Robotic adaptive intelligent welding system and welding method for ship assembly

Abstract

The robotic adaptive intelligent welding system, used in shipbuilding, includes a host computer, a gantry, tracks, a trolley, a welding robot, a laser displacement sensor, a sensor baffle, a point laser scanner, a 3D line laser scanner, and an intelligent welding control system. The gantry and tracks are respectively equipped with a laser displacement sensor and a sensor baffle. The welding robot and 3D line laser scanner are mounted on the trolley's Z-axis movement mechanism, and the point laser scanner is mounted on the welding robot. The intelligent welding control system includes an offline programming module, a weld seam adaptive positioning module, a welding process database module, and an arc tracking module. This invention adapts to the characteristics of shipbuilding production, enabling the welding robot to automatically find weld seams without requiring instruction. Furthermore, during the welding process, it can automatically correct deviations based on the actual weld seam conditions, ensuring a precise welding trajectory. This significantly saves time and improves welding stability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of ship welding, and in particular relates to a robot adaptive intelligent welding system and a welding method for assembly in ships. Background Art

[0002] At present, the flat section assembly lines of several major state-owned large shipyards in China are basically provided with complete production line assemblies by Japan's Nippon Steel Corporation or Norway's TTS in the early years. They have practical difficulties such as slow after-sales response, untimely after-sales service, high purchase price and daily maintenance costs, aging assembly lines, and difficulties in transformation and upgrading due to foreign technology protection.

[0003] Faced with the technological shortcomings in my country's shipbuilding equipment, we urgently need independent research and development, adhere to innovation-driven development, vigorously improve the independent design level and system integration level of shipbuilding equipment, and form the supporting capabilities of related manufacturing equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a robot adaptive intelligent welding system and welding method for assembly in ships.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0006] A robot adaptive intelligent welding system for ship assembly, including a host computer, a gantry, a track, a traveling trolley, a welding robot, a laser displacement sensor, a sensor baffle, a point laser scanner, a 3D line laser scanner, and an intelligent welding control system;

[0007] The gantry is mounted on a track, and a matching laser displacement sensor and a sensor baffle are mounted on the gantry and the track respectively;

[0008] The traveling trolley includes an X-axis moving mechanism, a Y-axis moving mechanism, and a Z-axis moving mechanism. The Y-axis moving mechanism is mounted on the gantry, the X-axis moving mechanism is mounted on the Y-axis moving mechanism, and the Z-axis moving mechanism is mounted on the X-axis moving mechanism.

[0009] The welding robot and the 3D line laser scanner are mounted on the Z-axis moving mechanism, and the point laser scanner is mounted on the welding robot;

[0010] The host computer controls the movement of the gantry along the track according to the feedback signal of the laser displacement sensor. The host computer controls the X-axis moving mechanism, the Y-axis moving mechanism, and the Z-axis moving mechanism to move the welding robot according to the scanning feedback of the 3D line laser scanner. The welding robot determines the working position according to the scanning feedback of the point laser scanner.

[0011] The intelligent welding control system includes an offline programming module, a weld seam adaptive positioning module, a welding process database module, and an arc tracking module. The offline programming module, the weld seam adaptive positioning module, and the welding process database module realize their respective functions through unified control by a host computer. The arc tracking module corrects the weld seam trajectory of the welding robot in real time during the welding operation.

[0012] Furthermore, the gantry is a double-beam structure, including crossbeams, columns, a bottom beam, end beams, a wheel assembly, a track clamp, and a synchronous drive motor. One end of each crossbeam is mounted on the two columns, the lower ends of each column are mounted on the bottom beam, and the other ends of each crossbeam are mounted on the end beam. Both the bottom beam and the end beam are mounted on a wheel assembly and a track clamp. The bottom beam is mounted on a synchronous drive motor that drives the wheel assembly, and both synchronous drive motors are connected to a host computer. Furthermore, the track includes a bottom beam track and an end beam track. The bottom beam track cooperates with the wheel assembly and track clamp on the bottom beam, while the end beam track cooperates with the wheel assembly and track clamp on the end beam. The laser displacement sensor and sensor baffle are mounted on the bottom beam and bottom beam track of the gantry, respectively.

[0013] Furthermore, the X-axis moving mechanism, Y-axis moving mechanism and Z-axis moving mechanism of the traveling trolley all adopt precision rack and pinion transmission to achieve precise movement.

[0014] Furthermore, the number of the walking trolleys and welding robots is two.

[0015] A robotic adaptive intelligent welding method for ship assembly, using the robotic adaptive intelligent welding system, includes the following steps:

[0016] S1. The offline programming module extracts the model information of the workpiece to be welded, sorts out the weld information and performs overall planning. It then generates a welding trajectory based on the weld information, extracts the corresponding welding parameter information from the welding process database module for matching, generates an offline operation program, and sends it to the host computer.

[0017] S2. The host computer controls the movement of the gantry according to the weld adaptive positioning module, combined with the gantry position information provided by the offline operation program, the on-site workpiece placement, and the distance to the sensor baffle measured by the laser displacement sensor;

[0018] S3. The host computer controls the 3D line laser scanner to automatically scan the workpiece according to the weld seam adaptive positioning module, acquires the position information of the workpiece feature points, integrates the actual gantry position information and the workpiece feature point position information, completes the data offset of the corresponding information in the offline operation program, generates a new offline operation program, and sends it to the welding robot;

[0019] S4. The host computer controls the welding robot and the walking carriage to work together. The welding robot runs along the trajectory according to the new offline operation program. Before the welding robot reaches the starting point of the weld, the welding robot automatically locates and scans the workpiece according to the control point laser scanner of the weld adaptive positioning module, completes the precise inspection of the starting point position and the end point position of the weld, and replaces and assigns the obtained accurate weld position data with the theoretical data in the new offline operation program. During the welding operation, the welding robot corrects the weld trajectory in real time according to the arc tracking module.

[0020] The intelligent welding control system in the present invention:

[0021] (1) The function of the offline programming module is to obtain production data from the workpiece model by adopting offline programming based on the workpiece model, and generate the offline operation program of the welding robot through offline programming and simulation verification.

[0022] (2) The functions of the weld seam adaptive positioning module are: to perceive the workpiece position and working conditions by timely reading sensor data, analyze and judge, and make decisions for the welding robot's actions; to use a 3D line laser scanner to scan the workpiece, so that the offline operation program receives the workpiece coordinate information and generates a new path program to guide the welding robot to move before welding; before welding, a point laser scanner is used to perform weld seam positioning to guide the welding robot to perform accurate welding operations.

[0023] (3) The function of the welding process database module is to build it according to the welding process specifications of the shipyard and the material, thickness, form, welding material, weld foot and assembly gap of the shipbuilding company's welding objects; match the welding procedure information, such as welding voltage and welding current, so that the offline programming module can call the corresponding welding process data in the process of generating the welding trajectory.

[0024] (4) The function of the arc tracking module is to perform real-time correction of the welding robot's weld trajectory during the welding operation.

[0025] Compared with the existing technology, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: it can adapt to the characteristics of ship production, and realize that the welding robot can automatically find the weld without teaching, and during the welding process, it can automatically correct the deviation according to the actual situation of the weld, ensuring the accuracy of the welding trajectory, greatly saving time, and improving the stability of welding. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 2 This is a schematic structural diagram of the laser displacement sensor on the bottom beam and the sensor baffle on the bottom beam track in the present invention.

[0028] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the present invention when welding a workpiece.

[0029] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic structural diagram of the welding robot welding a workpiece in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 5 The figure is a flow chart of workpiece welding according to the present invention.

[0031] The parts in the figure are numbered as follows:

[0032] 1 mast

[0033] 101 beam

[0034] 102 columns

[0035] 103 bottom beam

[0036] 104 end beam

[0037] 2 bottom beam track

[0038] 3 walking trolley

[0039] 301 X-axis moving mechanism

[0040] 302 Y-axis moving mechanism

[0041] 303 Z-axis moving mechanism

[0042] 4. Welding Robot

[0043] 5Laser displacement sensor

[0044] 6 sensor bezel

[0045] 7-point laser scanner

[0046] 8 3D line laser scanners

[0047] 9 workpieces

[0048] aWeld starting point

[0049] b End point of weld. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The following describes the specific embodiments of the present invention in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can more clearly understand how to practice the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in conjunction with its preferred embodiments, these embodiments are merely illustrative, rather than limiting, the scope of the present invention.

[0051] See also Figure 1 A robot adaptive intelligent welding system for assembly in ships includes a host computer, a gantry 1, a track, a walking trolley 3, a welding robot 4, and an intelligent welding control system.

[0052] See also Figure 1 The gantry 1 includes a crossbeam 101, a column 102, a bottom beam 103, an end beam 104, a wheel assembly, a track clamp, and a synchronous drive motor. The track includes a bottom beam track 2 and an end beam track. The gantry 1 is a double-beam structure. One end of the two crossbeams 101 is mounted on the two columns 102, and the lower ends of the two columns 102 are mounted on the bottom beam 103. The other ends of the two crossbeams 101 are mounted with end beams 104. Both the bottom beam 103 and the end beam 104 are mounted with a wheel assembly and a track clamp. The bottom beam 103 is mounted with a synchronous drive motor that drives the wheel assembly thereon. The wheel assembly and track clamp on the bottom beam 103 cooperate with the bottom beam track 2, and the wheel assembly and track clamp on the end beam 104 cooperate with the end beam track. The synchronous drive motor is connected to the host computer.

[0053] Among them, see Figure 1 and Figure 2 A laser displacement sensor 5 is mounted on the bottom beam 103, and a sensor baffle 6 is mounted on the bottom beam track 2. The laser displacement sensor 5 is connected to a host computer. The laser displacement sensor 5 detects the distance to the sensor baffle 6 in real time and provides feedback to the host computer. The host computer uses this real-time feedback to control the start and stop of the synchronous drive motor, ensuring that the gantry 1 moves to the designated welding area of the assembled component. After stopping operation, the rail clamp ensures that the gantry 1 is accurately and securely positioned, thereby ensuring the stability of the welding process performed by the welding robot 4.

[0054] See also Figure 1 and Figure 3 The walking trolley 3 includes an X-axis moving mechanism 301, a Y-axis moving mechanism 302, and a Z-axis moving mechanism 303. The Y-axis moving mechanism 302 is installed on the crossbeam 101 of the gantry 1. The X-axis moving mechanism 301 is installed on the Y-axis moving mechanism 302 and is driven by the Y-axis moving mechanism 302 to move along the Y-axis direction. The Z-axis moving mechanism 303 is installed on the X-axis moving mechanism 301 and is driven by the X-axis moving mechanism 301 to move along the X-axis direction. The welding robot 4 is installed on the Z-axis moving mechanism 303 and is driven by the Z-axis moving mechanism 303 to move along the Z-axis direction. The X-axis moving mechanism 301, the Y-axis moving mechanism 302, and the Z-axis moving mechanism 303 all use precision gear rack transmission to achieve precise movement, allowing the welding robot 4 to achieve a wide range of precise movement and ensure welding coverage; the X-axis moving mechanism 301, the Y-axis moving mechanism 302, and the Z-axis moving mechanism 303 are all external axis linkage mechanisms of the welding robot 4. The welding robot 4 is connected to the host computer, realizing linkage control among the X-axis moving mechanism 301, the Y-axis moving mechanism 302, the Z-axis moving mechanism 303, and the welding robot 4.

[0055] Among them, see Figure 1 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 The welding robot 4 is equipped with a point laser scanner 7, and the Z-axis movement mechanism 303 is equipped with a 3D line laser scanner 8. The point laser scanner 7 is connected to the welding robot 4 system, and the 3D line laser scanner 8 is connected to the host computer. The point laser scanner 7 detects and determines the weld position and feeds it back to the welding robot 4. The 3D line laser scanner 8 detects and determines the workpiece position and feeds it back to the host computer. The host computer controls the X-axis movement mechanism 301, Y-axis movement mechanism 302, and Z-axis movement mechanism 303 to move the welding robot 4 based on the scanning feedback from the point laser scanner 7. The welding robot 4 determines its working position based on the scanning feedback from the point laser scanner 7, thus achieving intelligent welding.

[0056] In this embodiment, the number of the traveling carriages 3 and the number of the welding robots 4 are both two.

[0057] The intelligent welding control system includes an off-line programming module, a weld self-adaptive positioning module, a welding process database module, and an arc tracking module.

[0058] The functions of each module and the working steps of this system are as follows:

[0059] S1, see Figure 5 The offline programming module extracts information from the workpiece model required for welding provided by the shipyard in order to sort out the weld information and make an overall plan. It then generates a welding trajectory based on the weld information and extracts the corresponding welding parameter information from the welding process database module for matching, thereby generating a complete offline operation program. The offline programming module sends the offline operation program to the host computer, which then performs unified control.

[0060] S2. The host computer controls the synchronous drive motor of the gantry 1 according to the weld adaptive positioning module, combined with the gantry position information provided by the offline operation program, the placement position of the on-site workpiece 9, and the distance to the sensor baffle 6 measured by the laser displacement sensor 5, so that the gantry 1 can move at a fixed length until the actual gantry position is the same as the gantry position information provided by the offline operation program.

[0061] S3. The host computer controls the 3D line laser scanner 8 to automatically scan the workpiece 9 according to the weld adaptive positioning module, completes the acquisition of the position information of the workpiece feature points, integrates the actual gantry 1 position information and the workpiece feature point position information, completes the data offset of the corresponding information in the offline operation program, generates a new offline operation program, and sends it to the welding robot 4.

[0062] S4, the host computer controls the welding robot 4 and the walking trolley 3 to work in a highly coordinated manner, ensuring the stability of large-area and long-distance welding. At the same time, the welding power supply, wire feeding mechanism, welding gun, gun cleaning and wire cutting mechanism, and point laser scanner 7 communicate with the welding robot 4 in real time. The welding robot 4 runs the trajectory according to the new offline operation program. Before the welding robot 4 reaches the starting point a of the weld, the welding robot 4 controls the point laser scanner 7 to automatically locate and scan the workpiece 9 according to the weld adaptive positioning module. The welding robot 4 cooperates with the point laser scanner 7 to complete the precise inspection of the position of the weld starting point a and the position of the weld end point b, see Figure 4 , thereby obtaining accurate weld seam position data. This data is then replaced with the theoretical weld seam start point a and weld end point b positions in the new offline operation program, significantly improving the accuracy of the weld trajectory. During the welding process, the welding robot uses the arc tracking module to perform real-time correction of the weld seam trajectory, ensuring a high degree of weld seam trajectory consistency, improving stability, and ensuring weld quality.

[0063] It should be noted that the present invention, having been fully described, is susceptible to numerous variations and modifications, and is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The foregoing embodiments are intended to illustrate the present invention, not to limit it. In short, the scope of protection of the present invention encompasses any such variations, substitutions, and modifications as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. A robot adaptive intelligent welding system for ship assembly, characterized in that: Including host computer, gantry, track, walking trolley, welding robot, laser displacement sensor, sensor baffle, point laser scanner, 3D line laser scanner, intelligent welding control system; The gantry is mounted on a track, and a matching laser displacement sensor and a sensor baffle are mounted on the gantry and the track respectively; The traveling trolley includes an X-axis moving mechanism, a Y-axis moving mechanism, and a Z-axis moving mechanism. The Y-axis moving mechanism is mounted on the gantry, the X-axis moving mechanism is mounted on the Y-axis moving mechanism, and the Z-axis moving mechanism is mounted on the X-axis moving mechanism. The welding robot and the 3D line laser scanner are mounted on the Z-axis moving mechanism, and the point laser scanner is mounted on the welding robot; The host computer controls the movement of the gantry along the track according to the feedback signal of the laser displacement sensor. The host computer controls the X-axis moving mechanism, the Y-axis moving mechanism, and the Z-axis moving mechanism to move the welding robot according to the scanning feedback of the 3D line laser scanner. The welding robot determines the working position according to the scanning feedback of the point laser scanner. The intelligent welding control system includes an offline programming module, a weld seam adaptive positioning module, a welding process database module, and an arc tracking module. The offline programming module, the weld seam adaptive positioning module, and the welding process database module realize their respective functions through unified control by a host computer. The arc tracking module corrects the weld seam trajectory of the welding robot in real time during the welding operation.

2. The robot adaptive intelligent welding system for ship assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gantry is a double-beam structure, including crossbeams, columns, bottom beams, end beams, wheel group mechanisms, track clamps, and synchronous drive motors. One end of the two crossbeams is installed on the two columns, the lower ends of the two columns are installed on the bottom beam, and the other ends of the two crossbeams are installed with end beams. Wheel group mechanisms and track clamps are installed on the bottom beam and the end beams. A synchronous drive motor that drives the wheel group mechanism thereon is installed on the bottom beam, and the synchronous drive motors are all connected to the host computer.

3. The robot adaptive intelligent welding system for ship assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that: The track comprises a bottom beam track and an end beam track. The bottom beam track cooperates with a wheel set mechanism and a track clamp on the bottom beam, and the end beam track cooperates with a wheel set mechanism and a track clamp on the end beam.

4. The robot adaptive intelligent welding system for ship assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The laser displacement sensor and the sensor baffle are respectively installed on the bottom beam and the bottom beam track of the door frame.

5. The robot adaptive intelligent welding system for ship assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The X-axis moving mechanism, Y-axis moving mechanism and Z-axis moving mechanism of the traveling trolley all adopt precision rack and pinion transmission to achieve precise movement.

6. The robot adaptive intelligent welding system for ship assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are two traveling trolleys and two welding robots.

7. A robotic adaptive intelligent welding method for ship assembly, characterized in that the robotic adaptive intelligent welding system for ship assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 6 is used, comprising the following steps: S1. The offline programming module extracts the model information of the workpiece to be welded, sorts out the weld information and performs overall planning. It then generates a welding trajectory based on the weld information, extracts the corresponding welding parameter information from the welding process database module for matching, generates an offline operation program, and sends it to the host computer. S2. The host computer controls the movement of the gantry according to the weld adaptive positioning module, combined with the gantry position information provided by the offline operation program, the on-site workpiece placement, and the distance to the sensor baffle measured by the laser displacement sensor; S3. The host computer controls the 3D line laser scanner to automatically scan the workpiece according to the weld seam adaptive positioning module, acquires the position information of the workpiece feature points, integrates the actual gantry position information and the workpiece feature point position information, completes the data offset of the corresponding information in the offline operation program, generates a new offline operation program, and sends it to the welding robot; S4, the host computer controls the welding robot and the traveling carriage to work together, and the welding robot runs according to the new offline operation program. Before the welding robot reaches the starting point of the weld, the welding robot automatically locates and scans the workpiece according to the control point laser scanner of the weld adaptive positioning module, completes the precise inspection of the starting point and end point of the weld, and replaces the obtained accurate weld position data with the theoretical data in the new offline operation program. During the welding operation, the welding robot corrects the weld trajectory in real time based on the arc tracking module.

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