Position-based integrated motion controlled curve sawing

Abstract

A method of position-based integrated motion controlled curve sawing includes the steps of: transporting a curved workpiece in a downstream direction on a transfer, and monitoring position of the workpiece on the transfer, scanning the workpiece through an upstream scanner to measure workpiece profiles in spaced apart array, along a surface of the workpiece and communicating the workpiece profiles to a digital processor, computing by the digital processor, a high order polynomial smoothing curve fitted to the array of workpiece profiles of the curved workpiece, and adjusting the smoothing curve for cutting machine constraints of downstream motion controlled cutting devices to generate an adjusted curve generating unique position cams unique to the workpiece from the adjusted curve for optimized cutting by the cutting devices along a tool path corresponding to the position cams, sequencing the transfer and the workpiece with the cutting devices, and sequencing the unique position cams corresponding to the workpiece to match the position of the workpiece feeding the workpiece, on the transfer, longitudinally into cutting engagement with the cutting devices, and actively relatively positioning the workpiece and the cutting devices relative to each other according to a time-based servo loop updated recalculation, based on said workpiece position, of cutting engagement target position as the workpiece is fed longitudinally so as to position the cutting engagement of the cutting devices along the tool path.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An optimizing system for cutting a workpiece, the system comprising: 
 (a) a digital processor;    (b) a workpiece feed path;    (c) an optimizing cutting device operably coupled to the digital processor, the optimizing cutting device located along the workpiece feed path and having an entrance, for receipt of a rough workpiece, and an exit, for discharge of an at least partially finished workpiece, the optimizing cutting device having a cutting element;    (d) a workpiece scanner situated along the workpiece feed path upstream of the entrance and operably coupled to the digital processor so to provide the digital processor with workpiece property information for each workpiece entering the optimizing cutting device;    (e) the digital processor constructed to provide the optimizing cutting device with control information based upon the workpiece property information for each workpiece; and    (f) the optimizing cutting device constructed to move at least one of the workpiece and the cutting element as the workpiece passes through the optimizing cutting device according to the control information for each workpiece.    
     
     
         2 . An optimizing system for cutting a workpiece, the system comprising: 
 (a) an optimizing cutting device having an entrance, for receipt of a rough workpiece, and an exit, for discharge of an at least partially finished workpiece, the optimizing cutting device having a cutting element;    (b) scanning means for scanning each workpiece entering the optimizing cutting device and creating workpiece property information therefor;    (c) a digital processor operably coupled to the scanning means, for providing the optimizing cutting device with control information based upon the workpiece property information for each workpiece; and    (d) the optimizing cutting device comprising means for moving at least one of the workpiece and the cutting element as the workpiece passes through the optimizing cutting device according to the control information for each workpiece.    
     
     
         3 . An optimizing system for cutting a workpiece, the system comprising: 
 (a) a digital processor;    (b) a workpiece feed path;    (c) an optimizing cutting device operably coupled to the digital processor, the optimizing cutting device located along the workpiece feed path and having an entrance, for receipt of a rough workpiece, and an exit, for discharge of an at least partially finished workpiece, the optimizing cutting device having a cutting element;    (d) a workpiece scanner situated along the workpiece feed path upstream of the entrance and operably coupled to the digital processor so to provide the digital processor with workpiece property information for each workpiece entering the optimizing cutting device;    (e) the digital processor constructed to provide the optimizing cutting device with control information based upon the workpiece property information for each workpiece; and    (f) the optimizing cutting device constructed to move at least one of the workpiece, cutting element or a guiding element as the workpiece passes through the optimizing planer according to the control information for each workpiece.    
     
     
         4 . An optimizing system for cutting a workpiece, the system comprising: 
 (a) an optimizing planer having an entrance, for receipt of a rough workpiece, and an exit, for discharge of an at least partially finished workpiece, the optimizing planer having a cutting element;    (b) scanning means for scanning each workpiece entering the optimizing cutting device and creating workpiece property information therefor;    (c) control system means, operably coupled to the scanning means, for providing the optimizing cutting device with control information based upon the workpiece property information for each workpiece; and    (d) the optimizing cutting device comprising means for moving at least one of the workpiece, the cutting element or a guiding element as the workpiece passes through the optimizing cutting device according to the control information for each workpiece.    
     
     
         5 . An optimizing system for cutting a workpiece, the system comprising: 
 (a) a digital processor;    (b) a workpiece feed path for feeding an array of workpieces linearly downstream to an optimizing cutting device;    (c) means for setting the size of gaps between successive workpieces in the array of workpieces being translated linearly into the cutting device so that each gap between successive workpieces in the array of workpieces provides enough time for relative movement of at least one of movable cutting elements in the cutting device and movable guiding elements so as to obtain relative movement between the cutting elements and the workpiece being next fed in so as to obtain optimized positioning corresponding to the workpiece being next fed into the optimizing cutting device;    (d) the optimizing cutting device downstream along the workpiece feed path operably coupled to the digital processor, the optimizing cutting device having an entrance, for receipt of a rough workpiece, and an exit, for discharge of an at least partially finished workpiece;    (e) a workpiece scanner situated along the workpiece feed path upstream of the entrance and operably coupled to the digital processor so to provide the digital processor with workpiece property information for each workpiece entering the optimizing cutting device;    wherein the digital processor provides the optimizing cutting device with control information based upon the workpiece property information for each workpiece; and    wherein the optimizing cutting device moves at least one of movable guiding elements and the cutting elements as the workpiece passes through the optimizing cutting device according to the control information for each workpiece.    
     
     
         6 . A method for optimization comprising: 
 (a) feeding a series of workpieces to an optimizing cutting device;    (b) scanning each workpiece prior to entering the optimizing cutting device to formulate workpiece property information for each workpiece;    (c) creating control information for each workpiece from the workpiece property information; and    (d) controlling the cutting operation of the optimizing cutting device for each workpiece based upon the control information for each workpiece.    
     
     
         7 . A method for optimizing cutting of a workpiece using a digital processor, the method comprising the steps of: 
 (a) feeding an array of workpieces through a scanner and linearly downstream along a workpiece feed path to an optimizing cutting device;    (b) providing the digital processor with workpiece property information from the scanner for each workpiece entering the optimizing cutting device;    (c) setting the size of gaps between successive workpieces in the array of workpieces being translated linearly into the cutting device so that each gap between successive workpieces in the array of workpieces provides enough time for relative movement of at least one of movable cutting elements in the cutting device and movable guiding elements so as to obtain relative movement between the cutting elements and the workpiece being next fed in so as to obtain optimized positioning corresponding to the workpiece being next fed into the optimizing cutting device;    (d) providing the optimizing cutting device with control information from the digital processor based upon the workpiece property information for each workpiece; and    (e) moving at least one of movable guiding elements and the cutting elements as the workpiece passes through the optimizing cutting device according to the control information for each workpiece.