JPH0511908A - Numerical controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To learn a method for operating the numerical controller while observing the picture of a monitor without using any instruction manual prepared by a document and further to easily manage the software of the manual contents corresponding to the change of the software or additional functions and the difference of a machine type. CONSTITUTION:At the inside of a first auxiliary storing means 1A, a system software area 2A and a storage area 3A for information showing the operating method are provided, and a second auxiliary storing means 1B is equipped with a software area 2B to realize the specified additional function and a storage area 3B for information showing the method of operating the additional information. Then, the various kinds of information are always and simultaneously stored in the respective areas of the first and second auxiliary storing means 1A and 1B, and the contents of this information are displayed on the screen of the monitor at an operation part.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a numerical control device, and more particularly to a numerical control device capable of displaying on a monitor screen information relating to various handling methods such as operating method and programming method of the apparatus. ..

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when a numerical control device is purchased, or when the use or work content of the numerical control device is changed, the operator obtains various knowledge about the numerical control device and handles it. Need to learn. That is, normally, the person who operates the numerical control apparatus has learned the operation method and the like according to the procedure shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a block conceptual diagram showing a procedure for learning a conventional numerical control device operating method.

In the figure, first, in step S1, an instruction manual or a technical manual is read to grasp the outline of the operation. Next, in step S2, with respect to the part directly related to the operation of the numerical control device, the corresponding operation explanation part is referred to, and in step S3, the test operation is performed while confirming the operation with the actual numerical control device. Then, after this, the actual operation is performed in step S4. Also, step S4
If an unclear point occurs during the actual operation in step S3, the process may return to step S2 and step S3 again.

However, in such a method, since the operator often operates the instruction manual with one hand for a long time while looking at the instruction manual, the operability is poor, and the caution and the numerical control are required. There is also a problem in terms of safety because it is dispersed in the device.

Therefore, in order to improve this, conventionally, various methods have been proposed for displaying the handling method of the numerical control device on a screen or the like. FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a conventional numerical control device capable of displaying a screen according to a handling method, which is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-151207.

In the figure, 4 is a central processing unit CP
U and 5 are main memory means composed of respective memories, 7 is a keyboard which is an input means, 7A is an interface for the keyboard 7, and 8 is a motor control section for actually controlling the drive of a servomotor or the like by various control signals. , 9 is a bus which is a transmission path of each signal, 14 is a CRT which is a display screen, 14A
Is an interface for the CRT 14, 15 is a bubble cassette as a recording medium, 15A is an interface for the bubble cassette 15, 16 is a speaker for outputting sound, 1
6A is an amplifier for amplifying the audio signal.

In the numerical controller having this structure, when the operator inputs a command for instructional operation from the keyboard 7, the content of the command is C through the interface 7A and the bus 9.
It is sent to the PU 4 and taken into the main storage means 5. Also,
The recorded contents of the bubble cassette 15 which is a recording medium are sent to the CPU 4 through the interface 15A and the bus 9 and taken into the main storage means 5. After that, the CPU 4 sends the stored contents of the main storage means 5 or the output signal without passing through the main storage means 5 to the CRT 14 via the bus 9 and the interface 14A based on each input, and at the same time, the bus 9 and the amplifier. It is sent to the speaker 16 via 16A. As a result, the illustrations and letters for instruction manuals are CRT
14 is displayed on the speaker 14, and a voice for instruction is output from the speaker 16. Then, in accordance with this display operation, the CP
U4 also sends a signal to the motor control unit 8 so that the driving operation is performed so as to match the displayed contents.

In addition to this, as a conventional numerical control device of this kind, there is a technique for displaying a list of operating modes and operating functions for each operating mode in a tree form in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-194403, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-62. The technique of displaying a driving guide in Japanese Patent Publication No. 140105 is further described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-104.
Japanese Patent No. 206 discloses each technique for displaying operation procedure data. Further, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 53-2046 discloses
A technique related to a numerical controller having a writable and readable and removable cassette type memory is shown.

[0009]

However, in the conventional numerical control apparatus as described above, the content of the recording medium is the content of the instruction manual of the control apparatus. Therefore, when the system software or the additional function is changed, it is necessary to change the software of the instruction manual contents, and the version management at this time is complicated. That is, although the system software and the additional functions have changed, using the software with the old instruction manual contents may cause various problems.

Further, the numerical control device often uses different additional functions for each user, and since there are a wide variety of models, it is necessary to store a huge amount of memory in order to include all the software of the instruction manual contents in one recording medium. Needed capacity. Further, if this software is divided into several storage media, the number of recording media increases, and management of software by model becomes complicated.

Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to learn the operation method of the numerical control device while looking at the monitor screen without using a written instruction manual, and to change the system software and the additional function, and to handle the operation depending on the model. An object of the present invention is to provide a numerical control device capable of easily managing the software of the description content.

[0012]

A numerical control device according to the present invention has a plurality of removable or rewritable non-volatile auxiliary storage means, and system software and software for realizing additional functions in the auxiliary storage means. It is provided with the handling instruction information regarding the handling method and the display means for displaying the content of the information on the operation unit.

[0013]

In the numerical controller according to the present invention, the plurality of removable or rewritable non-volatile auxiliary storage means are provided with the system software, the software for realizing the additional function, and the handling explanation information on the handling method.
Since the contents of that information are displayed on the screen of the operation unit, you can learn how to operate the numerical control device by using the screen display without using the instruction manual, and you can also use the system software and additional functions. If there is a change,
The software of the instruction manual contents can be changed at the same time, and the software of the instruction manual contents can be managed for each model.

[0014]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be described below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conceptual configuration of auxiliary storage means of a numerical controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 1A is a first auxiliary storage means, inside which there is a system software area 2A for storing system software and a storage area 3A for storing information indicating its handling method. Further, 1B is a second auxiliary storage means, and inside thereof, there is a software area 2B for storing software for realizing an additional function and a storage area 3B for storing information indicating its handling method.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes auxiliary storage means, and in this embodiment, first and second auxiliary storage means 1A, 1B.
Are connected to the bus 9 via interfaces 1C and 1D, respectively. 4 is a CPU which is a central processing unit,
The CPU 4 accesses each peripheral device through the bus 9. Reference numeral 5 is a main storage means which is a system memory and is used for storing instructions and data. 6 is a monitor screen of the operation unit for displaying various information, 6A is an interface for the monitor screen 6, 7 is a keyboard used for inputting commands and data, 7A is an interface for the keyboard 7, and 8 is various control signals. The motor control unit 9 that actually controls the drive of the servomotor and the like is a bus that is a transmission path of each signal. The number of auxiliary storage means 1 differs depending on the model. When the auxiliary storage means 1 is of a cartridge type, a plurality of cartridges may be exchanged for use.

Next, a cartridge type IC memory cassette will be described. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the IC memory cassette of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, 10 is an IC memory cassette, which is composed of a mother cassette 10B and a daughter cassette 10C. Inside the mother cassette 10B, a software storage area 2C for realizing any function is provided.
And a storage area 3C of information indicating how to handle the function. Reference numeral 10A is an interface for the IC memory cassette 10, 11 is a user area in the daughter cassette 10C where a user writes, 12 is a coupling portion for electrically connecting the mother cassette 10B and the daughter cassette 10C, 1
Reference numeral 3 is a coupling portion that electrically connects the mother cassette 10B and the interface 10A. Therefore, the mother cassette 10B can be accessed from the CPU 4 through the interface 10A and the bus 9. At this time, the user area 11 is also accessible from the CPU 4. The IC memory cassette 10 is a mother cassette 10
It is possible to use only B or only the daughter cassette 10C. Further, if the IC memory cassette 10 is not distinguished between the mother cassette 10B and the daughter cassette 10C, only one type of cassette body is required, and the manufacturing is simplified.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a structural example of the memory cassette of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a structural example of a memory cassette in the same manner.

In the figure, reference numeral 12A and 12B are connecting portions 1.
2 are add-on connectors, and 13A and 13B are connectors of the coupling portion 13. A plurality of memory cassettes of this type can be connected in a stepwise manner. In this case, it is considered that the memory cassette connected to the interface 10A is the mother cassette 10B and the other IC memory cassettes 10 are the daughter cassettes 10C. However, because there is no difference in the structure of each memory cassette,
If the decoding part is as shown in FIG. 6, any memory cassette can be used as the mother cassette 10B,
The order can be changed and used.

Address decoding of the memory cassette will be described. When a plurality of memory cassettes are connected and used, the capacities of the memories in the respective cassettes are often different, and therefore it is necessary to arrange them at appropriate addresses according to the memory capacities. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the address decoding unit of the memory cassette of the numerical controller according to one embodiment of the present invention. Here, an appropriately large capacity is defined as one segment, and the memory capacity is managed in segment units. For example, if one segment is 64 Kbytes, a 512 Kbyte memory cassette is considered to have a capacity of 8 segments. In this case, it is necessary to define the capacity of one segment to be an integral fraction of the capacity of the memory cassette.

In the figure, a segment number SGN is adopted as an interface signal, and the input SGN is used as the minimum segment number of the memory card. An adder 17 adds the segment number SG of the memory card to the minimum segment number, and the added signal is the maximum segment number. Reference numeral 18 denotes a segment comparison unit for comparing the address signal corresponding to the segment to be accessed with the minimum segment number and the maximum segment number. The address compared with this segment comparison unit 18 and to be accessed is within the range of the memory cassette. Enable chip select signal if present. The signal of the maximum segment number is input as the minimum segment number of the next memory cassette through the add-on connector. By using this method, it becomes possible to connect a plurality of memory cassettes having different capacities in an arbitrary order.

Next, the operation of the numerical controller according to this embodiment will be described. In FIG. 2, when the operator operates the keyboard 7 to input an instruction for displaying the handling method, the input instruction is the interface 7A and the bus 9
It is taken in by the CPU 4 through the and stored in the main storage means 5 which is a system memory. In response to this instruction, the CPU 4
Stores the necessary data from the first auxiliary storage means 1A or the second auxiliary storage means 1B through the interface 1C or the interface 1D in which the information indicating the necessary handling method is stored in the main storage means 5 which is a system memory. To do. After that, the CPU 4 outputs the stored contents of the main storage means 5 on the basis of the input or an output signal without passing through the main storage means 5 to the monitor screen 6 through the bus 9 and the interface 6A. Thus, the explanation of the necessary handling method is displayed on the monitor screen 6. And if necessary,
The CPU 4 also sends a control signal to the motor control unit 8 to cause it to perform a driving operation that matches the displayed content. In this case, new additional functions are increased by simultaneously storing software for realizing an arbitrary function and information indicating how to handle the software in the first auxiliary storage means 1A or the second auxiliary storage means 1B. Even in this case, the handling method can be correctly referred to. Moreover, since it is not possible to refer to the handling method of the function that cannot be used in the operating model, it is possible to avoid confusion in the operation.

Next, the procedure for operating the numerical controller according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a block conceptual diagram showing the procedure for learning the operation method of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, first, in step S5, the user's manual is read to grasp the outline of the operation, and in steps S6 and S7, the trial operation of the operation to be actually performed is performed while watching the monitor screen 6. After mastering the operation procedure in this step, the actual operation is performed in step S8. In addition, even if an unclear point occurs during the actual operation, there is always information indicating how to handle the function that is actually moving. Therefore, as in step S9, the explanation of the handling method is monitored on the spot. It can be referred to on the screen 6.

In FIG. 3, the user sends necessary data from the CPU 4 to the daughter cassette 10C via the bus 9, the interface 10A and the mother cassette 10B.
Can be written in the user area 11. The user can prepare and replace a plurality of daughter cassettes 10C as needed.

As described above, the numerical controller according to the present embodiment is
Along with a plurality of auxiliary storage means 1 comprising a removable or rewritable non-volatile first auxiliary storage means 1A and second auxiliary storage means 1B, and system software in the auxiliary storage means 1 and software for realizing additional functions It is provided with a predetermined handling method information regarding the handling method built therein and a monitor screen 6 which is a display means for displaying the content of the information on the operating unit.

That is, in the numerical controller according to the present embodiment, the system software area 2 is provided inside the first auxiliary storage means 1A.
A has a storage area 3A for information indicating its handling method, a software area 2B for realizing a specific additional function in the second auxiliary storage means 1B, and a storage area 3B for storing information indicating the handling method of the additional function. Having, the first auxiliary storage means 1
Various kinds of information are always stored in each area of A and the second auxiliary storage means 1B at the same time, and the contents of each information are displayed on the monitor screen 6 of the operation unit.

Therefore, there is no need to operate the manual with one hand and looking at the manual as in the conventional case. Therefore, the numerical controller can be operated by using the screen display without using the written manual. You can learn how to operate. As a result, operability is improved, attention is paid to the operation of the numerical control device, and safety is increased. In addition, if the system software or additional functions are changed, the software of the instruction manual contents can be changed at the same time, which simplifies version management. That is, when the system software or the additional function is changed, the software having the contents of the instruction manual according to the change is displayed and displayed on the monitor screen. In addition, the numerical control device often uses different additional functions for each user, and there are a wide variety of models, but since the software that realizes the additional functions can manage the software of the instruction manual in an integrated manner, it is possible to manage the software for each model. Will be easier.

In particular, in the present embodiment, only by exchanging the IC memory cassette 10, it is possible to always refer to necessary instruction manuals even if some additional functions are properly used, and the operation is simplified. Further, since the writable user area 11 is provided in the IC memory cassette 10, the user can write a defect history of the numerical control device, a cautionary note such as work setup, or a memo note. Moreover, since the user area 11 can be physically separated, the IC
The user area 11 can be easily saved when upgrading the software in the memory cassette 10.

By the way, in the above embodiment, the memory in the mother cassette 10B of the IC memory cassette 10 is R.
Although the RAM with backup is used as the OM for the memory in the daughter cassette 10C, the former ROM is used as a non-volatile memory such as RAM with backup, and the RAM with backup is EEPROM, NVRAM.
It may be replaced with a rewritable memory.

Further, in addition to the information on the handling method, the data stored in the auxiliary storage means 1 may include information on a handling method when an error occurs. Then, when an actual error occurs, if the coping method is automatically displayed on the screen, quick response is possible. In addition to this, if information such as a programming method is stored in the auxiliary storage means 1, this is displayed on a monitor screen, and a program is created with reference to this, the program can be easily changed or modified. ..

Further, the monitor screen 6 of the operation unit is not limited to a single screen, and a multi-window screen may be adopted so that a normal operation screen and a screen showing a handling method may be displayed simultaneously. FIG. 8 is a display screen view showing a monitor screen for displaying the handling method of the numerical control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, if the window 1 is the operation screen of the numerical control device and the window 2 is the screen showing the handling method, the operating unit and its handling method can be displayed only by looking at one monitor screen 6. You can see them at the same time, and the operability will be much better.

Further, in the above embodiment, as a method of connecting the memory cassette, the add-on connectors 12A and 12B are used.
Although both of the mother side and the daughter side are provided, the coupling section 12 which is an add-on connector may be connected to the coupling section 12 which is an add-on connector. FIG. 9 is a side view showing another structural example of the memory cassette of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another structural example of the memory cassette. If the connection method as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 is adopted, there is an advantage that the number of connectors can be reduced. Also, an add-on connector may be provided on the opposite side of the interface connector for connection.

[0037]

As described above, the numerical controller according to the present invention is provided with auxiliary storage means, handling instruction information, and display means, and is provided in a plurality of removable or rewritable nonvolatile auxiliary storage means. , System software, software that realizes additional functions, and instruction information about how to handle it are built-in, and the contents of this information are displayed on the screen on the operation unit, so you can use the screen display without using the instruction manual. Since the operation method of the numerical control device can be mastered, the operability is improved, the attention to the operation of the numerical control device is increased, and the safety is improved. Moreover, if the system software or additional functions are changed, the software for the instruction manuals can be changed at the same time, and the software for the instruction manuals can be managed for each model, which simplifies version management and makes it easier to manage Easy software management.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conceptual configuration of auxiliary storage means of a numerical control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a numerical control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an IC memory cassette of a numerical control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a structural example of a memory cassette of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a structural example of a memory cassette of a numerical control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an address decoding unit of a memory cassette of a numerical controller according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block conceptual diagram showing an operating method learning procedure of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a display screen view showing a monitor screen for displaying a handling method of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing another structural example of the memory cassette of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing another structural example of the memory cassette of the numerical controller according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block conceptual diagram showing a procedure for learning an operation method of a conventional numerical control apparatus.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a numerical control device capable of displaying a screen according to a conventional handling method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Auxiliary Storage Means 1A First Auxiliary Storage Means 1B Second Auxiliary Storage Means 2A System Software Area 2B Software Area 2C Storage Area 3A Storage Area 3B Storage Area 3C Storage Area 4 CPU 5 Main Storage Means 6 Monitor Screen 7 Keyboard 8 Motor Control unit 9 Bus 10 IC memory cassette 10B Mother cassette 10C Daughter cassette 11 User area 12 Coupling unit 13 Coupling unit 17 Adder 18 Segment comparison unit

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] December 11, 1991

[Procedure Amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Name of item to be corrected] 0023

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Address decoding of the memory cassette will be described. When a plurality of memory cassettes are connected and used, the capacities of the memories in the respective cassettes are often different, so it is necessary to arrange them at appropriate addresses according to the memory capacities. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the address decoding unit of the memory cassette of the numerical controller according to one embodiment of the present invention. Here, an appropriately large capacity is defined as one segment, and the memory capacity is managed in segment units. For example, if one segment is 64 Kbytes, a 512 Kbyte memory cassette is considered to have a capacity of 8 segments. In this case, it is necessary to define the capacity of one segment to be an integral fraction of the capacity of the memory cassette.

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0033

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

By the way, in the above embodiment, the memory in the mother cassette 10B of the IC memory cassette 10 is R.
Although the RAM with backup is used as the OM for the memory in the daughter cassette 10C, the former ROM is used as a non-volatile memory such as RAM with backup, and the RAM with backup is EEPROM, NVRA.
It may be replaced with a rewritable memory such as M or flash ROM .

[Procedure 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0034

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

Further, in addition to the information on the handling method, the data stored in the auxiliary storage means 1 may include information on a handling method when an error occurs. Then, when an actual error occurs, if the coping method is automatically displayed on the screen, quick response is possible. In addition to this, if information such as the programming method is stored in the auxiliary storage means 1, this is displayed on the monitor screen, and the program is created with reference to this, the program can be easily changed or modified. ..

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Name of item to be corrected] Figure 3

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 3]

[Procedure Amendment 5]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] Figure 12

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Fig. 12]

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. A plurality of removable or rewritable non-volatile auxiliary storage means, and system software and software for realizing an additional function in the auxiliary storage means. A numerical control device comprising: explanation information; and a display means for displaying the contents of the handling instruction information on a screen on an operation unit.