Patent GB-1362996-A (GB)
Title: Machine tools
IPC: B24B49/04
Filed: 1971-09-20
Abstract: 1362996 Automatic electric control LITTON INDUSTRIES Inc 20 Sept 1971 [18 Sept 1970] 43669/71 Heading G3N [Also in Division B3] A machine tool comprises means for effecting relative transverse movement to cause machining infeed between a workpiece support 12 and a tool support 29, gauge means 20 adapted to engage portions A....E of a workpiece W to be machined and comprising means 86 for generating a size signal indicative of the size of that portion of a workpiece with which engagement is made, means for providing predetermined signals indicative of the desired sizes for said portions of the workpiece, means for providing individual offset signals for each of said portions, and means responsive to the size signals, predetermined signals and individual offset signals for controlling the means for effecting relative transverse movement of the supports. As described, the machine tool is a grinding machine and the workpiece W has portions A... E of different diameters and is mounted between a headstock 13 and tailstock 14 on a support 12 longitudinally movable along a bed 11 by a hand wheel 15 or a drive under the control of a programmed controller 200 associated with a reader 201 of a punched card, a transducer 18 providing a signal indicative of when the portions of the workpiece are aligned with the grinding wheel 17 and a gauge 20. The gauge is mounted on a base member 21 secured to a table 22 slidable on a slide 23 on a sub-base 24 adjustable to the maximum diameter to be ground. An arm 27 is mounted on a pivot 28 on the member 21 and a further arm 33 is also secured to the pivot and is rockable by a piston-and-cylinder device 30, 31 to move the arm between phantom and solid positions shown in Fig. 3. The end of the arm 27 is joined by a pair of unequal length links 35, 36 to an upper swivel plate 64 connected to a lower swivel plate 63 to which is secured leaf-springs 42, 43, in turn, secured to support members 44 having alignment rods 46 connected to lugs 48 on the sides of a transducer housing 40 bolted to a chordal type caliper 26. The face of the gauge has shoes 80....83 at its outer edges and centre shoes 84, 85 which project slightly more than the outer shoes. The outer shoes are used for checking the longitudinal position of the workpiece by contacting the shoulder of a larger diameter portion of the workpiece and the centre shoes position a probe 86 of the transducer 40. The electronic circuit comprises the programme sequence controller 200, Fig.8, which produces a plurality of enable signals coupled by wiring 204 to the card reader 201. The latter produces output digital signals and is coupled to an analogue converter 202 connected to a summing network 203 which also receives analogue signals from the gauge 20 and has its output connected to a coarse meter 213. The signal from the coarse meter 213 on an output wiring 215 indicates whether or not the portion of the workpiece engaged by the probe is within rough size tolerance and thus qualify to be ground. The coarse meter 213 also has an output connected to a fine meter 217 which indicates when the portion of the workpiece engaged by the gauge has reached its final size. The converter 202 also receives signals from an analogue size offset 220 connected to a second digital to analogue converter 223 connected through wiring 232 and isolating  diodes 233 to thumbwheel switches 230, each having a plurality of contacts passing enabling signals, and individual leads 225....229 to the controller 200. Each switch 230 individually establishes a particular offset for a respective portion of the workpiece. A number of switches 234 are connected between the leads 225....229 and converter 223 which, when closed, may provide a programmed negative offset signal instead of a programmed positive signal. The circuit of the analogue size offset circuit includes two arms each comprising a plurality of series connected resistances and connected to voltage sources of opposite polarity; the resistances of the two arms can be simultaneously added and subtracted while the total resistance remains unchanged to determine the amount of offset. In operation, a programmed card is placed in the card reader 201, the switches 234 are open, and the thumbwheel switches 230 are set to a low value so that there is zero output from the digital to analogue converter 223. The analogue size offset 220 is adjusted to have an output which is supplied to the converter 202 to provide a predetermined offset which will produce a given oversize for each of the portions of the workpiece, say 0À005". The common offset may be modified by adjustment of analogue size offset. With the workpiece in the machine, the carriage is automatically moved to position the portion A in alignment with the grinding wheel and the gauge mechanism is moved by a piston-and-cylinder device (51), (52), Fig.7 (not shown) moving the slide 23 to position the gauge in alignment with the side of the grinding wheel adjacent the shoulder of a larger diameter portion of the workpiece. Fluid-pressure is directed to the cylinder 31 to rock the arms 27, 33 to position the gauge adjacent the workpiece and then to a cylinder 38 having a rod 37 connected to link 35 so that the calipers 26 engage the workpiece and the probe 86 determines whether the unground portion is of a size which qualifies for grinding by comparing the unground portion with a pre-set dimension of a card in the reader 201 as modified by the offset signal provided from the analogue size offset 220 to the converter 202. The output from the summing network 203 is supplied to the meter 213 to determine if the workpiece is to be ground. If the size is acceptable, the wheelhead is advanced and the gauge is moved from the shoulder of the workpiece. During grinding, the probe sends a continuous signal corresponding to the workpiece size which is summed in the network with the signal from the card reader 201 or manual dial switches 111, the grinding progress being indicated on the meters 213, 217. The gauge controls the feed of the wheel to permit a spark-out to final size. The process is repeated for each of the portions A to E. Each portion should be oversize by the amount determined by the setting of the analogue size offset circuit. Any variation which may be caused by flexing of the workpiece is corrected by adjustment of the thumbwheels 230 in conjunction with the switches 234 to vary the output of the analogue size offset 220.