Method and device for determining an actual state of supporting bars of a workpiece support, and machine tool having a device of this type

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12325092-B2
Application number	US-202217944203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 14, 2022
Priority date	Mar 17, 2020
Publication date	Jun 10, 2025
Grant date	Jun 10, 2025

Abstract

A method determines an actual state of a supporting bar for supporting a plate-like workpiece on a machine tool for a cutting the workpiece. The method includes: determining a geometry of supporting projections on the supporting bar by a light section method, which includes: projecting a longitudinal line of light onto a longitudinal side of the supporting bar; with the line of light, scanning the longitudinal side over a height region assigned to the supporting projections in the direction of the height of the supporting bar, detecting the scanned extent of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar to generate an image of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar, and determining the geometry of the supporting projections based on the generated image; and comparing the determined geometry of the supporting projections with the defined intended geometry of the supporting projections.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for determining an actual state of a supporting bar for supporting a plate-like workpiece on a machine tool for a cutting machining of workpieces by a cutting beam, with, in an intended state of the supporting bar:
the supporting bar being provided with multiple supporting projections, which are adjacent to one another in a longitudinal direction of the supporting bar, with a projection interspace being formed between mutually adjacent supporting projections,
the supporting projections protruding from a basic body of the supporting bar to a supporting side of the supporting bar in the direction of a height of the supporting bar transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the supporting bar, with the supporting side of the supporting bar being designed for supporting the workpiece, and
in a view of a longitudinal side, running in the longitudinal direction of the supporting bar, of the supporting bar, the supporting projections having a defined intended geometry with a projection height, with which the supporting projections extend over a defined height region, assigned to the supporting projections, of the supporting bar, the method comprising:
determining an actual geometry of the supporting projections on the supporting bar by a light section method, the light section method comprising:
projecting a line of light extending in the longitudinal direction of the supporting bar from a light source onto the longitudinal side of the supporting bar;
using the line of light to scan the longitudinal side of the supporting bar over at least part of the height region, assigned to the supporting projections, of the supporting bar in the direction of the height of the supporting bar,
detecting the scanned extent of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar that was scanned using the line of light by an optical detector to generate an image of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar, and
determining the actual geometry of the supporting projections based on the generated image of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar by an evaluation device; and

comparing the determined actual geometry of the supporting projections with the defined intended geometry of the supporting projections by a comparison device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, as the line of light, a line of laser light is projected onto the longitudinal side of the supporting bar.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the longitudinal side of the supporting bar is scanned using the line of light,
wherein the line of light is moved parallel to itself relative to the supporting bar in the direction of the height of the supporting bar, or
wherein the line of light is projected from the light source onto the longitudinal side of the supporting bar at an angle which is not a right angle and is formed between a projection direction and the direction of the height of the supporting bar, and the supporting bar is moved toward the light source counter to the projection direction or away from the light source in the projection direction.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out in the interior of an enclosure of the machine tool.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plate-like workpiece is a metal sheet.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the method is carried out in the interior of an enclosure provided with a machining device for the cutting machining of workpieces.

7. A method for determining an actual state of a workpiece support of a machine tool for the cutting machining of a plate-like workpiece by a cutting beam,
with the workpiece support, for supporting the workpiece, comprising multiple supporting bars, the longitudinal directions of which run in the same direction and which are spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction, and
with, in an intended state of the supporting bars,
the supporting bars each being provided with multiple supporting projections, which are adjacent to one another in a longitudinal direction of the supporting bars, with a projection interspace being formed between mutually adjacent supporting projections,
the supporting projections each protruding from a basic body of the supporting bar to a supporting side of the supporting bar in the direction of a height of the supporting bar transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the supporting bar, with the supporting side of the supporting bar being designed for supporting the workpiece, and,
in a view of a longitudinal side, running in the longitudinal direction of the supporting bar, of the supporting bar, the supporting projections each having a defined intended geometry with a projection height, with which the supporting projections extend over a defined height region, assigned to the supporting projections, of the supporting bar,
wherein the actual state of at least one of the supporting bars of the workpiece support is determined by the method as claimed in claim 1 .

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the actual state of each of the supporting bars of the workpiece support is determined,
wherein the actual geometry of each of the supporting projections is determined on the supporting bars by the light section method,
wherein the line of light extending in the longitudinal direction of the supporting bar is projected from the light source onto the longitudinal side of each of the supporting bars, and the line of light is used to scan the longitudinal side of the supporting bar over at least part of the height region, assigned to the supporting projections, of the supporting bar in the direction of the height of the supporting bar,
wherein, for each of the supporting bars, the scanned extent of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar that was scanned using the line of light is detected by the optical detector to generate an image of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar, and
wherein, for each of the supporting bars, the actual geometry of the supporting projections is determined on the basis of the generated image of the longitudinal side of the supporting bar by the evaluation device and

wherein, for each of the supporting bars, the determined actual geometry of the supporting projections is compared with the defined intended geometry of the supporting projections by the comparison device.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plate-like workpiece is a metal sheet.

10. A method for a cutting machining of a plate-like workpiece on a machine tool for the cutting machining of workpieces by a cutting beam,
with the workpiece being supported on a workpiece support of the machine tool during the machining, the workpiece support, for the purpose of supporting the workpiece, comprising multiple supporting bars, the longitudinal directions of which run in the same direction and which are spaced apart from one another in a transverse direction,
with, in an intended state of the supporting bars,
the supporting bars each being provided with multiple supporting projections, which are adjacent to one another in a longitudinal direction of the supporting bars, with a projection interspace being formed between mutually adjacent supporting projections,
the supporting projections each protruding from a basic body of the supporting bar to a supporting side of the supporting bar in the direction of a height of the supporting bar transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the supporting bar, with the supporting side of the supporting bar being designed for supporting the workpiece, and,
in a view of a longitudinal side, running in the longitudinal direction of the supporting bar, of the supporting bar,

Assignees

• Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen Se Co Kg

Inventors

• Kiefer Manuel
• Ottnad Jens
• Poenitz Willi
• Struckmeier Frederick
• Teschner Marc

Classifications

• G01B11/2518

  Projection by scanning of the object · CPC title

• B23K26/38 Primary

  by boring or cutting · CPC title

• B23K37/0408 Primary

  for planar work · CPC title