Method of displaying an operation history of a machine

• US 5,323,325 A
• Filed: 03/18/1991
• Issued: 06/21/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Ltd (Fanuc Corporation)
• Inventors: Izumiya, Shunzo
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Long T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trammall, Jim
• Application Number:
  US07/663,946
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 Days
• Field of Search: 364/474.16, 364/183-186, 364/146, 364/188, 364/193, 364/189, 371/29.1, 371/16.5
• US Class Current: 700/174
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 41/06 Features relating to organisation of working of machines
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4063 Monitoring general control system G05B19/4062 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35289 Display machining state and corresponding control program
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35291 Record history, log, journal, audit of machine operation
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35366 Fill buffer dynamically, track read out and write in addresses, fifo
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/32 with visual or acoustical indication of the functioning of the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3476 Data logging G06F11/14, G06F11/2205 take precedence

Abstract

A method of displaying an operation history of a machine, which permits quick and proper investigation of the causes of troubles and trouble-shooting therefor. A processor of a numerical control device mounted on the machine writes a block number in a corresponding address region of a memory every time one block of a machining program is read out, and executes the block after an index indicating the address region to be stored with the next block number is determined (S1 to S4, S6). If the determined index exceeds a value indicating the last address region, the index is reset to a value indicating the first address region (S5). During the execution of each block, the processor successively determines, with respect to all the circuit sections of an input/output circuit, the presence/absence of signal transfer through each circuit section (S12), and causes a memory address region corresponding to the block to successively store codes individually indicating those circuit sections concerned in the signal transfer (S13), so that block numbers indicating up-to-date blocks and codes indicating the circuit sections concerned in the signal transfer during the execution of the blocks are continually held in their associated memory address regions, whereby the operation history of the machine is recorded. In response to a display command, the block numbers and codes constituting the operation history are successively displayed on a display screen according to precedence (S21 to S26).

Claims

1. A method of displaying an operation history of a numerically controlled machine during control by a numerical control unit, comprising the steps of:

(a) successively storing, in address regions of a memory, block information indicative of each block in a numerically controlled machining program, the numerically controlled machining program composed of a series of the blocks to be read block by block;

(b) successively detecting state information identifying circuit sections of an input/output circuit concerned in control information transfer between the numerically controlled machine and the numerical control unit during execution of each block and discriminating those circuit sections to have been concerned in the control information transfer;

(c) successively storing the state information corresponding to said circuit sections discriminated in said step (b) to have been concerned in the control information transfer, said state information stored in one of the memory address regions corresponding to the block during execution; and

(d) displaying the storage contents of the memory in accordance with a display command.

2. A method of displaying an operation history of a numerically controlled machine during control by a numerical control unit according to claim 1, wherein said step (d) includes the steps of:

(d1) determining an address region of the memory containing an oldest of the block information;

(d2) successively updating an index indicative of the address region determined in said step (d1) to successively determine subsequent address regions;

(d3) determining a first address region of the memory as a next address region when no address region of the memory corresponds to the index updated in said step (d2); and

(d4) successively displaying the stored contents of the address region determined in said step (d1) and the subsequent address regions.

3. A method of displaying an operation history of a numerically controlled machine during control by a numerical control unit according to claim 1, wherein each said block information is a block number indicative of a corresponding block.

4. A method of displaying an operation history of a numerically controlled machine during control by a numerical control unit according to claim 1, wherein each said block information is the contents of a corresponding block.