Abstract: In a teach-in operation, the working procedure is memorized in an industrial robot in advance of the actual working operation, and the teaching is accomplished by manually guiding the tracing tip of the robot arm along a desired path. The teach-in method comprises the step of attaching, to the end of the arm, the tracing tip having at least a displacement pulse oscillator, which consists of a projector and a phototransistor, and a roller provided with gaps such as holes or slits, the projector and phototransistor being arranged in concentric positions with respect to the respective gaps of the roller so as to form an optical axis between the two optical elements. The tracing tip is then moved along a desired path, so that the location signal of the tracing tip may be obtained by the displacement pulse oscillator, whenever the roller is rotated a certain distance, as a result of the movement of the tracing tip, and such a location signal is memorized in a memory.

Abstract: Tool offset compensation for a commanded path for a two axes NC system that produces movement by axis determination of sequential steps, is provided by having the tool offset the desired value, placing the tool center in the same quadrant as the direction of the commanded path and then making the tool center normal to the beginning of the commanded path. For a linear commanded path, the NC system then produces the commanded path while for an arcuate commanded path, the radius of the movement path produced is made to be the algebraic sum of the commanded path and tool center radii with additional incremental alterations without a corresponding movement being made in the numerical extent of the commanded path to utilize the same numerical extent for controlling the extent of the movement path.

Abstract: A control system for a grinding machine or other machine tool, wherein desired workpiece profiles are stored in a digital computer which controls the position of a tool in relation to a workpiece in accordance with the stored profile and in accordance with the position of a workpiece profile follower to compensate for tool wear.

Abstract: An offset path generating system is described for generating in Cartisian coordinates a prescribed offset, or deviation, from a programmed path at the same time the original path is being generated.

Abstract: A cutting feed starting position control device for machine tools is capable of automatically shifting a cutting feed starting position in the machine tool toward a work a distance corresponding to a variation in size of a tool such as a grinding wheel due to dressing or truing, and again returning the shifted cutting feed starting position to an original position when it is desired such as a replacement of wheels, thereby completely removing various kinds of difficulties in a numerical machine tool control due to the variation in size of tools.

Abstract: A system for sensing the air gap between a cutting tool and a work piece mounted on a machine for the purpose of controlling the traverse feed rate of the machine as contiguity approaches. A drive coil is mounted on the machine. A search coil surrounds the cutting tool in proximity to the air gap and is mutually coupled (M.sub.1) to the drive coil. A mutual inductor has first and second coils arranged so that their mutual inductance M.sub.2 is variable; these coils are connected in common at one end to a variable inductionless resistor r. The first coil is connected series aiding with the drive coil, while the second coil is connected in series opposition with the search coil. An a.c. source is connected across the drive coil, first coil and inductionless resistor. The induced voltage across the series combination of search coil, second coil, and inductionless resistor provides an output which is initially nulled by adjusting M.sub.2 and r for a selected datum displacement between cutting tool and work piece.

Abstract: Numerical control apparatus for a lathe which reads from an input medium data specifying the transverse and axial position of the cutting edge of a lathe tool with respect to the axis of the workpiece being machined, the cutting rate for the tool, and the rate of advance of the tool. The apparatus includes processing means responsive to the data for generating a continuous transverse position datum for the tool and computing means controlled by the cutting rate datum and the continuous transverse position datum for controlling the rotational speed of the mandrel of the lathe.

Abstract: A computer-controlled machine tool includes force deflection and tool-part contact sensors. A tool is inserted in the chuck of the automatic machine tool and the tool is driven over a deflection testing pad on the work support so that upon contact a first tool deflection force is measured. Then the tool is driven a small increment in the same direction to provide a second but greater tool deflection force in the same direction. Then the computer calculates the differential value of the tool deflection force over the distance moved. Also the error between estimated and actual tool diameter is calculated from the difference between the tool offset value used and the distance required for adjustment of the tool from a spaced starting position to contact with the pad.

Abstract: A digital circuit useful in a numerical control system for determining during a preliminary execution of a program the axial components of a tool offset compensation. During a preliminary operation of the program, the sum of the squares of the axial components of displacement of the tool are compared to the square of the desired tool offset. When the sum of the squares equals or exceeds the square of the offset, the current values of the axial components of displacement are stored and used as the axial offset components during a subsequent execution of the program.

Abstract: A lateral feed position system for a single slide grinder or the like wherein a wheel spindle is displaced between a sequence of preset end points. The end points are input from decade switches as position commands and compared to a current position count in a digital comparator unit. An oscillator is energized to apply up or down count signals to the comparator depending on the result of the comparison. The same signals are applied to a stepper motor. Actual displacement signals from a shaft angle encoder are compared to the position commands to advise a sequencer that the spindle is "in position" so that the next command can be input. Means are provided to adjust the actual position counts to compensate for wheel wear. Specific circuits are disclosed.

Abstract: A vector conversion system for a numerical contouring control having a programmed machine path with at least two axial displacements .DELTA.X,.DELTA.Y, with a given cutter radius RCRAD. Master vector and slave vector computers are provided and arranged to operate in rotation and multiplication modes. The master vector computer receives signals which are a function of .DELTA.X and .DELTA.Y and delivers a counter rotational control signal and an RSS signal where RSS = .sqroot..DELTA.X.sup.2 + .DELTA.Y.sup.2. The slave vector computer receives the counter rotational control signal, a "0" signal and a signal which is a function of RCRAD, and delivers output signals IRC and JRC which are the orthogonal components of RCRAD. When these components IRC and JRC are interchanged, in effect, vector RCRAD is normal to the programmed machine path.