Machining system and removal system having machining chip removing function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10279448-B2
Application number	US-201615371774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2016
Priority date	Dec 10, 2015
Publication date	May 7, 2019
Grant date	May 7, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed is a machining system wherein provisions are made to be able to remove machining chips reliably without requiring human intervention. The machining system includes: an image processing unit which detects the position and amount of machining chips by comparing images captured of a workpiece and a machining tool before and after execution of a machining step; a condition judging unit which, based on the detected amount of machining chips, determines whether or not there is a need to execute a removal step; and a result judging unit which judges the result of the removal step by comparing the images captured of the workpiece W and the machining tool before and after the execution of the removal step.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A machining system comprising: a machine tool equipped with a machining tool; a robot configured to be able to use selectively a gripper capable of gripping a workpiece to be machined by the machine tool and a removal tool used for removing machining chips; and an image capturing device attached to a moving part of the robot, wherein the machining system includes:
an image processing unit which detects position and amount of the machining chips adhering to the workpiece and the machining tool by comparing a first reference image acquired by shooting the workpiece and the machining tool with the image capturing device before starting the machining with a first target image acquired by shooting the workpiece and the machining tool with the image capturing device after starting the machining;
a condition judging unit which determines whether or not there is a need to remove the machining chips, based on the amount of the machining chips detected by the image processing unit;
a removal executing unit which, if it is determined by the condition judging unit that there is a need to remove the machining chips, then operates the robot and executes a removal step to remove the machining chips using the removal tool, based on the position of the machining chips detected by the image processing unit; and
a result judging unit which judges a result of the removal step by comparing a second reference image acquired by shooting the workpiece and the machining tool with the image capturing device just before the execution of the removal step with a second target image acquired by shooting the workpiece and the machining tool with the image capturing device immediately after the execution of the removal step.

2. The machining system according to claim 1 , wherein the removal executing unit is configured to reexecute the removal step if it is determined by the result judging unit that the result of the removal step has been insufficient.

3. The machining system according to claim 2 , wherein the robot is configured to be able to selectively use a plurality of different types of removal tools, and wherein
the machining system further includes a removal tool selecting unit, which upon determination by the result judging unit that the result of the removal step has been insufficient, selects the removal tool to be used in the removal step to be executed next time based on the result of the removal step and the type of the removal tool used in the removal step executed prior to the next time.

4. The machining system according to claim 2 , further comprising an operation changing unit, which upon determination by the result judging unit that the result of the removal step has been insufficient, changes the operation of the robot to be applied in the removal step to be executed next time based on the result of the removal step and the operation of the robot applied in the removal step prior to the next time.

5. The machining system according to claim 1 , wherein the removal executing unit is configured to execute the removal step concurrently with a machining step being executed by the machine tool.

6. The machining system according to claim 2 , further comprising a notifying unit which issues an alarm notification if the number of times in succession that the result judging unit has determined that the result of the removal step has been insufficient exceeds a predetermined number of times.

7. The machining system according to claim 1 , further comprising a condition changing unit which, in response to a user input operation, changes a condition to be applied to the result judging unit for judging the result of the removal step.

8. A machining system comprising:
a machine tool equipped with a machining tool;
a robot configured to be able to use selectively a gripper capable of gripping a workpiece to be machined by the machine tool and a removal tool used for removing machining chips;
an image capturing device attached to a moving part of the robot;
an image processing unit which detects position of the machining chips adhering to the machining tool by comparing a first reference image acquired by shooting the machining tool with the image capturing device before starting the machining with a first target image acquired by shooting the machining tool with the image capturing device after starting the machining;
a condition judging unit which determines whether or not there is a need to remove the machining chips, based on the position of the machining chips detected by the image processing unit;
a removal executing unit which, if it is determined by the condition judging unit that there is a need to remove the machining chips, then operates the robot and executes a removal step to remove the machining chips using the removal tool, based on the position of the machining chips detected by the image processing unit; and
a result judging unit which judges a result of the removal step by comparing a second reference image acquired by shooting the machining tool, with no machining chips adhering thereto, with the image capturing device before starting the machining with a second target image acquired by shooting the machining tool with the image capturing device immediately after the execution of the removal step.

9. The machining system according to claim 8 , wherein the removal executing unit is configured to reexecute the removal step if it is determined by the result judging unit that the result of the removal step has been insufficient.

10. The machining system according to claim 9 , wherein the robot is configured to be able to selectively use a plurality of different types of removal tools, and wherein
the machining system further includes a removal tool selecting unit, which upon determination by the result judging unit that the result of the removal step has been insufficient, selects the removal tool to be used in the removal step to be executed next time based on the result of the removal step and the type of the removal tool used in the removal step executed prior to the next time.

11. The machining system according to claim 9 , further comprising an operation changing unit which, upon determination by the result judging unit that the result of the removal step has been insufficient, changes the operation of the robot to be applied in the removal step to be executed next time based on the result of the removal step and the operation of the robot applied in the removal step prior to the next time.

12. The machining system according to claim 9 , further comprising a notifying unit which issues an alarm notification if the number of times in succession that the result judging unit has determined that the result of the removal step has been insufficient exceeds a predetermined number of times.

13. The machining system according to claim 8 , further comprising a condition changing unit which, in response to a user input operation, changes a condition to be applied to the result judging unit for judging the result of the removal step.

14. A removal system for removing machining chips adhering to a workpiece to be machined by a machining tool as well as machining chips adhering to the machining tool, comprising:
a removal tool configured to remove the machining chips;
an image capturing device configured to shoot images of the workpiece and the machining tool before and after execution of a removal step for removing the machining chips using the removal tool; and
a result judging unit which judges a result of the removal step by comparing a first reference image acquired by shooting the machining tool and the workpiece with the image

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Nakayama Kazutaka

Classifications

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · CPC title

• B23Q11/0075

  for removing chips or coolant from the workpiece after machining · CPC title

• B23Q17/2409

  Arrangements for indirect observation of the working space using image recording means, e.g. a camera · CPC title

• G06T7/001

  using an image reference approach · CPC title

• B25J9/1697

  Vision controlled systems · CPC title