Welding robot

Abstract

The invention provides a welding robot, which does not need manual welding preparation and teaching work and can maintain the use of the robot to carry out welding easily. The welding robot (1) comprises a welding torch part (11) connected with the front end of an arm capable of moving according to external force; a grip part (12) capable of moving the welding torch part (11); and a switch part (12a) which can perform arc welding when the switch part (12a) is in the ON state and cannot perform arc welding when the switch part (12a) is in the OFF state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a welding robot. Background Art

[0002] Patent document 1 below describes a technique of direct teaching, and a technique in which a robot can be easily moved by a handle during direct teaching, wherein in direct teaching, in a so-called general human-collaborative robot, robot teaching can be performed more easily than using a teaching pendant in which an operator manually teaches a teaching position for the robot through a lead-through action.

[0003] Prior Art Literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-199174

[0006] On the other hand, when welding is performed by a robot, the workpieces to be joined must first be fixed with a jig or the like, and the workpieces must be tack welded by manual welding using a welding machine, or the workpieces must be tack welded by a robot after being taught. In the former tack welding, preparations for manual welding must be made, and in the latter tack welding, teaching must be done specifically for tack welding. Summary of the invention

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a welding robot that can perform welding simply while using the robot without the preparation and teaching time required for manual welding.

[0008] A welding robot according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a welding torch portion connected to the front end of an arm that can move according to an external force; a grip portion that can move the welding torch portion; and a switch portion, which can perform arc welding when the switch portion is in an on state, and cannot perform arc welding when the switch portion is in an off state.

[0009] According to this method, a grip portion can be provided that can move a welding torch portion that can move according to an external force. Further, if the operator turns the switch portion on, arc welding can be performed. On the other hand, if the switch portion is turned off, arc welding cannot be performed.

[0010] In the above-mentioned method, it is also possible to further include: a switching unit that can switch between a welding mode in which arc welding can be performed and a non-welding mode in which arc welding cannot be performed. If the switch unit is set to an on state in the welding mode, arc welding starts. On the other hand, if the switch unit is set to an off state in the welding mode, arc welding ends.

[0011] According to this embodiment, by further providing a switching unit for switching between the welding mode and the non-welding mode, arc welding can be started by turning on the switch unit in the welding mode, and arc welding can be ended by turning off the switch unit in the welding mode.

[0012] In the above aspect, arc welding may not be started even if the switch unit is turned on in the welding disabled mode.

[0013] According to this aspect, by switching the welding enable / disable mode to the welding disable mode, it is possible to protect against arc welding.

[0014] In the above aspect, when the switch is in the OFF state, the welding torch may not move in response to the external force, while when the switch is in the ON state, the welding torch moves along with the movement of the grip.

[0015] According to this aspect, if the operator turns the switch off, the welding torch will not move even if an external force is applied to it. If the operator turns the switch on, the welding torch can be moved by the external force applied to it by the grip.

[0016] In the above aspect, the switch portion may be provided so as to be located below the grip portion when the operator grips the grip portion to perform work.

[0017] According to this aspect, the operator can perform welding with the same feeling as performing manual welding using a general device dedicated to manual welding.

[0018] In the above aspect, the grip portion may be a tool that can be attached near the welding torch portion.

[0019] According to this aspect, when the operator performs welding work, it is easy to perform welding while visually checking the arc generated near the tip of the welding torch and the welded portion.

[0020] Effects of the Invention

[0021] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a welding robot which can perform welding simply while using the robot without the time and effort required for preparation and teaching of manual welding. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a robot system including a welding robot according to an embodiment.

[0023] Figure 2 It will constitute Figure 1 An enlarged view of the welding torch and grip of the welding robot.

[0024] Explanation of symbols

[0025] 1... welding robot, 2... robot control device, 11... welding torch part, 11a... front end part, 12... grip part, 12a... switch part, 12b... switching part, 12c... mounting part, 12d... extension line, 21... control part, 22... storage part, 23... communication part, 24... welding power supply part. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each figure, the components with the same symbols have the same or similar structure. In addition, since the accompanying drawings are schematic, the size and ratio of each structural element are different from the actual one.

[0027] Figure 1 1 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a robot system including a welding robot 1 according to an embodiment. The robot system includes, for example, a welding robot 1 and a robot control device 2. The welding robot 1 and the robot control device 2 can be connected via a wired or wireless network such as a communication cable. In addition, a teaching pendant can be included in the robot system. The teaching pendant can be connected to the robot control device 2 and is an operation terminal for an operator to teach the operation of the welding robot 1.

[0028] The robot control device 2 is a control unit that controls the operation of the welding robot 1 , and includes, for example, a control unit 21 , a storage unit 22 , a communication unit 23 , and a welding power source 24 .

[0029] The control unit 21 is a processor, and controls the welding robot 1 and the welding power source 24 by executing a work program such as a welding program stored in the storage unit 22. The communication unit 23 controls communication with each device connected via a network.

[0030] The welding power supply unit 24 supplies welding current and welding voltage to the welding robot 1 according to predetermined welding conditions, for example, in order to generate an arc between the tip of the welding wire and the workpiece W. The welding conditions include data items such as welding conditions, welding start position, welding end position, welding distance, and torch posture. The welding conditions include data items such as welding current, welding voltage, welding speed, wire feed speed, and workpiece thickness. The welding power supply unit 24 may be provided separately from the robot controller 2.

[0031] The welding robot 1 is a manipulator that performs arc welding on a workpiece W that is a welding target according to welding conditions set in a robot control device 2. The welding robot 1 includes, for example, a multi-joint arm that is mounted on a base member fixed to the floor of a factory, a welding torch 11 that is one of the tools connected to the front end of the multi-joint arm, and a grip 12 that is one of the tools that can be mounted on the welding torch 11.

[0032] The welding robot 1 is a so-called cooperative robot that can detect external forces, and is a robot that can be directly operated by an operator by directly touching its arm, and can perform arc welding during direct operation.

[0033] Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 The illustrated grip portion 12 is a tool mounted on the welding torch portion 11 when the welding robot 1 is directly operated.

[0034] When directly operating the welding robot 1, the operator can move the main body of the grip 12 while gripping it, so as to move the welding torch 11 to the welding site and weld the welding site. The welding may be preliminary welding or main welding.

[0035] The grip portion 12 includes, for example, a switch portion 12a, a switching portion 12b, and a mounting portion 12c.

[0036] The switch 12a is a so-called start switch. When the switch 12a is pressed and turned on, the servo power is turned on and the welding robot 1 is ready to operate. On the other hand, when the switch 12a is released and turned off, the servo power is turned off and the operation of the welding robot 1 stops.

[0037] The switch portion 12a is preferably provided so as to be located below the grip portion 12 when the operator is working by gripping the grip portion 12. Thus, the operator can perform welding with the same feeling as performing manual welding using a general device dedicated to manual welding.

[0038] Here, when the switch part 12a is in the off state, in order to further improve safety, the welding robot 1 including the welding torch part 11 cannot be moved manually (by external force). In this case, it is preferable to manually move the welding robot 1 including the welding torch part 11 when the switch part 12a is turned on. Thus, when the switch part 12a is turned on, if the operator moves the grip part 12, the welding torch part 11 can be moved to the welding position with the movement.

[0039] The switch 12b is a push button switch for switching the arc welding enable / disable mode of the welding robot 1. The arc welding enable / disable mode includes a welding enable mode in which arc welding can be performed and a welding disable mode in which arc welding cannot be performed. The operator operates the switch 12b to switch the arc welding enable / disable mode to either the welding enable mode or the welding disable mode.

[0040] By providing the switching unit 12b, arc welding can be controlled as follows in conjunction with the operation of the switch unit 12a.

[0041] When the arc welding enable / disable mode is the welding enable mode, arc welding starts when the switch unit 12a is turned on, and arc welding ends when the switch unit 12a is turned off.

[0042] When the arc welding enable / disable mode is the welding disable mode, arc welding is not performed regardless of whether the switch portion 12a is in the on state or the off state.

[0043] The switch 12b is preferably arranged at a position which is on the upper side of the grip 12 and is not blocked by the operator's hand when the operator holds the grip 12 to perform work. Thus, the operator can easily check the switch 12b by visual inspection and can easily switch the arc welding mode.

[0044] The mounting portion 12c is a member used when the grip portion 12 is mounted on the welding torch portion 11. For example, the grip portion 12 can be mounted on the welding torch portion 11 by fitting the mounting portion 12c with the welding torch portion 11.

[0045] Here, the position where the grip portion 12 is installed is preferably near the welding torch portion 11. Figure 2 As shown in FIG. 1 , the grip 12 is preferably installed so that the angle θ formed by the extension line 12d from the upper surface of the main body of the grip 12 and the line based on the front end 11a of the welding torch 11 is about 40 to 60 degrees. In other words, the grip 12 is preferably installed at a position and angle that allows the operator to easily visually confirm the arc generated by the welding wire located near the front end of the welding torch 11 and the welding part while performing welding work.

[0046] As described above, according to the welding robot 1 involved in the embodiment, by providing a switch portion 12a on the gripping portion 12 that enables the welding torch portion 11 that can move according to an external force to move, if the operator sets the switch portion 12a to an on state, arc welding can be performed. On the other hand, if the switch portion 12a is set to an off state, arc welding can no longer be performed.

[0047] In addition, by providing a switching portion 12b that can switch between the welding mode and the non-welding mode on the gripping portion 12, if the operator sets the switch portion 12a to the on state in the welding mode, arc welding can be started. On the other hand, if the operator sets the switch portion 12a to the off state in the welding mode, arc welding can be ended.

[0048] Furthermore, the operator can perform protection so that arc welding is not performed by switching the welding enable / disable mode to the welding disable mode.

[0049] Therefore, according to the welding robot 1 according to the embodiment, there is no need for preparation and teaching for manual welding, and welding can be easily performed while the robot is still in use.

[0050] In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and can be implemented in other various forms within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. Therefore, the above-mentioned embodiment is merely illustrative in all points and should not be interpreted as limiting.

[0051] For example, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the switch 12a and the switching unit 12b are provided in the grip 12, but the switch 12a and the switching unit 12b are not limited to the grip 12. For example, the switch 12a and the switching unit 12b may be provided in the main body of the welding robot 1.

Claims

1. A welding robot comprising: A welding torch portion connected to a front end of an arm that can move according to an external force; a grip portion capable of moving the welding torch portion; and Switch Department, When the switch portion is in the on state, arc welding can be performed, and when it is in the off state, arc welding cannot be performed.

2. The welding robot according to claim 1, wherein: The welding robot further comprises: a switching unit capable of switching between a welding mode in which arc welding can be performed and a welding mode in which arc welding cannot be performed. When the switch unit is turned on in the welding enable mode, arc welding starts, and when the switch unit is turned off in the welding enable mode, arc welding ends.

3. The welding robot according to claim 2, wherein: In the welding disabled mode, arc welding is not started even if the switch unit is turned on.

4. The welding robot according to claim 1, wherein: When the switch portion is in an OFF state, the welding torch portion cannot move in response to an external force, whereas when the switch portion is in an ON state, the welding torch portion moves along with the movement of the grip portion.

5. The welding robot according to claim 1, wherein: The switch portion is provided so as to be located below the grip portion when an operator holds the grip portion and performs a work.

6. The welding robot according to claim 1, wherein: The grip portion is a tool that can be mounted near the welding torch portion.

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