A control system for an autonomous vehicle or robot comprises a plurality of high level controllers. Each high level controller is able to provide high level movement commands independently of the other high level controllers. A low level controller is arranged to receive the high level movement commands of one of the high level controllers and to convert said received high level movement commands into electrical outputs to a plurality of electrical motors/actuators for driving the vehicle/robot. A decision system, independent of the high level controllers, is configured to decide which one of the high level controllers is to be active. The active high level controller only is used provide the high level movement commands to the low level controller.

A stored control program includes subperiods into which an operation period from a start to an end of an operation of an automated manufacturing machine is divided. Each subperiod is assigned with an actuator to act and action information about the actuator. The subperiods are sequentially selected one by one as a control target, and feedback control is performed on an action of the actuator assigned to the selected subperiod. This reduces the number of actuators controlled at the same time for controlling the operation of an automated manufacturing machine including many actuators. The control program can thus be executed promptly with an operation control apparatus having ordinary processing capability.

An action chart describing an operation of an automated manufacturing machine includes subperiods into which an operation period from a start to an end of the operation of the automated manufacturing machine is divided. The action chart includes element actions included in the operation of the automated manufacturing machine. The element actions on the action chart are assigned to the subperiods and each include an action identifier including qualitative information about the element action, and a numerical table or numerical parameters. The action chart is read. The action identifiers on the action chart are converted into program elements stored in a manner associated with the action identifiers. A numerical value in the numerical table or the numerical parameters is set for each program element. The program elements are combined together in an order of the subperiods on the action chart.

A machining program creating device that calculates a movement command indicating a tool path based on the machining program including the machining cycle command includes machining region calculating means for calculating a machining region based on a machining condition and a finished shape specified by the machining cycle command, movement command calculating means for calculating the movement command based on the machining condition specified by the machining cycle command, and the machining region calculated by the machining region calculating means, and machining program creating means for creating a machining program without a machining cycle command, based on an unmachined workpiece shape and the finished shape specified by the machining cycle command, the machining region calculated by the machining region calculating means, and the movement command calculated by the movement command calculating means.

Element actions of actuators incorporated in an automated manufacturing machine are stored in a manner associated with program elements to perform the element actions. An action chart is used to describe an operation of the automated manufacturing machine, with one element action having an end linked to a start of another element action using a logical operation. The action chart describing the operation of the automated manufacturing machine is read. The element actions on the action chart are converted into the program elements. The program elements are combined together in accordance with the action chart. This allows automatic generation of a control program for controlling the operation of the automated manufacturing machine.

A machining program creating device that calculates a movement command indicating a tool path based on the machining program including the machining cycle command includes machining region calculating means for calculating a machining region based on a machining condition and a finished shape specified by the machining cycle command, movement command calculating means for calculating the movement command based on the machining condition specified by the machining cycle command, and the machining region calculated by the machining region calculating means, and machining program creating means for creating a machining program without a machining cycle command, based on an unmachined workpiece shape and the finished shape specified by the machining cycle command, the machining region calculated by the machining region calculating means, and the movement command calculated by the movement command calculating means.

Element actions of actuators incorporated in an automated manufacturing machine are stored in a manner associated with program elements to perform the element actions. An action chart is used to describe an operation of the automated manufacturing machine, with one element action having an end linked to a start of another element action using a logical operation. The action chart describing the operation of the automated manufacturing machine is read. The element actions on the action chart are converted into the program elements. The program elements are combined together in accordance with the action chart. This allows automatic generation of a control program for controlling the operation of the automated manufacturing machine.

For an improved management of a postprocessor, for machining with a machine tool, a computer-implemented method includes providing toolpath data for machining a workpiece with a tool along a corresponding toolpath. The tool is comprised by a machine tool that is numerically controlled by a control device. Sample machine code is provided. Atrial postprocessor software component for determining machine code using toolpath data is provided. Trial machine code is determined using the trial postprocessor software component and the toolpath data. A sample code architecture of the sample machine code and a trial code architecture of the trial machine code are determined. Characteristics of the sample machine code are determined by comparing the sample code architecture with the trial code architecture, and a new postprocessor software component is determined by incorporating the characteristics into the trial postprocessor software component.