Numerical controller and CAD/CAM-CNC integrated system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11126158-B2
Application number	US-201815906482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2018
Priority date	Mar 10, 2017
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

There is provided a numerical controller capable of automatic selection of a function appropriate for a machining request and optimization of parameters, and a CAD/CAM-CNC integrated system. The numerical controller includes: a shared database storing machining resource information about the numerical controller and a machine tool; and machining instruction information including machining content information created by CAD and CAM and machining request information about a request required for machining; a machining instruction deciphering portion deciphering the machining instruction information; and a machining instruction executing portion executing the machining based on a result of decipherment by the machining instruction deciphering portion; and the machining instruction deciphering portion executes at least one of a process for judging whether the machining is possible or not based on the machining instruction information and the machining resource information, a process for deciding parameters for the machining and a process for automatically selecting a function to be used for the machining.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A numerical controller which is connected to a shared database and controls a machine tool, wherein
the shared database stores:
machining resource information about the numerical controller and the machine tool; and
machining instruction information including machining content information about content of machining created by computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) and machining request information about at least one request required for the machining;
the numerical controller comprises a machining instruction deciphering portion for deciphering the machining instruction information and a machining instruction executing portion for executing the machining based on a result of decipherment by the machining instruction deciphering portion; and
the machining instruction deciphering portion executes at least, based on the machining instruction information and the machining resource information that are stored in the shared database, a process for automatically:
selecting a machining quality function for moving the machining tool during the machining, the machining quality function being selected from among a first plurality of predetermined selectable machining quality functions associated with a machining purpose of machining quality, the selected machining quality function used by the numerical controller to move the machine tool to achieve the machining purpose of machining quality, each of the first plurality of predetermined selectable machining quality functions having a respective predetermined priority order for use to achieve the machining purpose of machining quality, and
selecting a machining speed function for moving the machining tool during the machining, the machining speed function being selected from among a second plurality of predetermined selectable machining speed functions associated with the machining purpose of machining speed, the selected machining speed function used by the numerical controller to move the machine tool to achieve the machining purpose of machining speed, each of the second plurality of predetermined selectable machining speed functions having a respective predetermined priority order for use to achieve the machining purpose of machining speed,

wherein the process includes:
1) selecting the selected machining quality function that has a highest predetermined priority order among the first plurality of predetermined selectable machining quality functions or selecting the selected machining speed function that has a highest predetermined priority order among the second plurality of predetermined selectable machining speed functions,
deciding whether the selected machining quality function or the selected machining speed function is usable,
when the selected machining quality function or the selected machining speed function is determined usable, the selected machining quality function or the selected machining speed function is decided to be a machining quality function or a machining speed function used for machining,
whereas when the selected machining quality function or the selected machining speed function is determined unusable, searching for another usable machining quality function or another usable machining speed function,
wherein the selected machining quality function or the selected machining speed function is unusable when the selected machining quality function or the selected machining speed function is in conflict with other machine functions,
when the other usable machining quality function or the other usable machining speed function can be provided, selecting a machining quality function or a machining speed function of the next highest priority, and deciding whether the machining quality function or the machining speed function of the next highest priority is usable, and when the machining quality function or the machining speed function of the next highest priority is usable, the selected machining quality function or the machining speed function of the next highest priority is decided to be the machining quality function or the machining speed function, and
2) executing machining by moving the machining tool using the selected machining Quality function or the selected machining speed function.

2. The numerical controller according to claim 1 , further comprising a machining resource information updating portion automatically updating, when a change is made in a setting for the numerical controller, the machining resource information in the shared database based on content of the change in the setting.

3. The numerical controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the shared database is further capable of storing machining technique information;
the numerical controller comprises:
an execution information acquiring portion acquiring execution information about the machining by the numerical controller and the machine tool;
an execution information recording portion recording the execution information to the shared database in association with the machining instruction information;
a change recording portion recording a change made in the machining instruction information to the shared database as change information; and
an execution information evaluating portion updating the machining technique information based on the execution information and the change information; and
the machining instruction deciphering portion deciphers the machining instruction information and executes at least one of a process for judging whether the machining by the machine tool according to the machining instruction information is possible or not, based on the machining instruction information, the machining technique information and the machining resource information that are stored in the shared database, a process for deciding parameters for the machining and a process for automatically selecting a function to be used for the machining among functions provided for the numerical controller and the machine tool.

4. The numerical controller according to claim 1 , wherein the machining instruction information used by the numerical controller at the time of the machining is a general-purpose instruction independent of a machine in which the machining content information and the machining request information are written in a format in conformity with a data model with a hierarchical structure.

5. A computer aided design (CAD)/computer aided manufacturing (CAM)-numerical controller (CNC) integrated system comprising a shared database, a machining instruction deciphering portion and at least one numerical controller for controlling a machine tool, wherein
the shared database stores:
machining resource information about the numerical controller and the machine tool; and
machining instruction information including machining content information about content of machining created by CAD and CAM and machining request information about at least one request required for the machining,
the machining instruction deciphering portion deciphers the machining instruction information and executes at least, based on the machining instruction information and the machining resource information that are stored in the shared database, a process for automatically selecting a machining quality function for moving the machining tool during the machining, the machining quality function being selected from among a first plurality of predetermined selectable machining quality functions associated with a machining purpose of machining quality, the selected machining quality function used by the numerical controller to move the machine tool to achieve the machining purpose of machining quality, each of the first plurality of predetermined selectable machining quality functions having a respective predetermined priority order for use to achieve

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Saitou Kiwamu

Classifications

• G05B19/4097 Primary

  characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM (G05B19/4093 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/182

  characterised by the machine tool function, e.g. thread cutting, cam making, tool direction control (G05B19/21 - G05B19/40 take precedence) · CPC title

• G05B19/4145

  characterised by using same processor to execute programmable controller and numerical controller function [CNC] and PC controlled NC [PCNC] · CPC title

• G05B2219/37441

  Use nc machining program, cad data for measuring, inspection · CPC title

• G05B2219/36521

  Select by combination of detected force, acceleration, speed, work rate · CPC title