# US 4,580,207 A · Numerical control data dividing and editing apparatus for numerical control machine tool > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 4,580,207 A - Document ID: US4580207A - Status: Granted - Kind: A - Application number: 06/638,665 - Filed: 1984-08-08 - Granted: 1986-04-01 - Earliest claimed: 1980-11-25 - Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd. - Inventors: Yoshinao Arai; Kenji Takeda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4580207A ## CPC - G05B 19/4202: {preparation of the program medium using a drawing, a model} - G05B 2219/32418: Machine workload balance, same tools for pool of machines for same operations - G05B 2219/35399: Split part program in elementary machining steps, executable by a single tool - 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) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract Machining data for machining a workpiece is divided by an NC data dividing processor into a plurality of machining element data each of which can be carried out by a single tool, and selected ones of the divided machining element data are combined and edited by an NC data editing processor in accordance with job allocation determined by a job allocation processor. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A NC data dividing and editing apparatus for a NC machine tool system including a plurality of NC machine tools having their operations controlled by NC data, comprising: a NC data dividing processor for dividing a series of machining data derived by processing a part program by a main processor into a plurality of machining element data each of which can be carried out by a single tool, and for storing said machining element data, each of said plurality of machining element data including start condition data, tool specifying data, operation data and end condition data; a job allocation processor for allocating jobs to said machine tools in response to information received from each machine tool conveying if the machine tool is continuing to operate, load conditions of tools on each machine tool, mounting conditions of tools on each machine tool and job precedence relations of said machining element data as a function of the machining time for each machine tool and the number of times of transfer of a workpiece between machine tools to accomplish said jobs to be allocated by said job allocation processor; and a NC data editing processor responsive to the job allocation by said job allocation processor for combining and editing selected ones of said plurality of machining element data divided by said NC data dividing processor for each of said machining tools and for reallocating one or more machining element data originally allocated to one or more machine tools by said job allocation processor to one or more additional machine tools on the basis of an updating of said information used for originally allocating information to said machine tools. ### Claim 2 A NC data dividing and editing apparatus for a NC machine tool system including a plurality of NC machine tools having their operations controlled by NC data, comprising: a NC data dividing processor for dividing a series of machining data derived by processing a part program by a main processor into a plurality of machining element data each of which can be carried out by a single tool, and for storing said machining element data, each of said plurality of machining element data including start condition data, tool specifying data, operation data and end condition data; a job allocation processor for allocating jobs to said machine tools in response to information received from each machine tool conveying if the tool is continuing to operate, load conditions of tools on each machine tool, mounting conditions of tools on each machine tool and job precedence relations of said machining element data as a function of the machining time for each machine tool and the number of times of transfer of a workpiece between machining tools to accomplish said jobs to be allocated by said job allocation processor; and a NC data editing processor responsive to the job allocation by said job allocation means for combining and editing selected ones of said plurality of machining element data divided by said NC data dividing processor for each of said machining tools, said NC data editing processor updating, when it combines and edits the selected ones of said machining element data divided by said NC data dividing processor, the start condition data of the machining element data in accordance with the end condition data of the immediately preceding machine element data. ### Claim 3 A data editing apparatus for a machine tool system including a plurality of machine tools each numerically controlled by a processor and further including processors common to all of said machine tools comprising: one of said common processors being a main processor wherein operations at the machine tools are carried out by control in accordance with prepared data obtained by processing a program list by said main processor; another of said common processors being a job allocation processor which detects the actual operational states of all machine tools to be controlled, said operational state of each machine tool being a function of the operation of the machine tool, load conditions of tools on each machine tool, mounting conditions of tools on each machine tool and job precedence relations of said machining data for each machine tool and the number of times of transfer of a workpiece between machine tools to accomplish jobs to be allocated, said job allocation processor transmitting the actual operational states to a NC data editing processor which combines the operational states and the prepared data for the respective machine tools and transmits the combined operational states and the prepared data to the processors controlling said respective machine tools, said NC data editing processor also functioning to reallocate one or more machine element data allocated to one or more machine tools by said job allocation processor to one or more additional machine tools on the basis of an updating of said operational states used for originally allocating information to said machine tools; and a data dividing processor, disposed between said main processor and said data editing processor, which divides processing data delivered by said main processor into the machining element data capable of being handled by respectively one individual tool and passes the machining element data on to said data editing processor. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A data editing apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said data editing processor functions to edit selected ones of said machining element data divided by said NC data dividing processor, by updating start condition data of the machining element data in accordance with end condition data of the immediately preceding machine element data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) An NC data dividing and editng apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said NC data dividing processor includes memory means for storing said plurality of machine element data, said memory means including a memory area for storing at least start condition data, end condition data and operation data for the tools used to carry out said machining element data. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) An NC data dividing and editing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said end condition data is updated each time when condition data contained in said operation data is extracted.