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CN-122029493-A - Pairing method of cutter and coordinate positioning machine

CN122029493ACN 122029493 ACN122029493 ACN 122029493ACN-122029493-A

Abstract

A method of confirming the presence of a physical coupling between a movable support of a coordinate positioning machine and a tool intended to be coupled to the support is disclosed, the method comprising controlling the machine to move the support in a specific manner and detecting whether the tool is in a corresponding movement. The movement applied to the support may comprise at least one rotational movement of the support and/or at least one translational movement of the support, for example a series of such rotational and/or translational movements.

Inventors

  • BUCKINGHAM JAMIE JOHN
  • MARSHALL DEREK

Assignees

  • 雷尼绍有限公司

Dates

Publication Date
20260512
Application Date
20240725
Priority Date
20230809

Claims (20)

  1. 1. A method of confirming the presence of a physical coupling between a movable support of a coordinate positioning machine and a tool intended to be coupled to the support, the method comprising controlling the machine to move the support in a particular manner and detecting whether the tool is making a corresponding movement.
  2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement applied to the support comprises at least one rotational movement of the support and/or at least one translational movement of the support, such as a series of such rotational and/or translational movements.
  3. 3. A method according to claim 1 or 2, comprising using motion signals or derived motion data from at least one motion sensor on the tool to determine whether the tool has moved correspondingly.
  4. 4. A method according to claim 3, comprising determining whether the tool has made a corresponding movement by comparing the movement represented by the movement signal or derived movement data with the movement applied to the support, for example by comparing the movement signal or derived movement data with movement signals or derived movement data expected to result from the movement applied to the support.
  5. 5. The method of claim 3 or 4, comprising transmitting the motion signal or derived motion data from the tool to the machine controller, and using the motion signal or derived motion data at the machine controller to determine whether the tool has made a corresponding movement.
  6. 6. The method of claim 3 or 4, comprising using the motion signal or derived motion data at the tool to determine whether the tool has made a corresponding movement, and sending a message from the tool to the machine controller based on the determination.
  7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tool is adapted or programmed to identify a predetermined movement as a trigger condition and to send the message in response to the trigger condition.
  8. 8. A method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, comprising switching the tool to a monitoring mode in which the tool is intended to receive movement from the machine via the support and to operate.
  9. 9. The method of any of claims 3 to 8, wherein the at least one motion sensor comprises at least one accelerometer, such as at least one linear accelerometer.
  10. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the at least one motion sensor comprises at least two or at least three accelerometers arranged substantially orthogonal to each other.
  11. 11. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the tool comprises at least one of an axial accelerometer for measuring acceleration along an axis of the tool, and first and second radial accelerometers for measuring acceleration in first and second substantially orthogonal radial directions, respectively, towards the tool axis.
  12. 12. A method according to any preceding claim, wherein the machine is operable to rotate the cutter about an axis of rotation of the machine.
  13. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the movement comprises at least one rotational movement about an axis of rotation of the machine.
  14. 14. A method as claimed in claim 12 or 13 when dependent on claim 11, wherein the cutter is coupled to the support with its axis substantially aligned with the axis of rotation of the machine.
  15. 15. A method according to claim 12, 13 or 14, wherein the support is provided by an articulating probe head, and wherein the axis of rotation of the machine is selected from one or more axes of rotation of the probe head.
  16. 16. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the support is provided by a spindle of the coordinate positioning machine.
  17. 17. A method according to claim 16 when dependent on claim 12, wherein the axis of rotation of the machine is the axis of rotation of the spindle.
  18. 18. A method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the support is provided by a movable table of the coordinate positioning machine.
  19. 19. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the coordinate positioning machine is a machine tool.
  20. 20. A method as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the tool is a measurement device.

Description

Pairing method of cutter and coordinate positioning machine The present invention relates to a method of pairing a tool with a coordinate positioning machine, and more generally to a method of confirming that there is a physical coupling between a movable support of a coordinate positioning machine and a tool intended to be coupled to the support, for example after a pairing process has been performed between the tool and the coordinate positioning machine. The present invention relates particularly, but not exclusively, to a method of pairing a wireless measurement probe or tool setting gauge with a machine tool. Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines are widely used in the manufacturing industry to machine or cut parts. With respect to such machine tools, it is known to replace the cutting tool with a measurement probe to enable measurement of the part or tool for setup or inspection purposes. Such a measurement probe may be a contact probe having a workpiece contact stylus for measuring the position of a point on a workpiece surface, such as described in US4145816 and US 4153998. Instead of having a workpiece-contacting stylus, any of these types of probes may alternatively use optical, capacitive, inductive (e.g., using eddy currents) or other non-contact techniques to sense the workpiece. Since the measurement probes used in machine tools are replaceable with the cutting tool, it may be difficult to provide wires or cables to connect the output signals of the probes to the controller of the machine. Accordingly, various wireless signal transmission techniques including inductive transmission, optical transmission, and radio transmission are generally used. An example of an optical transmission system between the probe and the controller of the machine tool is shown in US5150529, while WO 2004/057552 provides an example of a wireless measurement probe that communicates with a remote probe interface via a spread spectrum radio link. To establish such a wireless link to enable real-time data transfer between the probe and the interface, the probe and the interface are typically paired together specifically. Such pairing may be achieved by assigning a unique identification code to each measurement probe during probe manufacture. Each digital data packet transmitted by the probe includes the unique identification code. The initial "pairing" process is performed by the user, wherein the interface associated with a particular machine tool knows the unique identification code of the probe with which it is to be used. After pairing, the interface will only process data or communications containing the unique identification code of the paired probe. This pairing process prevents the interface from receiving and processing data or communications originating from any other probe (i.e., probe with a different identity code) that may be nearby (e.g., in a nearby machine tool) and allows multiple interface/probe pairs to operate within close range. The pairing process is intended to ensure that the measurement probe communicates only with the probe interface of the machine tool on which it is mounted (i.e. to prevent communication with an adjacent probe interface). In use, a setup routine will typically be performed in which the measurement probe (e.g., a probe mountable on a spindle) and interface are placed in a "pairing" mode. The probe and interface will typically have hard coded pairing communication parameters that are used when either is in pairing mode. Once initiated, the interface will communicate with any probes that are also in pairing mode, and then affirmative actions by the user on the probes will initiate a data transaction with the interface. This will then allow the devices to synchronize and communicate using the unique parameters. Alternatively, the pairing process may involve the measurement probe repeatedly transmitting its identification code, as described in EP2019284 A2. In this case, the interface will search for any identity transmitted by the unpaired probe and when the relevant measurement probe identity is received, the interface will store that identity. After pairing, the interface will ignore any data it receives that does not contain the stored identification code. The inventors have recognized that in some cases such pairing operations may not be performed correctly or even at all. Without a safety mechanism (which would completely prevent the machine from operating in these cases), this may lead to serious damage to the machine because no control signal is provided to stop the movement of the measurement probe when it is driven into contact with the object surface. Such machine collisions can result in costly repairs and lengthy downtime. It may happen that the wireless pairing process inadvertently pairs a machine tool with a probe residing in another machine tool nearby or a probe waiting to be loaded into the intended machine tool. If the probe remains within range during pro