System for creating command and control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation by simulating the operating environment

A system for creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• communication means for communicating with an operator, said communication means being connected to a central processor unit for producing a video simulation of said robot manipulator device and for creating said control signals, said video simulation including a video representation of a configuration and continuous movements of working parts of said bending installation and of a workpiece;
• wherein said working parts comprise a pair of dies and a head and pincers of said robot manipulator;
• said central processor unit including first means for presenting, by means of said communication means, data relating to said working parts of said sheet metal bending installation and said workpiece;
• said central processor unit further including second means operable to permit, by means of said communication means, introduction and/or modification of said data into said central processor unit;
• said second means including means operable to permit the introduction and/or modification of said data relating to dimensional information on said workpiece which is to be bent;
• said central processor unit further including third means operable to permit the creation and/or modification of control signals for bending cycles;
• and
• said third means further comprising means for displaying a continuous real-time video representation of said operating cycle, said means for displaying include means for imparting movement to said video representation of said working parts corresponding to said control signals, wherein said video representation of the working parts contact said video representation of the workpiece, and said means for displaying further including means for bending said video representation of said workpiece in accordance with said data relating to dimensional information.

A system for creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• communication means for communicating with an operator, said communication means being connected to a central processor unit for producing a video simulation of said robot manipulator device and for creating said control signals, said video simulation including a video representation of a configuration and continuous movements of working parts of said bending installation and of a workpiece;
• wherein said working parts comprise a pair of dies and a head and pincers of said robot manipulator;
• said central processor unit including first means for presenting, by means of said communication means, data relating to said working parts of said sheet metal bending installation and said workpiece;
• said central processor unit further including second means operable to permit, by means of said communication means, introduction and/or modification of said data into said central processor unit;
• said second means including means operable to permit the introduction and/or modification of said data relating to dimensional information on bends which are to be formed on said workpiece;
• said central processor unit further including third means operable to permit the creation and/or modification of control signals for bending cycles;
• and
• said third means further includes display means for displaying movement of and interaction between said video representation of said workpiece and said video representation of said working parts and for movement of said video representation of said working parts in contacting and bending said video representation of said workpiece.

A system for creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• communication means for communicating with an operator, said communication means being connected to a central processor unit for producing a working simulation of said robot manipulator device and for creating said control signals, said working simulation including a visual representation of a configuration and continuous movements of working parts of said bending installation and of a workpiece;
• wherein said working parts comprise a pair of dies and a head and pincers of said robot manipulator;
• said central processor unit including first means for presenting, by means of said communication means, data relating to working parts of said sheet metal bending installation and said workpiece;
• said central processor unit further including second means operable to permit, by means of said communication means, introduction and/or modification of said data into said central processor unit;
• and
• said second means being operable to command presentation, by said communication means, of a configuration of at least one of said working parts of said sheet metal bending installation and of said workpiece.

A system for creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• communication means for communicating with an operator, said communication means being connected to a central processor unit for producing a working simulation of said robot manipulator device and for creating said control signals, said working simulation including a visual representation of a configuration and continuous movements of working parts of said bending installation and of a workpiece;
• wherein said working parts comprise a pair of dies and a head and pincers of said robot manipulator;
• said central processor unit including third means operable to permit, by said communication means, creation and/or modification of said control signals for said operating cycle in said central processor unit;
• and
• said third means including means operable to permit creation and/or modification of said control signals for controlling phases of said operating cycle.

A system for creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• communication means for communicating with an operator, said communication means being connected to a central processor unit for producing a working simulation of said robot manipulator device and for creating said control signals;
• said central processor unit including third means operable to permit, by said communication means, creation and/or modification of said control signals for said operating cycle in said central processor unit;
• and
• said third means including means operable to command a visual presentation, by said communication means, of a configuration of working parts of the installation and elements of said communication means, operable to permit creation and/or modification of said control signals for controlling phases of the operating cycle;
• wherein said working parts comprise the pair of dies and the head and pincers of said robot manipulator.

A system for creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• communication means for communicating with an operator, said communication means being connected to a central processor unit for producing a working simulation of said robot manipulator device and for creating said control signals;
• said central processor unit including third means operable to permit, by said communication means, creation and/or modification of said control signals for said operating cycle in said central processor unit;
• said third means including means operable to define control signals for a phase of withdrawing a metal sheet workpiece from a magazine for loading of said installation by means of said manipulator device, means operable to define control signals for an execution of bending phases of said operating cycle on said workpiece in dependence on data introduced by said communication means, and means operable to define control signals for controlling a phase of discharging said workpiece onto a magazine for discharging from said installation, said means operable to define control signals for an execution of bending phases on said workpiece being adapted to define insertion of one side of said workpiece between a pair of dies of the installation, detection of positioning of said one side between said pair of dies by a pair of sensors located to the rear of said dies, movement of said pair of dies to form a bend, extraction of said one side of a bent workpiece from a region of said dies, and displacement of a head of said manipulator device to present the workpiece between said pair of dies in a position corresponding to forming of a subsequent bend.

A system for creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• communication means for communicating with an operator, said communication means being connected to a central processor unit for producing a working simulation of said robot manipulator device and for creating said control signals, said working simulation including a visual representation of a configuration and continuous movements of working parts of said bending installation and of a workpiece;
• wherein said working parts comprise a pair of dies and a head and pincers of said robot manipulator;
• said central processor unit including third means operable to permit, by said communication means, creation and/or modification of said control signals for said operating cycle in said central processor unit;
• and
• said central processor unit including fourth means operable to command a presentation by said communication means of a configuration of working parts of said installation, an initial form of said workpiece which is to be bent, and successive bending phases of said operating cycle to achieve a desired object in dependence on said control signals determined by said third means.

A system for creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• communication means for communicating with an operator, said communication means being connected to a central processor unit for producing a video simulation of said robot manipulator device and for creating said control signals, said video simulation including a video representation of a configuration and continuous movements of working parts of said bending installation and of a workpiece;
• wherein said working parts comprise a pair of dies and a head and pincers of said robot manipulator;
• said central processor unit including third means operable to permit, by said communication means, creation and/or modification of said control signals for said operating cycle in said central processor unit;
• said third means including means adapted to define functions for said control signals defined by said third means operable to permit creation and/or modification of said control signals for controlling phases of said operating cycle;
• and
• said communication means further comprising means for displaying a continuous real-time video representation of said bending program including a video representation of said working parts in motions corresponding to said control signals, wherein said video representation of working parts contact said video representation of the workpiece, and said display means further include means for bending said video representation of said workpiece in a manner consistent with said control signals.

A system for creating control signals for an operating cycle of a sheet metal bending installation that has working parts including a bending press and a robot manipulator;

• wherein said working parts comprise a pair of dies and a head and pincers of said robot manipulator;
• the bending press having a pair of dies relatively movable toward and away from each other for bending a sheet metal workpiece disposed between the pair of dies, the robot manipulator having a head movable in three-dimensional space and a pair of pincers provided on the head, the system comprising:
• a display device;
• an input device for inputting parameters concerning the bending press, the robot manipulator and the sheet metal workpiece, the parameters including shapes and dimensions of the dies, dimensions of the sheet metal workpiece, and dimensions of the pincers, the input device further being adapted to input instructions for moving the pair of dies of the press, the head, and the pincers of the robot manipulator;
• a central processor unit including means operable to command a presentation on said display device, of the relative configuration of a plurality of working parts of the installation and of the sheet metal workpiece in accordance with said parameters that are input through said input device, said presentation command means being further operable to command a presentation on said display device of continuous movements of said plurality of working parts of the installation in accordance with the instructions input through said input device.

A system for creating control signals for an operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• a display unit;
• a central processor unit connected to said display unit;
• said central processor unit permitting creation and/or modification of said control signals for said operating cycle;
• said central processor unit producing a first set of signals for controlling said robot manipulator in a number of stages of said operating cycle and producing a second set of signals for presenting, on said display unit, a visual representation of a configuration and movement of working parts of said robot manipulator device and of a workpiece based on said first set of signals;
• and
• said central processor unit further producing an alarm signal when interference occurs between at least two of said robot manipulator device, said working parts, and said workpiece.

A system for creating control signals for an operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• a display unit;
• a central processor unit connected to said display unit;
• said central processor unit permitting the creation and/or modification of said control signals for said operating cycle;
• said central processor unit producing a first set of signals for controlling said robot manipulator in a number of stages of said operating cycle and producing a second set of signals for presenting, on said display unit, a visual representation of a configuration and movement of working parts of said robot manipulator device and of a workpiece based on said first set of signals;
• and
• said central processor unit further producing an aid signal for showing a preferable grip position on said workpiece by said robot manipulator device.

A system for creating control signals for an operating cycle of a robot manipulator device of a sheet metal bending installation, said system comprising:

• a display unit;
• a central processor unit connected to said display unit;
• said central processor unit producing a first set of signals for controlling said robot manipulator in a number of stages of said operating cycle and producing a second set of signals for presenting, on said display unit, a visual representation of a configuration and a movement of working parts of said robot manipulator device and of a workpiece based on said first set of signals;
• and
• said central processor unit further producing a control signal for enlarging a detail of a portion of said robot manipulator device on said display unit.

A method of creating control signals for a complete operating cycle of a sheet metal bending installation that includes a bending press, a robot manipulator device positioned in front of the bending press, a magazine with a loader device and discharge table, and communication means, for communicating with an operator, coupled to a central processing unit, the central processing unit for producing a working simulation of the bending press and the robot manipulator device and creating the control signals,

• the method comprising the steps of:
• (a) displaying a video representation of a cross-section of the bending installation and a sheet metal;
• (b) at least one of creating and modifying signals for controlling a bending phase in which bending is performed on the sheet metal by the bending press;
• (c) displaying a video representation of movements of the bending press, of the robot manipulator device, and of the sheet metal during the bending phase defined in step (b);
• (d) checking whether at least one of the sheet metal and a movable part of the robot manipulator device interferes with a fixed structure of the bending installation;
• and
• (e) repeating steps (b), (c), and (d) to create the complete operating cycle,
• wherein the step of checking for interference of at least one of the sheet metal and the movable part of the robot manipulator device with the fixed structure at step (d) occurs immediately after the signals for controlling the bending phase are created at step (b).