Method and system for controlling a machine tool with direct transfer of machining data

• US 7,283,888 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2001
• Issued: 10/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Collab Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Brigham Young University (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
• Inventors: Evans, Mark S., Red, Walter Edward, Jensen, Charles Gregory, Bassett, C. Porter, McBride, Corey Lynn, Bosley, Jonathan Edward, Ghimire, Girish C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnes, Crystal J.
• Application Number:
  US10/276,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20040024472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,350 Days
• Field of Search: 700/2, 700/4, 700/61, 700 95- 97, 700/181, 700/182, 700245-250, 700/253, 700/264, 318/560, 318/567, 318/568.11, 318/568.13, 318/569, 318/571, 318/574, 318/578, 717/106, 717/108, 717/114, 717/116, 719/315, 719/316, 719/328, 901/6
• US Class Current: 700/186
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4097 characterised by using design data to control NC machines, e.g. CAD/CAM G05B19/4093 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35002 Parametric machine control, direct control from cad data, no nc data
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35097 Generation of cutter path, offset curve
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/36266 Tool path editor, for offset, multi-passes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

Method and system for a direct transmission of motion path data (310) from a generating system (204) to a control system (205) for use in controlling a servo-driven machine. For example, a machine tool for machining stock material, and the data generating system includes a computer-aided-design software package (301). Tool paths for directing the tool members of the machine tool can be extracted from a design file opened by the CAD software through the operation interface of the CAD software (302). Alternatively, the design file can be used to specify motion paths rather than end product geometry. The CAD interpreter application extracts the motion path data from the design file, eliminating the need to translate the data into another or intermediate form for controlling the machine tool.

Claims

1. A system for interfacing a control system with a machine comprising:

a first processor executing a design application that generates motion path data without machine control language conversion;

a second processor, that interfaces with said first processor, said second processor executing motion control software that accesses said motion path data from said design application on said first processor, and the second processor executing servo-control software, wherein said motion control software and said servo-control software controls the machine in accordance with said motion path data, and said motion path data comprises objects which are adaptable to allow the control system to interface with a different machine, wherein the first processor and the second processor are part of the same computer.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the machine is a machine tool for machining stock material according to design specifications.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said design application is a computer aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing software package.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein motion control software extracts said motion path data from said design application using an Application Program Interface of said design application.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said design application passes said motion path data to said motion control software through an Application Program Interface of said motion control software.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said system further comprises a display device and user input device interfaced with said first processor for generating, reviewing or editing said motion path, data with said design application.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said design application produces a motion object containing said motion path data, said motion path data defining motion paths along which a tool head of the machine is to be moved; and

said design application passes said motion object to said motion control software on said second processor.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said motion object comprises:

a rates object that determines feed rates and speed rates for control of members of the machine;

a velocity profile generator object for controlling velocity transitions in said motion paths; and

a path object containing information defining each motion path.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said motion control software accesses motion path data through said design application, said motion path data defining motion paths along which a tool head of the machine is to be moved; and

said motion control software produces a motion object containing said motion path data.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said motion path data output by said design application specifies tool paths in a Cartesian coordinate system and said motion control software translates the tool paths into servo control signals for driving motors of the machine.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein:

said motion control software comprises a motion controller application and a servo controller application;

said motion controller application maps said motion path data into a coordinate system defined by the machine; and

said servo controller application generates controls signals for transmission to servos of the servo-driven machine in accordance with said mapped motion path data from said motion controller application.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein said first processor and said second processor interface within a multi-processor computer workstation.

13. A method of operating a machine tool for machining a supply of stock material according to a specified design, the method comprising extracting tool path data from a design within a computer-aided-design/computer-aided manufacture software package through an Application Program Interface of said computer-aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing software package, wherein the design application operates on a first processor and generates the tool path data without machine control language conversion, wherein the tool path data is extracted by a second processor that executes motion control software, the second processor also executing servo-control software, wherein the tool path data comprises objects which are adaptable to allow the control system to interface with a different machine, wherein the first processor and the second processor are part of the same computer.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising controlling said machine tool in accordance with said tool path data such that specified elements of said machine tool are moved along tool paths defined by said tool path data extracted from said design.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

modifying said design with said computer-aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing software package;

extracting modified tool path data from said modified design; and

controlling said machine tool in accordance with said modified tool path data such that specified members of said machine tool are moved along tool paths defined by said modified tool path data extracted from said modified design.

16. A method of interfacing a control system with a machine comprising:

executing a design application that generates motion path data for said machine, the motion path data being generated without machine control language conversion;

executing motion control software that receives said motion path data in a same form as output by said design application; and

controlling the servo-driven machine with said motion control software in accordance with said motion path data from said design application, further comprising executing said design application and said motion control software on different processors that are part of the same computer, wherein a second processor executes servo-control software.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising machining stock material with the machine, which is a machine tool, to make a product defined by said motion path data.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said design application is a computer-aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing software package.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

using a computer-aided-design software package to generate a file in which tool paths are specified rather than end product geometry; and

generating said motion path data from said file with said design application.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising editing said motion path data with said design application.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising reviewing said motion path data with said design application.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

generating, with said design application, a motion object containing said motion path data, said motion path data defining motion paths along which members of the machine are to be moved; and

passing said motion object to said motion control software.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein said motion path data output by said design application specifies tool paths in a Cartesian coordinate system and said method further comprises translating said tool paths into servo control signals for driving motors of the servo-driven machine.

24. A system for interfacing a control system with a machine comprising:

means for generating motion path data for the machine, the motion path data being generated without machine control language conversion;

means for executing motion control software that receives said motion path data in a same form as output by said means for generating said motion path data; and

means for controlling the machine in accordance with said motion path data, wherein the means for generating motion and the means for executing motion control software are part of the same computer, further comprising means for executing servo control software.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the machine comprises means for machining stock material to make a product defined by said motion path data.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein said means for generating motion path data comprises a computer-aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing software package.

27. The system of claim 24, further comprising means for reviewing and editing said motion path data.

28. A system for interfacing a control system with a machine comprising:

a first processor executing a design application that generates motion path data without machine control language conversion;

a second processor, that interfaces with said first processor, said second processor executing motion control software that receives said motion path data from said design application on said first processor passed through an Application Program Interface of said motion control software, wherein the second processor also executes servo control software; and

wherein said motion control software controls the machine in accordance with said motion path data, wherein the first processor and the second processor are part of the same computer.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the machine is a machine tool for machining stock material according to design specifications.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein said design application is a computer aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing software package.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein said system further comprises a display device and user input device interfaced with said first processor for generating, reviewing or editing said motion path data with said design application.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein:

said design application produces a motion object containing said motion path data, said motion path data defining motion paths along which a tool head of the machine is to be moved; and

said design application passes said motion object to said motion control software.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein said motion object comprises:

a rates object that determines feed rates and speed rates for control of members of the servo-driven machine;

a velocity profile generator object for controlling velocity transitions in said motion paths; and

a path object containing information defining each motion path.

34. The system of claim 28, wherein said motion path data output by said design application specifies tool paths in a Cartesian coordinate system and said motion control software translates the tool paths into servo control signals for driving motors of the machine.

35. The system of claim 28, wherein:

said motion control software comprises a motion controller application and a servo controller application;

said motion controller application maps said motion path data into a coordinate system defined by the machine; and

said servo controller application generates controls signals for transmission to servos of the machine in accordance with said motion path data from said motion controller application.

36. The system of claim 28, wherein said first processor and said second processor interface within a multi-processor computer workstation.

37. A system for interfacing a control system with a machine comprising:

a first processor executing a design application that produces a motion object containing motion path data that has been generated without machine control language conversion, said motion path data defining motion paths along which a tool head of the machine is to be moved;

a second processor, that interfaces with said first processor, said second processor executing motion control software that receives said motion object from said design application on said first processor, the second processor also executing servo-control software; and

wherein said motion control software controls the machine in accordance with said motion path data, wherein the first processor and the second processor are part of the same computer.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the machine is a machine tool for machining stock material according to design specifications.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein said design application is a computer aided-design/computer-aided-manufacturing software package.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein said system further comprises a display device and user input device interfaced with said first processor for generating, reviewing or editing said motion path data with said design application.

41. The system of claim 37, wherein said motion object comprises:

a rates object that determines feed rates and speed rates for control of members of the servo-driven machine;

a velocity profile generator object for controlling velocity transitions in said motion paths; and

a path object containing information defining each motion path.

42. The system of claim 37, wherein said motion path data output by said design application specifies tool paths in a Cartesian coordinate system and said motion control software translates the tool paths into servo control signals for driving motors of the machine.

43. The system of claim 37, wherein:

said motion control software comprises a motion controller application and a servo controller application;

said motion controller application maps said motion path data into a coordinate system defined by the servo-driven machine; and

said servo controller application generates controls signals for transmission to servos of the servo-driven machine in accordance with said motion path data from said motion controller application.

44. The system of claim 37, wherein said first processor and said second processor interface within a multi-processor computer workstation.