Control device for machine tool, and machining program generation device

Abstract

This control device for a machine tool that executes a machining program is provided with: a storage unit that stores first model information indicating the model of the machine tool; a reading unit that reads second model information from the machining program; an assessment unit that assesses whether or not the second model information corresponds to the first model information; and a notification control unit that, if it is assessed that the second model information does not correspond to the first model information, controls a notification device to notify of a first warning.

Description

Machine tool control device and machining program generation device

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device and a machining program generation device for a machine tool.

[0002] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-150728 discloses an NC program creation device that can easily create an NC program optimized for an NC machine tool.

[0003] Depending on the type of machine tool on which the machining program is executed, problems may occur that may affect the machining operation.

[0004] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] A first aspect of the present disclosure is a control device for a machine tool that executes a machining program, comprising: a memory unit that stores first model information indicating the model of the machine tool; a reading unit that reads second model information from the machining program; a determination unit that determines whether the second model information corresponds to the first model information; and an alarm control unit that controls an alarm device to issue a first warning when it is determined that the second model information does not correspond to the first model information.

[0006] A second aspect of the present disclosure is a machining program generation device that generates the machining program to be executed by the control device of a machine tool according to the first aspect, and includes: a determination unit that determines the second model information as model information of the machine tool in response to operation of the machining program generation device by an operator; and a generation unit that generates the machining program by describing the second model information and a command code for machining a workpiece in the machining program.

[0007] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a machine tool, a machine tool control device, and a machining program generation device. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining input of second model information by an operator. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a machining program in which the second model information is described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between first model information and second model information. FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a drawing process of a machining path as an example of a predetermined process performed by a processing unit. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a machining process of a workpiece as an example of a predetermined process performed by a processing unit. FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first warning being issued. FIG. 6B is a diagram illustrating an example of an output message asking for instructions from a machine tool operator. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure of a predetermined process performed in a machine tool control device. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining confirmation of second version number information by an operator. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a machining program in which the second model information and the second version number information are described. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a correspondence relationship between the first version number information and the second version number information. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a second warning being issued and an example of an output message asking for instructions from the operator of the machine tool Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a predetermined process performed in the control device of the machine tool.

[0008] There are cases where the model of the machine tool that corresponds to the machining program generated by the machining program generation device is different from the model of the machine tool on which the machining program is executed. In such cases, the machining program may be executed even though it may not be suitable for machining the workpiece with the machine tool. As a result, problems that may affect machining operations, such as a decrease in machining accuracy or a prolonged machining time, may occur.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a machine tool 10, a control device 20 for the machine tool 10, and a machining program generating device 30. The machine tool 10 is, for example, a wire electric discharge machine, a cutting machine, etc. In FIG. 1, a wire electric discharge machine is shown as an example of the machine tool 10. A workpiece W is placed on a table 10t of the machine tool 10 shown in FIG. 1. The workpiece W is machined by electric discharge in the gap between the workpiece W and a wire electrode E.

[0010] The wire electrode E is supported by a pair of wire guides including an upper wire guide 10gu and a lower wire guide 10gd. When the workpiece W is subjected to electrical discharge machining, the wire electrode E is fed from the upper wire guide 10gu to the lower wire guide 10gd by a motor (not shown).

[0011] Machine tool 10 machines workpiece W in accordance with CNC (Computer Numerical Control) by control device 20. Specifically, control device 20, in which CNC software is pre-installed, executes a machining program to control machine tool 10. The machining program is generated by machining program generation device 30.

[0012] The control device 20 moves the table 10t and the pair of wire guides (upper wire guide 10gu and lower wire guide 10gd) relative to each other along a machining path described in a machining program. This causes relative movement between the workpiece W and the wire electrode E. During this relative movement, the above-mentioned electrical discharge occurs between the electrodes. This electrical discharge allows the machine tool 10 to machine the workpiece W.

[0013] Control device 20 controls machine tool 10. Control device 20 has a calculation unit 50 and a storage unit 52. Calculation unit 50 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). In other words, calculation unit 50 includes a processing circuit.

[0014] The storage unit 52 includes a volatile memory such as a random access memory (RAM) and a non-volatile memory such as a read-only memory (ROM) or flash memory. The volatile memory is used as a working memory for the processor. The non-volatile memory stores programs executed by the processor and other necessary information.

[0015] The programs stored in memory unit 52 include software programs and machining programs installed on control device 20. The information stored in memory unit 52 includes first model information indicating the model of machine tool 10, and model correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the first model information and second model information described below.

[0016] The calculation unit 50 has a reading unit 60, a determination unit 62, a notification control unit 64, a reception unit 66, and a processing unit 68. The calculation unit 50 executes a program stored in the storage unit 52, thereby realizing the reading unit 60, the determination unit 62, the notification control unit 64, the reception unit 66, and the processing unit 68.

[0017] At least some of the reading unit 60, the determination unit 62, the notification control unit 64, the reception unit 66, and the processing unit 68 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or an electronic circuit including a discrete device.

[0018] The reading unit 60 reads the second model information from a machining program in which the second model information, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 3, is written. As described above, the storage unit 52 stores the first model information and model compatibility information. The determination unit 62 reads the first model information and model compatibility information from the storage unit 52.

[0019] Determination unit 62 determines whether the second model information read by reading unit 60 corresponds to the first model information read from storage unit 52, based on the model correspondence information read from storage unit 52. If the machining program in which the second model information is described is a program that can be executed on a machine tool 10 of the model indicated by the first model information, it is determined that the second model information corresponds to the first model information. A specific example of the correspondence between the first model information and the second model information will be described later using Figure 4.

[0020] If it is determined that the second model information does not correspond to the first model information, the notification control unit 64 controls the notification device 20d to issue a first warning. The notification device 20d may be a display unit such as a liquid crystal display, an LED display, or an organic EL display, or may be a sound output unit such as a speaker. As a result, the notification device 20d outputs the first warning on a screen or by voice.

[0021] The first warning includes a message for making the operator of machine tool 10 aware of the important matter that there is a high possibility of a problem occurring that may affect the machining operation. Specific examples of the message will be described later with reference to FIG. 6A. In this embodiment, notification device 20d is a display unit. Although notification device 20d is arranged outside control device 20 in the example shown in FIG. 1, it may also be included in control device 20.

[0022] Notification device 20d may include an operation unit of machine tool 10. An operator of machine tool 10 can input instructions to control device 20 into notification device 20d by operating the operation unit of notification device 20d. Reception unit 66 receives the input operator instructions from notification device 20d.

[0023] When the alarm device 20d is a display unit and includes an operation unit, the operation unit may be a member that can be operated by an operator, such as a keyboard, a mouse, or a touch panel. When the alarm device 20d is a sound emission unit and includes a sound collection unit, the sound collection unit may be a member that can input the operator's speech as sound, such as a microphone.

[0024] The processing unit 68 executes a machining program to perform predetermined processing. The predetermined processing is, for example, processing to draw a machining path or processing the workpiece W. In the processing to draw a machining path, the processing unit 68 controls the notification device 20d to draw a machining path on the screen of the notification device 20d. In the processing of the workpiece W, the processing unit 68 controls the machine tool 10 to machine the workpiece W.

[0025] The machining program generating device 30 generates a machining program to be executed by the control device 20 of the machine tool 10. The machining program generating device 30 has a calculation unit 80 and a storage unit 82. The calculation unit 80 includes a processor such as a CPU or a GPU. That is, the calculation unit 80 includes a processing circuit.

[0026] The storage unit 82 includes a volatile memory such as RAM and a non-volatile memory such as ROM or flash memory. The volatile memory is used as a working memory for the processor. The non-volatile memory stores programs executed by the processor and other necessary data. The storage unit 82 may further store a list of model information of the machine tools 10 that are targets for executing the machining programs created by the machining program generation device 30.

[0027] The calculation unit 80 has a determination unit 90 and a generation unit 92. The determination unit 90 and the generation unit 92 are realized by the calculation unit 80 executing a program stored in the storage unit 82. At least one of the determination unit 90 and the generation unit 92 may be realized by an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA, or an electronic circuit including a discrete device.

[0028] The determining unit 90 determines the second model information as model information of the machine tool 10 in response to an operator's operation of the machining program generating device 30. The machining program generating device 30 is operated using an input device 30i. The input device 30i is a member that can be operated by an operator, such as a keyboard or a mouse. The operator of the machining program generating device 30 operates the input device 30i to cause the machining program generating device 30 to generate a machining program.

[0029] Although the input device 30i is arranged outside the machining program generating device 30 in the example shown in FIG.

[0030] When generating a machining program, the operator inputs model information of the machine tool 10 on which the machining program will be executed as second model information into the input device 30i. The input of the second model information will be described later with reference to Fig. 2. The determination unit 90 determines the second model information input when the machining program is generated as the model information of the machine tool 10 on which the machining program will be executed.

[0031] An operator of the machining program generation device 30 inputs a machining shape to the machining program generation device 30 by drawing the machining shape on the input device 30i. The generation unit 92 of the machining program generation device 30 determines a plurality of command codes according to the input machining shape. The command codes are used in the machining program so that the control device 20 causes the machine tool 10 to machine the workpiece W.

[0032] In this way, the operator can cause the machining program generation device 30 to generate a machining program via the input device 30i. The generation unit 92 generates the machining program by describing the command code based on the input by the operator and the second machine type information determined by the determination unit 90 in the machining program.

[0033] 2 is a diagram for explaining input of the second model information by the operator 30p. When generating a machining program, the determination unit 90 of the machining program generation device 30 enables the operator 30p to input the second model information into the input device 30i.

[0034] In the example shown in Figure 2, the determination unit 90 displays an input field 30fm for second model information on the screen of the input device 30i. The operator 30p inputs the second model information in the input field 30fm and then clicks the confirm button icon 30c. In this way, the second model information is input to the input device 30i. The determination unit 90 determines the input second model information as the model information of the machine tool 10 on which the machining program is executed. The second model information determined by the determination unit 90 is written into the machining program by the generation unit 92.

[0035] If a list of model information of machine tools 10 is stored in the memory unit 82, the determination unit 90 may display the list on the screen of the input device 30i. The operator 30p selects one piece of model information from the list. The selected piece of model information is input to the input device 30i as second model information. The determination unit 90 determines the input second model information as the model information of the machine tool 10 on which the machining program is to be executed. The second model information determined by the determination unit 90 is written into the machining program by the generation unit 92.

[0036] There are cases where voice input to the input device 30i is possible. In such cases, the determination unit 90 may cause a speaker (not shown) of the input device 30i to output a voice prompting the operator 30p to speak the second model information. When the operator 30p speaks the second model information, the second model information is input to the input device 30i. The determination unit 90 determines the input second model information as the model information of the machine tool 10 on which the machining program is executed. The second model information determined by the determination unit 90 is written into the machining program by the generation unit 92.

[0037] 3 is a diagram illustrating a machining program Pg in which second machine type information is described. The machining program Pg includes a main body section Mp and an additional section A1. The generation section 92 of the machining program generation device 30 describes command codes for machining the workpiece W in the main body section Mp. The generation section 92 describes the second machine type information determined by the determination section 90 in the additional section A1.

[0038] In this way, generation unit 92 generates machining program Pg. This allows determination unit 62 in control device 20 of machine tool 10 to determine whether or not the second model information corresponds to the first model information.

[0039] The machining program Pg generated by the generation unit 92 is stored in the memory unit 52 of the control device 20 of the machine tool 10 via a network, removable media, or the like.

[0040] In the example shown in Fig. 3, the additional section A1 in which the second model information is described is placed before the main section Mp. That is, the second model information is described at the beginning of the machining program Pg. However, the second model information may also be described at the end of the machining program Pg. Furthermore, the second model information may be included in the main section Mp as long as it is described in accordance with the grammar of the programming language used in the main section Mp.

[0041] Furthermore, the generating unit 92 may write the second model information determined by the determining unit 90 in another area of ​​the machining program Pg. The other area is, for example, a metadata area including the file name of the program file of the machining program Pg.

[0042] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the correspondence between the first model information and the second model information. Fig. 4 indicates whether the machining program Pg in which the second model information is described is a program that can be executed on a machine tool 10 of the model indicated by the first model information. In other words, Fig. 4 indicates whether the second model information corresponds to the first model information.

[0043] For example, suppose the first model information indicating the model of the machine tool 10 is "WireEDM-A400." In this case, in the example shown in FIG. 4, "WireEDM-A400" corresponds to the first model information as the second model information. That is, the control device 20 of this machine tool 10 is capable of executing a machining program Pg in which "WireEDM-A400" is written as the second model information. However, if any other machining program is executed by this control device 20, problems that affect the machining operation, such as a decrease in machining accuracy or a prolonged machining time, may occur.

[0044] For example, when the first model information is "WireEDM-A600," the corresponding second model information is "WireEDM-A400" and "WireEDM-A600" in the example shown in Fig. 4. That is, the control device 20 of this machine tool 10 can execute a machining program Pg in which "WireEDM-A400" or "WireEDM-A600" is written as the second model information.

[0045] However, if other machining programs are executed by the control device 20, problems that affect the machining operation, such as a decrease in machining accuracy or a prolongation of machining time, may occur.

[0046] As described above, storage unit 52 of control device 20 stores first model information and model correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the first model information and second model information. For example, assume that the model of machine tool 10 is "WireEDM-A400." In this case, storage unit 52 stores "WireEDM-A400" as the first model information.

[0047] Furthermore, the storage unit 52 stores model correspondence information indicating the correspondence relationship between the first model information "WireEDM-A400" and the second model information "WireEDM-A400." In other words, the storage unit 52 stores model correspondence information in which the first model information is associated with the second model information described in the machining program Pg that does not cause problems that affect machining operations even when executed on a machine tool 10 of the model indicated by the first model information.

[0048] The determination unit 62 of the control device 20 reads out the first model information and the model compatibility information from the storage unit 52. Based on the read out first model information and model compatibility information, the determination unit 62 determines whether or not the second model information described in the addition section A1 of the machining program Pg corresponds to the first model information.

[0049] As described above, the processing unit 68 of the control device 20 performs predetermined processing by executing the processing program Pg. Fig. 5A is a diagram showing a drawing process of a processing path Rm as an example of the predetermined processing performed by the processing unit 68. Fig. 5B is a diagram showing a processing process of a workpiece W as an example of the predetermined processing performed by the processing unit 68.

[0050] An operator of the machine tool 10 may check the machining path Rm before machining the workpiece W. In this case, the operator inputs a drawing process start instruction to the control device 20 via the notification device 20d. The processing unit 68 executes the machining program Pg, thereby drawing the machining path Rm starting from the machining start position Sp on the screen of the notification device 20d, as shown in FIG. 5A .

[0051] When starting the drawing process of the machining path Rm, the processing unit 68 acquires the machining program Pg stored in the storage unit 52 and starts executing the machining program Pg. The reading unit 60 reads the second model information from the machining program Pg acquired by the processing unit 68. The determination unit 62 reads the first model information from the storage unit 52.

[0052] If the determination unit 62 determines that the second model information corresponds to the first model information, the processing unit 68 continues the drawing process of the machining path Rm. The state in which the drawing process of the machining path Rm is then completed is shown in FIG. 5A. By determining that the second model information corresponds to the first model information, problems that may affect the subsequent machining work of the workpiece W can be avoided.

[0053] After confirming that the drawing process result of the machining path Rm is as expected, the operator plans the machining process of the workpiece W. The operator inputs a machining process start command to the control device 20 via the notification device 20d. The processing unit 68 executes the machining program Pg to machine the workpiece W placed on the table 10t of the machine tool 10, as shown in FIG. 5B . The wire electrode E moves relatively along the machining path Rm starting from the machining start position Sp, thereby machining the workpiece W.

[0054] When starting processing of the workpiece W, the processing unit 68 acquires the processing program Pg stored in the storage unit 52 and starts executing the processing program Pg. The reading unit 60 reads the second model information from the processing program Pg acquired by the processing unit 68. The determination unit 62 reads the first model information from the storage unit 52. If the determination unit 62 determines that the second model information corresponds to the first model information, the processing unit 68 continues processing the workpiece W. The state during the subsequent processing of the workpiece W is shown in FIG. 5B .

[0055] If determination unit 62 determines that the second model information does not correspond to the first model information, notification control unit 64 controls notification device 20d to issue a first warning, as described above. The first warning notification allows the operator of machine tool 10 to recognize the important fact that there is a high possibility of a problem occurring that may affect the machining operation. Figure 6A is a diagram showing an example of how first warning Ta is issued.

[0056] In the example shown in Fig. 6A, a message indicating that the second model information described in the machining program Pg does not correspond to the machine tool 10 is output as the first warning Ta on the screen of the notification device 20d. Note that the message of the first warning Ta shown in Fig. 6A is merely an example. The message of the first warning Ta may be a message that makes the operator of the machine tool 10 aware of the important matter that there is a high possibility of a problem occurring that may affect the machining operation. By being notified of the first warning Ta, the operator can avoid the above-mentioned problem that may affect the machining operation.

[0057] The message of the first warning Ta may further include one or both of a message Ta1 and a message Ta2 shown in Fig. 6A. The message Ta1 is a message indicating that the machining program Pg is not suitable for machining the workpiece W by the machine tool 10. The message Ta2 is a message for urging the operator to modify the machining program Pg. By outputting at least one of the message Ta1 and the message Ta2, the operator can avoid problems that may affect the machining operation.

[0058] An example of a screen output that is displayed when the operator selects icon Tac labeled "Next" is shown in Figure 6B. Figure 6B is a diagram showing an example of an output message Qa that asks for instructions from operator 20m of machine tool 10. Message Qa is a continuation-inquiry message that asks for instructions from operator 20m regarding the continuation of predetermined processing by processing unit 68. Message Qa includes an icon Qay labeled "Yes (continue)" and an icon Qan labeled "No (cancel)."

[0059] There are cases where the operator 20m knows from experience, for example, that continuing the predetermined process will not cause any problems that may affect the machining work. In such cases, the operator 20m can instruct the control device 20 to continue the predetermined process by selecting the icon Qay. When this instruction is received by the receiving unit 66, the processing unit 68 continues the predetermined process.

[0060] By selecting the icon Qan, the operator 20m can instruct the control device 20 to stop the predetermined process. When this instruction is accepted by the accepting unit 66, the processing unit 68 stops the predetermined process. By selecting the icon Qan, the operator 20m can avoid a problem that may affect the processing work.

[0061] 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a predetermined process performed in control device 20 of machine tool 10. This procedure is performed by calculation unit 50 of control device 20 executing a program stored in memory unit 52.

[0062] This processing procedure is started when the operator 20m of the machine tool 10 inputs a predetermined processing start instruction to the control device 20 via the notification device 20d. As described above, the predetermined processing is processing carried out by executing the machining program Pg, and is, for example, processing to draw the machining path Rm or processing the workpiece W.

[0063] In step S1, the receiving unit 66 receives an input instruction to start a predetermined process. The processing unit 68 acquires the machining program Pg stored in the storage unit 52 and starts executing the machining program Pg. In other words, the predetermined process is started. In step S2, the reading unit 60 reads the second model information from the machining program Pg acquired by the processing unit 68.

[0064] In step S3, the determination unit 62 reads out the first model information from the storage unit 52. In step S4, the determination unit 62 determines whether the second model information read out in step S2 corresponds to the first model information read out in step S3. If the determination in step S4 is YES, the process proceeds to step S5. If the determination in step S4 is NO, the process proceeds to step S21.

[0065] In step S5, the processing unit 68 continues the predetermined processing started in step S1. In step S6, the processing unit 68 determines whether the predetermined processing is completed. If the answer is YES in step S6, the processing procedure ends. If the answer is NO in step S6, the processing procedure repeats the processing of step S6.

[0066] In step S21, the notification control unit 64 controls the notification device 20d to issue a first warning Ta. The notification control unit 64 also outputs a continuation request message Qa regarding the continuation of the predetermined process to the notification device 20d. The message Qa includes an icon Qay for the operator 20m to instruct the continuation of the predetermined process and an icon Qan for instructing the operator 20m to stop the predetermined process.

[0067] In step S22, the receiving unit 66 receives an instruction from the operator 20m regarding the continuation of the predetermined process. The processing unit 68 determines whether or not the continuation of the predetermined process has been instructed based on the instruction from the operator 20m received by the receiving unit 66. If the answer is YES in step S22, the process proceeds to step S5 described above. If the answer is NO in step S22, the process proceeds to step S31.

[0068] In step S31, the processing unit 68 stops the predetermined process started in step S1. When the process of step S31 is completed, this processing procedure ends.

[0069] According to this embodiment, it is determined whether the second model information described in the machining program Pg corresponds to the first model information indicating the model of the machine tool 10. If it is determined that the second model information does not correspond to the first model information, a first warning Ta is issued. Therefore, the operator 20m of the machine tool 10 can avoid problems that may affect the machining operation of the workpiece W.

[0070] The above embodiment may be modified as follows: In the following modifications, explanations that overlap with the embodiment will be omitted.

[0071] (Modification) In the above embodiment, it is determined whether the second model information corresponds to the first model information. In addition, a determination may be made regarding the software version corresponding to the machining program Pg. In addition to the first model information and model compatibility information, storage unit 52 of control device 20 of machine tool 10 stores information regarding the software version.

[0072] The information related to software versions stored in the memory unit 52 includes first version information and version correspondence information. The first version information is information indicating the version of the machining software or the operation software, or both, which are software installed in the control device 20 to execute the machining program Pg. In this modified example, an example will be described in which the information indicating the version of the machining software is the first version information. The version correspondence information is information indicating the correspondence between the first version information and second version information, which will be described later.

[0073] The reading unit 60 reads the second version number information from the machining program Pg in which the second version number information, which will be described later with reference to Fig. 9, is written. As described above, the storage unit 52 stores the first version number information and the version number correspondence information. The determination unit 62 reads the first version number information and the version number correspondence information from the storage unit 52.

[0074] The determination unit 62 determines whether the second version number information read by the reading unit 60 corresponds to the first version number information read from the storage unit 52, based on the version number correspondence information read from the storage unit 52. If the machining program Pg in which the second version number information is described is a program that can be executed by the control device 20 in which software of the version number indicated by the first version number information is installed, it is determined that the second version number information corresponds to the first version number information. A specific example of the correspondence relationship between the first version number information and the second version number information will be described later with reference to FIG. 10 .

[0075] If it is determined that the second version information does not correspond to the first version information, the notification control unit 64 controls the notification device 20d to issue a second warning. In this modification, when the second warning is issued, the possibility of a problem affecting the processing operation occurring is lower than when the first warning Ta is issued. Although the second warning is not as important as the first warning Ta, it is preferable to pay attention to the second warning. Note that the second warning may be treated in the same way as the first warning Ta, as it is considered to be of similar importance.

[0076] Notification device 20d outputs the second warning by means of a screen, a sound, etc. The second warning includes a message for making operator 20m of machine tool 10 aware of an item that requires attention, namely, the possibility of a problem occurring that may affect the machining operation. A specific example of the message will be described later with reference to FIG. 11 .

[0077] The memory unit 82 of the machining program generating device 30 stores, in addition to the list of model information of the machine tool 10, second version information of the software corresponding to the machining program Pg created by the machining program generating device 30.

[0078] 8 is a diagram for explaining confirmation of the second version number information by the operator 30p. As described above with reference to FIG. 2, when the machining program Pg is generated, the second model information is input into the input field 30fm on the screen of the input device 30i.

[0079] In this modification, the determination unit 90 of the machining program generation device 30 further determines the second version information stored in the storage unit 82 as the version information of the software used to generate the machining program Pg. As shown in Fig. 8, the determination unit 90 displays the second version information in a second version information output field 30fv on the screen of the input device 30i. This allows the operator 30p to check the second version information.

[0080] The generation unit 92 of the machining program generation device 30 describes in the machining program Pg the second model information and the second version number information determined by the determination unit 90. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of the machining program Pg in which the second model information and the second version number information are described.

[0081] As described above with reference to Fig. 3, the machining program Pg includes a main body portion Mp and an additional portion A1. In this modification, as shown in Fig. 9, the machining program Pg further includes an additional portion A2. The generator 92 describes the second version number information in the additional portion A2. This allows the determiner 62 in the control device 20 of the machine tool 10 to determine whether the second version number information corresponds to the first version number information.

[0082] In the example shown in FIG. 9, the additional section A2 in which the second version number information is written is located after the additional section A1 and before the main section Mp. However, the second version number information may be written at the end of the machining program Pg. The second version number information may be located before the second model information. Furthermore, the second version number information may be included in the main section Mp as long as it is written in accordance with the grammar of the programming language used in the main section Mp.

[0083] Furthermore, the generating unit 92 may write the second version number information determined by the determining unit 90 in another area of ​​the machining program Pg. The other area is, for example, a metadata area including the file name of the program file of the machining program Pg.

[0084] Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating the correspondence between the first version number information and the second version number information. Fig. 10 shows whether the machining program Pg in which the second version number information is described is a program that can be executed by the control device 20 in which software of the version number indicated by the first version number information is installed. In other words, Fig. 10 shows whether the second version number information corresponds to the first version number information.

[0085] For example, assume that the first version number information indicating the version number of the machining software installed in the control device 20 is "EDM Software Version 2.3." In this case, in the example shown in Fig. 10, the second version number information corresponds to "EDM Software Version 2.3," "EDM Software Version 2.2," and "EDM Software Version 2.1."

[0086] That is, the control device 20 of this machine tool 10 is capable of executing a machining program Pg in which "EDM Software Version 2.3," "EDM Software Version 2.2," or "EDM Software Version 2.1" is described as the second version number information. However, if a machining program other than these is executed by this control device 20, problems that affect the machining work, such as a decrease in machining accuracy or a prolonged machining time, may occur.

[0087] For example, if the first version number information is "EDM Software Version 1.5," then in the example shown in Fig. 10, the second version number information corresponds to "EDM Software Version 1.5" and "EDM Software Version 1.4." That is, control device 20 of this machine tool 10 can execute machining program Pg in which "EDM Software Version 1.5" or "EDM Software Version 1.4" is written as the second version number information.

[0088] However, if a machining program Pg other than these is executed by the control device 20, problems that affect the machining operation, such as a decrease in machining accuracy or a prolongation of machining time, may occur.

[0089] As described above, the storage unit 52 of the control device 20 stores the first version information and version correspondence information indicating the correspondence between the first version information and the second version information. For example, assume that the version number of the machining software installed in the control device 20 is "EDM Software Version 2.3." In this case, the storage unit 52 stores "EDM Software Version 2.3" as the first version information.

[0090] The memory unit 52 also stores version number correspondence information that indicates the correspondence between the first version number information, "EDM Software Version 2.3," and the second version number information, "EDM Software Version 2.3," "EDM Software Version 2.2," and "EDM Software Version 2.1."

[0091] In other words, the memory unit 52 stores version number correspondence information that corresponds the first version number information to the second version number information described in the machining program Pg that does not cause problems that affect machining work when executed by the control device 20 on which software of the version number indicated by the first version number information is installed.

[0092] The determination unit 62 of the control device 20 reads out the first version number information and the version number correspondence information from the storage unit 52. Based on the read out first version number information and version number correspondence information, the determination unit 62 determines whether or not the second version number information described in the addition section A2 of the machining program Pg corresponds to the first version number information.

[0093] The processing unit 68 of the control device 20 performs the above-mentioned predetermined processing by executing the machining program Pg. Specifically, when starting the predetermined processing, the processing unit 68 acquires the machining program Pg stored in the storage unit 52 and starts executing the machining program Pg. The reading unit 60 reads the second version number information from the machining program Pg acquired by the processing unit 68. The determination unit 62 reads the first version number information from the storage unit 52. If the determination unit 62 determines that the second version number information corresponds to the first version number information, the processing unit 68 continues the predetermined processing.

[0094] If the determination unit 62 determines that the second version number information does not correspond to the first version number information, the notification control unit 64 controls the notification device 20d to issue a second warning, as described above. The second warning notification enables the operator 20m of the machine tool 10 to recognize that there is a possibility of a problem occurring that could affect the machining operation and that this is something to be aware of. Figure 11 is a diagram showing an example of the notification of the second warning Tb and an example of the output of a message Qb requesting instructions from the operator 20m of the machine tool 10.

[0095] In the example shown in Fig. 11 , the following message is output on the screen of the notification device 20d as the second warning Tb: The message output is a message indicating that the second version information described in the machining program Pg does not correspond to the software installed in the control device 20. Note that the message of the second warning Tb shown in Fig. 11 is merely an example. The message of the second warning Tb may be a message that makes the operator 20m of the machine tool 10 aware of the need to pay attention to the possibility of a problem occurring that may affect the machining operation. By being notified of the second warning Tb, the operator 20m can avoid the above-mentioned problem that may affect the machining operation.

[0096] The message Qb is a continuation request message that asks the operator 20m for instructions regarding the continuation of a predetermined process by the processing unit 68. The message Qb includes an icon Qby with "Yes (continue)" written on it and an icon Qbn with "No (cancel)" written on it.

[0097] There are cases where the operator 20m knows, for example from experience, that even if the predetermined process is continued, no problem that may affect the machining operation will occur. In such cases, the operator 20m can instruct the control device 20 to continue the predetermined process by selecting the icon Qby. When this instruction is accepted by the accepting unit 66, the processing unit 68 continues the predetermined process. Since the predetermined process is continued, a problem that may affect the machining operation may occur thereafter.

[0098] By selecting the icon Qbn, the operator 20m can instruct the control device 20 to stop the predetermined process. When this instruction is accepted by the accepting unit 66, the processing unit 68 stops the predetermined process. By selecting the icon Qbn, the operator 20m can avoid a problem that may affect the machining work.

[0099] Figure 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure for predetermined processing performed in control device 20 of machine tool 10. This procedure is performed by calculation unit 50 of control device 20 executing a program stored in memory unit 52. The reference numerals assigned to the steps of this procedure shown in Figure 12 partially match the reference numerals assigned to the steps of the procedure shown in Figure 7. Since the same processing is performed in steps with the same reference numerals, a description of the processing in those steps will be omitted.

[0100] This processing procedure is started when operator 20m of machine tool 10 inputs a predetermined processing start instruction to control device 20 via notification device 20d. When the processing of step S1 is completed, reading unit 60 reads second model information and second version information from machining program Pg acquired by processing unit 68 in step S51.

[0101] In step S52, determination unit 62 reads out the first model information and the first version number information from storage unit 52. When the processing of step S52 is completed, the processing of step S4 is performed. If the answer is YES in step S4, the processing of step S53 is performed before the processing procedure proceeds to step S5.

[0102] In step S53, the determination unit 62 determines whether the second version number information read in step S51 corresponds to the first version number information read in step S52. If the determination in step S53 is YES, the process proceeds to step S5. If the determination in step S53 is NO, the process proceeds to step S61.

[0103] In step S61, the notification control unit 64 controls the notification device 20d to issue a second warning Tb. The notification control unit 64 also outputs a continuation request message Qb regarding the continuation of the predetermined process to the notification device 20d. The message Qb includes an icon Qby for the operator 20m to instruct the continuation of the predetermined process and an icon Qbn for instructing the operator 20m to stop the predetermined process.

[0104] In step S62, the reception unit 66 receives an instruction from the operator 20m regarding the continuation of the predetermined process. The processing unit 68 determines whether or not the continuation of the predetermined process has been instructed based on the instruction from the operator 20m received by the reception unit 66. If the answer is YES in step S62, the process proceeds to step S5. If the answer is NO in step S62, the process proceeds to step S31. When the process of step S6 or step S31 is completed, the process ends.

[0105] 12, the second warning Tb is issued when it is determined in step S4 that the second model information corresponds to the first model information and when it is determined in step S53 that the second version information does not correspond to the first version information. In other words, when the first warning Ta is not issued, the second warning Tb is issued depending on the determination result in step S53.

[0106] When the first warning Ta is issued, it is generally considered that the continuation of the predetermined process is not instructed. In that case, the second warning Tb is not issued. Since both the first warning Ta and the second warning Tb are not issued, it is possible to prevent the operator 20m from misunderstanding the possibility of the occurrence of a problem that may affect the machining operation.

[0107] According to this modification, it is determined whether the second version information described in the machining program Pg corresponds to the first version information indicating the version number of the machining software installed in the control device 20. If it is determined that the second version information does not correspond to the first version information, a second warning Tb is issued. Therefore, the operator 20m of the machine tool 10 can avoid problems that may affect the machining operation of the workpiece W.

[0108] The following additional notes are provided regarding the above-described embodiment and modifications.

[0109] (Supplementary Note 1) The present disclosure provides a control device (20) for a machine tool (10) that executes a machining program (Pg), the control device (20) including a memory unit (52) that stores first model information indicating a model of the machine tool, a reading unit (60) that reads second model information from the machining program, a determination unit (62) that determines whether the second model information corresponds to the first model information, and an alarm control unit (64) that controls an alarm device (20d) to issue a first warning (Ta) when it is determined that the second model information does not correspond to the first model information.

[0110] (Supplementary Note 2) The control device of the machine tool described in Supplementary Note 1 may further include a processing unit (68) that performs a predetermined process by executing the machining program, and if it is determined in the predetermined process that the second model information corresponds to the first model information, the predetermined process may be continued.

[0111] (Supplementary Note 3) The control device for a machine tool according to Supplementary Note 2 may further include a reception unit (66) that receives instructions from an operator (20m) of the machine tool, and when the first warning is issued, the notification control unit may output a message to the notification device asking for instructions from the operator regarding continuation of the predetermined processing, and when the instruction from the operator instructing the continuation of the predetermined processing is accepted, the predetermined processing may be continued.

[0112] (Appendix 4) In the machine tool control device described in any one of Appendices 1 to 3, the first warning may include at least one of a message (Ta1) indicating that the machining program is not suitable for machining a workpiece (W) by the machine tool, and a message (Ta2) for urging an operator to correct the machining program.

[0113] (Supplementary Note 5) In the control device for a machine tool described in any one of Supplements 1 to 4, the memory unit stores first version number information indicating a version number of software installed in the control device to execute the machining program, the reading unit reads second version number information from the machining program, the determination unit determines whether or not the second version number information corresponds to the first version number information, and if it is determined that the second version number information does not correspond to the first version number information, the notification control unit may control the notification device to issue a second warning (Tb).

[0114] (Supplementary Note 6) In the control device of a machine tool described in Supplementary Note 5, when it is determined that the second model information corresponds to the first model information and when it is determined that the second version number information does not correspond to the first version number information, the notification control unit may issue the second warning.

[0115] (Supplementary Note 7) The present disclosure provides a machining program generation device (30) that generates the machining program to be executed by a control device of a machine tool described in Supplementary Note 1, and includes: a determination unit (90) that determines the second model information as model information of the machine tool in response to an operation of the machining program generation device by an operator (30p); and a generation unit (92) that generates the machining program by describing the second model information and a command code for machining a workpiece in the machining program.

[0116] (Appendix 8) In the machining program generation device described in Appendix 7, the generation unit may generate the machining program by describing, together with the second model information and the command code, second version number information indicating the version number of the software used to generate the machining program in the machining program.

[0117] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible in these embodiments without departing from the gist of the present disclosure or the spirit of the present disclosure derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. These embodiments can also be implemented in combination. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the order of each operation and the order of each process are shown as examples and are not limited to these. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical expressions are used in the description of the above-described embodiments.

[0118] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Machine tool 20... Control device 30... Machining program generating device 50, 80... Calculation unit 52, 82... Storage unit 60... Reading unit 62... Determination unit 64... Notification control unit 66... ​​Reception unit 68... Processing unit 90... Determination unit 92... Generation unit

Claims

1. A control device for a machine tool that executes a machining program, comprising: a storage unit that stores first model information indicating the model of the machine tool; a reading unit that reads second model information from the machining program; a determination unit that determines whether the second model information corresponds to the first model information; and a notification control unit that controls a notification device to notify a first warning when it is determined that the second model information does not correspond to the first model information.

2. The control device for a machine tool according to claim 1, further comprising a processing unit that performs a predetermined process by executing the machining program, wherein, in the predetermined process, when it is determined that the second model information corresponds to the first model information, the predetermined process is continued.

3. The control device for a machine tool according to claim 2, further comprising a reception unit that receives an instruction from an operator of the machine tool, wherein, when the first warning is notified, the notification control unit outputs, to the notification device, a message for asking for the instruction of the operator regarding the continuation of the predetermined process, and when the instruction of the operator for instructing the continuation of the predetermined process is received, the predetermined process is continued.

4. The control device for a machine tool according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first warning includes at least one of a message indicating that the machining program is not suitable for machining an object to be machined by the machine tool and a message for prompting the operator to correct the machining program.

5. The control device for a machine tool according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the storage unit stores first version number information indicating the version number of software installed in the control device for executing the machining program, the reading unit reads second version number information from the machining program, the determination unit determines whether the second version number information corresponds to the first version number information, and when it is determined that the second version number information does not correspond to the first version number information, the notification control unit controls the notification device to notify a second warning.

6. A control device for a machine tool according to claim 5, wherein when it is determined that the second model information corresponds to the first model information and it is determined that the second version number information does not correspond to the first version number information, the notification control unit notifies the second warning. A control device for a machine tool.

7. A machining program generation device that generates the machining program executed by the control device for a machine tool according to claim 1, comprising: a determination unit that determines the second model information as the model information of the machine tool according to an operation of the machining program generation device by an operator; and a generation unit that generates the machining program by describing the second model information and a command code for machining a workpiece to be machined in the machining program.

8. A machining program generation device according to claim 7, wherein the generation unit generates the machining program by describing, in the machining program, second version number information indicating the version number of software used for generating the machining program, together with the second model information and the command code.

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