JPH0427563B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a machine interface for direct numerical control (DNC) from a host computer system to a numerical control device that does not have an interface function with the host computer system. This relates to a face device.

Conventional numerical control device (hereinafter referred to as NC device)
The machining program must be stored on a paper tape, read by a paper tape reader, and stored in the memory of the NC device.
When a machining program is modified in the NC device, paper tape is required as a medium for punching the paper tape with a paper tape puncher in order to register the modified machining program in the host computer system, and the operator always intervenes. I had to process it.

In order to solve the above problem, the present inventor invented a mechanical interface device that is interposed between a host computer system and an NC device, thereby making it possible to manage a group of existing NC devices. This will be explained with reference to FIG.

In Figure 1, 1 is a central processing unit that decodes and executes instructions, 2 is a memory that stores programs and data, and 3 is a character display board that sets data, edits programs, and displays the status of the NC device. , 4 is an interface circuit of the character display board 3, 5 is a paper tape reader that reads the machining program depending on the presence or absence of holes in the paper tape, 6 is an interface circuit of the paper tape reader 5, and 7 is stored in the memory 2. A paper tape puncher that punches a machining program into a paper tape, 8 is an interface circuit of the paper tape puncher 7, 9 is a machine tool to be controlled by the NC device, and 10 is a machine tool that controls the servo motor of the machine tool 9, etc. The control device 11 is a contact interface circuit for interfacing with the machine tool 9 and external equipment (not shown). In addition, 12 is a host computer system, 13 is
1 is an NC device, and 14 is the machine interface device described above. In the machine interface device 14, 15 is a central processing unit that decodes and executes instructions, 16 is a memory that stores machining programs and data, and 17 is a BTR (Behind) that transfers the machining program to the NC device 13 in the form of a paper tape image.
A BTP (Behind Tape Reader) interface circuit 18 receives the machining program from the NC device 13 in the form of a paper tape image.
Puncher) interface circuit, 19 is the above
This is a contact interface circuit that inputs and outputs control signals and status signals to and from the NC device 13. 20
is a higher-level interface circuit that communicates data with the higher-level computer system 12. 2
1 sends and receives processing programs from the machine interface device 14 to control the NC device 13 in group management, or to the paper tape reader 5 and paper tape puncher 7.
This is a switch that selects whether to send and receive machining programs via the . 22 is an operation mode changeover switch for the mechanical interface device 14; 23;
is a pointer operation changeover switch.

Next, the operation will be explained. When the NC device 13 is in the tape operation mode and the selector switch 21 selects the mechanical interface device 14, the following operations are possible.

The operation modes of the mechanical interface device 14 include a DNC operation mode and a local operation mode, which are selected by the operation mode changeover switch 22.

In the DNC operation mode, as shown in Figure 2a,
The host computer system 12 sends the host interface circuit 2 to the machine interface device 14.
0, an instruction to download the machining program is given. Upon receiving the download instruction, the machine interface device 14 sends a download disapproval response if the download is not possible, and a download permission response if the download is possible to the host computer system 12 via the host interface circuit 20. do.

When responding to download permission, the host computer system 12 sends a message to the machine interface device 14.
In response, a machining program is downloaded via the upper level interface circuit 20 and stored in the memory 16 of the machine interface device 14. If no error is detected and the data is stored in the memory 16, the download completion is reported to the host computer system 12 via the host interface circuit 20.

Next, when the machining start conditions are established in the host computer system 12, as shown in FIG. Instructions are given. The central processing unit 15 of the machine interface device 14 checks whether the machining program for which the search has been instructed is stored in the memory 16, and if so, sets a pointer to the first block of the machining program. Upon completion of setting the pointer, the completion of the machining program search is reported to the host computer system 12 via the host interface circuit 20.

Next, processing instructions are given from the host computer system 12 to the machine interface device 14 via the host interface circuit 20.
The machine interface device 14 is the NC device 13
When an automatic start signal is given to the machine via the contact interface circuit 19, a BTR start request (FWD) is given from the NC device 13 to the mechanical interface device 14 via the BTR interface circuit 17. The central processing unit 15 of the machine interface device 14 sends the first block of the machining program specified by the host computer system 12 to the NC device 13 via the BTR interface circuit 17 character by character.

Similar to the tape operation described above, the NC device 13 stores the contents of one block of the machining program in the pre-read buffer area of the memory 2 via the interface circuit 6, and issues a BTR start request (FWD).
stop sending. The contents stored in the buffer area for pre-reading are moved to the buffer area for work, and 1
The operation of the machine tool 9 is controlled by the machine tool control device 10 according to the machining program for each block. On the other hand, when the look-ahead buffer area becomes empty, the
A BTR start request (FWD) is sent to the machine interface device 14, and the machining program for the next block is stored in the buffer area for pre-reading. When the machining work for one block stored in the work buffer area is completed, the machining program for the next block stored in the look-ahead buffer area is transferred to the work buffer area again and the machining work is performed.
Thereafter, this operation is repeated to complete the processing operation.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2c, an instruction to upload a machining program is given from the host computer system 12 to the machine interface device 14 via the host interface circuit 20.
Upon receiving the upload instruction, the mechanical interface device 14 uploads the machining program stored in the memory 16 of the mechanical interface device 14 to the host computer system 12 via the host interface circuit 20, if upload is possible. If uploading is not possible, a reply indicating that uploading is not possible is sent to the host computer system 12 via the host interface circuit 20.

The local operation mode is a mode in which the machining program stored in the memory 16 of the machine interface device 14 is searched from the character display board 3 of the NC device 13 for machining. Used when human intervention is required.

Information input using the character display board 3 of the NC device 13 in the same manner as described above can be stored in the memory 16 of the machine interface device 14.

According to the machine interface device 14 described above, the host computer system 12 and the NC device 13 can be connected to each other.
Although it can be connected to the NC device 13 without any processing, it is not possible to modify, add, or delete the processing program on the machine interface device 14 side.

This invention has been made in view of the above points. This invention will be explained below.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 24 denotes a terminal control section, which is provided in the mechanical interface device 14. Reference numeral 25 denotes an editing operation section, which includes a keyboard 26, a display 27 using a CRT or the like, and an alarm buzzer 28, and is connected to the terminal control section 24.

In use, the operator inputs from the keyboard 26, specifies the desired program name in the machining program storage data in the machine interface device 14, displays the contents of the program on the display 27, and displays the program. Perform edits such as corrections, additions, deletions, etc. As a result, the edited program is stored in the memory 16. The rest of the process is to control the NC device 13 as described above.

As described in detail above, in the present invention, the machine interface device is provided with an editing operation section consisting of a display and a keyboard, so that the machining program can be freely edited on the machine interface device side. Therefore, even if the NC device does not have a memory, it can perform memory operation and perform the same work as an NC device with a memory and an editing function. Therefore, there are excellent advantages such as DNC can be performed even on existing memory, cassette tape, and NC equipment without cassette bubbles.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a block diagram created by the present inventors showing the relationship between the machine interface device, NC device, and host computer system, and Figures 2 a, b, and c are flowcharts for explaining the operation of each part in Figure 1. , 3rd
The figure is a block diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 and 15 are central processing units, 2 and 16 are memories, 3 is a character display board, 4,
6 and 8 are interface circuits, 5 is a paper tape reader, 7 is a paper tape puncher, 9 is a machine tool, 1
0 is a machine tool control device, 11 and 19 are contact interface circuits, 12 is a host computer system, 1
3 is the NC device, 14 is the mechanical interface device, 17 is the BTR interface circuit, and 18 is the
BTP interface circuit, 20 is a host interface circuit, 21 is a changeover switch, 22 is an operation mode changeover switch, 23 is a pointer operation changeover switch, 24 is a terminal control unit, 25 is an editing operation unit, 26 is a keyboard, 27 is a display 28 is a buzzer. Note that the same reference numerals in the figures indicate the same or corresponding parts.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A host interface circuit that transmits and receives machining program downloads, uploads, searches, control commands for the numerical control device, and status signals of the numerical control device to and from the host computer system, and a host interface circuit that transmits the machining program to the numerical control device. A BTR interface circuit that transfers paper tape images, a contact interface circuit that sends and receives control signals to the numerical control device and status signals of the numerical control device, a memory that stores the processing program, and a central control unit that controls each of the above parts. 1. A machine interface device comprising: a processing device; and an editing operation section comprising a display and a keyboard for editing the machining program.