Display control device

Abstract

The display control device disclosed herein includes: a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information relating to the positional relationship between a workpiece and a contacting object, wherein the contacting object is in contact with the workpiece; a positional relationship determination unit that determines the positional relationship between the workpiece and the contacting object based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit; a visual information acquisition unit that acquires visual information that visually prompts a user with the positional relationship determined by the positional relationship determination unit; and a visual information display unit that displays the visual information acquired by the visual information acquisition unit on a display device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a display control device. Background Technology

[0002] In industrial machinery such as machine tools, users sometimes perform tasks such as tool changing, but they may not have mastered the correct operating procedures. Therefore, a technology has been proposed that guides users to perform the required tasks by displaying the operating procedures on a display device using a schematic diagram of the tool or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Furthermore, in machine tools, when changing workpieces, tools, or the chucks that hold them, users may need to operate manual handles or similar devices to bring tools or measuring probes into contact with the workpiece to confirm their relative positions in order to change machine tool settings such as the workpiece coordinate system and tool offset. Depending on the type of contact object or the nature of the task, restrictions may be placed on aspects such as the orientation of the contact object relative to the workpiece or its approach direction relative to the workpiece.

[0004] Existing technical documents

[0005] Patent documents

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-212221 Summary of the Invention

[0007] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0008] When displaying a tool outline diagram to guide changes to machine tool settings such as the workpiece coordinate system and tool offset, if the orientation of the tool as observed by the user differs from that shown in the outline diagram, the user may find it difficult to properly understand the operation. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a guidance function that allows users to easily understand the operation.

[0009] Methods for solving problems

[0010] One aspect of the display control device disclosed herein includes: a position information acquisition unit that acquires position information relating to the positional relationship between a workpiece and a contacting object, wherein the contacting object is in contact with the workpiece; a positional relationship determination unit that determines the positional relationship between the workpiece and the contacting object based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit; a visual information acquisition unit that acquires visual information that visually prompts a user with the positional relationship determined by the positional relationship determination unit; and a visual information display unit that displays the visual information acquired by the visual information acquisition unit on a display device. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of a machine tool equipped with a display control device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] Figure 2A This is an example in Figure 1 The first diagram of the table of visual information used in the display control device.

[0013] Figure 2B This is an example in Figure 1 The second figure shows a table of visual information used in the display control device.

[0014] Figure 2C This is an example in Figure 1 The third figure shows a table of visual information used in the display control device.

[0015] Figure 2D This is an example in Figure 1 The fourth figure shows a table of visual information used in the display control device.

[0016] Figure 2E This is an example in Figure 1 The fifth figure shows a table of visual information used in the display control device.

[0017] Figure 2F This is an example in Figure 1 The sixth figure shows a table of visual information used in the display control device.

[0018] Figure 2G This is an example in Figure 1 The seventh figure shows a table of visual information used in the display control device.

[0019] Figure 2H This is an example in Figure 1 The eighth figure shows a table of visual information used in the display control device.

[0020] Figure 3 This is an example Figure 1 The image shows the display screen of the display control device. Detailed Implementation

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 1 This is a block diagram showing the structure of a machine tool 1 equipped with a display control device 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The machine tool 1 includes: a drive mechanism 2 that moves a contact object C, such as a tool or a measuring probe, relative to a workpiece W; and a numerical control device 3 that controls the drive mechanism 2.

[0022] In this embodiment, the display control device 10 is implemented as a function of the numerical control device 3, but it can also be a standalone device, or it can be integrated with other equipment such as a teach pendant (not shown) of the machine tool 1. The display control device 10 has a memory, a processor, an input / output interface, etc., and can be implemented by one or more computer devices that execute appropriate control programs. Furthermore, the display control device 10 can be defined by its function, rather than being a device that can be clearly distinguished from other structural elements in terms of physical and program structure.

[0023] In this embodiment, the numerical control device 3 can be configured to include: a drive control unit 20 that controls the operation of the drive mechanism 2; a visual information storage unit 30 that stores visual information referenced by the display control device 10 as described later; and a display device 40 that can display information according to instructions from the display control device 10. The drive control unit 20 can perform known numerical control to control the operation of the drive mechanism 2 according to a processing program. The visual information storage unit 30 can be implemented as a storage area secured in a storage device such as a memory or an optical disc drive. The display device 40 can be a known structure such as a liquid crystal display panel.

[0024] The display control device 10 includes a position information acquisition unit 11, a position relationship determination unit 12, a visual information acquisition unit 13, and a visual information display unit 14. Furthermore, these structural elements are derived from classifying the functions of the display control device 10, and may not be structural elements that can be clearly distinguished in the physical and program structures.

[0025] The position information acquisition unit 11 acquires position information related to the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the contact object C, wherein the contact object C is in contact with the workpiece W. The position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit 11 can be one or more of the following: the position of at least one of the workpiece W and the contact object C; a signal specifying the action of the contact object C; the shape of the contact object C; the direction of movement of the contact object C; an offset for correcting the position of the contact object C; and a camera image obtained by capturing images of the workpiece W and the contact object C.

[0026] The position information preferably includes the position of at least one of the workpiece W and the contact object C. Furthermore, the "position" in the position information can be provided as the coordinate position of the reference point of the structural element holding the workpiece W or the contact object C in the coordinate system of the drive mechanism 2, and the rotational position of the drive shaft that positions the reference point.

[0027] The positional relationship determination unit 12 determines the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the contact object C based on the positional information acquired by the positional information acquisition unit 11. The positional relationship determination unit 12 is configured to determine the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the contact object C in a specific coordinate system, but preferably it is configured to determine the position of the contact object C relative to the workpiece W from the perspective observed from the position of the display device 40. The positional relationship determination unit 12 may also be configured to classify and determine the position of the contact object C relative to the workpiece W as a general direction, for example, classifying and determining which of the four directions (up, down, left, right) the contact object C is located in relative to the workpiece W. Furthermore, the positional relationship determination unit 12 can be configured to determine which workpiece W the contact object C should contact when multiple workpieces W are present.

[0028] The positional relationship determination unit 12 can also determine the positional relationship based on the orientation of the contact object C. The orientation of the contact object C used to determine the positional relationship can be selected mainly based on the type of contact object C. For example, when the contact object C is a non-rotating tool with a cutting tool, the orientation of the contact object C can be the cutting direction or the feed direction of the cutting tool. Specifically, the orientation of the contact object C can be determined based on the rotational position of the drive shaft that rotates the retainer H that holds the contact object C, and the rotational position of one or more drive shafts that determine the posture of the retainer H. In addition, the positional relationship determination unit 12 can determine that the workpiece W that can properly abut while holding the orientation of the contact object C is the workpiece W that should be abutted by the contact object C.

[0029] Furthermore, in cases where a unit is not available to determine the rotational angle position of the contact object C while it is held by the retainer H, it may be impossible to determine the rotational position of the contact object C relative to the retainer H. In such cases, the position relationship determination unit 12 can also determine the orientation of the contact object C based on the position change of at least one of the workpiece W and the contact object C obtained by the position information acquisition unit 11. It can be assumed that the user, with the retainer H separated from the workpiece W, installs the contact object C on the retainer H in a direction oriented towards the workpiece W, and operates the drive mechanism 2 to bring the contact object C closer to the workpiece W. Therefore, the position relationship determination unit 12 can also be configured to determine the orientation of the contact object C based on the position change of at least one of the workpiece W and the contact object C obtained by the position information acquisition unit 11. Furthermore, when determining the direction to be approached, it is sufficient to only consider the movement in the direction to be approached and only confirm the orientation (positive or negative) of that direction.

[0030] The position relationship determination unit 12 can also be configured such that, when determining the orientation of the contact object C based on the changes in the positions of the workpiece W and the contact object C, if the changes in the positions of the workpiece W and the contact object C obtained by the position information acquisition unit 11 are within a threshold, it is considered that the position of at least one of the workpiece W and the contact object C has not changed, excluding minor movements caused by slight handle operations that the user does not want. The position relationship determination unit 12 can also be configured to specify the threshold for changes in position externally via, for example, input to an input device provided with the numerical control device 3, or a specified signal from a server or mechanical control panel connected to the numerical control device 3.

[0031] The positional relationship determination unit 12 can also determine the orientation of the contact object C based on a signal indicating the movement of the specified contact object C. As described above, the user mounts the contact object C onto the retainer H so that its orientation aligns with the direction in which the workpiece W should be moved. The subsequent relative movement between the workpiece W and the contact object C can also be determined, for example, by a setting signal such as a mirror signal. Therefore, the orientation of the contact object C can also be determined based on such a setting signal and changes in coordinate values.

[0032] The positional relationship determination unit 12 can also determine the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the contact object C by analyzing the camera images obtained from capturing the workpiece W and the contact object C.

[0033] The visual information acquisition unit 13 acquires visual information that visually prompts the user about the positional relationship determined by the positional relationship determination unit. The visual information may include at least one of a diagram and text used to teach the user about the operation using the workpiece W and the contact object C. Typically, the visual information may be a diagram including an image schematically representing the workpiece W and an image schematically representing the contact object C. As a specific example, such as... Figures 2A-2H As shown, the visual information acquired by the visual information acquisition unit 13 can be set as any one of 32 schematic diagrams obtained from the perspective of viewing from the position of the display device 40, based on the left and right position of the contact object C relative to the workpiece W, the up and down position of the contact object C, the orientation of the axis of the workpiece W (vertical / horizontal), the surface of the workpiece W that should contact the contact object C (end face / side face), and the orientation of the axis of the contact object C (vertical / horizontal orientation).

[0034] Furthermore, regarding the text that can be included in the visual information, examples could include statements guiding the user's actions based on the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the contact object C. For instance, a message like "Please move the tool to the left and bring it into contact with the end face of the workpiece" could be considered. Moreover, the visual information text can also include statements explaining the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the contact object C. For example, a message like "The workpiece is on the left, the tool is on the right side of the workpiece, and the tool is facing down" could be considered.

[0035] The visual information display unit 14 causes the display device to display the visual information acquired by the visual information acquisition unit. Additionally, as... Figure 3 As exemplified, the visual information display unit 14 can also display not only the results of the measurement performed using the contact object C, but also an input box that instructs the mechanical actions used for preparation before measurement, such as tool replacement, and an input box that sets the correction amount of the measurement value, together with the visual information.

[0036] As described above, visual information representing the positional relationship between the workpiece W and the contact object C from the user's perspective is used to guide the user's operations. Therefore, even novice users can properly grasp the content of the operations to be performed.

[0037] The following notes further disclose the above-described embodiments and variations.

[0038] (Postscript 1)

[0039] The display control device (10) includes: a position information acquisition unit (11) that acquires position information related to the positional relationship between a workpiece (W) and a contact object, wherein the contact object is in contact with the workpiece (W); a positional relationship determination unit (12) that determines the positional relationship between the workpiece (W) and the contact object (C) based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition unit (11); a visual information acquisition unit (13) that acquires visual information that visually prompts the user with the positional relationship determined by the positional relationship determination unit (12); and a visual information display unit that displays the visual information acquired by the visual information acquisition unit (13) on a display device.

[0040] (Postscript 2)

[0041] In the display control device (10) in Appendix 1, the position relationship determination unit (12) may determine the position relationship based on the orientation of the contact object (C).

[0042] (Note 3)

[0043] In the display control device (10) of Appendix 2, the position information may include the position of at least one of the workpiece (W) and the contact object (C), a signal specifying the action of the contact object (C), the shape of the contact object (C), an offset for correcting the position of the contact object (C), and one or more of the camera images obtained by capturing the workpiece (W) and the contact object (C).

[0044] (Postscript 4)

[0045] In the display control device (10) in Appendix 2, the position information may include the position of at least one of the workpiece (W) and the contact object (C), and the position relationship determination unit (12) determines the orientation of the contact object (C) based on the change in the position of at least one of the workpiece (W) and the contact object (C) obtained by the position information acquisition unit (11).

[0046] (Note 5)

[0047] In the display control device (10) in Appendix 4, if the position change of the workpiece (W) and the contact object (C) obtained by the position information acquisition unit (11) is within the threshold, the position relationship determination unit (12) considers that the position of at least one of the workpiece (W) and the contact object (C) has not changed.

[0048] (Note 6)

[0049] In the display control device (10) in Appendix 5, the position relationship determination unit (12) may be able to specify a threshold from the outside.

[0050] (Note 7)

[0051] In any of the display control devices (10) in notes 1 to 6, the visual information may include at least one of a diagram and text for guiding the user through operations using the workpiece (W) and the contact object (C).

[0052] The present disclosure has been described in detail above, but it is not limited to the various embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, and partial deletions can be made to these embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure, or from the spirit of the present disclosure derived from the claims and their equivalents. For example, in the embodiments described above, the order of each action and the order of each process are shown as an example and are not limited thereto.

[0053] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0054] 1 machine tool

[0055] 2 drive mechanism

[0056] 3 Numerical control device

[0057] 10 Display control device

[0058] 11 Location Information Acquisition Department

[0059] 12 Positional Relationship Judgment Department

[0060] 13 Visual Information Acquisition Department

[0061] 14 Visual Information Display Department

[0062] 20 Drive Control Unit

[0063] 30 Visual Information Storage Department

[0064] 40 display devices

[0065] C Contact Material

[0066] H retainer

[0067] W workpiece.

Claims

1. A display control device, characterized in that, have: The position information acquisition unit acquires position information related to the positional relationship between the workpiece and the contacting object, wherein the contacting object is in contact with the workpiece; The position relationship determination unit determines the position relationship between the workpiece and the contacting object based on the position information obtained by the position information acquisition unit. A visual information acquisition unit acquires visual information that visually prompts the user with the positional relationship determined by the positional relationship determination unit. as well as A visual information display unit that displays the visual information acquired by the visual information acquisition unit on a display device.

2. The display control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The positional relationship determination unit determines the positional relationship based on the orientation of the contacting object.

3. The display control device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The location information includes one or more of the position of at least one of the workpiece and the contact object, a signal specifying the action of the contact object, the shape of the contact object, the offset of the contact object, and a camera image obtained by capturing the workpiece and the contact object.

4. The display control device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The location information includes the location of at least one of the workpiece and the contact object. The position relationship determination unit determines the orientation of the contact object based on the position change of at least one of the workpiece and the contact object obtained by the position information acquisition unit.

5. The display control device according to claim 4, characterized in that, If the position changes of the workpiece and the contact object obtained by the position information acquisition unit are within a threshold, the position relationship determination unit considers that the position of at least one of the workpiece and the contact object has not changed.

6. The display control device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The positional relationship determination unit can specify the threshold from the outside.

7. The display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The visual information includes at least one of a diagram and text used to guide the user through operations using the workpiece and the contact object.

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