NC data creation method

Details NC data creation method NC data creation method

1989-06-13

1991-12-03

Smith, Jerry

Boots, shoes, and leggings

36447405, 36447429, B23Q 1526

Patent

active

050704648

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an NC data creation method and, more particularly, to a method of creating NC data for simultaneous five-axis control in which a character or pattern is cut into a curved surface using tool nose position data and data indicating the orientation of the central axis of the tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
In cutting a curved surface by simultaneous five-axis control, movement is possible simultaneously along five axes, namely an X axis, Y axis, Z axis, a horizontal rotation axis (B axis) and a vertical rotational axis (C axis), and NC data for such simultaneous five-axis control is created in such a manner that the vector of the central axis of the tool will point in the normal direction at each point on the curved surface. More specifically, the NC data for simultaneous five-axis control are created by finding a sequence of points on a sculptured surface for specifying tool nose position, obtaining normal vectors at the sequence of points on the curved surface, calculating the position (x,y,z) of the center of rotation of the tool, as well as the positions (b,c) of horizonal and vertical rotation, by a well-known computation based on the normal vector and tool nose position (X,Y,Z), and using x, y, z, b, and c to create the data. For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,601 (entitled "Numerically Controlled Cutting Method").
There are cases where edge removal or the carving of a character or pattern on a curved surface is performed by a five-axis processing machine. In such cases, since cutting is performed with the central axis of the tool inclined in the direction of the normal line at all times in accordance with the prior-art method, the cut section (cross section) CS is monotonous, as shown in FIG. 10(a), and cutting which will give the impression of hand-carving cannot be performed by freely designating the angle of the central axis of the tool, as shown in FIG. 10(b). In FIG. 10, SS denotes a sculptured surface, TL a tool and CS the cut section.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an NC data creation method through which tool-cut sections can be diversified and a hand-carved effect can be obtained even when carving of furniture or the like is performed by an NC five-axis processing machine.
In accordance with the invention, the foregoing object is attained by a step of obtaining an outer product vector between a normal vector and a tangent vector at a point of a sculptured surface, a step of obtaining a tool central-axis vector, in a plane formed by the normal vector and the outer product vector, in which a direction inclined in the direction of the outer product vector from the normal vector by a designated angle serves as the direction of the tool central axis, and a step of creating NC data for simultaneous five-axis control using coordinates of the point and the tool central-axis vector.


BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the general features of the method of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating a method of specifying the path of a tool nose;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an apparatus for practicing the method of the invention;
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing according to the method of the invention;
FIGS. 5 through 7 are schematic views illustrating method of calculating a normal vector;
FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a method of calculating a tangent vector;
FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating the calculation of data for simultaneous five-axis control; and
FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b) are views schematic view illustrating a method of the prior art.


DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a view for describing the general features of a method of creating NC data for simultaneous five-axis control according to the present invention.
SS represents a sculptured surface, TL a tool, Mk the path of a tool nose, Ai a point on the tool nose path Mk occupied by the tool nose, N a

REFERENCES:
patent: 3857025 (1974-12-01), English et al.
patent: 4101405 (1978-07-01), Inoue
patent: 4559601 (1985-12-01), Kishi et al.
patent: 4789931 (1985-12-01), Kuragano et al.
patent: 4825377 (1989-04-01), Seki et al.
patent: 4945487 (1990-07-01), Kimura et al.

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