TRACER CONTROL APPARATUS FOR, AND A METHOD OF MACHINING IN, A TRACER MACHINING SYSTEM

Abstract: Tracer control apparatus, for a tracer machining system, has a memory storing position A, along the PICKFEED AXIS, of the first clamping feed in initial tracing of a clamping feed area H1 and position B at which clamping feed is absent after initial tracing of area H1. Using the stored positions the apparatus causes repeat tracings back and forth between A and B. Clamping level setting means 11 to 15 set an initial clamping level LCZ for clamping feeds in initial tracing of area H1, and add increments inc to that level for successive repeat tracings. Only when the incremented clamping level is not reached in a repeat tracing, or the incremented level reaches a limit value, does tracing proceed beyond area H1. The clamping level is set back to its initial value. A method of machining is provided in which repeat tracing is carried out only in areas where required, e.g. H1, in dependence upon stored positions A and B and incrementing clamping levels.

Description: Tracer Control Apparatus For, And A Method Of Machining In, A Tracer Machining System. This invention relates to tracer control apparatus. When tracer machining it is general practice in conventional profile working to set up a clamp level and carry out tracing until the tracer head tracing the model surface reaches the clamp level, and then to perform clamping feed, thereby to prevent excessive working of a workpiece (e.g. excessive depth of cut). A clamping feed is a feed carried out at a predetermined machining level, corresponding to the clamp level. Repeated tracings are carried out and the clamp level is changed after each tracing. Eventually profile working in a clamping feed area is completed after a plurality of tracings have been effected. In such conventional profile working, when clamping feed is required at a plurality of areas over a tracing area, profile working involves a plurality of tracings not only at those areas but at non-clamping feed areas also, resulting in the profile working involving a waste of time. According to the present invention there is provided tracer control apparatus, for a tracer machining system operable to effect tracing by tracing feeds and pick feeds and to effect clamping feeds at a preset clamping level, characterised by memory means for storing a first position along the pick feed axis, which position corresponds to the first of a succession of tracing feeds in the course of each of which clamping feed is effected in an initial tracing, and for storing a second position along the pick feed axis, which position corresponds to a traciE > < feed, following next after the last tracing feed of the succession, in the course of which clamping feed is not effected, means operable in dependendeupon the first and second positions as stored in the memory means to cause tracing between the first and second positions to be repeated, back and forth between those positions, and clamping level setting means for setting an initial clamping level in respect of the initial tracing from the first to the second position, and for changing the clamping level for respective subsequent repeat tracings between the first and second positions until, in such a repeat tracing, clamping feed is not effected at the changed clamping level set for that tracing or a limit clamping level value is reached, whereafter the initial clamping level is set once more, and tracing proceeds beyond the second position. According to the present invention there is also provided a method of machining in a tracer machining system that is operable to effect tracing by tracing feeds and pick feeds and to effect clamping feeds at a preset clamping level, characterised in that the method comprises: in an initial tracing, storing a first position along the pick feed axis which position corresponds to the first tracing feed of a succession of tracing feeds in which clamping feed is effected and storing a second position along the pick feed axis which position corresponds to a tracing feed, following next after the last tracing feed of the succession, in the course of which clamping feed is not effected, in dependence upon the stored positions, executing repeat tracings back and forth between those positions, in respective such repeat tracings after the initial tracing, changing the clamping level from an initial clamping level value applicable to the initial tracing, until in such a repeat tracing clamping feed is not effected at the changed clamping level set for that tracing or a limit clamping level value is reached, then, setting the initial clamping level once more and tracing beyond the second position. The present invention can provide for machining with clamping tracer control such that profile working is effected a plurality of times only in clamp tracing areas, with sequential alteration of clamp level, thereby to enhance profile working efficiency. Briefly, in this invention, tracing machining feed is temporarily halted and clamping feed effected when the tracer head tracing a model surface has reached a clamp level, tracer control is then repeatedly performed between the position on the pick feed axis where the clamping feed is carried out first and the position on pick feed axis where clamping feed is no longer performed during tracing feed, with the clamp level changed in a sequential order in each tracing repeat. When the clamping feed comes to an end, clamp level is set to its initial value to permit tracing to proceed to a next area on the model surface. Reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram explanatory of a tracing path followed during bracer operations; Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating in cross-section a profile encountered along the tracing path of Figure 1, for assistance in explanation of a clamp level; Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram illustrating apparatus embodying the present invention; Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a memory for use in apparatus embodying this invention; and Fig. 5 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a discriminator for use in apparatus embodying this invention. As illustrated in Fig. 1, in a case in which a tracing path is set to start at a point ST and end at a point END and includes clamping feed areas 111 and 112, a tracer head starting from the point ST is fed along the tracing path by successive repetitions of tracing feed and pick feed operations in the directions of arrows shown in the Figure (tracing feed takes place parallel to TRACE AXIS and pick feed takes place parallel to PICKFEED AXIS). In the course of tracing feed from point A, when the mechanical position of the tracer head falls below a clamp level, clamping feed takes place. In an embodiment of this invention the position along the pick feed axis CPICKFEED AXIS) at which clamping feed is first carried out, point A, is stored in a memory. Thereafter, when the tracer head reaches point B after subsequent tracing feeds, clamping feeds and pick feeds, the mechanical position of the tracer head no longer falls below the clamp level during tracing feed, so that no clamping feed takes place, and this position along the pick feed axis, point B, is also stored in the memory. Reversing the direction of pick feed at the point B and changing the clamp level, tracing is then effected in reverse, towards point A. When the point A is again reached a further reversal of the direction of pick feed and a change of clamp level are effected and tracing towards point B is again carried out; in this way, tracing between the points A and B is performed repeatedly until, in the course of tracing between A and B, no clamping feed takes place or until the clamp level reaches an end level. Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view taken in a direction parallel to the TRACE AXIS of Figure 1, illustrating clamping levels set when a tracing path crosses a clamping feed area. Clamp level is set at an initial value LCZ for a first tracing across the clamping feed area and is varied by an increment inc for each subsequent tracing after the first. Thus in each subsequn+ tracing clamping feed is performed at a new clamp level. After tracing between the points A and B has been repeated until clamping feed is no longer required, reversal of pick feed direction does not occur when the point B is reached, and the clamp level is reset to the initial value LCZ. Tracing is then effected toward a point C. When the tracer head reaches point C clamping feed is carried out again, so that, in an embodiment of this invention, the point C is stored in the memory, and thereafter a point D at which clamping feed comes to an end is also stored. Then profile working takes place repeatedly between the points C and D. In conventional profile working, clamping tracer control along the path from ST to END in Figure 1 would be performed repeatedly each repeat running the whole way between the start and end points ST and END. In an embodiment of this invention, however, clamping tracer control is carried out repeatedly only between the points A and B and between the points C and D where the areas 111 and H2 exist respectively, and the tracer control is performed once only between the start point ST and the point A, between the points B and C, and between point D and the end point END. Fig. 3 is a block diagram of apparatus embodying this invention, illustrating principal parts employed for effecting tracer control as described above. The apparatus of Figure 3 comprises a tracer head 1 equipped with a stylus la which makes contact with a model surface when the apparatus is in use; an analog arithmetic circuit 2; a memory 3; a'discriminator 4; comparators 5, 7 and 10; current position counter 6; a direction change circuit 8; a Z-axis current position counter 9; a clamp level set counter 11; a register 12 for setting an initial clamping leve a register 13 for setting an increment of the clamp level; AND circuits 14 and 15; a switching circuit SW; servoamplifier SA; motors MX, My and MZ; and position detectors, for example, resolvers or pulse coders, PCX, PCY and PCZ. In the following description the position detectors PCX, PCY and PCZ will be taken to be pulse coders, which are respectively coupled with the motors MX, MY and MZ. The motors MX, MY and MZ are provided for driving along a pick feed axis, a tracing axis and the Z-axis respectively. The switching circuit SW is turned OFF by a clamping feed signal cp to stop driving of the motor MZ, permitting clamping feed to take place; and the switching circuit SW is turned ON by a displacement signal from the tracer head 1. The memory 3 receives a clamping feed signal cp, a pick feed signal pf, a tracing feed signal trc, a firsttracing signal fst, a clamping-feed-non-operation discriminated signal nop from the discriminator 4, and feedback pulses fbp relating to the pick feed axis from the pulse coder PCX, and the memory 3 outputs a position-A signal PA, a position-B signal PB, a signal CASP from a position-A counter (see below), a signal CBSP from a position-B counter (see below) and a clamping feed operation signal LCZP. Fig. 4 shows in block form principal parts of the memory 3. In Fig. 4, FF1 to FF4 are flip-flops; RD1 and RD2 are rise detect circuits; Al to A4 are AND circuits; ACNT and BCNT are position-A and position-B counters respectively; and PSET is a preset circuit. When the flip-flop FF3 outputs "1" at its terminal Q, the position-A counter ACNT stops counting feedback pulses fbp and outputs the position-A signal PAw and when the flip-flops FF4 outputs "l" at its terminal Q, the position-B counter BCNT stops counting feedback pulses fbp and outputs the position-B signal PB. When clamping feed is performed, the flip-flop FF1 is set by the clamping feed signal cp, and in response to the next pick feed signal t, the clamping feed operation signal LSZP becomes "1". The discriminator 4 comprises a flip-flop FF5, AND circuits A6 and A7 and an OR circuit OR, as depicted in Fig. 5. The flip-flop FF5 is set by the clamping feed operation signal LCZP. A clamping feed operation discriminated signal # whose value indicates whether the flip-flop FF5 has been set or not, or a clampingfeed-non-operation discriminated signal nop, is derived from the AND circuit A6 or A7 when a coincidence signal cpa or cpb is applied thereto from comparator 7 or comparator 5. The flip-flop FF5 is reset when the clamping feed operation discriminated signal op is provided. When commencing tracing operations from the start point ST of the tracing path shown in Fig. 1, an initial value of the clamp level is set in the clamp level set counter 11, by a non-illustrated arrangement, from the register 12 which has set therein the initial value of the clamp level, and the switching circuit SW is held in the ON state due to the fact that the clamping feed signal cp is "O". The first-tracing signal fst is delivered to the memory 3, and in response to the output from the analog arithmetic circuit 2, the motor MY is driven to perform tracing feed. The stylus la makes contact with a model (not shown), and a displacement signal varying with the model configuration along the tracing path is applied from the tracer head 1 to the analog arithmetic circuit 2 to drive the motor MZ in accordance with the displacement signal. The pulse coder PCZ coupled with the motor MZ applies pulses to the Z-axis current position counter 9, whose count content represents current position along the Z-axis. When tracing reaches a pick feed position, driving of the motor MY is halted and the motor MX is driven to effect pick feed. Pulses from the pulse coder PCX coupled with the motor MX are delivered as the feedback pulses fbp to the memory 3 and the current position counter 6, and the count content of the current position counter 6 is applied to the comparators 5 and 7. In the memory 3, the feedback pulses fbp are delivered to the position-A and position-B counters ACNT -and BCNT. Accordingly, the count contents of the position-A and position-B counters ACNT and BCNT represent positions along the pick feed axis. When tracing feed and the pick feed have been repeated alternately to reach point A in Fig. 1, the mechanical position of the stylus la will fall below the clamp level in subsequent tracing. That is, the count content of the Z-axis current position counter 9 and the initial value of the clamp level set in the clamp level set counter 11 will coincide with each other, and comparator 10 will output the clamping feed signal gp. The clamping feed signal #E turns the switching circuit SW ON to stop the motor MZ and perform clamping feed. The clamping feed signal cp is also delivered to the memory 3, wherein its rise from "O" to "1" is detected by the rise detect circuit RD1, setting the flip-flop FF3 via the AND circuit Al. Further, the flip-flop FF1 is set by the clamping feed signal cp. The flipflop FFl is reset in response to the detection of the rise of the tracing feed signal trc from "0" to s by the rise detect circuit RD2. When the flip-flop FF3 is set to provide an output "1" at its terminal Q, the signal CASP is output, and the position-A counter ACNT stops counting feedback pulses fbp and stores and holds the position A, while the flipflop FF2 is reset. Upon application of the next pick feed signal pf, the AND circuits A2 and A3 are opened, and if the flip-flop FF1 is set, the clamping feed operation signal LCZP is output to set the flip-flop FF5 of the discriminator 4. When clamping feed and pick feed have been repeated alternately in the course of tracing feed and the point B in Fig. 1 has been reached, since no clamping feed is carried out during the tracing feed immediately before point B is reached, the flip-flop FF1 remains reset, and the next pick feed signal Et sets the flip-flop FF4 via the AND circuits A3 and A4, to provide the signal CBSP and a counting stop signal for the position-B counter BCNT. As a consequence, the position-B counter BCNT stops counting feedback pulses fbp and stores and holds the position B and applies the position-B signal PB to the comparator 5. At this moment, the count contents of the current position counter 6 and the position-B counter BCNT are the same, so that the coincidence signal cpb is provided to the discriminator 4. Since the flip-flop FF5 is held in its set state, the clamping feed operation discriminated signal 11E is output. The signal op is fed to the direction change circuit 8 to cause it to apply a pick feed direction change signal to the analog arithmetic circuit 2, reversing the direction of pick feed by the motor MX. Further, the AND circuit 15 is opened, through which an increment from the register 13 is added to the initial value of the clamp level set counter 11. When tracing has reached point A, from point B, the content stored in the point-A counter ACNT and the content of the current position counter 6 coincide with each other, so that the coincidence signal cpa is delivered from the comparator 7 to the discriminator 4. The discriminator 4 applies the clamping feed operation discriminated signal pp to the direction change circuit 8, which provides a pick feed direction change signal to the analog arithmetic circuit 2 to reverse the direction of pick feed, and the flip-flop FF5 is reset by the discriminator 4. Further, the content of the register 13 is added to the counter 11 to set a new clamp level. By repetition of such operations as are described above, tracing is carried out between points A and B; and when clamping feed is no longer effected during tracing from point A to B (the flip-flop FF5 then being in the reset state when tracing reaches the point B), the coincidence signal cpb is supplied from the comparator 5 to the discriminator 4 to derive therefrom the clamping-feed-non-operation discriminated signal flop. This signal nop opens the AND circuit 14, through which the initial value of the clamp level stored in the register 12 is again set in the clamp level set counter 11. The clamping-feed-non-operation discriminated signal nop is also applied to the memory 3 to set the flipflop FF2 and preset circuit PSET, and the content of the position-B counter BCNT is thereby preset in the position A counter ACNT. As a consequence, the position-A and position-B counters ACNT and BCNT and the current position counter 6 become equal in content to each other, and the feedback pulses fbp generated by the pick feed are again counted. When tracing reaches point C in Fig. 1, the point C at which clamping feed is again performed is stored in the counter ACNT as was the case for point A, and point D is also stored in the counter BCNT as was the case for point B. Tracing is carried out repeatedly between the points C and D and the clamp level is changed for each tracing. When clamping feed no longer effected in the course of tracing between C and D tracing then takes place from point D to the end point END, where the tracer control is coupled. The position-A and position-B counters ACNT and BCNT may be constituted by other storage means, for example, semiconductor memories, to store positions at which clamping feed is first performed and positions at which clamping feed is no longer carried out. As has been described in the forqping, tracer control apparatus embodying the present invention is provided with first and second memory means such as the position-A and the point-B counters ACNT and BCNT of Figure 3, and clamp level set means such as the clamp level set counter 11 of Figure 3. Between the position where the clamping feed is performed first, for example, point A, and the position where the clamping feed is no longer performed, for example, point B, tracing is repeated with the clamp level being changed for each tracing. When clamping feed is no longer performed between A and B, the clamp level is reset to its initial value to permit tracing to proceed to a next clamping feed area Cif any). In areas where the initial value of the clamp level is not attained, tracing takes place once only, and only in areas where the clamping feed is performed is tracing repeated until in an ultimate tracing the clamp level applying to that tracing is not reached. Thus;, a reduction in waste and hence enhanced efficiency can be provided in profile working. Thus, in tracer machining with which the invention is concerned tracing feed and pick feed are.performed alternately and clamping feed is effected at a preset clamp level. Between a first position where clamping feed is carried out first and a second position where clamping feed is no longer performed, tracing is repeated, back and forth between those positions, changing the clamp level sequentially for each tracing. When clamping feed is no longer carried out in a repeat tracing between those positions the clamp level is set back to an initial value and tracing and pick feed beyond the second position are carried out.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. Tracer control apparatus, for a tracer machining system operable to effect tracing by tracing feeds and pick feeds and to effect clamping feeds at a preset clamping level, characterised by memory means for storing a first position along the pick feed axis, which position corresponds to the first of a succession of tracing feeds in the course of each of which clamping feed is effected in an initial tracing, and for storing a second position along the pick feed axis, which position corresponds to a tracing feed, following next after the last tracing feed of the succession, in the course of which clamping feed is not effected, means operable in dependenceupon the first and second positions as stored in the memory means to cause tracing between the first and second positions to be repeated, back and forth between those positions, and clamping level setting means for setting an initial clamping level in respect of the initial tracing from the first to the second position, and for changing the clamping level for respective subsequent repeat tracings between the first and second positions until, -in such a repeat tracing, clamping feed is not effected at the changed clamping level set for that tracing or a limit clamping level value is reached, whereafter the initial clamping level is set once more, and tracing proceeds beyond the second position. 2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a counter arranged for counting pulses from a pick-feed axis position detector of the system, wherein the memory means are operable to store the first and second positions in terms of the counts reacheci.hv the counter for those positions, the count correspondLto the first position being entered into the memory in response to the occurrence of clamping feed, in the first of the succession of tracing feeds, and the count corresponding to the second position being entered into the memory in response to the absence of clamping feed in the next tracing feed after the last of the succession. 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the clamping level setting means comprise a first register holding the initial clamping level, a second register holding a clamping level increment, and a clamping level setting counter operable to derive the changed clamping levels for each of the said respective subsequent repeat tracings by adding the said increment to the clamping level applicable to the last preceding tracing. 4. A method of machining in a tracer machining system that is operable to effect tracing by tracing feeds and pick feeds and to effect clamping feeds at a preset clamping level, characterised in that the method comprises: in an initial tracing, storing a first position along the pick feed axis which position corresponds to the first tracing feed of a succession of tracing feeds in which clamping feed is effected, and storing a second position along the pick feed axis which position corresponds to a tracing feed, following next after the last tracing feed of the succession, in the course of which clamping feed is not effected, in dependence upon the stored positions, executing repeat tracings back and forth between those positions, in respective such repeat tracings after the initial tracing, changing the clamping level from an initial clamping level value applicable to the initial tracing, until in such a repeat tracing clamping feed is not effected at the changed clamping level set for that tracing or a limit clamping level value is reached, then, setting the initial clamping level once more and tracing beyond the second position.

Inventors: IMAZEKI, RYOJI, SASAKI, TAKAO, YAMAZAKI, ETUO
Applicants: FANUC LTD
Application year: 1980
Main classification: B23Q35
IPC codes: B23Q35, B23Q33