Automatic lathe, and method for controlling the same and device for controlling the same

An automatically operated lathe, comprising:

• a lathe bed;
• at least one spindle mounted on said lathe bed;
• at least one tool rest mounted on said lathe bed;
• a control device for controlling an operation of said at least one spindle and said at least one tool rest on said lathe bed;
• and
• a plurality of pulse-train generating sources, each of which generates any pulse train;
• said control device including:
• an input section permitting an entering of each of a plurality of transfer position data required in a sequence of machining programs in connection with said at least one spindle and said at least one tool rest in a form of a cam-reference data directing a transfer position as a function of a cam rotation quantity, and permitting a designation of a pulse-train generating source for generating a pulse train defining said cam rotation quantity as one component of said cam-reference data, with regard to each of said plurality of transfer position data, said pulse-train generating source being selected from said plurality of pulse-train generating sources;
• and
• a processing section processing each of said plurality of transfer position data entered through said input section in the form of said cam-reference data by using said pulse train generated through said pulse-train generating source designated through said input section, to thereby generate a control signal for controlling a relative feed motion between said at least one spindle and said at least one tool rest in said sequence of machining programs.