JPH03166030A - Device for transmitting information on tool of machine tool - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To cause tool data and a pot to correspond to each other while a tool is mounted to a tool magazine and introduce the pot into a machine tool by mounting the tool to the pot, and moving the pot to read the identification data of the pot and tool data, and converting the data into an NC program, and outputting the NC program to a numerical controller. CONSTITUTION:A tool 7 is mounted to each pot 5 of a tool magazine 3 and each pot 5 is put in a turning movement by one pitch and an identification element 6 is opposed to a first reader element 12 and then the information element 11 of each tool 7 to a second reader element 13, and identification data and tool data stored in both elements 6, 11 are read and input to a data conversion portion 18. The data conversion portion 18 selects from a program memory portion 21 an NC program corresponding to identification data and tool data input, and stores the NC program in a data memory portion 23, and the NC program is then stored in the storage portion of a numerical controller 20 and machining operation is started.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a method for transmitting information about a tool attached to a tool in correspondence with a pot on which the tool is attached, in a machine tool equipped with a plurality of tool attachment bolts. This relates to transmission devices. [Prior Art] A machine tool such as a machining center that uses many types of tools has a tool magazine movably equipped with a large number of tool mounting pots, and any tool can be loaded from the tool magazine under the control of a numerical controller. It is designed to be taken out and processed.

In such a machine tool, it is necessary to associate the tools to be used with tool data such as the tool number, tool dimensions, cutting conditions, and life time, and store them in the control device.

Traditionally, the introduction of this tool data to the machine was controlled by the operator before machining. The method used is to store the tool data in the machine's data memory by operating the operation keys on the 1m board, but this method is prone to human errors in the tool data, and the data is stored every time a new tool is added to the tool magazine. The disadvantage is that the work is time-consuming because the data for the tools set in the machine must be entered manually.

To deal with these drawbacks, a method has recently been proposed in which tool data is directly added to each tool, the tool data is read into a machine tool by a reading device, and machining is performed based on the tool data.

This involves attaching a memory element such as an IC chip to the tool or tool holder, storing tool data such as the tool number and tool dimensions in advance in the memory element, and introducing the necessary data from the memory element into the machine tool castle. It is something to do.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in order to take out a tool from a tool magazine, a method is used in which a pot in which a target tool is mounted is commanded by a numerical control device to index it to a tool exchange position, and the tool is attached to the main spindle from the indexed pot by an exchange device.

Therefore, the tool data added to each tool needs to be read in one-to-one correspondence with the bond to which the tool is attached.

In this case, the method of reading each tool data to the machine tool is to install the tool in each pot of the tool magazine, move the pot and tool in that state, match the pot and tool data, and introduce it into the i-machine. Most efficient and accurate.

However, although the conventional tool magazine EUI with a tool magazine has the function of locating any pot at a predetermined tool exchange position, it does not have the function of detecting the position of each pot on its movement path, There are many cases in which it is not possible to match each pot to the tool attached to it during the travel path.

In such machine tool carpets, when the tool data is read with the tool installed in the tool magazine, the operator must use the operation keys on the control panel to change the pot so that the tool in the read data corresponds to the pot. It is necessary to store the numbers in correspondence with each tool data stored in the data memory of the machine tool.

However, this method of introducing tool data into a machine tool from the outside through the hands of an operator has the disadvantages that data input errors are likely to occur and the work is time-consuming, just as in the conventional method.

Therefore, the present invention can be applied to a machine tool that does not have a pot position detection function as described above, and can be introduced into the machine tool by accurately matching tool data and pots when installed in a tool magazine. The purpose of this invention is to provide a device for transmitting tool information.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, the transmission device of the present invention includes an identification member that is attached to a tool attachment pot in which a plurality of pots move in an aligned manner, and that includes an identification member that stores identification information for identifying each pot; a tool attached to the pot; an information member that is attached to the vehicle and stores information related to each tool; a first reading device that is installed on the travel route of the bosoto and reads information from the identification member; a first reader that is installed on the travel route of the bosoto that reads information from the information member; A second reading device reads the information; and an information converting device that is connected to the first reading device and the second reading device and converts the information read by both the reading devices into an NC program. [Operation] In the transmission device with the above structure, after the tool is installed in the pot of the tool magazine, the pot is moved and the first and second
The identification data and tool data of the box 7} are read from the identification means and the information means by the reading device. The read data is then converted into an NC program by an information conversion device and output to the numerical control device of the machine tool castle.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is applied to a manoning center will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the machining center 1 of the embodiment is
It has a vertical main spindle 2, a tool magazine 3 is attached to the side of the main spindle 2, and a tool changer 4 for moving tools between the tool magazine 3 and the main spindle 2 is provided below the tool magazine. .

The tool magazine 3 is provided with a large number of tool mounting bolts 5 aligned along its outer periphery, and each bolt 5 is moved at an arbitrary pitch by being driven by a drive device (not shown). ing.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, an identification element 6 is attached to the side surface of each bonoto 5 for contactless data communication with the outside. This identification element 6 is equipped with an IC memory and an electromagnetic coil that transmits the data in the memory instead of radio waves, and each memory has an identification code ( For example, the tool number) is stored.

The tool 7 attached to the bot 5 consists of a cutting tool 8 and a holder 9 that supports it.
By pulling in the pull stud 10 screwed in,
It is detachably fixed to the boft 5. Further, a circular hole 10a is formed on the rear end surface of the pull stud 10, and an information element 11 is installed in the circular hole 10a.This information element 11 has a built-in electromagnetic coil and an IC memory such as an EEPROM. , Data regarding the tool to which the pull stand is attached is stored in the memory so that it can be read and written via electromagnetic waves generated by the electromagnetic coil.

On the other hand, a first reading device 12 and a second reading device W13 for reading the data of the identification element 6 and information element 11, respectively, are arranged in the middle of the movement path along which the pot 5 circulates. Both reading devices 12 and 13 are mounted at the same pot stop position so as to face the identification element 6 and the information element 11 with a gap that allows communication.

Both of the reading devices 12 and 13 are connected to a certain reading rehead 14 from an electromagnetic coil that receives electromagnetic waves from both the elements 6 and 11.
, 14', and a controller 15, 15' for amplifying the signal received by the reading head 14, 14' and converting it into an output signal to the outside.
An information conversion device 16 is connected to 5'.

The information conversion device 16 includes an input control section 17 that amplifies and aligns the signals from both reading devices 12 and 13, a data conversion section 18 that converts the signals from the input control section 17 into an NC program, and a data conversion section 18 that converts the signals from the input control section 17 into an NC program. The output control unit (interface) 19 outputs the signal from the unit 18 to the outside, and the output control unit 19 is connected to the machining center 1.
A numerical control device 20 is connected. The data conversion unit 18 includes each identification element 6 and information element 11.
When a signal is manually input from the input control section 17, the program memory section 21 stores the NC program corresponding to the identification data and tool data stored in the program memory section 21, and selects the NC program corresponding to the signal input from the program memory section 21. It consists of a conversion processing section 22 that takes out the NC programs, and a data memory section 23 that stores each NC program taken out by the processing section 22 separately into identification data and tool data. The data stored in the data memory section 23 is sent to the storage section of the numerical control device 20 via the output control section 1S.

The numerical control device 20 stores a machining program with or without tool data such as tool number and tool dimensions in advance before machining work, and the numerical control device 20 inputs the tool data manually from the information converter W16. Then, based on the tool data and machining program, the operations of the raw shaft 2, tool magazine 3, tool changer 4, etc. are controlled.

The embodiment has the structure described above, and its operation will be explained next. Before machining work, the tools 7 necessary for machining are attached to each bont 5 of the tool magazine 3, and once all the tools are set, the bot 5 is rotated one pitch at a time to identify the identification element 6 of each bot 5. and the first reading device 12 and the information element 11 of each tool 7
and the second reading device 13 are made to face each other in order. Then, electromagnetic waves are generated from the identification element 6 and the information element 11 to both the reading devices 12 and 13, and the identification data and tool data stored in both the elements 6 and 11 are read and input to the data converter 18.

The data conversion unit 18 converts the NC program corresponding to the manually input identification data and tool data into the program memory unit 2.
1 is selected and stored in the data memory section 23. As a result, the identification data of each boft 5 and the tool data of each tool 7 attached thereto are stored in the data memory section 23 in an 1:1 correspondence in an NC program state.

When the tool data of all the tools are stored in the data memory section 23, the stored tool data is stored in the f. ! and begin the actual machining operation.

This machining operation is performed by pulling out tool data necessary for the machining program from the storage section and substituting it in the numerical control device 20, and controlling the motion of the spindle 2 and tool magazine 3 based on the machining program that has been completed with the tool data. This is done by outputting commands.In this way, the above machining operations are performed for all tools to perform the scheduled machining. When all machining is completed, the data memory section 23 of the data conversion section 18 stores the tool data of the tool to be used again, and erases the tool data of the tool removed from the tool magazine 3 in preparation for the newly installed tool. ．． In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was shown in which an element that transmits information by electromagnetic wave induction was used as an identification member, but this identification member may also be a device with an optical reading structure such as a barcode sheet, or a device that transmits information by electromagnetic wave induction. It is also possible to use something that transmits information using .

Furthermore, although the above embodiments are applied to machining centers, the present invention can be similarly applied to machine tools that are equipped with tool magazines and use a variety of tools, such as NC milling machines and NC lathes.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the information transmission device of the present invention reads information from the identification member and the information member attached to each pot and tool using the two reading devices provided on the travel path of the tool mounting pot, and Since the information is exchanged with the NC program and output, using this device, even machine tools that do not have a function to detect the position of each pot can read the tool data of each pot and tool in one-to-one correspondence. This has the effect of enabling accurate and efficient transmission of tool information.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an apparatus implementing the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of the main parts of the same. 1... Machining center, 3... Tool magazine, 5... Tool attachment point, 6... Identification element, ? ······tool,
10...Pull stand, 11...Information element, 12...First reading device, 13...Second reading device, 14, 14'... ...Reading head, 15, 15'
... Controller, 16 ... Information conversion device, 17 ... Input control section, 18 ...
Data conversion section, 19... Output control section, 20...
...Numerical control device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An identification member that is attached to a tool attachment pot in which a plurality of pieces move in an aligned state and stores identification information for identifying each pot; an identification member that is attached to a tool attached to the pot and information related to each tool; an information member storing therein; a first reading device provided on the travel path of the pot and reading information from the identification member; a second reading device provided on the travel path of the pot reading information from the information member; ;
A tool information transmission device for a machine tool, comprising: an information conversion device connected to the first reading device and the second reading device, and converting information read by the both reading devices into an NC program.