Honing surface finishing machine

Abstract

To provide a honing surface processing apparatus that can suppress damage to the drill tip and grinding wheel caused by collisions. [Solution] The system comprises a spindle 2 movable in the X and Y directions, a grinding wheel 3 for forming a honing surface positioned within the movement range of the spindle 2 and movable in the Z direction, a camera 5 for photographing the tip of the drill W mounted on the spindle 2 and the grinding wheel 3, and a control means 6. The camera 5 consists of an X-axis camera 5a that photographs the tip of the drill W and the grinding wheel 3 from the X direction and a Y-axis camera 5b that photographs from the Y direction. The control means 6 calculates relative position information between the tip of the drill W and the grinding wheel 3 based on the position information of the tip of the drill W and the position information of the grinding wheel 3 obtained from the imaging information of the camera 5, and generates information for forming honing on the tip of the drill W with the grinding wheel 3 based on the relative position information and the shape information of the drill tip obtained by the camera 5, and outputs it to the drive mechanism of the spindle 2 and the grinding wheel 3.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , , , , , , , , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a honing surface processing device, and more particularly to a device for automatically performing honing processing on the tip of a drill.

Background Art

[0002] In cutting tools such as drills, honing processing is performed to chamfer the acute-angled portion of the cutting edge to make it obtuse (forming a honing surface) in order to increase the rigidity of the cutting edge and suppress chipping of the cutting tip.

[0003] Patent Document 1 shows a processing device for performing honing processing on the tip of a drill. The processing device shown in Patent Document 1 is a processing device including a spindle with a drill held at its tip, a grindstone for forming a honing surface at the tip of the drill held by the spindle, and a drive mechanism for moving these spindle and grindstone in a predetermined direction. The processing device further includes a measurement probe that moves integrally with the spindle, a photographing camera that photographs the drill held by the spindle and the measurement probe, and control means for acquiring imaging information of the tip of the drill and the measurement probe from the photographing camera and drive information from the drive mechanism, and based on these information, issuing information for forming a honing surface on the tip of the drill by the grindstone to the drive mechanism. In the control means, based on the position information of the tip of the drill acquired based on the imaging information of the photographing camera and the position information of the grindstone acquired by moving the measurement probe photographed by the photographing camera and bringing it into contact with the grindstone, working position information indicating the relative position between the tip of the drill and the grindstone is calculated, and based on this working position information and the shape information of the tip of the drill acquired by the photographing camera, it is configured to issue information for forming a honing surface on the tip of the drill by the grindstone to the drive mechanism.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

[0005] However, the conventional processing apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 had the following problems, and improvements were desired.

[0006] In other words, conventional machining equipment uses a measuring probe that moves integrally with the spindle to acquire positional information of the grinding wheel. This means that a measuring probe separate from the spindle is attached to the spindle, which leads to an increase in the number of parts and a more complex device structure.

[0007] Furthermore, in conventional processing equipment, the position information of the grinding wheel is calculated by a control means based on imaging information obtained by contacting a measuring probe with the grinding wheel and photographing the measuring probe with a camera at that time. For example, if the measuring probe is misaligned, the position of the grinding wheel cannot be calculated accurately, which is a problem. If the position of the grinding wheel is not calculated accurately, when honing is performed on the tip of the drill, the drill tip and the grinding wheel may collide, potentially damaging the drill tip or the grinding wheel.

[0008] The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and its objective is to provide a honing surface processing device that can accurately measure the position of the drill tip and grinding wheel with a simple structure and can suppress damage to the drill tip and grinding wheel due to collision. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To achieve the above objective, the honing surface processing apparatus according to the present invention is a honing surface processing apparatus that forms a honing surface on the cutting edge of a drill detachably mounted on the tip of a spindle, comprising: a spindle configured to be movable in the X-axis and Y-axis directions; a grinding wheel for honing surface forming processing arranged within the movement range of the spindle and configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction; a drive mechanism for moving the spindle and the grinding wheel in predetermined directions, respectively; a camera for photographing the tip of the drill mounted on the spindle and the grinding wheel; and acquiring imaging information of the tip of the drill and the grinding wheel captured by the camera, as well as drive information from the drive mechanism, and based on this information, forming a honing surface on the tip of the drill by the grinding wheel. The imaging device comprises a control means that transmits information for forming a honing surface to the drive mechanism, and the imaging device comprises an X-axis camera that photographs the tip of the drill and the grinding wheel from the X-axis direction and a Y-axis camera that photographs from the Y-axis direction, and the control means calculates relative position information between the tip of the drill and the grinding wheel based on position information of the drill tip indicating the position of the drill tip acquired based on imaging information from the imaging device and position information of the grinding wheel acquired based on imaging information from the imaging device, and transmits information for forming honing on the tip of the drill with the grinding wheel to the drive mechanism based on the relative position information and shape information of the drill tip acquired by the imaging device.

[0010] Furthermore, the present invention has the following features as a preferred embodiment. (1) The lighting device is characterized by being positioned at approximately the same height as the above-mentioned photographic device and being configured to be able to rotate horizontally.

[0011] (2) The above-mentioned lighting device is characterized by being a flat lighting device in which the light-emitting part is composed of an upright, flat surface.

[0012] (3) The grinding wheel described above comprises a coarse grinding wheel for rough machining and a finishing grinding wheel for finishing machining, and is characterized in that the coarse grinding wheel and the finishing grinding wheel are arranged in parallel with their positions offset in the Z-axis direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the tip of a drill held on the spindle and the grinding wheel on which the honing surface is formed are photographed by an X-axis camera and a Y-axis camera, respectively. Based on the captured images (imaging information), the relative position between the drill tip and the grinding wheel is calculated, and the shape of the drill tip (shape information) is determined. Therefore, these measurements can be accurately taken without using physical measuring instruments that are prone to errors (for example, measuring probes) (without increasing the number of parts or complicating the device structure). As a result of these accurate measurements, damage caused by collision between the drill and the grinding wheel can be effectively prevented during the honing process. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing an example of a honing surface processing apparatus according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a front view showing an example of the honing surface processing apparatus. [Figure 3] This is a right side view showing an example of the honing surface processing apparatus. [Figure 4] This is a diagram showing the functions of the control means for the honing surface processing device. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows the procedure for acquiring imaging information to obtain positional information of the drill tip in the honing surface processing machine. [Figure 6] This flowchart shows the procedure for acquiring imaging information to obtain positional information of the grinding wheel in the honing surface processing machine. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the procedure for acquiring positional information of the drill tip in the honing surface processing machine. Figure 7(a) shows the drill mounted on the spindle chuck, and Figure 7(b) shows the drill mounted on the spindle positioned at the shooting location. [Figure 8]It is an explanatory diagram of a procedure for acquiring position information of a grinding wheel in the same honing surface processing device. FIG. 8(a) shows a state of a rough grinding wheel at the imaging position as viewed from the Y-axis direction, and FIG. 8(b) shows a state of the rough grinding wheel at the imaging position as viewed from the Z-axis direction. [Figure 9] It is a block diagram schematically showing the procedure of the honing process in the same honing surface processing device.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, embodiments of a honing surface processing device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0016] The honing surface processing device 1 according to the present invention is a processing device for forming a honing surface on the cutting edge provided at the tip of a drill. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, a spindle 2 with a drill W, which is a workpiece, mounted at its tip, a grinding wheel 3 for performing a honing process on the drill W mounted on the spindle 2, a drive mechanism 4 for the spindle 2 and the grinding wheel 3, an imaging device 5 for imaging the tip of the drill W mounted on the spindle 2 and the grinding wheel 3, and a control means 6 for controlling each part of the device are provided as main parts. In addition, the honing surface processing device 1 shown in this embodiment further includes a lighting device 7 in relation to the imaging device 5.

[0017] The main shaft 2 is a shaft portion for rotationally driving the drill W, and is horizontally installed on the equipment base 8. It includes a chuck device 10 that detachably holds the drill W at the tip of the main shaft 2, and an A-axis motor 11 for rotationally driving the drill W attached to the chuck device 10. The chuck device 10 is composed of a drill chuck that can detachably hold the drill W, and in this embodiment, it is configured to detach and attach the drill W by manual operation. The A-axis motor 11 is connected to the main shaft 2 via a drive linkage mechanism such as gears not shown, and the main shaft 2 is rotationally driven in conjunction with the A-axis motor 11. As the A-axis motor 11, an electric motor such as an AC servo motor is used, and the electric motor is driven and controlled by a motor driver 44 provided in the control means 6 (see FIG. 4).

[0018] Also, the main shaft 2 is configured to be movable in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction on the equipment base 8. Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the X-axis direction means a direction parallel to the mounting axis A of the drill W, and the Y-axis direction means a direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in the horizontal plane. In configuring the main shaft 2 to be movable in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in this way, in the honing surface processing device 1 according to this embodiment, an X-axis stage 12 that moves in the X-axis direction is provided on the equipment base 8, and a Y-axis stage 13 that moves in the Y-axis direction is provided on the X-axis stage 12. Further, the main shaft 2 is configured to be supported on the Y-axis stage 13 via a bearing not shown. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of X-axis linear guides 14, 14 are arranged in the X-axis direction on the equipment base 8, and the X-axis stage 12 is arranged on the carriage of the X-axis linear guides 14, 14. Also, a pair of Y-axis linear guides 15, 15 are arranged in the Y-axis direction on the X-axis stage 12, and the Y-axis stage 13 is arranged on the carriage of the Y-axis linear guides 15, 15.

[0019] The X-axis stage 12 is connected to the X-axis motor 16 via a drive linkage mechanism such as a ball screw 18, and is capable of moving in the X-axis direction in conjunction with the X-axis motor 16. The Y-axis stage 13 is connected to the Y-axis motor 17 via a drive linkage mechanism such as a ball screw (not shown), and is capable of moving in the Y-axis direction in conjunction with the Y-axis motor 17. The X-axis motor 16 and Y-axis motor 17 use electric motors such as AC servo motors, and are driven and controlled by motor drivers 41 and 42 provided in the control means 6, respectively (see Figure 4).

[0020] In the figure, 19 indicates a bearing mechanism for preventing runout of the drill W. As shown in Figure 2, the runout prevention bearing mechanism 19 is fixedly mounted on the Y-axis stage 13 and has a structure in which the tip of the drill W is loosely fitted within the inner ring of the bearing (see Figure 3), thereby preventing the tip of the drill W from running excessively away from the mounting axis A.

[0021] The grinding wheel 3 is a grinding wheel used to form a honing surface on the cutting edge of the drill W, and is positioned within the movement range of the spindle 2. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, the grinding wheel 3 is mounted on a grinding wheel stand 21 provided on the device base 8. In this embodiment, the grinding wheel 3 consists of a rough grinding wheel 3a for rough machining and a finishing grinding wheel 3b for finishing machining, and these rough grinding wheel 3a and finishing grinding wheel 3b are arranged in parallel vertically with their positions offset in the Z-axis direction. The rough grinding wheel 3a and the finishing grinding wheel 3b are detachably mounted on the tips of horizontally arranged grinding wheel shafts 22a and 22b, respectively. Each grinding wheel shaft 22a and 22b is driven in conjunction with a grinding wheel shaft motor (not shown) and rotates in conjunction with the grinding wheel shaft motor. The rotation / stopping of this grinding wheel shaft motor is controlled by a control means 6 (see Figure 4).

[0022] Furthermore, the grinding wheels 3 (coarse grinding wheel 3a and finishing grinding wheel 3b) mounted on the grinding wheel base 21 are configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction. Specifically, the grinding wheel base 21 is equipped with a Z-axis motor 23, which is the power source for the movement of the coarse grinding wheel 3a and the finishing grinding wheel 3b in the Z-direction. In the illustrated example, the Z-axis motor 23 is located on the upper part of the grinding wheel base 21 and is connected to the coarse grinding wheel 3a and the finishing grinding wheel 3b via a drive linkage mechanism such as gears (not shown), so that the coarse grinding wheel 3a and the finishing grinding wheel 3b move together in the Z-axis direction in conjunction with the Z-axis motor 23. The Z-axis motor 23 is composed of an electric motor such as an AC servo motor and is driven and controlled by a motor driver 43 provided in the control means 6 (see Figure 4).

[0023] In this invention, a Z-axis motor 23 and its motor driver 43 that allows the grinding wheel 3 to move in the Z-axis direction, an X-axis motor 16 and its motor driver 41 that allows the spindle 2 to move in the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis motor and its motor driver 42 that allows the spindle 2 to move in the Y-axis direction constitute a drive mechanism 4 that moves the spindle 2 and the grinding wheel 3 in predetermined directions, respectively.

[0024] The imaging device 5 is a camera that photographs the tip of the drill W and the grinding wheel 3 mounted on the spindle 2. As shown in Figure 1, it consists of an X-axis camera 5a that photographs the tip of the drill W and the grinding wheel 3 from the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis camera 5b that photographs the tip of the drill W and the grinding wheel 3 from the Y-axis direction. Both the X-axis camera 5a and the Y-axis camera 5b are digital cameras capable of recording the captured images as digital data. These X-axis camera 5a and Y-axis camera 5b are configured to communicate with the control means 6, and the captured digital data (imaging information) is transmitted to the control means 6. In this embodiment, these X-axis camera 5a and Y-axis camera 5b are wired to the USB port of the control PC 40, which will be described later (see Figure 4).

[0025] In terms of their planar (X-axis and Y-axis) positional relationship, the X-axis camera 5a and Y-axis camera 5b are both positioned outside the movement range of the spindle 2, as shown in Figure 1. In terms of their three-dimensional (Z-axis) positional relationship, as shown in Figure 2, both are positioned at approximately the same height as the spindle 2 (specifically, the drill W attached to the spindle 2). This allows the X-axis camera 5a to capture the front of the drill W attached to the spindle 2, and the Y-axis camera 5b to capture the side of the drill W. The X-axis camera 5a and Y-axis camera 5b are positioned so that their focus aligns with the shooting position P1 of the drill W, which will be described later. In other words, by positioning the drill W at shooting position P1, it is possible to photograph the drill W without moving the X-axis camera 5a and Y-axis camera 5b.

[0026] The X-axis camera 5a and Y-axis camera 5b are mounted on a camera support base 25 located on the device base 8. Figure 2 shows the camera support base 25a for the X-axis camera 5a. As shown in this figure, the camera support base 25a includes a camera holding mechanism 26 that detachably holds the X-axis camera 5a, a camera position adjustment mechanism 27 that finely adjusts the position of the X-axis camera 5a held by the camera holding mechanism 26 in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions, and a sensor arm 28 that positions a drill collision prevention sensor 29 near the tip of the X-axis camera 5a. The drill collision prevention sensor 29 is a proximity sensor that detects the approach of the drill W to the X-axis camera 5a, and the detection signal from this proximity sensor is provided to the control means 6. Note that the camera support base 25b to which the Y-axis camera 5b is mounted has the same configuration as the camera support base 25a, so a redundant explanation is omitted.

[0027] The lighting device 7 provides illumination for the X-axis camera 5a and the Y-axis camera 5b, and consists of a flat light source with a light-emitting section 31 that is upright and flat. As will be described later, this lighting device 7 is capable of rotating along the annular track C, and this configuration allows one lighting device 7 to provide illumination for two cameras (X-axis camera 5a and Y-axis camera 5b). Therefore, in the honing surface processing apparatus 1 shown in this embodiment, there is no need to provide a separate lighting device for each camera, and the cost required for arranging the lighting devices is kept low.

[0028] Furthermore, the lighting device 7 is mounted on a lighting device base 32 such that the light-emitting unit 31 is positioned at approximately the same height as the X-axis camera 5a and the Y-axis camera 5b. The lighting device base 32 is configured to be rotatable along an annular track C shown by a dashed line in Figure 1, and the lighting device 7 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the lighting device base 32. Specifically, the lighting device base 32 is driven in conjunction with a lighting motor 33 (not shown), and the lighting device base 32 is configured to rotate along the annular track C in conjunction with the lighting motor 33. As a result, in the honing surface processing apparatus 1 shown in this embodiment, the illumination position of the lighting device 7 can be arbitrarily changed by rotating the lighting device base 32. The lighting motor 33 is an electric motor such as an AC servo motor and is driven and controlled by a motor driver 45 provided in the control means 6 (see Figure 4).

[0029] The control means 6 is a control device that controls each part of the honing surface processing apparatus 1, and in this embodiment, it is composed of a control computer (control PC) 40 equipped with I / O ports, LAN ports, USB ports, etc. (see Figure 4). The control PC 40 is composed of a known computer equipped with a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc., and stores control programs for executing various controls described later, such as programs for driving the X-axis motor 16, Y-axis motor 17, Z-axis motor 23, A-axis motor 11 and lighting motor 33, a program for lighting the lighting device 7, an analysis program for images (imaging information) captured by the imaging device 5, and a control program for the grinding wheel axis motor, in a storage area such as ROM.

[0030] The control PC 40 acquires imaging information of the tip of the drill W and the grinding wheel 3 captured by the imaging device 5, as well as drive information from the drive mechanism 4. Based on this information, it generates the information necessary to form a honing surface on the tip of the drill W using the grinding wheel 3 (honing process), and outputs the generated information to each part of the honing surface processing apparatus 1, including the drive mechanism 4 (details will be described later).

[0031] Next, the procedure for acquiring positional information of the tip of the drill W and the positional information of the grinding wheel 3 using the honing surface processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention, and the procedure for honing the tip of the drill W using the grinding wheel 3 will be explained with reference to Figures 5 to 9.

[0032] A: Obtaining positional information of the tip of the drill W The position information of the tip of the drill W is acquired by the control PC40 using the following procedure. (1) In order to acquire positional information of the tip of the drill W, the drill W is mounted on the chuck device 10 of the spindle 2 as a preliminary step (see Figure 5 step S1 and Figure 7(a)). The drill W is mounted manually or automatically, but in the case of automatic mounting, the chuck device 10 is an automated device, that is, a chuck device that can be controlled by the control PC 40.

[0033] (2) Once the drill W is mounted, the illumination position and brightness of the lighting device 7 are adjusted (see step S2 in Figure 5). These adjustments are performed by the control PC 40. Specifically, the control PC 40 adjusts the illumination position by controlling the position of the lighting device base 32 via the drive control of the lighting motor 33. It also adjusts the brightness of the light-emitting part 31 via the program for controlling the lighting of the lighting device 7. Note that the adjustment of the lighting device 7 here is in preparation for photographing the side of the tip of the drill W, and the lighting device 7 is adjusted to a state suitable for photographing the side of the tip of the drill W.

[0034] (3) Once the adjustment of the lighting device 7 is complete, the drill W is then moved to the shooting position P1 on the side of the drill (see step S3 in Figure 5, see Figure 7(b)). The movement to the shooting position P1 is performed by the control PC 40. Specifically, the control PC 40 moves the drill W so that the mounting axis A of the drill W faces the X-axis camera 5a through the drive control of the Y-axis motor 17. It also moves the tip of the drill W to the front position of the Y-axis camera 5b through the drive control of the X-axis motor 16. At this time, the control PC 40 monitors the Y-axis camera 5b and automatically detects when the tip of the drill W enters the frame of the Y-axis camera 5b, and stops the drive of the X-axis motor 16 when the tip of the drill W reaches the center of the frame. As a result, the drill W is positioned at the predetermined shooting position P1 and the tip of the drill W stops in front of the Y-axis camera 5b.

[0035] (4) When the forward movement of the drill W stops, the control PC 40 then performs the process of capturing images of the side of the tip of the drill W using the Y-axis camera 5b (see step S4 in Figure 5). After the capture process is completed, the control PC 40 determines whether the capture by the Y-axis camera 5b was successful (see step S5 in Figure 5). If the capture was unsuccessful, it terminates the procedure for acquiring the position information of the tip of the drill W and restarts from the beginning. On the other hand, if the capture was successful, the captured image of the side of the tip of the drill W (imaging information) is stored in a predetermined memory area (for example, a storage device such as an HDD or SSD) within the control PC 40 (see step S6 in Figure 5).

[0036] (5) Once the image capture and reflection of the side of the tip of the drill W is complete, the control PC 40 then begins to photograph the front of the drill W. Specifically, the control PC 40 first adjusts the illumination position and brightness of the illumination device 7 (see step S7 in Figure 5). This adjustment is also performed by the control PC 40 in the same way as in step S2 in Figure 5. That is, the control PC 40 adjusts the position of the illumination device base 32 via drive control of the illumination motor 33 and adjusts the brightness of the light-emitting part 31 via the program for controlling the lighting of the illumination device 7 so that it is in a state suitable for photographing the front of the drill W.

[0037] (6) Once the adjustment of the lighting device 7 is complete, the control PC 40 then performs the process of photographing the front of the drill W using the X-axis camera 5a (see step S8 in Figure 5). After the photographic process is completed, the control PC 40 determines whether the photograph taken by the X-axis camera 5a was successful, as in the case of the photograph taken of the side of the tip of the drill W (see step S9 in Figure 5). If the photograph was not successful, the procedure for acquiring the position information of the tip of the drill W is terminated and the process is restarted from the beginning. On the other hand, if the photograph was successful, the image of the front of the drill W (imaging information) is stored in a predetermined memory area within the control PC 40 (see step S10 in Figure 5).

[0038] (7) In this way, when the imaging information of the side and front of the tip of the drill W is acquired by the control PC 40, the control PC 40 analyzes this imaging information to obtain the position information of the tip of the drill W.

[0039] B: Obtain the position information of grinding wheel 3. The position information of the grinding wheel 3 is acquired by the control PC 40 through the following procedure. For the sake of clarity, the following explanation will focus on acquiring the position information of the coarse grinding wheel 3a.

[0040] (1) In order to acquire the position information of the grinding wheel 3, first the illumination position and brightness of the illumination device 7 are adjusted (see step S1 in Figure 6). These adjustments are performed by the control PC 40. Specifically, the control PC 40 adjusts the illumination position via drive control of the illumination motor 33 and adjusts the brightness of the light-emitting unit 31 via a program for lighting control. The adjustment of the illumination device 7 here is in preparation for photographing the side view (viewed from the Y-axis direction) of the coarse grinding wheel 3a, and the illumination device 7 is adjusted to a state suitable for photographing the side view of the coarse grinding wheel 3a.

[0041] (2) Once the adjustment of the lighting device 7 is complete, the coarse grinding wheel 3a is moved to the side shooting position P2 (see step S2 in Figure 6 and Figure 8(a)). The movement of the coarse grinding wheel 3a to the shooting position P2 is performed by the control PC 40. That is, the control PC 40 moves the coarse grinding wheel 3a so that it is positioned in front of the Y-axis camera 5b by controlling the drive of the Z-axis motor 23. At this time, the control PC 40 monitors the Y-axis camera 5b, automatically detects when the coarse grinding wheel 3a enters the frame of the Y-axis camera 5b, and stops the drive of the Z-axis motor 23 when the coarse grinding wheel 3a reaches the center of the frame. As a result, the coarse grinding wheel 3a is positioned at the shooting position P2 and stops in front of the Y-axis camera 5b.

[0042] (3) When the movement of the coarse grinding wheel 3a in the Z-axis direction stops, the control PC 40 then performs the process of capturing images of the side of the coarse grinding wheel 3a (viewed from the Y-axis direction) using the Y-axis camera 5b (see Figure 6 step S3, Figure 8(b)). After the capture process is completed, the control PC 40 determines whether the capture by the Y-axis camera 5b was successful (see Figure 6 step S4). If the capture was unsuccessful, the procedure for acquiring the position information of the coarse grinding wheel 3a is terminated and the process is restarted from the beginning. On the other hand, if the capture was successful, the captured image of the side of the coarse grinding wheel 3a (imaging information) is stored in a predetermined memory area within the control PC 40 (see Figure 6 step S5).

[0043] (4) Once the image of the side of the coarse grinding wheel 3a has been captured and reflected, the control PC 40 then begins to photograph the front of the coarse grinding wheel 3a (viewed from the X-axis direction). Specifically, the control PC 40 first adjusts the illumination position and brightness of the illumination device 7 (see step S6 in Figure 6). This adjustment is also performed by the control PC 40 in the same way as step S1 in Figure 6. That is, the control PC 40 controls the position of the illumination device stand 32 via the drive control of the illumination motor 33 and adjusts the brightness of the light-emitting part 31 via the program for controlling the lighting of the illumination device 7, so that it is in a state suitable for photographing the front of the coarse grinding wheel 3a.

[0044] (5) Once the adjustment of the lighting device 7 is complete, the control PC 40 then performs the process of capturing an image of the front of the rough grinding wheel 3a using the X-axis camera 5a (see step S7 in Figure 6). After the capture process is completed, the control PC 40 determines whether the capture by the X-axis camera 5a was successful, as was done when capturing an image of the side of the rough grinding wheel 3a (see step S8 in Figure 6). If the capture was unsuccessful, the procedure for acquiring the position information of the rough grinding wheel 3a is terminated and the process is restarted from the beginning. On the other hand, if the capture was successful, the captured image of the front of the rough grinding wheel 3a (imaging information) is stored in a predetermined memory area within the control PC 40 (see step S9 in Figure 6).

[0045] (6) Once the imaging information of the tip side and front of the coarse grinding wheel 3a is acquired by the control PC 40 in this manner, the control PC 40 analyzes this imaging information to obtain the position information of the coarse grinding wheel 3a.

[0046] C: Honing of the tip of drill W using grinding wheel 3 When honing the tip of the drill W, the control PC40 controls the drive mechanism 4 according to the following procedure.

[0047] (1) The control PC 40 calculates relative position information between the tip of the drill W and the coarse grinding wheel 3a based on the position information of the tip of the drill W, which is obtained based on the imaging information from the X-axis camera 5a and the Y-axis camera 5b, and the position information of the grinding wheel 3 (coarse grinding wheel 3a), which is obtained based on the imaging information from the X-axis camera 5a and the Y-axis camera 5b. Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, the control PC 40 calculates the relative distance between the tip of the drill W and the coarse grinding wheel 3a in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction from the imaging information of the front of the drill W and the coarse grinding wheel 3a taken by the X-axis camera 5a, and calculates the relative distance between the drill W and the coarse grinding wheel 3a in the X-axis direction from the imaging information of the side of the drill W and the coarse grinding wheel 3a taken by the Y-axis camera 5b.

[0048] (2) The control PC 40 also analyzes the imaging information from the X-axis camera 5a and the Y-axis camera 5b regarding the tip of the drill W, and obtains information regarding the shape of the tip of the drill W (shape information) from the analyzed information.

[0049] (3) The control PC 40 then calculates information for forming a honing surface on the tip of the drill W based on the relative position information between the tip of the drill W and the coarse grinding wheel 3a, and the shape information of the tip of the drill W, and outputs the information necessary for the honing process to the drive mechanism 4, etc. During the honing process, the control PC 40 sequentially acquires drive information of the X-axis motor 16, Y-axis motor 17 and Z-axis motor 23 through the control of the motor drivers 41 to 43, and performs the honing process while updating the current position information of the drill W and the coarse grinding wheel 3a. As a result, the coarse grinding wheel 3a rotates and moves appropriately in the Z-axis direction according to the control of the control PC 40, and the spindle 2 holding the drill W moves in the X-axis direction and Y-axis direction, forming a honing surface on the drill W.

[0050] As described in detail above, the honing surface processing apparatus 1 according to the present invention captures images of the tip of the drill W held on the spindle 2 and the grinding wheel 3 used to form a honing surface on the tip of the drill W using the X-axis camera 5a and the Y-axis camera 5b, respectively. Based on the captured images (imaging information), the relative position between the tip of the drill W and the grinding wheel 3 is calculated, and the shape of the tip of the drill W (shape information) is also determined. Therefore, these measurements can be accurately taken without using physical measuring instruments (for example, measuring probes) that are prone to errors.

[0051] Furthermore, by accurately measuring the relative position between the tip of the drill W and the grinding wheel 3, as well as the shape of the tip of the drill W, it is possible to effectively prevent damage caused by collisions between the drill W and the grinding wheel 3 during the honing process.

[0052] The embodiments described above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to these, with various design modifications possible within its scope.

[0053] For example, in the embodiment described above, the spindle 2 was configured to move only in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, and the grinding wheel 3 was configured to move only in the Z-axis direction. However, it is also possible to configure the spindle 2 to be movable in the Z-axis direction as well, or to configure the grinding wheel 3 to be movable in both the X-axis and Y-axis directions.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, a control PC 40 separate from the honing surface processing apparatus 1 was shown as the control means 6 of the honing surface processing apparatus 1. However, it is also possible to configure the control means 6 to be housed inside the honing surface processing apparatus 1, for example, by housing the components constituting the control PC 40 inside the apparatus base 8. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 1. Honing surface finishing machine 2 main shaft 3. Sharpening stone 3a Rough whetstone 3b Finishing whetstone 4. Drive mechanism 5. Imaging device 5a X-axis camera 5b Y-axis camera 6. Control means 7. Lighting equipment 10 Chuck device 11 A-axis motor 12 X-axis stage 13 Y-axis stage 16 X-axis motor 17 Y-axis motor 19. Bearing mechanism for preventing runout 21 Sharpening stone stand 22a, 22b Grinding wheel shaft 23 Z-axis motor 25 Camera support stand 29. Drill collision avoidance sensor 31 Light-emitting part 32 Lighting fixture stand 33 Lighting motors 40 Control PC 41-45 Motor Driver W Drill P1, P2 shooting location

Claims

1. A honing surface processing device that forms a honing surface on the cutting edge of a drill detachably attached to the tip of the main spindle, A main axis configured to be movable in the X-axis and Y-axis directions, A grinding wheel for honing surface formation is positioned within the movement range of the main spindle and configured to be movable in the Z-axis direction, A drive mechanism for moving the spindle and grinding wheel in predetermined directions, A camera for photographing the tip of the drill mounted on the main spindle and the grinding wheel, The system includes a control means that acquires imaging information of the drill tip and the grinding wheel captured by the aforementioned imaging device, as well as drive information from the drive mechanism, and based on this information, sends information to the drive mechanism indicating that the grinding wheel will form a honing surface on the drill tip. The aforementioned imaging device includes an X-axis camera that images the tip of the drill and the grinding wheel from the X-axis direction, and a Y-axis camera that images from the Y-axis direction. The control means calculates relative position information between the drill tip and the grinding wheel based on the drill tip position information indicating the position of the drill tip acquired based on the imaging information from the imaging device and the grinding wheel position information acquired based on the imaging information from the imaging device, and based on the relative position information and the shape information of the drill tip acquired by the imaging device, outputs information to the drive mechanism for forming honing on the drill tip with the grinding wheel. A honing surface processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

2. The lighting device is positioned at approximately the same height as the aforementioned imaging device and is configured to be able to rotate horizontally. The honing surface processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The aforementioned lighting device is a flat lighting system in which the light-emitting part is composed of a flat surface that stands upright. A honing surface processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is a honing surface processing apparatus.

4. The aforementioned grinding wheel comprises a coarse grinding wheel for rough machining and a finishing grinding wheel for finishing machining. These coarse and fine grinding stones are arranged in parallel with a staggered position along the Z-axis. The honing surface processing apparatus according to claim 3.

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