This robot system includes a sensor system, a robot, and a robot controller, in which the robot controller recognizes a robot coordinate system but does not recognize a sensor coordinate system of the sensor system, and the robot controller creates a conversion matrix for carrying out coordinate conversion in a plane including an X-axis and a Y-axis on sets of position coordinates obtained by the sensor system based on the sets of position coordinates of a plurality of objects or points obtained by the sensor system and sets of position coordinates in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction in a robot coordinate system corresponding to the plurality of objects or points.

The invention relates to a method for ascertaining a rough trajectory from a specified contour for controlling a machine tool which has at least two mutually redundant drive devices for carrying out superimposed movements, wherein the contour is determined by a contour function which is defined in portions at least by contour nodal points P.sub.0-P.sub.n+1 with ascending indices and contour portion functions p.sub.0-p.sub.n assigned to the contour nodal points P.sub.0-P.sub.n+1 and has a contour starting nodal point P.sub.0, wherein the rough trajectory is determined by a rough trajectory function which is defined in portions by rough trajectory nodal points Q.sub.0 to Q.sub.n+1 with ascending indices and has a rough trajectory starting nodal point Q.sub.0, wherein the rough trajectory starting nodal point Q.sub.0 is equated to the contour starting nodal point P.sub.0 and then in a first iteration step, on the basis of the contour nodal points P.sub.j to P.sub.n+1, the index value k of which is greater than or equal to the index value j of the respective rough trajectory starting nodal point that contour nodal point P.sub.k which has the smallest possible index value k and the distance of which from the rough trajectory starting nodal point Q.sub.j still just satisfies a specified distance condition is ascertained, and in a second iteration step, a respective following rough trajectory nodal point Q.sub.j+1 which follows the respective rough trajectory starting nodal point Q.sub.j and lies on a connecting line between Q.sub.j and P.sub.k or between Q.sub.j and a centroid of the portion contour P.sub.j to P.sub.k is ascertained.

A numerical control system according to the present invention controls machine drive systems included in a machine tool that performs machining using a tool, according to a numerical control program, and includes a coordinate transformation unit that acquires a disturbance force or a disturbance torque applied to each machine drive system, and coordinate-transforms the disturbance force or the disturbance torque into a tool reference coordinate system for output, and an identification unit that calculates cutting process parameters that determine characteristics of a cutting process model and dynamic characteristic parameters that determine characteristics of a dynamics model of the machine tool, using the disturbance force or the disturbance torque output from the coordinate transformation unit, states of the machine drive systems, predetermined equation models, and cutting conditions. The equation models define relationships between the cutting process parameters, the dynamic characteristic parameters, and the disturbance force or the disturbance torque.

A numerical control system according to the present invention controls machine drive systems included in a machine tool that performs machining using a tool, according to a numerical control program, and includes a coordinate transformation unit that acquires a disturbance force or a disturbance torque applied to each machine drive system, and coordinate-transforms the disturbance force or the disturbance torque into a tool reference coordinate system for output, and an identification unit that calculates cutting process parameters that determine characteristics of a cutting process model and dynamic characteristic parameters that determine characteristics of a dynamics model of the machine tool, using the disturbance force or the disturbance torque output from the coordinate transformation unit, states of the machine drive systems, predetermined equation models, and cutting conditions. The equation models define relationships between the cutting process parameters, the dynamic characteristic parameters, and the disturbance force or the disturbance torque.

A calibration method for machine tools comprises: providing a workpiece on a machine tool; rotating the workpiece around a first rotation axis parallel to a main shaft of the machine tool and processing the workpiece by a first machining mode; measuring a first dimensional error of a shape of the workpiece along directions of first and second linear axes perpendicular to the first rotation axis; calculating a positional error of the first rotation axis according to the first dimensional error; rotating the workpiece around a second rotation axis perpendicular to the main shaft and processing the workpiece by a different second machining mode; measuring a second dimensional error of the shape of the workpiece along a direction of a third linear axis perpendicular to the second rotation axis; calculating a positional error of the second rotation axis according to the second dimensional error.

A method for automated manufacturing strategy generation can include: identifying features of a desired part from a virtual model; and determining a tactic strategy based on the identified features. The method can additionally include: determining a toolpath primitive for each tactic; combining the toolpath primitives for the tactics to generate a master toolpath; and translating the master toolpath into machine code.

A three-dimensional (3-D) printer and a method for adjusting a working coordinate of a platform thereof are provided. The 3-D printer includes a platform, a printing head and a control unit. The platform includes a carrying surface and adjustment points located on the carrying surface. The printing head disposed above the platform for moving along a datum plane and a normal direction of the datum plane. The control unit controls the printing head to move from the datum plane toward the platform to contact each of the adjustment points for obtaining a coordinate offset of the carrying surface corresponding to the datum plane, and adjusts a model coordinate of a digital 3-D model information according to the coordinate offset. The control unit moves the printing head according to the adjusted model coordinate to print a 3-D object related to the digital 3-D model information on the carrying surface.

A robot system comprising, an imaging unit, a robot, and a robot control device that causes the robot to have a plurality of pieces of conversion information which convert first information which represents a position and posture of a target object in an imaging unit coordinate system representing a position and posture on an image captured by the imaging unit to second information representing a position and posture of the target object in a first coordinate system, to select one conversion information, as a target conversion information, out of the plurality of pieces of conversion information, and to perform a predetermined work based on the selected conversion information.

A numerical controller includes a division setting unit which sets division information for dividing a machining region into a plurality of areas, an area division unit which divides a machining region into a plurality of areas based on division information, a program division unit which generates divided programs respectively used for machining control in the areas, an area coordinate system setting unit which sets a virtual coordinate system in the plurality of areas, and an operation precision setting unit which sets operation precision, and performs internal operation for controlling an operation of a machine in accordance with the virtual coordinate system and the operation precision to control each axis of the machine.

A method for determining a position of a workpiece includes: acquiring image data of a workpiece via a camera which defines an optical axis parallel to an impact direction of a tool in a z-direction; searching for a reference structure of the workpiece using the acquired image data; determining a current position of at least one point of the structure in an x/y direction relative to the optical axis; comparing the current position with a nominal position thereof;

generating commands to place the tool to an area of the workpiece to be machined; and, determining the current position in the z-direction of the optical axis by determining a current x/y image size of the structure and by determining a distance of the structure from the camera by comparison with the known x/y size of the structure and considering the distance of the structure from the camera when generating the commands.