Machining tool control system and control method

• US 8,989,891 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2009
• Issued: 03/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Citizen Machinery Miyano Co., Ltd. (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Citizen Machinery Co., Ltd. (Citizen Electronics Company Limited)
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Hitoshi, Saito, Hisashi, Hara, Masaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Fennema, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEVENS, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US13/122,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20110184549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• US Class Current: 700/180
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4068 Verifying part programme on screen, by drawing or other means
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35259 Divide program in machining division blocks, and name them
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/35293 Execute program and check block of data, on interrupt display block

Abstract

Provided are a control system and a control method by which a part of a continuously written machining program can be easily executed by a machine tool, and operation and the like of the machine tool can be checked. The control apparatus has an input device 102 which inputs a start instruction of a specific section of a machining program, and a partial executing device between the inputted start instruction of the specific section, and an end instruction that corresponds to the start instruction, to an operation executing device (101).

Claims

1. A machining tool control system having an actuation executing means for operating a machining tool by executing all of, and alternatively a selected part of, a predetermined machining program in which executable steps are sequentially written, and a partial executing means for causing said actuation executing means to execute, in sequence, the steps of a selected part of said predetermined machining program without subsequent execution of other parts of said predetermined machining program;

wherein said predetermined machining program includes a plurality of sections, each of said sections being less than said predetermined machining program in its entirety, each said section comprising a unique starting command for designating a start of said section, a corresponding ending command for designating an end of said section, and a plurality of executable steps for execution in sequence between said starting command and said ending command;

wherein said control system is provided with an input means for inputting any of the unique starting commands of said plurality of sections to said partial executing means;

wherein said control system includes means for carrying out a control sequence wherein a preparation process is executed, and wherein, following the execution of the preparation process, but before the execution of any part of said predetermined machining program by said actuation execution means, an automatic determination is made of whether or not a starting command has been entered into said input means;

wherein, said control system also comprises means, responsive to said determination, if a determination is made that a starting command has been entered into said input means, for selecting a section of said predetermined machining program from said plurality of sections in response to the entered starting command, and, when said actuation executing means is started, automatically causing said partial executing means to instruct said actuation executing means to execute the section of the program between the entered starting command and the ending command corresponding to the entered starting command, and to halt the operation of said machine tool upon completion of execution of said plurality of executable steps of the selected section of the program; and

wherein, said means responsive to said determination, automatically causes said actuation executing means to execute said predetermined machining program in its entirety when said actuation executing means is started, if a determination is made that no starting command has been entered into said input means.

2. A machining tool control method comprising starting a predetermined machining program composed of sequentially executable steps, said program having plural sections, each of said plural sections having a start and an end, and including a unique starting command for designating the start thereof, a corresponding ending command for designating the end thereof, and a plurality of said executable steps for execution in sequence between said unique starting command and said ending command, said method comprising:

an input step wherein the unique starting command of a selected section of said plural sections is entered;

a process preparation step wherein a preparation process necessary for operation of the machine tool is executed;

a determining step carried out automatically in a machining tool control by a decision step in a control sequence, wherein, upon initiation of the operation of said predetermined machining program, and following the process preparation step, but before execution of a machining step in said predetermined machining program, a determination is made of whether or not a starting command has been entered in said input step;

an execution step wherein an ending command corresponding to the entered starting command is retrieved, and, in response to the entry of the starting command of said selected section, said plurality of executable steps between the entered starting command and the retrieved ending command is executed, and the execution of the machining program is halted automatically upon completion of the execution of said plurality of executable steps of the selected section; and

restarting said machining program without entry of a starting command, and wherein upon said restarting of the machining program, said determining step determines that no starting command has been entered, and said predetermined machining program is executed automatically in its entirety.