A controller for performing synchronization control over the master axis and the slave axis to follow an electronic cam profile includes a reference position calculator that, in response to power being restored after a power disconnect, obtains a position of the master axis and calculates reference positions of the master axis and the slave axis based on the obtained position of the master axis, a position of the master axis at cam synchronization, and the electronic cam profile, and a return control unit that performs return control to determine a position of the slave axis corresponding to a current position of the master axis based on the current position of the master axis, the electronic cam profile, and the reference positions of the master axis and the slave axis calculated by the reference position calculator, and that moves the slave axis to the determined position.

An operation command generation device includes movement curve designation circuitry configured to determine a movement curve describing an operation of each of at least one mechanism element included in a virtual mechanism, and operation command generation circuitry configured to generate an operation command to control an actual mechanism based on the movement curve.

A controller for performing synchronization control over the master axis and the slave axis to follow an electronic cam profile includes a reference position calculator that, in response to power being restored after a power disconnect, obtains a position of the master axis and calculates reference positions of the master axis and the slave axis based on the obtained position of the master axis, a position of the master axis at cam synchronization, and the electronic cam profile, and a return control unit that performs return control to determine a position of the slave axis corresponding to a current position of the master axis based on the current position of the master axis, the electronic cam profile, and the reference positions of the master axis and the slave axis calculated by the reference position calculator, and that moves the slave axis to the determined position.

A CPU unit of a PLC executes a motion control and a sequence control. The CPU unit stores a CAM table and a control program for performing the motion control using the CAM table. When a microprocessor receives a command for altering one of a plurality of phases and/or a displacement associated with the phase, the microprocessor alters the phase and/or the displacement in the CAM table to a value that is on the basis of the command. When the microprocessor performs the alteration, the microprocessor executes a control program using a post-alteration CAM table, and outputs the execution results to an apparatus to be controlled.

It is possible to easily change CAM tables, which are used for executing an electronic CAM operation. A CAM computation program performs an electronic CAM operation, using a CAM table that is an array in which displacements of a slave axis of an electronic CAM are associated with phases of a master axis of the electronic CAM. A CAM table generating program receives input of a CAM definition variable that defines an electronic CAM operation to be realized by a motion control, and generates a CAM table in which a CAM curve is stored as an array corresponding to the inputted CAM definition variable. A microprocessor performs a CAM computation program using the CAM table. If the microprocessor receives the input of the CAM definition variable, the microprocessor performs the CAM table generating program to generate the CAM table, and stores the generated CAM table into the main memory.

A cam data display device is designed to perform waveform display of a motion of an electronic cam and is provided with a cam-shape data storage unit configured to store cam-shape data in which a phase of a camshaft is associated with a position of a slave axis, a camshaft rotational speed acquisition unit configured to acquire a rotational speed of the camshaft, and a waveform generation unit configured to generate the waveform display indicative of the relationship between time and the motion of the slave axis, based on the cam-shape data and the rotational speed of the camshaft.