1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for demonstrating the user interface of a machine tool controller.
2. Description of the Related Art
A machine tool controller provides an electronic interface that enables a user to control the motion of a machine tool. Occasionally there is a need to demonstrate the user interface of the machine tool controller, such as at a trade show or to a customer. The controller itself may be bulky and/or heavy, and thus not easily transportable for such demonstrations. Further, several different models, examples of which are shown in
The present invention provides an easily transportable simulator that may be used in conjunction with a laptop or “notebook” computer in order to simulate the operation of various machine tool controllers. The present invention also provides a method of simulating a machine tool controller by use of the simulator and the laptop.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a machine tool control simulator for a machine tool control having a plurality of first user-actuatable devices and a first display screen is provided. The simulator includes a console and a laptop computer. The console includes a plurality of second user-actuatable devices each corresponding to a respective one of the first user-actuatable devices. The second user-actuatable devices have a layout substantially similar to a layout of the first user-actuatable devices. A communication medium is coupled to the second user-actuatable devices and communicates user inputs provided via the second user-actuatable devices. A support apparatus is connected to the second user-actuatable devices and supports the second user-actuatable devices above a tabletop. The laptop computer includes a keyboard and an attached second display screen. The keyboard is placed between the tabletop and the second user-actuatable devices. The computer is coupled to the communication medium to thereby receive the user inputs. The computer displays images on the second display screen in response to the user inputs. The images simulate images that would be displayed on the first display screen of the machine tool control in response to the user inputs.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of simulating a machine tool control is provided. The method includes the steps of providing a laptop computer having a keyboard and a display screen. A console is provided including user-actuatable devices that match user-actuatable devices of the machine tool control. The console is supported above the keyboard. User inputs are received via the user-actuatable devices. The user inputs are communicated from the console to the laptop computer. Images are displayed on the display screen dependent upon the user inputs. The images correspond to images that would be displayed by the machine tool control in response to inputs substantially similar to the user inputs.
In a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a machine tool control simulator for a machine tool control having a plurality of first user-actuatable devices and a first display screen is provided. The simulator comprising a console and a laptop computer. The console including a plurality of second user-actuatable devices each corresponding to a respective one of the first user-actuatable devices, the second user-actuatable devices having a layout substantially similar to a layout of the first user-actuatable devices; and a communication medium coupled to the second user-actuatable devices and configured to communicate at least a first user input provided via the second user-actuatable devices. The laptop computer including a keyboard and an attached second display screen, the computer being coupled to the communication medium to thereby receive the at least a first user input. The computer being configured to display images on the second display screen in response to the at least a first user input, the images simulating the first display screen of the machine tool control in response to the same at least a first user input.
In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of simulating a machine tool control is provided. The method comprising the steps of providing a laptop computer including a keyboard and a display screen; providing a console including user-actuatable devices that match user-actuatable devices of the machine tool control; coupling the console to the laptop computer; receiving user inputs via the user-actuatable devices; communicating the user inputs from the console to the laptop computer; and displaying images on the display screen dependent upon the user inputs. The images corresponding to images that would be displayed by the machine tool control in response to inputs substantially similar to the user inputs.
In yet a further exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a machine tool control simulator for a machine tool control having a plurality of first user-actuatable devices and a first display screen is provided. The simulator comprising a computer having software configured to simulate the machine tool control, the computer including a keyboard and a display; a touch screen positioned over the display of the computer; and a console including a plurality of second user-actuatable devices each corresponding to a respective one of the first user-actuatable devices. The second user-actuatable devices having a layout substantially similar to a layout of the first user-actuatable devices. The console being coupled to the computer independent of the keyboard of the computer.
The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention itself will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Although the exemplification set out herein illustrates embodiments of the invention, in several forms, the embodiments disclosed below are not intended to be exhaustive or to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to the precise forms disclosed.
In general, the invention is directed to a device that may be laid over a laptop computer in order to enable the combination of the device and the laptop to simulate a machine tool controller or to a device that is positionable proximate a laptop computer to simulate a machine tool controller.
As shown in
Laptop 14 may be loaded with a software program via a compact disc (CD) (not shown) that enables a display screen 20 of laptop 14 to simulate the display screen of at least one of the two controllers shown in
Console 10 may be in communication with laptop 14 via a communication medium in the form of a USB cable 22 such that the images displayed on screen 20 may react to, and depend upon, user inputs received via console 10. In order to receive the user inputs, console 10 may include user-actuatable devices that match user-actuatable devices of the machine tool control that is being simulated. More particularly, the user may provide inputs by actuating devices 21 on console 10, which devices may include various dials, pushbuttons, knobs, switches, etc. on console 10. These user inputs may be communicated to laptop 14 via cable 22. The program loaded into laptop 14 may then process the user inputs and change the images displayed on screen 20 accordingly to thereby mimic how a display screen of an actual machine tool control would react to the same user inputs. That is, the images displayed on screen 20 may correspond to images that would be displayed by the actual machine tool control in response to user inputs that are substantially similar to the user inputs received via console 10.
The actual machine tool controls may have touch-sensitive screens that enable a user to touch the screen in designated areas to thereby provide user inputs. Of course, a standard laptop computer does not include a touch-sensitive screen. Thus, in order to better simulate an actual machine tool control, the present invention may include a transparent touch screen 24 that provides an alternative medium, in addition to devices 21, for simulator 8 to receive user inputs. Touch screen 24 may be applied to or overlaid on screen 20 of laptop 14.
Touch screen 24 may include parallel top and bottom thin sheets or layers (not shown) with known electrically resistive properties. When a user's finger or a tool presses on and indents the top layer, the top layer and the bottom layer physically contact each other and are electrically shorted together. A known voltage can be applied to one of the layers, and the other layer can be connected to ground through a resistor. By measuring the voltage drop from a point on one layer to a point on the other layer, the total resistance between the two points can be determined, and thus the coordinates of the point on the top layer at which the indentation occurred can be calculated from the known patterns of resistance on the top and bottom layers. The bottom layer may be laminated to a transparent panel that is highly resistant to breakage.
Displayed on screen 20 may be indicia, such as “buttons” or icons 26, that a user may select by pressing a section of touch screen 24 that overlays the selected button 26. Touch screen 24 may detect the location on touch screen 24 that was pressed by the user, and may send a signal indicative thereof to console 10 and/or laptop 14. Thus, touch screen 24 enables the touch screen features of the actual machine tool controller to be simulated. Console 10 may be in communication with touchscreen 24 via conduits 28, 30 which may be in the form of wires.
When a user touches touch screen 24 with a finger or some type of tool, touch screen 24 can transmit a signal to console 10 and/or laptop 14 to indicate the value of a voltage drop associated with touch screen 24. From the value of the voltage drop, an electronic processor within console 10 or laptop 14 can determine the location on touch screen 24 that has been touched, as discussed above.
Illustrated in
In one embodiment, laptop 114 has loaded thereon a software program via a compact disc (CD) (not shown) that enables a display screen 120 of laptop 114 to simulate the display screen of at least one of the two controllers shown in
Console 110 may be in communication with laptop 114 via a communication medium in the form of a USB cable 122 such that the images displayed on screen 120 may react to, and depend upon, user inputs received via console 110. In order to receive the user inputs, console 110 may include user-actuatable devices that match user-actuatable devices of the machine tool control that is being simulated. More particularly, the user may provide inputs by actuating devices 121 on console 110, which, in the embodiment shown, includes various pushbuttons on console 110. Console 110 and pushbuttons 121 are best shown in
The user inputs received via devices 121 may be communicated to laptop 114 via cable 122. The program loaded into laptop 114 may then process the user inputs and change the images displayed on screen 120 accordingly to thereby mimic how a display screen of an actual machine tool control would react to the same user inputs. That is, the images displayed on screen 120 may correspond to images that would be displayed by the actual machine tool control in response to user inputs that are substantially similar to the user inputs received via console 110.
The actual machine tool controls may have touch-sensitive screens that enable a user to touch the screen in designated areas to thereby provide user inputs. Of course, a standard laptop computer does not include a touch-sensitive screen. Thus, in order to better simulate an actual machine tool control, the present invention may include a predominantly transparent touch screen 124 that provides an alternative medium, in addition to devices 121, for simulator 108 to receive user inputs. Touch screen 124 may be applied to or overlaid on screen 120 of laptop 114. In this embodiment, touch screen 124 is larger, in terms of width and height, than is display screen 120 of laptop 114. This is in contrast to the embodiment of
Touch screen 124 may include parallel top and bottom thin sheets or layers (not shown) with known electrically resistive properties. The sheets may be retained within an outer frame 138 of touch screen 124. When a user's finger or a tool presses on and indents the top layer, the top layer and the bottom layer physically contact each other and are electrically shorted together. A known voltage can be applied to one of the layers, and the other layer can be connected to ground through a resistor. By measuring the voltage drop from a point on one layer to a point on the other layer, the total resistance between the two points can be determined, and thus the coordinates of the point on the top layer at which the indentation occurred can be calculated from the known patterns of resistance on the top and bottom layers. The bottom layer may be laminated to a transparent panel that is highly resistant to breakage.
Displayed on screen 120 may be indicia, such as “buttons” or icons 126, best shown in
When a user touches touch screen 124 with a finger or some type of tool, touch screen 124 transmits a signal to laptop 114 to indicate the value of a voltage drop associated with touch screen 124. From the value of the voltage drop, an electronic processor within laptop 14 determines the location on touch screen 124 that has been touched, as discussed above.
As best shown in
In the embodiment shown, touch screen 124 is in the form of a model KTMT-1500 Add-On MAGIC TOUCH® Touch Screen for a fifteen inch notebook computer, produced by Keytec, Inc. of Richardson, Tex.
While this invention has been described as having an exemplary design, the present invention may be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/771,249, filed Feb. 8, 2006, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4041283 | Mosier | Aug 1977 | A |
4075465 | Funk et al. | Feb 1978 | A |
4092527 | Luecke | May 1978 | A |
4158130 | Speraw et al. | Jun 1979 | A |
4456315 | Markley et al. | Jun 1984 | A |
4564751 | Alley et al. | Jan 1986 | A |
4595804 | MacConnell | Jun 1986 | A |
D288820 | Couch et al. | Mar 1987 | S |
4688020 | Kuehneman et al. | Aug 1987 | A |
4704940 | Cummings | Nov 1987 | A |
4786768 | Langewis et al. | Nov 1988 | A |
4853883 | Nickles et al. | Aug 1989 | A |
4899137 | Behrens et al. | Feb 1990 | A |
4964075 | Shaver et al. | Oct 1990 | A |
5132876 | Ma | Jul 1992 | A |
5175398 | Hofman | Dec 1992 | A |
5187644 | Crisan | Feb 1993 | A |
5193924 | Larson | Mar 1993 | A |
5214429 | Greenberger | May 1993 | A |
5229920 | Spanoil et al. | Jul 1993 | A |
5250929 | Hoffman et al. | Oct 1993 | A |
5278779 | Conway et al. | Jan 1994 | A |
5319582 | Ma | Jun 1994 | A |
5336001 | Lichtenberg | Aug 1994 | A |
5481645 | Bertino et al. | Jan 1996 | A |
5514855 | Sullivan | May 1996 | A |
5531529 | Nusser | Jul 1996 | A |
5590022 | Harvey | Dec 1996 | A |
5667319 | Satloff | Sep 1997 | A |
5894406 | Blend et al. | Apr 1999 | A |
5926364 | Karidis | Jul 1999 | A |
5977872 | Guertin | Nov 1999 | A |
5992817 | Klitsner et al. | Nov 1999 | A |
6322449 | Klitsner et al. | Nov 2001 | B1 |
6472626 | Hayes | Oct 2002 | B2 |
6650254 | Rix | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6703962 | Marics et al. | Mar 2004 | B1 |
20020056612 | Hayes | May 2002 | A1 |
20020163509 | Roberts | Nov 2002 | A1 |
20030236654 | Flynn et al. | Dec 2003 | A1 |
20040030538 | Hawthorne et al. | Feb 2004 | A1 |
20050071802 | Brakelmann et al. | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20050084831 | Ison et al. | Apr 2005 | A1 |
20050278154 | Abebe et al. | Dec 2005 | A1 |
20060022956 | Lengeling et al. | Feb 2006 | A1 |
20060119586 | Grant et al. | Jun 2006 | A1 |
20070020605 | Berger et al. | Jan 2007 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
---|---|---|
0 093 509 | Nov 1983 | EP |
2295480 | May 1996 | GB |
Entry |
---|
Hurco Companies Inc., Hurco Incontrol brochure, 16 pgs. 2004. |
English translation of Office Action from Taiwan Intellectual Property Office for Application 096104403 (4 pgs.); Issuance date: May 2010. |
Search Report in corresponding application EP07250366.7; Date, Jun. 2007. |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20070184428 A1 | Aug 2007 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
60771249 | Feb 2006 | US |