Process and apparatus for graphically representing a variable structure in perspective

• US 4,791,579 A
• Filed: 10/15/1984
• Issued: 12/13/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/1983
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dr. Johannes Heidenhain GmbH
• Original Assignee: Dr. Johannes Heidenhain GmbH
• Inventors: Kranitzky, Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): Lall, Parshotam S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Difon, Joseph L.
• Application Number:
  US06/661,179
• Time in Patent Office: 1,520 Days
• Field of Search: 364/518, 364/520, 364/521, 364/171, 364/512, 364/578, 364/474, 340/729, 340/747, 382/1, 382/8, 382/28, 382/32, 382/34, 382/42
• US Class Current: 345/420
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4069 Simulating machining process on screen G05B19/4068 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35318 3-D display of workpiece, workspace, tool track
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35331 Display only machined part
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36073 Display original and modified part in different colour, highlight, shading, filling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for representing a processed workpiece in perspective with invisible covered edges on the picture screen of a numerically controlled machine tool includes the steps of resolving both the workpiece and the tool into equidistant sections and storing the coordinates of these sections in a RAM. In correspondence to the relative movements of the tool and workpiece determined by the numerical control program, the associated sections of the tool and workpiece are superimposed in an image point memory. With the aid of a simple algorithm the section contour of the workpiece is altered by the superposition is determined, and its coordinates are stored in the RAM. After this process has been completed for all section planes, all sections are successively fed into the image point memory, with succeeding sections offset by several image points in the X and Z directions with respect to the preceding sections. After each superposition, the algorithm is used to determine the resulting outer contour, which is applied to the display. Covered parts of sections lying in the background are not represented on the display, since they lie inside the outer contour determined up to that time.

Claims

1. A method for generating a perspective representation on a display of a machine tool controller of a variable three dimensional structure processed by an object, said method comprising the following steps:

(a) resolving the structure into a plurality of structure sections and storing a first plurality of coordinates which define said structure sections in a section memory;

(b) resolving the object into a plurality of object sections and storing a second plurality of coordinates which define said object sections;

(c) superimposing in an image point memory the structure sections with corresponding ones of the object sections as determined by relative movement between the object and the structure to generate a plurality of modified structure sections;

(d) altering the first plurality of coordinates in the section memory to correspond to a plurality of inner contours defined by the modified structure sections;

(e) superimposing the modified sections in the image point memory with adjacent ones of the modified sections offset from one another in at least one of two orthogonal directions; and

(f) determining and displaying a resulting outer contour defined by the superimposed modified sections of step (e).

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the section memory comprises a RAM and wherein the first and second plurality of coordinates are stored in incremental form.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the image point memory stores information which defines a plurality of pixels which constitute an image.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein a computer generates data used to define relative positions of the structure sections with respect to corresponding ones of the object sections in the superimpositions of step (c).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the inner contours of step (d) and the outer contours of step (f) are determined automatically by an algorithm responsive to image information stored in the image point memory.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the object defines at least one oblique contour.

7. An apparatus for generating a perspective representation on a display, wherein the perspective representation is of a variable three dimensional structure processed by an object, the apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a data processing unit comprising;

means for resolving the structure into a plurality of structure sections and storing a first plurality of coordinates which define said structure sections in the memory;

means for resolving the object into a plurality of object sections and storing a second plurality of coordinates which define the object sections;

means for superimposing in the memory region the structure sections with corresponding ones of the object sections as determined by relative movement between the object and the structure to generate a plurality of modified structure sections;

means for altering the first plurality of coordinates in the memory to correspond to a plurality of inner contours defined by the modified structure sections;

means for superimposing in the memory the modified sections with adjacent ones of the modified sections offset from one another in at least one of two orthogonal directions to generate a plurality of offset superimposed modified sections;

means for determining resultant outer contours defined by the offset superimposed modified sections; and

means for displaying the resultant outer contours.

8. The invention of claim 7 wherein the machine tool is controlled in response to data and commands for moving the object relative to the structure;

and wherein the means for superimposing the structure sections with the object sections is responsive to the data and commands.

9. The invention of claim 7 wherein the contours are shifted with respect to each other such that the workpiece is represented from a desired viewing angle.

10. The invention of claim 7 wherein selectable portions of the workpiece may be represented with color enhancement.

11. A process for representing a workpiece processed by a numerically controlled tool, the numerically controlled tool of the type responsive to data and commands for the processing of a workpiece, the process comprising:

(a) generating a plurality of first data representative of the contours of a plurality of cross-sections through the workpiece wherein the cross-sections are formed substantially parallel to one another;

(b) generating a plurality of second data representative of the contours of a plurality of cross-sections through the machine tool wherein the cross-sections are formed substantially parallel to one another;

(c) combining the plurality of first and second data in correspondence with the data and commands for controlling the processing of the workpiece by the machine tool;

(d) generating a plurality of third data representative of the inner contours defined by the combined contours;

(e) combining the contours represented by the third data such that each contour is shifted in at least one of two orthogonal directions by a selectable amount;

(f) generating a plurality of fourth data representative of the outer contours of the combined and shifted contours of step (e); and

(g) displaying the fourth data.

12. The process of claim 11 wherein the representation of the workpiece is generated and displayed at selectable stages of processing of the workpiece by the numerically controlled tool.

13. The process of claim 11 wherein the contours are shifted with respect to each other by a common selectable amount.

14. The process of claim 11 wherein the contours are shifted with respect to each other such that the workpiece is represented from a desired viewing angle.

15. The process of claim 11 wherein selectable portions of the workpiece are represented.

16. The process of claim 11 wherein selectable portions of the workpiece may be represented with color enhancement.

17. An apparatus for representing a workpiece processed by a numerically controlled tool, the numerically controlled tool of the type responsive to data and commands for the processing of a workpiece, the apparatus comprising:

means for processing data comprising;

means for generating a plurality of first data representative of the contours of a plurality of cross-sections through the workpiece wherein the cross-sections are formed substantially parallel to one another;

means for generating a plurality of second data representative of the contours of a plurality of cross-sections through the machine tool wherein the cross-sections are formed substantially parallel to one another;

means for combining the plurality of first and second data in correspondence with the stored data and commands for controlling the processing of the workpiece by the machine tool;

means for generating a plurality of third data representative of the inner contours defined by the combined contours;

means for combining the contours represented by the third data such that each contour is shifted in at least one of two orthogonal directions by a selectable amount;

means for generating a plurality of fourth data representative of the outer contours of the combined and shifted contours; and

means for displaying the fourth data.

18. An apparatus for generating a perspective representation on a display wherein the perspective representation is of a variable three dimensional structure processed by an object responsive to data and commands, the apparatus comprising:

computational means to generate and store coordinate data of the contours of a plurality of sections through the structure and through the object;

a first image point memory region;

a video controller operable to write the contours of the structure and the object in the first image point memory region such that selected contours of the structure and of the object are superimposed on one another in accordance with the data and commands; and

a second image point memory region;

the computational means in communication with the first image point memory region and further operative to generate data representative of the outer and inner contours resulting from the superimposed contours and to transfer the data to the second image point memory region;

the video controller, computational means and the first and second image point memory region cooperating to display a three dimensional representation of the processed structure.