Grinding apparatus

Abstract

The objective of this invention is to provide a grinding apparatus that can efficiently and accurately measure the position of the workpiece's surface without requiring prior preparation such as NC program creation. The grinding apparatus of this invention includes: a processing table 14 holding the workpiece W; a grinding wheel 10 that grinds the workpiece W in a rotating state; and a detection sensor 20 that contacts the workpiece W's surface to detect its position. By manually changing the relative position of the detection sensor 20 and the processing table 14, the detection sensor 20 contacts the workpiece W, and the measurement of the workpiece W is performed. This eliminates the need for prior preparation such as NC program creation, initial settings, and action confirmation, enabling highly efficient measurement with significantly reduced preparation time. This improves the productivity of the workpiece W processed by the grinding apparatus 1.

Description

Technical Field

[0006] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a grinding device, and more particularly to a grinding device provided with a contact type detection sensor that can efficiently and accurately measure the position of the surface to be processed of a workpiece. Prior Art

[0002] In a grinding device that grinds the upper surface of a workpiece placed on a processing table with a grinding wheel supported by a grinding wheel shaft extending substantially horizontally along the upper surface of the processing table, there is a known model provided with a contact type detection sensor that performs position detection by contacting the surface of the workpiece or the like.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a surface grinding device having a processing table that can move back and forth in the left - right direction and a grinding wheel that can move back and forth in the front - rear direction, and a sensor unit equipped with a contact probe is installed on the side surface of the grinding head.

[0004] The contact probe disclosed in the same document 1 has a stylus at its tip that contacts the upper surface of a reference block provided on the processing table and the upper surface of the workpiece. Thereby, the height from the processing table to the upper surface of the reference block and the height from the processing table to the upper surface of the workpiece are detected, and the grinding amount is calculated by arithmetic means.

[0005] In addition, for example, Patent Document 2 discloses a surface grinding device that grinds the surface of a workpiece by the relative movement of a grinding wheel mounted on a grinding wheel spindle and the workpiece, and a contact probe sensor as a position sensor is provided on the front side of the safety guard of the grinding wheel. (Prior Art Documents) (Patent Documents)

[0006] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid - Open No. 2002 - 52444 Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid - Open No. 2004 - 243468 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] However, the grinding devices of the above - mentioned conventional technologies still have problems to be improved in order to efficiently perform high - precision measurement of workpieces.

[0008] Specifically, the grinding device of the conventional technology performs automatic measurement of a workpiece using a contact probe according to an NC (Numerical Control) program. That is, the contact probe or the workpiece is automatically fed according to the NC program to relatively move the two, and the coordinate reading of the workpiece is performed at the position set by the NC program.

[0009] Therefore, although the grinding device of the conventional technology automatically measures with a contact probe during the measurement of the workpiece, however, in the preparation stage before measurement, the prior preparations such as the creation, initial setting, and operation confirmation of the NC program are complicated, imposing a great burden on the operator.

[0010] In view of this, in order to reduce the burden on the operator and improve the operation efficiency, it is desired to simplify the prior preparations such as the creation of the NC program. However, the grinding device of the conventional technology cannot relatively move the contact probe and the workpiece without an NC program, and in order to measure the workpiece, it is necessary to create an NC program in advance.

[0011] The present invention was developed in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to provide a grinding device that can efficiently and accurately detect the position of the machined surface of a workpiece without prior preparations such as creating an NC program. Means for Solving the Problem

[0012] The grinding device of the present invention includes: a worktable for holding a workpiece, a grinding wheel for grinding the workpiece in a rotating state, and a detection sensor for contacting the machined surface of the workpiece to detect the position of the machined surface; by manually operating to change the relative position between the detection sensor and the worktable, the detection sensor is brought into contact with the workpiece to perform measurement of the workpiece. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the grinding device of the present invention, it includes: a worktable for holding a workpiece, a grinding wheel for grinding the workpiece in a rotating state, and a detection sensor for contacting the machined surface of the workpiece to detect the position of the machined surface; by manually operating to change the relative position between the detection sensor and the worktable, the detection sensor is brought into contact with the workpiece to perform measurement of the workpiece. Thereby, prior preparations such as the creation, initial setting, and operation confirmation of the NC program for measurement are omitted, and highly efficient measurement with a significantly shortened preparation time can be performed. Thereby, the productivity of the workpiece of the grinding device can be improved.

[0014] Furthermore, the grinding apparatus according to the present invention includes: a feeding means for feeding the aforementioned detection sensor or the aforementioned processing table, causing the aforementioned detection sensor to move relative to the aforementioned processing table; a control device for numerically controlling the feeding caused by the aforementioned feeding means; and an operating means for manually inputting an instruction to the aforementioned control device to perform the feeding action of the aforementioned feeding means; wherein the aforementioned control device controls the aforementioned feeding means to make the aforementioned detection sensor contact the aforementioned workpiece by manually operating the aforementioned operating means, and records the coordinates of the contact point. In this way, the operator does not need to perform prior preparation such as creating NC programs, but can manually input measurement instructions to the operating means, thereby making it easy and accurate to measure the position of the workpiece. Therefore, the burden of prior preparation for the operator can be reduced, and the preparation time can be significantly shortened, thereby achieving high efficiency in workpiece processing.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the grinding apparatus of the present invention, the aforementioned control device can automatically stop the relative movement between the aforementioned detection sensor and the aforementioned processing table caused by the aforementioned feeding means when the aforementioned detection sensor comes into contact with the aforementioned workpiece through the aforementioned operating means, and then automatically control the aforementioned feeding means to separate the aforementioned detection sensor from the aforementioned workpiece. In this way, the detection sensor or workpiece will not be damaged due to contact during measurement, and safe measurement can be performed at high speed.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the grinding apparatus of the present invention, after the aforementioned detection sensor has contacted and separated from the aforementioned workpiece, and when the aforementioned operation means are manually operated again to bring the aforementioned detection sensor back into contact with the aforementioned workpiece, the aforementioned control device controls the feeding of the aforementioned detection sensor or the aforementioned processing stage at a speed lower than that at the first contact, so that the aforementioned detection sensor comes into contact with the aforementioned workpiece. This allows for highly accurate measurement by repeatedly reducing the feeding speed of the detection sensor or the workpiece multiple times with excellent efficiency. This also facilitates easy manual operation and further improves measurement accuracy. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0017] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the grinding apparatus of an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the oblique front. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the grinding wheel and the vicinity of the processing table of the grinding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a perspective view of the front part of the base of the grinding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a front view of the operation plate of the grinding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for measuring the dimensions of a workpiece using a grinding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 shows the grinding apparatus of the present invention measuring the workpiece. (A) shows an example with the upper surface of the holding plate as the measurement reference, (B) shows an example with the upper surface of the workpiece as the measurement reference, and (C) shows an example of setting a preset value with the upper surface of the workpiece as the measurement reference. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the measurement of the workpiece and the grinding process of the grinding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Implementation

[0018] The grinding apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an embodiment of the grinding apparatus 1 of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the grinding apparatus 1 is a working machine for grinding workpieces. The grinding apparatus 1 includes a grinding machine 2, an operating plate 3, and a control device 4. The grinding machine 2 is the surface to be ground on the workpiece W, the operating plate 3 is used to input grinding conditions, etc., for the grinding machine 2, and the control device 4 is used for numerical control of the grinding machine 2.

[0019] The grinding machine 2 may be, for example, a computerized numerical control (CNC) surface grinding machine that performs surface grinding on the upper or side surfaces of the workpiece W, or a CNC forming grinding machine capable of grinding complex shapes, a CNC rotary surface grinding machine that grinds rotating workpiece W, or other types of grinding machines.

[0020] The grinding machine 2 has a grinding wheel 10, a processing table 14, and a base 16. The grinding wheel 10 is a tool for grinding the workpiece W, the processing table 14 is used to hold the workpiece W, and the base 16 is used to support the processing table 14. The grinding wheel 10 can move freely relative to the workpiece W in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions, and the working surface of the workpiece W is ground by the rotating grinding wheel 10.

[0021] Specifically, the grinding wheel 10 is configured to move freely back and forth in the up-down direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "Y direction"). In detail, the grinding wheel 10 is located on the grinding head 11, and the grinding head 11 is supported on the column 12, which can move freely back and forth in the Y direction.

[0022] When viewed from the front, the processing table 14 can move freely back and forth in the horizontal left-right direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "X direction") and in the horizontal front-back direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "Z direction").

[0023] Specifically, the processing table 14 is positioned above the base 16 and is able to move freely back and forth in the X direction, while the base 16 is positioned above the frame 17 and is supported on the upper part of the frame 17 and is able to move freely back and forth in the Z direction.

[0024] The grinding wheel 10, the base 16, and the processing table 14 are driven by a servo motor (not shown) or other feeding means controlled by the control device 4 to move back and forth in the aforementioned directions.

[0025] A cover 18 can be installed above the processing table 14 to cover the grinding area where the grinding wheel 10 and the workpiece W are arranged, thereby preventing the scattering of grinding fluid, grinding chips, etc. during processing. The cover 18 is designed to be freely openable and closable so that the operator can set up and remove the workpiece W.

[0026] The control panel 3 is a device for the operator to input various settings and instructions for processing, such as on the side of the column 12 above the processing table 14. The operation section 31 of the control panel 3 is equipped with touch keys, switches, knobs, etc., for the operator to input various settings and instructions. In addition, the control panel 3 is equipped with a display section 30 for displaying various information about the grinding process.

[0027] The control device 4 performs various controls and calculations, and includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), and a memory unit for storing processing condition settings, calculation results, etc. The control device 4 is connected to the operation panel 3, the feeding means, and other various controlled machines. Here, the control device 4 can be located inside the grinding machine 2, or inside the housing of the operation panel 3, etc.

[0028] Additionally, although not shown, the grinding machine 2 is equipped with a grinding fluid nozzle and a grinding fluid supply device for supplying grinding fluid during processing. Furthermore, a dressing device (not shown) for dressing the grinding wheel 10 may also be provided above the processing table 14.

[0029] Furthermore, the grinding machine 2 may also be equipped with operation buttons (not shown) for operators to perform grinding and instruction operations, and a claw clutch (not shown) for adjusting the left and right reciprocating position of the processing table 14, etc.

[0030] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the grinding wheel 10 and the processing table 14 of the grinding apparatus 1. Referring to Figure 2, a holding plate 15 supporting the workpiece W is provided on the upper part of the processing table 14. The holding plate 15 is, for example, an electromagnetic holding plate with an electromagnet inside. The workpiece W is placed on the upper part of the holding plate 15 and is supported by magnetic force so that it will not move during processing.

[0031] The grinding wheel 10 is formed in a generally circular plate shape. A grinding wheel shaft (not shown) that can rotate freely is provided in the grinding head 11, which supports the grinding wheel 10. The grinding wheel 10, supported in the grinding head 11, rotates integrally with the grinding wheel shaft and moves along the Y direction with the grinding head 11. Furthermore, a grinding wheel cover 13 covering the upper part of the grinding wheel 10 is provided at the front of the grinding head 11.

[0032] The grinding machine 2 has a rotary drive means, such as a motor (not shown), to rotate the grinding wheel 10. The grinding wheel 10 is driven by the rotary drive means and, while rotating, contacts the surface of the workpiece W to be processed, thereby grinding the surface of the workpiece W.

[0033] The grinding machine 2 has a feeding means (not shown) that moves the grinding head 11 supporting the grinding wheel 10, the processing table 14 supporting the workpiece W, and the machine base 16 (see Figure 1). The feeding means is equipped with a servo motor, ball screw, etc., which are numerically controlled by a control device 4 (see Figure 1). The grinding wheel 10, the processing table 14, and the machine base 16 move reciprocally in the aforementioned directions by being fed by the feeding means.

[0034] Furthermore, the grinding machine 2 is equipped with a detection sensor 20 that measures the shape of the surface to be processed on the workpiece W. The detection sensor 20 is a contact probe that contacts the surface to be processed on the workpiece W to detect the position of the contact point.

[0035] The detection sensor 20 has a probe 21 that detects contact with the workpiece W. The tip of the probe 21 is provided with a contact element 22 that contacts the workpiece W. The detection sensor 20 is connected to the control device 4 so that it can input signals to the control device 4. When the contact element 22 of the detection sensor 20 contacts the workpiece W, the information detected by the detection sensor 20 is transmitted to the control device 4.

[0036] The detection sensor 20 is supported near the side of the grinding head 11 via the arm 23. The arm 23 supports the detection sensor 20 so that it can rotate freely, and when not measuring, the detection sensor 20 is retracted to a retracted position. This prevents damage caused by unnecessary contact between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W, the holding plate 15, etc., during grinding. Alternatively, the detection sensor 20 may also be located near the lower part of the grinding head 11, near the side of the grinding wheel cover 13, or near the front of the grinding wheel cover 13.

[0037] Furthermore, the detection sensor 20 can also be a sensor with a dual-axis probe 21. This allows for the measurement of dimensions not only in one direction, but also efficiently and accurately measuring dimensions such as vertical dimensions and groove width.

[0038] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the area near the front of the base 16 of the grinding apparatus 1. As shown in Figure 3, the right side of the base 16 of the grinding machine 2 is provided with an up-and-down feed handle 24. Furthermore, the front of the base 16 is provided with a left-and-right feed handle 26 and a front-and-back feed handle 27.

[0039] The up-down feed handle 24, the left-right feed handle 26, and the front-back feed handle 27 are manual operation means for inputting instructions to make the feed means perform feed actions, and are connected to the control device 4 (see Figure 1) to input signals to the control device 4.

[0040] The up-down feed handle 24, the left-right feed handle 26, and the front-back feed handle 27 are called "handwheel handles" and are manual pulse generating devices that generate pulses through manual operation by the operator. The servo motor of the feeding means feeds the grinding wheel 10, the processing table 14, and the machine base 16 in a predetermined direction and to a distance corresponding to the number of pulses generated by manual operation.

[0041] Specifically, the up-and-down feed handle 24 is an operating means that inputs an instruction to feed the grinding head 11 (see Figure 2) in the up-and-down direction, i.e., the Y direction. The grinding head 11 is moved in the Y direction by the operator rotating the up-and-down feed handle 24 provided on the side of the machine base 16.

[0042] That is, by rotating the up-down feed handle 24, the operator moves the grinding wheel 10 and the detection sensor 20 supported on the grinding head 11 along the Y direction. In this way, the operator can change and adjust the relative position of the workpiece W and the grinding wheel 10 in the up-down direction. In other words, the operator can change and adjust the relative position of the workpiece W and the detection sensor 20 in the vertical direction by manually rotating the up and down feed handle 24.

[0043] The left and right feed handle 26 is an operating means that inputs the instruction to feed the processing table 14 in the horizontal left and right direction, that is, the X direction, and the front and rear feed handle 27 is an operating means that inputs the instruction to feed the machine base 16 in the horizontal front and rear direction, that is, the Z direction.

[0044] By rotating the left and right feed handles 26, the operator moves the processing table 14 along the X direction. By rotating the front and rear feed handles 27, the operator moves the machine base 16 along the Z direction. In this way, the operator can change and adjust the relative horizontal position of the workpiece W and the grinding wheel 10.

[0045] In other words, the operator can change or adjust the relative position of the workpiece W and the detection sensor 20 in the horizontal direction by manually rotating the left and right feed handle 26 or the front and rear feed handle 27.

[0046] Here, the left and right feed handles 26 can also be feed handles for power transmission, directly using the rotational power input by the operator to move the processing table 14.

[0047] In addition, a switch (not shown) can be provided to switch between automatic feeding of the machining table 14 by means of feeding such as a servo motor and ball screw (not shown) and manual feeding by directly using the rotational power caused by the operator's operation.

[0048] Furthermore, a vertical continuous feed switch 25 is provided on the right side of the base 16, and a front-to-back continuous feed switch 28 is provided on the front of the base 16. The vertical continuous feed switch 25 and the front-to-back continuous feed switch 28 are manual operation means for inputting instructions to make the feeding means perform feeding actions, and are connected to the control device 4 to input signals to the control device 4.

[0049] Specifically, the up-down continuous feed switch 25 is an operating means that inputs an instruction to feed the grinding head 11 at high speed in the up-down direction, i.e., the Y direction. The up-down continuous feed switch 25 is a switch that can select to move the lever to either "up" or "down", and the selected "up" or "down" signal is transmitted to the control device 4 only during the period when the operator moves the lever, so that the grinding head 11 moves in the Y direction at a predetermined speed.

[0050] That is, when the operator moves the lever of the up / down continuous feed switch 25 to "up", the grinding head 11 rises at a predetermined speed during the period when the lever is moved. When the lever of the up / down continuous feed switch 25 is moved to "down", the grinding head 11 falls at a predetermined speed during the period when the lever is moved.

[0051] With this configuration, the operator can change and adjust the relative position of the workpiece W and the grinding wheel 10 in the vertical direction. In other words, the operator can efficiently change and adjust the relative position of the workpiece W and the detection sensor 20 in the vertical direction by manually operating the up-down continuous feed switch 25.

[0052] Here, the movement speed of the grinding head 11 caused by the operation of the up-down continuous feed switch 25, that is, the feed speed of the feed means, is set to be higher than the feed speed caused by the operation of the up-down feed handle 24.

[0053] For example, the feed speed caused by the operation of the up-and-down continuous feed switch 25 can be set between 500 and 2000 mm / min, with 500 to 1000 mm / min being preferable. In this way, the grinding wheel 10 and the detection sensor 20 can be fed at high speed by the operation input of the up-and-down continuous feed switch 25, thereby shortening the feed time and performing efficient measurement and grinding processes.

[0054] The forward / backward continuous feed switch 28 is an operating means that inputs an instruction to feed the machine base 16 at high speed in the horizontal forward / backward direction, i.e., the Z direction. The forward / backward continuous feed switch 28 is a switch that can select to move the lever to either "forward" or "backward", and the selected "forward" or "backward" signal is transmitted to the control device 4 only during the period when the operator moves the lever, so that the machine base 16 moves in the Z direction at a predetermined speed.

[0055] That is, when the operator moves the lever of the front and rear continuous feed switch 28 to "forward", the machine base 16 moves forward at a predetermined speed during the period when the lever is moved. When the lever of the front and rear continuous feed switch 28 is moved to "backward", the machine base 16 moves backward at a predetermined speed during the period when the lever is moved.

[0056] With this configuration, the operator can change and adjust the relative position of the workpiece W and the grinding wheel 10 in the horizontal front-back direction. In other words, the operator can efficiently change and adjust the relative position of the workpiece W and the detection sensor 20 in the horizontal front-back direction by manually operating the forward and backward continuous feed switch 28.

[0057] The movement speed of the machine base 16 caused by the operation of the front and rear continuous feed switch 28, i.e., the feed speed of the feeding means, is set to be higher than the feed speed caused by the operation of the front and rear feed handles 27. For example, the feed speed caused by the operation of the front and rear continuous feed switch 28 can be set between 500 and 2000 mm / min, with 500 to 1000 mm / min being preferred. In this way, the machine base 16 and the workpiece W held thereon can be fed at high speed by inputting the operation of the front and rear continuous feed switch 28, thereby shortening the feed time and performing efficient measurement and grinding processes.

[0058] Figure 4 is a schematic front view of the operation panel 3. Referring to Figure 4, the operation section 31 of the operation panel 3 is equipped with switches for switching various functions to ON and OFF, switches for switching between automatic control and manual operation, and knobs for adjusting the feed amount or cutting depth during grinding.

[0059] The operating panel 3 has operating means for measuring the workpiece W (see Figure 2). For example, the operating panel 3 is equipped with a probe up switch 32, a probe down switch 33, and an air blow switch 34 as operating means for measuring the position of the workpiece W.

[0060] The probe rise switch 32 is a switch used to input an instruction to accommodate the detection sensor 20 in the retracted position, so that the detection sensor 20 (see Figure 2) does not come into contact with the workpiece W, the processing table 14 (see Figure 2), etc. during grinding and other processes. When the operator presses the probe rise switch 32, the detection sensor 20 is raised and accommodated in the retracted position by a feeding means not shown.

[0061] The probe descent switch 33 is a switch that inputs an instruction to move the detection sensor 20 from the retracted position to the measurement position for measuring the workpiece W. When the operator presses the probe descent switch 33, the detection sensor 20 is fed from the retracted position to the measurement position by a feeding means (not shown).

[0062] The air blowing switch 34 is a switch used to input an indication of the amount of air to be blown near the workpiece W. When the operator presses the air blowing switch 34, compressed air is supplied to the workpiece W by a compressor (not shown) to blow away grinding debris, grinding fluid, etc., adhering to the workpiece W. Therefore, by pressing the air blowing switch 34 before measuring the workpiece W, highly accurate measurements can be achieved.

[0063] Furthermore, the control panel 3 is equipped with a display unit 30 that displays various information related to the grinding process. The display unit 30 may be, for example, an LCD screen, or a touch screen display that allows the operator to input information via touch. When measuring the workpiece W, the display unit 30 becomes a manual measurement screen, displaying information such as the position of the reference point and the measurement point.

[0064] Next, referring to Figures 5 and 6, the procedure for measuring the machined surface of the workpiece W will be described in detail. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for measuring the dimensions of the workpiece W. Referring to Figure 5, the first step S10 is an instruction from the operator to change the relative position of the detection sensor 20 (see Figure 2) and the processing table 14 (see Figure 2) so that the detection sensor 20 contacts the workpiece W (see Figure 2).

[0065] Specifically, for example, by manually operating the up-down feed handle 24, left-right feed handle 26, front-back feed handle 27, up-down continuous feed switch 25, and front-back continuous feed switch 28 as shown in FIG3, the detection sensor 20 is fed to the vicinity of the measurement point of the workpiece W, for example, above the measurement point.

[0066] Furthermore, for example, by manually operating the operator to move the lever of the up-down continuous feed switch 25 to "down", the detection sensor 20 is lowered and comes into contact with the workpiece W.

[0067] Here, the procedure of bringing the detection sensor 20 into contact with the workpiece W can also be performed by means other than the continuous up-and-down feed switch 25. Moreover, the measurement point of the workpiece W is not limited to the upper surface of the workpiece W, but can also be the side surface of the workpiece W, etc.

[0068] In step S10, when the operator manually operates the feeding means to make the detection sensor 20 come into contact with the workpiece W, then in step S20, a procedure is performed to automatically stop the relative movement between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W.

[0069] Specifically, when the detection sensor 20 comes into contact with the workpiece W, the contact information of the workpiece W detected by the detection sensor 20 is transmitted to the control device 4 (see Figure 1). Upon receiving the contact information between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W, the control device 4 transmits a stop feeding signal to the feeding means, thereby stopping the operation of the feeding means.

[0070] In step S20, which stops the relative movement between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W, the feeding by the feeding means will automatically stop even if the operator continues to operate the up-down continuous feed switch 25 or other operating means. This prevents the detection sensor 20 from being damaged by excessive pressure on the workpiece W.

[0071] Furthermore, the control device 4 calculates the position coordinates of the contact point of the workpiece W based on the contact signal detected by the detection sensor 20, and records it to ROM, RAM, etc. The position coordinates can also be calculated by reading mechanical coordinate values ​​from a preset auxiliary macro. Moreover, the measured value of the workpiece W can also be displayed on the display section 30 of the operation panel 3 shown in FIG4.

[0072] In step S20, when the relative movement between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W stops, in step S30, a procedure is executed to separate the detection sensor 20 from the workpiece W. For example, when the detection sensor 20 is lowered and comes into contact with the workpiece W by manual operation of the up-down continuous feed switch 25, even if the operator continues to operate the up-down continuous feed switch 25, the detection sensor 20 will be fed upward by the feeding means.

[0073] Next, in step S40, a procedure is performed to set the relative movement speed between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W to a low speed. Specifically, when measuring manually by operating the up-and-down continuous feed switch 25 as described above, the control is set to reduce the descent speed of the detection sensor 20. This allows for subsequent measurements to be performed with high accuracy.

[0074] Next, in step S50, the operator manually inputs an instruction to bring the detection sensor 20 closer to the workpiece W. In this way, the detection sensor 20 or the workpiece W moves closer and makes contact again due to the feeding mechanism. In this embodiment, the detection sensor 20 is lowered and contacts the workpiece W by manual operation of the up-down continuous feed switch 25.

[0075] At this time, the detection sensor 20 or the worktable 14 is fed at a speed lower than the speed at which the initial contact occurs, thereby controlling the detection sensor 20 to contact the workpiece W. That is, in step S40, the speed at which the detection sensor 20 approaches the workpiece W is set to a speed lower than the set speed of the up-down continuous feed switch 25, etc. In this way, the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W approach and make contact at a speed lower than the speed at which the initial contact occurs.

[0076] Specifically, the feed rate of the detection sensor 20 or the processing stage 14 can be set, for example, between 10 and 50 mm / min, with 20 to 30 mm / min being preferable. This allows for high-precision measurement.

[0077] In step S50, when the operator manually operates the feeding means to operate at low speed so that the detection sensor 20 comes into contact with the workpiece W, then in step S60, a procedure is performed to automatically stop the relative movement between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W.

[0078] Specifically, when the detection sensor 20 comes into contact with the workpiece W, the contact information detected by the detection sensor 20 is transmitted to the control device 4. The control device 4 then transmits a stop-feed signal to the feeding means, causing the feeding means to stop operating.

[0079] In step S60, which stops the relative movement between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W, the feeding by the feeding means will automatically stop even if the operator continues to operate the up-down continuous feed switch 25 or other operating means. This prevents the detection sensor 20 from being damaged by excessive pressure on the workpiece W.

[0080] Furthermore, the control device 4 calculates the position coordinates of the contact point of the workpiece W based on the contact signal detected by the detection sensor 20, which makes contact at a speed lower than that at the first contact, and records it to ROM, RAM, etc. The position coordinates can also be calculated by reading mechanical coordinate values ​​from a preset auxiliary macro. Moreover, the measured value of the workpiece W can also be displayed on the display section 30 of the operation panel 3 shown in FIG4.

[0081] In step S60, when the relative movement between the detection sensor 20 and the workpiece W is automatically stopped, in step S70, a procedure is executed to separate the detection sensor 20 from the workpiece W. In this embodiment, in step S50, the detection sensor 20 is slowly lowered and comes into contact with the workpiece W by manually operating the up-down continuous feed switch 25. Then, even if the operator continues to operate the up-down continuous feed switch 25, the detection sensor 20 will still automatically stop in step S60 and be automatically fed upwards by a feeding means in step S70.

[0082] Next, in step S80, if it is determined that the operator wants to perform the measurement of the same measurement point again, the operation method of step S50 can be manually operated to repeatedly perform the measurement from step S50 to step S70.

[0083] In this way, the grinding apparatus 1 can efficiently and repeatedly perform high-precision measurements that reduce the feed rate of the detection sensor 20 or the workpiece W. This allows for easy manual operation and improves measurement accuracy.

[0084] After the required number of measurements are performed by detecting the contact of the sensor 20, the process proceeds from step S80 to step S90, where the operator inputs an instruction to end the measurement. The instruction to end the measurement can be given, for example, by operating a soft key on the display unit 30 or operation unit 31 of the operation panel 3 (see Figure 4).

[0085] Specifically, the control device 4 can determine the end of the measurement based on the operator pressing the soft key that displays the measurement value number twice. When the operator inputs the instruction to end the measurement, the control device 4 system ends the measurement and records the measured coordinate values.

[0086] In this way, the grinding device 1 does not require prior preparation such as NC program creation, initial setting, and action confirmation for measurement. Instead, it can perform highly efficient measurements by manual operation of the operator, significantly reducing preparation time. Therefore, the productivity of the workpiece W processed by the grinding device 1 can be greatly improved.

[0087] Figure 6 shows an example of measuring the dimensions of the workpiece W using the detection sensor 20. Figure 6 shows an example of measuring the height dimension of the workpiece W, i.e., the dimension in the Y direction. Figure 6(A) shows an example using the upper surface 40 of the holding plate 15, etc., as the measurement reference Y0. Figure 6(B) shows an example using the upper surface 41 of the workpiece W as the measurement reference Y0. Figure 6(C) shows an example of setting a preset value using the upper surface 41 of the workpiece W as the measurement reference Y0.

[0088] As shown in Figure 6(A), the workpiece W can be measured using the upper surface 40 of the holding plate 15 or the upper surface of a reference block (not shown) as the measurement reference Y0 in the Y direction. Specifically, firstly, the procedures S10 to S90 shown in Figure 5 are executed on the upper surface 40 of the holding plate 15, the upper surface of the reference block, etc., to measure and record the measurement reference Y0 as the reference point. The coordinate value of this measurement reference Y0 is set to "0".

[0089] Next, using the upper surface 41 of the workpiece W as the measured surface, the procedures from steps S10 to S90 are executed, and the measurement result is recorded as the measurement value Y1. For example, in step S90, when the measurement ends, the input "Y1" as the measurement value number is pressed twice to record the measurement value Y1.

[0090] The measured value Y1 is the coordinate value in the Y direction with the measurement reference Y0 as the reference. That is, the measured value Y1 is the height dimension of the upper surface 41 of the workpiece W with the upper surface 40 of the holding plate 15, the upper surface of the reference block, etc. as the reference.

[0091] Similarly, other parts of the workpiece W that need to be measured, such as the upper surfaces 42, 43, etc., are recorded as coordinate values ​​of the measured values ​​Y2, Y3, etc. The number of measurable and recordable measurement points, i.e., the number of measurement value numbers, is, for example, 16 points. The number of measurable and recordable measurement points can also be further expanded.

[0092] As shown in Figure 6(B), the workpiece W can also use a predetermined position of the workpiece W, such as a predetermined position of the upper surface 41, as a reference point to measure the Y-direction measurement reference Y0. That is, the measurement procedure of steps S10 to S90 is first performed on the upper surface 41 of the workpiece W, which becomes the reference point, to measure and record the measurement reference Y0. Furthermore, the coordinate value of this measurement reference Y0 is set to "0".

[0093] Next, using a predetermined position on the upper surface 41 of another part of the workpiece W as the measured surface, the procedures from steps S10 to S90 are executed, and the measurement results are recorded as measurement values ​​Y1, Y2, etc. Alternatively, in step S90 at the end of the measurement, the function key indicating the measurement value number of the object can be pressed twice to record the measurement values ​​Y1, Y2, etc., respectively.

[0094] The measured values ​​Y1, Y2, etc. are the coordinate values ​​in the Y direction with the measurement reference Y0 as the reference. That is, the measured values ​​Y1, Y2, etc. are the height dimensions from the reference point of the upper surface 41 of the workpiece W to the other upper surfaces 42, 43, etc. of the workpiece W.

[0095] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6(C), the workpiece W can also be measured using a predetermined position of the workpiece W, such as the upper surface 41, as the measurement reference Y0 in the Y direction, and then the measurement reference Y0 of the measured reference point is recorded as a preset coordinate value.

[0096] That is, first, the measurement procedure of steps S10 to S90 is performed on the upper surface 41 of the workpiece W to be used as the reference surface to measure the measurement reference Y0. The measured mechanical coordinate values ​​are converted and recorded as preset coordinate values.

[0097] Next, using other parts of the workpiece W, such as the upper surfaces 42 and 43, as the measured surfaces, the procedures from steps S10 to S90 are executed, and the measurement results are recorded as measurement values ​​Y1, Y2, etc. Alternatively, in step S90 at the end of the measurement, the soft key indicating the measurement value number of the object is pressed twice to record the measurement values ​​Y1, Y2, etc., respectively.

[0098] The recorded measurement values ​​Y1, Y2, etc. are the coordinate values ​​in the Y direction when the measurement reference Y0 is the preset reference coordinate value. That is, Y1, Y2, etc. are the coordinate values ​​obtained by adding the preset coordinate value of the measurement reference Y0 to the height dimension of the upper surface 41 of the workpiece W, which becomes the reference point, to the other upper surfaces 42, 43, etc. of the workpiece W.

[0099] Next, referring to Figure 7, the measurement procedure and machining procedure for the machined surface of the workpiece W will be described in detail. Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the measurement and grinding process of the workpiece W in the grinding apparatus 1. First, as shown in Figure 2, the workpiece W is placed on the upper surface of the holding plate 15 of the processing table 14 and held on the holding plate 15.

[0100] Referring to Figure 7, in step S100, the operator presses the probe descent switch 33 (refer to Figure 4) to input an instruction to feed the detection sensor 20 (refer to Figure 2) from the retracted position to the measurement position.

[0101] In step S100, when the operator presses the probe descent switch 33, the control device 4 (see Figure 1) confirms in step S110 whether the detection sensor 20 can be safely fed to the measurement position without contacting the workpiece W, the holding plate 15, etc.

[0102] When it is confirmed in step S110 that the detection sensor 20 can be safely fed to the measurement position, the control device 4 proceeds to step S140 to feed the detection sensor 20 to the measurement position.

[0103] When it is determined that the detection sensor 20 cannot be safely fed to the measurement position, the control device 4 proceeds to the procedure of step S120 and displays an error message on the display section 30 of the operation panel 3 (see Figure 3).

[0104] The operator who confirms the error message in step S120 will manually operate the up-down continuous feed switch 25 and other operating means in step S130 to drive the feed means, so that the detection sensor 20 can be moved to a safe position that can be safely fed to the measurement position.

[0105] In step S130, when the control device 4 detects that the detection sensor 20 has moved to a safe position where it can be safely fed to the measurement position, it proceeds to step S140 and feeds the detection sensor 20 to the measurement position.

[0106] Here, the entire process between step S110, which confirms the safe position of the detection sensor 20, and step S130, which feeds the sensor to the safe position, can also be performed automatically by the control device 4. This way, the operator only needs to manually press the probe descent switch 33 in step S100, reducing the workload and allowing for simple measurement of the workpiece W.

[0107] In step S140, after the detection sensor 20 is fed to the measurement position, in step S150, the operator manually performs the reference position measurement procedure, changes the relative position of the detection sensor 20 and the processing table 14, and makes the detection sensor 20 contact the workpiece W to measure the reference point.

[0108] The measurement of the reference point is performed using the measurement procedure shown in steps S10 to S90 of FIG. 5. As explained above, the reference point may be, for example, the holding plate 15, the reference block, or the predetermined position of the workpiece W. The coordinate values ​​of the measurement reference Y0 (see FIG. 6) are then measured and recorded.

[0109] Next, in step S160, the workpiece measurement procedure is executed. The relative position of the detection sensor 20 and the processing table 14 is changed by the operator's manual operation, so that the detection sensor 20 comes into contact with the workpiece W and the workpiece W is measured.

[0110] In step S160, during the measurement of the workpiece W, steps S10 to S90 as shown in Figure 5 are executed at each measurement point. The measurement results at each point are then recorded as measurement values ​​Y1, Y2 (see Figure 6), etc.

[0111] After the workpiece measurement procedure (step S160) is completed, in step S170, the operator presses the probe rise switch 32 (see Figure 4) to input an instruction to accommodate the detection sensor 20 in the retracted position.

[0112] In step S170, when the operator presses the probe rise switch 32, the control device 4 confirms in step S180 whether the detection sensor 20 can be safely fed to the retraction position without contacting the workpiece W, the holding plate 15, etc.

[0113] When it is confirmed in step S180 that the detection sensor 20 can be safely fed to the retracted position, the control device 4 proceeds to step S210 and feeds the detection sensor 20 to the retracted position.

[0114] If it is determined in step S180 that the detection sensor 20 cannot be safely fed to the retreat position, the control device 4 proceeds to step S190 and displays an error message on the display section 30 of the operation panel 3.

[0115] The operator who confirms the error message in step S190 will manually operate the up-down continuous feed switch 25 and other operating means in step S200 to drive the feed means, so that the detection sensor 20 can be moved to a safe position that can be safely fed to the retreat position.

[0116] In step S200, when the control device 4 detects that the detection sensor 20 has moved to a safe position that can be safely fed to the retreat position, it proceeds to step S210 and feeds the detection sensor 20 to the retreat position.

[0117] Here, the entire procedure between step S180, which confirms the safe position of the detection sensor 20, and step S200, which feeds the sensor to the safe position, can also be performed automatically by the control device 4. This way, the operator only needs to manually press the probe rise switch 32 in step S170, thus reducing the workload.

[0118] In step S210, when the detection sensor 20 is accommodated in the retracted position, a positioning procedure is performed in step S220 to feed the detection sensor 20 and the processing table 14 to the predetermined processing start position by a feeding means.

[0119] The movement of the detection sensor 20 and the processing table 14 is performed manually by the operator. However, the positioning procedure (step S220) can also be performed automatically by the control device 4. For example, the control device 4 can automatically position itself to the recorded end position of the previous processing step.

[0120] After the positioning step (step S220), the grinding process of the workpiece W begins in step S230 and ends in step S240. The processing method is as described above, in which the rotating grinding wheel 10 contacts the surface of the workpiece W to be processed, thereby grinding the surface of the workpiece.

[0121] Next, in step S250, it is determined whether post-processing measurement is required for the finished workpiece W. If post-processing measurement is required, the process returns to step S100 to perform the procedure for measuring the workpiece W.

[0122] On the other hand, if measurement after processing is not required, proceed to step S260 to determine whether processing needs to be corrected. If processing correction is required, return to step S230 to perform grinding processing on the workpiece W. Furthermore, if it is determined in step S260 that no correction processing of the workpiece W will be performed, proceed to step S270 to end the grinding process.

[0123] As explained above, according to the grinding device 1, the operator does not need to perform prior preparations such as creating NC programs, but can manually input measurement instructions into the operating means, thereby making it easy and accurate to measure the position of the workpiece. Therefore, the grinding device 1 can reduce the burden of pre-processing for the operator and can significantly shorten the pre-processing time, thereby achieving high efficiency in the processing of the workpiece.

[0124] Specifically, the grinding apparatus 1 eliminates the need for setting various parameters required by conventional grinding apparatuses, such as setting rough / fine measurement distance, rough / fine measurement speed, safety position, left / right measurement spacing / speed, front / back measurement spacing / speed, reference position instruction, workpiece measurement position instruction and input, and action confirmation, and can measure the workpiece W directly. This completely eliminates the approximately 830 seconds originally required for these measurement preparation steps, resulting in a significant time reduction.

[0125] Furthermore, by manually operating the detection sensor 20 to perform measurements at high speed using a continuous up-and-down feed switch 25, the measurement time can be shortened. Specifically, when performing automatic measurement using a conventional NC program, the movement speed of the detection sensor 20 is slow, and the measurement actions such as moving from the retraction position to the measurement position and its reverse movement, as well as the measurement of the reference point and the measurement point (coarse measurement, fine measurement) take about 100 seconds.

[0126] In contrast, in the grinding apparatus 1, the detection sensor 20 is fed at high speed by means of a manually operated up-and-down continuous feed switch 25, so the measurement operation can be completed in about 40 seconds.

[0127] That is, when comparing the total time from the start of preparation to the end of the measurement, the conventional grinding device takes about 930 seconds, while the grinding device 1 of this embodiment can perform the measurement in about 40 seconds. In other words, according to the grinding device 1, the measurement time of the workpiece W can be shortened by about 890 seconds, and the measurement can be completed in about 4% of the time of the conventional technology.

[0128] Furthermore, as described above, the grinding apparatus 1 performs stop control (steps S20 and S60) and separation control (steps S30 and S70) after the detection sensor 20 comes into high-speed contact with the workpiece W. This ensures safe and high-speed measurement without damage to the detection sensor 20 or the workpiece W due to contact during measurement.

[0129] Furthermore, the grinding apparatus 1 can perform multiple measurements by bringing the detection sensor 20 into contact with the workpiece W at a speed lower than that at the time of the first contact after the initial contact and measurement. This allows for easy manual operation and efficient execution of high-precision measurements, thereby improving measurement accuracy. This feed action at a speed lower than that at the time of the first contact is still faster than conventional techniques, reducing the measurement action time for high-precision measurements by approximately 30% compared to conventional techniques.

[0130] Thus, the grinding apparatus 1 of this embodiment can detect the position of the surface to be processed on the workpiece W with high accuracy and efficiency without prior preparation such as NC program creation, which can significantly shorten the measurement time and improve the productivity of the workpiece W.

[0131] Here, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. In addition, various modifications and embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0132] 1: Grinding device 2: Grinding machine 3: Control Panel 4: Control device 10: Grinding wheel 11: Grinding head 12: Column 13: Grinding wheel guard 14: Processing table 15: Fixed Position 16: Base 17: Rack 18: Cover 20: Detection sensor 21: Probe 22: Contact element 23: Arms 24: Top and bottom feed handles 25: Continuous feeder switch 26: Left and right feed handles 27: Front and rear feed handles 28: Front and rear continuous feed switch 30: Display Section 31: Operations Department 32: Probe rise switch 33: Probe descent switch 34: Air blowing switch 40, 41, 42, 43: Upper surface Y0: Measurement reference Y1, Y2, Y3: Measured values W: Processed product S10, S20, S30, S40, S50, S60, S70, S80, S90, S100, S110, S120, S130, S140, S150, S160, S170, S180, S190, S200, S210, S220, S230, S240, S250, S260, S270: Steps

Claims

1. A grinding apparatus comprising: a processing table for holding a workpiece; a grinding wheel for grinding the workpiece in a rotating state; a detection sensor for contacting the workpiece's surface to detect the position of the workpiece's surface; a feeding means for feeding the detection sensor or the processing table, causing the detection sensor and the processing table to move relative to each other; a control device for numerically controlling the feeding caused by the feeding means; and an operation means for manually inputting an instruction for the feeding action of the feeding means into the control device; wherein the control device changes the relative position of the detection sensor and the processing table by manually controlling the feeding means through the operation means, causing the detection sensor to contact the workpiece to measure the workpiece and record the coordinates of the contact point; when the detection sensor contacts the workpiece through the manual operation means, the relative movement of the detection sensor and the processing table caused by the feeding means is automatically stopped, and then the feeding means is automatically controlled to separate the detection sensor from the workpiece.

2. A grinding apparatus comprising: a processing table for holding a workpiece; a grinding wheel for grinding the workpiece in a rotating state; a detection sensor for detecting the position of the workpiece surface by contacting the workpiece surface; a feeding means for feeding the detection sensor or the processing table to move the detection sensor relative to the processing table; a control device for numerically controlling the feeding caused by the feeding means; and an operation means for manually inputting an instruction for the feeding action of the feeding means into the control device; wherein the control device changes the relative position of the detection sensor and the processing table by manually controlling the feeding means through the operation means, so that the detection sensor contacts the workpiece to measure the workpiece and records the coordinates of the contact point, and after the detection sensor contacts and separates from the workpiece, controls the feeding of the detection sensor or the processing table at a speed lower than that at the first contact to bring the detection sensor into contact with the workpiece.

3. The grinding apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein, After the aforementioned detection sensor comes into contact with and separates from the aforementioned workpiece, the aforementioned control device controls the aforementioned detection sensor or the aforementioned workpiece to come into contact with it at a speed lower than that at the first contact.

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