Decentralized, modular real-time control for machining applications

Several different architectures for a control system for a reconfigurable machining system are considered, in terms of the inherent delays and their effects on the system performance. It is shown how time delays associated with distributed architectures impact the performance of the control algorithms, and how different types of communication protocols could be implemented to meet the required deadlines. A two-axis contouring system is considered in some detail, and the effects of various delays on the contour error are determined by simulation. These analytic and simulation results can be used to specify the maximum allowable communication delays in the system. Control requirements for a manufacturing control system can thus be mapped to temporal constraints on the data managed for the environment.