System and method for tool testing and alignment

• US 8,401,692 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flow International Corporation (Shape Technologies Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Flow International Corporation (Shape Technologies Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: Knaupp, Michael, Meyer, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Gami, Tejal
• Application Number:
  US12/878,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20120065769A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 700/193, 700/160, 451/38, 451/99, 831/77, 83/53
• US Class Current: 700/193
• CPC Class Codes: B24C 1/045 for cutting energy dissipating devices therefor B26F3/008
• CPC Class Codes: B24C 9/00 Appurtenances of abrasive blasting machines or devices, e.g. working chambers, arrangements for handling used abrasive material
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/401 characterised by control arrangements for measuring, e.g. calibration and initialisation, measuring workpiece for machining purposes G05B19/19 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/45036 Waterjet cutting
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50028 Beam detects x, y deviation on surface, compensates beam of position scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/50139 Calibration, setting tool after measurement on tool
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/0591 Cutting by direct application of fluent pressure to work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 83/364 By fluid blast and/or suction

Abstract

A system and method for improving a tool tip path of a machine, such as a waterjet cutting machine, by testing and compensating for tool misalignment. The system and method using a sensor positioned to sense a portion of the machine, such as a cutting head assembly, during a sequence of movements thereof and configured to output information indicative of various positions and orientations of a tool of the machine so as to generate an improved tool tip path based on transformation parameters derived from such information.

Claims

1. A method for improving a tool tip path of a waterjet cutting machine, comprising:

sequencing a cutting head assembly coupled to the waterjet cutting machine through a first sequence of positions and orientations relative to a base reference frame;

receiving information indicative of the position and orientation of a sensor with respect to the base reference frame;

sequencing a cutting head assembly coupled to the waterjet cutting machine through a second sequence of positions and orientations relative to the position and orientation of the sensor;

sensing a location of the cutting head assembly at each position and orientation of the second sequence of positions and orientations with the sensor to obtain information indicative of the second sequence of positions and orientations; and

generating an improved tool tip path based at least in part on transformation parameters calculated from the information indicative of second sequence of positions and orientations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing a location of the cutting head assembly at each position and orientation of the second sequence of positions and orientations with a sensor includes sensing a portion of the cutting head assembly.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing a location of the cutting head assembly at each position and orientation of the second sequence of positions and orientations with a sensor includes sensing a mixing tube of the cutting head assembly.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing a location of the cutting head assembly at each position and orientation of the second sequence of positions and orientations with a sensor includes sensing a waterjet of the cutting head assembly.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing a location of the cutting head assembly at each position and orientation of the second sequence of positions and orientations with a sensor includes sensing a pin received in a bore of a mixing tube of the cutting head assembly.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein sensing a location of the cutting head assembly at each position and orientation of the second sequence of positions and orientations with a sensor includes interrupting a light beam of a photoelectric sensor.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving information indicative of the position and orientation of the sensor with respect to the base reference frame includes receiving information indicative of the position and orientation of the sensor with the sensor statically fixed within an operable range of the waterjet cutting machine.

7. A method for a computing system to improve a tool tip path of a waterjet cutting machine, comprising:

under the control of one or more configured computing systems,

providing instructions to move a cutting head assembly coupled to the waterjet cutting machine through a first plurality of positions and orientations;

calculating a reference frame of a sensor based at least in part on information indicative of the first plurality of positions and orientations;

providing instructions to move the cutting head assembly coupled to the waterjet cutting machine through a second plurality of positions and orientations relative to the reference frame of the sensor;

receiving information indicative of the second plurality of positions and orientations of a portion of the cutting head assembly from the sensor, the sensor configured to sense the portion of the cutting head assembly as the cutting head assembly moves through the second plurality of positions and orientations proximate the sensor; and

providing instructions to move a tool center point of the cutting head assembly along an improved tool tip path derived at least in part from the information indicative of the second plurality of positions and orientations of the portion of the cutting head assembly.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

calculating transformation parameters based at least in part on the information indicative of the second plurality of positions and orientations of the portion of the cutting head assembly, and wherein the improved tool tip path is derived at least in part from the transformation parameters.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the transformation parameters are indicative of at least a misalignment of a machine focal point and a tool center line of the cutting head assembly.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein receiving information indicative of the second plurality of positions and orientations of a portion of the cutting head assembly includes receiving information indicative of the second plurality of positions and orientations of a mixing tube of the cutting head assembly.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the sensor is a photoelectric sensor.

12. The method of claim 7 wherein providing instructions to move a cutting head assembly coupled to the waterjet cutting machine through a second plurality of positions and orientations relative to the reference frame of the sensor includes providing instructions to move the cutting head assembly through the second plurality of positions and orientations perpendicularly with respect to the reference frame of the sensor.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein providing instructions to move the cutting head assembly through a first plurality of positions and orientations includes providing instructions to move the cutting head assembly in a series of movements with the cutting head assembly in a vertical orientation with respect to a base reference frame to trigger the sensor in at least two positions and providing instructions to move the cutting head assembly in a series of movements with the cutting head assembly in a horizontal orientation with respect to the base reference frame to trigger the sensor in at least two other positions.

18. The method of claim 7 wherein calculating the reference frame of the sensor based at least in part on information indicative of the first plurality of positions and orientations of the cutting head assembly includes calculating the reference frame of the sensor with the sensor statically fixed within an operable range of the waterjet cutting machine.

14. A method for a computing system to improve a tool tip path of a multi-axis machine, comprising:

under the control of one or more configured computing systems,

providing instructions to move a tool coupled to the multi-axis machine through a first set of positions and orientations proximate a sensor;

receiving information indicative of the position and orientation of the sensor as the tool moves through the first set of positions and orientations to determine a sensor reference frame;

providing instructions to move the tool through a second set of positions and orientations proximate the sensor and relative to the sensor reference frame;

receiving information indicative of the second set of positions and orientations of the tool from the sensor;

calculating transformation parameters based at least in part on the information indicative of the second set of positions and orientations of the tool; and

providing instructions to move the tool along an improved tool tip path derived at least in part from the transformation parameters.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein providing instructions to move the tool through a first set of positions and orientations includes providing instructions to move the tool in a series of movements with the tool in a vertical orientation with respect to a base reference frame to trigger the sensor in at least two positions of the first set of positions and orientations and providing instructions to move the tool in a series of movements with the tool in a horizontal orientation with respect to the base reference frame to trigger the sensor in at least two other positions of the first set of positions and orientations.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the multi-axis machine is a 5-axis waterjet cutting machine having three translational axes and two non-parallel rotary axes that converge to form a machine focal point, and wherein calculating transformation parameters based at least in part on the information indicative of the second set of positions and orientations of the tool includes calculating transformation parameters which compensate for at least a misalignment between a tool vector passing through the machine focal point and a tool center line of the tool.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein providing instructions to move the tool coupled to the multi-axis machine through the first set of positions and orientations proximate the sensor includes providing instructions to move the tool coupled to the multi-axis machine through the first set of positions and orientations proximate the sensor with the sensor statically fixed within an operable range of the multi-axis machine.