Method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of operating heads

Abstract

A method for mapping the work trajectories of a plurality of finishing tools (20) on ceramic or stone manufactured articles (100) provides to define at least one drive sequence of the plurality of finishing tools (20) which is a function of at least the law of motion of said manufactured articles (100), their sizes and their number, as well as the law of motion of each tool (20), and also provides a step of displaying a graphic representation of said work trajectories of said plurality of tools (20), wherein the graphic representation provides to visually distinguish the different trajectories, each associated with the respective finishing tool (20), and to show said trajectories on a reference background defined by said manufactured articles (100) in order to highlight which zones of the manufactured article are affected by the finishing works, and which finishing work / s they are subjected to.

Description

[0001] “METHOD FOR MAPPING AND CONTROLLING THE WORK TRAJECTORIES OF OPERATING HEADS”

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The present invention concerns a method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of operating heads equipped with tools suitable to perform finishing works on ceramic or stone manufactured articles, configured for example to be laid in order to create floors or masonry wall coverings.

[0004] In particular, the method can be implemented in a machine configured to perform surface finishing operations on manufactured articles, such as for example smoothing and / or lapping and / or polishing. The manufactured articles worked by the machine can include, for example, ceramic material slabs, porcelain stoneware tiles, natural or agglomerated stone slabs, or suchlike.

[0005] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In the context of working ceramic or stone manufactured articles, it is known to perform surface finishing works in order to give the manufactured articles the aesthetic and dimensional characteristics expected.

[0007] These surface finishing works include calibration, smoothing, lapping, polishing or satin finishing operations.

[0008] These works, when performed using a calibrating or smoothing machine, are performed by means of special tools, of a known type, which modify the surface of the manufactured article through a mechanical action, typically an abrasive mechanical action.

[0009] The machines for finishing ceramic or stone manufactured articles as above are of a known type and a plurality of work heads are provided, each bearing a set of finishing tools, typically from a minimum of six to a maximum of ten tools.

[0010] The work heads are disposed in succession one after the other on a conveying plane where the manufactured articles to be worked transit, and are equipped with two degrees of freedom: one transverse, in particular perpendicular, with respect to the direction of advance of the manufactured articles on the conveying plane and parallel thereto, and one vertical to approach / move away from the conveying plane, perpendicular thereto. The transverse degree of freedom allows the heads to be displaced parallel to a direction Y, while the vertical degree of freedom allows the heads to be displaced parallel to a direction Z. The directions Y and Z form, together with the direction X, which is parallel to the direction of advance, a triad of Cartesian axes.

[0011] In some solutions known in the art, all the work heads are attached to a single support bar and therefore are displaced integrally with respect to each other.

[0012] The operation of finishing machines known in the art is commanded by algorithms that have the limit of not being able to manage the automated drive of a plurality of different heads both to perform different surface finishing works on various zones of a same manufactured article, and also to work the various manufactured articles of a same work batch differently.

[0013] In fact, machines of a known type provide that - once the machine has been tooled according to the works to be performed - all the manufactured articles of the same production batch are worked in the same way, so as to obtain manufactured articles that are as identical as possible.

[0014] However, the ceramic sector is seeing a growing commercial success of slabs and tiles that have a multi-finish on the exposed surface, since consumers increasingly appreciate this aesthetic effect that gives the manufactured article a more natural, or antiqued, appearance.

[0015] A disadvantage of known machines is therefore being able to work the manufactured articles so as to maintain a finish that is as homogeneous as possible on the entire surface of the exposed face of the manufactured article, maintaining this homogeneity also on all the exposed surfaces of the manufactured articles of a same production batch.

[0016] There is therefore the need to perfect a method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of tools for finishing ceramic or stone manufactured articles that can overcome at least one of the disadvantages of the state of the art.

[0017] One purpose of the present invention is to develop a mapping and control method that makes the machine that implements this method more versatile than those known in the state of the art.

[0018] One purpose of the present invention is to develop a mapping and control method in which an operator is provided with a graphic representation of the tools’ work trajectories so as to predict the accuracy of multi-finishing works to be performed on the manufactured article. Another purpose of the present invention is to develop a mapping and control method that provides the operator with a graphic representation of the different works to which the various manufactured articles belonging to a same production batch can be subjected.

[0019] Another purpose of the present invention is to develop a mapping and control method that can be actuated by an operator in a simple and intuitive manner.

[0020] Another purpose of the present invention is to develop an effective and reliable mapping and control method.

[0021] Another purpose of the present invention is to develop a predictive method that allows the operator to display, before the work, the mapping of the work trajectories of the tools on the manufactured articles, so that the operator can verify they are correct before starting the work.

[0022] Another purpose of the present invention is to command the machine so that it can repeat the work trajectories automatically after they have been set by the operator in coherence with what displayed preliminarily.

[0023] The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain manufactured articles equipped with multi-finishing on their exposed surface.

[0024] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The present invention is set forth and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims describe other characteristics of the present invention or variants to the main inventive idea.

[0026] In accordance with the above purposes and to resolve the technical problem described above in a new and original way, also achieving considerable advantages compared to the state of the prior art, some embodiments described here concern a method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of a plurality of operating heads which are configured to perform finishing works of ceramic or stone manufactured articles while the manufactured articles are disposed on a rest plane and advance beneath the operating heads along a longitudinal axis.

[0027] According to one aspect, the method provides to define at least one drive sequence of the plurality of operating heads so that the movement of each head is a function of at least:

[0028] - the law of motion of the manufactured articles along the longitudinal axis, the sizes of the sides of the manufactured articles that extend in a plane which is parallel to the rest plane, and the number of manufactured articles to be worked;

[0029] - the law of motion of each operating head, both along a transverse axis, perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and also along a vertical axis, and the dimensional and technical characteristics of the finishing tools installed on the operating head.

[0030] According to one aspect, the method comprises a step of displaying a graphic representation of the work trajectories of the operating heads on the plane, wherein the graphic representation provides to visually distinguish the different trajectories, each associated with the respective finishing tool that generated it, and to show the trajectories on a reference background defined by the manufactured articles in order to highlight which zones of the manufactured article are affected by the finishing works, and which finishing work / s they are subjected to.

[0031] According to one aspect, the step of defining the drive sequence provides to communicate it to a programmable control unit that commands the execution of the finishing operations in order to actuate a step of reproducing the drive sequence in coherence with the graphic representation shown in the displaying step.

[0032] According to one aspect, the finishing works comprise one or more of the works selected from the group consisting of: roughing, lapping, satin finishing, polishing, antiquing.

[0033] According to one aspect, the method comprises a step of validating the drive sequence of the operating heads, in which it is provided to verify whether the graphic representation is suitable to allow to achieve the desired aesthetic effect on the various manufactured articles.

[0034] According to one aspect, the method comprises a step of entering the following input data:

[0035] - the speed of movement of a conveyor which makes the manufactured articles advance on the rest plane parallel to the longitudinal axis;

[0036] - the travel of a beam supporting the operating heads in the two opposite directions, parallel to the transverse axis, the speed of movement of the support beam, and any dwell times and positions in which the support beam temporarily dwells; wherein the support beam is parallel to the longitudinal axis.

[0037] According to one aspect, the method comprises a step of entering the following input data:

[0038] - the sizes of the abrasive component of each tool and an identification code of the type of finishing tool installed in each operating head which depends on its technical characteristics, its geometry and the materials used to make it;

[0039] - the sizes and type of movement of the operating head.

[0040] According to one aspect, the method comprises, for each operating head, a step of entering the work time and the dwell time, wherein during the work time the operating head is kept in a lowered position, and in the dwell time the operating head is kept in a raised position, in which respectively the finishing tool is disposed in contact with or spaced apart from the manufactured articles which are disposed on the rest plane.

[0041] According to one aspect, the steps of entering the input data define the drive sequences of the operating heads and are performed through a user interface available to the operator.

[0042] According to one aspect, the steps of entering the input data which define the drive sequences of the operating heads occur in a step of initial set up of the machine.

[0043] According to one aspect, the method comprises a step of storing the drive sequences in a memory unit comprised in the programmable control unit and a selection step, in which it is provided to select the desired drive sequence as a function of the finishing works to be performed on the manufactured articles.

[0044] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium containing program instructions executable by a computer to implement a method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of a plurality of operating heads which are able to automatically perform finishing works on ceramic or stone manufactured articles, the program instructions comprising the steps of the method described above.

[0045] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program storable in a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions which, once executed by the control unit, determine the execution of a method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of a plurality of operating heads which are able to automatically perform finishing works on ceramic or stone manufactured articles, the program instructions comprising the steps of the method described above.

[0046] The mapping and control method according to the present invention allows to preview the action of the tools on the manufactured articles to be worked in the displaying step, and to command the actuation of the drive sequence of the operating heads in coherence with the graphic representation shown in the displaying step if the operator has, in this step, detected that the works planned on the manufactured article are correct.

[0047] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] These and other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of some embodiments, given as a non-restrictive example with reference to the attached drawings wherein: - fig. 1 is a partial, schematic top plan view of a machine for the surface finishing of ceramic or stone manufactured articles;

[0049] - fig. 2 is a schematic, partly sectioned front view of the machine of fig. 1 ;

[0050] - figs, from 3a to 3e are schematic three-dimensional views of a variety of tools suitable to be installed on the machine of fig. 1 in order to perform various surface works on the manufactured articles;

[0051] - figs. 4a and 4b are schematic block diagrams showing embodiments of a method for mapping the finishing tools’ work trajectories on the manufactured articles that can be implemented on the finishing machine of fig. 1 ;

[0052] - figs. 5a and 5b are schematic top plan views of two different graphic representations displayable in a displaying step of the mapping method according to the present invention, which show the work trajectories of the tools on a plurality of manufactured articles that can be worked using the finishing machine of fig. 1.

[0053] We must clarify that the phraseology and terminology used in the present description, as well as the figures in the attached drawings also in relation as to how described, have the sole function of better illustrating and explaining the present invention, their purpose being to provide a non-limiting example of the invention itself, since the scope of protection is defined by the claims.

[0054] To facilitate comprehension, the same reference numbers have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the drawings. It is understood that elements and characteristics of one embodiment can be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further clarifications. DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

[0055] Before describing the mapping method according to the present invention, for a better understanding of the contents with reference to figs. 1 and 2, there is described a machine 10 for finishing ceramic or stone manufactured articles 100 capable of actuating the method.

[0056] For example, the machine 10 can work manufactured articles 100 configured as slabs or tiles, typically with a square or rectangular shape seen in plan from above. The machine 10 is also able to work slabs of large sizes, for example 1200 mm x 1200 mm.

[0057] The manufactured articles 100 comprise an exposed surface 101 and an opposite laying surface 102, which are separated by a thickness of the manufactured article, which typically extends for a few millimeters in a direction perpendicular to these surfaces. The manufactured articles 100 can for example be made of ceramic material or porcelain stoneware or marble, or suchlike.

[0058] The machine 10 comprises a conveyor 11 configured to advance the manufactured articles 100 in a direction of advance A, parallel to a longitudinal axis X of the machine 10.

[0059] The conveyor 11 defines a rest plane 12 for the manufactured articles 100, able to receive the latter, in particular the laying surface 102 of the manufactured articles 100, resting thereon. By way of a non-limiting example, the conveyor 11 can comprise one or more belts or strips, for example closed in a loop around two pulleys, one idle and one driving, according to configurations well known in the art.

[0060] The machine 10 comprises a plurality of operating heads 18 disposed in succession, one after the other, along the longitudinal axis X. For example, the machine 10 can comprise ten operating heads, or even a higher number. In the portion of the machine visible in fig. 1 , five operating heads are visible as a nonlimiting example.

[0061] The operating heads 18 are disposed above the rest plane 12, so that the exposed surface 101 of the manufactured articles, which is the one to be subjected to the surface finishing works, faces the operating heads 18.

[0062] The machine 10 comprises a support beam 15, extending parallel to the longitudinal direction X, to which the operating heads 18 are attached. In other embodiments, not shown, the machine 10 comprises more than one support beam, for example two beams both movable in the transverse direction Y.

[0063] The support beam 15 is movable according to a linear translational movement, in a bi-directional manner, in a transverse direction Y, substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis X.

[0064] For this purpose, the machine 10 comprises a plurality of guide rods 16, oriented parallel to the transverse direction Y and integrating guide systems of a type known in the art and not shown, such as pinion-rack or screw-nut systems for example, thanks to which the support beam 15 can be displaced parallel to the transverse direction Y. One or more drive members are provided, also of a known type and not shown, such as a brushless type motor for example, which command the movement of the support beam 15.

[0065] Each operating head 18 is provided with a plurality of seatings 19 to receive a set of tools 20 which are configured to perform finishing works on the manufactured articles 100. For a simpler visualization, the schematic view of fig. 2 shows only one seating 19 for one respective tool 20.

[0066] The tool 20 comprises a base, or support, 21 and an abrasive component 22 connected to the base 21.

[0067] The base 21 can be configured as a holder, for example made of ABS or other suitable polymeric resin, configured to be temporarily and firmly attached to the respective seating 19.

[0068] According to some embodiments, described with particular reference to figs. 3a-3d, the abrasive component 22 comprises a base membrane 23 from which a plurality of abrasive elements or sectors 24 project.

[0069] The base membrane 23 and the abrasive sectors 24 are made in a single body with an abrasive composite material that is premium, being defined by a polymer matrix with dispersed abrasive charges. This composite material is characterized by great hardness and has self-sharpening (self-exposing) characteristics, that is, during its use the consumption of a more external layer brings to light the abrasive charges of the more internal layer adjacent to it.

[0070] The space between two adjacent rows of abrasive sectors 24 defines passage channels 25 through which, during use, the material abraded, and the material lost by the operating heads 18 are conveyed toward the outside of the abrasive component 22.

[0071] The abrasive sectors 24 can have a rectangular, parallelogram shaped, circular, elliptical, or other cross-section.

[0072] The abrasive sectors 24 of a same abrasive component 22 can all be the same or can also be different from each other.

[0073] The embodiments shown in figs. 3a and 3b comprise abrasive sectors 24 having a similar shape and distribution on the base membrane 23. However, the material with which the abrasive sectors 24 are made is different: in the first case (fig. 3a) in which the tool 20 is configured to make cuts and incisions on the exposed surface 101, it is made of a composite material having a much higher abrasive power than in the second case (fig. 3b), in which the tool is instead configured to perform a polishing of the exposed surface 101. We must clarify that the abrasive power is determined by the number, size and hardness of the abrasive charges dispersed in the polymer matrix.

[0074] The embodiments shown in figs. 3c and 3d both concern a tool configured to perform satin finishing works on the exposed surface 101. In one version (fig. 3 c), the abrasive sectors 24 are disposed on parallel rows and each have a rectangular cross-section, possibly with chamfered or rounded edges. In another version, not shown, the abrasive sectors 24 are disposed according to a matrix disposition, with parallel rows and columns, and are filiform with a circular cross-section. The diameters of the abrasive sectors 24 can be the same or different.

[0075] In the embodiment shown in fig. 3d, the abrasive component 22 does not comprise the abrasive sectors 24 described above, which are replaced by a multitude of abrasive bristles 26, all attached to the base 21. The abrasive bristles 26 can be made of suitable materials, for example diamonds, and define a homogeneous abrasion surface, substantially parallel to the rest plane 12 when the tool is mounted in the respective seating 19, which is configured to perform an antiquing work.

[0076] Also in the embodiment shown in fig. 3e, the abrasive component 22 does not comprise the abrasive sectors 24 described above, which are replaced in this case by a single abrasive member 27 equipped with a grain suitable to perform roughing work, capable of removing material from the exposed surface 101, removing it by abrasion. Each operating unit 13 comprises a motor M configured to make the operating head 18 rotate around an axis of rotation R, parallel to a vertical axis Z. This degree of freedom of movement is essential to guarantee the correct interaction between the abrasive component 22 and the manufactured articles 100, so as to correctly perform the works provided.

[0077] In some embodiments provided here, the operating heads 18 comprise one or more cooling liquid delivery nozzles, of a known type and not shown, which are oriented so as to deliver these liquids in the work zone, where the abrasive component 22 of the tool 20 contacts the exposed surface 101, as known in the art.

[0078] Each operating head 18 comprises a protective casing 27, which delimits a closed volume around the tool 20. The protective casing 27 allows to prevent the material abraded from the manufactured article 100, the consumable material that is gradually removed from the abrasive component 22, and the cooling liquids, from spreading in the vicinity.

[0079] Associated with each operating head 18 is a cylinder-piston assembly 28, preferably pneumatically or hydraulically driven, which is driven by its own actuator, not shown, in order to move the operating head 18 parallel to the vertical axis Z, according to an alternating movement of upward lift or downward lowering toward the rest plane 12. Thanks to the cylinder-piston assembly 28, each operating head 18 can alternatively assume a raised position or a lowered position, in which respectively the abrasive component 22 of the tool 20 is spaced apart from or is in contact with the manufactured article 100 that is transiting on the conveyor 11 below.

[0080] The machine comprises a control unit 30 configured to control the operation of the machine 10.

[0081] More specifically, the control unit 30 commands the operation of the conveyor 11 and of the operating heads 18 on the basis of the operating parameters received as input data, as will be explained in more detail below.

[0082] The control unit 30 is a programmable control unit comprising a memory unit 31 and a timer device, according to system architectures known in the art.

[0083] The machine 10 comprises a plurality of position sensors, of a type known in the art and not shown, associated with the tools 20. Each operating head 18 comprises a respective position sensor configured to detect the instantaneous, time- varying position of the tools 20 mounted in the respective operating head 18. The position sensors communicate to the control unit 30 a signal identifying the detected position of the respective tool 20.

[0084] With particular reference to fig. 4a, a first embodiment of the method for mapping and controlling the trajectories of the tools 20 on the manufactured articles 100 to be worked in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is described below.

[0085] The method comprises a first step S 1 in which it is provided to communicate to the control unit 30 the following parameters as input data:

[0086] - the speed of movement of the conveyor 11, for example expressed in meters per minute;

[0087] - the sizes of the manufactured articles 100 to be worked, for example expressed in millimeters, in particular at least the length of the sides 100a, 100b of the exposed surface 101 and of the laying surface 102;

[0088] - the number of manufactured articles 100 included in the same work batch.

[0089] The method comprises a second step S2, in which it is provided to communicate to the control unit 30 the law of motion governing the movement of the support beam 15 relative to the guide rods 16 along the transverse axis Y. By way of example, communicating as input datum this law of motion can provide to communicate the following parameters to the control unit 30:

[0090] - the travel of the support beam 15 in the two opposite directions, parallel to the transverse axis Y ;

[0091] - the possible dwell times and positions of the support beam 15;

[0092] - the power delivered by the motor, possibly expressed as a percentage ratio with respect to the maximum power deliverable, from which it is possible to infer the speed of movement of the support beam 15.

[0093] The method comprises a third step S3, in which it is provided to communicate to the control unit 30 which tools 20 are installed in the various operating heads 18 of the machine 10.

[0094] For example, it is possible to communicate as input datum an identification code of the tool 20, which can be one of the tools described above with reference to figs. 3a-3e, in association with the machine’s operating heads 18. In this way, the control unit 30 knows which tools, for example among those described above with reference to figs. 3a-3e, are installed in each operating head 18.

[0095] In possible embodiments, two or more operating heads 18 may install the same tools.

[0096] In other embodiments, the plurality of operating heads 18 as a whole mounts only some of the tools 20 described above with reference to figs. 3a-3e because, depending on the aesthetic result to be achieved, it is not always necessary for the machine 10 to be able to perform all of the finishing works described above.

[0097] The introduction of the tool identification code as above allows the control unit 30 to know the sizes and geometry of the tool’s abrasive component 22, as well as the material that it is made of.

[0098] In the third step S3 it is also possible to communicate to the control unit 30, as input datum, the sizes of the operating heads 18 and the heads’ type of movement (for example rotating, spatulating, oscillating, etc.).

[0099] In possible embodiments, in the third step S3 it is also possible to communicate to the control unit 30, as input datum, for each operating head 18, whether the latter is regularly active or not, since it may also be deactivated.

[0100] The method comprises a fourth step S4, in which it is provided to communicate to the control unit 30, as input datum, the duration of the work cycle.

[0101] In possible embodiments, it is possible to communicate the duration of a plurality of successive work cycles, for example up to ten cycles.

[0102] The method comprises a fifth step S5, in which it is provided to communicate to the control unit 30 the work time and the dwell time, expressed in seconds, for each operating head 18. Thanks to this information, the actuator of the cylinderpiston assembly 28 associated with each operating head 18 commands the latter so as to bring it to the lowered position during the work time, and to the raised position during the dwell time.

[0103] In particular, this step provides to communicate the work time and the dwell time for each operating head 18 for each work cycle, or for each of the subsequent work cycles for which the duration has been set in the previous fourth step S4. The work time and the dwell time, which vary for each operating head 18 and can change from one work cycle to another, are a function of the works to be performed based on the multi-finishing aesthetic effect desired on the manufactured articles 100 to be worked. The method then provides a sixth step S6 of displaying the work trajectories of the tools 20 on the manufactured articles 100 to be worked. Figs. 5a and 5b, discussed below, show two possible examples of graphic representations obtainable as output from the sixth displaying step S6.

[0104] The set of all the information communicated to the control unit 30 in the method steps from first to fifth S1-S5 defines a driving sequence of the operating heads 18 suitable to obtain a desired multi-finishing aesthetic effect on the manufactured articles 100 to be worked, which can also be different from one manufactured article to another, as shown in the examples of figs. 5a and 5b.

[0105] We must clarify that the displaying step graphically represents only the trajectories of the operating heads 18 while their abrasive component 22 is in contact with the exposed surface 101, when, that is, the cylinder-piston assembly 28 keeps the operating head 18 in the lowered position.

[0106] In the graphic display shown in fig. 5a, the work trajectories of the five operating heads 18 of fig. 1 are each shown with a different graphic filling. The zones in which two or more trajectories overlap indicate portions of the manufactured article that are subjected to subsequent works by several tools 20. Since the operator knows which tools 20 are mounted in the different operating heads 18, they can verify in which parts of the manufactured article the various roughing, antiquing, polishing, etc., works are being performed.

[0107] It is evident that the work trajectory of the operating heads 18 is defined by the input data entered in steps S1-S5 (fig. 4a), or by the sequence selected in the selection step (fig. 4b).

[0108] In the example shown, the four manufactured articles 100 disposed more to the left in the series of manufactured articles 100 to be worked using the machine 10 are not grooved by any work trajectory of the operating heads 18. This means that these manufactured articles 100 pass through the machine 10 without being subjected to any finishing work. When they pass underneath the operating heads 18, the latter are raised, so that no tool 20 interacts with the underlying manufactured articles 100 in transit.

[0109] In the graphic display shown in fig. 5b, only the work trajectories of the first two operating heads 18 are shown, while the other three operating heads referred to in the example of fig. 1 are kept in the raised position by the respective cylinder- piston assemblies 28 and do not interact with the manufactured articles. In this example, the manufactured articles 100 have to only be worked with the works performed by the tools of the first two operating heads 18, while the other works are not required. Also in this case, the zones in which two or more trajectories overlap indicate portions of the manufactured article that are subjected to subsequent works by several tools 20.

[0110] The method comprises a seventh step S7 of validating the drive sequence of the operating heads 18, in which the operator confirms whether the graphic representation corresponds to that expected.

[0111] If so, the machine 10 begins to work the manufactured articles 100 by reproducing the set drive sequences; if not, the operator can modify some of the information entered in steps from first to fifth, S1-S5, and possibly change the position and / or type of one or more tools 20 in the various operating heads.

[0112] With particular reference to fig. 4b, a second embodiment of the method for mapping and controlling the trajectories of the tools 20 on the manufactured articles 100 to be worked in accordance with the teachings of the present invention is described below.

[0113] In this case, the method comprises a step of storing a plurality of drive sequences of the operating heads 18 in the memory unit 31 , for example tens of sequences or even more.

[0114] The drive sequences of the tools are defined by the set of information relating to the manufactured articles 100 to be worked and their movement through the conveyor 11, the movement of the support beam 15 and of the operating heads 18, including the information relating to the tools 20 installed therein.

[0115] This is all the information that in the first embodiment of the method is communicated to the control unit 30 in the first to fifth steps, S1-S5, previously described, and which will therefore not be repeated.

[0116] The different combination of such information defines different drive sequences.

[0117] It is clear that the storing step can only take place once, in an initial set up step of the machine 10.

[0118] The drive sequences can be loaded into the memory unit 31 by means of an external medium, for example configured as a USB stick, or other memory medium, such as a non-rewritable disk, or by means of a remote Cloud system.

[0119] The method then comprises a selection step, in which the operator selects the desired drive sequence from among all those stored in the memory unit 31.

[0120] The drive sequences can be stored with an identification code and / or name that can facilitate the operator in associating each sequence with the series of works obtainable through it.

[0121] This second embodiment of the method allows the operator to choose the desired drive sequence very quickly, since it is simpler and more immediate than the first embodiment of the method, in which all the information has to be entered “manually” by the operator, as previously described in the steps of the method from first to fifth, S1-S5.

[0122] In all the steps of the method described above, the operator can enter input data, or graphically display the output, on a specific user interface.

[0123] The method comprises a step of validating the drive sequence of the tools, in which the operator confirms whether the graphic representation corresponds to the one expected so as to be able to achieve the desired aesthetic effect on the various manufactured articles.

[0124] If so, the machine 10 starts to work the manufactured articles 100 by reproducing the drive sequence selected; if not, the operator can change the drive sequence, selecting a different one from the one previously chosen in the selection step.

[0125] It is clear that modifications and / or additions of steps may be made to the method as described heretofore, without thereby departing from the field and scope of the present invention, as defined by the claims. It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, a person of skill in the art will be able to achieve other equivalent forms of methods for mapping the work trajectories of finishing tools on ceramic or stone manufactured articles, having the characteristics as set forth in the claims and hence all coming within the field of protection defined thereby. In the following claims, the sole purpose of the references in brackets is to facilitate their reading and they must not be considered as restrictive factors with regard to the field of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of a plurality of operating heads (18) which are configured to perform finishing works on ceramic or stone manufactured articles (100) while the manufactured articles (100) are disposed on a rest plane (12) and advance beneath said operating heads (18) along a longitudinal axis (X), and wherein the method provides to define at least one drive sequence of the plurality of operating heads (18) so that the movement of each head is a function of at least:- the law of motion of said manufactured articles (100) along said longitudinal axis (X), the sizes of the sides (100a, 100b) of said manufactured articles (100) that extend in a plane (X-Y) which is parallel to said rest plane (12), and the number of manufactured articles (100) to be worked;- the law of motion of each operating head (18), both along a transverse axis (Y), perpendicular to said longitudinal axis (X), and also along a vertical axis (Z), and the dimensional and technical characteristics of the finishing tools (20) installed on the operating head (18), wherein the method comprises a step of displaying a graphic representation of said work trajectories of said operating heads (18) on said plane (X-Y), wherein the graphic representation provides to visually distinguish the different trajectories, each associated with the respective finishing tool (20) that generated it, and to show said trajectories on a reference background defined by said manufactured articles (100) in order to highlight which zones of the manufactured article are affected by the finishing works, and which finishing work / s they are subjected to, and wherein the step of defining said drive sequence provides to communicate it to a programmable control unit (30) that commands the execution of said finishing operations in order to actuate a step of reproducing said drive sequence in coherence with the graphic representation shown in said displaying step.

2. Method as in claim 1, characterized in that said finishing works comprise one or more of the works selected from the group consisting of: roughing, lapping, satin finishing, polishing, antiquing.

3. Method as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises a step of validating the drive sequence of said operating heads (18), in which it is provided to verify whether the graphic representation is suitable to allow to achievethe desired aesthetic effect on the various manufactured articles (100).

4. Method as in any claim hereinbefore, wherein said plurality of operating heads (18) is installed on a support beam (15) which is parallel to said longitudinal axis (X), characterized in that it comprises a step of entering the following input data:- the speed of movement of a conveyor (1 1) which makes the manufactured articles advance on said rest plane (12) parallel to said longitudinal axis (X);- the travel of said support beam (15) in the two opposite directions, parallel to the transverse axis (Y), the speed of movement of said support beam (15), and any dwell times and positions in which said support beam (15) temporarily dwells.

5. Method as in any claim hereinbefore, wherein each finishing tool (20) comprises a base (21) and an abrasive component (22) connected to the base (21) wherein the abrasive component (22) comprises a base membrane (23) from which a plurality of abrasive elements or sectors (24) project, characterized in that it comprises a step of entering the following input data for each operating head (18):- the sizes of the abrasive component (22) and an identification code of the type of finishing tool installed in each operating head (18) which depends on its technical characteristics, its geometry and the materials used to make it;- the sizes and type of movement of the operating head (18).

6. Method as in any claim hereinbefore, wherein said operating head (18) is mobile parallel to said vertical axis (Z), characterized in that it comprises, for each operating head (18), a step of entering the work time and the dwell time, wherein during said work time the operating head (18) is kept in a lowered position, and in the dwell time the operating head (18) is kept in a raised position, in which respectively the finishing tool (20) is disposed in contact with or spaced apart from said manufactured articles (100) which are disposed on said rest plane (12).

7. Method as in any one of claims 4-6, when claim 5 depends on claim 4, and claim 6 on claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said steps of entering the input data define said drive sequences of the operating heads ( 18) and are performed through a user interface available to the operator.

8. Method as in any one of claims 4-6, when claim 5 depends on claim 4, and claim 6 on claim 4 or 5, characterized in that said steps of entering the input data which define said drive sequences of the finishing tools (20) occur in an initial step of setting up the machine (10), and in that it also comprises a step of storing saiddrive sequences in a memory unit (31) comprised in said programmable control unit (30) and a selection step, in which it is provided to select the desired drive sequence as a function of the finishing works to be performed on said manufactured articles.

9. Computer-readable medium containing program instructions executable by a computer to implement a method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of a plurality of operating heads (18) which are able to perform finishing works on ceramic or stone manufactured articles (100) as in any one of claims from 1 to 8.

10. Computer program storable in a computer-readable medium, comprising instructions which, once executed by said control unit (30), determine the execution of a method for mapping and controlling the work trajectories of a plurality of operating heads (18) which are able to perform finishing works on ceramic or stone manufactured articles (100) as in any one of claims from 1 to 8.

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