Numerical control unit with the option of modifying the sub-program

• US 10,095,219 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2013
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Sinn, Christof, Spielmann, Ralf
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, VINCENT WEN-LIANG
• Application Number:
  US14/786,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20160103447A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,869 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4068 Verifying part programme on screen, by drawing or other means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4155 characterised by programme execution, i.e. part programme or machine function execution, e.g. selection of a programme
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32128 Gui graphical user interface
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36088 Machining parameters, overide
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36094 Inhibit or permit override by separate manual switch

Abstract

A sub-program carried out by a numerical control unit that controls a production machine is disclosed. The numerical control unit transmits a piece of information identifying a program instruction, by means of which the sub-program was generated to a CAM system after the instruction is selected by a user through an operator interface. The numerical control unit receives, a parameterized description of the sequence of program instructions containing the selected program instruction from the CAM system. The numerical control unit outputs the parameterized description to the user via the operator interface and receives a modification of the parameterized description from the user. The numerical control unit then transmits the modified parameterized description to the CAM system and receives a modified sub-program corresponding to the modified parameterized description from the CAM system.

Claims

1. An operating method modifying the operation of a numerical control unit that is configured to control a production machine by executing a machine-readable sub-program having instructions configured by a CAM system, said sub-program being stored in memory accessible to the numerical control unit, said numerical control unit having an operator interface having a display unit, said method comprising the steps of:

entering a command into the numerical control unit, said command selecting at least one program instruction in a sequence of program instructions in the sub-program using the operator interface;

conveying an item of information identifying the at least one selected program instruction in the sequence of program instructions directly or indirectly from the numerical control unit to the CAM system that generated the sub-program using a computer-to-computer connection;

conveying a parameterized description of the sequence of program instructions containing the at least one selected program instruction provided by the CAM system to the numerical control unit using a computer-to-computer connection;

displaying an image of a workpiece provided by executing the sub-program together with the sequence of program instructions corresponding to the parameterized description transmitted from the CAM system on the display unit and storing the result in a memory accessible to the display unit, said image corresponding to the parameterized description of the sequence of program instructions transmitted from the CAM system;

inputting a change in said parameterized description to the numerical control unit using the operator interface;

transmitting the modified parameterized description identifying the modified sequence of program instructions from the numerical control unit to the CAM system; and

entering a modified sub-program configured by the CAM system that provides processing of a workpiece by the production machine in accordance with the modified parameterized description transmitted to the CAM system in memory accessible to the numerical control unit.

2. The operating method of claim 1, further comprising:

entering an image of processing of a workpiece by executing the modified sub-program together with the modified parameterized description into memory accessible to the numerical control unit, said image corresponding to the modified parameterized description, after transmitting the modified parameterized description from the CAM system to the numerical control unit;

outputting the image from the numerical control unit using the operator interface;

confirming that the image is correct using the operator interface of the numerical control unit; and

requesting the modified sub-program from the CAM system for numerical control unit, once the image has been confirmed as correct.

3. The operating method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of program instructions is present in parameterized form either in the stored sub-program or in the numerical control unit.

4. The operating method of claim 1, wherein any program instruction or any group of consecutive program instructions of the sequence of program instructions can be selected by the user.

5. The operating method of claim 1, wherein the program instructions selected by the user comprise at least one program instruction by which the workpiece is processed on a surface that is curved in two directions at least at one point on the surface, the two directions being respectively orthogonal to each other.

6. The operating method of claim 1 wherein a main program of said sub-program includes sub-program calls, further comprising selecting the at least one program instruction by selecting a subprogram call using the operator interface.

7. The operating method of claim 1, further comprising automatically determining what CAM system generated the sub-program, the numerical control unit using a header of the sub-program for this determination.

8. A computer program embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, wherein the computer program is fixed in a machine-readable code and configured for execution by a numerical control unit to modify a sub-program configured to be executed by the numerical control unit to control a production machine, said numerical control unit having an operator interface having a display unit, the computer program comprising:

machine-readable code that selects at least one program instruction of a sequence of program instructions in the sub-program in response to a command entered into the numerical control unit using the operator interface,

machine-readable code that provides an item of information identifying the at least one selected program instruction in the sequence of program instructions directly or indirectly from the numerical control unit to the CAM system that generated the sub-program using a computer to computer connection;

machine-readable code receiving a parameterized description of the sequence of program instructions containing the at least one selected program instruction from the computer-computer connection between the CAM system and the numerical control unit, and displaying an image of a workpiece provided by executing the sub-program together with the sequence of program instructions corresponding to the parameterized description transmitted from the CAM system on the display unit and storing the result in a memory accessible to the display unit, said image corresponding to the parameterized description of the sequence of program instructions transmitted from the CAM system;

machine-readable code entering a change in said parameterized description into the numerical control unit received from the operator interface;

machine-readable code transmitting the modified parameterized description from the numerical control unit to the CAM system; and

machine-readable code entering a modified sub-program from the CAM system that provides processing of a workpiece by the production machine in accordance with the modified parameterized description transmitted to the CAM system, into memory accessible to the numerical control unit.

9. A numerical control unit configured to control a production machine by executing a machine-readable sub-program having instructions configured by a CAM system, said numerical control unit comprising:

an operator interface having a display unit;

a computer processor configured to execute a computer program loaded into memory accessible to the numerical control unit, the computer program including a sub-program executable by the numerical control unit to control the production machine, said sub-program including;

machine-readable code that selects at least one program instruction of a sequence of program instructions in the sub-program in response to a selection entered into the numerical control unit using the operator interface,

machine-readable code that provides an item of information identifying the at least one selected program instruction directly or indirectly from the numerical control unit to a CAM system that generated the sub-program using a computer-computer connection;

machine-readable code receiving a parameterized description of the sequence of program instructions containing the at least one selected program instruction from the computer-computer connection between the CAM system and the numerical control unit and displaying an image of a workpiece provided by executing the sub-program together with the sequence of program instructions corresponding to the parameterized description transmitted from the CAM system on the display unit and storing the result in a memory accessible to the display unit, said image corresponding to the parameterized description of the sequence of program instructions transmitted from the CAM system;

machine-readable code entering a change in said parameterized description that the numerical control unit received from the operator interface;

machine-readable code transmitting the modified parameterized description identifying the sequence of program instructions from the numerical control unit to the CAM system; and

machine-readable code receiving a modified sub-program from the CAM system that provides processing of the workpiece by the production machine in accordance with the modified parameterized description transmitted to the CAM system into memory accessible to the numerical control unit.