Controller, control method, and control program

• US 10,545,479 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2019
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
• Inventors: Taira, Ryousuke
• Primary Examiner(s): Glass, Erick D
• Application Number:
  US16/268,946
• Publication Number:
  US 20190286093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: 318569
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/182 characterised by the machine tool function, e.g. thread cutting, cam making, tool direction control G05B19/21 - G05B19/40 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/195 Controlling the position of several slides on one axis
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4086 Coordinate conversions; Other special calculations
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/409 characterised by using manual data input [MDI] or by using control panel, e.g. controlling functions with the panel; characterised by control panel details or by setting parameters G05B19/408, G05B19/4093 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/34015 Axis controller
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36168 Touchscreen
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/37563 Ccd, tv camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A numerical controller includes a movement plane acquisition unit configured to accept designation of a movement plane in a machine coordinate system, a machine coordinate conversion unit configured to convert a coordinate value in the machine coordinate system into an image coordinate system, an image coordinate conversion unit configured to convert a coordinate value in the image coordinate system into the machine coordinate system, an operation target position acquisition unit configured to acquire position information on an operation target, an operation icon display unit configured to display an operation icon corresponding to the position information, a slide position acquisition unit configured to acquire a slide position, a movement amount calculation unit configured to calculate an axial movement amount, and an axial movement unit configured to move the operation target according to the axial movement amount.

Claims

1. A controller comprising:

a movement plane acquisition unit configured to accept designation of a movement plane on which an operation target is to be moved in a three-dimensional machine coordinate system indicating a position in a machining area of a machine tool;

a machine coordinate conversion unit configured to convert a coordinate value in the machine coordinate system into a two-dimensional image coordinate system indicating a position in an image of the machining area imaged by a camera;

an image coordinate conversion unit configured to convert a coordinate value in the image coordinate system into a coordinate value on the movement plane in the machine coordinate system;

an operation target position acquisition unit configured to acquire current position information on the operation target in the machine coordinate system;

an operation icon display unit configured to superimpose and display an operation icon at a coordinate in the image coordinate system corresponding to the position information;

a slide position acquisition unit configured to acquire a destination of a slide position in a slide operation after the operation icon is touched by an operator;

a movement amount calculation unit configured to calculate an axial movement amount of the machine tool, on a basis of the coordinate obtained by converting the slide position in the image coordinate system into the machine coordinate system; and

an axial movement unit configured to move the operation target according to the calculated axial movement amount.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein

the slide position acquisition unit acquires an end position of the slide operation as the slide position, and

the movement amount calculation unit calculates the axial movement amount of the machine tool required to move the operation target to a coordinate of the end position in the machine coordinate system.

3. The controller according to claim 1, wherein

the slide position acquisition unit periodically acquires the slide positions from a start to an end of the slide operation, and

the movement amount calculation unit acquires in time series the coordinate values of the slide positions converted into the machine coordinate system, and calculates the axial movement amounts required to move the operation target sequentially along the coordinate values.

4. The controller according to claim 3, wherein

the movement amount calculation unit calculates the axial movement amounts required to move the operation target along a path obtained by interpolating the coordinate values acquired in time series with a curve.

5. The controller according to claim 3, wherein

the slide position acquisition unit calculates a period of time until the slide operation reaches each of the slide positions, on a basis of a number of the slide positions acquired periodically from the start to the end of the slide operation, and an acquisition cycle of the slide positions designated in advance, and

the axial movement unit moves the operation target for a period of time equivalent to the calculated period of time.

6. The controller according to claim 1, wherein

the slide position acquisition unit acquires a period of time until the slide operation reaches the slide position, and

the axial movement unit moves the operation target for a period of time equivalent to the calculated period of time.

7. The controller according to claim 6, wherein

the axial movement unit starts to move the operation target after a predetermined time passing after acquisition of the slide position.

8. The controller according to claim 1, wherein

the movement plane acquisition unit accepts selection input of the movement plane from an image illustrating a plurality of preset candidates.

9. The controller according to claim 1, wherein

the movement plane acquisition unit accepts designation of the movement plane, through selection of two axes out of three-dimensional coordinate axes in the machining area and input of a rotation angle around each axis of a plane determined by the two selected axes.

10. The controller according to claim 1, wherein

the slide position acquisition unit displays the coordinate value obtained by converting the slide position in the image coordinate system into the machine coordinate system, according to the slide operation.

11. A control method to be executed by a computer, the control method comprising:

a movement plane acquiring step of accepting designation of a movement plane on which an operation target is to be moved in a three-dimensional machine coordinate system indicating a position in a machining area of a machine tool;

a machine coordinate converting step of converting a coordinate value in the machine coordinate system into a two-dimensional image coordinate system indicating a position in an image of the machining area imaged by a camera;

an image coordinate converting step of converting a coordinate value in the image coordinate system into a coordinate value on the movement plane in the machine coordinate system;

an operation target position acquiring step of acquiring current position information on the operation target in the machine coordinate system;

an operation icon displaying step of superimposing and displaying an operation icon at a coordinate in the image coordinate system corresponding to the position information;

a slide position acquiring step of acquiring a destination of a slide position in a slide operation after the operation icon is touched by an operator;

a movement amount calculating step of calculating an axial movement amount of the machine tool, on a basis of the coordinate obtained by converting the slide position in the image coordinate system into the machine coordinate system; and

an axis moving step of moving the operation target according to the calculated axial movement amount.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing a control program, the control program for making a computer execute the steps of:

a movement plane acquiring step of accepting designation of a movement plane on which an operation target is to be moved in a three-dimensional machine coordinate system indicating a position in a machining area of a machine tool;

a machine coordinate converting step of converting a coordinate value in the machine coordinate system into a two-dimensional image coordinate system indicating a position in an image of the machining area imaged by a camera;

an image coordinate converting step of converting a coordinate value in the image coordinate system into a coordinate value on the movement plane in the machine coordinate system;

an operation target position acquiring step of acquiring current position information on the operation target in the machine coordinate system;

an operation icon displaying step of superimposing and displaying an operation icon at a coordinate in the image coordinate system corresponding to the position information;

a slide position acquiring step of acquiring a destination of a slide position in a slide operation after the operation icon is touched by an operator;

a movement amount calculating step of calculating an axial movement amount of the machine tool, on a basis of the coordinate obtained by converting the slide position in the image coordinate system into the machine coordinate system; and

an axis moving step of moving the operation target according to the calculated axial movement amount.