Method and apparatus for automatically inspecting tools
The method and device automate tool wear evaluation using a robot arm and neural network analysis, addressing the inefficiencies of manual visual inspection by enabling rapid, automated tool wear assessment and sorting.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- FOCKE & CO (GMBH & CO KG)
- Filing Date
- 2025-10-29
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-15
AI Technical Summary
Existing methods for checking tool wear, such as visual inspection with manual image evaluation, are time-consuming and require significant human intervention.
A method and device utilizing a robot arm to transport tools into a test area for electro-optical imaging, analyzed by a neural network, allowing automated evaluation of tool wear without manual intervention.
Enables efficient, automated testing of multiple tools, with the option for user confirmation, and sorting based on wear condition, reducing time and labor requirements.
Smart Images
Figure EP2025081228_15052026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
[0001] Applicant: FOC-1182-WO
[0002] October 28, 2025 / 4228
[0003] Focke & Co. (GmbH & Co. KG) Siemensstraße 10 27283 Verden
[0004] Method and device for the automatic testing of tools
[0005] Description
[0006] The present invention relates to a method and a device for automatically checking the wear condition of several tools, in particular automatically one after the other.
[0007] Checking the wear condition of tools, for example, inspecting the cutting edges of milling tools, is often done manually and is therefore time-consuming. A few testing methods or devices have been discovered that use cameras for visual inspection of tools, with the images then being manually evaluated. This approach is also time-consuming and requires manual intervention.
[0008] Based on this, the object of the present invention is to provide a method and a device with which several tools can be tested – in particular automatically one after the other – without necessarily requiring manual intervention.
[0009] This problem is solved by a method having the features of claim 1 and a device having the features of claim 12.
[0010] According to the invention, one of several tools to be tested, arranged in a tool storage unit comprising several tools, is successively removed from the tool storage unit by means of a transport element, preferably comprising a robot arm and driven by a motor, and transported into a test area in which an electro-optical testing device, preferably comprising one or more (electronic) cameras, takes at least one test image of the tool transported into the test area, wherein the test image is evaluated by an analysis device of the apparatus, in particular by means of a trained neural network, with regard to the wear condition of the tool and wherein the tool is transported away from the test area again after the test image has been taken.
[0011] A (testing) device according to the invention, which is particularly suitable for carrying out this method, accordingly comprises such an electro-optical testing device with which the at least one test image of a tool to be tested can be recorded in the test area, (at least) a tool storage for the tools, a transport element comprising a motor-driven, in particular a robot arm, with which a tool to be tested can be automatically removed from the tool storage, transported into the test area of the testing device and transported away from the test area after the respective test image has been recorded, and an analysis device with which the test image can be analyzed with regard to the wear condition of the tool to be tested.
[0012] This process and device create the conditions for efficiently testing multiple tools sequentially and, if required, fully automatically. However, such a fully automated process is not mandatory. For example, it is also conceivable to allow a user to have a tool tested again after it has been tested, should the user, based on the evaluation results obtained by the analysis device for that tool, conclude that this is advisable. This might be the case, for instance, because the evaluation results are inconclusive or because the user wishes to have the results confirmed again as a precaution. It is also conceivable that a user could initiate the initial test individually and independently.
[0013] Advantageously, the testing device can have a user interface, in particular a display or touchscreen, through which the user can view the respective evaluation results of the analysis device and / or enter data. This includes, for example, inputs that trigger a retest of a tool that has already been tested. Regarding the transport element, which preferably comprises the robot arm, it can include a gripping element with which the respective tool can be grasped for transport.
[0014] Furthermore, the inventive test device may, in addition to the tool storage from which the tools can be taken for subsequent testing, have a further separate tool storage to which the tools can be transported after testing and into which they can preferably be sorted. This can preferably be done by the same transport device that previously transported the respective tool into the testing area.
[0015] Furthermore, the testing device can particularly preferably be a mobile unit with a particularly mobile housing in and / or on which the electro-optical testing device and / or the tool storage(s) and / or the transport device and / or the monitor or display and / or the user interface is arranged.
[0016] According to a further embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that after the recording of the test image(s), in particular by means of the transport element, the tool is either transported back to the tool storage from which it was taken, or to another tool storage.
[0017] Regarding the evaluation of the test image(s) by the analysis device, it may be provided that the device uses the test image(s) to analyze the wear condition of at least one main cutting edge and / or at least one secondary cutting edge and / or at least one rake face of the tool.
[0018] It is also conceivable that the analysis device does this based on the actual diameter of the tool to be tested, which it determines using the test image(s).
[0019] After the respective test image has been recorded by the testing device, the tool can then be sorted, in particular by means of the transport device, according to the wear condition determined by the analysis device, into one of several different, in particular spatially separated areas of the tool storage or into one of several separate tool storages.
[0020] The tool storage unit or units can each have individual storage receptacles for the tools, in particular in a number of 6 to 24, wherein a tool is wholly or partially seated in several or all of these storage receptacles before it is removed by the transport element and transported into the test area, and / or wherein the respective tool is arranged by the transport element in one of the storage receptacles of the tool storage unit at the end of the transport taking place after the recording of the test image.
[0021] As already indicated above, the analysis device can assign the respective tool to one of several classes of wear conditions during the evaluation, depending on the wear condition determined by the analysis device, in particular from a group of classes that includes a first class that indicates a required regrinding of the respective tested tool, and / or a second class that indicates a required sorting out of the respective tested tool, and / or a third class that indicates a possible further use of the respective tested tool.
[0022] The evaluation results of the analysis device, in particular the wear condition of the tested tool and / or the wear condition class assigned to the tested tool and / or the actual diameter of the tested tool, can then later be displayed on a display of the test device, which may, for example, be part of a touchscreen of the test device.
[0023] The different wear classes can be symbolized by different colors, for example the first class by a first color, especially yellow, the second class by another second color, especially red, and the third class by yet another color, especially green.
[0024] As regards the electro-optical testing device, it may be provided that it takes several images of the respective tool from different perspectives, and / or that it takes an image in which different perspectives of the tool to be tested are included, in particular by guiding views from different sides of the tool to be tested into a common image plane of the electro-optical testing device by means of guide elements, in particular mirrors.
[0025] With regard to the tools to be tested, it is particularly advantageous if the nominal diameter of the tools to be tested is > 2 mm and < 16 mm, and / or the total length of the tools to be tested is > 60 mm and < 245 mm, and / or the length of the section of the tools to be tested is > 16 mm.
[0026] To optimize the quality of the test results, it can be further stipulated that the respective tool is automatically cleaned before at least one test image is captured. This can be achieved by automatically conveying the tool from the tool storage to a cleaning station via a transport mechanism, where the tool is then cleaned, and the test image is subsequently captured automatically.
[0027] It is conceivable that the cleaning station is located within the inspection area, so that the tool does not need to be moved further into the inspection area after cleaning, allowing the inspection image to be captured directly without such further transport of the tool. Alternatively, it is conceivable that a transport device first moves the tool from the tool storage to the cleaning station, and that after cleaning, the tool is transported from the cleaning station to the inspection area by a transport device, where the inspection device then captures the at least one inspection image.
[0028] The cleaning station can be part of the test device. In particular, it can also be located within the housing of the test device.
[0029] Regarding the cleaning process, this can be carried out by means of at least one cleaning element that acts pneumatically on the tool for cleaning, in particular by means of compressed air, and / or by means of a cleaning fluid, such as water or another cleaning liquid, and / or mechanically, for example by means of a mechanical cleaning tool, such as one or more brushes. Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the attached claims, the following description of preferred embodiments, and the attached drawings. These show:
[0030] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a testing device according to the invention, with which tools to be tested can be automatically tested one after the other, in oblique view.
[0031] Fig. 2 shows a side view of the testing device from Fig. 1 along the viewing direction II in Fig. 1, at a time when a tool to be tested was taken from a first tool storage by means of a robot arm of a robot of the testing device,
[0032] Fig. 3 shows a side view of the testing device according to Fig. 2, at a later time when the robot arm has transported the tool to be tested into the testing area of an electro-optical testing device comprising an electronic camera.
[0033] Fig. 4 shows a partial section through the test device along section line IV-IV from Fig. 3,
[0034] Fig. 5 shows a side view of the testing device according to Fig. 2, after the robot arm has transported the already tested tool to a second tool storage area and sorted it into it.
[0035] Fig. 6 shows a selected screen view of a user interface of the test device designed as a touchscreen, in which the user is shown various information about the evaluation results of the test device for the currently tested tool and an input option is provided.
[0036] The test device 10 shown in the figures is to be understood as an example. In this case, it is designed as a mobile unit or mobile test cell, which can be used, for example, in a factory hall or at any other location where it is needed. In this case, the test device 10 has a housing 12 mounted on wheeled feet 11, in and on which the various components of the test device 10 are arranged.
[0037] Important components of the test device 10 are a transport element 14 comprising a robot arm 13 of a robot, with which tools 15 to be tested can be transported within the housing 12, and an electro-optical test device 16, which can take one or more pictures of the tools 15 to be tested, which can then be analyzed with regard to their wear condition.
[0038] In the present case, the tools 15 to be tested are milling tools, and the wear of their main and / or secondary cutting edges and / or rake faces is being checked. However, other tools can also be tested with the testing device 10 according to the invention.
[0039] The nominal diameter of the tools 15 can advantageously be between 2 mm and 16 mm, and / or the overall length of the tools 15 can advantageously be between 60 mm and 245 mm, and / or the length of the section to be tested of the respective tool 15 can be greater than or equal to 16 mm.
[0040] To assess the respective wear condition of the main and / or secondary cutting edges and / or the chip surfaces, the actual diameter of the respective tool 15 could be used, for example.
[0041] The electro-optical testing device 16 comprises, for testing the wear condition of the respective tool 15, one or more (electronic) cameras 18 (e.g., CCD cameras) with integrated illumination, one or more deflecting mirrors 19, and a unit 20 for shielding against ambient or stray light. The unit 20 is designed as a downwardly open housing into which a tool 15 to be tested can be inserted from below by the transport element. In Fig. 4, the main viewing direction of the camera 18, as it results after deflection by the deflecting mirror 19, is indicated by reference numeral 30. In this example, the upward-facing side of the tool 15 is captured vertically from above. However, by appropriate rotation or movement of the robot arm 13, the tool 15 can also be tilted relative to the main viewing direction so that other sides of the tool can also be captured.
[0042] As can be seen, the robot arm 13 includes various joints 17 to establish as many degrees of freedom of movement as possible, so that the robot arm can reach all positions required for the overall process within the limited space in the housing 12.
[0043] In the present case, the robot arm 13 is mounted at one end inside the housing 12 on an inner top surface of the housing 12, but this can naturally be different.
[0044] At the opposite end of the robot arm 13, a controllable gripping element 22 is arranged, with which the transport element 14 can grasp a tool 15 and hold it during transport, i.e., while the robot arm 13 is moved accordingly, taking it with it.
[0045] The test device 10 further comprises a first tool storage unit 27 in which several tools 15 to be tested can be stored and each can be transported individually and successively by means of the robot arm 13 into the test area of the electro-optical test device 16. The tool storage unit 27 includes a receptacle 29 for each tool 15, in which the respective tool 15 is located.
[0046] Furthermore, a second, separate tool storage unit 28, also equipped with holders 29, is provided. The robot arm 13 feeds the respective tool 15 into this unit after one or more images of the tool 15 have been taken by the electro-optical testing device 16 as described. It is understood that it is also conceivable to provide only a single tool storage unit, from which the tools 15 to be tested are taken and to which the subsequently tested tools 15 are then fed back.
[0047] Another important component of the test device 10 is an analysis unit comprising a computing device, such as a computer, which analyzes the respective test images taken by the respective tool 15 with regard to the respective wear condition. The analysis unit can also be part of the electro-optical test device 16.
[0048] The analysis of the analysis device can preferably be carried out using a trained neural network (Kl), which is trained, for example, using many sample tools with and without wear, to recognize different wear states of the tested tool 15 based on the recorded test images.
[0049] In the present case, the analysis device assigns one of several wear classes to the respective tested tool 15 depending on the wear condition it has determined and displays the respective assigned wear class on a user input and / or output interface, in this case on a touchscreen 23, on which the user is shown - in addition to the wear classes described in more detail below - the test image 31 of the tool 15 just tested, which was recorded by the electro-optical testing device 16.
[0050] In this case, three wear classes are provided:
[0051] Firstly, there is a wear class 24 "reusable" (marked in green) for tools 15 whose wear condition is still good enough that they can continue to be used without further processing. Secondly, there is a wear class 25 "re-grind" (marked in yellow) for tools 15 whose wear condition does not allow for immediate re-use, but which permits the respective tool 15 to be used after it has been re-grinded. Finally, there is a wear class 26 "discard" (marked in red) for tools whose wear condition is so problematic that even re-grinding would not allow for any further use of the respective tool 15. The user can then decide, based on the assigned wear class 24-26 or the determined wear condition, how to handle the respective inspected tool 15.
[0052] Should the user find the analysis result inconclusive, they have the option, for example, to have the respective tool 15 re-tested by pressing the "Repeat test" input field 21 displayed on the touchscreen 23. In such a case, the robot arm 13 would then remove the tested tool 15, which is usually already in the second tool memory 28 at this point, and transport it back to the testing area of the electro-optical testing device 16 to take further test images.
[0053] Regardless, each user also has the option of independently starting individual checks if needed.
[0054] It is also conceivable that each tested tool 15 is sorted into one of several different, in particular spatially separated areas of the second tool memory 28 (or into one of several separate tool memories) as an alternative or in addition to the above display of the respective wear class 24 - 26 of the tested tool 15 on the touchscreen 23, in order to quickly make it visually clear to the user to which wear class the tool 15 belongs.
[0055] For example, tools 15 of wear class 24 could be sorted into a left area of the second tool storage 28 ("reusable"), tools 15 of wear class 25 ("to be resharpened") into a middle area and tools 15 of wear class 26 ("to be sorted out") into a right area.
[0056] It is understood that the test device 10 has a (not shown) control unit for controlling and coordinating the individual automatic processes, for example for the movement of the transport element 14 including the gripping and transporting of the respective tools 15, for carrying out the recording of the test images of the tools 15 by the electro-optical test device, for carrying out the analyses by the analysis device, etc.
[0057] Finally, it is also conceivable that the test device 10 has an integrated tool preparation with cleaning function (not shown) which cleans the respective tools 15 to be tested and / or components of the test device, such as the electro-optical test device 16, as required and / or automatically, in order to ensure a flawless tool test.
[0058] 12 28 October 2025
[0059] Reference symbol list
[0060] 10 Test device
[0061] 11 feet
[0062] 12 cases
[0063] 13 robot arm
[0064] 14 Transport organ
[0065] 15 tools
[0066] 16 electro-optical testing equipment
[0067] 17 joints
[0068] 18 Camera
[0069] 19 deflecting mirrors
[0070] 20 shielding units
[0071] 21 Input field "Retake exam"
[0072] 22 grasping organ
[0073] 23 Touchscreen
[0074] 24 Wear class "reusable"
[0075] 25 wear class "re-grinding"
[0076] 26 wear class "sort out"
[0077] 27 first tool storage
[0078] 28 second tool storage
[0079] 29th entry
[0080] 30 Main viewing direction camera
[0081] 31 Test image tool
Claims
October 28, 2025 13 Patent claims 1. A method for automatically checking the wear condition of several tools, in which, in particular automatically one after the other, one of several tools (15) to be checked, arranged in a tool storage unit (27) comprising several tools (15), is removed from the tool storage unit (27) by means of a transport element (14) preferably comprising a robot arm (13), driven by a motor, and transported into a test area, in which an electro-optical testing device (16) preferably comprising one or more cameras takes at least one test image of the tool (15) transported into the test area, in which the test image is evaluated by an analysis device, in particular by means of a trained neural network, with regard to the wear condition of the tool (15), and in which the tool (15) is transported away from the test area again after the test image has been taken.
2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the tool (15) is transported after the inspection image has been taken, in particular by means of the transport element (14), either back to the tool storage (27) from which it was taken, or to another tool storage (28).
3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the analysis device analyzes the wear condition of at least one main cutting edge and / or at least one secondary cutting edge and / or at least one rake face of the tool (15) on the basis of the test image, and / or that the analysis device determines the actual diameter of the tool (15) to be tested on the basis of the test image.
4. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, at least according to claim 2, characterized in that the tool (15), in particular by means of the transport element (14), is sorted into one of several different, in particular spatially separated areas of the tool storage (27, 28) or into one of several separate tool storages (28) according to the wear condition determined by the analysis device.
5. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the or each tool storage unit (27, 28) has individual storage receptacles for the tools (15), in particular in a number of 6 to 24, wherein a tool (15) is wholly or partially seated in several or all of these storage receptacles before it is removed by the transport element (14) and transported into the test area, and / or wherein the respective tool (15) is arranged by the transport element (14) at the end of the transport taking place after the acquisition of the test image in one of the storage receptacles of the tool storage unit (27, 28).
6. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the analysis device assigns the respective tool (15) to one of several classes of wear states as part of the evaluation, depending on the wear state determined by the analysis device, in particular from a group of classes comprising a first class that indicates a required regrinding of the respective tested tool (15), and / or a second class that indicates a required sorting out of the respective tested tool (15), and / or a third class that indicates a possible further use of the respective tested tool (15).
7. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that evaluation results of the analysis device are displayed on a display, in particular the wear condition of the tested tool (15) and / or the wear condition class assigned to the tested tool (15) and / or the actual diameter of the tested tool (15).
8. Method according to claim 7, characterized in that the different wear classes are symbolized by different colors, in particular the first class by a first color, in particular yellow, the second class by another second color, in particular red, and the third class by yet another color, in particular green.
9. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electro-optical testing device (16) takes several images of the respective tool (15) from different perspectives 15, and / or that the electro-optical testing device (16) captures an image in which different perspectives of the tool (15) to be tested are included, in particular by guiding views from different sides of the tool (15) to be tested into a common image plane of the electro-optical testing device (16) by means of guide elements, in particular mirrors.
10. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the nominal diameter of the tools (15) to be tested is > 2 mm and < 16 mm, and / or that the total length of the tools (15) to be tested is > 60 mm and < 245 mm, and / or that the length of the section of the tools (15) to be tested is > 16 mm.
11. Method according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the tools (15) are automatically cleaned before being transported to the test area by means of the transport device (14).
12. Device for automatically checking the wear condition of tools, in particular for carrying out the method according to one or more of the preceding claims 1-11, comprising an electro-optical testing device (16), preferably comprising one or more cameras, with which at least one test image of a tool (15) to be tested can be recorded in a testing area of the device, comprising a tool storage unit (27) in which several tools (15) to be tested can be stored, comprising a motor-driven transport element (14), in particular comprising a robot arm, with which a tool (15) to be tested can be automatically removed from the tool storage unit (27), transported into the testing area of the testing device (16) and transported away from the testing area after the test image has been recorded, and comprising an analysis device with which the test image can be analyzed with regard to the wear condition of the tool (15) to be tested.
13. Device according to claim 12, characterized in that the transport element (14), in particular the robot arm, has a gripping element with which the respective tool (15) can be gripped for transport.
14. Device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the device, in addition to the tool storage (27) from which the tools (15) can be taken for testing, has a further separate tool storage to which the tools (15) can be transported after testing, in particular by the transport element (14), and into which they can be sorted.
15. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 - 14, characterized in that the device has a user interface, in particular a display or a touchscreen, via which evaluation results of the analysis device can be displayed to a user and / or via which a user can make inputs, in particular inputs with which evaluation results of the analysis device can be changed, in particular an assignment of the analysis device of the respective tested tool (15) to a wear class, and / or inputs that trigger a retest of an already tested tool (15).
16. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 - 15, characterized in that the device is a preferably mobile unit with a particularly mobile housing in and / or on which the testing device (16) and / or the tool storage or storage and / or the transport element (14) and / or the touchscreen and / or a display and / or the user interface is arranged.
17. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 - 16, characterized in that the device has a control unit for controlling the transport element (14) and / or the test device (16) and / or the analysis device.
18. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims 12 - 17, further characterized by one or more features of claims 1 - 11.