Machine tool for tracer controlled machinery and numerical controlled machinery

A machine tool control system for tracer controlled machining and numerically controlled machining comprising:

• a tracing control means for delivering a control instruction based on an externally generated input for tracer controlled machining;
• a numerical control means for delivering a control instruction based on an externally generated input for numerically controlled machining;
• three-axis driving means for tracer controlled machining for driving X, Y, and Z axis motions of tracer controlled operation and for detecting positions in X, Y, and Z axis directions;
• three-axis driving means for numerically controlled machining for driving X, Y, and Z axis motions of numerically controlled operation and for detecting positions in X, Y, and Z axis directions, signals of the detection of positions in X, Y, and Z directions from said three-axis driving means for tracer controlled machining and said three-axis driving means for numerically controlled machining being fed back to said tracing control means and said numerical control means;
• a plurality of switching circuits each of which has a logic gate circuit means for receiving instructions from said tracing control means and said numerical control means, and three kinds of operation selection signals through an array of input side gate circuits having groups of three logic gate circuits and delivering two kinds of output signals through an array of output side gate circuits to be supplied to said three-axis driving means for tracer controlled machining and said three-axis driving means for numerically controlled machining, wherein the outputs of said tracing control means and said numerical control means are connected to first input terminals of said array of input side gate circuits;
• and
• operation selection inputting means having first, second, and third terminals receiving externally generated operation selection signals corresponding to a tracer controlled operation, a numerically controlled operation, and a tracer and numerically controlled operation, wherein said first, second and third terminals are connected to second input terminals of said array of input side gate circuits;
• instructions from said tracing control means and said numerical control means being supplied to said first input terminals of said array of input side gate circuits in said switching circuits;
• signals from said terminals of said operation selection inputting means being supplied to said second input terminals of said array of input side gate circuits in said switching circuits, such that
• (a) when the first terminal in said operation selection inputting means is selected, both of said three-axis driving means for tracer controlled machining and for numerically controlled machining are controlled by the control instruction from said tracing control means,
• (b) when the second terminal in said operation selection inputting means is selected, both of said three-axis driving means for tracer controlled machining and for numerically controlled machining are controlled by the control instruction from said numerical control means, and
• (c) when the third terminal in said operation selection inputting means is selected, the three-axis driving means for tracer controlled machining is controlled by the control instruction from said tracing control means and the three-axis driving means for numerically controlled machining is controlled by the control instruction from said numerical control means, concurrently, respectively and independently, said positions being continuously monitored even when switching between one of said first, second, and third terminals.