Numerical control system
AssigneeFanuc Corporation
InventorsRyoichiro Nozawa, Hideaki Kawamura
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A numerical control system in which a numerical control device is adapted to control a machine tool equipped with a plurality of tables, as one example, on which workpieces may be secured to be machined by a tool mounted on a head. A table which is not being controlled automatically by the numerical control device can be operated independently of the automatic operation network of the numerical control device and placed in a manual operation mode or manual data input mode in which the table can be moved manually even while the numerical control device controls the other table or tables automatically.
Claims6
A numerical control method for a machine tool having a plurality of controlled axes of movement, each axis having a manual operation mode, a manual data input mode and an automatic operation mode, which method comprises the steps of:
- operating at least some of the controlled axes of the machine tool in a mode other than said automatic operation mode, and
- executing simultaneously, machining work along some of said controlled axes in the automatic operation mode, and another task along at least some of the remaining controlled axes, in a mode other than said automatic operation mode.
A numerical control appartus, having automatic control circuitry for providing automatic control pulses and manual control circuitry for providing manual control pulses, for controlling a machine tool having a plurality of axes controlled by respective servo control circuits each having an input terminal for selectively receiving one of manual control pulses and automatic control pulses, each axis having a manual operation mode, a manual data input mode and an automatic operation mode, said apparatus comprises:
- switching means responsive to a changeover signal for selectively connecting the input terminals of the servo control circuits to receive one of the automatic control pulse and the manual control pulse, wherein the servo control circuits for the axes to be controlled in an automatic operation mode are connected to the automatic control circuitry, and the remaining servo control circuits are connected to the manual control circuitry, and
- executing means operatively connected to said switching means, for providing said changeover signal, and for simultaneously executing machining work in the automatic operation mode, and executing another task in a mode other than the automatic operation mode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.