Method for operating a grinding device and a grinding device

Abstract

A method for operating a grinding device includes grinding of a surface of the workpiece with at least one grinding medium. Actual data is recorded on a data collection device during grinding with the at least one grinding medium. The actual data is then compared with target data stored in an electronic memory in an electronic data processing device. From this comparison, a determination is made of the exchange time at which the at least one grinding medium is to be changed.

Claims

1. A method for operating a grinding device, comprising the steps: a. grinding of a surface of a workpiece with at least one grinding medium, b. recording actual data obtained with the at least one grinding medium during the grinding step with at least one data collection device, c. comparing the actual data with target data stored in an electronic memory in an electronic data processing device, and d. determining an exchange time at which the at least one grinding medium is changed based on the comparing step.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of changing the at least one grinding medium when the exchange time is reached.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one data collection device comprises an optical system which includes one or more of at least one camera, and at least one light source.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the actual data include values which include length of the at least one grinding medium or color of the at least one grinding medium.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the length of the at least one grinding medium is determined by a distance of a grinding medium carrier, in which the at least one grinding medium is arranged, from either the surface of the workpiece or from a transport device which transports the workpiece through the grinding device.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising adjusting at least one grinding parameter when a difference between the actual data and the target data a predetermined limit.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one grinding parameter is a speed of the at least one grinding medium, a feed speed of a transport device which transports the workpiece through the grinding device, a grinding pressure and/or a dispersion of the grinding pressure of the at least one grinding medium on the workpiece, an entry point at which the workpiece comes into contact with the at least one grinding medium, a type of the at least one grinding medium, a connection and/or switching on of grinding units, and/or the grinding direction of the at least one grinding medium.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the at least one data collection device has at least one optical system that comprises at least one camera and at least one light source, wherein the optical system is configured to collect data on at least one part of the surface.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one part of the surface is the entire surface.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein the recording step is performed in real time.

11. The method according claim 8, further comprising irradiating the surface with electromagnetic radiation from a beam direction when the at least one data collection device collects the actual data.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the actual data is collected from the surface of the workpiece.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the beam direction is not perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the beam direction is not perpendicular to a feed direction of a transport device which transports the workpiece through the grinding device.

15. The method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of extracting an actual grinding pattern from the actual data, and comparing said actual grinding pattern with a target grinding pattern.

16. The method according to claim 6 wherein the workpiece is exposed to at least one grinding medium following the adjustment of the at least one grinding parameter.

17. A grinding device with at least one grinding medium, at least one data collection device, and at least one electronic data processing device, which is configured to conduct a method according to claim 1.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] In the following, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be explained in more detail by way of the attached drawings which shows:

[0047] FIG. 1a schematic sectional view through a grinding device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] FIG. 1 shows a grinding device 1 with a transport device, by means of which a workpiece can be transported through the grinding device 1. During this process, the workpiece moves from an inlet 2 of the grinding device to an outlet 2 of the grinding device 1. It is moved along the arrow shown in FIG. 1 at a transport speed v.

[0049] A data collection device 4 is located within the vicinity of the outlet 2, this device being configured to collect actual data of the workpiece surface after grinding. The grinding device 1 also has a lighting device 3, which is configured to illuminate the area of the workpiece surface captured by the data collection device 4 with electromagnetic rays. The actual data collected by the data collection device 4 is fed into an electronic data processing device 7 where it is processed and especially compared with target data stored in an electronic memory, which is not depicted and preferably forms part of the electronic data processing device 7.

[0050] The grinding device 1 also features another data collection device 9, to which a lighting device 8 is also allocated. The lighting device 8 illuminates a part of the workpiece surface in the vicinity of the inlet 2 of the grinding device 1. The illuminated area is captured by the data collection device and the actual data is collected prior to grinding. In the example of an embodiment shown, this is also fed into the electronic data processing device. A third data collection device 6 is provided to capture actual data of at least one part of a grinding medium 11, preferably the entire grinding medium 11. A corresponding lighting device 5 is also allocated to this data collection device 6, said lighting device being used to illuminate at least one part of the grinding medium 11 with an electromagnetic ray. The actual data of this data collection device 6 is also fed into the electronic data processing device.

[0051] The electronic data processing device 7 generates control signals that are fed into a control unit 10, which is configured to regulate at least one operating parameter of the grinding device and to adjust it on the basis of the control signals.

REFERENCE LIST

[0052] 1 Grinding device [0053] 2 Inlet [0054] 2 Outlet [0055] 3 Lighting device [0056] 4 Data collection device [0057] 5 Lighting device [0058] 6 Data collection device [0059] 7 Electronic data processing device [0060] 8 Lighting device [0061] 9 Data collection device [0062] 10 Control unit [0063] 11 Grinding medium