Abstract:
In a method for machining a contoured recess, a digital control is used to predetermine elementary surfaces, which are linked in a contouring expression using logical operators to form a resulting surface. Various help types are offered to the user on a graphical user interface of the digital control. The operators are explained using graphic symbols and help text. The resultant surface is represented on the user interface.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to a method for machining contour pockets and to a device for machining contour pockets.  
         BACKGROUND INFORMATION  
         [0002]    The machining of contour pockets is a common task in the machining of workpieces by a machine tool. Such contour pockets are produced with the aid of a machine tool controlled by a numerical control unit, e.g., by milling a workpiece. In this context, regions of the workpiece surface are machined, which are defined at the start of each instance of contour-pocket machining. Further, typical machining steps for producing a contour pocket then include, for instance, rough drilling, reaming, and finishing.  
           [0003]    The defining of the contour pocket may not be a simple task, as soon as the shape of the contour pocket is more complicated than the simplest geometric figures, such as a circle, rectangle, or triangle. Islands may also be left inside the contour pockets, and the borders of the contour pockets may be as complicated as needed.  
           [0004]    Conventional numerical control units already offer functions for defining contour pockets. However, these functions do not optimally support the user in achieving his or her objective. In the handbook regarding the software of numerical control unit TNC 426 of the Applicant of the present application, a method is described by which a contour pocket can be defined. To this end, borders of surfaces are defined, which are then rough-worked in a separate cycle. Whether the border describes a pocket or an island depends on the direction and the cutter-radius correction of a border. The contour pocket ultimately formed is then the sum of all pockets minus the sum of all islands. A certain amount of experience is necessary for using this system to define complicated contour pockets, e.g., those made up of several basic shapes. In addition, the contour pocket to be expected can only be assessed in a simulation run after completion of the programming.  
           [0005]    It is described in European Published Patent Application No. 0 477 398 that, for the purpose of correcting the cutter radius, complicated workpiece geometries can be produced from more simple base shapes, using set operations (union, intersection, etc.), since then, the cutting-radius correction can already be undertaken on the simpler base shapes.  
           [0006]    An aspect of the present invention may provide a method for machining contour pockets, which may allow even inexperienced users to produce contour pockets in a rapid and error-free manner.  
           [0007]    An aspect of the present invention may provide a device, which may allow rapid and error-free machining of contour pockets.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0008]    In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, in order to machine a contour pocket with the aid of an appropriately equipped numerical control unit, at least a first and a second elementary surface be specified in a first step, which are then combined by an operator in a contour expression in a second step to form a combined or compound surface. After the evaluation of the operation and the calculation of the surface resulting from the contour expression, the resulting surface is displayed in a graphic user interface.  
           [0009]    In this context, the user of this method for machining a contour pocket, or the user of an appropriately equipped device, may profit from additional support. Elementary surfaces, whose combination may already be monitored on the user interface during the programming of the numerical control unit, may now be used as a starting point when defining the surface of a contour pocket. Errors may immediately be detected and corrected. The selection of the correct operation is supported by corresponding softkeys, and by the display of help text.  
           [0010]    Further aspects of example embodiments of the present invention and details pertaining thereto are derived from the following description of the attached drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 illustrates a workpiece having a contour pocket.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 illustrates the surface of a contour pocket.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 illustrates a machine tool having a numerical control unit.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 illustrates different operations involving two elementary surfaces.  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 5 illustrates a method for machining a contour pocket.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 6 illustrates a user interface including further operations involving elementary surfaces. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 shows a workpiece  1  having a contour pocket  2 , which contains two islands  3 . 1  and  3 . 2 . As illustrated in FIG. 2, the surface of contour pocket  2  is formed by taking the union of two elementary surfaces  4  (in this example, two circular surfaces  4  and  5 ) and then taking the intersection of this union and the complement of a square  6  and the complement of a triangle  7 . The intersection of a surface and the complement of another surface may also be seen as the calculation of the difference of the two surfaces. In the example, square  6  and triangle  7  are subtracted from the union of the two circular surfaces  4  and  5 . Actual contour pocket  2  of workpiece  1  is then formed, for example, by milling it.  
         [0018]    Such milling is carried out by a machine tool  8 , as is illustrated in FIG. 3. Workpiece  1  is mounted to a machining table  9 . The relative movement of workpiece  1  and tool  10  causes tool  10  to be guided through workpiece  1 , so as to remove material. In this context, the movable axes of machine tool  8  are controlled by a numerical control unit  11 . This numerical control unit  11  may also be used to generate the machining programs for machine tool  8 . One aspect of this is the programming of the contour-pocket machining. The defining of the surface of contour pocket  2  may be considered to be the most important step for this. Further steps include, for example, the selection of a suitable tool  10 , the best reaming strategy, the machining depth, the desired surface quality, etc. However, in the following, the definition of contour pocket  2  shall only mean the definition of the surface of a contour pocket  2 .  
         [0019]    Numerical control unit  11  is provided with a video screen  12  having a graphic user interface  17 , as is later explained on the basis of FIG. 6. In order to allow user inputs, the numerical control unit is also provided with a keyboard  13  and/or other input options. A memory  24  is used to store all data required for carrying out the machining of the workpiece. These data are processed and all necessary actions are initiated in a processing unit  25 .  
         [0020]    To provide better understanding, the operators used for combining elementary surfaces  4  are explained with the aid of FIG. 4. Of course, the result of such an operation, a combined surface, may be combined with an elementary surface  4  or a combined surface, using an operator.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 a  shows the union of a first surface A and a second surface B. This corresponds to a logical “A OR B” operation of the involved surfaces.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 4 b  shows the intersection of a first surface A and a second surface B. This corresponds to a logical “A AND B” operation of the involved surfaces.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 c  shows the intersection of a first surface A with the complement of a second surface B. This corresponds to a logical “A AND NOT B” operation of the involved surfaces.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 4 d  shows the union of a first surface A and a second surface B, minus the intersection of A and B. This corresponds to a logical “(A OR B) AND NOT (A AND B)” operation of the involved surfaces, or a “A EXCLUSIVE OR B”, i.e., “A XOR B”, operation of the involved surfaces.  
         [0025]    In addition to the operators defined here, there are also additional, elements which allow a logical combination or operation of elementary surfaces  4  in a contour expression. Thus, one may require parentheses, in order to be able to preferentially calculate parts of the contour expression, as well as an operator for forming the complement of an elementary surface  4 .  
         [0026]    A method for defining a contour pocket  2  shall now be described in light of FIG. 5. In this context, reference is also made to the elements of a numerical control unit  11  and its graphic user interface  17  required for this, which are illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIG. 6.  
         [0027]    As may be conventional, the method for defining a contour pocket  2  begins with a step  101  for defining at least two elementary surfaces  4 . To this end, boundary  19 , which encloses elementary surface  4 , may be defined, for example, in a subroutine. Thus, a circular surface may be defined by the coordinates of the center point and the radius, or a triangular surface may be defined by specifying the coordinates of the vertices. To this end, the subroutine may be input into numerical control unit  11  via keyboard  13  and stored in memory  24 . Elementary surfaces  4  may also have borders  19  that are markedly more complex than the simple geometric elements used in the examples. It is possible to use elementary surfaces  4  having an unclosed border  19 , for instance, a half-plane cut off by a straight line. Elementary surfaces defined once may be used again to define a further contour pocket, e.g., by being called up by the subroutine stored in memory  24 .  
         [0028]    In a next step  102 , elementary surfaces  4  are combined by operators  20 . In this context, at least two elementary surfaces  4  are combined by operators  20  in a contour expression  14 . Operators  20  having the logical function “OR”, “AND”, “AND NOT”, and “EXCLUSIVE OR” are, for example, available. Numerical control unit  11  also accepts parentheses  22 , in order to preferentially evaluate parts of contour expression  14 . To form a “NOT” operator  20  for calculating the complement of an elementary surface  4  or of a combined surface  21  (e.g., a part of contour expression  14  put in parentheses  22 ). Softkeys  15 , which allow specific operator  20  or a parenthesis  22  to be selected, are provided on video screen  12  of numerical control unit  11 , in graphic user interface  17 . These softkeys  15  contain picture symbols  23 , which schematically explain specific operator  20  (in the manner of FIGS. 4 a - d ). In addition, help text  16  is displayed in graphic user interface  17 , as soon as an operator  20  is selected. Contour expression  14  is stored in memory  24  of numerical control unit  11 , via keyboard  13 .  
         [0029]    Subsequent step  103  may be taken after each change of contour expression  14 . Contour expression  14  is evaluated and a resulting surface  18  is calculated in processing unit  25  of numerical control unit  11 . This resulting surface  18  corresponds to the surface of contour pocket  2 . In this context, contour expression  14  may be so completely complex, that several contour pockets  2  not connected to each other are formed. Even such a resulting surface  18  may be defined again as an elementary surface  4 , which may then be further utilized in other contour expressions  14 . Thus, it again becomes clear that an elementary surface  4  must not necessarily be simple.  
         [0030]    In a further step  104 , resulting surface  18  is displayed in graphic user interface  17  on video screen  12  of numerical control unit  11 . In this context, resulting surface  18  is represented as a filled-in border  19 , in order to allow resulting surface  18  to be rapidly comprehended. However, elementary surfaces  4  are only represented by their border  19 . In graphic user interface  17 , both contour expression  14  and resulting surface  18  may be shown at the same time, as illustrated in FIG. 6.  
         [0031]    A further combination of elementary surfaces  4  is explained with the aid of FIG. 6. In contour expression  14 , operands QC 4  and QC 5  denote elementary surfaces  4 , in this case a rectangle and triangle, which are combined by operator  20  “OR” to form a first combined surface  21 . In the same way, QC 1 , QC 2 , and QC 3  denote circles, which are combined by operator  20  “OR”. Because of parentheses  22 , the two combined surfaces  21  are preferentially evaluated in processing unit  24 . The two combined surfaces  21  are connected by the operator “AND NOT”, so that the three combined circular surfaces QC 1 , QC 2 , and QC 3  are subtracted from the union of rectangle QC 4  and triangle QC 5 . In FIG. 6, resulting surface  18  is illustrated, as well as the help text  16  for “AND NOT” operator  20  last used, and softkeys  15  having their picture symbols  23 .  
         [0032]    When steps  103  and  104  are executed each time, as soon as a change is made to contour expression  14  in step  102 , a user of numerical control unit  11  is provided as much support as possible for defining a contour pocket  2 .  
         [0033]    The further machining of contour pocket  2  may be accomplished in a conventional manner, in that numerical control unit  11  controls machine tool  8  so as to produce, in workpiece  1 , a contour pocket  2  having the shape of resulting surface  18 . The machining steps necessary for this may include, more or less, rough drilling, reaming, and finishing with the aid of suitable tools  10 .