Industrial manufacturing system and method using machine tool and wireless measurement probe

Abstract

An industrial manufacturing system is described, the industrial manufacturing system comprising a plurality of machine tools (50a-50d; 102) for mounting on a machine tool (50a-50d; 102), one or more measurement probes (54a-54d; 120) for a motor vehicle. The system comprises an industrial communication network (100) and a cellular radio network (60; 106), which is connected to each machine tool (50a-50d; 102) for controlling a machine tool control (52a-52d; 118), which has a plurality of channels for communicating with each measurement probe (54a-54d; 120), a plurality of cellular base stations (62a-62c; 110) is provided. The cellular positioning unit (66; 108) is provided for calculating a position of each measurement probe (54a-54d; 120), and a measurement control unit (70; 122) uses each measurement probe (54a-54d; 120) to determine a position of the measurement probe (54a-54d; 120) is mounted on which machine tool (50a-50d; 102) on the substrate (100). Thus, the measurement control unit (70; 122) in such a way that a measurement signal from each measurement probe (54a-54d; 120) to which the measuring probe is mounted can be measured with respect to the measurement data from a machine tool (50a-50d; 102) of the machine (102) is used together with the corresponding machine position data. A method of operation of such an industrial manufacturing system is also described.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an industrial manufacturing system that uses a plurality of machine tools equipped with one or more wireless measurement probes to manufacture industrial objects. In particular, the present invention relates to an improvement in combining measurement data collected by the measurement probes with corresponding position information of the machine tool controllers of the machine tools on which the measurement probes are mounted.

[0002] Computer numerical control (CNC) machine tools are widely used in manufacturing for cutting parts. Such machine tools include a machine tool controller that provides precise position control of a plurality of motorized machine tool drives based on position feedback from transducers such as position encoders. This arrangement allows for highly automated cutting processes to be performed with minimal operator supervision. Large facilities may have hundreds or even thousands of such machine tools, and these machine tools are now commonly equipped with a variety of measurement probes that allow different features of parts or tools to be measured for setup or inspection purposes. Automated tool changing devices may also be provided for automatically exchanging cutting tools and measurement probes.

[0003] Contact-trigger probes (sometimes also referred to as digital probes) are a known type of measurement probe. A contact-trigger probe having a protruding stylus can be installed, for example, in the spindle of a machine tool rather than in a cutting tool by means of an automated tool changing device. In such an example, the contact-trigger probe simply acts as a switch, and the deflection of its stylus (e.g., when the stylus tip moves into contact with the surface of an object) causes a trigger signal to be emitted. At the instant the trigger signal is emitted, the machine tool controller measures the position of the contact-trigger probe in the local machine coordinate system (x, y, z), thereby allowing (through appropriate calibration) the position of points on the surface of the object to be measured. Thus, the contact-trigger probe can be repeatedly driven into and out of contact with the workpiece surface to perform point-by-point position measurements of the workpiece.

[0004] Measurement probe systems used on machine tools typically include an interface that is attached to the machine tool and hardwired to the machine tool controller. A wireless communication link, such as an optical link or a radio link, is then provided between the interface and the measurement probe. Such a wireless link to the measurement probe is preferred because hardwired solutions may often be impractical, especially when loading the measurement probe into the spindle using an automated tool changing device.

[0005] WO2004 / 057552 describes a wireless touch-trigger measuring probe system. The system includes a touch-trigger measuring probe that can be carried in the spindle of a machine tool and an associated probe interface fixed to an immovable part of the machine tool. The probe interface includes an RF transceiver that can be mounted within the housing of the machine tool to permit wireless communication with the measuring probe. The RF communication protocol is configured to ensure that the probe interface communicates only with a matching (i.e., previously paired) measuring probe to allow multiple systems to be co-located (e.g., on adjacent machine tools). If the touch-trigger probe is "triggered" (e.g., if its stylus touches an object), a trigger signal is transmitted via a wireless (radio) link to the probe interface, which then outputs the signal via a signal line to the SKIP input of the machine tool controller. Upon receipt of this SKIP signal, the machine tool controller latches or records the current position of the touch-trigger measuring probe in the machine coordinate system (e.g., in x, y, z coordinates) and also stops the movement of the machine tool.

[0006] WO2018 / 134585 describes another example of a wireless touch-trigger measuring probe system. The touch-trigger measuring probe again communicates with its paired probe interface via an RF link, but the probe interface outputs the trigger signal as a digital data packet. In one example, the probe interface is connected to the machine tool controller via an industrial Ethernet network and outputs a trigger event message that is timestamped relative to a clock common to both the probe interface and the machine tool controller.

[0007] Scanning probes (sometimes referred to as analog probes) are another known type of measuring probe for on-machine object measurement. Unlike touch-trigger measuring probes that generate asynchronous measurement data, scanning probes provide a continuous stream of surface position measurements (e.g., by measuring stylus deflection). WO2005 / 065884 describes such a scanning probe that wirelessly transmits scanning data to its paired probe interface mounted on the machine tool. A common clock signal shared by the probe interface and the machine tool controller allows an external computer to combine machine position data and corresponding probe data to provide object profile measurement results.

[0008] US2021 / 0329584 (Qualcomm Incorporated) describes a wireless network that includes user equipment that performs position determination within a time-sensitive networking (TSN) framework.

[0009] Although the above-described probe system has been installed on machine tools for many years, the present inventors have recognized that the above-described measurement system may have several disadvantages. For example, installing a probe interface on each machine tool may require drilling through the housing of the machine tool to install the cables, thereby allowing the various components of the probe interface to be hardwired to the machine tool controller. This problem occurs when the measurement probe system is assembled after the machine tool has been commissioned or when the user wants to replace or upgrade an existing measurement probe system. It is also common for cutting tools and other accessories to be freely swapped by the operator between different machine tools. For a measurement probe, this requires an additional step of pairing the measurement probe with the probe interface of the machine tool where the probe is placed. This pairing step can be time-consuming and requires training of the operator so that they understand the necessity of such a pairing step. In some instances, this pairing operation may not be performed correctly or not at all, resulting in serious damage to the machine tool because no control signal is provided to stop the movement of the measurement probe when it is driven into contact with the surface of an object. Such a machine tool collision can result in expensive repairs and long downtimes.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an industrial manufacturing system, comprising:

[0011] a plurality of machine tools, each of the plurality of machine tools including one or more motorized machine tool drives and a machine tool controller for controlling the position of the one or more motorized machine tool drives,

[0012] one or more measurement probes, the one or more measurement probes being mountable on the machine tools to effect on-machine measurement of an object, each of the one or more measurement probes having a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data and a radio transceiver for transmitting the collected measurement data, and

[0013] an industrial communication network, the industrial communication network interface being connected to the machine tool controller of each of the plurality of machine tools,

[0014] wherein the industrial communication network comprises:

[0015] a cellular radio network, the cellular radio network including a plurality of cellular base stations for wireless communication with the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes,

[0016] a cellular positioning unit for calculating the cellular positioning of the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes, and

[0017] A measurement control unit configured to use the cellular positioning calculated for each of the one or more measurement probes to determine on which of the plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted, the measurement control unit thereby enabling the measurement data from each measurement probe to be used together with the corresponding machine position data from the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted.

[0018] Accordingly, the present invention relates to an industrial manufacturing system that includes an industrial communication network that enables measurement data to be transferred between one or more measurement probes and a plurality of machine tools.

[0019] As used herein, the term "machine tool" refers to an industrial machine primarily used for removing or cutting material from a workpiece, such as a lathe, a machining center, a grinder, a turning mill, etc. In addition to performing such machining functions, a machine tool may also be equipped with accessories such as measurement probes to allow for measuring the workpiece (e.g., for inspection or setup purposes) or the cutting tool (e.g., for measuring tool length, diameter, and wear). Each machine tool includes one or more motorized machine tool drives and a machine tool controller (also referred to as a computerized numerical controller or CNC) for controlling the position of the one or more motorized machine tool drives. Transducers (such as position encoders) may also be provided on the motorized machine tool axes to enable accurate position control. Machine position data may also be obtained from such transducers that describe the relative position of the workpiece-holding portion of the machine tool and the cutting tool- or accessory-holding portion of the machine tool. The machine tool controller may also be programmable to allow for the execution of various cutting and inspection programs that define the desired movement of the cutting tool and / or the measurement probe. Each of the plurality of machine tools in the system may be of a similar type or of different types to perform various machining operations.

[0020] A measurement probe provided as part of an industrial manufacturing system can be mounted on a machine tool. In other words, each measurement probe is configured such that it can be mounted on a machine tool to enable in-machine (e.g., in-process) measurement of a tool or workpiece. More specifically, each measurement probe can be mounted on at least one of a plurality of machine tools in the industrial manufacturing system. In a preferred embodiment, each measurement probe can be mounted to the spindle of a machine tool to allow acquisition of measurement results of a workpiece. For example, the measurement probe can include a shank that can be releasably held in the machine tool spindle. Alternatively, the measurement probe can be mounted to the bed or the machine housing of the machine tool, or the measurement probe can be mounted on a movable arm within the machine tool. In such an example, the measurement probe can be a tool setting probe configured to measure a tool (such as a cutting tool held in the machine tool spindle). Each of one or more measurement probes has a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data. The measurement sensor can be of any known type. For example, the measurement sensor can sense the deflection of a protruding stylus, or it can be an optical sensor for non-contact surface measurement. In other words, different types of measurement probes can be provided for various different measurement tasks. In a preferred embodiment, each of the plurality of measurement probes is a contact-triggered measurement probe mounted on the spindle and having a deflectable stylus.

[0021] The industrial manufacturing system further includes an industrial communication network, and the industrial communication network interface is connected to the machine tool controller of each of the plurality of machine tools. For example, the industrial communication network can include an industrial Ethernet network. Each of the machine tool controllers (i.e., the machine tool controllers of each of the plurality of machine tools) can be connected (hard-wired) to the industrial Ethernet network via a network cable interface. The industrial communication network includes a cellular radio network that allows wireless communication with the radio transceiver of each measurement probe. In particular, the cellular radio network includes a plurality of cellular base stations for wireless communication with the radio transceiver of each of one or more measurement probes. In a preferred embodiment, the cellular radio network is an industrial 5G cellular network. In this way, the measurement data collected by each measurement probe can be transmitted through the industrial communication network. It should be noted that the various base stations and antennas of the cellular radio network do not need to be located on or near any machine tool, but are appropriately distributed around the industrial environment to provide cellular coverage of the desired workspace. Various other radio-enabled devices can also use the cellular radio network.

[0022] Industrial communication networks (e.g., cellular networks) also include a cellular positioning unit that is used to calculate the cellular positioning of the radio transceiver of each of one or more measurement probes. As explained below, such a cellular positioning unit can be provided as an integral part of the 5G core of a cellular 5G network. For example, the cellular positioning unit can be integrated and distributed within the industrial communication network, and / or it can include software units provided within the software architecture of the network. A measurement control unit is also provided that uses the cellular positioning that has been calculated for each of one or more measurement probes (i.e., via the cellular positioning unit) to determine on which of a plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted. The measurement control unit can then ensure that the measurement data from each measurement probe is used together with the corresponding machine position data from the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. In other words, the machine position data from the machine tool can be paired or matched with the measurement data from the measurement probe mounted on that machine tool.

[0023] Accordingly, the present invention allows the use of measurement probes on machine tools without the need to install dedicated probe interfaces and receivers on the machine tools according to the prior art systems described above. Instead, the measurement data is transferred from the measurement probes to the relevant machine tool controller via the industrial communication network, which may already be installed in the factory for various other purposes. In addition, the present invention does not require any kind of manual pairing process to be performed between the measurement probe and the probe interface. In particular, the measurement control unit can automatically pair each measurement probe with the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. This allows the machine tool operator to simply swap measurement probes between machine tools in the factory without having to subsequently perform a manual pairing process with a new probe interface. This increased flexibility allows for more efficient use of measurement probes within the factory and also speeds up the process of replacing faulty or inoperable measurement probes (e.g., without having to call a maintenance engineer trained to perform the probe pairing process), thereby reducing machine tool downtime. In addition, the possibility of incorrect pairing of the measurement probe with the probe interface of the incorrect machine tool is also eliminated, which can increase the risk of serious damage or injury due to machine collisions.

[0024] The measurement control unit can use the cellular positioning information to determine on which machine tool the probe is mounted in a number of different ways. For example, each machine tool can include a radio transceiver that can communicate with the cellular radio network such that the cellular positioning unit can also determine the position of the machine tool. Alternatively, each machine tool can include an alternative device for measuring its positioning (e.g., a GPS tracker, a radio transceiver on a different cellular radio network, etc.) and is configured to report its measured positioning to the measurement control unit via its machine tool controller. It can then be assumed that the measurement probe is mounted on the machine tool that has the positioning closest to its own cellular positioning.

[0025] Advantageously, the measurement control unit stores a machine tool positioning table that defines a plurality of non-overlapping zones, with each of the plurality of machine tools located within one of the plurality of non-overlapping zones. The measurement control unit can then determine on which machine tool each measurement probe is mounted by identifying which of the plurality of zones contains the cellular positioning of the measurement probe. The individual zones can be defined during machine tool installation and updated in the relatively rare case of machine tool movement. For example, a mobile device on the cellular network (e.g., one of the measurement probes) can be placed at points around the machine tool, and the cellular positioning that allows the definition of such zones can be collected. Alternatively, the measurement probe can be mounted on each machine tool, the cellular positioning of the measurement probe measured, and an extended zone defined around (e.g., surrounding) the cellular positioning. The user can also manually input machine tool positioning data that defines the plurality of zones. For a typical machine tool, the zone can be a few cubic meters, where the cellular positioning of the measurement probe needs to be measured to within a few tens of centimeters.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the industrial manufacturing system includes a plurality of measurement probes. In other words, one or more measurement probes include a plurality of measurement probes, each of which has a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data and a radio transceiver for transmitting the collected measurement data. Each of the plurality of measurement probes can communicate via a cellular radio network, and a cellular positioning can be calculated for each measurement probe by a cellular positioning unit. The measurement control unit is also configured to use the cellular positioning calculated for each of the measurement probes to determine on which of the plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted. The measurement control unit can then make the measurement data from each measurement probe available for use with the corresponding positions of one or more motorized machine tool drives on the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. In this way, measurement probes can be shared between machine tools as needed, allowing measurement probes to be freely replaced and exchanged between machine tools. A local inventory of spare measurement probes can also serve as a replacement for damaged or malfunctioning measurement probes.

[0027] The plurality of measurement probes can include only the same type of measurement probe. For example, the system can include a plurality of contact-trigger measurement probes. Alternatively, the plurality of measurement probes can include different types of measurement probes. A single measurement probe can be mounted on one machine tool. Alternatively, more than one measurement probe can be mounted on one machine tool. For example, a measurement probe mounted on the spindle (for workpiece measurement) and a measurement probe mounted on the worktable (for tool measurement) can both be mounted on the same machine tool, and the measurement data from each of the measurement probes can be used with the corresponding machine position data from the machine tool. The measurement data can include an indication of which measurement probe or type of measurement probe generated it, so that the appropriate measurement data can be used for the required measurement task.

[0028] Advantageously, each measurement probe in the measurement probes can be operable in at least a standby mode and a measurement (active) mode. The radio transceiver of the measurement probe can be used in the standby mode to enable communication with a cellular radio network (e.g., to allow a cellular positioning unit to determine the positioning of the measurement probe). The standby mode operation can include placing the radio transceiver in a low power or power saving mode (e.g., to increase battery life). The measurement probe can be activated to take measurements only when placed in the measurement mode. For example, switching to the measurement mode can include powering the measurement sensor and operating the radio transceiver in a full or standard communication mode that allows transmission of the collected measurement data. Operations in other modes are also possible.

[0029] Each measurement probe can conveniently have a unique serial number. Each measurement probe, in particular each radio transceiver, can be assigned a unique identification code to allow it to be uniquely identified on the cellular radio network. For example, each measurement probe can be assigned an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) code. The IMEI code is a unique 15-digit number code that can precisely identify a device. The IMEI code can be stored in a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card that is inserted into the measurement probe to allow it to access the cellular network. Alternatively, the measurement probe can include an embedded SIM (eSIM) to store the IMEI code. The unique serial number of the measurement probe can be associated with the IMEI code at the time of installation. The measurement control unit can store details of the probe serial number and / or the unique identification (e.g., IMEI) code, as well as information about certain characteristics of the associated measurement probe.

[0030] The above arrangement also allows specific configuration information (e.g., settings for obtaining measurement results or for processing the collected measurement data, etc.) to be sent to each measurement probe (e.g., because each probe can be uniquely identified). This can allow for an immediate change in the measurement probe configuration. Thus, the measurement control unit can send probe configuration settings to each measurement probe via the cellular network. In a preferred example, the probe configuration settings of each measurement probe can be set based on the machine tool on which the measurement probe is installed. In other words, the measurement control unit can be configured to send probe configuration settings to each measurement probe via the cellular radio network, and these probe configuration settings are selected based on determining the machine tool on which the measurement probe is to be installed. This will allow the measurement probe to be swapped between machine tools, and its probe configuration settings to be updated to meet the requirements of the machine tool on which it is installed. Thus, the requirement to manually update the measurement probe configuration settings when using the measurement probe with a specific machine tool can be avoided.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, one of the machine tools initiates the measurement process by sending a measurement request over an industrial communication network to the measurement control unit. The measurement request may include details of the type of measurement probe required for the measurement (e.g., a measurement probe mounted on the spindle or a tool setter measurement probe, etc.). In response to the request, the measurement control unit determines which measurement probe or probes are mounted on the machine tool that has made the request. For example, the measurement control unit may refer to stored (previously acquired) information about the positioning of the measurement probes, or the measurement control unit may instruct a cellular positioning unit to establish the current positioning of all or some of the measurement probes over a cellular radio network. The measurement control unit can then assign a specific measurement probe for the required measurement task using the probe positioning and probe type information.

[0032] As explained above, when the measurement probe is not actively being used for measurement, the measurement probe can operate in a standby mode, and thus the measurement control unit can send an activation ("wake-up") instruction to the required measurement probe via the cellular radio network to enter its measurement mode. Once the required measurement probe has entered its measurement mode, a message can be sent back via the cellular radio network to inform the measurement control unit that the required measurement probe is now ready for measurement. The measurement control unit can then communicate with the relevant machine tool (over the industrial communication network) to inform the machine tool that the required measurement probe is active (error down) and that the measurement cycle can begin. The measurement data from the measurement probe can then be associated with the machine position data from the associated machine tool, as explained below. If radio communication cannot be established with the measurement probe or if radio communication is lost during use for some reason (e.g., due to probe battery depletion, probe damage, or excessive RF interference levels), the measurement control unit preferably communicates with the relevant machine tool (i.e., the machine tool that initially requested activation of the probe) to indicate an error. The machine tool can use this error to stop any machine movement and can communicate the error status to the operator.

[0033] Instead of activating the required measurement probe through communication over a cellular radio network, an external stimulus can be used to change the operating mode of the measurement probe (e.g., switching the measurement probe from a standby mode to a measurement mode). For example, the measurement probe can include a shank switch that is depressed when it is loaded into the spindle. Alternatively, a characteristic movement of the measurement probe sensed by an acceleration sensor (e.g., an accelerometer) within the measurement probe can be used to activate the measurement probe. For example, rotation (turning) of the spindle with respect to the measurement probe can activate the probe (i.e., using the so-called "spin-on" process). Movements that occur when an automatic tool changer loads the measurement probe into the spindle can also be recognized and used to activate the measurement probe. Various examples of such measurement probe activation techniques are outlined in the applicant's prior patent EP1613921. When there are multiple probes of the same type installed on a machine tool, activation by an external stimulus is particularly useful because it further ensures that the required measurement probe has been activated for measurement.

[0034] Advantageously, the measurement control unit is configured to route measurement data received from each of the one or more measurement probes to the machine tool controller of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. For example, measurement data output by the measurement probe can be received by the measurement control unit and then passed to the relevant machine tool controller; such data transfer is via an industrial communication network. Once the machine tool controller receives the measurement data, the measurement data can be appropriately processed by the machine tool controller to obtain a desired object measurement result. For example, the machine tool controller can combine machine position data describing various positions of one or more motorized machine tool drives of the machine tool with the received measurement data to calculate the positions of one or more points on the surface of the object.

[0035] Instead of the machine tool controller performing the measurement calculation, such calculation (or a part of such calculation) can also be performed by the measurement control unit. Advantageously, the machine tool controller of each of the multiple machine tools is configured to transfer the machine position data to the measurement control unit. As explained above, the machine position data describes the relative positions of the movable parts of the machine tool. For example, it can describe the position and / or orientation of the spindle relative to the worktable or machining bed on which the workpiece is mounted. Conveniently, the machine position data can describe the position in the local coordinate system of the machine tool. For example, the machine position data can be provided as a set of Cartesian (x, y, z) coordinates. The machine position data can be output to the measurement control unit as a continuous data stream. Alternatively, the machine position data can be sent periodically or on request.

[0036] The measurement control unit is conveniently configured to use the machine position data and the corresponding measurement data to provide measurement results of an object. In other words, the machine tool controller can output the machine position data, which together with the corresponding measurement data is used to calculate the positions of one or more points on the surface of the object. The measurement control unit may include a memory or buffer for storing the received machine position information. The measurement control unit may include one or more processors for processing the measurement data and the machine position data. The measurement control unit may include a personal computer. Then, the result of the calculation performed by the measurement control unit can be passed back to the machine tool controller, for example to allow appropriate adjustment of cutting parameters, cutting or inspection paths, work offsets, etc. It should be noted that the analysis of the measurement data and the machine position data can also be shared between the measurement control unit and the machine tool controller. Similarly, both the machine tool controller and the measurement control unit can also perform separate calculations using the measurement data and the machine position data.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the measurement data includes time-critical measurement data for stopping the movement of the motorized machine tool drive of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. For example, if the measurement probe is a contact-triggered measurement probe with a deflectable stylus, the measurement data may indicate that a trigger event (e.g., the stylus contacting the object) has occurred. In such an example, the industrial communication network is configured to ensure that the stop message reaches the machine tool controller within a sufficiently short time period to allow the movement to be stopped before the stylus deflects by an amount that could cause damage to the measurement probe or the machine tool. Thus, the measurement data can be transferred to the machine tool controller within the required time. Alternatively, the measurement control unit can receive the measurement data and issue a stop instruction to the machine tool controller within the required time.

[0038] As described above, for a particular type of measurement probe, it is necessary to ensure that the machine tool controller receives the measurement data or the stop instruction derived from the measurement data quickly enough to stop the continuous movement of the machine tool within a specific time period. Advantageously, the industrial communication network is configured to operate as a time-sensitive network (TSN) with a latency less than 100 ms. In other words, the stop instruction, which is the measurement data sent by the measurement probe, should preferably always reach the machine tool controller within 100 ms. More preferably, the industrial communication network is configured to have a latency less than 50 ms or less than 10 ms. It should be noted that these latency values may only apply to the data designated as time-critical (e.g., the measurement data from the measurement probe), and other messages (e.g., machine status updates, battery level, measurement probe settings, cellular positioning) may be transmitted through the network with a higher latency. This may mean that the measurement data transmitted by the wireless communication module of each measurement probe has priority over other (non-time-critical) data carried via the industrial communication network. The industrial communication network may include a 5G network that complies with the technical specifications defined in Release 16 of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards organization. Such a 5G network allows operation as a TSN. Specifically refer to the 3GPP standard specification: 3GPP TR 21.916 V0.5.0 (2020-07).

[0039] The latency of the industrial communication network may affect the accuracy of object measurement. In particular, any variation in the latency (jitter) may affect the ability to align the measurement data with the machine position data in time. Therefore, preferably, the measurement data transmitted by the radio receiver of each measurement probe includes a timestamp. Although it is still necessary to use a time-sensitive network if the movement of the machine tool needs to be stopped, timestamping the measurement data means that the network latency will not affect the metrology, because the timestamp can be used to align the measurement data with the machine position data in time.

[0040] Preferably, each measurement probe in one or more measurement probes and the machine tool controller of each machine tool in a plurality of machine tools are synchronized to a common clock. For example, the industrial communication network may include a master clock, and the timing signal from the master clock may be transmitted to each measurement probe and each machine tool controller. The measurement control unit may also access the timing of the master clock. Each of the measurement probe and the machine tool controller may also include a local clock that synchronizes with the master clock periodically. Other configurations will be possible. In this way, the timestamp applied to the measurement data is timed using the time base that is also known to the measurement control unit and / or the relevant machine tool controller. This allows synchronization of the measurement data and the machine position data. Therefore, the position of a point on the surface of an object (such as a cutting tool or a workpiece) can be measured.

[0041] As described above, one or more measurement probes can include any type of measurement probe. For example, the measurement probe can be a scanning probe or an analog probe. The measurement probe can be a tool setting measurement probe, a laser tool setter, an optical probe, etc. The measurement probe can be a contact or non-contact measurement probe. The measurement probe can be battery-powered. Advantageously, one or more measurement probes include at least one contact-trigger measurement probe. Each contact-trigger measurement probe can have a measurement sensor that includes a contact-trigger sensor for sensing the deflection of a deflectable stylus, and the (asynchronous) measurement data collected by each contact-trigger measurement probe includes a trigger event indicating that the stylus has deflected from a rest position.

[0042] Advantageously, the cellular positioning unit is configured to periodically calculate the cellular position of each of the one or more measurement probes. For example, the cellular position can be determined on a regular, periodic basis (e.g., every few minutes). Alternatively, the cellular position can be determined when the measurement probe is activated for measurement or when it is sensed that the measurement probe has moved. In this way, the cellular position can be ensured to be up-to-date whenever measurement results are obtained.

[0043] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a measurement probe configured for use in an industrial manufacturing system according to the first aspect of the present invention. The machine tool measurement probe includes a measurement sensor and a radio transceiver for communicating with a cellular radio network. The machine tool measurement probe can also include any of the features described above in connection with the first aspect of the present invention.

[0044] According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a measurement control unit for use in a system according to the first aspect of the present invention. The measurement control unit is configured to form part of an industrial communication network and uses the cellular position calculated by the cellular positioning unit for each of the one or more measurement probes to determine on which of a plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted, whereby the measurement control unit enables the measurement data from each measurement probe to be used together with corresponding machine position data (e.g., data defining the position of one or more motorized machine tool drives) of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. The measurement control unit can also include any of the features described above in connection with the first aspect of the present invention.

[0045] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a kit for enabling one or more measurement probes to be used with a plurality of machine tools, the kit including a measurement control unit according to the third aspect of the present invention and one or more measurement probes according to the second aspect of the present invention.

[0046] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of using one or more measurement probes with a plurality of machine tools, each of the one or more measurement probes having a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data and a radio transceiver for transmitting the collected measurement data, and each of the plurality of machine tools including one or more motorized machine tool drives and a machine tool controller for controlling the position of the one or more motorized machine tool drives, the method comprising the steps of: i) interfacing the machine tool controller of each of the plurality of machine tools to an industrial communication network, the industrial communication network including a cellular radio network, the cellular radio network including a plurality of base stations, the plurality of base stations permitting wireless communication with the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes, ii) using the cellular radio network to calculate the cellular location of the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes, iii) using the calculated cellular location for each of the one or more measurement probes to determine on which of the plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted, and iv) using the measurement data from each measurement probe together with the corresponding position of the one or more motorized machine tool drives of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. The method may include any of the features or steps described for the first aspect of the present invention.

[0047] An industrial manufacturing system is also described herein, the industrial manufacturing system including a plurality of machine tools, each machine tool including: a machine tool controller; one or more measurement probes for mounting on the machine tool and performing on-machine measurements, each measurement probe having a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data and a wireless communication module for transmitting the collected measurement data; an industrial communication network interfacing to each machine tool controller, wherein the industrial communication network includes one or more wireless receiver nodes for receiving the measurement data transmitted by the wireless communication module of each measurement probe; and a measurement control unit configured to permit routing of the measurement data received by the wireless receiver nodes from any one of the one or more measurement probes to any selected one of the plurality of machine tool controllers. The measurement control unit may include any of the features described for the first aspect of the present invention.

[0048] The present document also describes an industrial manufacturing system. The system can include at least one machine tool. The system can include a plurality of machine tools. Each machine tool can include one or more motorized machine tool drives. Each machine tool can include a machine tool controller for controlling the position of one or more motorized machine tool drives. The system can include one or more measurement probes. The machine tool probes can be mounted on the machine tool to enable on-machine measurement of an object. Each of the one or more measurement probes can include a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data. Each of the one or more measurement probes can include a radio transceiver for transmitting the collected measurement data. The system can include an industrial communication network. The industrial communication network can be interfaced to the machine tool controller of each of the machine tools. The industrial communication network can include a cellular radio network.

[0049] The cellular radio network can include a plurality of cellular base stations. The base stations can be used for wireless communication with the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes. The industrial communication network can include a cellular positioning unit for calculating the cellular position of the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes. The industrial communication network can include a measurement control unit configured to determine on which of the plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted using the calculated cellular position for each of the one or more measurement probes. The measurement control unit can enable the measurement data from each measurement probe to be used together with the corresponding machine position data from the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. Alternatively or additionally, the measurement control unit can send probe configuration settings to each measurement probe via the industrial communication network. For example, the measurement control unit can send probe configuration settings that configure each measurement probe based on the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. Such probe configuration settings can define, for example, how measurement data is collected or processed (e.g., they can define filter or delay parameters) or how the measurement probe operates (e.g., how the measurement probe can be turned on or off). Any one or more of the above features of the system can be used in combination with any features described elsewhere in this document.

[0050] The present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;

[0051] Figure 1 shows a prior art machine tool and measurement probe arrangement,

[0052] Figure 2 shows a plurality of machine tools and measurement probes configured according to the present invention,

[0053] Figure 3 shows an industrial communication network for implementing the present invention,

[0054] Figure 4 shows an embodiment of a communication architecture using Figure 3 , and

[0055] Figure 5 shows an alternative embodiment of a communication architecture using Figure 3 .

[0056] Referring to FIG. 1, a machine tool 1 is schematically shown, which has a spindle 2 holding a contact trigger measuring probe 4.

[0057] The machine tool 1 includes various motors 8 for moving the spindle 2 relative to a workpiece 6 located on a workpiece holder 7 within the working area of the machine tool. An encoder 9 is used to accurately measure the positioning of the spindle within the working area of the machine tool 1 in a known manner; such encoder measurements provide "machine position data" in the machine coordinate system (x, y, z). The numerical controller (NC) or machine tool controller 20 of the machine tool controls the (x, y, z) movement of the spindle 2 within the working volume of the machine tool and also receives information (machine position data) describing the spindle position from various encoders. The term numerical controller as used herein should also be understood to refer to any part of the digital control system of the machine tool; for example, it may include a programmable logic controller (PLC) and a drive controller, etc. It should be noted that unless otherwise stated, the terms numerical controller (NC) and machine tool controller are interchangeable herein. It should also be remembered that the machine tool arrangement of FIG. 1 is provided only as an example, and different or other machine tool movement axes (e.g., tilt axes or rotational axes) may be provided.

[0058] The touch-trigger measuring probe 4 includes a probe body 10 which is attached to the spindle 2 of a machine tool using a standard releasable shank connector. The probe 4 also includes a workpiece contact stylus 12 protruding from a housing. A stylus ball 14 is provided at the distal end of the stylus 12 for contacting an associated workpiece 6. When the deflection of the stylus exceeds a predetermined threshold, the touch-trigger probe 4 generates a so-called trigger signal. The probe 4 includes a wireless transmitter / receiver section 16 for transmitting the trigger signal to a corresponding dedicated (paired) wireless receiver / transmitter section of the probe interface 18. The wireless link can be, for example, RF or optical. In this example, a spread-spectrum radio link as described in WO2004 / 057552 is provided. The machine tool controller 20 receives machine position data (x, y, z) from an encoder 9 and, as will be described in more detail below, also has a SKIP input line for receiving the trigger signal (also referred to as the SKIP signal) from the probe interface 18. This SKIP input allows the machine position data (x, y, z) describing the position of the spindle in the machine coordinate system to be recorded at the instant the trigger signal is issued to the SKIP input by the probe interface. After appropriate calibration, this allows the positions of individual points on the surface of an object, such as the workpiece 6, to be measured. For completeness, it should also be noted that the SKIP inputs of different brands of digital controllers can have different names.

[0059] As explained above, each machine tool having a measuring probe is equipped with a dedicated probe interface paired with that measuring probe. The pairing process ensures that the measuring probe 4 communicates only with the probe interface 18 of the machine tool 1 on which it is mounted (i.e., prevents communication with adjacent probe interfaces). However, this requires the user to successfully perform an initial "pairing" process each time the measuring probe is used with a different probe interface. Therefore, moving the measuring probe from one machine tool to another is very time-consuming and, if the pairing process is not correctly performed, the measuring probe can continue to communicate with the probe interfaces of different machine tools other than the machine tool on which it is mounted. This would mean that the machine tool would continue to move even though the stylus has deflected, resulting in a machine tool collision which could severely damage the machine tool.

[0060] Reference Figure 2 , schematically shows an industrial metrology system according to the present invention. In particular, four machine tools 50a - 50d are shown, each machine tool including a machine tool controller 52a - 52d for controlling its movement. Measuring probes 54a - 54d are installed within the machine tool housings 56a - 56d of each of the four machine tools 50a - 50d. The machine tool controllers 52a - 52d are connected (hard-wired) to a hub 58 of an industrial Ethernet (e.g., fieldbus) network via various network cable interfaces. In this way, data can be transmitted to and from the machine tool controllers 52a - 52d via the industrial Ethernet network.

[0061] The industrial Ethernet hub 58 is also interfaced to the 5G core radio controller 60. In this way, an industrial communication network including both wired and wireless (5G) network components is provided. The 5G controller 60 is shown connected (hardwired) to three radio access network (RAN) nodes or base stations 62a - 62c. Under the control of the 5G core, the (fixed) base stations 62a - 62c provide a cellular (wireless) industrial 5G network. Although three base stations 62a - 62c are shown in this example, the actual number of these base stations will be selected to ensure good wireless coverage and good positioning accuracy in the industrial workspace (such as a factory).

[0062] The measurement probes 54a - 54d each include a 5G transceiver that enables wireless (radio) communication with the cellular 5G industrial network. The 5G core (wireless) controller 60 processes the communication process with the base stations 62a - 62c according to the standard 5G communication protocol. In this example, the first measurement probe 54a is shown communicating with the first base station 62a. The second measurement probe 54b communicates with the second base station 62b, while the third measurement probe 54c and the fourth measurement probe 54d each communicate with the third base station 62c. Based on factors such as signal strength and resource requirements on the 5G network, the standard 5G protocol is used to determine the base station for communicating with a particular measurement probe. It should be noted that the 5G network can also be used to network with other communication devices within the factory. In other words, the shown cellular 5G industrial network can be dedicated not only to communicating with the measurement probes 54a - 54d. For example, other 5G-enabled devices in the factory (such as mobile devices 64a and 64b) can communicate via the 5G network. An advantage of the present invention is the ability to use the 5G network already installed in the factory, thereby reducing the cost of installing various receivers, etc.

[0063] The 5G network, particularly the 5G core controller 60, also includes a cellular positioning unit 66. The cellular positioning unit 66 (which is typically provided as a standard part of the 5G industrial network) is configured to use the communication between a mobile device (such as one of the measurement probes 54a - 54d) and multiple base stations 62a - 62c to calculate the positioning of the mobile device within the area covered by the cellular 5G radio network using triangulation and / or trilateration techniques. The accuracy of the calculated positioning is determined by various factors, such as the number of base stations and the spacing between the base stations, but generally, a mobile device with an accuracy of at least several tens of centimeters or better can be found. Thus, the cellular positioning unit 66 provides macroscopic or factory positioning, which is referred to as cellular positioning herein. Importantly, it should be noted that the cellular positioning of the measurement probe established by the cellular positioning unit 66 is different from the machine position data obtained by each machine tool. The machine position data provides highly accurate (e.g., sub - micron accuracy) position information in the local machine tool coordinate system (x, y, z) that can be used for metrology, while the cellular positioning gives a macroscopic position indicating the approximate position of the mobile device in the factory coordinate system.

[0064] The measurement control unit 70 is also provided on the industrial communication network. In this embodiment, the measurement control unit 70 is connected to the hub 58 via industrial Ethernet. Thus, the measurement control unit 70 is an additional component that can be added to the industrial communication network to implement the operations according to the present invention. Although the measurement control unit 70 is described as a separate unit or "plug - in box" in this embodiment, of course, the measurement control unit can be integrated within the hub hardware or provided in a purely software - based implementation (e.g., running on general - purpose hardware available within the hub).

[0065] The measurement control unit 70 is configured to route data, particularly measurement data, from each of the measurement probes 54c - 54d connected to the 5G network to the appropriate machine tool controllers 52a - 52d. The appropriate machine tool controller is the machine tool controller of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted.

[0066] The measurement control unit 70 includes a memory that stores a table having information defining four non-overlapping zones 72a - 72d. These zones 72a - 72d define a three-dimensional (3D) volume within a factory where various machine tools 50a - 50d are known to be located. The zones 72a - 72d are defined using the same 3D coordinate system as the cellular positioning unit 66. In one example, a user can define each zone by placing a mobile device at various locations around a machine tool on a 5G network and obtaining the position of the mobile device from the cellular positioning unit 66, thereby defining the 3D zones. Machine tools weigh several tons and are typically not moved frequently. Thus, the zones 72a - 72d can be defined when the machine tools are first installed and only need to be updated when a machine tool is moved or a new machine tool is added. In such cases, the installation engineer moving or installing the machine tool can also update the zone information stored by the measurement control unit 70.

[0067] It should also be noted that the zones 72a - 72d shown are depicted as slightly larger than the machine tool enclosures 56a - 56d. This is for illustrative purposes only, and the size of the zones can match the size of the enclosures (e.g., to ensure that a measurement probe placed next to a machine tool is not assumed to be mounted on the machine tool), or can even be restricted to a sub-region within the machine tool enclosure where the measurement probe is expected to be located during use. The size of these zones can also take into account the accuracy of the cellular positioning output by the cellular positioning unit 66.

[0068] In use, the measurement control unit 70 establishes the cellular positioning of each measurement probe active on the 5G network via the cellular positioning unit 66. This cellular positioning is compared with the stored zone information, thereby enabling the measurement control unit 70 to determine which zone the measurement probe is located in and thus which machine tool the measurement probe is mounted on. For example, as Figure 2As shown, the measurement probe 54b can communicate with each of the three base stations 62a-c, such that the cellular positioning unit 66 can establish a 3D cellular positioning L within the coverage volume of the 5G network. Then, the measurement control unit 70 determines whether the cellular positioning L falls within any of the storage areas, and in this example determines that the cellular positioning L is within area 72b. Then a radio link is maintained between the measurement probe 54b and the base station 62b, and the measurement control unit 70 routes any measurement data output by the measurement probe 54b to the machine tool controller 52b. This process of comparing the cellular positioning with the storage area information can be repeated as needed. For example, the process can be performed at periodic intervals each time the probe is activated or whenever a certain event occurs (e.g., the measurement probe moves from the standby mode to the active measurement mode). This process is also repeated for each measurement probe. It should also be noted that there can be more measurement probes than machine tools, or there can be more machine tools than measurement probes. For example, multiple measurement probes can be installed on one machine tool, or one measurement probe can be shared among multiple machine tools (e.g., if measurement is only needed occasionally).

[0069] As described above, once a measurement probe has been identified as being installed on a particular machine tool, the measurement data from that measurement probe can be routed to the appropriate machine tool controller. In the case of a touch-trigger probe, the measurement data can include a digital data packet indicating that a trigger event (e.g., deflection of the stylus of a contact-based touch-trigger probe based on contact) has occurred. For such a touch-trigger probe, extraction of the measurement information requires knowledge of the position of the probe within the local machine tool working volume at the instant the trigger event occurs (i.e., the machine position data measured by the machine tool controller). If the industrial communication network (i.e., industrial Ethernet plus cellular network) has a sufficiently low latency and jitter, then the real-time communication of the measurement data from the measurement probe to the machine tool controller can be simply relied upon. However, in the present embodiment, the measurement data also includes a timestamp that uses a time value known to both the measurement probe and the machine tool controller to identify when the trigger event occurred. In other words, both the machine tool controller and the measurement probe are synchronized with a common clock or master clock of the industrial communication network. The master clock generates the timing shared with all the hardwired components on the network (such as the various machine tool controllers 52a-52d). Local clocks are also provided within each of the measurement probes 54a-54d, and these clocks are synchronized with the master clock (e.g., by periodically exchanging timing messages). In this way, the machine tool controller receiving such measurement data can correlate the trigger event with the machine position at the time the trigger event occurred, thereby providing a measurement result of the position of a point on the surface of an object.

[0070] In this example, even though the measurement data of the contact trigger probe is timestamped (i.e., to allow extraction of metrology information), the measurement data should still be received by the machine tool controller within a sufficiently short time period to allow the movement of the machine tool to be stopped before the stylus deflection of the measurement probe exceeds an acceptable amount. Thus, the industrial communication network is fast enough to allow the measurement data to always be transferred from the measurement probe to the controller in less than 100 ms. Thus, the industrial communication network of this example is a so-called time-sensitive network (TSN), in which it is possible to ensure that time-critical messages transmitted through the network can be prioritized to ensure that these messages are received within a time window of less than 100 ms. It should be noted that a slower response time would be acceptable, for example, if a slower measurement speed is used or if a non-contact measurement probe is used for measurement.

[0071] It should be noted that information can also be transferred to each of the measurement probes 54a - 54d via the industrial communication network. This information can come from the measurement control unit 70 or the machine tool controllers 52a - 52d of the machine tools 50a - 50d on which the measurement probes are mounted. Each of the measurement probes 54a - 54d can receive information including probe configuration settings. For example, the probe configuration settings can include trigger parameters (such as trigger threshold level or filter delay, etc.) that define when the measurement probe emits a trigger signal after contacting an object. These probe configuration settings can be manually set by the user for each measurement probe. Alternatively, the measurement control unit 70 can send the probe configuration to the measurement probe based on the determined cellular location of each of the measurement probes 54a - 54d. For example, when the measurement probe 54b is determined to be in zone 72b, probe configuration settings suitable for the machine tool 50b can be sent to it. In this way, measurement probes can be exchanged between machine tools even if those machine tools require different probe configuration settings for such probes.

[0072] Reference Figure 3 , shows an example of the communication architecture according to the present invention.

[0073] In particular, Figure 3Schematically shows a factory network infrastructure 100 and a plurality of machine tools 102 located within the factory. The factory network infrastructure 100 includes various wired and wireless network components (hubs, switches, cables, sockets, etc.) that are installed in the factory and are configured to provide a factory-wide (wired) industrial Ethernet network 104 and a factory-wide (wireless) 5G cellular network 106. The 5G cellular network 106 is a standard configuration that includes a 5G core 108 linked to a plurality of base stations or radio access networks (RANs) 110. The 5G cellular network 106 can also be referred to as a "5G bridge" because it allows mobile devices to connect to the (wired) industrial Ethernet network. These wired and wireless networks together provide an industrial communication network for the factory. Thus, the factory network infrastructure 100 can be used to connect a wide variety of network-enabled devices within the factory to provide what is commonly referred to as a smart factory.

[0074] Figure 3 Shows how the factory network infrastructure 100 can be configured to communicate with a plurality of machine tools 102. In particular, the machine tool controller 118 of each machine tool is directly hardwired into the industrial Ethernet network, and the measuring probe 120 mounted on each machine tool is configured to connect to the 5G network via the RAN 110. In this way, data can be exchanged between the measuring probe 120 and the machine tool controller 118 via the industrial communication network of the factory. In this example, the measuring probe 120 is a touch-trigger probe, but as explained elsewhere herein, other types of measuring probes can be used.

[0075] As explained above, the measurement data generated by the measuring probe needs to be matched with the corresponding machine position data generated by the specific machine tool on which the measuring probe is mounted. Therefore, a measurement control unit 122 is provided to match or pair each measuring probe 120 with the machine tool on which the measuring probe is mounted. In this example, the measurement control unit 122 is a unit connected (hardwired) to the industrial Ethernet network 104 and thus becomes part of the factory infrastructure.

[0076] The measurement control unit 122 includes a memory that stores information defining a plurality of zones within the factory. Each zone demarcates a spatial zone within the factory (e.g., a 2D area or a 3D volume). Each zone corresponds to the location of one of the machine tools 102 installed in the factory. The zone information can be stored in the memory of the measurement control unit 122 in a lookup table or similar format. A standard function of the 5G core 108 is to establish the location of a mobile device connected to the 5G network (referred to herein as "cellular positioning"). This is done using triangulation, trilateration, or angulation. Briefly, the different path lengths and / or signal directions between the antennas of the base stations and the mobile device are used to calculate the cellular positioning.

[0077] In use, the cellular location data 128 of each measurement probe 120 active on the 5G network is transferred from the 5G core 108 to the measurement control unit 122. The measurement control unit 122 then uses the received cellular location to determine in which zone each measurement probe is located, thereby allowing each measurement probe 120 to be paired with the machine tool controller of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted. This assignment of measurement probes to zones can be performed periodically on request and / or when the measurement probe first establishes a link with the 5G cellular network 106. Once each measurement probe has been paired with a machine tool, the measurement control unit 122 can route the measurement data generated by each measurement probe to its paired machine tool controller 118 via the industrial Ethernet network 104.

[0078] Reference Figure 4 , shows a first example of routing measurement data through the Figure 3 system shown. Each measurement probe 120 emits a timestamped message (i.e., measurement data) indicating that a trigger event has occurred. The measurement (trigger) data is transferred from the measurement probe 120 to the measurement control unit 122 via the 5G cellular network 106 and the industrial Ethernet network 104, as schematically indicated by the dashed line 130. The measurement control unit 122 then routes the measurement data from each measurement probe 120 to its paired machine tool controller 118 via the industrial Ethernet network 104. A common clock is shared by the measurement probe 120 and the machine tool controller 118, which in this example is obtained from the master clock 132 of the industrial Ethernet network 104. This allows the machine position data of the machine tool controller 118 to be synchronized with the timestamped measurement data generated by the measurement probe 120. This enables the machine tool controller 118 to calculate the position of points on the surface of the object being measured when it receives measurement data from the measurement probe 120 mounted on the machine tool. The receipt of the measurement data (i.e., indicating the trigger event) is also used by the machine tool controller 118 as a signal to stop further movement of the measurement probe 120. The machine tool controller 118 can use the measured position of points on the surface of the object for subsequent cutting or measurement routines according to normal contact-triggered measurements, or verify that the workpiece has been cut as required, etc.

[0079] Figure 5 shows how Figure 3A second example of the system processing measurement data. In this example, the timestamped measurement (trigger) data is passed from the measurement probe 120 to the measurement control unit 122 again via the 5G cellular network 106 and the industrial Ethernet network 104. The machine tool controller 118 also periodically passes the timestamped machine position data 140 to the measurement control unit 122 using the industrial Ethernet network 104. The measurement control unit 122 is configured to immediately send a motion stop signal 142 to the paired machine tool controller when a trigger event is signaled by the corresponding measurement probe 120 of the machine tool controller 118 (i.e., via the measurement data). Providing a common clock also allows the measurement data and the machine position data to be aligned in time. Thus, the measurement control unit 122 uses the measurement data and the corresponding machine position data to calculate the surface position of each trigger event that occurs. This calculated surface position 144 is also passed to the corresponding (paired) machine tool controller 118, although the transmission time may be slower than the transmission time of the motion stop signal 142. The machine tool controller 118 can use the measured positions of the points on the received object surface for subsequent cutting or measurement routines as in normal contact-triggered measurement, or verify that the workpiece has been cut as required, etc.

[0080] Although contact-based contact-triggered probes have been described in the above examples, different types of measurement probes can also be used. All measurement probes can be of the same type (e.g., they are all contact-triggered measurement probes), or they can be of different types (e.g., a mixture of contact-triggered probes, scanning measurement probes, etc.). Although the examples describe contact-based measurement probes including deflectable styli, non-contact probes (e.g., optical probes, laser-based probes, inductive probes, capacitive probes, etc.) can also be used. Similarly, the measurement probes can measure properties other than the size, shape, or position of an object. For example, ultrasonic measurement probes can be used to measure the thickness of an object or check for the presence of defects within an object.

Claims

1. An industrial manufacturing system, comprising: a plurality of machine tools, each of the plurality of machine tools including one or more motorized machine tool drives and a machine tool controller for controlling the position of the one or more motorized machine tool drives, one or more measurement probes, the one or more measurement probes being mountable on the machine tools to enable on-machine measurement of an object, each of the one or more measurement probes having a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data and a radio transceiver for transmitting the collected measurement data, and an industrial communication network, the industrial communication network interface being connected to the machine tool controller of each of the plurality of machine tools, characterized in that the industrial communication network includes: a cellular radio network, the cellular radio network including a plurality of cellular base stations for wireless communication with the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes, a cellular positioning unit for calculating the cellular positioning of the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes, and a measurement control unit configured to use the calculated cellular positioning for each of the one or more measurement probes to determine on which of the plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted, the measurement control unit thereby enabling the measurement data from each measurement probe to be used together with the corresponding machine position data from the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted.

2. The industrial manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein, The measurement control unit stores a machine tool positioning table that defines a plurality of non-overlapping zones in which each of the plurality of machine tools is located, and the measurement control unit determines on which machine tool a measurement probe is mounted by identifying which of the plurality of zones contains the cellular positioning of each measurement probe.

3. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, including a plurality of measurement probes.

4. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The measurement control unit is configured to route the measurement data received from each of the one or more measurement probes to the machine tool controller of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted.

5. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The machine tool controller of each of the plurality of machine tools is configured to transfer machine position data to the measurement control unit, and the measurement control unit is configured to use the machine position data and the corresponding measurement data to provide a measurement result of the object.

6. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The measurement data includes time-critical measurement data for stopping the movement of the motorized machine tool drive of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted, and the industrial communication network is configured to operate as a time-sensitive network (TSN) having a latency of less than 100 ms.

7. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The measurement control unit is configured to send probe configuration settings to each measurement probe via the cellular radio network, the probe configuration settings being selected based on the machine tool on which the measurement probe is to be mounted.

8. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The measurement data transmitted by the radio receiver of each measurement probe includes a timestamp.

9. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Each of the one or more measurement probes and the machine controller of each of the plurality of machine tools is synchronized to a common clock.

10. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The one or more measurement probes include at least one contact-trigger measurement probe, each contact-trigger measurement probe having a measurement sensor, the measurement sensor including a contact-trigger sensor for sensing the deflection of a deflectable stylus, and the measurement data collected by each contact-trigger measurement probe includes a trigger event indicating that the stylus has deflected from a rest position.

11. The industrial manufacturing system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The cellular positioning unit is configured to periodically calculate the cellular position of each of the one or more measurement probes.

12. A measurement probe configured for use in an industrial manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the machine tool measurement probe including a measurement sensor and a radio transceiver for communicating with a cellular radio network.

13. A measurement control unit for use in a system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, the measurement control unit being configured to form part of the industrial communication network and using the cellular position calculated by the cellular positioning unit for each of the one or more measurement probes to determine on which of the plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted, the measurement control unit thereby enabling measurement data from each measurement probe to be used in conjunction with the corresponding position of one or more motorized machine tool drives of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted.

14. A kit for enabling one or more measurement probes to be used with a plurality of machine tools, the kit including the measurement control unit according to claim 13 and one or more measurement probes according to claim 12.

15. A method of using one or more measurement probes with a plurality of machine tools, each of the one or more measurement probes having a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data and a radio transceiver for transmitting the collected measurement data, and each of the plurality of machine tools including one or more motorized machine tool drives and a machine controller for controlling the position of the one or more motorized machine tool drives, the method comprising the steps of: i) interfacing the machine controller of each of the plurality of machine tools to an industrial communication network, the industrial communication network including a cellular radio network, the cellular radio network including a plurality of base stations that permit wireless communication with the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes, ii) using the cellular radio network to calculate the cellular position of the radio transceiver of each of the one or more measurement probes, iii) using the cellular position calculated for each of the one or more measurement probes to determine on which of the plurality of machine tools each measurement probe is mounted, and iv) Use the measurement data from each measurement probe together with the corresponding positions of one or more motorized machine drives of the machine tool on which the measurement probe is mounted.

16. An industrial manufacturing system comprising: a plurality of machine tools, each machine tool including a machine tool controller, one or more measurement probes for mounting on a machine tool and performing on-machine measurements, each measurement probe having a measurement sensor for collecting measurement data and a wireless communication module for transmitting the collected measurement data, an industrial communication network interfaced with each machine tool controller, the industrial communication network including one or more wireless receiver nodes for receiving the measurement data transmitted by the wireless communication module of each measurement probe, and a measurement control unit configured to allow routing of measurement data received by the wireless receiver nodes from any one of the one or more measurement probes to any selected one of the plurality of machine tool controllers.

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