SYSTEM FOR CONTROLLING AND/OR REGULATING A PLURALITY OF MACHINES

Abstract

A system for controlling and/or regulating a plurality of machines includes a control unit designed to communicate with the plurality of machines and to transmit to at least one of the plurality of machines a data packet which includes an instruction for carrying out a work task, and a licensing unit designed to provide a license required for carrying out the work task, with the license being awarded in the presence of an authorization to carry out the work task when the at least one of the plurality of machines meets a certain technical requirement.

Claims

1.-15. (canceled)

16. A system for controlling and/or regulating a plurality of machines, said system comprising: a control unit designed to communicate with the plurality of machines and to transmit to at least one of the plurality of machines a data packet which includes an instruction for carrying out a work task; and a licensing unit designed to provide a license required for carrying out the work task, with the license being awarded in the presence of an authorization to carry out the work task when the at least one of the plurality of machines meets a certain technical requirement.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the certain technical requirement is a maintaining of a certain speed or an ability to carry out a certain type of 3D printing.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit is designed to carry out a computing step for determining the instruction for the at least one of the plurality of machines.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the computing step is configured to have an identifier assigned thereto.

20. The system of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of said control unit.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit, the licensing unit and the at least one of the plurality of machines are communicatively connected.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising a bus system for communicatively connecting the control unit, the licensing unit and the at least one of the plurality of machines.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit is configured to execute a defined computing step from a number of computing steps or a plurality of defined computing steps from the number of computing steps.

24. The system of claim 18, further comprising a plurality of said control unit configured in such a manner that, after determination of a current utilization of the control units, the computing step or computing steps is/are executed by the control unit or control units dynamically adapted to the current utilization.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the control unit is designed to receive machine-specific data via a data provision unit of the at least one of the plurality of machines.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one of the plurality of machines includes a communication stroke or is connected to a communication stroke, with the communication stroke designed for bundled transmission of machine-specific data.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein the licensing unit is designed to provide floating licenses.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein the licensing unit is designed to provide pay-per-use licenses.

29. The system of claim 16, wherein the at least one of the machines is designed to produce a three-dimensional object by additive manufacturing.

30. A method for operating a system for controlling and/or regulating a plurality of machines, said method comprising: transmitting with a control unit a data packet to at least one of the plurality of machines, with the data packet including an instruction for the at least one of the plurality of machines to perform a work task; and awarding with a licensing unit a license required for carrying out the work task in the presence of an authorization to carry out the work task when the at least one of the plurality of machines meets a certain technical requirement.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising executing with the control unit a computing step for determining the instruction for the at least one of the plurality of machines.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising transmitting a setpoint value for at least one actuator to the at least one of the plurality of machines.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising assigning an identifier to the computing step.

34. The method of claim 30, further comprising communicatively connecting the control unit, the licensing unit and the at least one of the plurality of machines.

35. The method of claim 31, further comprising: determining a current utilization of the control unit; and dynamically adapting the computing step to the current utilization.

Description

[0047] The invention is described and explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the figures. It is shown in:

[0048] FIG. 1 the system for controlling and/or regulating a plurality of machines,

[0049] FIG. 2 a structure within the control unit, by way of example,

[0050] FIG. 3 a method for operating such a system.

[0051] FIG. 1 shows the system for controlling and/or regulating a plurality of machines M1, . . . , Mn.

[0052] The system 1 has a common licensing unit 2 and at least one control unit S1. Advantageously, a plurality of control units S1, . . . , Sm is present. The control unit S1 is designed in such a manner that a data packet can be transmitted to one machine M1 or multiple machines M1, . . . , Mn.

[0053] The data packet comprises an instruction for carrying out a work task. The licensing unit 2 provides a license required for carrying out the work task. The control unit S1 or the plurality of control units S1, . . . , Sm, the machine M1 or the plurality of machines M1, . . . , Mn and the licensing unit 2 are preferably communicatively connected, in particular via a bus system 6.

[0054] The invention enables one or more powerful control units to control a multiplicity of machines. This is advantageously achieved by means of an m:n relationship.

[0055] Communication can take place both via a common bus (shown as a bus system 6) and via a direct bus (not shown) between one control unit S1 or multiple control units S1 . . . Sm and one machine M1 or multiple machines M1 . . . Mn.

[0056] FIG. 2 shows a structure within the control unit S1 by way of example.

[0057] The figure shows that the control unit S1 has an administration block 3, a G-code processing block 4 and an interpolation block 5 for carrying out computing steps. Furthermore, the control unit 1 contains at least one, preferably a plurality of regulating blocks R1, . . . , Rm. There is a communicative connection between the blocks 3,4,5, R1, . . . , Rm.

[0058] The figure furthermore shows that the plurality of machines M1, . . . , Mn, each has a communication stroke H1, . . . , Hn or is connected to a communication stroke H1, . . . , Hn. The communication stroke H1, . . . , Hn is designed for bundled transmission of machine-specific data.

[0059] Machine-specific data is, for example, data which describes a machine property, such as, for example, a reference point, axis gain factors, dynamics settings or a maximum speed of the axis. Furthermore, machine-specific data also comprises actual values of the machine, such as, for example, temperature, axis position or other sensor values.

[0060] In a control unit S1 . . . Sm, data from multiple machines M1 . . . Mn is advantageously present.

[0061] Machine-specific data generated during commissioning can be stored, for example, in a commissioning archive.

[0062] The control units S1 . . . Sm can be specialized to suit particular tasks by means of optimized hardware and software. Thus, for example, a first control unit could carry out G-code preprocessing, a second control unit could carry out interpolation, a third control unit could carry out regulation and/or control of axes, and a fourth could carry out administrative tasks.

[0063] This is advantageous as, for example, not all part programs require the same computing power to maintain performance.

[0064] Adapted to a computing load, multiple control units S1 . . . Sm can also perform the same computing step collaboratively.

[0065] In order that the computing steps can again be assigned to the machines M1 . . . Mn, in particular during serial processing in the control process, each computing step preferably has an identifier. This identifier advantageously indicates for which machine M1 . . . Mn the computing step is intended.

[0066] To ensure correct processing of the computing steps, access to the machine-specific data of the individual machines is preferably granted to each control process or each control unit.

[0067] In particular for control purposes, it is advantageous if, for example, the control unit S1 can access each axis individually. In order to reduce a communication load caused thereby, one communication stroke per machine M1 . . . Mn is advantageous.

[0068] Furthermore, in the case of similar or identical machines, it is conceivable to transmit information on similar axes in a bundled manner.

[0069] FIG. 3 shows a method for operating such a system. In a method step S1, a data packet is transmitted to one machine or multiple machines by at least one control unit. In a method step S2, the machine or the machines is or are instructed by the data packet to carry out a work task. In a method step S3, a license required for carrying out the work output is provided by the licensing unit.

[0070] Advantageously, the control unit performs at least one computing step for determining the instruction for the machine or for the machines. This is preferably achieved before method step S1.

[0071] Advantageously, at least one setpoint value for at least one actuator is transmitted to the machine or machines.

[0072] Setpoint values are advantageously calculated in an interpolation for at least one axis, preferably for all axes of a machine.

[0073] Advantageously, the machine transmits actual values of at least one axis, preferably of all axes, to the control unit.

[0074] Advantageously, a new control value is calculated from the setpoint values and the actual values in a control algorithm for each axis of the machine. This is advantageously transmitted to the machine.

[0075] Actual values and control values are thus advantageously cyclically exchanged between the machine and the control unit.

[0076] New control values are advantageously calculated on the control unit with the actual value and the setpoint value.

[0077] On the machine, the control values are advantageously applied by the axes and new actual values are recorded.

[0078] Due to the multiplicity of axes in a machine park, the control algorithm is run very frequently and in parallel. Therefore, for example, a graphics card is suitable for carrying out these calculations.