Workpiece shape display device and numerical control device

Abstract

Provided is a technique capable of easily confirming risks and causes of a processing failure accompanying overlapping in a workpiece shape display device and a numerical control device. A workpiece shape display device 10 comprises: a processing condition setting unit 11 that sets processing conditions including a processing program, tool information, setting of an overlap amount, and a pre-processing workpiece shape; a tool trajectory calculation unit 12 that calculates the tool trajectory of a tool 2 in consideration of the overlap on the basis of the processing conditions; a workpiece shape estimation unit 13 that estimates a post-processing workpiece shape on the basis of the pre-processing workpiece shape and the calculated tool trajectory; a contact region extraction unit 14 that extracts a contact region 50 where the tool 2 contacts a workpiece W during the overlap in the estimated post-processing workpiece shape, from the tool trajectory and the estimated post-processing workpiece shape; and a workpiece shape display unit 15 that displays the contact region 50 including interferences and uncut portions due to the overlap on the post-processing workpiece shape, on the basis of the post-processing workpiece shape and the extracted contact region 50.

Description

Work shape display device and numerical control device

[0007] ,

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a work shape display device and a numerical control device.

[0002] Conventionally, in a control device of a machine tool, there is a technique of overlapping the movement between blocks of a machining program. In the overlap between blocks, the operation of the next block is started before the current block being executed reaches the end point. As a result, the non-cutting time is shortened. Patent Documents 1 to 4 describe techniques related to this type of overlap.

[0003] International Publication No. 2023 / 067699, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013 - 008276, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2018 - 151736, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2020 - 144667

[0004] In machining with overlap, inward rotation may occur, and there is a risk of machining defects such as interference between the tool and the work or remaining cutting. Therefore, the overlap amount may be switched according to the machining conditions specified in the blocks of the machining program, such as between the cutting feed and the rapid feed, or between the rapid feeds.

[0005] In order to prevent machining defects due to overlap, it is necessary to adjust the overlap amount according to the acceleration and deceleration of each axis and the conditions of the machining program. However, it is difficult to confirm in advance whether machining defects may occur with the overlap amount set before machining. Also, even when machining defects occur after machining, it has been difficult to identify the part of the work or the blocks between which caused the machining defects due to overlap. There has been room for improvement in the prior art in terms of easily setting an appropriate overlap amount that can effectively shorten the machining time while preventing interference and remaining cutting.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a technique that can easily confirm the risk and cause of machining defects associated with overlap in a work shape display device and a numerical control device.

[0007] This disclosure relates to a workpiece shape display device for displaying the shape of a workpiece after machining, comprising: a machining condition setting unit for setting machining conditions including a machining program, tool information, overlap amount setting, and workpiece shape before machining; a tool trajectory calculation unit for calculating the tool trajectory of a tool that takes overlap into account based on the machining conditions; a workpiece shape estimation unit for estimating the workpiece shape after machining based on the workpiece shape before machining and the calculated tool trajectory; a contact area extraction unit for extracting contact areas in the estimated workpiece shape after machining where the tool contacts the workpiece during the overlap; and a workpiece shape display unit for displaying the contact areas, including interference and uncut areas due to the overlap, in the workpiece shape after machining based on the workpiece shape after machining and the extracted contact areas.

[0008] This is a functional block diagram of the workpiece shape display device according to the first embodiment. This is a perspective view showing an example of a workpiece and its cutting area. This is a perspective view showing an example of the workpiece shape before machining. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a machining program and program path. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of overlap amount. This is a table showing an example of a tool trajectory calculated by the tool trajectory calculation unit. This is a perspective view showing an example of a tool trajectory calculated by the tool trajectory calculation unit. This is a schematic diagram explaining the relationship between the tool and workpiece when the workpiece shape estimation unit estimates the workpiece shape after machining. This is a schematic diagram explaining the substitution process when the workpiece shape estimation unit estimates the workpiece shape after machining. This is a perspective view showing an example of the workpiece shape after machining estimated by the workpiece shape estimation unit. This is a perspective view showing an example of the workpiece shape after machining where the contact area extracted by the contact area extraction unit is shown. This is a functional block diagram of the workpiece shape display device according to the second embodiment. This is a diagram showing a first display example of the area selection screen and overlap information display screen of the second embodiment. This is a diagram showing a second display example of the area selection screen and overlap information display screen of the second embodiment. This is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method for acquiring overlap information. This is a functional block diagram of the workpiece shape display device according to the third embodiment. This figure shows a first display example of the work shape display screen and overlap amount selection screen of the third embodiment. This figure shows a second display example of the work shape display screen and overlap amount selection screen of the third embodiment. This is a functional block diagram of the work shape display device according to the fourth embodiment. This figure shows an example of the display of the work shape display screen and the appropriate overlap amount display screen of the fourth embodiment. This is a functional block diagram of the work shape display device according to the fifth embodiment. This is a functional block diagram of the numerical control device equipped with the work shape display device according to the sixth embodiment. This figure shows an example of the display of the work shape display screen and the appropriate overlap amount setting display screen of the sixth embodiment. This is a functional block diagram of the numerical control device equipped with the work shape display device according to the seventh embodiment. This figure shows an example of the display of the work shape display screen and the appropriate overlap amount machining program display screen of the seventh embodiment.

[0009] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. In the description of the second and subsequent embodiments, components common to the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and their descriptions will be omitted as appropriate.

[0010] [First Embodiment] Figure 1 is a functional block diagram of the workpiece shape display device 10 according to the first embodiment. The workpiece shape display device 10 shown in Figure 1 is a device that displays the shape of the workpiece W (see Figures 10 and 11) after machining, which is estimated from the tool trajectory. The workpiece shape display device 10 may be configured to have a display screen such as a display, or it may be configured to output image information to an external display screen.

[0011] The workpiece shape display device 10 is comprised of a computer that includes, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage device such as a hard disk drive, and a communication control device.

[0012] The workpiece shape display device 10 of the first embodiment includes a machining condition setting unit 11, a tool trajectory calculation unit 12, a workpiece shape estimation unit 13, a contact area extraction unit 14, and a workpiece shape display unit 15.

[0013] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a workpiece W and its cutting area 45. The cutting area 45, indicated by the hatched area in Figure 2, is the portion of the workpiece W that is cut. The components of the workpiece shape display device 10 will be explained while showing an example of cutting a part of the workpiece W as shown in Figure 2. Note that the workpiece W shown in Figure 2 is merely an example for illustrative purposes, and the shape of the workpiece W and the range of the cutting area 45 are not limited.

[0014] The machining condition setting unit 11 sets machining conditions, including the pre-machining workpiece shape, machining program, overlap amount setting, and tool information. The machining conditions may be directly input by the operator through an input device (not shown) or from an external computer.

[0015] Figure 3 is a perspective view showing an example of the pre-machining workpiece shape. Figure 3 shows the pre-machining shape of workpiece W. The pre-machining workpiece shape included in the machining conditions is information for identifying the shape of workpiece W before machining. The format of the pre-machining workpiece shape is not particularly limited. The pre-machining workpiece shape may be a three-dimensional model created in advance using CAD, a combination of multiple two-dimensional drawings, or numerical data that specifies the shape.

[0016] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a machining program and program path. The machining program shown in Figure 4 specifies the machining content using pre-set codes. In this example, G00 in the machining program is a rapid traverse command (positioning command), and after G00, X and Z are written to specify the coordinates. G01 is a cutting command, and after G01, X is written to specify the coordinates and F is written to specify the feed rate. Below the machining program in Figure 4, the program path based on the machining program is schematically shown with dashed and solid lines. In Figure 4, the dashed arrows represent the rapid traverse command path, and the solid arrows represent the cutting path where cutting is performed. As shown in Figure 4, the machining program specifies the path of the tool 2 of the machine tool.

[0017] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of overlap amount. Overlap amount is a quantity that indicates the degree of overlap. For example, the distance from the overlap start point to the block end point in a block that indicates the division of a machining program command can be cited as overlap amount. In addition to distance, overlap amount can also include the time when the remaining time until the executing command block reaches the block end point becomes a predetermined time, or the time when the executing command block begins to decelerate and its speed decreases to a predetermined speed. Note that a machining program block is a range defined by a semicolon (;) appended to the end of a code that commands cutting feed, rapid traverse, etc., and is a unit from one semicolon to the next. A machining program block can also be defined by a line break.

[0018] The overlap amount setting specifies the amount of overlap. The overlap amount setting may be set as a parameter of the machine tool, or it may be specified in the description of the machining program.

[0019] The overlap amount can also be set according to the type of feed used when moving tool 2. For example, a predetermined overlap amount may be set when an operation such as rapid traverse → rapid traverse or rapid traverse → cutting is specified. Alternatively, the overlap amount may be specified according to the type of command in the machining program (e.g., during drilling), the machining sequence, the position of the drive axis that moves the machine tool and workpiece W, etc.

[0020] Tool information specifies the shape and type of tool 2, such as tool diameter. Tool information may be set as a parameter of the machine tool, or it may be specified in the description of the machining program.

[0021] The tool path calculation unit 12 calculates the tool path, taking overlap into account, based on the machining program and machining conditions, including the overlap amount. The method for calculating the tool path is not particularly limited. For example, the tool path may be calculated by a numerical control device (not shown) connected to the workpiece shape display device 10, and the path may be measured by actually operating the machine tool. Alternatively, the tool path may be calculated by a simulator that simulates the actual machine tool and numerical control device.

[0022] The tool path calculated by the tool path calculation unit 12 is time-series data indicating the coordinate values ​​of each axis at a certain time during machining and whether or not there is overlap. Figure 6 is a table showing an example of the tool path of tool 2 calculated by the tool path calculation unit 12. The table in Figure 6 shows the coordinate values ​​of each axis, such as the X-axis coordinate and Y-axis coordinate, along with information indicating whether or not there is overlap, and the corresponding program block number as time-series data. In this table, the times 5.2 and 5.3, and times 10.6 and 10.7, which are marked with a circle, are the points where overlap occurs.

[0023] Furthermore, the table in Figure 6 also shows the time-series data of the effective overlap settings. In this example, setting 1 indicates the overlap amount set for overlaps between fast-forward sequences. Setting 1 stores the overlap amount specified for fast-forward sequences. Setting 2 indicates the overlap amount set for overlaps other than between fast-forward sequences. Setting 2 stores the overlap amount specified for overlaps other than fast-forward sequences.

[0024] Note that the table in Figure 6 is shown to illustrate the tool path, and the time-series data of the tool path is not limited to the format shown in the table in Figure 6. For example, the setting of effective overlap can be omitted, and various methods can be used for the time-series data of the tool path.

[0025] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a tool path calculated by the tool path calculation unit 12. Figure 7 illustrates the tool path for the workpiece W calculated by the tool path calculation unit 12 based on the machining program and overlap amount settings of the machining conditions. In Figure 7, the solid lines indicated by the arrows show the tool path during overlap, and the dashed lines show the tool path without overlap.

[0026] In the example shown in Figure 7, contact with the workpiece W occurs at three locations during the overlap: contact position P1, contact position P2, and contact position P3. At contact position P1, interference with the workpiece W occurs due to the inward rotation during the overlap between rapid traverses. At contact position P2, contact with the workpiece W occurs before the overlap ends during the overlap from rapid traverse to cutting feed, resulting in uncut material. At contact position P3, overlap with the workpiece W begins before the machine separates from the workpiece W during the overlap from cutting feed to rapid traverse, resulting in uncut material.

[0027] The workpiece shape estimation unit 13 estimates the post-machining workpiece shape using a simulator based on machining conditions, including the pre-machining workpiece shape and tool information, input from the machining condition setting unit 11, and the tool trajectory calculated by the tool trajectory calculation unit 12, taking into account the overlap.

[0028] Referring to Figures 8 and 9, an example of a calculation method for estimating the post-machining workpiece shape by the workpiece shape estimation unit 13 will be described.

[0029] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the relationship between the tool 2 and the workpiece W when the workpiece shape estimation unit 13 estimates the workpiece shape after machining. Figure 8 shows the workpiece W to be machined, along with the tool trajectory, which indicates the position of the tool 2 that changes with time Tn. The workpiece shape estimation unit 13 obtains the region Sn that the tool 2 passes through based on the coordinates of the tool trajectory at each time Tn, the coordinates at the next time T(n+1), and the tool shape included in the machining conditions.

[0030] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating the substitution process used by the workpiece shape estimation unit 13 to estimate the workpiece shape after machining. Figure 9 shows the region Sn through which the tool 2 passes along with the workpiece W. The workpiece shape is composed of vertices and the faces connecting them. The workpiece shape estimation unit 13 performs a substitution process to replace some of the vertices and faces of the workpiece shape when subtracting region Sn. In this way, the workpiece shape estimation unit 13 obtains a portion of the workpiece shape after machining, which was cut between time Tn and time T(n+1), by subtracting region Sn from the workpiece shape using a Boolean operation. As a specific method for performing this calculation, for example, a known algorithm such as the Vatty clipping method can be used.

[0031] The contact region 50 is determined based on the surface replaced by subtracting region Sn when time T(n+1) falls within the overlap period between block 1 and block 2 of the machining program. A replacement process is also performed to replace region S(n+1) in the coordinates and tool shape of other times T(n+1) and T(n+1). By performing the replacement process for all target times, data of the final machined workpiece shape can be obtained.

[0032] Figure 10 is a perspective view showing an example of the post-machining workpiece shape estimated by the workpiece shape estimation unit 13. Figure 10 shows the shape of the post-machining workpiece W, with overlap machining reflected at contact positions P1, P2, and P3.

[0033] The contact area extraction unit 14 extracts contact areas 50 where the tool 2 contacts the workpiece W during the overlap in the estimated workpiece shape after machining, based on the calculated tool trajectory and the estimated workpiece shape after machining. Since the purpose of overlap is to shorten the axis movement time during non-cutting, contact between the tool 2 and the workpiece W during overlap is an unintended operation and can lead to machining defects. The contact area extraction unit 14 extracts contact areas 50 that are in contact with the workpiece W at the time when the overlap occurs in the tool trajectory.

[0034] Furthermore, the contact area extraction unit 14 stores overlap information, which is information regarding the overlap of the extracted contact area 50, in association with the contact area 50. For example, the contact area extraction unit 14 assigns overlap information to the contact area 50 at contact position P1 due to the overlap between block 1 and block 2. The overlap information includes the amount of overlap and settings for the amount of overlap corresponding to the contact area 50, such as setting 1 or setting 2.

[0035] The workpiece shape display unit 15 displays the estimated post-processing workpiece shape with the contact area 50 indicated, based on the estimated post-processing workpiece shape and the extracted contact area 50. The post-processing workpiece shape displayed on the workpiece shape display unit 15 shows the contact area 50 including interference and uncut areas due to overlap.

[0036] Figure 11 is a perspective view showing an example of a processed workpiece shape in which the contact areas 50 extracted by the contact area extraction unit 14 are indicated. Figure 11 shows a workpiece shape display screen 40 in which the contact areas 50 at contact positions P1, P2, and P3 of the workpiece W are displayed in a manner that distinguishes them from other areas. The workpiece shape display unit 15 displays the workpiece shape display screen 40 by changing the color, pattern, etc., of the parts of the contact areas 50 so that they can be distinguished from other parts. In the example of Figure 11, there are three contact areas 50 that are displayed separately from other parts, and these are shown by hatching with diagonal lines.

[0037] As described above, the workpiece shape display device 10 of the first embodiment includes: a machining condition setting unit 11 for setting machining conditions including a machining program, tool information, overlap amount setting and pre-machining workpiece shape; a tool trajectory calculation unit 12 for calculating the tool trajectory of the tool 2 taking overlap into account based on the machining conditions; a workpiece shape estimation unit 13 for estimating the post-machining workpiece shape based on the pre-machining workpiece shape and the calculated tool trajectory; a contact area extraction unit 14 for extracting contact areas 50 in which the tool 2 contacts the workpiece W during the overlap in the estimated post-machining workpiece shape from the tool trajectory and the estimated post-machining workpiece shape; and a workpiece shape display unit 15 for displaying the contact areas 50 including interference and uncut areas due to overlap in the post-machining workpiece shape based on the post-machining workpiece shape and the extracted contact areas 50.

[0038] This visualizes the contact area 50 where the workpiece W and tool 2 come into contact during overlap, causing interference or uncut material, along with the post-machining workpiece shape estimated based on the tool path during machining or the tool path obtained from simulation. Therefore, when machining defects occur during machining using overlap, it is easy to check which part of the workpiece W is affected by the overlap and which overlap between blocks in the machining program caused the defect. Furthermore, before machining, it is possible to check whether there is a risk of machining defects occurring with the set overlap amount, and which part of the workpiece W and which overlap between blocks in the machining program may cause the defect. In addition, it is easy to check the setting of the overlap amount that minimizes machining time while preventing interference and uncut material.

[0039] Furthermore, the contact area extraction unit 14 of this embodiment performs a process to associate the extracted contact area 50 with overlap information corresponding to the contact area 50.

[0040] This makes it possible to simplify the process of acquiring overlap information and displaying overlap information by identifying the contact area 50.

[0041] [Second Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG. 12, a workpiece shape display device 10a according to a second embodiment, which is different from the configuration of the workpiece shape display device 10 in the first embodiment, will be described. FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of the workpiece shape display device 10a according to the second embodiment.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 12, the workpiece shape display device 10a according to the second embodiment includes a machining condition setting unit 11, a tool path calculation unit 12, a workpiece shape estimation unit 13, a contact area extraction unit 14, a workpiece shape display unit 15, a region selection unit 16, a contact overlap information acquisition unit 17, and a contact overlap information display unit 18.

[0043] The workpiece shape display device 10a according to the second embodiment is different from the configuration of the first embodiment in that it further includes a region selection unit 16, a contact overlap information acquisition unit 17, and a contact overlap information display unit 18.

[0044] Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14, the region selection unit 16, the contact overlap information acquisition unit 17, the contact overlap information display unit 18, and the configurations related thereto will be described. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a first display example of a region selection screen 60 and an overlap information display screen 70 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a second display example of the region selection screen 60 and the overlap information display screen 70 according to the second embodiment.

[0045] The region selection unit 16 performs a process for selecting an arbitrary contact area 50 in the post-machining workpiece shape showing the contact area 50. The region selection unit 16 according to the second embodiment displays a region selection screen 60 as shown on the left side of FIGS. 13 and 14.

[0046] The region selection screen 60 displays a workpiece W that displays the post-machining workpiece shape, contact areas 50, 50a, and a pointer 51 for selecting the contact area 50. The workpiece W and the contact areas 50, 50a are images displayed by the workpiece shape display unit 15. The pointer 51 is an operation means on the screen of the operator for selecting the displayed contact area 50. In addition to the method specified by the pointer 51, a method of displaying a list of the contact areas 50 and selecting from the list may be adopted.

[0047] In the example of FIG. 13, the contact area 50a at the contact position P1 is selected by the pointer 51. The contact area 50a at the contact position P1 selected by the pointer 51 is displayed in a distinguishable manner from the contact areas 50 of the other contact positions P2 and P3. In the example of FIG. 14, the contact area 50a at the contact position P2 is selected by the pointer 51, and the contact area 50a at the contact position P2 is displayed in a distinguishable manner from the contact areas 50 of the other contact positions P1 and P3.

[0048] The contact overlap information acquisition unit 17 acquires overlap information including the setting of the block and overlap amount of the machining program in the overlap when contacting at the selected contact area 50a. The contact overlap information acquisition unit 17 may directly acquire the overlap information including the setting of the block and overlap amount of the machining program from the machining condition setting unit 11, or may acquire it by imparting information to the tool path or the contact area 50.

[0049] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a method for acquiring overlap information. As shown in FIG. 15, the overlap information imparted to the surface 511 selected by the ray 510 emitted from the pointer 51 is acquired.

[0050] The contact overlap information display unit 18 displays information regarding the overlap based on the overlap information acquired by the contact overlap information acquisition unit 17. The information regarding the overlap displayed by the contact overlap information display unit 18 includes the setting of the block and overlap amount of the machining program corresponding to the overlap at the selected contact area 50a.

[0051] The contact overlap information display unit 18 of the second embodiment displays an overlap information display screen 70 as shown on the right side of Figures 13 and 14. The overlap information display screen 70 displays machining program information 71 which displays the contents of the machining program, and a setting display 72 which displays the overlap amount setting for the selected contact area 50a. The machining program information 71 displays commands for multiple blocks. The setting display 72 displays the overlap amount setting corresponding to the selected contact area 50a. The overlap amount setting is information that indirectly indicates the overlap amount, such as "Setting 1" and "Setting 2" in the table in Figure 6. By knowing "Setting 1" and "Setting 2", the operator can identify the overlap amount.

[0052] In the example shown in Figure 13, the contact area 50a at contact position P1 is selected by the pointer 51, and the block corresponding to the contact area 50a in the machining program information 71 is highlighted 75. In this example, the operator has selected the contact area 50a that interfered with the overlap between rapid traverses. The blocks in the machining program information 71 that are highlighted 75 are the two blocks between rapid traverses, "G00 X10.0" and "G00 Z10.0". The setting display 72, which displays the overlap amount setting, shows "Setting 1" which is applied to the overlap between rapid traverses as the overlap amount setting corresponding to the contact area 50a at contact position P1. Setting 1 here is information that is pre-set according to the type of command.

[0053] In the example in Figure 14, the contact area 50a at contact position P2 is selected by the pointer 51, and the block corresponding to the contact area 50a in the machining program information 71 is highlighted 75. In this example, the operator has selected the contact area 50a where the tool 2 overlaps between rapid traverse and cutting feed, and contacts the workpiece W before the overlap ends. The blocks in the machining program information 71 that are highlighted 75 are the two blocks between rapid traverse and cutting feed: "G00 Z10.0" and "G01 X20.0 F100." The setting display 72, which displays the overlap amount setting, shows "Setting 2," which is applied to overlaps other than the overlap between rapid traverses, as the overlap amount setting corresponding to the contact area 50a at contact position P2. Setting 2 here is information that is pre-set according to the type of command.

[0054] As described above, the workpiece shape display device 10a of the second embodiment further comprises: a region selection unit 16 that can select any contact region 50 from a plurality of contact regions 50 shown together with the workpiece shape after processing; a contact overlap information acquisition unit 17 that acquires overlap information, including the setting of a processing program block and overlap amount, corresponding to the overlap when the tool 2 and workpiece W come into contact in the contact region 50 selected by the region selection unit 16; and a contact overlap information display unit 18 that displays the setting of a processing program block and overlap amount corresponding to the overlap when the tool 2 and workpiece W come into contact in the contact region 50 selected based on the overlap information acquired by the contact overlap information acquisition unit 17.

[0055] This allows us to select the contact area 50 where the tool 2 is in contact with the workpiece W during overlap machining, and to determine which part of the machining program the overlap is at and which overlap amount setting conditions are responsible for it.

[0056] Furthermore, the contact area extraction unit 14 of this embodiment performs a process to associate the extracted contact area 50 with overlap information corresponding to the contact area 50.

[0057] This makes it possible to simplify the process of acquiring overlap information and displaying overlap information by identifying the contact area 50.

[0058] [Third Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 16, a workpiece shape display device 10b of a third embodiment, which differs from the configuration described in the above embodiment, will be described. Figure 16 is a functional block diagram of the workpiece shape display device 10b according to the third embodiment.

[0059] As shown in Figure 16, the workpiece shape display device 10b of the third embodiment includes a machining condition setting unit 11, a tool trajectory calculation unit 12, a workpiece shape estimation unit 13, a contact area extraction unit 14, a workpiece shape display unit 15, a storage unit 19, and an overlap amount selection unit 20.

[0060] The workpiece shape display device 10b of the third embodiment differs from the configuration of the first embodiment in that it further includes a storage unit 19 and an overlap amount selection unit 20. The storage unit 19 and the overlap amount selection unit 20 and their respective configurations will be described below.

[0061] In the third embodiment, the machining condition setting unit 11 specifies a plurality of overlap amounts. The plurality of overlap amounts are determined in advance by the operator based on the range of overlap amounts that the operator wants to check, and are, for example, written in the machining program or set as parameters of the machine tool.

[0062] The tool path calculation unit 12 calculates a tool path for each of the multiple overlap amounts. The workpiece shape estimation unit 13 estimates multiple post-machining workpiece shapes based on the multiple tool paths, along with the pre-machining workpiece shape and tool information specified in the machining condition setting unit 11. The contact area extraction unit 14 extracts a contact area 50 for each of the multiple post-machining workpiece shapes.

[0063] The memory unit 19 stores multiple post-processed workpiece shapes estimated by the workpiece shape estimation unit 13 and multiple contact regions 50 corresponding to each post-processed workpiece shape extracted by the contact region extraction unit 14. The memory unit 19 stores multiple overlap amounts that were used as the basis for calculations, associating them with the multiple post-processed workpiece shapes and the multiple contact regions 50.

[0064] The overlap amount selection unit 20 selects an arbitrary overlap amount from a plurality of overlap amounts. The overlap amount selection unit 20 selects the overlap amount based on the operator's operation to specify the overlap amount.

[0065] Figure 17 shows a first display example of the workpiece shape display screen 40 and overlap amount selection screen 80 of the third embodiment. Figure 18 shows a second display example of the workpiece shape display screen 40 and overlap amount selection screen 80 of the third embodiment.

[0066] The overlap amount selection unit 20 of the third embodiment displays an overlap amount selection screen 80 as shown on the right side of Figures 17 and 18. It is assumed that the overlap amount is set in the processing condition setting unit 11 in increments of 0.5 mm within the range of 0 mm to 4 mm, and that the processed workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to each overlap amount are pre-stored in the storage unit 19.

[0067] The overlap amount selection screen 80 displays the overlap amount selection display 81. The overlap amount selection display 81 is an on-screen operation means for the operator to select the overlap amount by moving the cursor 85 on a scale that indicates the degree of overlap. In this example, the overlap amount selection display 81 allows the operator to select the overlap amount in increments of 0.5 mm between 0 and 4 mm.

[0068] In the third embodiment, the workpiece shape display unit 15 displays the processed workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to the overlap amount selected by the overlap amount selection unit 20. The workpiece shape display unit 15 displays the workpiece shape display screen 40 next to the overlap amount selection screen 80.

[0069] In the example shown in Figure 17, the overlap amount is selected to 4 mm by the operator's cursor 85. The workpiece shape display unit 15 reads the processed workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to the overlap amount of 4 mm from the storage unit 19 and displays the workpiece shape display screen 40 based on the read processed workpiece shape and contact area 50.

[0070] In the example shown in Figure 18, the overlap amount is selected to 2 mm by the operator's cursor 85. The workpiece shape display unit 15 reads the processed workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to the overlap amount of 2 mm from the storage unit 19 and displays the workpiece shape display screen 40 based on the read processed workpiece shape and contact area 50. In the second example shown in Figure 18, it can be confirmed that, compared to the first example, the overlap amount has decreased, and there is no area that contacts the workpiece W during overlap at the contact position P1 between rapid traverses. It can also be confirmed that the contact areas 50 at contact positions P2 and P3 are smaller compared to the first example.

[0071] As described above, the workpiece shape display device 10b of the third embodiment further includes a storage unit 19 which stores a plurality of post-machined workpiece shapes estimated by a workpiece shape estimation unit 13 based on each of the plurality of overlap amounts specified by the machining condition setting unit 11, and a plurality of contact areas 50 extracted by a contact area extraction unit 14 for the plurality of post-machined workpiece shapes, and an overlap amount selection unit 20 which can select an arbitrary overlap amount from the plurality of overlap amounts, and the workpiece shape display unit 15 reads the post-machined workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to the overlap amount selected by the overlap amount selection unit 20 from the storage unit 19 and displays it.

[0072] This allows for the specification of multiple overlap amounts, and enables understanding how the contact area 50 between the tool 2 and the workpiece W changes within the range of the specified overlap amounts. Furthermore, since the tool trajectory calculation unit 12 and the workpiece shape estimation unit 13 need to perform calculation processing for each overlap amount, calculation time is required for display. In this embodiment, however, the processed workpiece shape and contact area 50, which have been calculated in advance, can be stored in the storage unit 19. Therefore, when it is desired to check the change in the contact area 50 for different overlap amounts, the change in the contact area 50 according to the overlap amount can be easily understood without waiting for calculation processing, and the overlap amount adjustment work can be made more efficient.

[0073] [Fourth Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 19, a workpiece shape display device 10c of a fourth embodiment, which differs from the configuration described in the above embodiments, will be described. Figure 19 is a functional block diagram of the workpiece shape display device 10c according to the fourth embodiment.

[0074] The system includes a machining condition setting unit 11, a tool trajectory calculation unit 12, a workpiece shape estimation unit 13, a contact area extraction unit 14, a workpiece shape display unit 15, a storage unit 19, an overlap amount selection unit 20, a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21, and an appropriate overlap amount display unit 22.

[0075] The workpiece shape display device 10c of the fourth embodiment differs from the configuration of the third embodiment in that it further includes a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 and an appropriate overlap amount display unit 22. The contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 and the appropriate overlap amount display unit 22, which differ from those of the third embodiment, and their related configurations will be described below.

[0076] The contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 acquires a reference overlap amount for each contact area 50 in a plurality of overlap amounts stored in the storage unit 19, which serves as a criterion for determining whether a contact area 50 in which the workpiece W and the tool 2 come into contact occurs. The reference overlap amount is a criterion for determining whether the same contact area 50 occurs or not. If the specified overlap amount exceeds the reference overlap amount, it can be considered that a contact area 50 will occur. On the other hand, if it does not exceed the reference overlap amount, it can be considered that a contact area 50 will not occur.

[0077] The reference overlap amount can be obtained by searching for the boundary where the contact area 50 occurs within a range of multiple specified overlap amounts. The contact area occurrence overlap amount acquisition unit 21 searches for the boundary where the contact area 50 occurs for each of the multiple overlap amounts and determines the reference overlap amount.

[0078] If the overlap amount falls below the standard amount, no contact area 50 will be generated. When multiple contact areas 50 are generated for a single workpiece W, three contact areas 50 may be generated at one overlap amount, while the number of contact areas 50 may decrease at another overlap amount. For example, when the overlap amount is 4 mm, there are three contact areas 50, whereas when the overlap amount is 2 mm, the number of contact areas 50 may decrease by one to two (see Figures 17 and 18).

[0079] When multiple contact areas 50 occur for a single workpiece W, it is necessary to distinguish each contact area 50 and calculate the reference overlap amount. For example, when there were three contact areas 50 and one contact area 50 stopped occurring, it is necessary to determine the presence or absence of the contact area 50 while identifying whether the contact area 50 that stopped occurring is at contact position P1, contact position P2, or contact position P3. Two methods can be used to determine the presence or absence of a contact area 50 while identifying its location.

[0080] In the first method, the contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 acquires the result of subtracting the processed workpiece shape when the overlap amount is n from the processed workpiece shape when the overlap amount is the maximum value. If, as a result, a polyhedron exists that includes both the contact area 50 at contact position P1 when the overlap amount is the maximum value and the contact area 50 at contact position P1 when the overlap amount is n, the contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 determines that the contact area 50 exists when the overlap amount is n. Conversely, if the resulting polyhedron only contains the contact area 50 at contact position P1 when the overlap amount is the maximum value, the contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 determines that the contact area 50 at contact position P1 does not exist when the overlap amount is n.

[0081] In the second method, the presence or absence of a contact area 50 is determined by identifying the blocks. The contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 acquires information to identify whether or not contact occurs between the overlaps of blocks when the overlap amount is at its maximum value. The contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 then determines that a contact area 50 occurs when the overlap amount is n and the same overlap between blocks causes a contact area 50.

[0082] The appropriate overlap amount display unit 22 displays the amount of overlap at which the workpiece W and the tool 2 do not come into contact with each of the contact areas 50 that are displayed together with the workpiece W, which shows the shape of the workpiece after processing.

[0083] Figure 20 shows an example of the display of the workpiece shape display screen 41 and the appropriate overlap amount display screen 90 of the fourth embodiment. The appropriate overlap amount display unit 22 of the fourth embodiment displays the appropriate overlap amount display screen 90 as shown on the right side of Figure 20. The overlap amount is set in the processing condition setting unit 11 in increments of 0.5 mm within the range of 0 mm to 4 mm, and the processed workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to each overlap amount are pre-stored in the storage unit 19.

[0084] The appropriate overlap amount display screen 90 displays the overlap amount selection display 81 and the standard overlap amount display 91.

[0085] The overlap amount selection display 81, similar to the third embodiment, is an on-screen operation means for the operator to select the overlap amount displayed by the overlap amount selection unit 20 using the cursor 85.

[0086] The reference overlap amount display 91 displays the reference overlap amount for each of the contact areas 50 present in the workpiece W of the workpiece shape after processing. The reference overlap amount is the boundary between whether or not a contact area 50 exists. The reference overlap amount is set for each of the multiple contact positions P1, P2, and P3 where a contact area 50 exists.

[0087] Region A in the reference overlap amount display 91 is the contact area 50 located at contact position P1, and is the area where the workpiece W and tool 2 interfere due to inward rotation during overlap in rapid traverse. The reference overlap amount of region A is 2.5 mm, and when the overlap amount is 2.5 mm or less, the contact area 50 will not occur at contact position P1.

[0088] Area B is the region where the workpiece W and tool 2 come into contact before the overlap ends during the overlap from rapid traverse to cutting feed. The standard overlap amount in area B is 1.5 mm, and if the overlap amount is 1.5 mm or less, the contact area 50 will not occur at the contact position P2.

[0089] Region C is the area where contact occurs when the overlap between cutting feed and rapid traverse begins before the workpiece W leaves the workpiece. The standard overlap amount for region C is 1.0 mm, and if the overlap amount is 1.0 mm or less, the contact area 50 will not occur at the contact position P3.

[0090] In the fourth embodiment, the workpiece shape display unit 15 displays the processed workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to the overlap amount selected by the overlap amount selection unit 20. The workpiece shape display unit 15 displays the workpiece shape display screen 41 next to the appropriate overlap amount display screen 90. In the fourth embodiment, in addition to the workpiece W and contact area 50, the workpiece shape display unit 15 displays "A" indicating the position of contact position P1, "B" indicating the position of contact position P2, and "C" indicating the position of contact position P3. "A", "B", and "C" correspond to areas A, B, and C of the overlap amount selection display 81, allowing the operator to intuitively grasp the position of the corresponding contact area 50.

[0091] As described above, the workpiece shape display device 10c of the fourth embodiment further comprises a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 that acquires a reference overlap amount that serves as a basis for the occurrence of a contact area 50 for each of the plurality of contact areas 50 stored in the storage unit 19, and an appropriate overlap amount display unit 22 that displays an overlap amount that does not cause a contact area 50 to occur at positions corresponding to the plurality of contact areas 50, based on the reference overlap amount.

[0092] This makes it easy to understand the boundaries of overlap amounts at which contact areas 50 occur for each of several different overlap amounts. For example, when there are multiple contact areas 50 on a single workpiece W, it is easy to check at what overlap amount each contact area 50 ceases to occur. Also, since multiple overlap amounts are specified, it is easy to check what kind of contact occurs when the overlap amount is slightly changed. Furthermore, multiple contact areas 50 can be searched simultaneously with the same precision. For example, if the overlap amount is specified as "1 to 10 mm in 1 mm intervals," the presence or absence of contact areas 50 can be checked with 1 mm precision by searching all contact areas 50 10 times. In addition, since the search for multiple overlap amounts is performed within a pre-specified range, the increase in computational cost can be suppressed.

[0093] [Fifth Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 21, a workpiece shape display device 10d of a fifth embodiment, which differs from the configuration described in the above embodiments, will be described. Figure 21 is a functional block diagram of the workpiece shape display device 10d according to the fifth embodiment.

[0094] The workpiece shape display device 10d of the fifth embodiment includes a machining condition setting unit 11, a tool trajectory calculation unit 12, a workpiece shape estimation unit 13, a contact area extraction unit 14, a workpiece shape display unit 15, an overlap amount selection unit 20, a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21, an appropriate overlap amount display unit 22, and a contact possibility area acquisition unit 23.

[0095] The workpiece shape display device 10d of the fifth embodiment differs from the configuration of the fourth embodiment in that it includes a contactable area acquisition unit 23. Also, unlike the fourth embodiment, the workpiece shape display device 10d of the fifth embodiment does not include a storage unit 19, but it may be configured to include a storage unit 19. The contactable area acquisition unit 23 and related configurations will now be described.

[0096] The contact area acquisition unit 23 uses the contact area extraction unit 14 to extract the contact area 50 when the overlap amount is maximum, based on the processing conditions set by the processing condition setting unit 11, and acquires the extracted contact area 50 as an area that may come into contact due to overlap.

[0097] The contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 of the fifth embodiment acquires a reference overlap amount at which each contact area 50 will occur by searching for whether a contact area 50 will occur when the overlap amount is changed for each contact area 50 acquired by the contact possibility area acquisition unit 23. For example, an algorithm such as binary search can be used.

[0098] The appropriate overlap amount display unit 22 displays the amount of overlap that prevents the workpiece W and the tool 2 from contacting each of the contact areas 50, which are displayed together with the workpiece W that shows the workpiece shape after processing, based on the reference overlap amount. The appropriate overlap amount display unit 22, together with the workpiece shape display unit 15, displays the workpiece shape display screen 41 and the appropriate overlap amount display screen 90 shown in Figure 20, similar to the fourth embodiment.

[0099] As described above, the workpiece shape display device 10d of the fifth embodiment further comprises: a contact possibility area acquisition unit 23 that acquires one or more contact areas 50 when the overlap amount is maximum based on the processing conditions as areas where the tool 2 and workpiece W may come into contact due to overlap; a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21 that acquires a reference overlap amount that serves as a basis for the occurrence of a contact area 50 by searching whether a contact area 50 will occur when the overlap amount is changed for one or more contact areas 50 acquired by the contact possibility area acquisition unit 23; and an appropriate overlap amount display unit 22 that displays an overlap amount in which a contact area 50 does not occur at the corresponding positions of one or more contact areas 50 based on the reference overlap amount.

[0100] This allows the system to determine the overlap amount and whether or not a contact area 50 occurs, using a search algorithm such as binary search, based on the contact area 50 in the case of the maximum overlap amount based on the processing program, etc. Furthermore, it is possible to determine the overlap amount at which each contact area 50 does not occur. Based on the processing program, etc., it is possible to reliably determine the overlap amount at which a contact area 50 occurs, regardless of the range.

[0101] Although the workpiece shape display devices 10, 10a to d of the first to fifth embodiments have been described above, the workpiece shape display devices 10, 10a to d of the first to fifth embodiments may be the numerical control device itself or may be mounted on the numerical control device.

[0102] [Sixth Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 22, a numerical control device 1 equipped with a workpiece shape display device 10e of a sixth embodiment, which differs in configuration from that described in the above embodiments, will be described. Figure 22 is a functional block diagram of the numerical control device 1 equipped with the workpiece shape display device 10e according to the sixth embodiment.

[0103] The numerical control device 1 controls the tool 2 of the machine tool based on the machining program. The numerical control device 1 includes a workpiece shape display device 10e and a setting unit 30.

[0104] The workpiece shape display device 10e of the sixth embodiment includes a machining condition setting unit 11, a tool trajectory calculation unit 12, a workpiece shape estimation unit 13, a contact area extraction unit 14, a workpiece shape display unit 15, a storage unit 19, an overlap amount selection unit 20, a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21, an appropriate overlap amount display unit 22, a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24, and an appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25.

[0105] The workpiece shape display device 10e of the sixth embodiment differs from the configuration of the fourth embodiment in that it further includes a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 and an appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25. The contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 and the appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25, which differ from those of the fourth embodiment, and their respective configurations will be described below.

[0106] The contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 acquires the setting of the overlap amount in the overlap block that makes contact in each contact area 50.

[0107] The appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25 displays the amount of overlap to which one or more contact areas 50 do not occur due to overlap to which the same overlap amount setting is applied, based on the reference overlap amount. The overlap amount displayed by the appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25 is the amount of overlap to which the workpiece W and the tool 2 do not come into contact during the overlap for each overlap amount setting.

[0108] Figure 23 shows an example of the display of the workpiece shape display screen 41 and the appropriate overlap amount display screen 100 of the sixth embodiment. The appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25 of the sixth embodiment displays the appropriate overlap amount display screen 100 as shown on the right side of Figure 23. It is assumed that the overlap amount is set in the processing condition setting unit 11 in increments of 0.5 mm within the range of 0 mm to 4 mm, and that the processed workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to each overlap amount are stored in advance in the storage unit 19.

[0109] The appropriate overlap amount display screen 100 displays the overlap amount selection display 81 and the appropriate overlap amount setting display 101.

[0110] The overlap amount selection display 81, as in the third and fourth embodiments, is an on-screen operation means for the operator to select the overlap amount displayed by the overlap amount selection unit 20 using a cursor 85. The workpiece shape display unit 15, as in the fourth embodiment, displays the workpiece shape display screen 41 corresponding to the selected overlap amount to the left of the appropriate overlap amount setting display 101.

[0111] The appropriate overlap amount setting display 101 displays a reference overlap amount that prevents the contact area 50 from being created by the overlap to which each of the multiple overlap settings is applied, for the contact area 50 to which that setting is applied. Here, we will explain the case where the overlap between fast traverses is set to "Setting 1" and the other overlaps are set to "Setting 2".

[0112] In this case, region A, which is the contact area 50 at contact position P1, is the overlap between fast traverses, so it is set to setting 1. In the example in Figure 23, the overlap amount for setting 1 is set to 2.5 mm or less, which is displayed as the reference overlap amount for region A (contact area 50 at contact position P1), so that the contact area 50 at contact position P1 does not exist.

[0113] On the other hand, region B, which is the contact area 50 at contact position P2, and region C, which is the contact area 50 at contact position P3, are overlaps between the cutting feed and rapid traverse, so they are set to setting 2. In other words, setting 2 will affect both regions B and region C. The standard overlap amount for region B (contact area 50 at contact position P2) is 1.5 mm or less, and the standard overlap amount for region C (contact area 50 at contact position P3) is 1.0 mm or less. In order to prevent contact areas 50 from existing in both regions B and C, the overlap amount of setting 2 should be set to 1.0 mm or less.

[0114] Next, the setting unit 30 will be described. The setting unit 30 acquires a reference overlap amount corresponding to each overlap amount setting set in the appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25. The setting unit 30 then sets the overlap amount to be applied to the contact area 50 such that the workpiece W and the tool 2 do not come into contact. The overlap amount used for control of the numerical control device 1 will not exceed the reference overlap amount. As a result, the overlap amount set by the workpiece shape display device 10d so that the contact area 50 does not occur is reflected in the control of the machine tool by the numerical control device 1.

[0115] As described above, the workpiece shape display device 10e of the sixth embodiment includes a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 that acquires the setting of overlap amounts corresponding to each of the multiple contact areas 50, and an appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25 that, when multiple overlap amount settings are set, displays the overlap amount in which the workpiece W and the tool 2 do not come into contact, based on a reference overlap amount for each overlap amount setting.

[0116] This makes it easy to determine whether or not a contact area 50 occurs when applying multiple overlap amount settings, such as setting 1 and setting 2, which are set based on processing conditions. Furthermore, even if multiple contact areas 50 exist on the workpiece W, it is possible to determine the amount of overlap that prevents contact between the workpiece W and the tool 2 for each of the multiple contact areas 50, and set an appropriate overlap amount for each contact area 50.

[0117] Furthermore, the numerical control device 1 of this embodiment includes a workpiece shape display device 10e and a setting unit 30 that sets an overlap amount in which the workpiece W and the tool 2 do not come into contact, based on each of the reference overlap amounts of a plurality of overlap amount settings acquired by the contact overlap information acquisition unit 24, and controls at least one of the workpiece W and the tool 2 based on the overlap amount set by the setting unit 30.

[0118] This allows for machining with appropriate overlap without defects, thanks to the optimized overlap amount.

[0119] In the sixth embodiment, a workpiece shape display device 10e was described that further includes a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 and an appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25 in addition to the same configuration as the fourth embodiment, but the device is not limited to this configuration. In addition to the same configuration as the fifth embodiment, a configuration further includes a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 and an appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25.

[0120] [Seventh Embodiment] Next, with reference to Figure 24, a numerical control device 1a equipped with a workpiece shape display device 10f of the seventh embodiment, which differs in configuration from that described in the above embodiment, will be described.

[0121] The numerical control device 1a controls the tool 2 of the machine tool based on the machining program. The numerical control device 1a includes a workpiece shape display device 10f and a setting unit 30a.

[0122] The workpiece shape display device 10f of the seventh embodiment includes a machining condition setting unit 11, a tool trajectory calculation unit 12, a workpiece shape estimation unit 13, a contact area extraction unit 14, a workpiece shape display unit 15, a storage unit 19, an overlap amount selection unit 20, a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 21, an appropriate overlap amount display unit 22, a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24, and a program output unit 26.

[0123] The workpiece shape display device 10f of the seventh embodiment differs from the configuration of the sixth embodiment in that it includes a program output unit 26 instead of an appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 25. The program output unit 26 and its related configuration, which differ from those of the sixth embodiment, will be described below.

[0124] In the seventh embodiment, the amount of overlap between each block of the machining program and the next block can be specified. The machining condition setting unit 11 acquires the overlap amount set for each block in the machining program as a machining condition.

[0125] The program output unit 26 outputs a program that specifies an overlap amount for each block of the machining program, based on the reference overlap amount, so that no contact area 50 occurs due to overlap with the next block. The machining program output by the program output unit 26 specifies an overlap amount for each block of the machining program so that the workpiece W and the tool 2 do not come into contact during the overlap. The workpiece shape display device 10f may also be configured independently of the numerical control device.

[0126] Figure 25 shows an example of the display of the workpiece shape display screen 41 and the appropriate overlap amount machining program display screen 110 of the seventh embodiment. In this embodiment, the overlap amount is set in the machining condition setting unit 11 in increments of 0.5 mm within the range of 0 mm to 4 mm, and the machined workpiece shape and contact area 50 corresponding to each overlap amount are pre-stored in the storage unit 19.

[0127] The appropriate overlap amount processing program display screen 110 displays the overlap amount selection display 81, the standard overlap amount display 91, and the processing program display 111.

[0128] The overlap amount selection display 81 is displayed by the overlap amount selection unit 20. Similar to the third and fourth embodiments, the overlap amount selection display 81 is an on-screen operation means for the operator to select the overlap amount using the cursor 85. Similar to the fourth embodiment, the workpiece shape display unit 15 displays the workpiece shape display screen 41 corresponding to the selected overlap amount to the left of the appropriate overlap amount machining program display screen 110.

[0129] The reference overlap amount display 91 is displayed by the appropriate overlap amount display unit 22. Similar to the fourth embodiment, the reference overlap amount display 91 displays the reference overlap amount for each contact area 50 present in the workpiece W of the processed workpiece shape.

[0130] The machining program display 111 is displayed by the program output unit 26. The machining program display 111 displays a machining program in which an appropriate overlap amount has been set for each block.

[0131] In the seventh embodiment, the machining program display 111 allows specifying the overlap amount between each block and the next block using a number following the code "R". As shown by the reference overlap amount display 91, if the overlap amount of region A, which is the contact area 50 of the contact position P1, is less than or equal to the reference overlap amount of 2.5 mm, then the contact area 50 does not exist, and no interference occurs between the workpiece W and the tool 2.

[0132] Since region A is the overlap between rapid traverses, the program output unit 26 inserts "R2.5" into the first rapid traverse block in the machining program. Similarly, the program output unit 26 inserts "R1.5" based on the block corresponding to region B and "R1.0" based on the block corresponding to region C.

[0133] In the seventh embodiment, the program output unit 26 displays the contents of the machining program, in which the overlap amount at which the contact area 50 ceases to exist for each block is specified by code R, on the machining program display 111. In this example, the parts of the machining program that specify an appropriate overlap amount, "R2.5", "R1.5", and "R1.0", are highlighted so that they can be distinguished from other parts.

[0134] It is also possible that there are two or more contact areas 50 for the overlap between two blocks. In this case, the program output unit 26 inserts an overlap amount so that there are no contact areas 50 for the same block.

[0135] Next, the setting unit 30a will be described. The setting unit 30a acquires the machining program output by the program output unit 26. The setting unit 30a then controls the operation of the machine tool based on the machining program, which applies an overlap amount that prevents the workpiece W and the tool 2 from coming into contact with the contact area 50. The overlap amount used for control of the numerical control device 1a is less than or equal to the reference overlap amount. This ensures that the overlap amount set by the workpiece shape display device 10f, which prevents the contact area 50 from occurring, is reflected in the control of the machine tool by the numerical control device 1a. In the control of the machine tool, the drive shaft is controlled to move the workpiece W and the tool 2 relative to each other.

[0136] As described above, the workpiece shape display device 10f of the seventh embodiment further comprises a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 that acquires blocks of the machining program corresponding to each of the multiple contact areas 50, and a program output unit 26 that outputs a machining program in which the amount of overlap that does not cause a contact area 50 due to overlap with the next block is specified based on the reference overlap amount for each block.

[0137] This allows for the output of a machining program that specifies an appropriate overlap amount for each block.

[0138] Furthermore, the numerical control device 1a of this embodiment includes a workpiece shape display device 10f and a setting unit 30 which sets a machining program to which an overlap amount that prevents contact between the workpiece W and the tool 2, output by the program output unit 26, is applied as a target machining program to be used for control. The numerical control device 1a controls at least one of the workpiece W and the tool 2 based on the target machining program set by the setting unit 30.

[0139] This allows for machining with appropriate overlap without defects, using a machining program with optimized overlap amounts.

[0140] In the seventh embodiment, a workpiece shape display device 10f was described that further includes a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 and a program output unit 26 in addition to the same configuration as in the fourth embodiment, but the configuration is not limited to this. A configuration that further includes a contact overlap information acquisition unit 24 and a program output unit 26 in addition to the same configuration as in the fifth embodiment is also possible. Furthermore, the workpiece shape display device 10f may be configured independently of the numerical control device.

[0141] While this disclosure has been described in detail, it is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. These embodiments can be added, replaced, modified, partially deleted, etc., in any way that does not depart from the gist of this disclosure or from the spirit of this disclosure derived from the claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, these embodiments can be implemented in combination. For example, the order of operations and processes in the embodiments described above are given as examples only and are not limited thereto. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical formulas are used in the description of the embodiments described above.

[0142] The following additional information is disclosed regarding the above embodiments and modifications. (Note 1) A workpiece shape display device (10, 10a to 10f) for displaying the shape of a workpiece after processing, comprising: a processing condition setting unit (11) for setting processing conditions including a processing program, tool information, overlap amount setting and pre-processing workpiece shape; a tool trajectory calculation unit (12) for calculating the tool trajectory of a tool that takes overlap into account based on the processing conditions; a workpiece shape estimation unit (13) for estimating the post-processing workpiece shape based on the pre-processing workpiece shape and the calculated tool trajectory; a contact area extraction unit (14) for extracting a contact area (50) in which the tool (2) contacts the workpiece during the overlap in the estimated post-processing workpiece shape from the tool trajectory and the estimated post-processing workpiece shape; and a workpiece shape display unit (15) for displaying the contact area (50) including interference and uncut areas due to the overlap in the post-processing workpiece shape based on the post-processing workpiece shape and the extracted contact area (50).

[0143] (Note 2) The workpiece shape display device (10a) described in Note 1 further comprises: a region selection unit (16) capable of selecting any contact region (50) from a plurality of contact regions (50) shown together with the workpiece shape after processing; a contact overlap information acquisition unit (17) that acquires overlap information including the setting of the processing program block and the overlap amount corresponding to the overlap when the tool (2) and the workpiece (W) come into contact in the contact region (50) selected by the region selection unit (16); and an overlap information display unit (17) that displays the setting of the processing program block and the overlap amount corresponding to the overlap when the tool (2) and the workpiece (W) come into contact in the contact region (50) selected based on the overlap information acquired by the contact overlap information acquisition unit (17).

[0144] (Note 3) In the workpiece shape display device (10, 10a to 10f) described in Note 1 or Note 2, the contact area extraction unit (14) performs a process to associate the extracted contact area (50) with the overlap information corresponding to the contact area (50).

[0145] (Note 4) In the workpiece shape display device (10b, 10c, 10e, 10f) described in any of Notes 1 to 3, the device further comprises: a storage unit (19) which calculates the tool path for each of the plurality of overlap amounts specified by the machining condition setting unit (11), stores a plurality of post-machined workpiece shapes estimated by the workpiece shape estimation unit (13) based on each of the calculated plurality of tool paths, and stores a plurality of contact areas extracted by the contact area extraction unit (14) for the plurality of post-machined workpiece shapes; and an overlap amount selection unit (20) which can select any overlap amount from the plurality of overlap amounts, wherein the workpiece shape display unit (15) reads from the storage unit (19) the post-machined workpiece shape and the contact area (50) corresponding to the overlap amount selected by the overlap amount selection unit (20) and displays them.

[0146] (Note 5) The workpiece shape display device (10c, 10e) described in Note 4 further comprises: a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit (21) that acquires a reference overlap amount that serves as a basis for the occurrence of the contact area (50) for each of the plurality of contact areas (50) stored in the storage unit (19); and an appropriate overlap amount display unit (22) that displays the overlap amount at which the contact area (50) does not occur at the positions corresponding to the plurality of contact areas (50) based on the reference overlap amount.

[0147] (Note 6) In the work shape display device (10d) described in any of Notes 1 to 4, the device further comprises: a contact possibility area acquisition unit (23) that acquires one or more of the contact areas (50) when the overlap amount is maximum based on the processing conditions as areas where the tool (2) and the work (W) may come into contact due to the overlap; a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit (21) that acquires a reference overlap amount that serves as a basis for the occurrence of the contact area (50) by searching for whether the contact area (50) will occur when the overlap amount is changed for one or more of the contact areas (50) acquired by the contact possibility area acquisition unit (23); and an appropriate overlap amount display unit (22) that displays the overlap amount at which the contact area (50) does not occur at the corresponding positions of one or more of the contact areas (50) based on the reference overlap amount.

[0148] (Note 7) The workpiece shape display device (10e) described in Note 5 or 6 includes: a contact overlap information acquisition unit (24) that acquires the setting of the overlap amount corresponding to each of the plurality of contact areas (50); and, when a plurality of overlap amount settings are set, an appropriate overlap amount setting display unit (25) that displays the overlap amount in which the workpiece (W) and the tool (2) do not come into contact for each overlap amount setting, based on the reference overlap amount.

[0149] (Note 8) The workpiece shape display device (10f) described in Note 5 or 6 further comprises: an overlap information acquisition unit (24) that acquires blocks of the machining program corresponding to each of the plurality of contact areas (50); and a program output unit (26) that outputs the machining program in which the overlap amount in which the contact area (50) does not occur due to the overlap with the next block is specified based on the reference overlap amount for each block.

[0150] (Note 9) A numerical control device (1) comprising: a workpiece shape display device (10e) as described in Note 7; and a setting unit (30) that sets the overlap amount at which the workpiece (W) and the tool (2) do not come into contact, based on each of the reference overlap amounts of a plurality of overlap amount settings acquired by the contact overlap information acquisition unit (24); and controlling at least one of the workpiece (W) and the tool (2) based on the overlap amount set by the setting unit (30).

[0151] (Note 10) A numerical control device (1a) comprising: a work shape display device (10f) as described in Note 8; and a setting unit (30a) which sets the machining program to which the overlap amount that prevents the work (W) and the tool (2) from coming into contact, output by the program output unit (26), is applied, and controls at least one of the work (W) and the tool (2) based on the target machining program set by the setting unit (30a).

[0152] 1, 1a Numerical control device 10, 10a-10f Workpiece shape display device 11 Machining condition setting unit 12 Tool path calculation unit 13 Workpiece shape estimation unit 14 Contact area extraction unit 15 Workpiece shape display unit 16 Area selection unit 17 Contact overlap information acquisition unit 18 Overlap information display unit 19 Storage unit 20 Overlap amount selection unit 21 Contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit 22 Appropriate overlap amount display unit 23 Contact possibility area acquisition unit 24 Contact overlap information acquisition unit 25 Appropriate overlap amount setting display unit 26 Program output unit 30, 30a Setting unit

Claims

1. A workpiece shape display device for displaying the shape of a workpiece after machining, comprising: a machining condition setting unit for setting machining conditions including a machining program, tool information, overlap amount setting, and pre-machining workpiece shape; a tool trajectory calculation unit for calculating the tool trajectory of a tool that takes overlap into account based on the machining conditions; a workpiece shape estimation unit for estimating the post-machining workpiece shape based on the pre-machining workpiece shape and the calculated tool trajectory; a contact area extraction unit for extracting contact areas in the estimated post-machining workpiece shape where the tool contacts the workpiece during the overlap; and a workpiece shape display unit for displaying the contact areas in the post-machining workpiece shape, including interference and uncut areas due to the overlap, based on the post-machining workpiece shape and the extracted contact areas.

2. The workpiece shape display device according to claim 1, further comprising: a region selection unit capable of selecting any contact region from a plurality of contact regions shown together with the workpiece shape after processing; a contact overlap information acquisition unit that acquires overlap information, including the setting of the processing program block and the overlap amount, corresponding to the overlap when the tool and the workpiece come into contact in the contact region selected by the region selection unit; and a contact overlap information display unit that displays the setting of the processing program block and the overlap amount, corresponding to the overlap when the tool and the workpiece come into contact in the contact region selected based on the overlap information acquired by the contact overlap information acquisition unit.

3. The workpiece shape display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the contact area extraction unit performs a process to associate the extracted contact area with the overlap information corresponding to the contact area.

4. A workpiece shape display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a tool path calculation unit that calculates a tool path for each of the plurality of overlap amounts specified by the machining condition setting unit, a storage unit that stores a plurality of post-machined workpiece shapes estimated by the workpiece shape estimation unit based on each of the calculated plurality of tool paths, and a storage unit that stores a plurality of contact areas extracted by the contact area extraction unit for the plurality of post-machined workpiece shapes; and an overlap amount selection unit that can select any overlap amount from the plurality of overlap amounts, wherein the workpiece shape display unit reads the post-machined workpiece shape and the contact area corresponding to the overlap amount selected by the overlap amount selection unit from the storage unit and displays it.

5. The workpiece shape display device according to claim 4, further comprising: a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit that acquires a reference overlap amount that serves as a basis for the occurrence of a contact area for each of the plurality of contact areas stored in the storage unit; and an appropriate overlap amount display unit that displays the overlap amount at which the contact area does not occur at positions corresponding to the plurality of contact areas, based on the reference overlap amount.

6. A workpiece shape display device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a contact possibility area acquisition unit that acquires one or more contact areas when the overlap amount is maximum based on the processing conditions as areas where the tool and the workpiece may come into contact due to the overlap; a contact area generation overlap amount acquisition unit that acquires a reference overlap amount that serves as a basis for the occurrence of the contact area by searching for whether the contact area will occur when the overlap amount is changed for one or more contact areas acquired by the contact possibility area acquisition unit as areas where contact may occur; and an appropriate overlap amount display unit that displays the overlap amount at which the contact area does not occur at corresponding positions of one or more contact areas based on the reference overlap amount.

7. A workpiece shape display device according to claim 5 or 6, comprising: a contact overlap information acquisition unit for acquiring the setting of the overlap amount corresponding to each of the multiple contact areas; and, when multiple overlap amount settings are set, an appropriate overlap amount setting display unit for each overlap amount setting that displays the overlap amount at which the workpiece and the tool do not come into contact, based on the reference overlap amount.

8. The workpiece shape display device according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising: an overlap information acquisition unit that acquires blocks of the machining program corresponding to each of the plurality of contact areas; and a program output unit that outputs a machining program in which the overlap amount for each block in which no contact area occurs due to the overlap with the next block is specified based on the reference overlap amount.

9. A numerical control device comprising: a workpiece shape display device according to claim 7; and a setting unit that sets the overlap amount at which the workpiece and the tool do not come into contact, based on each of the reference overlap amounts of a plurality of overlap amount settings acquired by the contact overlap information acquisition unit, wherein the device controls at least one of the workpiece and the tool based on the overlap amount set by the setting unit.

10. A numerical control device comprising: a workpiece shape display device according to claim 8; and a setting unit that sets the machining program to which the overlap amount at which the workpiece and the tool do not come into contact, output by the program output unit, is applied, as a target machining program to be used for control, wherein the numerical control device controls at least one of the workpiece and the tool based on the target machining program set by the setting unit.

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