Numerical control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9557728-B2
Application number	US-201113977857-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 3, 2011
Priority date	Feb 3, 2011
Publication date	Jan 31, 2017
Grant date	Jan 31, 2017

Abstract

A numerical control apparatus controls a machine tool including an X axis for moving a turret to which a plurality of tools are attached, a H axis for rotating the turret, and a C axis for rotating a work and not including a Y axis orthogonal to the X axis. The numerical control apparatus includes a unit configured to independently rotate the H axis according to an independent rotation command for the H axis and perform tool replacement during an imaginary Y-axis control mode, the imaginary Y-axis control mode being a mode for converting an X-Y axes movement command in a machining program into a command in an X-H-C coordinate system and for driving the X axis, the H axis, and the C axis in association with one another according to the converted command.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A numerical control apparatus that controls a machine tool including an X axis for moving a turret to which a plurality of tools are attached, an H axis for rotating the turret, and a C axis for rotating a work and not including a Y axis orthogonal to the X axis,
the numerical control apparatus comprising a unit configured to independently rotate the H axis according to an independent rotation command for the H axis and to perform tool replacement during an imaginary Y-axis control mode, the imaginary Y-axis control mode being a mode for converting an X-Y axes movement command in a machining program into a command in an X-H-C coordinate system and for driving the X axis, the H axis, and the C axis in association with one another according to the converted command, wherein
a rotation center line of the C axis and a rotation center line of the H axis are substantially parallel to each other, and
the unit configured to independently rotate the H axis according to the independent rotation command for the H axis and to perform tool replacement includes:
a separating unit configured to separate, for each block among blocks, a command of a machining program created in a program coordinate system into a first movement command and a second movement command, the first movement command including at least one of an X-axis movement command and a Y-axis movement command, the second movement command including at least one of an H-axis independent movement command and a C-axis independent movement command;
a coordinate converting unit configured to convert the first movement command into a command of a machine coordinate system including the X-H-C axes; and
a combining unit configured to combine the converted H-axis movement command and the separated H-axis independent movement command and to combine the converted C-axis movement command and the separated C-axis independent movement command.

2. A numerical control apparatus that controls a machine tool including an X axis for moving a turret to which a plurality of tools are attached, an H axis for rotating the turret, and a C axis for rotating a work and not including a Y axis orthogonal to the X axis,
the numerical control apparatus comprising a unit configured to independently rotate the C axis according to an independent rotation command for the C axis and to perform positioning of the work during an imaginary Y-axis control mode, the imaginary Y-axis control mode being a mode for converting an X-Y axes movement command in a machining program into a command in an X-H-C coordinate system and for driving the X axis, the H axis, and the C axis in association with one another according to the converted command, wherein
a rotation center line of the C axis and a rotation center line of the H axis are substantially parallel to each other, and
the unit configured to independently rotate the C axis according to the independent rotation command for the C axis and to perform positioning of the work includes:
a separating unit configured to separate, for each block among blocks, a command of a machining program created in a program coordinate system into a first movement command and a second movement command, the first movement command including at least one of an X-axis movement command and a Y-axis movement command, the second movement command including at least one of an H-axis independent movement command and a C-axis independent movement command;
a coordinate converting unit configured to convert the first movement command into a command of a machine coordinate system including the X-H-C axes; and
a combining unit configured to combine the converted H-axis movement command and the separated H-axis independent movement command and to combine the converted C-axis movement command and the separated C-axis independent movement command.

3. A numerical control apparatus that controls a machine tool including an X axis for moving a turret to which a plurality of tools are attached, an H axis for rotating the turret, and a C axis for rotating a work and not including a Y axis orthogonal to the X axis,
the numerical control apparatus comprising a unit configured to independently rotate the H axis according to an independent rotation command for the H axis and to perform tool replacement while moving a tool among the plurality of tools to a machining start position for the work according to a movement command for the X-Y axes during an imaginary Y-axis control mode, the imaginary Y-axis control mode being a mode for converting an X-Y axes movement command in a machining program into a command in an X-H-C coordinate system and for driving the X axis, the H axis, and the C axis in association with one another according to the converted command, wherein
a rotation center line of the C axis and a rotation center line of the H axis are substantially parallel to each other, and
the unit configured to independently rotate the H axis according to the independent rotation command for the H axis and to perform tool replacement while moving the tool among the plurality of tools to the machining start position for the work according to the movement command for the X-Y axes includes:
a separating unit configured to separate, for each block among blocks, a command of a machining program created in a program coordinate system into a first movement command and a second movement command, the first movement command including at least one of an X-axis movement command and a Y-axis movement command, the second movement command including at least one of an H-axis independent movement command and a C-axis independent movement command;
a coordinate converting unit configured to convert the first movement command into a command of a machine coordinate system including the X-H-C axes; and
a combining unit configured to combine the converted H-axis movement command and the separated H-axis independent movement command and to combine the converted C-axis movement command and the separated C-axis independent movement command.

4. A numerical control apparatus that controls a machine tool including an X axis for moving a turret to which a plurality of tools are attached, a H axis for rotating the turret, and a C axis for rotating a work and not including a Y axis orthogonal to the X axis,
the numerical control apparatus comprising a unit configured to independently rotate the C axis according to an independent rotation command for the C axis and to perform positioning of the work while moving the tool to a machining start position for the work according to a movement command for the X-Y axes during an imaginary Y-axis control mode, the imaginary Y-axis control mode being a mode for converting an X-Y axes movement command in a machining program into a command in an X-H-C coordinate system and for driving the X axis, the H axis, and the C axis in association with one another according to the converted command, wherein
a rotation center line of the C axis and a rotation center line of the H axis are substantially parallel to each other, and
the unit configured to independently rotate the C axis according to the independent rotation command for the C axis and to perform positioning of the work while moving the tool to the machining start position for the work according to the movement command for the X-Y axes includes:
a separating unit configured to separate, for each block among blocks, a command of a machining program created in a program coordinate system into a first movement command and a second movement command, the first movement command including at least one of an X-axis movement command and a Y-axis movement command, the second movement command including at least one of an H-axis independent movement command and a C-axis independent movement command;
a coordinate converting unit configured to convert

Assignees

• Terada Koji
• Sagasaki Masakazu
• Mitsubishi Electric Corp

Inventors

• Terada Koji
• Sagasaki Masakazu

Classifications

• G05B19/18 Primary

  Numerical control [NC], i.e. automatically operating machines, in particular machine tools, e.g. in a manufacturing environment, so as to execute positioning, movement or co-ordinated operations by means of program data in numerical form (G05B19/418 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G05B2219/50249

  Tool, probe, pen changer · CPC title

• G05B2219/36234

  Convert program for a 2-axis machine into program for 4-axis machine · CPC title

• G05B19/4083 Primary

  Adapting program, configuration · CPC title