TWI817487B

An apparatus for detecting the shape of a tool installed on a main shaft of a machine tool comprises: a camera for capturing an image of the shape; a specific vector acquisition unit for acquiring a specific vector at a plurality of points on the edge of the tool captured by the camera; a specific vector comparison unit for comparing a first plurality of specific vectors acquired by the specific vector acquisition unit at a first time with a second plurality of specific vectors acquired at a second time; and a tool shape determination unit for determining that the shape of the tool has changed when the values of the first plurality of specific vectors and the values of the second plurality of specific vectors differ from a predetermined threshold value as a result of the comparison in the specific vector comparison unit. The specific vector is a normal vector, a tangent vector, or a specific gradient vector inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the normal vector. Accordingly, it is possible to det