Motor Output Changeover Control Apparatus

1. Technical Field

This invention relates to a motor output changeover control apparatus used for the spindle motor of machine tools.

2. Background Art

The spindle motor of an ordinary machine tool comes equipped with a gear mechanism for the purpose of assuring a constant output over a wide range of speeds. By changing the rotational speed of the spindle connected to the spindle motor, a wide variety of cutting conditions can be realized using the machine tool.

A conventional spindle speed change mechanism for realizing a constant output over a wide range by gears uses a spindle motor having a single winding. As a consequence, the winding produces a large amount of heat and the speed change mechanism using gears is elaborate. In addition, the motor itself must have a large capacity.

The present invention solve the foregoing problems. An object of the present invention is to provide a motor output changeover control apparatus capable of obtaining a constant output of a spindle motor over a wide range by an AC motor having a low-speed winding and a high speed winding.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a motor output changeover control apparatus for an AC motor having a low-speed winding and a high-speed winding, the apparatus comprising winding changeover means for changing over a power line connection of the AC motor, and command means for issuing a power line changeover command to the winding changeover means based on a changeover request.

Thus, the winding changeover control apparatus of the invention is capable of stabilizing output characteristics over a wide range from high to low speed by changing over the power line connection of the AC motor. Moreover, since obtaining the constant output over a wide range can be realized by a single winding, it is possible to construct a spindle motor for a small-size machine tool. Thus there is provided a motor output changeover control apparatus which is very effective.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention,

FIGS. 2(a) and (b) are views illustrating the winding arrangements of Y- and delta-connections of the winding of a spindle motor armature,

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating an example of a winding changeover sequence, and

FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram illustrating an example of output characteristics with respect to rotational speed.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of output changeover control of a motor performed by an AC spindle servo unit 1. A spindle motor 2 has its speed digitally controlled by a current signal pulse-width modulated by a transistorized inverter within the spindle servo unit 1. The spindle servo unit 1 includes a spindle changeover circuit 11. The spindle motor 2 is an AC motor having a low-speed winding and a high-speed winding, and the arrangement is such that winding changeover is possible by changing over the connections between terminals U, V, W and X, Y, Z of the power lines.

Numeral 3 denotes a programmable controller which outputs a changeover request signal to the spindle changeover circuit 11 in response to a speed detection signal, indicative of the speed of spindle motor 2, detected by the spindle servo unit 1. The arrangement is such that the programmable controller 3 forms the abovementioned changeover request signal in dependence upon changeover speed. The spindle changeover circuit 11 issues a power line changeover command to a relay circuit 4 based on the changeover request signal, and a command for changing over a ROM from a main ROM to a subordinate ROM. The power line changeover command is for alternately turning on and off electromagnetic contacts MC1, MC2 for winding changeover of the spindle motor 2.

FIGS. 2(a) and (b) illustrate a case in which the armature winding of the spindle motor 2 is arranged in a Y connection as a low-speed winding, and in a delta-connection as a high-speed winding, respectively. In other words, when the electromagnetic contact MC1 is turned on, the winding arrangement becomes Y-connected and the motor has a constant output characteristic in a region of low rotational speed. When the electromagnetic contact MC2 is turned on, the winding arrangement becomes delta-connected and the motor has constant output characteristic in a region of high rotational speeds.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a winding changeover sequence performed by the AC spindle servo unit 1. When the speed of the spindle motor 2 exceeds a set speed so that the speed detection signal SDT changes over from off to on, the changeover request command SEL from the PC 3 turns on. When this signal enters the spindle changeover circuit 11, an enable signal ENB turns off. As a result, motor current is cut off and, on the basis of a ROM selection command *SELROM, the spindle changeover circuit 11 commands a changeover from the main ROM to the subordinate ROM. At the same time, power line changeover commands CHP1, 2 go from high ("0") to low ("1") owing to the spindle changeover circuit 11, thereby driving the relay circuit 4. The latter turns off the electromagnetic contact MC1 and turns on the electromagnetic contact MC2 to switch over the spindle motor 2 from its low-speed winding to its high-speed winding. Thereafter, the enable signal ENB is turned on by a ROM changeover-complete signal *MRFIN and a power line changeover-complete signal CFIN, as a result of which the motor current is again supplied.

When the rotational speed of the spindle motor 2 subsequently declines again and falls below the set speed, the speed detection signal SDT reverts from on to off and the winding configuration of the spindle motor 2 assumes that of the low-speed winding in accordance with a sequence which is the reverse of that described above.

FIG. 4 is a characteristic diagram illustrating an example of an output characteristic of the spindle motor 2 with respect to rotational speed. By way of example, assume that the number of revolutions N is 1000, this being the set speed, that N=400-1000 is the constant-output region by virtue of the low-speed winding, and that N=1000-8000 is the constant-speed region by virtue of the high-speed winding. In such case, constant output over a wide range can be realized by a single winding and without requiring a gear mechanism. In other words, the construction of the machine tool is simplified and there is a major advantage in terms of cost in comparison with the prior art. With regard to the set speed in this case, it is desirable to set a prescribed hysteresis between the time of acceleration and the time of deceleration in order to stabilize operation before and after the changeover speed.

Though an embodiment of the present invention has been described, the invention it not limited thereto but can be modified in various ways without departing from the scope of the claims.

The motor output changeover control apparatus of the invention is advantageous in that a constant output over a wide range can be obtained by a single winding, thereby enabling construction of a spindle motor for a small-size machine tool.