Control device and control method

Abstract

The present invention provides a control device and control method that can suppress the cessation of the operation of the target being taught, which may be caused by the operator's actions using the terminal. [Solution] The enable switch 8 has contacts 83A and 83B. The enable switch 9 has contacts 93A and 93B. The CPU 11 of the numerical control device 10 determines whether or not there is a mismatch in contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B. If the mismatch persists for a first time after the CPU 11 determines that there is a mismatch, it executes a drive process and drives the vibration motor 63. If the mismatch persists for a second time after the CPU 11 determines that there is a mismatch, it executes an error process and stops the operation of the machine tool during the error process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device and a control method.

Background Art

[0002] An instruction operation terminal used for an instruction operation of an instruction target is known. The instruction operation terminal described in Patent Document 1 includes a grip portion gripped by an operator. An enable switch is disposed on the grip portion. The enable switch has an operation portion that is pushed by an operator. The enable switch switches the availability of the operation of the instruction target when the operation portion is pushed by the operator.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The enable switch may have a plurality of contacts. In this case, when a state where one contact is closed and another contact is open continues, the control device of the instruction operation terminal may consider that an abnormality has occurred in the enable switch and stop the operation of the instruction target. Here, when the force applied by the operator to the operation portion is not uniform, a state where one contact is closed and another contact is open may occur. In this case, although no abnormality has occurred in the enable switch, the operation of the instruction target may be unnecessarily stopped.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a control device and a control method that can suppress the stop of the operation of the instruction target caused by the operation of an operator using the terminal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A control device according to a first aspect of the present invention is a control device including a terminal that receives a teaching operation for controlling the operation of a target to be taught, and a control unit, wherein the terminal comprises a housing, an enable switch disposed in the housing and having a plurality of contacts, and a notification unit, each of the plurality of contacts becomes either open or closed when a press operation is received, and the control unit performs a determination process to determine whether there is a mismatch between the open state of one of the plurality of contacts and the closed state of the other, a drive process to drive the notification unit if the mismatch continues for a predetermined first time after the determination process determines that there is a mismatch, and an error process to stop the operation of the target to be taught if the mismatch continues for a second time longer than the first time after the determination process determines that there is a mismatch. The control device alerts the operator that the plurality of contacts of the enable switch are in a mismatch state before stopping the operation of the target to be taught. Therefore, the control device can prevent the operation of the target to be taught from being stopped due to the operation of the operator using the terminal.

[0007] In the control device of the present invention, the housing has a gripping portion that is grasped by the operator performing the pressing operation, and the enable switch may be located on the gripping portion. According to the above control device, the operator using the terminal can perform a pressing operation on the contacts of the enable switch while grasping the gripping portion.

[0008] In the control device of the present invention, the housing has two gripping parts, and one enable switch is arranged on each gripping part, and the determination process may determine whether the multiple contacts of the two enable switches are in a mismatched state. According to the above control device, the operator using the terminal grips the two gripping parts with both hands. The control device drives the notification unit if the pressing operation is not performed correctly on any of the multiple contacts of the two enable switches. Therefore, the control device can alert the operator that the multiple contacts are in a mismatched state even when the operator operates the enable switches with both hands.

[0009] In the control device of the present invention, the determination process may determine whether the multiple contacts of the two enable switches are in a mismatched state when all of the multiple contacts of one of the enable switches are in the open or closed state. The control device activates the notification unit when one hand correctly presses the multiple contacts, but the other hand does not correctly press the multiple contacts. Therefore, the control device can alert the operator that the multiple contacts are in a mismatched state even when the operator operates the enable switches with both hands.

[0010] In the control device of the present invention, the notification unit may be a vibration motor that vibrates the housing. The control device can alert the operator that multiple contacts are in a mismatched state by vibrating the housing.

[0011] In the control device of the present invention, the enable switch may be a 3-position switch. According to the above control device, each of the multiple contacts transitions in three stages according to the force of the operator's pressing operation. Therefore, the control device can perform control in response to the operator's immediate actions when an abnormality occurs in the teaching target.

[0012] In the control device of the present invention, the drive process may continue driving the notification unit from the first time to the second time. With the above control device, it becomes easier for the operator using the terminal to understand that multiple contacts are in a mismatched state between the first time and the second time.

[0013] A control method according to a second aspect of the present invention is a control method for a control device including a terminal that receives a teaching operation for controlling the operation of a target to be taught, wherein the terminal comprises a housing, an enable switch disposed in the housing and having a plurality of contacts, and a notification unit, each of the plurality of contacts being open or closed when a press operation is received, and the control method is characterized by performing a determination step of determining whether there is a mismatch between the open state of one contact and the closed state of the plurality of contacts, a drive step of driving the notification unit if the mismatch continues for a predetermined first time after the determination step determines that there is a mismatch between the open and closed states, and an error step of stopping the operation of the target to be taught if the mismatch continues for a second time longer than the first time after the determination step determines that there is a mismatch between the open and closed states. The second aspect has the same effects as the first aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of machine tool 1 and terminal 6. [Figure 2] This is a plan view of terminal 6. [Figure 3] This is a bottom view of terminal 6. [Figure 4] This diagram shows the internal configuration of terminal 6. [Figure 5] This diagram shows the enable switch 8 for positions 1, 2, and 3. [Figure 6] This figure shows the enable switch 8 when button 81 is not pressed correctly. [Figure 7] This figure shows the state of each contact and the results of the CPU 51's determination of the state of enable switches 8 and 9. [Figure 8] This is a timing chart for when a mismatch occurs. [Figure 9] This is a flowchart of the enable process. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] Referring to the drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The machine tool 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a machine unit 3, a cover 2, an operation panel 16, and a numerical control device 10.

[0016] The machine unit 3 has a spindle (not shown). The machine unit 3 rotates the spindle to perform cutting operations. The spindle is movable in the X-axis direction, Y-axis direction, and Z-axis direction of the machine tool 1. In FIG. 1, the X-axis direction is the left-right direction, the Y-axis direction is the direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and the Z-axis direction is the up-down direction. The cover 2 houses the machine unit 3.

[0017] The operation panel 16 and the numerical control device 10 are arranged outside the cover 2. The operation panel 16 has a display unit 17, an operation unit 18, and a communication unit 19. The display unit 17 displays various information of the machine tool 1. The operation unit 18 receives operations for supporting various operations of the machine tool 1. The communication unit 19 is an interface for communicating with external devices, and in this embodiment, it communicates with a terminal 6 described later.

[0018] The numerical control device 10 has a CPU 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a storage unit 14, a timer 20, and an input / output unit 15. The CPU 11 comprehensively controls the operation of the machine tool 1.

[0019] The ROM 12 stores various programs such as an enable program executed by the CPU 11. The enable program executes an enable process (see FIG. 9) described later. The RAM 13 temporarily stores various data and the like. The storage unit 14 is non-volatile and stores various information. The timer 20 measures time based on the control of the CPU 11.

[0020] The input / output unit 15 is connected to the CPU 11, the ROM 12, the RAM 13, the storage unit 14, the timer 20, the machine unit 3, the display unit 17, the operation unit 18, and the communication unit 19. The CPU 11 controls the machine unit 3, the display unit 17, the operation unit 18, and the communication unit 19 via the input / output unit 15.

[0021] The machine tool 1 connects to the terminal 6 via the communication unit 19. The terminal 6 receives teaching operations to control the operation of the machine tool 1 and causes the machine tool 1 to perform various tasks based on the teaching operations. The various tasks of the machine tool 1 include, for example, teaching operations, jog operations, programming, setting or changing various parameters, and checking input / output data. In teaching operations, for example, the machining path of the spindle of the machine unit 3 is taught.

[0022] Refer to Figures 1 to 5 to explain terminal 6. The left, right, top, bottom, front, and back sides of Figure 2 are defined as the left, right, front, rear, top, and bottom of terminal 6, respectively.

[0023] Terminal 6 comprises a housing 61, CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, storage unit 54, communication unit 59, input / output unit 55, drive circuit 57, vibration motor 63, operation button 65, emergency stop button 66, and enable switches 8 and 9.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the housing 61 includes a base 62 and gripping parts 68 and 69. The base 62 is box-shaped and extends in the left-right direction. The base 62 houses the CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, storage unit 54, communication unit 59, input / output unit 55, drive circuit 57, and vibration motor 63 shown in Figure 1. The CPU 51 provides overall control over the operation of the terminal 6.

[0025] ROM 52 stores various programs executed by CPU 51. RAM 53 temporarily stores various data. Storage unit 54 is non-volatile and stores various information. Communication unit 59 is an interface for communicating with external devices, and in this embodiment, it communicates with machine tool 1.

[0026] The input / output unit 55 is connected to the CPU 51, ROM 52, RAM 53, storage unit 54, communication unit 59, and drive circuit 57. As will be described in detail later, the drive circuit 57 drives the vibration motor 63, which will be described later. The CPU 51 controls the communication unit 59 and the drive circuit 57 via the input / output unit 55.

[0027] An operation button 65 and an emergency stop button 66 are located on the upper surface of the base 62. The operation button 65 accepts teaching operations from the operator. The CPU 51 communicates with the machine tool 1 via the communication unit 59 and causes the machine tool 1 to perform various operations based on the received teaching operations.

[0028] The emergency stop button 66 is connected to the CPU 11 of the numerical control device 10. The emergency stop button 66 receives an emergency stop operation from the operator. When the CPU 11 receives an emergency stop operation from the emergency stop button 66, it forcibly stops various operations based on the taught operations.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the vibration motor 63 has a rotating shaft 631 and an eccentric weight 632. The rotating shaft 631 rotates around its axis when driven by the vibration motor 63.

[0030] The eccentric weight 632 is connected to the tip of the rotating shaft 631. The eccentric weight 632 is disc-shaped. The central axis of the eccentric weight 632 is eccentric with respect to the axis of the rotating shaft 631. Therefore, when the vibration motor 63 is driven, the vibration motor 63 vibrates, and the vibration of the vibration motor 63 is transmitted to the housing 61.

[0031] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the gripping portion 68 is box-shaped and protrudes rearward from the right rear end of the base portion 62. The gripping portion 68 has an opening 680. The opening 680 is located on the rear surface of the gripping portion 68.

[0032] The gripping portion 69 is box-shaped and protrudes rearward from the left rear end of the base portion 62. The gripping portion 69 has an opening 690. The opening 690 is located on the rear surface of the gripping portion 69. The operator uses the terminal 6 by gripping the gripping portion 68 with their right hand and the gripping portion 69 with their left hand.

[0033] Enable switches 8 and 9 are switches that allow the machine tool 1 to perform various operations based on taught operations. Enable switch 8 is housed in the gripping section 68. Enable switch 9 is housed in the gripping section 69.

[0034] As shown in Figure 4, the enable switch 8 includes a button 81, actuators 82A and 82B, contacts 83A and 83B, and elastic members 84A and 84B. The button 81 is plate-shaped and extends in the front-rear direction. The button 81 protrudes outward from the gripping portion 68 through the opening 680. The button 81 is movable inward from the gripping portion 68 by a pressing operation by an operator.

[0035] Actuators 82A and 82B are rod-shaped. Actuator 82A extends from the front end of button 81 toward the inside of gripping portion 68. Actuator 82B extends from the rear end of button 81 toward the inside of gripping portion 68. Button 81 and actuators 82A and 82B are insulated.

[0036] Contact 83A is located inside the gripping portion 68, beyond the actuator 82A. Contact 83A is biased by the elastic member 84A to be in an open state at all times. Contact 83B is located inside the gripping portion 68, beyond the actuator 82B. Contact 83B is biased by the elastic member 84B to be in an open state at all times. Hereinafter, for each contact, the open state will be referred to as the open state, and the closed state will be referred to as the closed state.

[0037] As shown in Figure 5, the enable switch 8 is a 3-position switch. When the operator is not pressing button 81, the enable switch 8 is in position 1. In position 1, contacts 83A and 83B are open.

[0038] When the operator presses button 81, the enable switch 8 changes from position 1 to position 2. Button 81 in position 2 is located further inside the gripping portion 68 than button 81 in position 1. In position 2, contacts 83A and 83B are closed. Thus, contacts 83A and 83B close when they receive a press operation.

[0039] When the operator presses button 81 further, the enable switch 8 moves from position 2 to position 3. Button 81 in position 3 is located further inside the gripping portion 68 than button 81 in position 2. In position 3, contacts 83A and 83B are open.

[0040] The configuration of enable switch 9 is the same as that of enable switch 8. Enable switch 9 will be briefly described below. Enable switch 9 has a button 91, actuators 92A and 92B, contacts 93A and 93B, and two elastic members (not shown).

[0041] Button 91 is plate-shaped and extends in the front-to-back direction. Button 91 can be moved toward the inside of the gripping portion 69 by pressing it with an operator. Actuator 92A extends toward the inside of the gripping portion 69 from the front end of button 91. Actuator 92B extends toward the inside of the gripping portion 69 from the rear end of button 91.

[0042] Contact 93A is positioned inside the gripping portion 69 relative to actuator 92A and is biased to be normally open by one of the elastic members. Contact 93B is positioned inside the gripping portion 69 relative to actuator 92B and is biased to be normally open by the other elastic member.

[0043] The enable switch 9 is a 3-position switch and can transition between positions 1, 2, and 3. In positions 1 and 3, contacts 93A and 93B are open. In position 2, contacts 93A and 93B are closed.

[0044] As shown in Figure 4, the CPU 11 of the numerical control device 10 connects to contact 83A and contact 93A via the input / output unit 15. Hereinafter, contact 83A and contact 93A will be collectively referred to as the A contact group. The CPU 11 detects that the A contact group is closed when both contact 83A and contact 93A are in the closed state. The CPU 11 detects that the A contact group is open when one or both of contact 83A and contact 93A are in the open state.

[0045] The CPU 11 connects to contacts 83B and 93B via the input / output unit 15. Hereinafter, contacts 83B and 93B will be collectively referred to as the B contact group. The CPU 11 detects that the B contact group is closed when both contacts 83B and 93B are closed. The CPU 11 detects that the B contact group is open when one or both of contacts 83B and 93B are open.

[0046] When the CPU 11 detects that the A contact group is closed and the B contact group is closed, it enables the machine tool 1 to perform various operations based on the teaching operation. In order to close the A contact group and the B contact group, the operator presses both enable switches 8 and 9.

[0047] There are times when one of the contacts 83A or 83B becomes open and the other contact 83A or 83B becomes closed. This can be caused by a malfunction in terminal 6, or by the operator not properly pressing button 81. Malfunctions in terminal 6 include, for example, contact 83A or contact 83B being welded together, actuator 82A or actuator 82B being stuck to the case, or elastic members 84A and 84B being unable to provide biasing force.

[0048] As shown in Figure 6, if the operator does not press button 81 correctly, button 81 may tilt. In Figure 6, button 81 tilts, contact 83A opens, and contact 83A closes. Similarly, with the enable switch 9, one of contacts 93A or 93B may open, and the other of contacts 93A or 93B may close.

[0049] As described above, in the two enable switches 8 and 9, when there are open and closed contacts in contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B, the state in which one contact is open and the other is referred to as a mismatch state. As shown in Figure 7, the CPU 11 of the numerical control device 10 determines whether or not contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B are in a mismatch state. For example, if contacts 83B, 93A, and 93B are closed and contact 83A is open, the CPU 11 detects that the A contact group is open and the B contact group is closed. The CPU 11 determines that contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B are in a mismatch state.

[0050] In this embodiment, contact 83A and contact 93A are connected, and contact 83B and contact 93B are connected. Therefore, the CPU 11 does not determine if there is a mismatch unless the operator presses both enable switches 8 and 9. The CPU 11 determines if there is a mismatch if either the A contact group or the B contact group is in a closed state. In other words, the CPU 11 determines if there is a mismatch if all the contacts of one of the enable switches 8 and 9 are in a closed state, if contact 83A and contact 93A are open and contact 83B and contact 93B are closed, or if contact 83A and contact 93A are closed and contact 83B and contact 93B are open.

[0051] As shown in Figure 8, if the CPU 11 determines that a mismatch is occurring, it starts timing with the timer 20. In Figure 8, the CPU 11 detects that the A contact group is closed and the B contact group is open, and determines that a mismatch is occurring. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may detect that the B contact group is closed and the A contact group is open, and determine that a mismatch is occurring.

[0052] The CPU 11 executes a drive process if the mismatch state continues for a predetermined first time after the timer 20 starts timing. In this embodiment, the first time is 1 second. The drive process is the process of driving the vibration motor 63. As shown in Figure 4, the CPU 11 outputs a signal to the CPU 51 of the terminal 6 via the communication unit 19 to notify it of the start of the drive process. The CPU 51 detects the signal and drives the vibration motor 63 using the drive circuit 57. The housing 61 vibrates due to the vibration of the vibration motor 63.

[0053] The drive process alerts the operator to a mismatch in contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B. If the operator then correctly presses buttons 81 and 91, the CPU 51 determines that the mismatch has been resolved. The CPU 11 then stops the timer 20 and the execution of the drive process. The CPU 11 continues to execute the drive process as long as the mismatch persists.

[0054] If the mismatch condition persists for a predetermined second time after the timer 20 starts timing, the CPU 11 assumes that an abnormality may have occurred at terminal 6 and performs error processing. The second time is longer than the first time, and in this embodiment, it is 5 seconds. The error processing involves stopping the operation of the machine part 3 of the machine tool 1 and notifying the display unit 17 that contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B are in a mismatch state. After the second time has elapsed, the CPU 51 stops executing the drive process.

[0055] Referring to Figure 9, the enable process will be explained. When the CPU 11 of the numerical control device 10 starts communication with the terminal 6, it reads the enable program stored in the ROM 12 and loads it into the RAM 13. As a result, the CPU 11 starts executing the enable process.

[0056] When the enable process begins, the CPU 11 determines whether or not it has detected a closed state for the contacts of the enable switches 8 and 9 (S1). When the operator presses the enable switches 8 and 9, the CPU 11 detects that one or both of the A contact group and the B contact group have closed. If the CPU 11 determines that it has not detected a closed state for the contacts of the enable switches 8 and 9 (S1:NO), it returns to process S1.

[0057] If CPU 11 determines that it has detected a closed state for the contacts of enable switches 8 and 9 (S1: YES), it determines whether contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B are in a mismatched state (S3). If a closed state is detected and there is no mismatch, then contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B of enable switches 8 and 9 are all in a closed state. If CPU 11 determines that there is no mismatch (S3: NO), it proceeds to S23.

[0058] If CPU 11 determines that a mismatch is occurring (S3: YES), it starts timing using timer 20 (S5). CPU 11 then determines whether the mismatch has persisted since timing started in S5 (S7).

[0059] If CPU 11 determines that the mismatch state is continuing (S7: YES), it increments the time on timer 20 (S9). CPU 11 then determines whether the time indicated by timer 20 is the first hour (S11).

[0060] If the CPU 11 determines that the time indicated by the timer 20 is the first hour (S11: YES), it starts the drive process (S13) and returns to the process in S7. During the drive process, the CPU 11 communicates with the CPU 51 of terminal 6 and drives the vibration motor 63. The chassis 61 vibrates as a result of the vibration motor 63 being driven.

[0061] In S5, after the timer starts, the operator may correctly press the enable switches 8 and 9, resolving the mismatch. If the CPU 11 determines that the mismatch has been resolved (S7: NO), it determines whether or not it has detected a closed state for the contacts of the enable switches 8 and 9 (S21). When the mismatch is resolved, the enable switches 8 and 9 are either in an open state with all contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B open, or in a closed state with all contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B closed.

[0062] If CPU 11 determines that it has not detected a closed state for the contacts of enable switches 8 and 9 (S21: NO), it returns to processing S1. If CPU 11 determines that it has detected a closed state for the contacts of enable switches 8 and 9 (S21: YES), it determines whether or not the drive process is currently being executed (S23).

[0063] If CPU 11 determines that it is not currently executing a drive process (S23: NO), it proceeds to S27. If CPU 11 determines that it is currently executing a drive process (S23: YES), it stops the execution of the drive process that was started in S13 (S25) and proceeds to S27. In the process of S25, CPU 11 communicates with CPU 51 and stops the vibration of the vibration motor 63.

[0064] The CPU 11 enables the acceptance of teaching operations via the operation button 65 (S27) and returns processing to S1. With the ability to accept teaching operations via the operation button 65, the numerical control device 10 can use the terminal 6 to perform various tasks based on the teaching operations.

[0065] If CPU 11 determines that the time indicated by timer 20 is not the first time (S11:NO), it determines whether the time indicated by timer 20 is the second time (S15:NO). If CPU 11 determines that the time indicated by timer 20 is not the second time (S15:NO), it returns to processing S7.

[0066] If the CPU 11 determines that the time indicated by the timer 20 is the second time zone (S15: YES), it executes error processing (S17). In error processing, the CPU 11 stops the operation of the mechanical unit 3 and notifies the display unit 17 that there is a mismatch in contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B. The CPU 11 stops the execution of the drive process that was started in S13 (S19) and terminates the enable process.

[0067] As explained above, the CPU 11 of the numerical control device 10 determines whether or not there is a mismatch in the contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B of the enable switches 8 and 9 (S3). If the mismatch persists for a first time after the CPU 11 determines that there is a mismatch (S11: YES), it executes a drive process (S13). In the drive process, the CPU 11 drives the vibration motor 63 of the terminal 6. If the mismatch persists for a second time after the CPU 11 determines that there is a mismatch (S15: YES), it executes an error process (S17). In the error process, the CPU 11 stops the operation of the machine part 3 of the machine tool 1. Thus, the numerical control device 10 alerts the operator to the mismatch through the drive process before stopping the operation of the machine tool 1 through the error process. Therefore, the numerical control device 10 can suppress the stopping of the operation of the machine tool 1 caused by the operation of the operator using the terminal 6.

[0068] The housing 61 has gripping portions 68 and 69. The enable switch 8 is located on the gripping portion 68, and the enable switch 9 is located on the gripping portion 69. This allows the operator using the terminal 6 to perform a pressing operation on contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B while gripping the gripping portions 68 and 69.

[0069] The enable switch 8 is located on the gripping section 68, and the enable switch 9 is located on the gripping section 69. In processing S3, the CPU 11 determines whether there is a mismatch in the contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B of the two enable switches 8 and 9. According to this, the operator using the terminal 6 grips the gripping section 68 with their right hand and the gripping section 69 with their left hand. The numerical control device 10 executes a drive process if the correct pressing operation is not performed on any of the contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B of the two enable switches 8 and 9. Therefore, the numerical control device 10 can alert the operator to the mismatch even when the operator operates the enable switches 8 and 9 with both hands.

[0070] Contacts 83A and 93A are connected to the CPU 11, and contacts 83B and 93B are also connected to the CPU 11. Therefore, the CPU 11 determines whether all contacts of enable switches 8 and 9 are in a mismatch state when all contacts of one of the enable switches 8 and 9 are in a closed state. According to this, the numerical control device 10 executes the drive process when one hand correctly performs the pressing operation but the other hand does not. Thus, the numerical control device 10 can alert the operator to a mismatch state even when the operator is operating enable switches 8 and 9 with both hands.

[0071] The numerical control device 10 drives a vibration motor 63 that vibrates the housing 61 during the drive process. This allows the numerical control device 10 to alert the operator to a discrepancy due to the vibration of the housing 61.

[0072] The enable switches 8 and 9 are three-position switches. According to this configuration, the enable switches 8 and 9 transition to position 1, position 2, or position 3 depending on the force applied by the operator. In positions 1 and 3, contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B are open, while in position 2, contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B are closed. Therefore, the numerical control device 10 can stop the execution of various operations based on the taught operation in response to the operator's quick actions when an abnormality occurs in the machine tool 1.

[0073] If the mismatch condition is not resolved, CPU 11 will continue to execute the drive process from the first time to the second time. This makes it easier for the operator using terminal 6 to recognize that a mismatch condition exists between the first and second time periods.

[0074] In the above description, the numerical control device 10 is an example of the control device of the present invention. The machine tool 1 is an example of the subject to be taught in the present invention. The CPU 11 is an example of the control unit of the present invention. The vibration motor 63 is an example of the notification unit of the present invention. The process in S3 is an example of the determination process and determination step of the present invention. The process in S13 is an example of the drive process and drive step of the present invention. The process in S17 is an example of the error processing and error step of the present invention.

[0075] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. In the above embodiments, the numerical control device 10 receives a teaching operation via the operation button 65 and causes the machine tool 1 to perform various tasks based on the teaching operation. In contrast, the numerical control device 10 may cause a machine other than the machine tool 1 to perform various tasks based on the teaching operation. For example, the numerical control device 10 may cause a conveying device having a robot arm to perform various tasks based on the teaching operation.

[0076] In the above embodiment, the enable switch 8 has two contacts 83A and 83B, and the enable switch 9 has two contacts 93A and 93B. However, the enable switch 8 may have three or more contacts. The enable switch 9 may have three or more contacts. The number of contacts of the enable switch 8 and the enable switch 9 do not have to match. If the enable switch 8 has multiple contacts, the enable switch 9 may have only one contact. If the enable switch 9 has multiple contacts, the enable switch 8 may have only one contact.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the enable switch 8 was closed by pressing it, with contacts 83A and 83B in the closed state. Alternatively, the enable switch 8 may be closed by pressing it, with contacts 83A and 83B in the closed state. The enable switch 9 was closed by pressing it, with contacts 93A and 93B in the closed state. Alternatively, the enable switch 9 may be closed by pressing it, with contacts 93A and 93B in the closed state.

[0078] In the above embodiment, the enable switch 8 is a 3-position switch, but is not limited to this. The enable switch 8 may be, for example, a 2-position switch or a 4-position switch. In the above embodiment, the enable switch 9 is a 3-position switch, but is not limited to this. The enable switch 9 may be, for example, a 2-position switch or a 4-position switch.

[0079] If enable switch 8 is a 3-position switch, enable switch 9 does not have to be a 3-position switch. If enable switch 9 is a 3-position switch, enable switch 8 does not have to be a 3-position switch.

[0080] In the above embodiment, terminal 6 has two enable switches 8 and 9. In contrast, terminal 6 may have one enable switch or three or more.

[0081] The location of the enable switch 8 is not limited to the gripping portion 68, but may be changed to any location on the housing 61. The location of the enable switch 9 is not limited to the gripping portion 68, but may be changed to any location on the housing 61.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the housing 61 has two gripping parts 68 and 69. However, the number of gripping parts on the housing 61 may be one or three or more. The housing 61 may not have any gripping parts at all. In this case, the enable switch on the terminal 6 may be pressed by a part of the worker other than their hand. For example, the terminal 6 may be placed on the ground and the enable switch may be pressed by the worker's foot.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the first time is 1 second, but this may be changed as appropriate. The second time is 5 seconds, but this may be changed to a longer time than the first time as appropriate.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the CPU 11 drove the vibration motor 63 during the drive process. However, the CPU 11 may also drive components other than the vibration motor 63 during the drive process. For example, the terminal 6 may have a lamp, and the CPU 11 may make the lamp light up during the drive process. The terminal 6 may have a buzzer, and the CPU 11 may emit a warning sound using the buzzer during the drive process. The terminal 6 may have a display, and the CPU 11 may display a warning screen on the display during the drive process. The CPU 11 may drive multiple components during the drive process. For example, the CPU 11 may drive the vibration motor 63 and the lamp during the drive process.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the CPU 11 continued to execute the drive process from the first time to the second time if the mismatch state was not resolved, but it is not limited to this. The CPU 11 may stop executing the drive process if the mismatch state continues for a third time that is longer than the first time but shorter than the second time. In the above embodiment, the CPU 11 stopped executing the drive process after the second time had elapsed since the timer 20 started timing. In contrast, the CPU 11 may continue executing the drive process even after the second time had elapsed since the timer 20 started timing.

[0086] The "continuing to drive the notification unit from the first time to the second time" in this invention is not limited to continuously driving the vibration motor 63 from the first time to the second time. The CPU 11 may drive the vibration motor 63 intermittently from the first time to the second time. For example, the CPU 11 may alternately drive the vibration motor 63 and interrupt the driving of the vibration motor 63 at 0.5-second intervals between the first time and the second time. If the CPU 11 drives multiple components in the drive process, it is not necessary to drive all components from the first time to the second time. For example, if the CPU 11 illuminates a yellow lamp and a red lamp in the drive process, it may illuminate the yellow lamp from the first time to the third time, and then illuminate the red lamp from the third time to the second time.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the CPU 11 notified the display unit 17 that contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, and 93B were in a mismatch state during error processing, but notification by the display unit 17 is not required. The CPU 11 can simply stop the operation of the machine tool 1 during error processing.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the CPU 11 is connected to contacts 83A and 93A, but is not limited to this. The CPU 11 may be connected to contact 83A but not to contact 93A. The CPU 11 may be connected to contact 83A and one or both of contacts 83B and 93B. The CPU 11 may be connected to contact 93A but not to contact 83A. The CPU 11 may be connected to contact 93A and one or both of contacts 83B and 93B.

[0089] In the above embodiment, the CPU 11 is connected to contacts 83B and 93B, but is not limited to this. The CPU 11 may be connected to contact 83B but not to contact 93B. The CPU 11 may be connected to contact 83B and to one or both of contacts 83A and 93A. The CPU 11 may be connected to contact 93B but not to contact 83B. The CPU 11 may be connected to contact 93B and to one or both of contacts 83A and 93A.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the CPU 11 determines whether there is a mismatch when either the A contact group or the B contact group is in a closed state. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may determine whether there is a mismatch when any of contacts 83A, 83B, 93A, or 93B is in a closed state. The CPU 51 may determine whether there is a mismatch for each of the enable switch 8 and the enable switch 9. In this case, if the CPU 11 determines that either the enable switch 8 or 9 is in a mismatch state, it may or may not drive the vibration motor 63.

[0091] In the above embodiment, the CPU 11 of the numerical control device 10 performed the enable process. Alternatively, a CPU of a personal computer or the like that can communicate with the machine tool 1 may perform the enable process. In this case, the personal computer or the like corresponds to the "control device" of the present invention, and the CPU that performs the enable process corresponds to the "control unit" of the present invention. Alternatively, the CPU 51 of the terminal 6 may perform the enable process. In this case, the terminal 6 corresponds to the "control device" of the present invention, and the CPU 51 that performs the enable process corresponds to the "control unit" of the present invention.

[0092] Each step of the enable process is not limited to being performed by the CPU 11, but may be partially or entirely performed by other electronic devices (e.g., ASICs). Each step of the enable process may be distributed among multiple electronic devices (e.g., multiple CPUs). Each step of the enable process can be reordered, omitted, or added as needed. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0093] 1: Machine tool 3: Machinery Department 6: Terminal 8, 9: Enable switch 10: Numerical control device 51: CPU 61: Cabinet 63: Vibration motor 68, 69: Grip part 83A, 83B, 93A, 93B: Contacts

Claims

1. A control device including a terminal that receives teaching operations for controlling the operation of the object to be taught, and a control unit, The aforementioned terminal is The casing and An enable switch having multiple contacts is arranged in the aforementioned housing, Equipped with a news department, Each of the aforementioned multiple contacts becomes either open or closed when a pressing operation is received. The control unit, A determination process for determining whether there is a mismatch between the open state of one contact and the closed state of the other contacts in the aforementioned plurality of contacts, If the mismatch state persists for a predetermined first time period after the determination process determines that the mismatch state exists, a drive process is performed to drive the notification unit. If, after the determination process has determined that the mismatch state exists, the mismatch state continues for a second time period which is longer than the first time period, an error process is performed to stop the operation of the teaching target. A control device characterized by performing the following actions.

2. The housing has a gripping portion that is held by the operator performing the pressing operation, The enable switch is located in the gripping portion. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that

3. The housing has two gripping portions, Each of the aforementioned gripping parts is equipped with one of the aforementioned enable switches. The determination process involves determining whether the multiple contacts of the two enable switches are in the mismatched state. The control device according to claim 2, characterized in that

4. The determination process determines whether the multiple contacts of the two enable switches are in the mismatched state if all of the multiple contacts of one of the enable switches are in the open or closed state. The control device according to claim 3, characterized by the following:

5. The notification unit is a vibration motor that vibrates the housing. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that

6. The enable switch is a three-position switch. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that

7. The aforementioned drive process continues the operation of the notification unit from the first time to the second time. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that

8. A control method for a control device including a terminal that accepts teaching operations for controlling the operation of a subject to be taught, The terminal comprises a housing, an enable switch having multiple contacts and located in the housing, and a notification unit. Each of the aforementioned multiple contacts is configured to be either open or closed when a pressing operation is received. A determination step of determining whether there is a mismatch between the open state of one of the contacts and the closed state of the other of the plurality of contacts, If the mismatch state persists for a predetermined first time after the determination step is made, a drive step is made to drive the notification unit. If, after the determination step, it is determined that the mismatch state exists, the mismatch state continues for a second time that is longer than the first time, an error step is made to stop the operation of the teaching target, A control method characterized by performing the following.

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