Production machine or machine tool and method for operating such a machine tool

#This application claims the priority of European Patent Application, Serial No. 14188424.7, filed Oct. 10, 2014, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(a)-(d), the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety as if fully set forth herein.

#The present invention relates to a program-controlled production machine or machine tool, also referred to below as a machine for short, together with a method of operating such a machine. Here, the term production machine or machine tool is generally to be understood as a program controlled automation system, and hence for example also as an industrial robot.

#The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.

#Other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description of currently preferred exemplified embodiments of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

#FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a production machine or machine tool according to the present invention, and

#FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram corresponding to FIG. 1 with additional functionality in the area of the processing component.

#Throughout all the figures, same or corresponding elements may generally be indicated by same reference numerals. These depicted embodiments are to be understood as illustrative of the invention and not as limiting in any way. It should also be understood that the figures are not necessarily to scale and that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols, phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. In certain instances, details which are not necessary for an understanding of the present invention or which render other details difficult to perceive may have been omitted.

#Turning now to the drawing, and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown in a schematically simplified form and with no specific details a production machine or machine tool 10, referred to below for short as a machine 10. This incorporates, in a way which is known per se, a processing unit in the form or nature of a processor 12 together with a memory 14. Loaded into the memory 14 is a part program 16, which can be executed by the processor 12 and which in turn defines specific functionality of the machine 10. The part program 16 incorporates HMI instructions 18 and these are provided indirectly or directly for the actuation of a control and monitoring system 20 which is either in the form of a stand-alone device assigned to the machine 10 and linked to this for communication purposes in a basically known manner, or is integrated into the machine 10.

#The control and monitoring system 20 incorporates a display unit 22, such as for example a screen or the like, together with a processing component 24. This processing component 24 is software functionality implemented in the form of a computer program, possibly distributed, so that this can also be loaded together with the part program 16 into the memory 14 or into a memory, not shown separately, of the control and monitoring system 20. Since the processing component 24 is, at least functionally, assigned to the control and monitoring system 20, it is shown in the diagram in FIG. 1 as a part of the control and monitoring system 20.