machine tool

Abstract

A machine tool according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, capable of determining current or power consumption with high precision, comprises: a plurality of current or power verification targets; a current meter or power meter, individually provided in an electrical line that supplies current or power to all power verification targets; and a control device that controls or regulates the plurality of power verification targets. The control device includes a measurement control unit that operates the power verification targets sequentially and records detected values ​​from the power meter during operation of the power verification targets, thereby measuring a reference current or power consumption of each of the power verification targets.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine tool. TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

[0002] For systems that supply power from a distribution board to a plurality of electrical devices, a technique has been proposed to receive a current waveform and a voltage waveform measured at the distribution board and estimate the power consumption of an electrical device (power verification target) based on the current waveform of the electrical device (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 further proposes correcting the power based on the power consumption pattern of each electrical device. List of citationsPatent document

[0003] Patent Document 1: Unexamined Japanese Patent Application, Publication No. 2015-102526 DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be solved by the invention

[0004] In a machine tool with multiple performance verification targets including multiple drive axes and simple operating mechanisms, it may be desirable to estimate the power consumption of each performance verification target. However, using methods such as those disclosed in Patent Document 1 may result in inaccurate measurement of power consumption due to degradation or other factors affecting the performance verification targets. Means to solve the problems

[0005] A machine tool according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a plurality of power verification targets; a power meter individually provided on an electrical line that supplies power to all the power verification targets; and a control device that controls the plurality of power verification targets. The control device includes a measurement control unit that sequentially operates the power verification targets and measures the reference power consumption of each power verification target by detecting the detection value of the power meter during the operation of each power verification target. Effects of the invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, power consumption can be accurately measured. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a machine tool according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. PREFERRED MODE OF OPERATION FOR IMPLEMENTING THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a machine tool 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In Fig. 1, the solid arrows show an electrical line for supplying power and the dashed arrows show paths for transmitting information (wireless information is also possible).

[0008] The machine tool 1 includes a power meter 10, a power supply circuit 20, a plurality of power verification targets 31 to 37, and a control device 40. The machine tool 1 performs machining by driving the power verification targets 31 to 37 using power supplied from an AC power source S.

[0009] The power meter 10 is provided in an electrical line that supplies power to all power verification targets 31 to 37. In the present embodiment, the power meter 10 is provided in the electrical line that supplies power from the AC power source S to the power supply circuit 20, which distributes power to all power verification targets 31 to 37. To accurately measure the power consumption of the power verification targets 31 to 37, the power meter 10 is preferably provided in an electrical line that does not supply power to devices not controlled by the control device 40. The power meter 10 can detect power or a value that can be used to calculate power.For example, the power meter 10 may be configured to detect a current value that can be used to calculate power by multiplying it by the voltage value of the AC power source S.

[0010] The power supply circuit 20 converts the AC power supplied from the AC power source S into DC power at voltages required by the power verification targets 31 to 37 and the control device 40. The power supply circuit 20 can output a plurality of different voltages according to the specifications of the power verification targets 31 to 37 and the control device 40.

[0011] The performance verification targets 31 to 37 are components controlled by the control device 40 and consume power. The performance verification targets 31 to 37 include servomechanisms 31 to 35 that are feedback-controlled and simple operating mechanisms (cooling fan 36 and cutting fluid pump 37) that are not feedback-controlled. The servomechanisms 31 to 35 each include a motor M and an amplifier A that drives the motor M. The servomechanisms 31 to 35 are drive mechanisms for the drive axes (including a main spindle) that relatively move a tool and a workpiece.

[0012] The control device 40 controls the operation of the performance verification targets 31 to 37. Specifically, the control device 40 includes a machining control unit 41, a measurement control unit 42, a calculation control unit 43, a power consumption storage unit 44, a notification unit 45, a threshold setting unit 46, and a lifetime estimation unit 47. The control device 40 can be implemented by executing an appropriate control program using one or more computer devices including memory, processors, input / output interfaces, and the like. In the present embodiment, the control device 40 is a so-called numerical control (NC) device. The components of the control device 40 classify the functions of the control device.Control device 40 and do not necessarily have to be clearly distinguished in terms of physical configuration or program configuration.

[0013] The machining control unit 41 controls the operation of the performance verification targets 31 to 37 according to a machining program described, for example, in G-code. The machining control unit 41 can be configured analogously to known numerical control devices.

[0014] The measurement control unit 42 sequentially operates the power verification targets 31 to 37 and measures the reference power consumption of each power verification target by acquiring the detection value of the power meter 10 during the operation of the power verification targets 31 to 37. The measurement control unit 42 preferably measures the reference power consumption of at least all of the servomechanisms 31 to 35 sequentially one after another among the power verification targets 31 to 37. In this case, the measurement control unit 42 preferably operates the servomechanisms 31 to 35 under constant conditions to minimize measurement errors. Specifically, the measurement control unit 42 may be configured to operate the servomechanisms 31 to 35 at a predetermined torque, such as the rated torque, to measure the reference power consumption.

[0015] The measurement control unit 42 is preferably configured to operate the power verification targets 31 to 37 at a predetermined time, such as when the machine tool 1 starts up. To minimize the reduction in the operating rate of the machine tool 1 due to the measurement of the reference power consumption, the timing of operating the power verification targets 31 to 37 to measure the reference power consumption can be set, for example, to the time of startup or shutdown of the machine tool 1 after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the last measurement of the reference power consumption. The specific interval for measuring the reference power consumption can be set, for example, to a period between one week and three months inclusive.

[0016] In this way, by operating the power verification targets 31 to 37 sequentially and measuring the reference power consumption, which is the power consumption by operating the power verification targets 31 to 37 under predetermined input conditions, the measurement control unit 42 can acquire the reference power consumption reflecting changes caused by deterioration of the power verification targets 31 to 37. The control device 40 can estimate the power consumption of the power verification targets 31 to 37 based on the input values ​​for operating the power verification targets 31 to 37; however, the power consumption of the power verification targets 31 to 37 can be estimated with high accuracy by correcting the estimated power consumption during processing while taking into account changes in the reference power consumption.

[0017] The calculation control unit 43 calculates the actual power consumption of the simple operating mechanisms 36 and 37 by subtracting the power consumption of the performance verification targets (servomechanisms) 31 to 35 excluding the simple operating mechanisms 36 and 37 from the detection value of the power meter 10 during the operation of the plurality of performance verification targets 31 to 37 including the simple operating mechanisms 36 and 37. This makes it possible to highly accurately estimate the actual power consumption of the simple operating mechanisms 36 and 37, which cannot be estimated from the input values. The calculation control unit 43 can be configured to calculate the power consumption of the simple operating mechanisms 36 and 37 during the machining operation performed by the machining control unit 41.To accurately calculate the power consumption of the simple operating mechanisms 36 and 37, the calculation control unit 43 may operate the servomechanisms 31 to 35 under the same conditions as during the measurement of the reference power consumption by the measurement control unit 42. Since the power consumption of the on-off controlled simple operating mechanisms 36 and 37 is considered constant, the power consumption calculated by the calculation control unit 43 for the simple operating mechanisms 36 and 37 can be treated as the reference power consumption in a standard operating state.

[0018] The power consumption storage unit 44 stores the reference power consumption measured by the measurement control unit 42 and the power consumption calculated by the calculation control unit 43 for each of the power verification targets 31 to 37. This allows the user to easily confirm whether there is any change in power consumption due to the deterioration of the power verification targets 31 to 37.

[0019] The notification unit 45 provides an external notification when the reference power consumption exceeds a power threshold set for each power verification target. The reference power consumption of the power verification targets 31 to 37 may increase due to failure or aging even if the load remains constant. In a case where the reference power consumption of the power verification targets 31 to 37 exceeds the power threshold, the power threshold serves to determine a high probability of failure or end of life of the power verification targets 31 to 37. In other words, in a case where the reference power consumption of the power verification targets 31 to 37 increases, the machine tool 1 prompts the user to replace or maintain the power verification targets 31 to 37.The power threshold may be configured to be entered by the user, but is preferably configured to be automatically set or updated by the threshold setting unit 46.

[0020] The threshold setting unit 46 sets the performance threshold used by the notification unit 45. Specifically, in a case where the performance verification targets 31 to 37 are exchanged, the threshold setting unit 46 may be configured to set the performance threshold for the exchanged performance verification targets 31 to 37 based on the reference power consumption immediately before the exchange of the performance verification targets 31 to 37. By setting the power threshold to the reference power consumption at the time the performance verification targets 31 to 37 are exchanged, that is, at the time the user determines that the performance verification targets 31 to 37 need to be exchanged, the exchange can be requested when the performance verification targets 31 to 37 have deteriorated to the same extent as when they were previously exchanged by the user.

[0021] The threshold setting unit 46 may set the power threshold for each of the power verification targets 31 to 37 based on a plurality of reference power consumption values ​​stored in the power consumption storage unit 44 immediately before a plurality of exchanges of the power verification targets 31 to 37. In other words, for example, by setting the power threshold to an average value of the reference power consumption values ​​immediately before the plurality of past exchanges, a more appropriate power threshold may be set for each of the performance verification targets 31 to 37.

[0022] The lifetime estimation unit 47 estimates the lifetime of each of the performance verification targets 31 to 37 based on a plurality of reference power consumption values ​​stored in the power consumption storage unit 44 for each of the performance verification targets 31 to 37. Specifically, the lifetime estimation unit 47 calculates the time until the reference power consumption of each of the performance verification targets 31 to 37 is expected to reach the power threshold based on the time variation of the reference power consumption of each of the performance verification targets 31 to 37. By showing the user the time until the reference power consumption is expected to reach the power threshold, the spare parts for the performance verification targets 31 to 37 can be prepared at a convenient time, thereby minimizing downtime.

[0023] As described above, the machine tool 1 according to the present embodiment can determine the replacement timing of the power verification targets 31 to 37 with relatively high accuracy and accurately estimate the actual power consumption of the power verification targets 31 to 37 because the measurement control unit 42 measures the reference power consumption of the power verification targets 31 to 37.

[0024] Furthermore, the following addendums are disclosed with respect to the above embodiment and variants. (Addendum 1)

[0025] The machine tool (1) includes: a plurality of power verification targets (31 to 37); a power meter (10) individually provided in an electrical line that supplies power to all of the power verification targets (31 to 37); and a control device (40) that controls the plurality of power verification targets (31 to 37). The control device (40) includes a measurement control unit (42) that sequentially operates the power verification targets (31 to 37) and measures the reference power consumption of each of the power verification targets (31 to 37) by detecting the detection value of the power meter (10) during the operation of the power verification targets (31 to 37). (Addendum 2)

[0026] The measurement control unit (42) can operate the performance verification targets (31 to 37) at a predetermined time. (Addendum 3)

[0027] The control device (40) may further include a notification unit (45) that provides an external notification when the performance exceeds a threshold value set for each of the performance verification targets (31 to 37). (Addendum 4)

[0028] The control device (40) may further include a threshold setting unit (46) that, in a case where the power verification targets (31 to 37) are exchanged, sets the power threshold for the exchanged power verification targets (31 to 37) based on the reference power consumption immediately before the exchange. (Addendum 5)

[0029] The control device (40) may further include a power consumption storage unit (44) that stores the reference power consumption for each of the power verification targets (31 to 37), and a lifetime estimation unit (47) that estimates the lifetime of the performance verification targets (31 to 37) based on a plurality of reference power consumption values. (Addendum 6)

[0030] The majority of performance verification targets (31 to 37) may include servomechanisms (31 to 35) that include motors (M) and amplifiers (A). (Addendum 7)

[0031] The plurality of performance verification targets (31 to 37) may include simple operation mechanisms (36, 37) that are not feedback-controlled, wherein the control device (40) may further include a calculation control unit (43) that calculates the current power consumption of the simple operation mechanisms (36, 37) by subtracting the power consumption of the performance verification targets (31 to 35) excluding the simple operation mechanisms (36, 37) from the detection value of the power meter (10) during the operation of the plurality of performance verification targets (31 to 37) including the simple operation mechanisms (36, 37).

[0032] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments. The above-described embodiments may be modified, replaced, altered, or partially abbreviated in various ways without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure as derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. The sequence of operations and the processing order in the above embodiments are provided as examples and are not limited to them.

[0033] For example, in the machine tool according to the present disclosure, the machine tool may be configured without a common power supply circuit, performing DC conversion or other processing for each power verification target. The power meter may be provided downstream of the power supply circuit. The machine tool according to the present disclosure may include any number of power verification targets. The simple operating mechanisms may be belt conveyors, air compressors, electric heaters, or other mechanisms. In the machine tool according to the present disclosure, the control device may only need to include the measurement control unit, with the calculation control unit, the power consumption storage unit, the threshold setting unit, and the notification unit being optional configurations.The control device may be a computer device that controls the performance verification targets via a numerical control device. List of reference symbols 1 machine tool 10 power meters 20 Power supply circuit 31 to 35 Servomechanism (performance verification target) 36 Cooling fan (simple operating mechanism / performance verification target) 37 Cutting fluid pump (simple operating mechanism / performance verification target) 40 Control or regulating device 41 Processing control or regulation unit 42 Measurement control unit 43 Calculation control or regulation unit 44 Power consumption storage unit 45 Notification unit 46 Threshold setting unit 47 Lifetime estimation unit A amplifier M engine S AC power source QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 2015-102526

[0003]

Claims

[1] Machine tool, comprising: a plurality of power or performance verification targets; an electricity meter or power meter provided individually in an electrical line that supplies electricity or power to all power verification targets; and a control device that controls the plurality of performance verification targets; where the control or regulating device includes: a measurement control unit that operates the power verification targets sequentially and measures a reference power consumption of each of the power verification targets by detecting a detection value of the power meter during operation of the power verification targets. [2] The machine tool according to claim 1, wherein the measurement control unit operates the performance verification targets at a predetermined timing. [3] The machine tool according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the control device further includes a notification unit that provides notification to the outside when the reference power consumption exceeds a power threshold set for each of the power verification targets. [4] The machine tool according to claim 3, wherein the control device further includes a threshold setting unit that, in a case where the performance verification targets are exchanged, sets the performance threshold for the exchanged performance verification targets based on the reference power consumption immediately before the exchange. [5] The machine tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control device further includes a power consumption storage unit that stores the reference power consumption for each of the performance verification targets, and a lifetime estimation unit that estimates a lifetime of the performance verification targets based on a plurality of values ​​of the reference power consumption. [6] A machine tool according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of performance verification targets include a servo mechanism including a motor and an amplifier. [7] The machine tool according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the plurality of performance verification targets include simple operation mechanisms that are not feedback controlled, and the control device further includes a calculation control unit that calculates an actual power consumption of the simple operation mechanisms by subtracting a power consumption of the performance verification targets excluding the simple operation mechanisms from a detection value of the power meter during an operation of the plurality of performance verification targets including the simple operation mechanisms.

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