400results about "Welding monitoring devices" patented technology

A system and method for assessing the quality of spot weld joints between pieces of metal includes an ultrasound transducer probing a spot weld joint. The ultrasound transducer transmits ultrasonic radiation into the spot weld joint, receives corresponding echoes, and transforms the echoes into electrical signals. An image reconstructor connected to the ultrasound transducer transforms the electrical signals into numerical data representing an ultrasound image. A neural network connected to the image reconstructor analyzes the numerical data and an output system presents information representing the quality of the spot weld joint. The system is trained to assess the quality of spot weld joints by scanning a spot weld joint with an ultrasound transducer to produce the data set representing the joint; then physically deconstructing the joint to assess the joint quality.

The present invention relates to a system and method that provide for automated notification to entities (e.g., individuals, groups of individuals, computers, systems . . . ) of welding system related information. The invention provides for determination of events and / or conditions that warrant automatic notification thereof to relevant entities. The notifications are conveyed via a most appropriate subset of available communication modes available. The system identifies most appropriate entities to receive the notification about the event, and optionally determines or infers state of the entities and conveys the notification via a communication mode (e.g., text, audio, graphical, video, combination thereof . . . ) and modality (e.g., wireless, Ethernet, cable, optical, telephone, e-mail, voicemail, pager, ghosting, instant messaging . . . ) that is most suitable given context / state of the event and entities.

A system that facilitates dynamic configuration of a welding system with respect to a sensor comprises a processing unit associated with the welding system. A configuration component facilitates configuring the welding system with respect to the sensor upon determining that the sensor is coupled to a local bus associated with the processing unit. A remote access component can facilitate remotely accessing the welding system, the configuration of the welding system alterable by way of the remote access component.

Various welding systems that provide communication over auxiliary or weld power lines are provided. The disclosed embodiments may include a multi-process welding power supply that is communicatively coupled to a pendant via an auxiliary conduit that facilitates the exchange of data and power between components of the welding system. In some embodiments, the pendant may also include auxiliary outlets that allow an operator to power auxiliary devices at the weld location. The disclosed embodiments further include a pendant with a wire spool and wire feeder drive circuitry that is configured to activate spooling during MIG welding. Embodiments are provided that also allow for bidirectional data communication over a power line in networked welding systems.

A method and apparatus for ultrasonic in-process monitoring and feedback of resistance spot weld quality uses at least one transducer located in the electrode assembly transmitting through a weld tip into an underway weld. Analysis of the spectrum of ultrasonic waves provides the operator with an indication of the size, thickness, location, dynamics of formation and quality of the spot weld. The method presents a fundamentally new physical approach to the characterization of the spot weld quality. Together with transmission mode it includes new modes of operation of ultrasonic probes such as a reflection mode and simultaneous use of transmission and reflection modes, and a new physical interpretation of the signal analysis results.

The invention provides resistance welding equipment and a welding control method. The resistance welding equipment consists of a frame, an electric cabinet and a PLC system, a welding transformer, an action mechanism, a welder controller, a waste box, an optical fiber sensor and a sensor controller, wherein the action mechanism consists of a baseplate, a main frame, a vertical cylinder, a main linear guide rail, a linear guide rail, a positioning manual press claw, a positioning fixture, a linear bearing, a main linear bearing, a positioning nut, an adjusting pressure spring, a screw mandrel, a servomotor, a coupler, a displacement sensor, a clamping cylinder, a pressure sensor, a left electrode, a right electrode, left and right linear guide rails, left and right linear bearings, an auxiliary frame, a connecting rod and a clamping pressing plate. The pressure sensor and a tracking system are adopted to collect pressure signals, the displacement sensor and the tracking system are adopted to collect displacement signals, and a PLC operational program is adopted for control, so that the welding of metal workpieces adopts dynamic on-line control to comprehensively monitor various welding control points in the whole process, and the welding deformation is controlled between 0.01 and 0.45mm to ensure welding quality.

A method for estimating weld nugget diameter includes receiving current and voltage inputs, a time input, and a force input. In certain embodiments, the method also uses other weld parameters including type of material, type of stack, stack thickness, applied force, preheat current, RMS value of weld current, weld level, and weld time. The method further determines a resistance curve based on the current and voltage inputs, and time input. It also derives parameters from the resistance curve, and determines a weld nugget diameter estimate based on both resistance parameters.

A kind of AC spot welding dynamic resistance real time measure instrument and method in the welding technology field, the said instrument includes: the welding transformer, a couple of inverse parallel silicon control, Holtz current sensor, minitype Lowe's loop, net pressure synchronization loop, current zero cross pulse detection loop, the silicon control starting circuit, welding current signal conditioning circuit, current differential coefficient signal conditioning circuit, sound-light alarm circuit, clock and replacement circuit, periphery drive circuit, keyboard and display circuit, communication and interlocked interface circuit, DSP control system. The method is that: uses embedded artificial NN calculate the angle of welding dynamic power factor and the current flow, then calculate the silicon control whole flow current virtual value, calculate the dynamic resistance in the spot welding process by using the ratio of the dynamic power factor and the whole flow current virtual value. This invention can detect the angle of welding dynamic power factor in quarter cycle, the instrument is simple, the real-time ability is good, the measurement precision is high.

An intelligent welding gun is provided with a fixed side sensor in a fixed side portion. The mechanical impedance of the fixed side portion is kept small, which permits the mechanical impedance to be set in a range where the fixed side sensor can effectively detect at least one of a position of a fixed side welding tip and a pressing force imposed on the fixed side welding tip. The fixed side sensor and a moving side sensor constitute a redundant sensor measurement system. Various kinds of methods conducted using the above welding gun include a method of calibrating a sensor (including calibration of a reference point and a gain), a control method of suppressing a welding expulsion, a re-welding feedback control method, a control method of a welding strength, a control method of reducing a clearance between workpieces, a method of correcting a welding robot track, and a method of managing a positional accuracy change at a welding point.

To precisely measure bead cutting shapes of electric resistance welded pipes without being affected by difference in luminance level between cut and uncut portions in optical cutting images, an image is obtained by overlaying an optical cutting image with the optical cutting image subjected to thinning processing. A profile of the welded pipe is approximated with a quadratic function and a region containing the bead apex coordinates is identified as the bead. Shape data of the pipe surface at the portion corresponding to the bead portion is obtained from the preset left and right boundaries of the bead portion and the apex position of the separately-calculated bead portion, and bead width, height, slope angle, and unevenness at the left and right boundaries between the bead portion and base pipe portion, are each calculated, based on the left and right bead shape approximation functions and base pipe shape approximation function.

According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, a fracture prediction device for a spot welded portion can be provided. For example, the device may include an input arrangement configured to input all or some of a material strength, a plate thickness, a nugget diameter of a spot welding, a plate width of a joint, and a rotation angle of the joint in a tension test, based on a cross tension test and / or a shear tension test at a spot welded joint. The device can also include a first calculation arrangement configured to calculate a fracture strength parameter of the spot welded portion from all or any of the material strength, the plate thickness, the nugget diameter of the spot welding, the plate width of the joint, and the rotation angle of the joint in the tension test. A parameter storage arrangement may also be provided which can be configured to store the fracture strength parameter by each steel type. Further, the device may further have a second calculation arrangement configured to determine a fracture of the spot welded portion by installing the fracture strength parameter stored in the parameter storage arrangement into a fracture prediction formula in which a deformation at a periphery of the spot welding is modeled by a finite element procedure. Exemplary embodiments of the method software arrangement and computer accessible medium performing similar procedures can also be provided.

This invention provides a method of producing a series of substantially uniform spot welds between two metal parts using a servomotor driven movable electrode and an axially opposing fixed electrode. Target values for electrode displacement in producing a weld indentation and electrode squeeze force are determined for the electrodes and workpieces. During welding operations electrode displacement and electrode force measurements are continually taken and compared with the displacement and force target values. While the measured values are within a tolerance range of the target values, welding is continued using the preset parameters. When either or both of the measured electrode displacement or force value falls outside the target range the total welding current is adjusted in small increments to correct the displacement and / or force values and, thereafter, welding is continued using the new total welding current.

The invention discloses a resistance spot welding quality evaluation device. A welding parameter detection and welding point quality evaluation system with an STM 32 single chip microcomputer as a development platform is adopted, an embedded development technology is adopted, problems of signal isolation and the like are considered, the welding current, electrode pressure, voltage among electrodes and electrode displacement signals in the work process of a spot welding machine are collected, data are processed, then the characteristic quantity of a signal time domain is extracted, the data are input to an expert system, and on-line evaluation is conducted on the welding point quality through inference of the expert system.

A resistance welding method, which resistance-welds a pair of workpieces by gripping the workpieces with a pair of electrode tips under a prescribed welding pressure, and supplies a welding current through the electrode tips to the workpieces, includes the steps of detecting a change in an amount of expansion of a nugget produced in the workpieces, along a direction in which the electrode tips grip the workpieces therebetween, determining whether the detected change is smaller than a threshold value or not, and gradually increasing the welding current flowing through the workpieces after the detected change is judged as being smaller than the threshold value.

An adaptable, servo-control system for force / position actuation generally includes an electric linear actuator and a controller. The controller interfaces with the electric linear actuator and with a number of I / O signals that are independent from the electric linear actuator. The controller interface to the independent I / O signals is transparent to the manner in which the I / O signals are produced. Rather the controller simply looks for the status of the I / O that is preferably received into the controller by hard-wiring or field bus I / O messaging such as from a industrial robot or programmable logic controller. The adaptable servo-control system is particularly suited to resistance weld systems wherein the electric linear actuator can replace the pneumatic actuator providing position and force actuation of the weld tip of the welding gun.

An automated method for forge welding tubulars including heating the tubular ends to be joined in a welding chamber while the heated tubular ends are maintained aligned and parallel relative to each other and at a small spacing, whereupon the heated tubular ends are pressed together while a reducing shield gas is injected into the chamber. The positions of the tubular ends are monitored by cameras which are coupled to a pyrometric and position monitoring system which automatically adjusts the position of the tubular ends relative to each other and the heat supplied to the tubular ends during the heating step until the tubular ends have reached a predetermined temperature, whereupon the tubular ends are moved towards each other along a distance which exceeds the spacing monitored between the tubular ends during the heating step with a selected extra distance, such that the tubular ends are firmly pressed against each other and the amount of external and / or internal upset of the tubular ends in the welding zone is limited to an acceptable level.

A method and device for measuring a resistance spot welding electrode tip includes a welding electrode tip monitoring device for monitoring a welding electrode tip, the welding electrode tip monitoring device communicatively connected to a robotic welder equipped with electrode welding tips in a manner to be automatically employed as part of a robotic step with the robotic welder and is equipped with a mechanism for generating characteristic data of the welding electrode tips without having to remove the welding tips from the robotic welder.

A spot welding system using a spot welding gun having a servomotor for driving welding tips capable of suppressing variation of pressing force due to influence of heat generated by welding current to obtain an uniform pressing force. A difference between the temperature T detected by a temperature sensor and an initial temperature T0 is multiplied by a coefficient A to obtain a pressing force compensation amount α. A pressing force d estimated by an observer is subtracted from the compensated command pressing force p′ and an obtained difference is multiplied by a constant K2 to obtain a torque command (current command) τ for driving the servomotor to press the objects by the welding tips. Since the commanded pressing force is compensated in accordance with the temperature, a constant and stable pressing force is produced without influence of the temperature variation.

A method of projection welding hardware to a plated steel sheet for hot stamping, may include pressing hardware and a plated steel sheet in a state in which a welding projection on the hardware is in contact with the plated steel sheet, supplying a primary current to the hardware and the plated steel sheet in a state in which they are pressed, and supplying a secondary current to the hardware and the plated steel sheet.

A method for regulation of a multi-axis automated manipulator, in particular of a robot, includes flexible regulation of at least one guide axis, and rigid regulation of at least one additional axis, and determining a desired value of the at least one additional axis on the basis of a real value of the guide axis.

A spot welding machine able to positively detect a defect in a work and defects such as caught-in freign matters. A spot welding method which holds and pressurizes stacked works (6) between a fixed electrode (3) and a movable electrode (4) and supplies a current to between the fixed electrode (3) and the movable electrode (4) to complete welding, and which comprises the step of measuring the position of the movable electrode (4) when the works (6) are held between the fixed electrode (3) and the movable electrode (4) and storing the value as a reference value TH prior to an actual welding job, the step of measuring the position TR of the movable electrode (4) when the works (6) are held between the fixed electrode (3) and the movableelectrode (4) when an actual welding is performed, and the step of comparing the position TR with the reference value TH, and performing a welding job when the position TR falls within a spcified range of the reference value TH and issuing an alarm and suspening a welding job when the position TR is outside the spcified range.

Welding equipment for cell modules comprises a rack, a conveying mechanism for conveying to-be-machined pieces, a welding mechanism, a visual positioning and detecting mechanism and a control system; the conveying mechanism comprises a feeding mechanism for conveying the to-be-machined pieces for feeding as well as a cell module positioning mechanism for positioning the to-be-machined pieces for positioning welding by the aid of the welding mechanism; the visual positioning and detecting mechanism positions and finds out first welding points on the to-be-machined pieces and determines relative coordinates of other welding points with the first welding points used as datum points; and the control system controls the welding mechanism to perform welding according to the relative coordinates. With the equipment, the first welding points of the workpieces are positioned and found out through the visual positioning and detecting mechanism and are used as the datum points for determining of the relative coordinates of other welding points, the welding mechanism is controlled to perform welding according to the relative coordinates, the coordinates of other welding points are convenient to determine for positioning welding, the feeding mechanism performs feeding automatically, and the cell module positioning mechanism positions the cell modules automatically, so that the positioning precision and the machining efficiency are improved.

A system and method for monitoring the molten state for enabling a molten state, butting state, or other state of electric-resistance-welded pipe on-line more accurately than in the past are provided. That is, a mirror 23 provided at a front end side inside a container 21 receives light emitted by the welded parts 5 of the tube-shaped steel strip 1 themselves through heat resistant glass 22 from the side direction and reflects the image of the welded parts 5 of the tube-shaped steel strip 1 in the direction of a relay lens 24 provided at a base end side of a relay lens unit 13. The relay lenses 24 relay the image of the welded parts 5 of the tube-shaped steel strip 1 to a conversion lens 12, then the conversion lens 12 forms that image on the imaging area of a CCD camera 11. Therefore, it is possible to capture the welded parts 5 of the tube-shaped steel strip 1 from the side direction by a resolution in accordance with the resolution of the CCD camera 11 and possible to obtain information of the welded parts 5 of the tube-shaped steel strip 1 more accurately than in the past and on-line.

A system and method is disclosed for monitoring and controlling a resistance projection welder for welding a projection weld nut to a workpiece. A displacement sensor measures the displacement of a welding electrode of a weld gun in real time during the welding procedure. A computer is coupled to the displacement sensor and determines whether the projection weld nut is correctly loaded between the workpiece and the welding electrode. The computer instructs a programmable logic controller (PLC) to trigger a weld controller to apply power to the welding electrode if the projection weld nut is correctly loaded onto the workpiece. The computer instructs the PLC to inhibit power if it determines the projection weld nut to be inverted, missing, or misaligned in order to allow for the removal and replacement of the projection weld nut. The computer further instructs the PLC to control and terminate the power to the welding electrode in real time in order to form a projection weld between the projection weld nut and the workpiece that is substantially similar to a predetermined projection weld. The computer processes the displacement data and provides a fault signal when the projection weld is unacceptable. A marker marks the unacceptable workpieces in response to the fault signal.

A tool has a tool part for producing a connection, and a signal generator generating a signal such that the tool part gives an operator a response signal regarding a progress of a work procedure, which response signal can be of acoustic nature and / or a tactile nature, and indicating a completed work procedure or completed parts of the work procedure, wherein the signal generator is arranged on the tool part or contained inside the tool part.

A drive device for a pair of welding tongs having a pair of limbs, is arranged between the adjusting ends of the limbs, located opposite to the welding electrodes, for adjusting between a welding position and a standby position. In order to reduce its length, provide continuous control and monitoring, simplify the device and reduce noise, the drive device is provided with an electric motor-driven screw-thread drive with a rotating nut and a rotating spindle which is axially displaceable between an extended and a return position, the spindle being connected to an adjusting end of the limb. The drive device can be used as a main drive for a pair of welding tongs for the positioning of the limbs, or can be used as a secondary drive, for setting of a stopping position of the pair of welding tongs.