Methods for providing panel planning geometry data and laser flatbed machines for cutting out workpieces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12350755-B2
Application number	US-202117348273-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 15, 2021
Priority date	Dec 21, 2018
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

The disclosure provides methods for providing panel planning geometry data for planning a laser cutting process. The methods include producing an image recording of a remaining panel-shaped material, e.g., wherein the remaining panel was processed by a laser flatbed machine and has inner cutout regions, evaluating the image recording to determine a remaining panel outer contour, evaluating the image recording to determine an inner cutout region, wherein the inner cutout region is determined by an inner cutout contour identified in the image recording, deriving a remaining area of the remaining panel using the outer contour and the inner cutout region, wherein a laser cutting process can be based on the remaining area, and outputting panel planning geometry data, which define the geometry of the remaining area. Laser flatbed machines for cutting workpieces out of panel-shaped materials using a laser beam and the methods disclosed herein are also described.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing panel planning geometry data for planning a laser cutting process to be carried out using a laser flatbed machine, the method comprising:
outputting a pallet from a panel cutting unit of the laser flatbed machine, wherein a processed panel containing cut material and a remaining panel-shaped material surrounding the cut material lies on the pallet,
providing the remaining panel-shaped material in a preparation region of the laser flatbed machine in a recording region of an imaging system, wherein the preparation region is separate from the panel cutting unit of the laser flatbed machine;
using the imaging system to produce an image recording of the remaining panel-shaped material that has one or more inner cutout regions from which material has been removed;
evaluating the image recording to determine a remaining panel outer contour of the remaining panel-shaped material;
evaluating the image recording to determine at least one of one or more inner cutout regions of the remaining panel-shaped material located inside the remaining panel outer contour, wherein the at least one inner cutout region is determined by (i) an inner cutout contour identified in the image recording, (ii) a threshold value analysis of the image recording, or (iii) both by an inner cutout contour identified in the image recording and by a threshold value analysis of the image recording;
deriving a remaining area of the remaining panel-shaped material using the remaining panel outer contour and the one or more inner cutout regions, wherein the laser cutting process can be based on the remaining area; and
outputting panel planning geometry data that define the geometry of the remaining area,
wherein during at least one of the steps above, using the panel cutting unit of the laser flatbed machine to cut a further panel-shaped material into workpieces in the laser cutting process.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the remaining panel-shaped material was processed by the laser flatbed machine.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image recording is evaluated with respect to edge courses, wherein an outer circumferential edge determining the remaining panel outer contour and an inner circumferential edge or inner circumferential edge sections delimiting the inner cutout contour are identified in the image recording and stored in the panel planning geometry data as an outer circumferential edge line and an inner circumferential edge line, wherein the inner circumferential edge line delimits an inner cutout region of the remaining panel.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system comprises one or more cameras, a stereo camera, a time-of-flight camera, or a lidar scanner.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the threshold value analysis comprises a blob analysis, which provides at least one coherent pixel region in the panel planning geometry data, wherein a grayscale value distribution of the at least one coherent pixel region is associated with the inner cutout region of the remaining panel, which is excepted from the laser cutting process to be planned.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the threshold value analysis comprises analyzing pixel values of the image recording with respect to openings inside the remaining panel outer contour.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
calculating a translational transformation or a rotational transformation, or both, of the remaining panel outer contour in relation to a machine zero point, and
outputting the translational and rotational transformations as part of the panel planning geometry data.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the image recording comprises an image recording of a plurality of remaining panel-shaped materials, for each of which the remaining area is derived and outputted as at least part of the panel planning geometry data.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the imaging system is attached to the panel cutting unit and image recordings of the imaging system are spatially calibrated with respect to a machine coordinate system of the panel cutting unit.

10. A method for creating a cutting plan for a laser cutting process on a remaining panel-shaped material, the method comprising:
providing panel planning geometry data for planning the laser cutting process to be carried out using a laser flatbed machine, wherein providing the planning geometry data comprises:
outputting a pallet from a panel cutting unit of the laser flatbed machine, wherein a processed panel containing cut material and the remaining panel-shaped material surrounding the cut material lies on the pallet,
providing the remaining panel-shaped material in a preparation region of the laser flatbed machine in a recording region of an imaging system, wherein the preparation region is separate from the panel cutting unit of the laser flatbed machine;
using the imaging system to produce an image recording of the remaining panel-shaped material that has one or more inner cutout regions from which material has been removed;
evaluating the image recording to determine a remaining panel outer contour of the remaining panel-shaped material;
evaluating the image recording to determine at least one of one or more inner cutout regions of the remaining panel-shaped material located inside the remaining panel outer contour, wherein the at least one inner cutout region is determined by (i) an inner cutout contour identified in the image recording, (ii) a threshold value analysis of the image recording, or (iii) both by an inner cutout contour identified in the image recording and by a threshold value analysis of the image recording;
deriving a remaining area of the remaining panel-shaped material using the remaining panel outer contour and the one or more inner cutout regions, wherein the laser cutting process can be based on the remaining area; and
outputting panel planning geometry data that define the geometry of the remaining area,
wherein during at least one of the steps above, using the panel cutting unit of the laser flatbed machine to cut a further panel-shaped material into workpieces in the laser cutting process; and
arranging cutting contours on the remaining area determined by the panel planning geometry data, and creating a cutting plan using position data of the cutting contours.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein creating the cutting plan uses one or more of the panel planning geometry data, data of translational transformation, or data of rotational transformation.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the cutting contours are arranged on the remaining area determined by the panel planning geometry data either
(i) manually by an operator in an image-based manner, or
(ii) using a nesting algorithm for arranging two-dimensional spaces associated with workpiece geometries to be cut.

13. A method for cutting workpieces out of a panel-shaped material using a laser beam in a cutting process, the method comprising:
creating a cutting plan for the laser cutting process on a remaining panel-shaped material, wherein creating the cutting plan comprises:
providing panel planning geometry data for planning the laser cutting process to be carried out using a laser flatbed machine, wherein providing the planning geometry data comprises:
outputting a pallet from a panel cutting unit of the laser flatbed machine, wherein a processed panel containing cut material and a remaining panel-shaped material surrounding the cut material lies on the pallet,
providing the remaining panel-shaped material in a preparation region of the laser flatbed machine in a recording region of an imaging system, wherein the

Assignees

• Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen Gmbh Co Kg
• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung
• Trumpf Werkzeugmaschinen Se Co Kg

Inventors

• Kiefer Manuel
• Poenitz Willi
• Teschner Marc

Classifications

• G06T2207/30164

  Workpiece; Machine component · CPC title

• G06T7/0004

  Industrial image inspection · CPC title

• B23K26/38

  by boring or cutting · CPC title

• G06T7/13

  Edge detection · CPC title

• G06T7/62

  of area, perimeter, diameter or volume · CPC title