Galvanometer laser welding safety control system based on EtherCAT bus

Abstract

The invention discloses a galvanometer laser welding safety control system based on an EtherCAT bus, and the system comprises a welding system master station which is a control core and is used for receiving machining parameters and welding machining data sent by upper computer system software and compiling safety machining control logic; the galvanometer and laser control slave station is led out from the welding system master station and is used for receiving encrypted instructions and data sent by the welding system master station through the EtherCAT bus; and the safety control slave station comprises all galvanometer and laser safety control logics, and the safety control slave station exchanges information with the welding system master station in real time through an EtherCAT bus to complete a laser welding task. By utilizing the advantage of a bus real-time technology and combining galvanometer and laser control into a whole, compared with a traditional welding system, the system has the advantages of being high in speed, high in precision, high in space accessibility, high in safety, capable of welding weld joints in various shapes and the like. Meanwhile, the hardware cost is reduced, and the system integration level is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a laser welding safety control system, in particular to an EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, laser welding technology has been widely used in many fields due to its high precision, high efficiency and low pollution, mainly in the fields of automobile manufacturing, microelectronics industry, powder metallurgy, biomedicine, aerospace, new energy, and home appliance industry.

[0003] At present, the laser welding technology used in the market is usually laser arc welding. Galvanometer laser welding brings a non-contact laser processing mode. The galvanometer welding mode is that the galvanometer carries the light spot and sweeps across the processing track. The laser energy is evenly distributed on the track, leaving a uniform weld. Galvanometer laser welding can achieve efficient, precise and reliable connections, and improve product performance and quality.

[0004] In the laser welding system, the safety control card plays a vital role. It is a key component to control the normal operation of the laser welding machine. The existing galvanometer welding system only has one galvanometer welding control card and no dedicated safety control card, which requires external PLC hardware for real-time monitoring. Moreover, the galvanometer control card does not have an EtherCAT real-time control interface and only has a small amount of IO, making it difficult to achieve safety monitoring of the laser and galvanometer system. The traditional galvanometer laser welding safety controller only completes laser control and galvanometer control, and its safety control function is lacking. Many manufacturers can only complete safety operations through integrated PLC controllers alone, which increases hardware costs and program writing costs.

[0005] Since its launch, the EtherCAT protocol has received widespread attention in the industrial control field with its excellent performance and has made great progress. Now many servo motion platforms are compatible with the EtherCAT communication interface, and galvanometers and lasers are also compatible with the EtherCAT communication interface. However, the laser marking control card cannot use the EtherCAT communication interface for equipment control and data transmission. Therefore, compatibility with the EtherCAT communication interface has become a mainstream trend in the field of laser control processing. At present, the EtherCAT protocol is adopted by more and more automated equipment. Therefore, laser processing equipment based on the EtherCAT control card can be better integrated with automated production lines. On the other hand, the EtherCAT protocol can also play its advantages when multiple laser processing equipment work together. Therefore, a galvanometer laser welding safety control system based on the EtherCAT bus is designed to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0006] In order to overcome the above-mentioned deficiencies in the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide a galvanometer laser welding safety control system based on EtherCAT bus.

[0007] In order to achieve the above purpose and other related purposes, the technical solution provided by the present invention is: a galvanometer laser welding safety control system based on EtherCAT bus, comprising: The welding system master station is the control core, which is used to receive the processing parameters and welding processing data sent by the host computer system software and to write the safety processing control logic; A galvanometer and laser control slave station, which is derived from the welding system master station and is used to receive encrypted instructions and data sent by the welding system master station via the EtherCAT bus; The safety control slave station includes all galvanometers and laser safety control logics. The safety control slave station interacts with the welding system master station in real time via the EtherCAT bus to complete the laser welding task.

[0008] Furthermore, the welding system master station has an EtherCAT configuration and adopts a serial configuration mode; the safety control slave station is serially connected to the galvanometer and laser control slave stations. In this solution, the host computer system software writes all control logic programs, connects to the welding system master station via an EtherNet Ethernet cable, and the welding system master station has an EtherCAT configuration and adopts a serial configuration mode. The galvanometer and laser control slave stations are connected from the welding system master station, and the safety control slave station is serially connected to ensure the real-time and safety of the system.

[0009] Furthermore, the structure of the safety control slave station includes a PCB board, and the PCB board is provided with: A power module, wherein the power module is connected to a power interface; An EtherCAT ARM chip module, which provides EtherCAT bus data support for the system and maintains the interaction of bus data between the safety control slave station and the master station; FPGA chip module, the FPGA chip module is the core control logic of the security control slave station, which is used to process each security node and data acquisition, security business logic control calculation and control result output; the FPGA chip module realizes the local closed-loop control of the security control slave station. FPGA chip is a programmable logic device with programmable, configurable and reconfigurable characteristics. It can realize different logic circuits through programming according to different application requirements.

[0010] The galvanometer X-axis data acquisition module is used to collect the safety properties of the galvanometer X-axis lens; The galvanometer Y-axis data acquisition module is used to collect the safety properties of the galvanometer Y-axis lens; The galvanometer Z-axis data acquisition module is used to collect the safety properties of the galvanometer Z-axis lens; Laser data acquisition module, used to collect the safety attributes of the laser; The system control interface is connected to the control system and is used to control the galvanometer and the laser. The control system can control the galvanometer to return to a safe position and control the on and off of the laser.

[0011] Furthermore, the structure of the safety control slave station also includes an external IO interface set on the PCB board, which can be expanded and connected with other systems. In this solution, the external IO interface can integrate and expand other control interfaces, such as: communication with an external PLC, emergency stop of the motion platform, production line safety integration, opening and closing of the protective door of the welding laboratory, connection with the MES system, interaction with the visual system, etc.

[0012] Furthermore, the structure of the safety control slave station also includes a power status display module, a board status display module, a bus status display module, a galvanometer status display module and a laser status display module arranged on the PCB board. In this solution, each display module can be used to display the working status of each module, which is convenient for observation and operation.

[0013] Furthermore, the power interface includes an EtherCAT IN module and an EtherCAT OUT module, the EtherCAT IN module is connected to the welding system master station; the EtherCAT OUT module is used for other bus configurations to improve the flexibility of the system topology.

[0014] Furthermore, the power interface is a 24V DC power interface.

[0015] Furthermore, the collection of the safety attributes of the lens includes the collection of data on the temperature, position, speed, coolant flow rate and voltage of the galvanometer X, Y and Z axis lenses.

[0016] Furthermore, the collection of the safety attributes of the laser includes data collection of the laser's beam quality, switch state signal, power signal, safety interlock signal, power supply voltage signal and seed source temperature signal.

[0017] Furthermore, the safety control slave station also includes a cooling system, and the cooling system is connected to the control system. In this solution, the safety control slave station controls the opening and closing of the cooling system through the control system.

[0018] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art: 1. High signal accuracy and strong stability: EtherCAT bus has real-time and synchronous communication, which can realize real-time two-way transmission of controller and laser operation data, thereby improving the accuracy and stability of equipment operation; this high precision and strong stability are crucial for flying laser welding, which can ensure welding quality and production efficiency.

[0019] 2. High compatibility: EtherCAT has the advantages of high performance and flexibility, and with its full openness, it can support more equipment manufacturers. This means that even if system integrators purchase accessories from different brands, they can achieve perfect adaptation, making it easier to build laser systems. This high compatibility makes controllers based on the EtherCAT bus have a wider range of applications.

[0020] 3. High-speed performance: EtherCAT real-time Ethernet network has excellent performance, and can achieve a refresh cycle of only 30us for 1000 distributed I / O data, including terminal cycle time. Through one Ethernet frame, up to 1486 bytes of process data can be exchanged, and the transmission of this amount of data takes only 300us. This high-speed performance enables the controller to obtain the latest input data in real time and minimize the delay of output compilation, thereby significantly improving the response behavior of the controller.

[0021] 4. Easy to integrate and expand: The controller based on EtherCAT bus adopts standard Ethernet interface and protocol, making system integration simple and fast. At the same time, due to the high performance and flexibility of EtherCAT bus, the system scale can be easily expanded to meet the growing production needs.

[0022] 5. Cost-effectiveness: EtherCAT-based controllers use standardized hardware and software architectures, reducing the costs of system integrators. In addition, since EtherCAT supports a variety of equipment manufacturers and products, system integrators can choose accessories with higher cost-effectiveness, thereby further reducing costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the safety control system of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of the safety control slave station of the present invention; In the above figures, 1. welding system master station; 2. galvanometer and laser control slave station; 3. safety control slave station; 4. PCB board; 5. power supply module; 6. EtherCAT ARM chip module; 7. FPGA chip module; 8. galvanometer X-axis data acquisition module; 9. galvanometer Y-axis data acquisition module; 10. galvanometer Z-axis data acquisition module; 11. laser data acquisition module; 12. system control interface; 13. external IO interface; 14. power status display module; 15. board status display module; 16. bus status display module; 17. galvanometer status display module; 18. laser status display module; 19. EtherCAT IN module; 20. EtherCAT OUT module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The following is a description of the implementation of the present invention by means of specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the contents disclosed in this specification.

[0025] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or the positions or positional relationships in which the invented product is usually placed when in use, which are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third" and the like are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Terms such as "horizontal", "vertical", and "overhanging" do not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or overhanging, but can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "set", "install", "connect", and "connect" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection, it can be a mechanical connection, it can be an electrical connection, it can be a direct connection, it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the internal communication of two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0027] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, perpendicular, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present application; the directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0028] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings so that the advantages and features of the present invention can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, thereby making a clearer and more definite definition of the protection scope of the present invention.

[0029] Example: See attached Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a galvanometer laser welding safety control system based on EtherCAT bus, including: Welding system master station 1, welding system master station 1 is the control core, used to receive processing parameters and welding processing data sent by the host computer system software and write safety processing control logic; The galvanometer and laser control slave station 2 is led out from the welding system master station 1 and is used to receive encrypted instructions and data sent by the welding system master station 1 through the EtherCAT bus; Safety control slave station 3, safety control slave station 3 contains all galvanometer and laser safety control logic, safety control slave station 3 interacts with welding system master station 1 in real time through EtherCAT bus to complete laser welding tasks.

[0030] The welding system master station 1 has EtherCAT configuration and adopts serial configuration mode; the safety control slave station 3 is serially connected to the galvanometer and laser control slave station 2. The upper computer system software writes all control logic programs and connects to the welding system master station 1 through the EtherNet Ethernet cable. The welding system master station 1 has EtherCAT configuration and adopts serial configuration mode. It is connected to the galvanometer and laser control slave station 2 from the welding system master station 1 and serially connected to the safety control slave station 3 to ensure the real-time performance and safety of the system.

[0031] See attached Figure 2 As shown, the structure of the safety control slave station 3 includes a PCB board 4, on which the following are arranged: The power module 5 is connected with a power interface; the power interface is a 24V DC power interface. The power interface includes an EtherCAT IN module 19 and an EtherCAT OUT module 20. The EtherCAT IN module 19 is connected to the welding system master station 1; the EtherCAT OUT module 20 is used for other bus configurations to improve the flexibility of the system topology.

[0032] EtherCAT ARM chip module 6, EtherCAT ARM chip module 6 provides EtherCAT bus data support for the system, and maintains the interaction of bus data between the safety control slave station 3 and the master station; FPGA chip module 7, FPGA chip module 7 is the core control logic of the security control slave station 3, which is used to process each security node and data acquisition, security business logic control calculation and control result output; FPGA chip module 7 realizes the local closed-loop control of the security control slave station 3. FPGA chip is a programmable logic device with programmable, configurable and reconfigurable characteristics. It can realize different logic circuits through programming according to different application requirements.

[0033] The safety control slave station 3 includes a galvanometer X-axis data acquisition module 8, a galvanometer Y-axis data acquisition module 9 and a galvanometer Z-axis data acquisition module 10, which are used to collect the safety properties of the galvanometer X-axis lens; the collection of the safety properties of the lens includes the data collection of the temperature, position, speed, coolant flow rate and voltage of the galvanometer X, Y and Z axis lenses.

[0034] The safety control slave station 3 includes a laser data acquisition module 11, which is used to collect the safety attributes of the laser; the collection of the safety attributes of the laser includes the data collection of the laser's beam quality, switch state signal, power signal, safety interlock signal, power supply voltage signal and seed source temperature signal.

[0035] Safety control slave station 3 provides collection of all safety attributes of the galvanometer X, Y, and Z axis lenses, including but not limited to galvanometer temperature, position, speed, coolant flow rate, and voltage; provides collection of all safety attributes of the laser, including but not limited to beam quality, switch status signal, power signal, safety interlock signal, supply voltage signal, and seed source temperature signal.

[0036] System control interface 12, which is connected to the control system and is used to control the galvanometer and the laser. The control system can control the galvanometer to return to a safe position and control the on and off of the laser.

[0037] External IO interface 13, external IO interface 13 can be extended and connected with other systems. External IO interface 13 can integrate and expand other control interfaces, such as: communication with external PLC, emergency stop of motion platform, safety integration of production line, opening and closing of welding laboratory protection door, connection with MES system, interaction with visual system, etc.

[0038] See attached Figure 2 As shown, the structure of the safety control slave station 3 also includes a power status display module 14, a board status display module 15, a bus status display module 16, a galvanometer status display module 17 and a laser status display module 18 arranged on the PCB board 4. Each display module can be used to display the working status of each module for easy observation and operation.

[0039] The safety control slave station 3 also includes a cooling system, which is connected to the control system. The safety control slave station 3 controls the opening and closing of the cooling system through the control system.

[0040] Galvanometer laser welding can precisely control the position and direction of the laser beam by adjusting the amplitude and frequency of the galvanometer to achieve high-precision positioning and welding. This high precision makes this technology particularly suitable for welding complex structural parts and precision components.

[0041] The laser output power of galvanometer laser welding can change with the amplitude and frequency of the galvanometer, thus achieving high-efficiency welding. At the same time, the high-speed moving scanning lens replaces the two-dimensional workbench, and the powerful graphics processing software is used to achieve program-controlled instantaneous multi-point welding, effectively improving production efficiency.

[0042] The welds produced by galvanometer laser welding technology are beautiful and do not require subsequent processing, saving time and cost. Due to the high energy density and rapid motion nature of the laser beam, as well as the precise control of the galvanometer scanning system, the heat affected zone during welding is small and the welding deformation is small. Galvanometer laser welding technology can weld various materials, including metals, plastics, etc., and has a wide range of applications. Not only thin plates can be welded, but also thick plates can be welded to meet the welding needs of materials of different thicknesses.

[0043] The galvanometer laser welding machine can adapt to the welding needs of different shapes and sizes, and can achieve welding of different shapes by adjusting the position and direction of the laser beam. The galvanometer laser welding machine can be used in conjunction with other equipment, such as robotic arms, automated production lines, etc., to achieve automated production and high-efficiency welding.

[0044] Galvanometer laser welding technology uses direct laser beam welding, which does not require the use of any welding materials, thus avoiding environmental pollution and waste generation.

[0045] The energy utilization rate of the galvanometer laser welding machine is high, which can greatly reduce energy consumption and emissions, and meet the current environmental protection and energy saving requirements. The galvanometer laser welding technology has many advantages such as high precision, high efficiency, stable welding quality, wide adaptability, flexibility and automation, environmental protection and energy saving. These advantages make the galvanometer laser welding technology widely used in the fields of automobile manufacturing, electronics industry, medical equipment manufacturing, aerospace industry, etc., and strongly promote the development of related industries.

[0046] In addition, laser welding technology also has the characteristics of high energy density, rapid release, and the material being welded is not easy to oxidize. It can avoid thermal damage and welding deformation during high-speed processing and is suitable for the processing of precision parts and heat-sensitive materials. Moreover, the laser beam can be bent or focused anywhere through a reflector or deflection prism, and can also be guided to inaccessible parts for welding using optical fibers, greatly improving the flexibility and efficiency of welding.

[0047] The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system designed by the present invention utilizes the advantages of bus real-time technology and integrates galvanometer and laser control. Compared with the traditional welding system, it has the advantages of high speed, high precision, high spatial accessibility, high safety, and can weld multiple shapes of welds. At the same time, it reduces hardware costs and improves the high integration of the system.

[0048] The present invention can adapt to devices with EtherCAT communication interface and can directly interact with these devices, making its application scope wider. It can be directly applied to flexible laser processing scenarios of galvanometers and lasers; it can effectively integrate laser technology and robot or motion platform technology, make full use of their respective working principles and advantages, and apply laser cutting, welding and other technologies in industries such as automobile manufacturing and metallurgical industry, which can greatly improve productivity.

[0049] The present invention is based on an EtherCAT bus laser welding safety control system and controller, which is small in size, simple in structure, and cost-effective. It provides an EtherCAT input and output communication interface, has a flexible connection topology, and supports all device connection topologies such as linear, tree, ring and star. The entire network can connect up to 65,535 devices. The master-slave ring structure is formed using fast Ethernet full-duplex communication technology. It can be flexibly configured, the wiring is simple, and the system is quick and convenient to build, which greatly improves work efficiency. High-speed data interaction can be performed through the EtherCAT interface, and the refresh cycle of 1,000 distributed I / O data is only 30 μs. During this period, setting values ​​and control data can be provided to the galvanometer device, and their actual position and status can be reported. This advantage enables the galvanometer laser welding safety controller to process the motion position information of the galvanometer in real time during the process of controlling laser processing, and at the same time process the working information of the laser. Its distributed clock is real-time, which provides a basis for the synchronous collaboration between the galvanometer + laser.

[0050] The present invention has a flexible equipment connection topology, can be flexibly configured, has simple wiring, and is quick and convenient to build a system, thereby greatly improving work efficiency.

[0051] The above implementation modes are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with this technology to understand the content of the present invention and implement it, and they cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A galvanometer laser welding safety control system based on EtherCAT bus, characterized in that: include: A welding system master station (1), the welding system master station (1) being a control core, used for receiving processing parameters and welding processing data sent by the upper computer system software and for writing safe processing control logic; A galvanometer and laser control slave station (2), the galvanometer and laser control slave station (2) being derived from the welding system master station (1) and used for receiving encrypted instructions and data sent by the welding system master station (1) via an EtherCAT bus; A safety control slave station (3), wherein the safety control slave station (3) contains all galvanometer and laser safety control logics, and the safety control slave station (3) exchanges information with the welding system master station (1) in real time via an EtherCAT bus to complete the laser welding task.

2. According to the EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system of claim 1, it is characterized in that: The welding system master station (1) has an EtherCAT configuration and adopts a serial configuration mode; the safety control slave station (3) is serially connected to the galvanometer and laser control slave station (2).

3. The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The structure of the safety control slave station (3) comprises a PCB board (4), on which the following components are arranged: A power supply module (5), the power supply module being connected to a power supply interface; An EtherCAT ARM chip module (6), wherein the EtherCAT ARM chip module (6) provides EtherCAT bus data support for the system and maintains the interaction of bus data between the safety control slave station (3) and the master station; An FPGA chip module (7), the FPGA chip module (7) being the core control logic of the security control slave station (3), and being used for processing each security node and data acquisition, security business logic control calculation, and control result output; A galvanometer X-axis data acquisition module (8), used to collect the safety properties of the galvanometer X-axis lens; A galvanometer Y-axis data acquisition module (9), used to collect the safety properties of the galvanometer Y-axis lens; A galvanometer Z-axis data acquisition module (10), used for collecting safety properties of the galvanometer Z-axis lens; A laser data acquisition module (11), used for collecting safety attributes of the laser; A system control interface (12), the system control interface (12) is connected to a control system and is used to control the galvanometer and the laser.

4. The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The structure of the safety control slave station (3) further comprises an external IO interface (13) arranged on the PCB board (4), which can be extended and connected with other systems.

5. The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The structure of the safety control slave station (3) further comprises a power status display module (14), a board status display module (15), a bus status display module (16), a galvanometer status display module (17) and a laser status display module (18) which are arranged on the PCB board (4).

6. The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The power supply interface comprises an EtherCAT IN module (19) and an EtherCAT OUT module (20); the EtherCAT IN module (19) is connected to the welding system master station (1); and the EtherCAT OUT module (20) is used for performing other bus configurations.

7. The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The power supply interface is a 24V DC power supply interface.

8. The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The collection of the safety attributes of the lens includes the collection of data on the temperature, position, speed, coolant flow rate and voltage of the galvanometer X, Y and Z axis lenses.

9. The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The collection of the safety attributes of the laser includes data collection of the laser's beam quality, switch state signal, power signal, safety interlock signal, power supply voltage signal and seed source temperature signal.

10. The EtherCAT bus-based galvanometer laser welding safety control system according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The safety control slave station (3) also includes a cooling system, which is connected to the control system.

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