The Valeron Corporation

Inovex Corporation

Norman J Scherr, Jr

David L Smith

Method and apparatus for controlling the operation of a grinding machine of the type comprising a circular grinding wheel adapted to rotate about its axis and a spindle adapted to hold a workpiece at a position radially spaced from the grinding wheel. The grinding machine includes slide means for advancing the grinding wheel into the workpiece, such means being powered by a threaded shaft and boss arrangement, and 'jump-on' gauge means for measuring the diameter of the workpiece and providing an electrical output signal which is used to control feedrate. Feedrate is determined by a microprocessor which is connected to receive the gauge signal and to produce a feed program which will produce a given final diameter in a given time.

Apparatus for grinding

A method and apparatus for grinding for use with a grinding machine of the type comprising a circular grinding wheel adapted to rotate about its axis and a spindle adapted to hold a workpiece at a position radially spaced from the grinding wheel wherein the workpiece deflects away from the grinding wheel, and vice versa, as the grinding wheel is moved into the workpiece. The grinding machine includes means for advancing the grinding wheel into the workpiece, such as a threaded shaft and boss arrangement, and gauge means contact the workpiece on the spindle and provide an electrical output signal representative of the diameter of the workpiece. The advancing means is controlled by a microprocessor which, at the initiation of a grinding operation, rapidly advances the grinding wheel into contact with the workpiece a sufficient lineal amount to compensate for the total deflection of the workpiece, grinding wheel, and associated components. Thereafter the microprocessor advances the grinding wheel into the workpiece at a predetermined lineal rate. The output from the gauge means is coupled to the input of the microprocessor so that when the diameter of the workpiece attains predetermined dimension, the microprocessor controls the adavncing means to rapidly retract the grinding wheel from the workpiece at a third lineal rate. Both the first and the third lineal rates are greater than the mean second lineal rate.

Method for grinding

A sizing gage for use with an LVDT probe for producing an output signal representing the deviation of part dimension from a nominally ideal dimension, and a columnar display means comprising vertically arranged light emitting diodes for indicating the degree and sense; i.e., oversize or undersize, of part size deviation according to which of the emitting diodes is lighted. The probe output is an ac signal of polarity representing the degree of deviation. The probe output signal is converted to a dc voltage the amplitude and polarity of which is representative of part size deviation. The dc signal is used as a comparison base against a precision triangle wave signal to generate a squarewave the transitions of which occur at points in time related to the amplitude and polarity of the dc signal. This squarewave is compared to a reference squarewave of fixed transition time to produce a window pulse the width of which is representative of the degree of part size deviation. The window pulse gates clock pulses from a precision oscillator to a pair of decade counters to address a diode excitation matrix. The tens signal is gated to either the oversize light bank or the undersize light bank according to whether the time variable signal leads or lags the fixed time signal. Nulling and range setting circuit details are disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

Warren, MI, United States of America

Norman J Scherr, Jr