Virtualization-based numerical control system and method thereof

Abstract

Disclosed is a numerical control system, comprising a local NC device and a remote server connected therewith, and the remote server operates to process non-real-time tasks, comprising G code programming, coding and machining simulation, and to realize value-added functions. The server is connected with the NC device via a client disposed on the NC device, and the client operates to conduct virtual operation on the remote server via a HMI of the local NC device by using virtualization technology, thereby controlling operation on the server on the local NC device, and controlling NC machining by cooperation of the server and the local NC device. The invention also discloses a control method for the system. The invention is capable of realizing diversified, elastic and individual function configuration of the whole numerical control system, and improves the machining efficiency of the numerical control system.

Claims

1. A virtualization-based numerical control (NC) system for controlling NC machining by configuring a remote server and a local NC device and facilitating interaction thereof, said system comprising: a local NC device operating to process real-time tasks, comprising speed processing, interpolation operation, position control and on-line detection, and to realize human-computer interaction; and a remote server connected with said local NC device, said remote server operating to process non-real-time tasks, comprising G code programming, coding and machining simulation, and to realize value-added functions, comprising one or more value added functions, the value added functions including one or more of document editing or document viewing, Internet browsing, WinSCP file transfer, NC code quality analysis and detection, and NC code spline fitting and optimization; wherein said remote server is connected with said local NC device via a client disposed on said local NC device, and said client operates to conduct virtual operation on said remote server via a human-machine interactive device of said local NC device by using virtualization technology, thereby controlling said remote server on said local NC device, and facilitating NC machining control by cooperation of said remote server and said local NC device.

2. The virtualization-based NC system of claim 1, wherein the process of conducting virtual operation on said remote server via a human-machine interactive device by said client comprises: transmitting an operation interface image corresponding to said remote server to a Human-Machine Interface (HMI), transmitting operation on the operation interface to said remote server in an instruction manner, and transmitting the result to said HMI for updating and displaying after said remote server responds, thereby facilitating localization operation of said remote server.

3. The virtualization-based NC system of claim 2, wherein the process of transmitting and displaying said operation interface image comprises firstly compressing said operation interface image, then transmitting said compressed image to said local NC device based on TCP/IP protocol, and decompressing said compressed image and finally refreshing said HMI according to said decompressed image by said local NC device receiving said decompressed image.

4. The virtualization-based NC system of claim 1, wherein said remote server is a server/PC, a virtual machine running on said server/PC, or a tablet computer.

5. The virtualization-based NC system of claim 1, wherein said remote server can be connected with one or more of a plurality of local NC devices for interaction, NC machining or resource sharing.

6. The virtualization-based NC system of claim 1, wherein functions of said remote server can be one or more of expanded, cut down or configured through said client disposed on said local NC device.

7. The virtualization-based NC system of claim 1, wherein said client is self-adaptive to different screens, and the interface resolution is automatically adjustable according to the screen size of said HMI.

8. The virtualization-based NC system of claim 1, wherein said virtual operation on said remote server on said HMI of said local NC device and workpiece processing by a NC machine may occur simultaneously.

9. A control method for a virtualization-based numerical control (NC) system, said system operating for controlling NC machining by configuring a remote server and a local NC device and facilitating interaction thereof, and said control method comprising: locally arranging an NC device operating to process real-time tasks, comprising speed processing, interpolation operation, position control and on-line detection, and to realize human-computer interaction; and remotely arranging a server connecting with said local NC device, said server operating to process non-real-time tasks, comprising G code programming, coding and machining simulation, and to realize value-added functions, comprising one or more value added functions, the value added functions including document editing or document viewing, Internet browsing, WinSCP file transfer, NC code quality analysis and detection, and NC code spline fitting and optimization; disposing a client on said NC device and running said client, so as to facilitate connection between said server and said NC device via said client disposed on said NC device, conducting virtual operation on said server via a human-machine interactive (HMI) device on said NC device by utilizing virtualization technology, so as to control said server on said local NC device, and further to facilitate NC machining control by cooperation of said server and said local NC device.

10. The control method for a virtualization-based NC system of claim 9, wherein the process of conducting virtual operation on said server via said (HMI) device by said client comprises: transmitting an operation interface image corresponding to said server to the HMI device, transmitting operation on the operation interface to said server in an instruction manner, and transmitting the result to the HMI device for updating and displaying after said server responds, thereby facilitating localization operation of said server.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 illustrates an architecture of a numerical control system in the prior art;

(2) FIG. 2 illustrates an architecture of a conventional numerical control system, the architecture comprising an upper computer and a lower computer, the upper computer being a HMI for handling non-real-time tasks of the system, and the lower computer comprising a NCU and a PLC for handling real-time tasks of the system such as motion control and logic control;

(3) FIG. 3 illustrates an architecture of a virtualization-based numerical control system according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;

(4) FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating interaction (taking G code optimization as an example) between a local NC device and a server of the virtualization-based numerical control system of the invention;

(5) FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a process of operating a virtual desktop of the server at a local HMI via the virtualization-based numerical control system of the invention.

SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

(6) For clear understanding of the objectives, technical scheme and advantages of the invention, detailed description of the invention will be given below in conjunction with accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that the embodiments are only meant to explain the invention, and not to limit the scope of the invention.

(7) Virtualization technology has been extensively used. Desktop virtualization provides a calculation module based on a server, means virtualizing the desktop of a computer or a virtual machine thereof for facilitating a user to access the desktop system on network through any terminal devices without being restricted by place and time, and is a fastest-growing most-promising technology in computer virtualization technology. In recent years, the virtual desktop system is gradually applied to various fields and is especially most extensively used in education, finance and other industries. Desktop virtualization technology is capable of transferring a traditional static calculation mode to a dynamic flexible expandable architecture which can easily respond to changes in business demands, and also substantially saving cost. Virtualization technology, particularly desktop virtualization technology in the digital NC machining field will more greatly promote development of numerical control technology towards high intelligence.

(8) However, because of real-time property, on-site property, stability, reliability, specificity for hardware and software and other characteristics of NC machining, virtual desktop cannot be directly applied to the NC machining field and gets with many technological difficulties when being applied to the NC machining field.

(9) Firstly, direct exploitation of virtual desktop on an NC device operation system easily influences the reliability and the stability of the whole numerical control system and increases failure rate of the numerical control system, which is the maximum bottleneck for extensively applying virtual desktop to an NC device. Secondly, frequent refreshing of virtual desktop interface will occupy limited internal memory, calculation resource and other resources of the numerical control system and correspondingly indirectly influences normal machining and machining efficiency of the numerical control system. Thirdly, refreshing of virtual desktop relates to transmission of real-time image data between the server and the client and indirectly influences rate of uploading, acquisition and the like for NC machining data because the transmission manner of real-time image data will occupy great workshop bandwidth. Finally, free switch between the NC machining interface and the virtual desktop and seamless integration of simultaneously-running NC machining and virtual desktop are problems for introducing virtual desktop technology to the NC field.

(10) The provided method for facilitating function expanding of the numerical control system based on virtualization technology facilitates seamless integration of the NC device and the virtual desktop by employing Qt and frame buffer technology, substantially reduces occupation rate of virtual desktop refreshing on numerical control system CPU, and guarantees the stability and the reliability of the numerical control system. The lightweight technology is employed for transmitting real-time image data and reduces dependence of real-time image data transmission on workshop network bandwidth.

(11) The invention employs the architecture combining the client with the server. The server is a server/PC, a virtual machine running on the server/PC, even a tablet computer or the like, and provides application service for the local NC device. The client is the local NC device and asks the server for application service. The local thin client is employed as a communication link between the server and the NC device, is essentially an application program integrated on the NC device operation system, and correspondingly has low requirements for hardware and software resources of the numerical control system, can be directly started and run without being installed, and does not influence the stability and the reliability of the NC device operation system. The client e only occupies very little memory and calculation resources of the numerical control system by employing frame buffer technology, facilitates localization of remote operation by opening and operating the remote virtual desktop on the NC device via the client, and breaks restriction of graphical desktop and guarantees the NC device operation system to normally run whether there is graphic desktop. In order to reduce information/data exchange requirement for network bandwidth, the invention preferably employs the data lightweight technology.

(12) By employing the virtualization-based numerical control system function expanding method according to the embodiment in the invention, an operator can flexibly expand, cut down and configure functional software that are not supported by the local NC device at the server, breaks restriction on function diversification by the conventional numerical control system architecture, and also can transfer non-real-time tasks of the local NC device, which needs complex calculation and high memory requirement, to the server, thereby simplifying the local NC device, reducing enterprise production cost and reducing numerical control system testing difficulty.

(13) A typical mode provided by the embodiment is shown as FIG. 3, the NC device is only used for handling human-machine interaction and real-time tasks such as speed processing, interpolation operation, position control, on-line detection and the like, and the server is used for high value-added functions which are needed by the numerical control system but are not supported by the local NC device, such as value added functions, such as document editing or document viewing, Internet browsing, WinSCP file transfer, NC code quality analysis and detection, NC code spline fitting and optimization, and the like, and also is used for original G code programming, coding, machining simulation and other non-real-time tasks of the NC device. The NC device is communicated with the server via the local thin client disposed on the NC device. By default the client is closed, and when the numerical control system needs complex/value-added functions of the server, the client is opened through a button on the panel of the NC device for remotely accessing the server, then system desktop information of the server is obtained after authentication by the server and is redrawn on the HMI in a virtual desktop manner, and through the virtual desktop, operations of expanding, cutting down and optimally configuring functions of the numerical control system and operations on high value-added software at the server can be performed, as shown in FIG. 3.

(14) When the server needs remotely operating, a login request instruction is sent to the server by the NC device via the thin client, the server transmits the system desktop thereof to the NC device after receiving the login request and enables the system desktop to be displayed on HMI (and to cover the NC machining interface), and thus an operator can operate the server via the virtual desktop. Operation and response on the virtual desktop are realized on the local NC device, which is not different from traditional NC operation superficially. However, actually what an operator operates on HMI is a picture, which is a screen copy of the server system desktop. Operation on the picture is sent to the server via an instruction manner, the server makes corresponding motion response according to the instruction and transmits the response result to the NC device in a pixel information manner, and the NC device timely updates the virtual desktop on HMI. A typical data exchange flowchart is shown as FIG. 5.

(15) In summary, real-time image data transmission occurs between the NC device and the server. Generally, a commercial local area network with the conventional bandwidth is enough to deal with data transmission related to numerical control, but transmission of real-time image data raises higher requirement for network bandwidth. In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the data lightweight technology is employed for transmitting real-time image data and concretely comprises that the server compresses image (that is system desktop) data and transmits compressed image data to the NC device, and after receiving the image data, the NC device firstly decompresses the image data and refreshes the HMI interface according to the decompressed image data. The data lightweight technology helps to reduce dependence of real-time image data transmission on network bandwidth, and enables a common commercial local area network with the conventional bandwidth to be capable of meeting the invention requirements.

(16) The thin client possesses file transfer function, and many service interactions between the NC device and the server are performed in the file transfer manner, and by taking G code optimization machining as an example (in order to more clearly describe the file transfer manner of the invention, edition of G code is hypothesized to be finished at the local NC device), a typical workflow is shown as FIG. 4:

(17) (1) editing G code at the local NC device and storing G code at the local NC device in a text file manner;

(18) (2) opening the local thin client, logging onto the server from the NC device, and enabling the system desktop of the server to be displayed on HMI in a virtual desktop manner and to cover the NC machining interface;

(19) (3) uploading the G code text file to the server by utilizing the file transfer function integrated on the thin client;

(20) (4) operating the server via the virtual desktop, optimizing G code by utilizing a G code optimization software at the server, and storing the optimized G code at the server in a text file manner;

(21) (5) downloading the optimized G code text file to the NC device also by utilizing the file transfer function integrated on the thin client;

(22) (6) closing the virtual desktop, quitting from the thin client application program, and recovering the NC machining interface of the NC device;

(23) (7) conducting NC machining by the NC device according to the optimized G code.

(24) The thin client is self-adaptive to different screens, in other words, when the client is started, the client automatically adjusts the size of the interface thereof according to the size of the HMI screen for reaching best display effect without influencing the resolution of the system desktop at the server.

(25) The thin client is capable of realizing one-key free switch between the NC machining interface and the virtual desktop without influencing NC machining, can normally run even when a workpiece is machined, and facilitates a user to conduct testing and simulation on a next code segment, workpiece modeling and other operations, thereby improving the machining efficiency of the whole numerical control system.

(26) There is another problem upon setting up a software and hardware environment of the server: on the one hand, a manufacturer will not configure all functional software maybe needed by a user in the future when a product is manufactured, on the other hand, a same user requires different functional software at different stages, and if each user needs a customized specific software environment or any deployment change at the server needs processing by the factory, great inconvenience is brought for users, and also production efficiency of the factory is reduced and after-sales service cost is raised. In order to avoid the above-mentioned problems, the user is assigned with certain server operation authority, so that the manufacturer only needs to configure value added functions (such as G code edition, UG simulation, document editing or document viewing, and the like) at the server for users, the users can expand or cut down software deployed at the server by themselves according to the need, and the operations are essentially performed at the server, do not change any configuration of the local NC device and do not influence the stability of the NC device.

(27) While preferred embodiments of the invention have been described above, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to disclosure in the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Any modification, equivalent alterations and improvements without departing from the spirit and the principle of the invention fall within the scope of the invention.