Machine Tool Control Apparatus Automatic Restart via Handwheel Rotation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing control systems for machine tools require complex operations to restart the NC unit after it has automatically stopped at the end of a block when both manual pulse mode and single block mode are selected, especially when the handwheel is separated from the operation panel, leading to degraded operability and reduced work efficiency during production setups.
Innovation Solution
The system automatically restarts the NC program execution when the handwheel rotation for the manual pulse generator is detected to have stopped and then restarted, allowing the NC program to begin from the next block, simplifying the restart process to a single operation of rotating the handwheel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If two operations (pressing start button and rotating handwheel) are required to restart the NC unit, then the NC unit can be restarted, but the work efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the start button operation from the restart process. By detecting the handwheel rotation signal after the NC program execution is stopped at the end of a block, the system automatically generates the restart command without requiring the operator to press the start button. This extraction of the redundant start button action reduces the number of operations required, thereby improving work efficiency while maintaining reliable restart capability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the NC unit is operated with both manual pulse mode and single block mode selected, then the NC program can be executed and stopped at the end of each block, but the restart process becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the system detects the handwheel rotation signal and the NC program execution stop status. When both conditions are met (handwheel rotated after stop at end of block), the system automatically generates a restart signal to resume NC program execution. This feedback-based automatic restart simplifies the restart process complexity while preserving the flexibility of operating in both manual pulse mode and single block mode simultaneously.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control apparatus of a machine tool is adapted to detect whether or not an NC program is stopped at an end of a block(51) and whether or not a rotation of a handwheel for a manual pulse generator is stopped (52) and restarted (53) when both a manual pulse mode and a single block mode are selected. The NC ' program is accordingly automatically restarted from the next block in conjunction with the restart of the handwheel rotation. The operator thus can restart an operation of an NC unit only by rotating the handwheel when the operation is automatically stopped at the end of a block of the NC program.