Leveling device, program, method for leveling machine tools, and method for leveling machine tools in a factory with multiple machine tools.

Abstract

In environments where multiple spirit levels are used, it eliminates the need to calibrate the tilt of each spirit level. [Solution] The spirit level comprises: a sensor unit that detects the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes; a storage unit that stores correction values ​​in advance for correcting so that the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit is eliminated in a substantially absolute horizontal state in the initial state; a control unit that corrects the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit based on the correction values ​​and calculates the tilt of the spirit level based on the corrected tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes; and a wireless unit that wirelessly transmits the data related to the tilt of the spirit level calculated by the control unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic level used for, for example, horizontal setting of machining descriptions, a program used for such a level, a method for horizontal setting of a machine tool using such a level, and a method for horizontal setting of machine tools in a factory having a plurality of machine tools.

Background Art

[0002] In a factory having a plurality of machine tools and an automatic transfer device for transferring a workpiece between these machine tools, it is important to precisely set the machining reference surface of the table of each machine tool horizontally. This is because, on the premise that the machining reference surface of the table of each machine tool is set horizontally, the automatic transfer device transfers the workpiece between the machine tools, and each machine tool processes the workpiece based on a common machining reference surface. For such horizontal setting of machine tools, typically, an electronic level is used (see Patent Document 1). Conventionally, the operation of measuring the inclination of a machine tool using a level and setting the machining reference surface of the table of the machine tool horizontally has been sequentially performed for each machine tool.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In factories where automation and robotization are progressing, a large number of machine tools operate in cooperation to perform efficient production. As described above, between such a large number of machine tools that cooperate, it is necessary for the tables of each machine tool to maintain a common machining reference surface. Therefore, conventionally, maintenance has been performed regularly, or temporary maintenance has been performed when there is a change in the ground due to an earthquake or the like, and the level of the machining reference surface of the table of each machine tool has been checked using a level.

[0005] However, in a factory with numerous machine tools, using a single spirit level for leveling would be extremely time-consuming and would halt the production line. Therefore, using multiple spirit levels is a viable option, but in this case, the tilt of each spirit level must be calibrated to maintain a common machining reference plane for each machine tool's table. This process requires specialized equipment and is often outside of normal procedures, resulting in considerable effort.

[0006] In view of these circumstances, the object of the present invention is to provide a spirit level that eliminates the need to calibrate the inclination of each spirit level in an environment where multiple spirit levels are used.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a computer program that can efficiently level a machine tool using such a spirit level, a method for leveling a machine tool, and a method for leveling a machine tool in a factory having multiple machine tools. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The spirit level according to the present invention comprises: a sensor unit for detecting the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes; a storage unit which stores correction values ​​in advance for correcting so that the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit is eliminated in a substantially absolute horizontal state in the initial state; a control unit which corrects the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit based on the correction values ​​and calculates the inclination of the spirit level based on the corrected inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes; and a wireless unit which wirelessly transmits the data relating to the inclination of the spirit level calculated by the control unit.

[0009] In this invention, since multiple spirit levels can share the same horizontal level, it becomes unnecessary to calibrate the tilt of each spirit level in environments where multiple spirit levels are used.

[0010] The spirit level according to the present invention has a memory unit that, at the time of factory shipment, places the spirit level on the plane of a horizontal standard, calibrates it so that the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit at that time is eliminated, and stores the correction values ​​for the X, Y, and Z axes at the time of calibration.

[0011] The spirit level according to the present invention has a control unit that calculates the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes detected and corrected by the sensor unit in the XZ plane corrected by the correction value, and the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes detected and corrected by the sensor unit in the YZ plane corrected by the correction value, and calculates the inclination of the X and Y axes with respect to the XY plane corrected by the correction value based on these calculated inclinations.

[0012] The spirit level according to the present invention is calibrated by the memory unit at the time of factory shipment of the spirit level, based on the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit when the spirit level is tilted at a predetermined angle using an angle standard that serves as a calibration reference, so that the inclination of the spirit level is the predetermined angle, and the memory unit stores the correction values ​​for the X, Y, and Z axes at the time of calibration.

[0013] This allows for accurate measurement of the tilt relative to the absolute horizontal, even when the inclination is close to, for example, 90 degrees.

[0014] The program according to the present invention causes a computer to perform the following steps: receive data relating to the tilt of a spirit level installed on a machine tool wirelessly; store the received data relating to the tilt of the spirit level; and determine whether leveling of the machine tool is necessary based on the stored data.

[0015] The method for leveling a machine tool according to the present invention involves a computer receiving data related to the tilt of a spirit level installed on the machine tool wirelessly, the computer accumulating the received data related to the tilt of the spirit level, and the computer determining whether leveling of the machine tool is necessary based on the accumulated data.

[0016] In a factory having a plurality of machine tools according to the present invention, a method for leveling a machine tool is as follows: In a factory having a plurality of machine tools and an automatic transfer device for transferring a workpiece between these machine tools, a spirit level as described above is arranged on each of the machine tools, a computer wirelessly receives data related to the inclination of the spirit level from each spirit level, and the computer selects a machine tool that needs to be leveled based on the data related to the inclination of the spirit level received.

Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the spirit level of the present invention, in an environment where a plurality of spirit levels are used, the operation of calibrating the inclination of each spirit level can be made unnecessary.

[0018] According to the computer program of the present invention, the method for leveling a machine tool, and the method for leveling a machine tool in a factory having a plurality of machine tools, the machine tool can be efficiently leveled using such a spirit level.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing the configuration of a spirit level according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing the appearance of a spirit level according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] It is a diagram schematically showing a factory in which a large number of machine tools according to an embodiment of the present invention operate in cooperation.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a spirit level according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the spirit level. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the level 10 is electronic, and a sensor unit 12, a memory unit 13, a control unit 14, a wireless unit 15, and a power supply unit 16 are mounted in a housing 11, and a display unit 17 and an operation unit 18 are provided on the surface of the housing 11. The back surface of the housing 11 is typically a flat surface and constitutes a measurement surface.

[0022] The sensor unit 12 is typically composed of a three-axis acceleration sensor and detects the inclinations of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. The sensor unit 12 only needs to be able to detect the inclinations of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, and is not limited to an integrated three-axis acceleration sensor. For example, it may be composed of separate acceleration sensors for each axis. The sensor unit 12 may be composed of a gyro sensor or the like. Both an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor may be used in combination.

[0023] The memory unit 13 is composed of, for example, a non-volatile memory element, and stores in advance correction values for correcting so that there are no inclinations of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis detected by the sensor unit 12 in a substantially absolute horizontal state in the initial state. The absolute horizontal means the true horizontal defined based on the gravity of the earth.

[0024] Typically, when the level 10 is shipped from the factory, the level 10 is placed on the plane of a leveling standard (not shown), and at that time, the inclinations of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis detected by the sensor unit 12 of the level 10 are corrected so that they disappear, and the correction values of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis at the time of correction are stored. The leveling standard is a device for accurately determining whether an object or a surface is horizontal, and by this, the level 10 can be configured to have a substantially absolute horizontal. Furthermore, the memory unit 13 calibrates the level 10 at the time of factory shipment, calculating the tilt of the level 10 based on the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit 12 when the level 10 is tilted at a predetermined angle using an angle standard (not shown) that serves as a calibration reference, so that the tilt of the level 10 is that predetermined angle, and stores the correction values ​​for the X, Y, and Z axes at the time of calibration. The predetermined angle for tilting is, for example, an angle from 10 degrees to 90 degrees, in increments of 10 degrees, and the memory unit 13 stores the correction values ​​for the X, Y, and Z axes at each angle. An angle standard is a reference instrument used for measuring and calibrating angles. The memory unit 13 may, for example, be the memory unit within the 3-axis accelerometer that constitutes the sensor unit 12.

[0025] The control unit 14 corrects the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit 12 based on correction values ​​stored in the memory unit 13, and calculates the tilt of the spirit level 10 based on the corrected tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes. The control unit 14 is composed of a microcontroller. Some of its calculations may be performed by the control unit within the 3-axis accelerometer.

[0026] The control unit 14 calculates the inclinations of the X, Y, and Z axes detected and corrected by the sensor unit 12 in the XZ plane, corrected by correction values ​​stored in the memory unit 13, and the inclinations of the X, Y, and Z axes detected and corrected by the sensor unit 12 in the YZ plane, corrected by the same correction values. Based on these calculated inclinations of each axis relative to each plane, it calculates the inclinations of the X and Y axes relative to the XY plane, corrected by the correction values. The XY plane corrected by the correction values ​​is pre-stored in the memory unit 13 of the level 10. The XZ and YZ planes corrected by the correction values ​​may also be pre-stored in the memory unit 13.

[0027] Since the control unit 14 calculates the inclination using this method, the spirit level 10 can measure inclinations in the range of 0 to 90 degrees. This means that, for example, the rotation angle of a rotating table, such as in a 5-axis machining center, which was previously measured using a complex system with a laser measuring instrument, can now be measured using the spirit level 10, which has an extremely simple configuration compared to such a system. Since this spirit level 10 has a configuration that allows it to measure inclination over an extremely wide range from 0 to 90 degrees, it has the following configuration to accurately measure inclination within this range. As described above, the memory unit 13 stores correction values ​​for each angle when the spirit level 10 is tilted in 10-degree increments from 10 to 90 degrees at the time of factory shipment of the spirit level 10. The control unit 14, for example, calculates the inclination of the spirit level 10 as the first step, and as the second step, if the value is between 5 and 15 degrees, it corrects the inclination calculated in the first step using the correction value for tilting to 10 degrees stored in the memory unit 13. Similarly, if the spirit level 10 calculates an inclination of 15 to 25 degrees in the first step, it corrects the inclination calculated in the first step using the correction value for tilting to 20 degrees stored in the memory unit 13. The process is carried out similarly thereafter. Note that this correction method is not limited to this and various forms are conceivable. Also, the angle increments are not limited to 10 degrees. It can be more or less than that.

[0028] The wireless unit 15 transmits wirelessly the data related to the tilt of the X and Y axes calculated by the control unit 14. The wireless unit 15 also receives commands and other information wirelessly from an external source. The power supply unit 16 supplies power to the devices that make up the spirit level 10. The power supply unit 16 is powered, for example, by a machine tool on which the spirit level 10 is mounted. The control unit 14 calculates the tilt of the level 10 in the X and Y directions based on the calculated data related to the tilt of the X and Y axes, and causes the display unit 17 to display the tilt, for example, 0.2 mm per meter in the X direction and 0.1 mm per meter in the Y direction. The wireless unit 15 may transmit such data. Various operations on the spirit level 10 are performed in the control unit 18.

[0029] In the spirit level 10 configured in this way, the memory unit 13 pre-stores correction values ​​to correct for the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit 12 to be eliminated in a substantially absolute horizontal position in the initial state. The control unit 14 corrects the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit 12 based on these correction values, and calculates the tilt of the spirit level 10 based on the corrected tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes. Therefore, the tilt of the spirit level 10 is substantially relative to the absolute horizontal position. Thus, the horizontal position can be shared among multiple spirit levels 10, and in environments where multiple spirit levels 10 are used, the work of calibrating the tilt of each spirit level 10 becomes unnecessary.

[0030] Figure 3 schematically shows a factory where numerous machine tools operate in coordination.

[0031] As shown in Figure 3, numerous machine tools 21 are installed in this factory 20, and an automatic transport device 22 transports workpieces (not shown) between these machine tools 21. A spirit level 10 is installed on the machining reference surface of the table of each machine tool 21.

[0032] The computer 30 is typically installed within the factory 20 and includes a transmitting / receiving unit 31, a storage unit 32, a control unit 33, and a display unit 34.

[0033] The transmitting / receiving unit 31 receives data related to the tilt of each level 10 wirelessly from the level 10 set on each machine tool 21.

[0034] The memory unit 32 stores data related to the tilt of each level 10 that it receives.

[0035] The control unit 33 determines whether leveling of the machine tool 21 is necessary based on the tilt data of the spirit level 10 received from the transmitting / receiving unit 31 or the data stored in the storage unit 32. For example, the control unit 33 compares a predetermined threshold for the tilt of the machine tool 21 with the tilt data of the spirit level 10 received from the transmitting / receiving unit 31, and displays the corresponding machine tool 21 and its tilt on the display unit 34 when the threshold is exceeded.

[0036] Furthermore, the control unit 33 displays the tilt of the spirit level 10 on the display unit 34 based on the tilt data of the spirit level 10 received from the transmitting / receiving unit 31. This allows the operator to determine which machine tool 21 needs leveling.

[0037] This eliminates the need for simultaneous, scheduled maintenance on all machine tools 21; instead, maintenance can be performed only on the machine tools 21 that exceed the threshold. Furthermore, in the event of an earthquake or other emergency requiring temporary maintenance, only the machine tools 21 exceeding the threshold need to be maintained. This significantly reduces the time the line is shut down for maintenance, ultimately leading to a substantial improvement in productivity.

[0038] Furthermore, since the spirit level 10 according to this embodiment is configured to transmit data wirelessly rather than via a wire, the computer 30 can acquire tilt data from the spirit levels 10 installed on each machine tool 21 without performing any wiring work.

[0039] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0040] For example, the 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope that make up the sensor unit 12 are typically manufactured using MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) technology, which allows for the construction of small, high-precision sensors. In addition to the tilt calibration described above, they also have a temperature sensor and can perform temperature compensation. Therefore, the memory unit 13 may store correction values ​​for predetermined temperatures in advance to correct the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit 12 to disappear in a substantially absolute horizontal state in the initial state, and apply temperature compensation. This makes it possible to minimize errors due to temperature changes. Note that the temperature sensor may be provided separately from the 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyroscope. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0041] 10 Level 11 cabinets 12 Sensor section 13 Storage section 14 Control Unit 15. Radio Section 16 Power supply section 17 Display section 18 Control section 20 factories 21 Machine tools 22. Automated transport device 30 Computers 31 Transmitter / Receiver 32 Storage section 33 Control Unit 34 Display section

Claims

1. A sensor unit that detects the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes, A storage unit that pre-stores correction values ​​for correcting so that the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit is eliminated in a substantially absolute horizontal state in the initial state, A control unit that corrects the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit based on the correction value, and calculates the inclination of the spirit level based on the corrected inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes, A wireless unit transmits the data related to the tilt of the spirit level calculated by the control unit wirelessly. A spirit level equipped with the following features.

2. A spirit level according to claim 1, The memory unit, at the time of factory shipment of the spirit level, places the spirit level on the plane of a horizontal standard, calibrates it so that the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit is eliminated, and stores the correction values ​​for the X, Y, and Z axes at the time of calibration. Spirit level.

3. A spirit level according to claim 1 or 2, The control unit calculates the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes detected and corrected by the sensor unit in the XZ plane corrected by the correction value, and the inclination of the X, Y, and Z axes detected and corrected by the sensor unit in the YZ plane corrected by the correction value, and calculates the inclination of the X and Y axes relative to the XY plane corrected by the correction value based on these calculated inclinations. Spirit level.

4. A spirit level according to any one of claims 1 to 3, The memory unit calibrates the spirit level at the time of factory shipment, calculating the tilt of the spirit level based on the tilt of the X, Y, and Z axes detected by the sensor unit when the spirit level is tilted at a predetermined angle using an angle standard that serves as the calibration reference, so that the tilt of the spirit level becomes the predetermined angle, and stores the correction values ​​for the X, Y, and Z axes at the time of calibration. Spirit level.

5. A step of receiving data relating to the tilt of a spirit level wirelessly from a spirit level described in claims 1 to 4 installed on a machine tool, The steps include: storing the data related to the tilt of the spirit level that was received; Based on the accumulated data, the steps include determining whether leveling of the machine tool is necessary and A program that causes a computer to execute something.

6. A computer receives data relating to the tilt of a spirit level wirelessly from a spirit level described in claims 1 to 4 installed on a machine tool. The computer stores the data relating to the tilt of the spirit level that it has received. The computer determines, based on the accumulated data, whether or not leveling of the machine tool is necessary. Method for leveling machine tools.

7. In a factory having multiple machine tools and an automated transfer system for transporting workpieces between these machine tools, Each of the aforementioned machine tools is equipped with a spirit level as described in claims 1 to 4. The computer receives data related to the tilt of each spirit level wirelessly from each spirit level. Based on the data received regarding the tilt of the spirit level, the computer selects a machine tool that requires leveling. A method for leveling machine tools in a factory with multiple machine tools.

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