Flexible laser workstation control system

Abstract

The application discloses a laser workstation control system capable of realizing flexible manufacturing, which comprises a laser welding control unit and a welding auxiliary equipment control unit; the laser welding control unit comprises a robot control cabinet, a robot body and a teaching device thereof, a laser, a laser processing tool and a wire feeder; the robot control cabinet is electrically connected with the robot body and the teaching device thereof, the laser, the laser processing tool and the wire feeder respectively; the welding auxiliary equipment control unit comprises a PLC, a servo motor, an emergency stop switch, an HMI touch screen, an extension IO module and a rotary table; the PLC is electrically connected with the servo motor, the emergency stop switch, the HMI touch screen and the extension IO module respectively, and the servo motor is used for controlling the rotary table; the robot control cabinet is electrically connected with the PLC, and is used for controlling laser workstation execution system control and detection, processing program number selection, laser welding operation parameter selection and laser welding data transmission. The application is based on a standardized laser intelligent manufacturing unit, and has high flexibility and intelligence.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of automatic control, and in particular relates to a laser workstation control system that enables flexible manufacturing. Background Technology

[0002] Laser processing technology has been widely used in precision manufacturing fields, such as automobile manufacturing, due to its advantages of high production efficiency, high flexibility, high automation, and high processing precision. However, existing laser welding workstations / laser welding booths are non-standardized and customized products. When faced with different laser welding process requirements, existing control systems cannot provide flexible manufacturing capabilities, and the adaptability of the systems is generally poor. This manifests as the system's inability to adapt to different fixtures, different laser equipment, and different workpieces, as well as the system's inability to automatically recall processing trajectories, among other defects. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Purpose of the invention: To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention provides a highly flexible and intelligent laser workstation control system based on a standardized laser intelligent manufacturing unit.

[0004] Technical solution: A flexible laser workstation control system, comprising:

[0005] A laser welding control unit, comprising a robot control cabinet, a robot body and its teach pendant, a laser, laser processing tools, and a wire feeder; the robot control cabinet is electrically connected to the robot body and its teach pendant, laser, laser processing tools, and wire feeder respectively.

[0006] The welding equipment control unit includes a PLC, a servo motor, an emergency stop switch, an HMI touch screen, an expansion I / O module, and a turntable. The PLC is electrically connected to the servo motor, the emergency stop switch, the HMI touch screen, and the expansion I / O module. The servo motor is used to control the movement of the turntable that holds the tooling fixtures.

[0007] The robot control cabinet is electrically connected to the PLC and is used to control the laser workstation to perform system control and detection, select processing program numbers, select laser welding operation parameters, and transmit laser welding data.

[0008] The system control and detection program includes: after the PLC is powered on and initialized, it detects the signal from the input photoelectric sensor, which is used to detect the distance and determine whether the workpiece is in place; at the same time, the CPU scans the organization block, and when all system accessories are ready, the PLC executes the control work according to the preset instruction sequence, and at the same time outputs and displays the running status of each system accessory;

[0009] The processing program number selection comprises: firstly, enabling signal is set to 1, input signal is inputted to robot internal storage as a binary number, and converted to a decimal number in the internal storage; then, a 4-bit decimal basic number is set, and the decimal number is added to the basic number to obtain the program number to be called;

[0010] The welding operation parameter selection comprises: firstly, two groups of PLC outputs are defined in the PROFIBUS-DP bus, wherein the JOB is set as a 7-bit continuous digital output, and the program number is set as a 6-bit continuous digital input; secondly, the values of the two groups are assigned to bit memories MB1 and MB2 in the robot; and finally, the values of MB1 and MB2 are assigned to the related input / output addresses defined in the DeviceNet bus protocol, so as to realize the program control of the PLC.

[0011] The welding data transmission comprises: the laser source power is a 16-bit digital quantity, and the value range is 0-65535; the 16-bit DeviceNet input bits corresponding to the laser power parameter are assigned to a bit memory MW1 in the robot; then, the value of MW1 is assigned to a 16-bit PROFIBUS-DP bus digital quantity input bit PLC Group1 uIn, and transmitted to a storage IW71; the high and low eight bits of IW71 are interchanged; and a scale conversion is performed to convert the 16-bit binary number into laser power data in the interval 0-10000W, and display the data in the interface.

[0012] Further, the system further comprises lighting equipment and / or lighthouse equipment, and the lighting equipment and / or lighthouse equipment are electrically connected with the PLC.

[0013] Further, the extension IO module is used for connecting a turntable position control switch and / or a protective door switch.

[0014] Further, the system further comprises an exchanger, and the HMI touch screen, the extension IO interface and the robot control cabinet communicate with the PLC through the exchanger. On this basis, the system further comprises a valve island, a clamp, a fire monitoring instrument and a remote IO cabinet, wherein a clamp in-place sensor signal line is electrically connected with the valve island and the exchanger, the fire monitoring instrument is electrically connected with the remote IO cabinet and the exchanger, and the connection can be achieved through a signal cable.

[0015] Further, the system further comprises an auxiliary system control cabinet, a water cooling machine and a dust removal equipment.

[0016] Preferably, the electrical connection mode adopts IO and / or PROFINET connection.

[0017] Further, the system control and detection step further includes job reset, emergency stop and alarm.

[0018] Advantages

[0019] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following significant progress:

[0020] The laser workstation control system relates to the present application, which can realize flexible manufacturing of workpieces, automatically call the machining track of the industrial robot corresponding to the workpiece by matching different clamps, realize flexible and adaptive laser welding process, control the laser equipment such as laser and laser head corresponding to different processes, meet the requirements of various laser welding processes such as laser deep penetration welding, laser brazing and laser filler wire welding, and has a highly visual man-machine interface, Figure 4 The system operation interface of a standardized flexible workstation-TG FLEX series is shown.

[0021] In addition, the control system is designed and integrated in a standardized, flexible and modular manner, which reduces cost, reduces project implementation risk and realizes profit maximization. For a design company, the standardized control system can greatly reduce the workload. During the integration, installation and debugging process, the input of manpower and material resources is greatly reduced. For a manufacturing factory, the control system of the standardized flexible workstation helps them meet the flexible manufacturing requirements of complex and diverse automobile parts, and can reduce the debugging cost in the later use process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 A control flow is described in the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 A system architecture is described in the present application;

[0024] Figure 3 A system communication architecture is described in the present application;

[0025] Figure 4 The control system operation interface of the TG FLEX series workstation is shown;

[0026] Figure 5 A system control and detection instruction flow is described in the present application;

[0027] Figure 6 A processing program number selection (PNS) flow is described in the present application;

[0028] Figure 7 A welding parameter selection flow is described in the present application;

[0029] Figure 8A welding parameter transmission process according to the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technical solutions of the present application are described in detail below in combination with the drawings and examples.

[0031] A flexible laser workstation control system comprises a laser welding control unit and a welding auxiliary equipment control unit.

[0032] The laser welding control unit comprises a robot control cabinet, a robot body and its teach pendant, a laser, a laser processing tool and a wire feeder.

[0033] The welding auxiliary equipment control unit comprises a PLC, a servo motor, an emergency stop switch, an HMI touch screen, an extension IO module and a rotary table.

[0034] In addition, the present application also comprises a lighting device and / or a lighthouse device, which are electrically connected with the PLC.

[0035] Further, the system further comprises an exchanger, a valve island and a clamp, a remote IO cabinet and a fire monitoring instrument.

[0036] Further preferably, the system further comprises an auxiliary system control cabinet, a water cooling machine and a dust removal device.

[0037] The electrical connection mode adopted by each device is preferably IO or PROFINET connection. Figure 2 Figure 3 The control system architecture and the communication architecture are shown in

[0038] The robot control cabinet and the PLC are electrically connected, used for controlling the laser workstation execution system control and detection, processing program number selection, laser welding operation parameter selection and laser welding data transmission.

[0039] A control process of the control system of the present application is shown in the accompanying Figure 1 , mainly comprising four functional requirements of system control and detection indication, program number selection, laser welding operation parameter selection and laser welding data transmission.

[0040] ​(1)System control and detection indication

[0041] This function is the key to the normal operation of the welding workstation. That is, after the PLC control system is powered on and initialized, the signals of various input sensors (mainly photoelectric sensors, used to detect the distance to determine whether the workpiece is in place, and transmit digital signals of 0 and 1) are detected; the CPU continuously scans the organization blocks OB100~OB1, and when all the devices (i.e. system accessories) are ready, the PLC executes the control work in order according to the programmed instructions, while the running state of each device is output and displayed by the on-off of the indicator light. In addition, this part of the function also involves the operation reset, emergency stop and alarm of the welding workstation. The specific work flow is shown in the attached Figure 5 .

[0042] (2) Processing program number selection (PNS)

[0043] PNS is a function allowed by the welding robot to select the internal program of the robot from the PLC. The welding workstation must adopt the processing program number selection function to replace the part of the function of the teach pendant for remote control. This function not only facilitates on-site debugging, but also helps to protect the personal safety of the workers, and can remotely call some welding programs with high risk coefficient. The PNS selection is described as follows:

[0044] First, the PNS enable signal is set to 1, and the PNS1~PNS8 input signals are converted to a binary number to the internal storage of the robot, and then converted to a decimal PNS number in the internal storage; then set a 4-digit decimal basic number, add the decimal PNS number to the basic number, and the program number to be called is obtained. The specific work flow is shown in the attached Figure 6 .

[0045] (3) Welding operation parameter selection

[0046] The laser source is the executor of the laser welding operation, and its working state, welding parameter selection and setting, and program planning and use are directly related to the welding effect. In order to facilitate application, the selection of welding parameters is usually performed by setting the laser device JOB, so the welding workstation needs to design a reasonable and effective PLC program to realize the selection of welding laser source and other devices JOB. From the attached Figure 3 As can be seen from the welding workstation communication network, the PLC cannot directly establish a device communication with the laser source, and needs to indirectly control the welding power supply through the robot control cabinet. Therefore, the welding JOB and program number selection scheme of the welding workstation of the present application is as follows:

[0047] First, two groups of PLC outputs are defined separately in the PROFIBUS-DP bus undefined digital output, wherein the JOB is selected as 7-bit continuous digital output, and is set as PLC Group1 Out; the program number is selected as 6-bit continuous digital input, and is set as PLC Group2 Out; secondly, the values of the two groups are assigned to bit memories MB1 and MB2 in the robot; finally, the values of MB1 and MB2 are assigned to the related input / output addresses defined in the DeviceNet bus protocol, so as to realize the program control of the PLC, and the specific work flow is shown in the attached Figure 7 .

[0048] (4) Welding data transmission

[0049] The real-time display of welding parameters such as laser power, wire feeding speed, robot moving speed, etc. has important significance for the on-site debugging and upper monitoring management of the welding workstation. The welding data transmission program of the PLC needs to read the welding data transmitted by the laser equipment to the robot through DeviceNet communication in real time, and display it on the HMI human-computer operation interface. The welding data transmission scheme of the welding workstation (taking the laser source power as an example) is as follows:

[0050] The laser source power is 16-bit digital quantity, and the numerical range is 0-65535. In the robot, 16 DeviceNet input bits corresponding to the laser power parameter are grouped as Group u In and assigned to bit memory MW1; then, the value of MW1 is assigned to the group of PROFIBUS-DP bus 16-bit digital quantity input bit PLC Group1 u In, and transmitted to IW71; then, since the high and low bit storage forms of the PLC and the robot are opposite, it is necessary to exchange the high and low eight bits of IW71. Finally, the scale conversion is carried out, and the 16-bit binary number is converted into the laser power data in the interval 0-10000W, which is displayed on the upper interface, and the specific work flow is shown in the attached Figure 8 .

[0051] Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative labor belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A flexible laser workstation control system, characterized by, The application relates to a laser welding control unit, a welding auxiliary equipment control unit, an exchanger, a valve island and a clamp, a remote IO cabinet and a fire monitoring instrument, and an accessory system control cabinet, a water cooling machine and a dust removal equipment. The laser welding control unit comprises a robot control cabinet, a robot body and a teaching device thereof, a laser, a laser processing tool and a wire feeder; the robot control cabinet is electrically connected with the robot body and the teaching device thereof, the laser, the laser processing tool and the wire feeder respectively; The welding auxiliary equipment control unit comprises a PLC, a servo motor, an emergency stop switch, an HMI touch screen, an extension IO module, lighting equipment, a beacon device and a rotary table; the PLC is electrically connected with the servo motor, the emergency stop switch, the HMI touch screen, the extension IO module, the lighting equipment and the beacon device respectively, the servo motor is used for controlling the rotary table movement of a placed tool clamp, and the extension IO module is used for connecting a rotary table position control switch and / or a protective door switch; The HMI touch screen, the extension IO interface and the robot control cabinet communicate through the exchanger and the PLC; The valve island and the clamp are electrically connected through the valve island and the exchanger; The remote IO cabinet and the fire monitoring instrument are electrically connected through the remote IO cabinet and the exchanger, and The accessory system control cabinet, the water cooling machine and the dust removal equipment; The robot control cabinet and the PLC are electrically connected, and are used for controlling laser workstation execution system control and detection, processing program number selection, laser welding operation parameter selection and laser welding data transmission; The system control and detection comprise the following steps: after the PLC is powered on and initialized, the signals of input photoelectric sensors are detected, the photoelectric sensors are used for detecting distances and judging whether workpieces are in place; meanwhile, a CPU scans an organization block, when all system accessories are ready, the PLC executes control work according to a preset instruction sequence, and meanwhile, the running states of all system accessories are output and displayed; The processing program number selection comprises the following steps: firstly, an enabling signal is set to 1, input signals are input into the robot as binary numbers, and the binary numbers are converted into decimal count numbers in the robot; then, a 4-digit decimal basic number is set, the decimal number is added to the basic number, and the processing program number to be called is obtained; The welding operation parameter selection comprises: firstly, defining two groups of PLC outputs in the PROFIBUS-DP bus which are not defined in digital output, wherein the JOB is selected as a 7-bit continuous digital output and is set as PLC Group1 Out; the program number is selected as a 6-bit continuous digital input and is set as PLC Group2 Out; secondly, defining in the robot, the values of the two groups are assigned to bit memories MB1 and MB2; finally, the values of MB1 and MB2 are assigned to the related input / output addresses defined in the DeviceNet bus protocol, so as to realize the program control of the PLC; the welding data transmission comprises: the laser source power is a 16-bit digital quantity, the value range is 0-65535, in the robot, 16 DeviceNet input bits corresponding to the laser power parameter are grouped as Group u In and are assigned to a bit memory MW1; then, the value of MW1 is assigned to a 16-bit digital quantity input bit PLC Group1 uIn of the PROFIBUS-DP bus and is transmitted to a storage IW71; the high and low eight bits of IW71 are interchanged; scale conversion is performed, the 16-bit binary number is converted into laser power data in the interval 0-10000W, and the laser power data is displayed in the interface.

2. The flexible laser work station control system of claim 1, wherein, The electric connection mode adopts IO and / or PROFINET connection.

3. The flexible laser work station control system of claim 1, wherein, The system control and detection further comprise operation reset, emergency stop and alarm.

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