Research of SoPC-based reconfigurable machine tools controller

With open-architecture control as a basis, some researchers have proposed to develop reconfigurable machine tools controllers (RMTC), which can be reconfigured to control different types of machine tools. This in turn will allow end users to have even more flexible control systems on their factory floors. Utilizing the SoPC (System on a Programmable Chip) technology, we propose a novel architecture of SoPC-based RMTC. The hardware architecture and the basic system based on open source IP (Intellectual Property) cores are described. The key design in our SoPC system involves two core subsystems, the DSP (Digital Signal Processing) subsystem and the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) subsystem. The DSP subsystem achieve the interpolation and motion control function, as well as the PLC subsystem realize the built-in PLC function, and the structures of both of them are presented. We implement the prototype system of the RMTC, and the results of experiments validate the convenience and effectiveness of the proposed architecture.