Welding methods and welding systems

Abstract

The present invention provides a welding method and a welding system. The method comprises: obtaining preset information and first collected information of a location to be welded; based on the first collected information and the preset information, calling corresponding preset welding data; performing oxide film cleaning on the location to be welded; welding the location to be welded to form a weld based on the preset welding data; performing black ash cleaning on the weld; obtaining second collected information of the weld; and determining weld quality based on the second collected information. This method realizes an automated integrated operation of cleaning, welding, and weld quality inspection throughout the entire process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of welding technology, and in particular to a welding method and a welding system. Background Art

[0002] A dense oxide film easily forms on the surface of aluminum alloys. Before welding, the oxide film and oil stains must be removed, otherwise welding defects are likely to occur. During arc welding, the reaction with the shielding gas will form black impurities on the weld surface, referred to as black ash. Traditional mechanical grinding and chemical cleaning methods have been used to clean the oxide film and black ash. This has disadvantages such as low automation, poor working environment, high consumables, and large space occupation. After welding is completed, the appearance quality of the weld generally needs to be visually inspected to check for welding defects. This is mostly done by manual visual inspection and manual recording, which has problems such as long cycle time, low efficiency, highly subjective test results, and missed detection, which creates quality risks. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a welding method and a welding system.

[0004] The present invention provides a welding method, which comprises:

[0005] Obtain preset information and first collected information of the part to be welded, and call corresponding preset welding data based on the first collected information and the preset information:

[0006] Cleaning the oxide film on the area to be welded;

[0007] Based on the preset welding data, welding the area to be welded to form a weld;

[0008] Clean the black ash at the weld;

[0009] Acquiring second collected information at the weld;

[0010] The weld quality is determined based on the second collected information.

[0011] According to a welding method provided by the present invention, obtaining preset information of a portion to be welded includes:

[0012] Obtaining inspection items about the to-be-welded portion from a predetermined first external device;

[0013] Correspondingly, judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes:

[0014] generating corresponding weld quality information for the inspection item based on the second collected information, and transmitting the weld quality information to a predetermined second external device;

[0015] The first external device and the second external device may be partially or completely identical.

[0016] According to a welding method provided by the present invention, judging the quality of the weld based on the second collected information includes:

[0017] The second collected information and weld quality are visualized.

[0018] According to a welding method provided by the present invention, judging the quality of the weld based on the second collected information includes:

[0019] Based on the actual weld profile of the second collected information, establishing an ideal profile by using cubic spline interpolation and random sampling consistency algorithm;

[0020] Calculate the maximum difference between the actual weld profile and the ideal profile;

[0021] Based on the maximum difference, it is determined whether the weld has defects.

[0022] According to a welding method provided by the present invention, judging whether the weld has a defect based on the maximum difference includes:

[0023] Based on the comparison between the absolute value of the maximum difference and a preset threshold, determining whether the weld has a defect;

[0024] If it is determined that a defect exists, the defect is determined to be a convex defect or a concave defect based on the positive or negative sign of the maximum difference.

[0025] According to a welding method provided by the present invention, judging whether the defect is a convex defect or a concave defect based on the positive or negative sign of the maximum difference includes:

[0026] If the defect is determined to be an upward convex defect, then based on whether the defect location is in the weld area, it is determined that the defect is a type of weld nub or spatter;

[0027] If the defect is determined to be a concave defect, based on whether the defect position is in the weld edge area, it is determined that the defect belongs to the first category of cracks and pores, or the defect belongs to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut.

[0028] According to a welding method provided by the present invention, determining that the defect belongs to the first category of cracks and pores, or the defect belongs to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut, includes:

[0029] If it is determined that the defect belongs to the first category of cracks and pores, then based on the defect size of the defect, determining that the defect belongs to a crack or a pore;

[0030] If the defect is determined to belong to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut, the defect is determined to belong to lack of fusion or undercut based on the defect size.

[0031] The present invention also provides a welding system, comprising:

[0032] An input device for obtaining preset information of a location to be welded;

[0033] A cleaning device for cleaning the oxide film at the welded area and cleaning the black ash at the weld;

[0034] A collection device, used to obtain first collected information of the to-be-welded portion and second collected information of the weld;

[0035] A processor is connected to the input device, the cleaning device, and the collection device; the processor performs a judgment on whether the first collected information is consistent with the preset information; and the processor judges the quality of the weld based on the second collected information.

[0036] According to a welding system provided by the present invention, the cleaning device includes: a laser cleaning head; the collection device includes: a laser detection head.

[0037] According to a welding system provided by the present invention, the system further includes:

[0038] A monitoring device is connected to the laser cleaning head and the laser detection head to record the opening time, closing time, operating power and operating speed of the laser cleaning head and the laser detection head to form recorded data; the monitoring device is connected to the processor to transmit the recorded data to the processor.

[0039] According to a welding system provided by the present invention, the system further includes:

[0040] A welding robot is connected to the processor.

[0041] According to a welding system provided by the present invention, the system further comprises:

[0042] A gantry is provided above which the cleaning device and the collecting device are arranged, and below which the body parts of the rail vehicle to be welded are placed.

[0043] The welding method and welding system provided by the present invention realize the full-process automated integrated operation of cleaning, welding and weld quality inspection. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, a brief introduction will be given below to the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0045] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart of a welding method provided by the present invention;

[0046] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the ideal weld contour model of the present invention when a porosity defect is encountered;

[0047] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a process for judging weld defects according to the present invention;

[0048] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the welding process flow for the roof panel of the present invention;

[0049] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the physical structure of an electronic device provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more clear, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0051] The welding method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below through specific embodiments and their application scenarios in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart of a welding method provided by the present invention is shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a welding method, which includes the following steps.

[0053] It should be noted that the following method is manufactured for rail vehicles.

[0054] Preferably, the welding method of the present invention includes a computer program running in the welding system. Further, the program can be edited and managed on an online web terminal and pushed to the welding system via Ethernet.

[0055] S100: Obtain preset information and first collected information of a location to be welded, and call corresponding preset welding data based on the first collected information and the preset information.

[0056] Preferably, the preset information includes workpiece information, specifically obtaining workpiece column, vehicle, code, etc. information through the MES work order. According to the preset information, the corresponding welding program is automatically called.

[0057] Preferably, the first collected information includes groove information and assembly information. Further, the groove information includes angle, misalignment, butt joint gap, straightness, etc.

[0058] S200, cleaning the oxide film at the welding site.

[0059] Preferably, the welding robot performs oxide film cleaning during the welding process. The oxide film cleaning can be performed by physical grinding, chemical removal or laser removal.

[0060] It should be noted that the oil stains should be cleaned at the same time as the oxide film.

[0061] S300: Based on the preset welding data, the welding location is welded to form a weld.

[0062] S400, clean the black ash at the weld.

[0063] Preferably, black ash cleaning is performed during the return stroke of the welding robot, and the cleaning technical solution is the same as that of the oxide film cleaning.

[0064] S500: Acquire second collected information at the weld.

[0065] S600: Determine the weld quality based on the second collected information.

[0066] Optionally, obtaining preset information of the location to be welded includes:

[0067] Obtaining inspection items about the to-be-welded portion from a predetermined first external device;

[0068] Correspondingly, judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes:

[0069] Based on the second collected information, corresponding weld quality information is generated for the inspection item, and the weld quality information is transmitted to a predetermined second external device;

[0070] The first external device and the second external device may be partially or completely identical.

[0071] Preferably, the first external device includes a product data management system (PDM), a manufacturing execution system (MES), a vehicle body production management system, and a quality management system (QMS). Furthermore, the first external device is transmitted to the welding system and stored via an enterprise service bus (ESB).

[0072] Preferably, the weld quality information includes a three-dimensional image of the weld.

[0073] Preferably, the second external device includes a PDM system, an MES manufacturing execution system, a vehicle body production management system, and a QMS quality system. Furthermore, when transmitting weld quality information to the second external device, the weld quality information needs to be first converted into a data format corresponding to the second external device.

[0074] Preferably, the weld quality information includes the product number, defect type, and defect location of the weld defect, thereby achieving traceability of production quality information and digital management of welding and inspection.

[0075] Preferably, based on the ISO10042 aluminum alloy weld appearance quality standard, a weld quality judgment model is established for the evaluation of the second collected information and the establishment of a weld quality database. The weld quality judgment model can identify the weld itself and the type and size of weld defects, including weld length, width, straightness, reinforcement, cross-sectional area, undercut, weld bead, pores, cracks, etc.

[0076] Optionally, judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes:

[0077] Visualize the second acquisition information and weld quality.

[0078] It should be noted that defects on the weld surface are mainly identified by the size and location of the defects. The generation mechanism of various defects determines the physical properties of the defects themselves.

[0079] Optionally, judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes:

[0080] Based on the actual weld profile of the second collected information, an ideal profile is established by using cubic spline interpolation and random sampling consistency algorithm;

[0081] Calculate the maximum difference between the actual weld profile and the ideal profile;

[0082] Based on the maximum difference, determine whether the weld is defective.

[0083] It should be noted that Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the ideal weld contour model of the present invention when encountering porosity defects. Figure 2 As shown, the dotted line is the actual contour, and the solid line is the fitted contour (i.e., the ideal contour).

[0084] Optionally, Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a weld defect judgment process of the present invention, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, based on the maximum difference, it is judged whether the weld has defects, including:

[0085] Based on the comparison between the absolute value of the maximum difference and the preset threshold, it is determined whether the weld has defects;

[0086] If a defect is determined to exist, the defect is determined to be a convex defect or a concave defect based on the positive or negative sign of the maximum difference.

[0087] It's important to note that if the actual values ​​of the weld cross-sectional profile are consistently smaller than the ideal values ​​in a certain area, it can be identified as a concave defect; otherwise, it's a convex defect. Generally, pores, cracks, lack of fusion, and undercuts are classified as concave defects, while weld overhangs and spatter are classified as convex defects. Defects can then be identified based on their size and location.

[0088] Optionally, judging whether the defect is a convex defect or a concave defect based on the positive or negative sign of the maximum difference includes:

[0089] If the defect is judged to be an upward convex defect, the defect is judged to be a weld nub or spatter based on whether the defect location is in the weld area;

[0090] If the defect is determined to be a concave defect, then based on whether the defect location is in the weld edge area, it is determined that the defect belongs to the first category of cracks and pores, or the defect belongs to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut.

[0091] It should be noted that weld nodules are typical upward convex defects that always appear in the weld area; spatter is also a typical upward convex defect that is always distributed in the base material area. This is also the main basis for distinguishing weld nodules from spatter.

[0092] Optionally, determining that the defect belongs to the first category of cracks and pores, or the defect belongs to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut, includes:

[0093] If the defect is determined to belong to the first category of cracks and pores, the defect is determined to be a crack or a pore based on the defect size;

[0094] If the defect is determined to belong to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut, the defect is determined to belong to lack of fusion or undercut based on the defect size.

[0095] It should be noted that pores are typical concave defects, which appear as circular concave holes on the weld. They usually exist in the center of the weld area. There is a large difference between the actual contour model and the ideal contour model. The sizes in the weld width and weld length directions are generally not much different. Cracks are typical concave defects, which are generally distributed along the weld length direction on a macro scale, distributed in the area near the center of the weld, and their size in the weld length direction is much larger than their size in the weld width direction. This is also the main feature that distinguishes them from pore defects.

[0096] It should be noted that lack of fusion is a typical concave defect, which is also distributed along the length of the weld on a macroscopic scale, but it always appears in the edge area of ​​the weld, which is also the main feature that distinguishes it from pores and cracks. Undercut is a typical concave defect, which is the same as lack of fusion defect. It usually appears in the edge area of ​​the weld, and the size of the concave is usually smaller than that of the lack of fusion defect, or, no concave occurs, but the first-order derivative of the weld edge area is significantly larger than that of other areas, almost forming an angle of more than 60 degrees with the base material.

[0097] This embodiment realizes the full-process automated integrated operation of cleaning, welding, and weld quality inspection.

[0098] The present invention also provides a welding system, the system comprising:

[0099] An input device for obtaining preset information of a location to be welded;

[0100] Cleaning device, used to clean the oxide film on the welded area and the black ash on the weld;

[0101] A collection device, used to obtain first collected information of the welded portion and second collected information of the weld;

[0102] The processor is connected to the input device, the cleaning device, and the collection device; the processor determines whether the first collected information is consistent with the preset information; and the processor determines the quality of the weld based on the second collected information.

[0103] Preferably, the input device includes a handheld terminal (personal digital assistant, PDA), which scans the MES work order through the handheld terminal to obtain information such as the workpiece column, vehicle, and code.

[0104] The welding system provided in this embodiment can automatically perform pre- and post-weld cleaning and weld quality inspection.

[0105] Optionally, the cleaning device includes: a laser cleaning head; the collection device includes: a laser detection head.

[0106] Preferably, the laser cleaning head and the laser detection head both include corresponding hosts, and interact with the processor through their respective hosts. Furthermore, the processor is set in the server.

[0107] Optionally, the system further includes:

[0108] The monitoring device is connected to the laser cleaning head and the laser detection head to record the opening time, closing time, operating power and operating speed of the laser cleaning head and the laser detection head to form recorded data; the monitoring device is connected to the processor to transmit the recorded data to the processor.

[0109] Preferably, the welding robot and the welding system can be controlled simultaneously by operating the welding teaching pendant.

[0110] Furthermore, the program of the welding system can be built into the welding program of the welding robot, realizing one-button start and full functions of welding cleaning and inspection. At the same time, the welding system also has the function of independent control and operation, and the shutdown or failure of the welding system will not affect the normal welding of the welding robot.

[0111] Optionally, the system further includes:

[0112] The welding robot is connected to the processor.

[0113] Preferably, the welding robot is integrated into the welding system to achieve program fusion. When a welding program is selected, the corresponding cleaning program and detection program are automatically executed.

[0114] Preferably, the processor of the welding system can count and analyze the size information and defect information of multiple workpieces or multiple welds, and can customize the length or number of welds.

[0115] Preferably, the system further comprises:

[0116] A display screen, located next to the welding station, displays real-time weld quality information, including weld dimensions, weld defect information (type, quantity, size, and location), and a real-time 3D weld image. This real-time 3D weld image displays key weld information, including but not limited to material train information, weld serial number, weld length, width, height, and straightness, as well as defect type, quantity, location, and size. Different colors represent different information.

[0117] Preferably, the delay between the real-time display information on the display screen and the actual detection position is no more than 30s.

[0118] Optionally, the system further includes:

[0119] Gantry, a cleaning device and a collection device are arranged above the gantry, and the lower part of the gantry is used to place the body parts of the rail vehicle to be welded.

[0120] Preferably, Figure 4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the welding process flow of the roof panel of the present invention. Figure 4 As shown, the vehicle body parts include large vehicle body parts. Further, the large vehicle body parts include a roof panel. After the roof panel is assembled, the tooling is activated to press it and then welded using the welding system of the present invention.

[0121] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the physical structure of an electronic device provided by the present invention, such as Figure 5 As shown, the electronic device may include: a processor 810, a communication interface 820, a memory 830, and a communication bus 840, wherein the processor 810, the communication interface 820, and the memory 830 communicate with each other via the communication bus 840. The processor 810 may call the logic instructions in the memory 830 to execute the welding method, which includes:

[0122] Obtain preset information and first collected information of the part to be welded, and call corresponding preset welding data based on the first collected information and the preset information:

[0123] Cleaning the oxide film on the area to be welded;

[0124] Based on the preset welding data, welding the area to be welded to form a weld;

[0125] Clean the black ash at the weld;

[0126] Acquiring second collected information at the weld;

[0127] The weld quality is determined based on the second collected information.

[0128] In addition, the logic instructions in the above-mentioned memory 830 can be implemented in the form of a software functional unit and can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium when sold or used as an independent product. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or the part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0129] On the other hand, the present invention further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer program comprises program instructions. When the program instructions are executed by a computer, the computer can perform the welding method provided by the above methods, wherein the method comprises:

[0130] Obtain preset information and first collected information of the part to be welded, and call corresponding preset welding data based on the first collected information and the preset information:

[0131] Cleaning the oxide film on the area to be welded;

[0132] Based on the preset welding data, welding the area to be welded to form a weld;

[0133] Clean the black ash at the weld;

[0134] Acquiring second collected information at the weld;

[0135] The weld quality is determined based on the second collected information.

[0136] In another aspect, the present invention further provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, is implemented to perform the above-mentioned welding methods, the methods comprising:

[0137] Obtain preset information and first collected information of the part to be welded, and call corresponding preset welding data based on the first collected information and the preset information:

[0138] Cleaning the oxide film on the area to be welded;

[0139] Based on the preset welding data, welding the area to be welded to form a weld;

[0140] Clean the black ash at the weld;

[0141] Acquiring second collected information at the weld;

[0142] The weld quality is determined based on the second collected information.

[0143] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, i.e., they may be located in one location or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected based on actual needs to achieve the objectives of the present embodiment. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will be able to understand and implement the present invention without inventive effort.

[0144] Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that each embodiment can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general hardware platform, or of course, by hardware. Based on this understanding, the essence of the above technical solution or the part that contributes to the existing technology can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as ROM / RAM, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, etc., and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in each embodiment or certain parts of the embodiments.

[0145] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A welding method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Obtain preset information and first collected information of the part to be welded, and call corresponding preset welding data based on the first collected information and the preset information: Cleaning the oxide film on the area to be welded; Based on the preset welding data, welding the area to be welded to form a weld; Clean the black ash at the weld; Acquiring second collected information at the weld; judging the quality of the weld based on the second collected information; The preset information of the welded part is obtained, including: Obtaining inspection items about the to-be-welded portion from a predetermined first external device; Correspondingly, judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes: generating corresponding weld quality information for the inspection item based on the second collected information, and transmitting the weld quality information to a predetermined second external device; Wherein, the first external device and the second external device can be partially or completely identical; Wherein, the weld quality information includes a three-dimensional image of the weld; The weld quality information includes the defect type and defect location of the weld defect; The step of judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes: Based on the actual weld profile of the second collected information, establishing an ideal profile by using cubic spline interpolation and random sampling consistency algorithm; Calculate the maximum difference between the actual weld profile and the ideal profile; Based on the maximum difference, it is determined whether the weld has defects.

2. The welding method according to claim 1, characterized in that Judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes: The second collected information and weld quality are visualized.

3. The welding method according to claim 1, wherein: Determining whether the weld is defective based on the maximum difference includes: Based on the comparison between the absolute value of the maximum difference and a preset threshold, determining whether the weld has a defect; If it is determined that a defect exists, the defect is determined to be a convex defect or a concave defect based on the positive or negative sign of the maximum difference.

4. The welding method according to claim 3, characterized in that Based on the positive or negative sign of the maximum difference, determining whether the defect is a convex defect or a concave defect includes: If the defect is determined to be an upward convex defect, then based on whether the defect location is in the weld area, it is determined that the defect is a type of weld nub or spatter; If the defect is determined to be a concave defect, based on whether the defect position is in the weld edge area, it is determined that the defect belongs to the first category of cracks and pores, or the defect belongs to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut.

5. The welding method according to claim 4, characterized in that Determining whether the defect belongs to the first category of cracks and pores, or the defect belongs to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut, includes: If it is determined that the defect belongs to the first category of cracks and pores, then based on the defect size of the defect, determining that the defect belongs to a crack or a pore; If the defect is determined to belong to the second category of lack of fusion and undercut, the defect is determined to belong to lack of fusion or undercut based on the defect size.

6. A welding system, characterized in that: The system comprises: An input device for obtaining preset information of a location to be welded; A cleaning device for cleaning the oxide film at the welded area and cleaning the black ash at the weld; A collection device, used to obtain first collected information of the to-be-welded portion and second collected information of the weld; a processor connected to the input device, the cleaning device, and the collection device; the processor determines whether the first collected information is consistent with the preset information; and the processor determines the quality of the weld based on the second collected information; The preset information of the welded part is obtained, including: Obtaining inspection items about the to-be-welded portion from a predetermined first external device; Correspondingly, judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes: generating corresponding weld quality information for the inspection item based on the second collected information, and transmitting the weld quality information to a predetermined second external device; Wherein, the first external device and the second external device can be partially or completely identical; Wherein, the weld quality information includes a three-dimensional image of the weld; The weld quality information includes the defect type and defect location of the weld defect; The step of judging the weld quality based on the second collected information includes: Based on the actual weld profile of the second collected information, establishing an ideal profile by using cubic spline interpolation and random sampling consistency algorithm; Calculate the maximum difference between the actual weld profile and the ideal profile; Based on the maximum difference, it is determined whether the weld has defects.

7. The welding system according to claim 6, wherein: The cleaning device includes a laser cleaning head; the collecting device includes a laser detection head.

8. The welding system according to claim 7, wherein: The system further comprises: A monitoring device is connected to the laser cleaning head and the laser detection head to record the opening time, closing time, operating power and operating speed of the laser cleaning head and the laser detection head to form recorded data; the monitoring device is connected to the processor to transmit the recorded data to the processor.

9. The welding system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The system further comprises: A welding robot is connected to the processor.

10. The welding system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that: The system further comprises: A gantry is provided above which the cleaning device and the collecting device are arranged, and below which the body parts of the rail vehicle to be welded are placed.

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