the at least one selected motion controller. 
   
     
     
         2 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which a definition of the common software interface is programmatically acquirable. 
     
     
         3 . A system as recited in  claim 1  in which a definition of the common software interface is acquirable from at least one of the selectable software modules in the set of selectable software modules. 
     
     
         4 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising an operating system on which the software module is run. 
     
     
         5 . A system as recited in  claim 4 , in which a definition of the common software interface is acquirable from the operating system. 
     
     
         6 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which a definition of the common software interface is acquirable from a persisted storage medium. 
     
     
         7 . A system as recited in  claim 6 , in which the persisted storage medium is a disk file. 
     
     
         8 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which at least one motion operation causes data to be read from the motion controller. 
     
     
         9 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which at least one motion operation causes data to be received from the motion controller. 
     
     
         10 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which at least one motion operation causes motion data to be written to the motion controller. 
     
     
         11 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which at least one motion operation causes an object to move. 
     
     
         12 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which at least one motion operation causes a motion device to move. 
     
     
         13 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which the software system further comprises a user interface for selecting at least one selectable software module. 
     
     
         14 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which the software system further comprises software functionality that causes the driver administrator to programmatically select at least one selectable software module. 
     
     
         15 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a selection software module comprising a user interface that allows at least one selectable software module to be selected. 
     
     
         16 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a selection software module comprising software functionality that programmatically selects at least one selectable software module. 
     
     
         17 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which the motion commands comprise:
 non-primitive motion commands, where each non-primitive motion operation is associated with at least one non-primitive motion operation; and   primitive motion commands, where each primitive motion command is associated with at least one primitive motion operation.   
     
     
         18 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which each of the selectable software modules is a binary module. 
     
     
         19 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which the software application is a binary module. 
     
     
         20 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which the driver administrator is a binary module. 
     
     
         21 . A system as recited in  claim 1 , in which
 each of the selectable software modules is a binary module;   the software application is a binary module; and   the driver administrator is a binary module.