# US 9,454,146 B2 · Numerical controller enabling input of relative tool direction to workpiece

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- Number: US 9,454,146 B2
- Document ID: US9454146B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/571,360
- Filed: 2014-12-16
- Published: 2015-06-25
- Granted: 2016-09-27
- Earliest claimed: 2013-12-20
- Assignees: Fanuc Corporation
- Applicants: FANUC Corporation
- Inventors: Kimio Abe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9454146B2

## CPC

- G05B 19/19: characterised by positioning or contouring control systems, e.g. to control position from one programmed point to another or to control movement along a programmed continuous path
- G05B 19/4086: {Coordinate conversions; Other special calculations}
- G05B 2219/35415: 3-D three dimension, space input, spaceball
- G05B 2219/35434: Enter part geometry and manually control path free, directly, real time, cutting
- 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)

## Abstract

A numerical controller controls a five-axis machining machine that machines a workpiece attached to a table with three linear axes and two rotary axes. The numerical controller inputs a relative tool direction that represents a relative position of the tool direction with respect to the workpiece after the rotary axes are moved by a manual operation, as a vector, roll-pitch-yaw angles, or Euler angles. The numerical controller further converts the relative tool direction thus input into the rotary axis positions of the two rotary axes and drives the two rotary axes based on the rotary axis position thus converted.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A numerical controller controlling a five-axis machining machine that machines a workpiece attached to a table with three linear axes and two rotary axes, the numerical controller comprising:
a relative tool direction input unit that inputs by a manual operation a relative tool direction representing a relative position of the tool direction with respect to the workpiece after the rotary axes are moved, as a vector, roll-pitch-yaw angles, or Euler angles; and
a rotary-axis position conversion unit that converts the relative tool direction into the rotary axis positions of the two rotary axes,
wherein the numerical controller drives the two rotary axes based on the rotary axis positions.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The numerical controller according to claim 1, wherein the two rotary axes are two rotary axes for table rotation and the five-axis machining machine is a table-rotation type five-axis machining machine.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The numerical controller according to claim 2, wherein one out of the two rotary axes is a tilted rotary axis that is not horizontal to the three linear axes.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The numerical controller according to claim 1, wherein the two rotary axes are two rotary axes for tool head rotation and the five-axis machining machine is a tool head rotation type five-axis machining machine.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The numerical controller according to claim 4, wherein one out of the two rotary axes is a tilted rotary axis that is not horizontal to the three linear axes.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The numerical controller according to claim 1, wherein, out of the two rotary axes, one is a rotary axis for table rotation and the other is a rotary axis for tool head rotation, and the five-axis machining machine is a mixed type five-axis machining machine including one rotary axis for table rotation and one rotary axis for tool head rotation.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The numerical controller according to claim 6, wherein one out of the two rotary axes is a tilted rotary axis that is not horizontal to the three linear axes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The numerical controller according to claim 1, wherein one out of the two rotary axes is a tilted rotary axis that is not horizontal to the three linear axes.