Welding filler supply device, collaborative robot for metal welding

Abstract

Conventional filler supply devices are generally large drum-type devices, which have the drawback of limiting the range of motion when mounted on a collaborative robot arm. Furthermore, access to welded objects with narrow or internal areas is difficult, making it challenging to accurately and stably supply filler to the welding site. [Solution] The present invention employs a configuration in which a detachable attachment arm is provided on the arm of a collaborative robot, and a filler supply device is mounted on its support portion. The attachment arm is designed with a bend to allow access to narrow areas and inner regions of the workpiece to be welded. The filler supply device supplies filler via motor drive, and the supply amount and timing are precisely controlled by the control device of the collaborative robot or welding machine, thereby achieving stable welding quality and improved efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field related to collaborative robots and their peripheral devices used in metal welding operations.

Background Art

[0002] <​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​On the other hand, collaborative robots are designed for humans and robots to work together and have the characteristic of being able to easily input operations through direct teaching. However, even in the design of conventional collaborative robots, operations based on motion programs were assumed, so the idea of ​​using an attachment arm to place a laser oscillator in a position not anticipated by conventional programs did not exist. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-151656 [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] Fiber laser welding machine HW1000 wire filler welding - Studline Fastener Co., Ltd. (https: / / ja.nc-net.or.jp / company / 89029 / product / detail / 222236 / ) [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] Conventional drum-type filler feeders tend to be large, which limits the range of motion of a collaborative robot arm when mounted on it. Furthermore, linear feeders are sometimes insufficient for accessing hard-to-reach areas such as confined spaces or the inner areas of welded objects.

[0010] Furthermore, conventional supply devices made precise control of filler supply timing and quantity difficult, which could negatively impact welding quality. Additionally, insufficient coordination with welding machine and collaborative robot control systems made it difficult to improve operational efficiency and automate processes.

[0011] Furthermore, conventional collaborative robots' welding arms were based on a fixed structure and did not incorporate arm designs with bending sections, making it impossible to flexibly change their position to match the location of the welding site. As a result, it was difficult to perform efficient and high-quality welding on objects with complex shapes or confined spaces.

[0012] The present invention aims to solve these problems and provide an apparatus and system that enables efficient and high-quality filler supply and welding work for weldable objects with narrow parts or complex shapes without impairing the operating range of a collaborative robot.

[0013] In particular, the present invention aims to significantly improve welding quality and efficiency by enabling physical access to narrow areas and inner regions that were difficult to access with conventional technology through the design of the bent portion provided on the attachment arm, and by coordinating the filler supply device and the laser oscillation unit of the welding machine. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The present invention relates to a welding filler supply device that is attached to the arm of a collaborative robot whose movements are input by direct teaching, and which supplies welding filler to the welding site.

[0015] The welding filler supply device of the present invention comprises an attachment arm that can be detachably attached to the arm of a collaborative robot, the attachment arm having a mounting portion that is vertically attached to the tip of the collaborative robot arm, a bent portion that is connected to the mounting portion at a predetermined bending angle, and a support portion that is connected to the bent portion.

[0016] The support section is equipped with a filler supply device for welding and a laser oscillator for the welding machine. The filler supply device includes a supply unit that uses a motor to supply filler to the welding area, and the motor is controlled by the control device of the collaborative robot or the control device of the welding machine.

[0017] Furthermore, due to the design of the bending portion, the tip of the filler supplied by the laser oscillation unit and the filler supply device is arranged at a position where it can reach the inner region or narrow portion of the welding object.

[0018] In the welding filler supply device, a configuration is adopted in which a straight filler having a length of about 1 meter is used as the filler.

[0019] Furthermore, the bending portion of the attachment arm has an angle in the range of 110 degrees to 130 degrees.

[0020] The present invention is also applicable to a collaborative robot for metal welding provided with the welding filler supply device. This collaborative robot has a configuration in which an attachment arm is detachably attached to the tip of a welding arm, the filler supply device is installed on a support portion, and the narrow portion and inner region of the welding object can be accommodated by adjusting the angle of the bending portion.

[0021] Furthermore, in a collaborative robot for metal welding, a configuration is adopted in which a straight filler having a length of about 1 meter is used as the filler, and the angle of the bending portion is in the range of 110 degrees to 130 degrees.

Advantages of the Invention

[0022] According to the present invention, by providing an attachment arm that can be attached to the arm of the collaborative robot, it becomes possible to supply a filler to the welding location without impairing the operating range of the robot. With this configuration, even when the welding object has a narrow portion or an inner region, automatic welding by the robot can be easily performed.

[0023] The attachment arm of the present invention has an angle in the range of 110 degrees to 130 degrees at the bending part, so that the access to the inner area and narrow parts of the welding object is improved, and it can easily reach places that were difficult to reach with the conventional linear arm structure. As a result, welding operations with complex shapes and in narrow spaces can be automated, and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0024] Furthermore, due to the bending part, the laser oscillation part is arranged at an appropriate position, and the support part stably holds the laser oscillation part, so that the resistance to vibration and impact is improved. As a result, it becomes possible to continuously perform highly accurate welding operations.

[0025] In addition, since the collaborative robot can input operations by direct teaching, the operator can directly teach the robot and flexibly change the operations of the welding arm. With this configuration, it is possible to quickly respond to changes in the working environment and easily optimize the operation pattern for specific welding locations.

[0026] Furthermore, by automating the welding operations in narrow parts that conventionally had to be performed manually, the burden on the operator can be significantly reduced, and the safety of the welding operations can be improved.

[0027] A motor is incorporated in the filler supply device, and its control is performed by the control device of the collaborative robot or the control device of the welding machine, so that the timing and supply amount of the filler supply can be precisely adjusted. As a result, an improvement in welding quality and work efficiency can be expected.

[0028] In addition, by adopting a straight filler having a length of about 1 meter as the filler, the overall device is downsized compared to the conventional drum-type supply device, and a compact design is realized without hindering the flexible operation of the collaborative robot.

[0029] The attachment arm and the welding filler supply device of the present invention have the above effects and contribute to the improvement of efficiency and accuracy in metal welding operations in the manufacturing industry. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0030] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of a collaborative robot for metal welding according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows the configuration of a collaborative robot for metal welding according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows the configuration of the attachment arm of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows a situation where welding is performed in a confined space using the collaborative robot for metal welding of the present invention. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the filler supply device attached to the attachment arm. [Figure 6] This is a side view showing the connection status of the attachment arm and filler supply device mounted on the arm of a collaborative robot. [Figure 7] This is an exploded view showing the individual components of the filler supply device after disassembly. [Figure 8] This is a top view of the attachment arm with the filler supply device attached. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the collaborative robot 001 for metal welding according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a welding arm 002, a control device 003 (not shown), an attachment arm 004, and a laser oscillator 005.

[0033] The control device 003 controls the welding arm 002 based on the operation data input by direct teaching. The welding arm 002 is controlled by the control device 003 and performs the desired welding operation on the workpiece 006.

[0034] The attachment arm 004 is mounted vertically to the tip of the welding arm 002, and a laser oscillating unit 005 is provided at its tip. As shown in Figure 3, the attachment arm 004 has a bent portion 007 having a predetermined angle, and the bend angle is preferably in the range of 110 to 130 degrees, but in the example in Figure 3 it is 120 degrees.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, this bent portion 007 allows the welding arm 002 to access the inner region or narrow portion 008 of the object to be welded 006.

[0036] This configuration allows the welding arm 002 to automatically perform welding even on complex inner areas and narrow sections 008 of the workpiece 006 by utilizing the bent portion 007 of the attachment arm 004. This enables highly efficient and high-precision welding work that could not be achieved with conventional robots.

[0037] A configuration for attaching a filler supply device 100 to an attachment arm 004 in one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 5 to 8. The attachment arm 004 is attached to the arm of a collaborative robot and has a structure that allows access to narrow parts and inner areas of the workpiece to be welded. In this embodiment, the efficiency and precision of welding operations are improved by detachably attaching the filler supply device 100 to the support part of the attachment arm 004.

[0038] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the filler supply device 100 is fixed to the support portion of the attachment arm 004. As shown in Figure 7, the filler supply device 100 comprises a motor 101, a filler holding portion 102, a supply path 103, and an attachment connection portion 104. The attachment connection portion 104 is stably fixed to the support portion of the attachment arm 004 using bolts and clamps. This mounting structure ensures resistance to vibrations and shocks during operation.

[0039] The filler supply device 100 has a supply path 103 for supplying straight filler 105, and the motor 101 drives the filler 105 toward the welding site. The motor 101 adjusts its rotational speed and stopping timing based on control signals supplied from the collaborative robot's control device 003 or the welding machine's control device, thereby controlling the supply amount and timing. This ensures a stable supply of filler material necessary for welding operations and significantly improves work quality.

[0040] As shown in Figure 7, the filler supply device 100 is composed of multiple components and has a structure that allows for easy disassembly and assembly. In particular, the motor 101 drives the filler holding section 102 and the supply path 103, minimizing vibrations during the supply operation and enabling the smooth movement of the filler 105. A commercially available straight filler 105 with a length of approximately 1 meter can be used.

[0041] As shown in Figure 8, when viewed from above, the attachment arm 004 to which the filler supply device 100 is attached can be seen to have the supply path 103 and the laser oscillator of the welding machine properly positioned toward the welding location. This arrangement ensures that filler is supplied precisely and stably even when welding in confined spaces or inner areas.

[0042] The configuration of this embodiment enables filler supply and welding work in confined spaces, which was difficult with conventional large drum-type supply devices. Furthermore, by controlling the supply operation using the motor 101, the supply timing and amount are optimized, resulting in improved welding quality and increased work efficiency.

[0043] (supplement) The functions and configurations described in each embodiment of the present invention are not limited to being implemented individually, and the described elements and functions can be combined as appropriate within the scope of technical compatibility. Therefore, the scope of the present invention accommodates a wide variety of modifications, including these combinations. [Industrial applicability]

[0044] The collaborative robot for metal welding of the present invention is widely applicable to welding operations of metal parts in the manufacturing industry. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0045] 001 Collaborative Robot 002 Welding Arm 003 Control device 004 Attachment Arm 005 Laser Oscillator 006 Object to be welded 007 Bending section 008 Narrow part 100 Filler supply device 101 Motor 102 Filler retaining part 103 Supply routes 104 Attachment connection part 105 Straight Filler

Claims

1. A welding filler supply device that is attached to the arm of a collaborative robot whose movements are input by direct teaching, and which supplies welding filler to the welding site, The collaborative robot's arm is equipped with a detachable attachment arm. The aforementioned attachment arm includes a mounting portion which is vertically attached to the tip of the collaborative robot's arm, A bent portion connected to the mounting portion at a predetermined bending angle, The bending portion is connected to a support portion that supports a filler supply device for welding and a laser oscillator for the welding machine, A filler supply device detachably attached to the support portion includes a supply unit that uses a motor to supply filler towards the welding location. The motor is controlled by the control device of the collaborative robot or the control device of the welding machine. The bending angle of the bent portion is such that the tip of the filler supplied by the laser oscillating unit and the filler supply device is positioned to reach the inner region or narrow area of ​​the workpiece to be welded. Welding filler supply device.

2. A welding filler supply device according to claim 1, A welding filler supply device characterized by using a straight filler having a length of approximately 1 meter as the filler.

3. A welding filler supply device according to claim 2, A welding filler supply device characterized in that the bending angle of the bent portion of the attachment arm is in the range of 110 degrees to 130 degrees.

4. A collaborative robot for metal welding that operates based on motion data input by direct teaching, A control device for controlling the welding arm, A welding arm controlled by the control device, An attachment arm that is detachably attached to the tip of the welding arm, The attachment arm comprises a mounting portion which is attached vertically to the tip of the welding arm, A bent portion connected to the mounting portion at a predetermined bending angle, The bending portion is connected to a support portion that supports the laser oscillating unit of the welding machine and a welding filler supply device that supplies welding filler to the welding location, A filler supply device detachably attached to the support portion includes a supply unit that uses a motor to supply filler towards the welding location. The motor is controlled by a control device that controls the welding arm or a control device of the welding machine. The bending angle of the bent portion is such that the tip of the filler supplied by the laser oscillating unit and filler supply device of the welding machine is positioned to reach the inner region or narrow part of the object to be welded. A collaborative robot for metal welding.

5. A collaborative robot for metal welding according to claim 4, A collaborative robot for metal welding, characterized by the use of a straight filler approximately 1 meter in length as a filler.

6. A collaborative robot for metal welding according to claim 5, A collaborative robot for metal welding, characterized in that the bending angle of the bent portion of the attachment arm is in the range of 110 to 130 degrees.

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