Method for producing a measurement probe path on a numerically controlled machine tool
AssigneeRenishaw PLC
InventorsTim Prestidge, John Charles Ould
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method for producing a measurement probe 30 inspection path on a machine tool is disclosed which includes the step of running a program e.g. a modified CAM editor program 44 which allows the selection of geometric features of a workpiece 34 to be inspected. Once selected the program will generate a measurement probe path which is included in software for loading into the numeric controller (NC) of the machine tool. The software can have cutting commands together with inspection path instructions either readable by the NC or written as unreadable instructions for use with a p.c. 20 connected to the NC controller and preferably operating at the same time as the NC.
Claims36
A method for producing a program for a numeric controller (NC) of a machine tool for inspecting a workpiece, the method comprising in any suitable order the steps of:
- i) providing a path for a cutter of the machine tool;
- and
- ii) selecting, from a computer aided manufacture (CAM) program containing data relating to a plurality of geometric features of a workpiece, one of the plurality of geometric features of the workpiece that is to be inspected and generating a measurement probe path based on the selected geometric feature;
- and then
- iii) creating an integrated program containing both the machine tool cutter path and the generated measurement probe path for use with a motion control of the machine tool to control the measurement probe path.
A method of controlling a machine tool, comprising the steps of:
- providing a machine comprising a numeric controller (NC) and an ancillary processor separate to the numeric controller;
- providing an NC program that comprises some low level commands that are interpretable by the numeric controller and some high level instructions that are not interpretable by the numeric controller embedded within the low level commands;
- providing ancillary software at the ancillary processor;
- loading the NC program into the numeric controller;
- and
- causing interpretation of the high level instructions by the ancillary software and controlling the NC program in the numeric controller in response to the interpretation.
A non-transitory storage medium storing a numeric controller (NC) machine tool program for use with an NC machine tool, the NC machine tool comprising a numeric controller and an ancillary processor, the program comprising low level language commands that are configured to be interpreted by the numeric controller to control the NC machine tool, the program also containing high level language instructions which are configured, to be only interpreted in the ancillary processor, causing the ancillary processor to control the program comprising the low level language commands in the numeric controller, the high level language instructions being embedded within the low level language commands as comment fields that are encoded such that the comment fields are present when the program is run on the NC machine but are not interpretable by the numeric controller.
A machine tool apparatus comprising:
- a numeric controller (NC);
- an ancillary processor;
- and
- a storage medium comprising an NC program that comprises some low level commands and some high level commands embedded within the low level commands,
- the machine tool apparatus being responsive to operation and being configured such that, during operation, the NC program is loaded into the numeric controller and run as a main program, and the ancillary processor interprets the high level commands so as to control the main program.
A non-transitory storage medium storing a program which when run on a computer produces a program for a numeric controller (NC) of a machine tool for inspecting a workpiece, the program stored in the storage medium being configured, when run:
- to take a path for a cutter of the machine tool;
- to enable an operator to select from a computer aided manufacture (CAM) program containing data relating to a plurality of geometric features of a workpiece, one of the plurality of geometric features of the workpiece that is to be inspected and to generate a measurement probe path based on the selected geometric feature;
- and then
- to create the program for the numeric controller as an integrated program containing both the machine tool cutter path and the generated measurement probe path for use with a motion control of the machine tool to control the measurement probe path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.