Data interface apparatus for updating control program, updating system, manufacturing system, method of updating control program, and method of controlling numerically-controlled machine tool

Abstract

To provide an alternative which can keep control of machine tool in a latest state all the time and is efficient by implementation of machine processing quality with improved work piece through the above arrangement.SOLUTION: A data interface apparatus 100 for updating control programs of control apparatuses 200a, 200b for a numerically-controlled machine tool receives an updated data record from a control program database 300 and transmits a configuration data record to the control apparatuses. The control apparatuses update the control programs stored in a memory unit based on the configuration data record. The data interface apparatus generates, based on the received updated data record, a first configuration data record which can be read by the first control apparatus 200a and a second configuration data record which can be read by the second control apparatus 200b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] Technical Field The present invention relates to a data interface device for updating a control program, an updating system, a manufacturing system, a method for updating a control program, and a method for controlling a numerically controlled machine tool. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Background of the Invention In the field of automated manufacturing, numerically controlled machine tools (NC or CNC machine tools) are commonly used, whose components are controlled by one or more controllers of the machine tool to perform their respective functions during the machining of the workpiece.

[0003] In this way, human interaction on the machine tool during the machining of the workpiece is already reduced to a minimum.

[0004] Machine tool manufacturers continually further develop the control programs on which the controls are based in order to eliminate program errors or to improve the control itself, for example so that the control can be made even finer, more accurate, faster or more energy-efficient.

[0005] The loading of new or revised control programs, i.e. updates, is usually still performed by the manufacturer's service technicians who personally visit the customer's premises, which is not only impractical but also time-consuming and costly. Manual updates of the control programs by the customer himself are excluded here, since the complexity of the machine tool controls requires individual configuration of the update process.

[0006] In order to improve this procedure and in particular to make it possible to dispense with the need for a service technician on-site, solutions for online updates are known in the prior art, in which information about new control programs is obtained online from the machine tool manufacturer's database and subsequently loaded into the machine tool or its control device via a network.

[0007] For this purpose, a method for updating a number of machine tools is known from EP 2 407 841 A1, in which software packages are transmitted from a central server of the machine tool manufacturer.

[0008] However, this update system quickly reaches its limits in the case of differently configured and customer-specific machine tools, which still require the intervention of a service technician, who must manually set the specific configurations and parameters of the update process for the different machine tools. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] overview It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a more efficient option for keeping the control of a machine tool always up to date and in this way to implement in particular an improved machining quality of the workpieces. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To this end, there are provided a data interface device for updating a control program as claimed in claim 1, an updating system as claimed in claim 12 and a method for updating a control program as claimed in claim 14, as well as a manufacturing system as claimed in claim 13 and a method for controlling a machine tool as claimed in claim 15.

[0011] The other dependent claims relate to preferred embodiments of the method or machine tool which may be provided each alone or in any combination.

[0012] According to a first aspect of the invention, a data interface device for updating a control program of a control device of a numerically controlled machine tool is provided, the data interface device comprising a first interface module configured for data transmission with a control program database and a second interface module configured for data transmission with one or more control devices. The data interface device is configured to receive update data records from the control program database via the first interface module and to transmit configuration data records to the control device via the second interface module, said configuration data records causing said control device to update the control program stored in a memory unit of the control device based on the transmitted configuration data records. The data interface device is configured to update the control programs of at least two different control devices and comprises a processing module configured for this purpose to generate based on the received update data records at least a first configuration data record that can be read by a first of the at least two control devices and a second configuration data record that can be read by a second of the at least two control devices.

[0013] In this way, a data interface device is created in which the control program can be updated on the basis of a universal update data record, independently of the hardware or software-based implementation of the individual control device.

[0014] A control device can be understood here as a control device of a separate machine tool or as a control device of an individual machine tool or separate components (structures or functional groups) of different machine tools. The structures or functional groups can be, inter alia, machine axes (linear, round or pivot axes), drives for the working spindles or auxiliary systems, such as cooling lubricant supplies or process monitoring systems.

[0015] The data interface device is suitable for updating different control devices, which means that the configuration data records of a first control device cannot generally be read or executed by a second control device and vice versa.

[0016] "Different" should be understood in this specification to mean that the control devices are not structurally identical but are implemented in different ways and may even perform entirely different functions in a machine tool under certain circumstances.

[0017] An update data record is to be understood as an electronically storable and transmittable accumulation of data which contains information regarding new control programs, for example regarding new settings, control algorithms, and the like.

[0018] The configuration data record of the respective control device should generally be understood as an accumulation of electronically storable and transmittable data that can only be read and executed by the control device of the type for which the configuration data record was created. Thus, the configuration data records of different control devices can differ in their data format, the installation instructions contained therein and their sequence, the programming language, etc.

[0019] Each controller is typically implemented differently depending on the manufacturer, regardless of whether it is provided as a central controller for controlling the entire machine tool, or whether it is a subassembly controller that controls only individual structures or functional groups of the machine tool.

[0020] By way of example and not of exhaustive scope, they may differ in the programming language used, in the implementation of the control program, or in the type of communication interface for controlling the individual structures and functional groups.

[0021] Up until now, it was not possible to provide a universal update data record based on which control programs of different control devices can be updated. Up until now, the components to be updated and the associated update data records therefore had to be selected manually based on the individual devices of the machine tool. This is no longer necessary since the data interface device is provided.

[0022] As a result, update operations can be performed fully automatically for multiple different control devices without the presence of a technician, thereby significantly reducing machine tool downtime and the associated costs, and further ensuring that the latest control program is always present in the control device.

[0023] The processing module of the data interface device may be provided as part of the first and / or second interface modules or separately therefrom.

[0024] The interface module and the data processing module are preferably embodied as a processor-based data processing device which may itself have a number of electronic interfaces for data transmission and further an internal memory, for example a main memory.

[0025] The data interface device is preferably configured to communicate with N further different control devices via the second interface module, N > 1. In this case, the data interface device is configured to update the control programs of the first and second and the N further control devices, and the processing module is configured to generate, based on the received update data records, first and second configuration data records and N further configuration data records readable by the respective control devices, and to transmit, via the second interface module, the respective configuration data records to the associated control devices.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the second interface module is configured to receive inventory data records from the first and / or second control device containing information regarding the control programs installed in the respective control device, and to store said inventory data records in particular in a memory module of the data interface device.

[0027] As a result, the data interface device can advantageously act as a collection point for collecting all information regarding the control programs currently installed on the first and second control devices.

[0028] The inventory data record for one of the two control devices contains, for example, information about the current version number of the control program or individual program modules of the control program, the date of the last update, or a list of currently installed program modules. In this case, the control program may contain multiple program modules providing different functions. In this case, the program modules can be added or removed from the control program as desired in order to expand the functionality of the machine tool on the software side.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the processing module is configured to generate the first and / or second configuration data records further based on the received inventory data records of the associated control device.

[0030] As a result, the configuration data records are generated based on the control programs already installed in the control device, thus avoiding unnecessary updates and updating only those program modules that actually have new, improved or revised versions available in the control program database, for example.

[0031] Likewise, it is possible that if the control program of one of the control devices is already up to date, then no configuration data record is created.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the first interface module is configured to select update data records to receive from the control program database based on the received inventory data records.

[0033] As a result, the update data records most suitable for the update can be downloaded, thereby avoiding duplication, thereby increasing transmission speed and reducing memory utilization of the data interface device.

[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the control program database is provided on a separate server and the first interface module is configured to communicate with the control program database via an internet or intranet connection.

[0035] As a result, a control program database can, for example, be provided externally and supply corresponding updated data records to a number of data interface devices, independent of their location.

[0036] In a preferred embodiment the data interface device is partly or wholly cloud based, in particular the processing module is cloud based.

[0037] As a result, the data interface device itself can be provided in a distributed manner, so that processing power intensive operations, such as generating configuration data records, can be performed in the cloud, which typically provides more processing power than local data processing devices.

[0038] In a preferred embodiment, the at least two controllers are part of the same numerically controlled machine tool and are configured to control different components of the machine tool.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the first controller is part of a first numerically controlled machine and the second controller is part of a second numerically controlled machine.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the configuration data records generated by the processing module contain installation instructions that can be executed by each controller.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment, the generated configuration data record further contains a digital signature.

[0042] In this way, the authenticity of the configuration data record on the control device can be guaranteed, for example, in order to be able to reliably distinguish from malware, so that, for example, the installation instructions contained in the configuration data record are only executed on the control device if the contained electronic signature corresponds to a predefined or fixed signature.

[0043] Preferably, the update data record also contains a digital signature, and in particular the digital signature of the configuration data record generated by the processing module is created based on the digital signature of the update data record.

[0044] More preferably, a configuration data record is created only if the electronic signature contained in the update data record corresponds to a predefined or fixed signature.

[0045] In this way, the risk of malware input via the first interface module can also be prevented.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the data interface device further comprises an input module for detecting a user input, via which in particular an update process of the control program of the control device can be initiated.

[0047] As a result, the update process can be manually initiated by an operator to perform the update process, for example, at the best possible time when the machine tool does not need to perform work orders or only needs to perform a small number of work orders.

[0048] The data interface device preferably comprises a time module which initiates the update process by the data interface device at regular time intervals, as a result of which it is ensured that the control program is updated as quickly as possible if a newer or improved version is available.

[0049] According to a second aspect, there is provided an updating system for use in a machine tool comprising at least one data interface device according to the first aspect or one of its preferred embodiments and at least one control program database coupled to the data interface device via a first interface module of the data interface device for data transmission.

[0050] In this way, an upgrade system is provided which offers the advantages of the data interface device according to the invention, as it can be easily implemented in existing manufacturing systems.

[0051] The control program database is preferably provided on a separate server and communicates with the data interface device via an internet or intranet connection.

[0052] According to a third aspect, there is provided a manufacturing system comprising at least one update system according to the second aspect and at least one first and second control device, the first and second control devices being different and both coupled to the data interface device via a second interface module of the data interface device of the update system for data transmission.

[0053] In this way, it is possible to provide an entire manufacturing system having the advantageous functions of the data interface device according to the invention, which is now set up not only for fully automated workpiece processing, but also for fully automated updating of the control programs used for this purpose.

[0054] The first and second control devices can here be implemented as control devices of separate machine tools or as control devices of individual machine tools or separate components (structural or functional groups) of different machine tools.

[0055] As a result, in particular, it can be ensured that the respective control device always has current software or a current control program, which generally allows for more precise or more energy-saving or even faster control compared to previous versions and therefore more efficient workpiece processing.

[0056] The update system preferably comprises a plurality of data interface devices according to the first aspect or one of its preferred embodiments, the plurality of data interface devices all being coupled to the control program database.

[0057] The data interface device can be used, for example, in different factories, all being supplied with updated data records via the same control program database.

[0058] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for updating a control program of a control device of a numerically controlled machine tool by a data interface device, in particular by a data interface device according to the first aspect or one of its preferred embodiments, the method comprising: receiving, by a first interface module of the data interface device, an update data record from a control program database, selecting at least one control device to be updated from a set of at least two different control devices, generating a configuration data record for the selected control device, said configuration data record being transmitted by a processing module of the data interface device to cause said control device to update a control program stored in a memory unit of the selected control device based on the received update data record, transmitting, by a second interface module of the data interface device, the generated configuration data record to the selected control device, and updating the control program on the selected control device based on the transmitted configuration data record.

[0059] The method provided provides the possibility to update the control program therein on the basis of a generic update data record, independently of the hardware or software-based implementation of the individual control devices.

[0060] Further advantages associated therewith correspond substantially to those already described in the course of the data interface device, and therefore will not be reproduced here again. The same applies to the preferred embodiments of the method described below, which substantially represent the technical implementation of the process of the advantageous embodiment of the data interface device already described.

[0061] The method preferably further includes receiving, by the second interface module, an inventory data record from the first control device and / or receiving an inventory data record from the second control device, in particular by storing said inventory data record in a memory module of the data interface device, wherein the inventory data records each contain information regarding a control program installed on the respective control device.

[0062] Preferably, the configuration data records are generated based on received inventory data records of the associated selected control device and based on received update data records.

[0063] The method preferably further includes selecting update data records to be received from the control program database based on the inventory data records received via the first interface module.

[0064] The method preferably further comprises electronically signing the generated configuration data record.

[0065] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a method for controlling a numerically controlled machine tool comprising updating a control program of a control device of the numerically controlled machine tool using a method according to the fourth aspect or one of its preferred embodiments, and controlling the machine tool by the control device based on the updated control program.

[0066] In this way, the machine tool can provide correspondingly controlled workpiece machining in the process, which is always carried out on the basis of a current control program which generally allows more accurate or more energy-saving or even faster control compared to previous versions and thus more efficient workpiece machining.

[0067] Controlling a machine tool is to be understood in this specification as controlling one or more actuators or components of the machine tool, such as linear, round or pivot axes, drives for the work spindle, or auxiliary systems controlled on the basis of a control program.

[0068] Further aspects and advantages thereof, as well as more specific exemplary embodiments of the above aspects and embodiments, are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0069] [Figure 1] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a production system according to the present invention, including an exemplary embodiment of an update system that includes an exemplary embodiment of a data interface device; [Diagram 2] 1 shows a schematic flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the invention for updating a control program; [Diagram 3] 1 shows a schematic flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the invention for controlling a machine tool; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0070] It is emphasized that the invention is in no way limited to the exemplary embodiments described below and the features of those embodiments: the invention further comprises modifications of the exemplary embodiments mentioned, in particular modifications resulting from modifications and / or combinations of individual or several features of the exemplary embodiments described within the scope of protection of the independent claims.

[0071] Detailed Description of the Drawings FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a production system according to the present invention, including an exemplary embodiment of an update system 1000 that includes an exemplary embodiment of a data interface device 100 .

[0072] The production system includes an update system 1000 and first and second control devices 200a, 200b connected thereto.

[0073] The first and second controllers 200a, 200b are different and may be implemented here as controllers of separate machine tools or as controllers of separate components (structures or functional groups) of individual machine tools or different machine tools.

[0074] In this case, the two controllers 200a, 200b are controllers for different components of the same machine tool.

[0075] The update system 1000 includes a control program database 300 and a data interface device 100 .

[0076] The control program database 300 is cloud-based and provided on a separate server that can be reached via an intranet or internet connection.

[0077] The data interface device 100 here comprises a first interface module 10 configured for data transmission with a control program database 300 and a second interface module 20 coupled to the first and second control devices 200a, 200b and configured for data transmission. Furthermore, the data interface device 100 comprises a processing module 30 which is embodied as a separate component in the present exemplary embodiment, but which can also be embodied as part of the first or second interface modules 10, 20.

[0078] The data interface device 100 is configured to receive updated data records from the control program database 300 via the first interface module 10 .

[0079] The processing module 30 is then configured to generate, based on the received update data record, at least a first configuration data record that can be read by the first control device 200a and a second configuration data record that can be read by the second control device 200b.

[0080] Further, the data interface device 100 is configured to transmit the generated configuration data record to each of the control devices 200a, 200b via the second interface module 20, each of said configuration data records causing each of said control devices to update a control program stored in a memory unit of each of the control devices 200a, 200b based on the configuration data record transmitted thereto.

[0081] In this way, the data interface device 100 provides the possibility to update the control programs therein based on generic update data records from the control program database 300, independently of the individual hardware or software-based implementations of the two control devices 200a, 200b.

[0082] Up until now, it was not possible to provide a universal update data record on the basis of which control programs of different control devices could be updated. Up until now, the components to be updated and the associated update data records therefore had to be selected manually on the basis of the individual devices of the machine tool. This is no longer necessary since the data interface device 100 is provided.

[0083] The data interface device 100 further comprises an input module 40 for detecting user inputs. As a result, an operator can manually initiate an update process for one or more controllers 200a, 200b on the data interface device 100, for example, when the associated machine tool is not currently needed.

[0084] 2 shows a schematic flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a method according to the invention for updating a control program on a first and / or second control device of a numerical machine tool using a data interface device, the first and second control devices being different here.

[0085] In step S1, inventory data records are received from the first control device and inventory data records are received from the second control device by the second interface module, each inventory data record containing information about a control program installed on the respective control device.

[0086] In step S2, an update data record is received from the control program database by a first interface module of the data interface device.

[0087] In step S3, at least one controller is selected to be updated from a set of at least two different controllers.

[0088] In step S4, the inventory data record received from step S1 for the control device selected in step S3 is compared with the update data record received from step S2.

[0089] If the comparison result in step S4 is positive, that is, if there is no need to execute update of the control program for the selected control device, the process proceeds to step S8, whereas if the comparison result is negative, the process proceeds to step S5.

[0090] In step S5, a configuration data record is generated for the control device selected in step S3, said configuration data record being transmitted by a processing module of the data interface device to cause said control device to update the control program stored in the memory unit of the selected control device based on the received update data record from step S2 and the received inventory data record of the selected control device from step S1.

[0091] In step S6, the configuration data record generated in step S5 is transmitted by the second interface module of the data interface device to the control device selected in step S3.

[0092] In step S7, the control program is updated on the selected controller based on the configuration data record sent to the controller in step S4.

[0093] In step S8 there is a pause of a predetermined duration before the method begins again at step S1.

[0094] The method allows a fully automatable possibility for updating control programs on several different control devices.

[0095] In an alternative embodiment, all controllers coupled to the data interface device are selected in step S3 and the subsequent steps S4-S7 are performed for each controller in either parallel or serial order.

[0096] FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the method according to the invention for controlling a numerically controlled machine tool, including a prior update of the control program of the machine tool control device.

[0097] Steps S1 to S7 correspond to the steps of the updating method in FIG. 2, and in the process, the control program of the control device selected in step S3 is updated.

[0098] After the updating method, the machine tool of which the controller selected in step S3 is a part is controlled in step S8* by the selected controller based on the control program updated in step S7.

[0099] The control here comprises at least one sub-step S8.1*, in which components of the machine tool are operated based on the output values ​​of the updated control program of the control device selected in step S3, in particular in order to implement a machining step of the workpiece machining by the machine tool in this way.

[0100] In this way, the machine tool can provide workpiece machining that is correspondingly controlled in the process, said workpiece machining always being carried out on the basis of a current control program which generally allows more accurate or more energy-saving or even faster control compared to previous versions and thus more efficient workpiece machining.

[0101] The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their advantages have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0102] It is emphasized again that the present invention is in no way limited to the exemplary embodiments described above and the features of those embodiments: the present invention further comprises modifications of the exemplary embodiments mentioned, in particular modifications resulting from modifications and / or combinations of individual or several features of the exemplary embodiments described within the scope of protection of the independent claims.

[0103] List of References 10 First Interface Module 20 Second Interface Module 40 Processing Module 40 Input Module 100 Data interface device 200a First control device 200b Second control device 300 Control Program Database 1000 Update System

Claims

1. A data interface device (100) for updating a control program of a control device (200a, 200b) of a numerically controlled machine tool, comprising: a first interface module (10) adapted for data transmission with a control program database (300); a second interface module (20) configured for data transmission with one or more control devices (200a, 200b); the data interface device (100) is configured to receive update data records from the control program database (300) via the first interface module (10) and to transmit configuration data records to the control devices (200a, 200b) via the second interface module (20), the configuration data records causing the control devices to update control programs stored in memory units of the control devices (200a, 200b) based on the transmitted configuration data records; the data interface device (100) comprises a processing module (30) configured to update the control programs of at least two different control devices (200a, 200b) and for this purpose configured to generate, based on a received update data record, at least a first configuration data record that can be read by a first control device (200a) of the at least two control devices (200a, 200b) and a second configuration data record that can be read by a second control device (200b) of the at least two control devices (200a, 200b); A data interface device (100).

2. the second interface module (20) is adapted to receive from the first control device and / or the second control device (200a, 200b) an inventory data record containing information about the control programs installed in the respective control device, and to store the inventory data record in a memory module of the data interface device (100), in particular The data interface device (100) of claim 1 ,

3. the processing module (30) being configured to generate the first configuration data record and / or the second configuration data record further based on the received inventory data record of the associated control device (200a, 200b); The data interface device (100) of claim 2, characterized in that

4. the first interface module (10) being configured to select the update data records to be received from the control program database (300) based on the received inventory data records; A data interface device (100) according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that

5. The control program database (300) is provided on a separate server, and the first interface module (10) is configured to communicate with the control program database (300) via an Internet or intranet connection. A data interface device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that

6. Partially or wholly cloud-based A data interface device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that

7. The at least two control devices (200a, 200b) are part of the same numerically controlled machine tool and are configured to control different components of the machine tool. A data interface device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that

8. The first control device is a part of a first numerically controlled machine tool, and the second control device is a part of a second numerically controlled machine tool. A data interface device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that

9. the configuration data record generated by the processing module (30) contains installation instructions that can be executed by each of the control devices (200a, 200b); A data interface device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that

10. the generated configuration data record further includes a digital signature; A data interface device (100) according to at least claim 9.

11. The control device further includes an input module (40) for detecting a user input, via which the control device can start, in particular, an update process of the control program. A data interface device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that

12. 1. An update system for use with a machine tool, comprising: - at least one data interface device (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, at least one control program database (300) coupled to said data interface device (100) via said first interface module (10) of said data interface device (100) for data transmission; An update system comprising:

13. - at least one update system according to claim 12, at least one first and second control device (200a, 200b) coupled to the data interface device (100) of the update system via the second interface module (20) of the data interface device (100) for data transmission; A production system comprising:

14. A method for updating a control program of a control device (200a, 200b) of a numerically controlled machine tool by a data interface device (100), comprising the steps of: - receiving an update data record from a control program database by a first interface module (10) of said data interface device (100); - selecting at least one control device (200a, 200b) to be updated from a set of at least two different control devices (200a, 200b); - generating a configuration data record for the selected control device (200a, 200b), which configuration data record causes the control device to update a control program stored in a memory unit of the selected control device (200a, 200b) based on the received update data record, by a processing module (30) of the data interface device (100); - transmitting, by a second interface module (20) of said data interface device (100), said generated configuration data record to said selected control device (200a, 200b); - updating the control programs on the selected control devices (200a, 200b) based on the transmitted configuration data records; A method comprising:

15. 1. A method for controlling a numerically controlled machine tool, comprising the steps of: - updating a control program of a control device (200a, 200b) of the numerically controlled machine tool using a method according to claim 14; - controlling the numerically controlled machine tool by the control device (200a, 200b) based on the updated control program; A method comprising:

Images