# US 10,359,765 B2 · Control device for machine tool with multi-system programs

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- Number: US 10,359,765 B2
- Document ID: US10359765B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/517,066
- Filed: 2015-10-05
- Published: 2017-10-12
- Granted: 2019-07-23
- Earliest claimed: 2014-10-07
- Assignees: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.; Citizen Machinery Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.; Citizen Machinery Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Takaichi Nakaya; Hitoshi Matsumoto
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10359765B2

## CPC

- G05B 19/4155: characterised by program execution, i.e. part program or machine function execution, e.g. selection of a program
- B23Q 39/04: the sub-assemblies being arranged to operate simultaneously at different stations, e.g. with an annular work-table moved in steps (associations of machines connected only by work-transferring means B23Q41/00)
- G05B 19/41865: {characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow}
- G05B 2219/32043: Program, information flow
- G05B 2219/50008: Multiple, multi tool head, parallel machining
- G05B 2219/50012: Multi slide and indexable multi workpiece spindles
- G05B 2219/50014: Several, multi workpieces
- Y02P 90/02: Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]
- G05B: CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS OR ELEMENTS (systems for controlling or regulating non-electric variables G05D; systems for regulating electric or magnetic variables G05F; control devices or systems insofar as characterised by mechanical features only G05G)
- B23Q: DETAILS, COMPONENTS, OR ACCESSORIES FOR MACHINE TOOLS, e.g. ARRANGEMENTS FOR COPYING OR CONTROLLING (tools of the kind used in lathes or boring machines B23B27/00); MACHINE TOOLS IN GENERAL CHARACTERISED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF PARTICULAR DETAILS OR COMPONENTS; COMBINATIONS OR ASSOCIATIONS OF METAL-WORKING MACHINES, NOT DIRECTED TO A PARTICULAR RESULT
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A control device for a machine tool to produce a plurality of different-shaped products efficiently and successively is provided. In the control device, each driving shaft of modules is assigned to different control systems. The device includes a multi-system program storage part for storing a plurality of multi-system programs to machine a workpiece in different shapes, a multi-system program dividing part for dividing the multi-system programs into machining programs, a divided program storage part for storing the divided machining programs individually, a system-based program storage part for storing the machining programs for the respective control systems, and a machining program selection part for selecting the machining program from the divided program storage part in accordance with the machining step to be executed and for storing the selected machining program in the system-based program storage part for the respective control systems.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A control device for a machine tool capable of producing a plurality of differently-shaped products from a plurality of workpieces, the machine tool comprising a plurality of modules each integrally including a workpiece gripper that grips a workpiece and an operation-part holder that holds an operation part configured to perform a predetermined operation on the workpiece gripped by the workpiece gripper, the control device comprising:
a plurality of control systems that are configured to control a driving shaft of each of the plurality of modules, the control device controlling the machine tool to machine the workpiece in accordance with a plurality of multi-system programs, each of the multi-system programs including a plurality of machining programs which respectively correspond to the plurality of control systems, the plurality of multi-system programs controlling the plurality of modules to produce one of the plurality of differently-shaped products, the driving shaft of each of the plurality of modules being assigned to each of the plurality of control systems, and each of the plurality of multi-system programs being executed to machine the workpiece into a shaped product of the plurality of shaped products;
a divided program storage part that is configured to individually store the machining programs;
a system-based program storage part that is configured to store each of the machining programs for a respective control system; and
a machining program selection part that is configured to select and retrieve a desired machining program from the divided program storage part in accordance with a machining step to be executed by each of the plurality of modules and to store the desired machining program in the system-based program storage part for the respective control system,
wherein the machining program selection part selects and retrieves the desired machining program for each control system from the divided program storage part and stores the desired machining program in the system-based program storage part for the respective control system such that each of the plurality of modules of the machine tool independently executes a predetermined machining step to machine the workpiece that is gripped by the workpiece gripper of a respective module into the one of the plurality of differently-shaped products,
wherein the plurality of modules includes at least two fixed modules disposed in parallel to each other and at least one moving module disposed to face the fixed modules and provided to be movable in an aligned direction of the at least two fixed modules,
wherein the at least two fixed modules are unmovable in the aligned direction of the at least two fixed modules, and
wherein the moving module is capable of transferring the workpiece between the at least two fixed modules.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The control device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of modules are configured to sequentially transfer and receive the plurality of workpieces to and from each other.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The control device according to claim 1, wherein the system-based program storage part comprises a storage part for each control system.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The control device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of control systems are configured to control the plurality of modules to successively machine the plurality of workpieces.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The control device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of control systems are configured to control the plurality of modules to machine the plurality of workpieces in parallel.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The control device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a multi-system program storage part that is configured to store the plurality of multi-system programs; and
a multi-system program dividing part that is configured to divide each of the plurality of multi-system programs into the machining programs.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The control device according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of multi-system programs are programmed by an at least one of an external computer and an operation panel.