Electricity: motive power systems – Positional servo systems – Program- or pattern-controlled systems
Patent
1997-09-29
1999-10-26
Ip, Paul
Electricity: motive power systems
Positional servo systems
Program- or pattern-controlled systems
318570, 395500, 395670, 395671, G05B 194155, G05B 19408
Patent
active
059734663
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This application is a 371 of PCT/JP97/00261 filed Feb. 3, 1997.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for managing and setting operating information, such as machining information, for a machine, such as a machine tool, controlled by a numerical control apparatus (hereinafter referred to as an NC apparatus).
2. Description of the Related Art
With a conventional NC apparatus, information necessary for operating a machine consisting of, for example, NC programs, such as a main program and sub-programs, to be called from the main program already prepared for machining of a product and tool information of tools to be used and offset data on those tools has had to be stored by an operator individually in a storage medium, such as a floppy disk. When the same product is to be manufactured by machining again, the NC programs and tool information necessary for the machining have had to be re-entered in a memory of the NC apparatus. Also, it has been necessary for optimal parameters regulating characteristics and movements of the machine to be set by a programmer or a system engineer in advance according to the content of the machining before the machining operation is carried out. Furthermore, sequence programs for controlling the movements of the machine have been made universal so that as many tasks as possible can be carried out by the machine, without necessitating changes.
When the same product has to be machined again, it has been necessary not only to pick out the floppy disk or other storage medium on which the main program and sub-programs necessary for the machining are stored, but also to enter them into the NC apparatus and set tool data and parameters to be used in the machining through a CRT/MDI unit or the like. This has been a cumbersome and time-consuming process. Additionally when there is an error in the entering or setting of this machining information, the machine may not operate correctly and incorrect machining may be carried out.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a first object of the invention to provide a method designed to easily enter a main program, sub-programs and information, such as tool information, necessary for operating a machine controlled by a numerical control apparatus, into the numerical control apparatus.
To achieve the above object, an operating information setting method for a machine controlled by a numerical control apparatus is supplied with information necessary for the machine to operate. The information is stored in a memory of the numerical control apparatus by the task to be performed at the time of operation (hereinafter referred to as an operation task). When an operation task is selected, and the information necessary to perform the selected operation task is read out from the memory and set as operation and movement conditions of the machine.
Preferably, for each machining number representing operation tasks, NC programs, tool information, parameters and a sequence program are stored in the above-mentioned memory as the information necessary for the machine to operate. Also, it is preferable that when information corresponding to an operation task to be performed is not stored in the above-mentioned memory, this information is obtained by way of a communication network.
A second object of the invention is to provide a numerical control apparatus having a machining information management system which is possible to easily enter machining information necessary to operate a machine controlled by the numerical control apparatus into the numerical control apparatus.
To achieve this object, a machining information management system in a numerical control apparatus according to the invention includes a storing device storing a database of information necessary for machining products. The database integrates the information for each product and includes an identifying mark such as a number being assigned to each product. An input device inputting a number or symbol of a product, a machining informat
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Mutai Norinaga
Nogami Taishi
Fanuc Ltd
Ip Paul
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