Patent ID: 8538575

Claim:
A machine controller, comprising: a memory; a processor; a machine control for automatically controlling a honing machine operable for honing a bore of a workpiece at least partially as a function of data relating to a parameter of the workpiece, and a gage control for automatically controlling gaging apparatus for collecting and processing the data relating to the parameter of the workpiece and storing the data in the memory, the gage control being integrated with the machine control wherein the processor simultaneously runs a machine control program and a gaging program and is connected in operative control of the apparatus for performing the machining process and the gaging apparatus; a control connection connecting the machine control and the gage control with the apparatus for performing the machining process and the gaging apparatus; wherein at least a portion of the memory in which the data relating to the parameter of the workpiece is stored, is configured as a shared memory directly accessible by the machine control program and the gaging program separately of the control connection to allow the machine control program to immediately retrieve and use the stored data relating to the parameter of the workpiece in the machining process and to store data relating to the machining process in the shared memory for immediate retrieval and use by the gaging program; and wherein the gage apparatus comprises an air gage column including a sensor interfaced with the controller for outputting data representative of a parameter of the bore of the workpiece thereto for use by the gage control, and the machine control automatically operates to move the sensor of the air gage column into the bore of the workpiece and store positional data relating thereto in the shared memory for immediate retrieval by the gaging program to correlate the sensor data with the positional data.