GRINDING MACHINE

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001]This application claims priority of Application No. 202311536152.9 filed in China on Nov. 16, 2023 under 35 U.S.C. § 119; and this application claims priority of Application No. 202410219316.3 filed in China on Feb. 27, 2024 under 35 U.S.C. § 119, the entire contents of both of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

[0002]The present invention relates to a grinding machine, and more particularly, it relates to a grinding machine which can perform a machine vision measurement of the grinding wheel.

2. Description of the Related Art

[0003]In a common vertical grinding machine, the grinding wheel can rise or descend relative to the workpiece to execute machining or to facilitate on-line measurement of the grinding wheel, and machine vision measurement can be employed on the grinding machine. An industrial camera captures images of the grinding wheel, and image analysis algorithms are used to determine if the workpiece is machined correctly. However, in the machine vision measurement solutions of the prior art, the industrial camera and the grinding wheel move synchronously, which can lead to the accumulation of dust and debris generating by machining on the camera. Alternatively, the industrial camera and the grinding wheel move independently along their respective linear rails; however, in the latter case, it is necessary to ensure that the linear rail of the industrial camera is sufficiently parallel to the linear rail of the grinding wheel, as otherwise, misalignment may prevent the industrial camera from accurately focusing on the grinding wheel at certain heights, thus reducing the precision of image acquisition of the grinding wheel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004]To mitigate the drawbacks of the current art, a grinding machine includes: two linear rails extending up and down wherein the two linear rails are parallel to each other; a grinding unit; an installing panel, wherein both the grinding unit and the installing panel are slidingly connected to the two linear rails; a first driving unit, driving the grinding unit up and down; a connection device, connected to the installing panel and the grinding unit; a camera unit, fixed to the installing panel; and a light source unit, fixed to the installing panel; wherein the installing panel and the grinding unit are separated, and the installing panel is located in front of the linear rails; the connection device includes a case, a pushing-rod mechanism and a second driving unit; the second driving unit can drive the pushing-rod mechanism to move up or down relative to the case; the case is fastened to one of the grinding unit and the installing panel, and the pushing-rod mechanism is fastened to the other of the grinding unit and the installing panel; when the pushing-rod mechanism remains stationary relative to the case, via the connection of the connection device, the grinding unit, the installing panel and the camera unit fixed on the installing panel rise or descend synchronously; when the second driving unit drives the pushing-rod mechanism to move upward or downward relative to the case, the installing panel is driven by a force or a reaction force generated by an motion of the pushing-rod mechanism to rise or descend relative to the grinding unit, so as to carry the camera unit to rise or descend relative to the grinding unit.

[0005]The above-mentioned technical means achieve the following technical effects: the grinding unit is connected to the two linear rails by the extending plate, the camera unit is connected to the two linear rails by the installing panel, ensuring that they rise or descend in parallel. The extending plate and the installing panel are connected to a retractable connection device, which can drive them to move closer to or farther away from each other, allowing the grinding unit and the camera unit to also move closer to or farther away from each other. When the grinding unit is machining the workpiece, the pushing-rod mechanism causes the installing panel to rise relative to the extending plate such that the camera unit moves away from the grinding unit to avoid dust and debris. After the grinding unit completes the machining, the pushing-rod mechanism causes the installing panel to descend relative to the extending plate such that the camera unit descends to the shared height of both the grinding unit and the workpiece. This enables the camera unit to measure the wear of the grinding unit and the dimensions of the workpiece to determine if the workpiece is machined correctly, and if not, to consider the wear of the grinding unit and possible adjustments of the position of the grinding unit and the position of the workpiece for secondary machining. The present invention can also be used to measure whether the grinding unit has been properly dressed. When the grinding unit is dressed, the camera unit can move away from the grinding unit. Once the dressing is completed, the camera unit can move to the height of the grinding unit to check if the dressing is done properly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic drawing of the grinding machine in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0007]FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic drawing of the grinding unit, and the installing panel which is connected to the same linear rails;

[0008]FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic drawing of the grinding unit and the camera unit in their initial positions and away from the workpiece (as indicated by dashed lines, the same below);

[0009]FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic drawing of the grinding unit and the camera unit descending synchronously along the same linear rails for tool adjusting;

[0010]FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic drawing of the installing panel which carries the camera unit away from the workpiece before the grinding unit machines the workpiece;

[0011]FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic drawing of the grinding unit returned to the tool-adjusting position, and the installing panel which carries the camera unit closer to the workpiece after completing the machining;

[0012]FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic drawing of the second embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0013]To facilitate a better understanding of the purpose, structure, features, and effectiveness of the present invention, further explanation is provided herein with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0014]FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 illustrate a grinding machine of the first embodiment of the present invention, including a column 1, a grinding unit 2, and a first driving unit 3 for driving the grinding unit 2 to rise or descend. Two linear rails 4 are mounted on the column1 which extend up and down, the two linear rails 4 are parallel to each other, the linear rails 4 extend up and down on the column1, and the grinding unit 2 is slidably connected to the two linear rails 4. It also includes an installing panel 5 slidably connected to the two linear rail 4, a connection device 6 connected to the installing panel 5 and the grinding unit 2, and a camera unit 7 and a light source unit 8, which are fixed to the installing panel 5. A workpiece P is mounted on a workbenche T, the grinding unit 2 is used for machining the workpiece P. The camera unit 7 and light source unit 8 are used for executing the visual measurement of both the grinding unit 2 and the workpiece P.

[0015]As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the column 1 is hollowed out along the front-to-back direction to accommodate the grinding unit 2. In this embodiment, the first driving unit 3 is a motor located at the top of the column 1. The first driving unit 3 is connected to the grinding unit 2 via an upward and downward extending screw such that the grinding unit 2 can rise or descend along the screw. The two linear rails 4 mounted on the front side of the column 1. The grinding unit 2 passes through between the two linear rails 4.

[0016]As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the grinding unit 2 includes a grinding wheel 21 located at the front end, a motor 22 which drives the grinding wheel 21 to rotate, a spindle (not shown) connected to the grinding wheel 21 and the motor 22, an outer case 23 surrounding the spindle, and an extending plate 24 which extends integrally from the outer case 23 toward the two linear rails 4. The spindle extends between the two linear rails 4 along the front-to-back direction. The extending plate 24 is located behind the grinding wheel 21 and is slidingly connected to the two linear rails 4 via the plurality of sliders S. In this embodiment, the extending plate 24 is located in front of the linear rails 4, and the extending plate 24 extends from the left and right sides of the outer case 23 toward the two linear rails 4, as well as extending from the top and bottom sides of the outer case 23, to increases the coverage area of the extending plate 24 over the linear rails 4, allowing for the installation of the plurality of sliders S; thus, each linear rail 4 is slidingly connected to the plurality of sliders S to enhance the stability of the grinding unit 2 during vertical movement along the two linear rails 4. In this embodiment, the extending plate 24 is integrally connected to the outer case 23. In other embodiments, the extending plate 24 can also be formed separately and assembled on the outer case 23.

[0017]As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the installing panel 5 is separately positioned from the grinding unit 2. In this embodiment, the installing panel 5 is located in front of the column 1, is configured in a quadrilateral shape, and is surrounding the grinding unit 2. The installing panel 5 includes side plates 51 located on the left and right sides of the extending plate 24, an upper plate 52 located above the extending plate 24, and a lower plate 53 located under the extending plate 24. The two side plates 51 are respectively connected to the camera unit 7 and the light source unit 8. The upper plate 52 is integrally connected to the two side plates 51, and the upper plate 52 is slidably connected to the two linear rails 4 via two of the plurality of sliders S. The lower plate 53 is integrally connected to the two side plates 51, and the lower plate 53 is also slidably connected to the two linear rails 4 via the other two of the plurality of sliders S. In this embodiment, the entire front surface of the installing panel 5 is coplanar with the front surface of the extending plate 24. The side plates 51 are located on the left and right sides of the extending plate 24, the upper plate 52 is positioned directly above the extending plate 24 with a gap maintained between them, and the lower plate 53 is positioned directly below the extending plate 24 with a gap maintained between them. The distance between the upper plate 52 and the lower plate 53 is greater than the vertical height of the extending plate 24 itself. If the installing panel 5 is not coplanar with the extending plate 24, then the distance between the upper plate 52 and the lower plate 53 will be greater than the vertical height of the outer case 23 itself. In this embodiment, the bottom surface of the upper plate 52 is integrally connected to a fixed plate 54, the fixed plate 54 protrudes backward relative to the upper plate 52, the fixed plate 54 is located at an equal distance from both side plates 51, and the case 61 of the connection device 6 is mounted on the fixed plate 54. The installing panel 5 includes two reinforcement plates 55 located on the fixed plate 54 and connected to the fixed plate 54, and the reinforcement plates 55 are integrally connected to the rear surface of the upper plate 52. In other embodiments, the fixed plate 54 can be connected to the top surface of the lower plate.

[0018]As shown in FIG. 1, the camera unit 7 includes a camera main body 71 and a camera stand 72, wherein the camera stand 72 is connected to the camera main body 71 and the side plate 51. The light source unit 8 includes a light source main body 81 and a light source stand 82, wherein the light source stand 82 is connected to the light source main body 81 and the side plate 51. The camera unit 7 captures the images of the grinding wheel 21 and/or the workpiece P, and an analysis control unit (such as a chip or a microcomputer) built into or external to the grinding machine executes the visual measurement based on the captured image information.

[0019]As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the connection device 6 includes a case 61, a pushing-rod mechanism 62, and a second driving unit 63. The second driving unit 63 can drive the pushing-rod mechanism 62 to move upward or downward relative to the case 61. The case 61 is fixed to one of the grinding unit 2 and the installing panel 5, and the pushing-rod mechanism 62 is fixed to the other of the grinding unit 2 and the installing panel 5. The connection device 6 can employ an electric cylinder, and the second driving unit 63 can be a servo motor. In this embodiment, for ease of installation, the entire connection device 6 is located above the outer case 23, the second driving unit 63 is located in front of the case 61, and the case 61 is fixed to the fixed plate 54 via screws and is positioned between the two reinforcement plates 55. The pushing-rod mechanism 62 passes through the fixed plate 54, and the lower end of the pushing-rod mechanism 62 is fixed to the extending plate 24 and above the outer case 23 and positioned in back of the extending plate 24.

[0020]As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, when the second driving unit 63 is not in operation, the pushing-rod mechanism 62 remains stationary relative to the case 61. The entire connection device 6 acts as a static linking mechanism which is simultaneously connected to the grinding unit 2 and the installing panel 5. Via the connection of the connection device 6, the grinding unit 2, the installing panel 5 and the camera unit 7 fixed on the installing panel 5 rise or descend synchronously. The positions of the grinding unit 2 and the camera unit 7 in FIG. 3 represent their initial positions, which are away from the workpiece P. The positions of the grinding unit 2 and the camera unit 7 in FIG. 4 represent their tool-adjusting positions, which are closer to the workpiece P. At the tool-adjusting position, the camera unit 7 captures images of the grinding wheel 21, workpiece P, and necessary tool-adjusting references. Moving from the initial position to the tool-adjusting position typically requires a significant travel distance. At this point, moving the grinding unit 2 and the installing panel 5 on which is installed the camera unit 7 together enables them to share the same optical encoder. In this embodiment, when the pushing-rod mechanism 62 remains stationary relative to the case 61, the distance between the lower plate 53 and the grinding unit 2 is greater than the downward stroke of the pushing-rod mechanism 62, and the distance between the upper plate 52 and the grinding unit 2 is greater than the upward stroke of the pushing-rod mechanism 62. This configuration helps to prevent the installing panel 5 from contacting the grinding unit 2 during its vertical movement relative to the grinding unit 2 driven by the connection device 6. When the second driving unit 63 drives the pushing-rod mechanism 62 to move upward or downward relative to the case 61, in this embodiment, the installing panel 5 is driven to rise or descend relative to the grinding unit 2 due to the reactive force generated by the motion of the pushing-rod mechanism 62, and the camera unit 7 is driven to independently rise or descend relative to the grinding unit 2.

[0021]As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, after the tool-adjusting process, the grinding unit 2 needs to execute a machining process on the workpiece P, and the camera unit 7 needs to move away from the grinding unit 2 to avoid the dust and debris generated during machining. Therefore, the grinding unit 2 and the installing panel 5 on which is installed the camera unit 7 need to move separately. As shown in FIG. 5, the grinding unit 2 descends from the tool-adjusting position to start machining the workpiece P. Before machining, the installing panel 5 lifts the camera unit 7 from the tool-adjusting position to temporarily move the camera unit 7 away from the workpiece P. To elaborate further on the relative movement, when the second driving unit 63 drives the pushing-rod mechanism 62 to move downward relative to the case 61, if the grinding unit 2, which is connected to the pushing-rod mechanism 62, is forcibly braked or if the grinding unit 2 has a relatively larger mass, the pushing-rod mechanism 62 cannot push the grinding unit 2 to move downward such that the reactive force causes the case 61 and the installing panel 5 to rise. Conversely, when the second driving unit 63 drives the pushing-rod mechanism 62 to move upward relative to the case 61, if the grinding unit 2 cannot be pulled upward for similar reasons, the reactive force causes the case 61 and the installing panel 5 to descend.

[0022]When the machining process is completed, referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the grinding unit 2 returns to the tool-adjusting position and the installing panel 5 lowers the camera unit 7 to the height of the grinding wheel 21 and the workpiece P for the camera unit 7 to capture images of the finished workpiece P and the used grinding wheel 21 for visual measurement purposes.

[0023]As shown in FIG. 7, in the second embodiment, the case 61 of the connection device 6 can be installed in front of the installing panel 5; the fixed plate 54 is integrally connected to the bottom surface of the upper plate 52 and protrudes forward relative to the upper plate 52, and the reinforcement plate 55 is integrally connected to the front surface of the upper plate 52. The case 61 is installed on the fixed plate 54 and located between the two reinforcement plates 55. The pushing-rod mechanism 62 is fixed to the front surface of the extending plate 24 and does not extend forward beyond the grinding wheel 21. In comparison with the design wherein the entire connection device 6 is positioned between the installing panel 5 and the column 1, this design facilitates manual maintenance.

[0024]In another embodiment, for example, when the connection device 6 is above the grinding unit 2, the case 61 is fixed to the grinding unit 2, and the upper end of the pushing-rod is connected to the installing panel 5. Thus, the force generated by the motion of the pushing-rod mechanism 62 relative to the case 61 can directly push or pull the installing panel 5 up or down. In other embodiments, the connection device 6 can be implemented using alternative mounting methods. For instance, the case 61 and pushing-rod mechanism 62 can be inverted vertically, where the case 61 is fixed to the extending plate 24 or the outer case 23, and the upper end of the pushing-rod mechanism 62 is fixed to the midpoint of the upper plate 52. Alternatively, the connection device 6 can be entirely positioned under the outer case 23, the case 61 can be fixed to the fixed plate 54 connected to the lower plate 53, and the upper end of the pushing-rod mechanism 62 can be fixed under the outer case 23 to the extending plate 24.

[0033]The detailed description above is merely an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the scope of the patent of the present invention. Therefore, any equivalent technological variations derived from the application of the description and illustrations of the present invention are encompassed within the scope of the patent of the present invention.