Automatic welding system and welding method of welding robot

Abstract

The automatic welding system of the welding robot comprises a mechanical arm and a welding gun, the welding gun is fixed to the end of the mechanical arm, the automatic welding system further comprises a welding wire replacing device and a plurality of welding wire rollers, and welding wires on the welding wire rollers are all installed on the welding wire replacing device; the welding wire replacing device is installed on the mechanical arm and connected to the welding gun through a guide pipe. The welding wire replacing device is used for guiding welding wires on different welding wire rollers into the guide pipe. According to the system, a plurality of welding wire rollers can be installed at the same time, the welding wire of the next welding wire roller is automatically connected after the current welding wire is used up, continuous welding operation can be completed without manual intervention, and the production efficiency is greatly improved; the equipment is simple and reliable, a new auxiliary robot does not need to be added, the equipment cost and the use cost are greatly reduced, and existing equipment can be conveniently transformed and upgraded.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of welding robots, and particularly to an automatic welding system and a welding method for a welding robot. Background Art

[0002] The TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding robot is an advanced welding system that combines TIG welding technology with industrial robot automation and is widely used in welding scenarios with high-precision and high-quality requirements.

[0003] The welding wires selected for TIG welding include stainless steel welding wires, heat-resistant steel welding wires, aluminum welding wires, titanium welding wires, etc. The welding wires are usually wound around a take-up roll and continuously pulled out from the take-up roll as they are consumed during the welding process. After each use, it is necessary to manually replace the welding wire roll and reinstall the end of the welding wire to the welding torch. For large factories, there are many welding robots, and the consumption speeds of consumables for each welding robot are different, requiring frequent manual replacement or adding corresponding robots for replacement.

[0004] Manually replacing the welding wire is not only time-consuming and laborious, but also has a relatively high risk. It takes a long time to replace, which affects the production rhythm; adding special robots for welding wire replacement has poor reliability, is time-consuming and laborious during the debugging process, and has a high equipment cost.

[0005] Therefore, a technical solution for automatic welding of a TIG welding robot is needed to solve the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is: to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide an automatic welding system and a welding method for a welding robot.

[0007] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: According to the first aspect of the present application, an automatic welding system for a welding robot is provided, including a robotic arm and a welding torch. The welding torch is fixed to the end of the robotic arm. The system further includes a welding wire changer and a plurality of welding wire rolls. The welding wires on the welding wire rolls are all installed on the welding wire changer. The welding wire changer is installed on the robotic arm and connected to the welding torch through a conduit. The welding wire changer is used to introduce the welding wires on different welding wire rolls into the conduit.

[0008] Preferably, the bottom of the front end of the welding wire changer is rotatably connected to an adjusting plate, and the adjusting plate is fixed to the robotic arm.

[0009] Preferably, the wire feeder includes a mounting base and a conversion wheel. The conversion wheel is rotatably connected to the mounting base, and the mounting base is mounted on the adjusting plate. A plurality of radially arranged wire threading arms are provided on the conversion wheel, and the wires on different wire rollers are pre-mounted on the wire threading arms. It further includes a driving mechanism for driving the conversion wheel to rotate to align different wire threading arms with the conduit and for driving the wire into the conduit.

[0010] Preferably, wire guiding ports are provided on both the left and right sides of the wire threading arm, and a driving wheel is provided between the wire guiding ports for driving the wire into the conduit; a wire guiding wheel matching the wire guiding port is provided on the mounting base.

[0011] Preferably, a support frame is provided on the mounting base. The support frame is driven by a support cylinder to rotate to the bottom of the driving wheel for support, and a support wheel matching the driving wheel is provided on the support frame.

[0012] Preferably, the driving mechanism includes a driving motor, a driving gear set, and a transmission shaft. The driving gear set is arranged around the main gear of the driving motor, and the driving gear set drives the transmission shaft to rotate. The transmission shaft is arranged in the wire threading arm and is used to drive the driving wheel to rotate.

[0013] Preferably, a clutch is installed on the driving wheel. The clutch is used to drive the driving wheel to approach or move away from the transmission shaft, so that the driving wheel meshes or disengages from the transmission shaft.

[0014] Preferably, the clutch includes a clutch frame, a guide rod, and a clutch spring. The driving wheel is rotatably connected to the clutch frame, the clutch frame is slidably connected to the wire threading arm, the guide rod is fixed to the clutch frame and penetrates through and is slidably connected to the wire threading arm, and the clutch spring is sleeved on the guide rod and always exerts a thrust on the driving frame to move the driving wheel away from the transmission shaft.

[0015] Preferably, the driving motor is a stepper motor or a servo motor.

[0016] According to the second aspect of the present application, an automatic welding method for an automatic welding system using the above welding robot is provided, including the following steps: Step 1: Mount the wires on several wire rollers onto the wire feeder and connect the current wire to the welding torch. Step 2: Start the TIG welding robot for welding operations until the wire on one wire roller is consumed. Step 3: The wire feeder is started to input the wire of the next wire roller into the welding torch to continue welding.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: Multiple wire rollers can be installed simultaneously, and the wire of the next wire roller can be automatically continued after the current wire is used up, so that uninterrupted welding operation can be completed without manual intervention, greatly improving the production efficiency; The equipment is simple and reliable, and there is no need to add new auxiliary robots, which not only greatly reduces the equipment cost and usage cost, but also facilitates the transformation and upgrading of existing equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an automatic welding system of a welding robot in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic connection structure diagram of a wire roller and a wire changer in; Figure 3 is Figure 2 a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the wire changer in; Figure 4 is Figure 3 a schematic structural diagram of a mounting seat in; Figure 5 is Figure 3 a schematic side view structure diagram of the mounting seat and the conversion wheel in; Figure 6 is Figure 5 a schematic position structure diagram of a support frame when the conversion wheel rotates in; Figure 7 is Figure 3 a schematic end structure diagram of a threading arm on the conversion wheel in; Figure 8 is Figure 5 a schematic structural diagram of the conversion wheel in; Figure 9 is Figure 8 a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the conversion wheel in; Figure 10 is Figure 9 a schematic installation structure diagram of a driving wheel in. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0020] As Figures 1 to 10As shown in the figure, the automatic welding system of the welding robot in an embodiment of the present application includes a robotic arm 310 and a welding torch 320. The welding torch 320 is fixed to the end of the robotic arm 310. It further includes a wire feeder 100 and a plurality of wire reels 200. The welding wires 201 on the wire reels 200 are all installed on the wire feeder 100. The wire feeder 100 is installed on the robotic arm 310 and connected to the welding torch 320 through a conduit 330. The wire feeder 100 is used to introduce the welding wires 201 on different wire reels 200 into the conduit 330.

[0021] Through the solution of this embodiment, a plurality of wire reels 200 are connected to the wire feeder 100. One of them is used as the consumption for current welding, and the other several are used as spares. If the welding wire on the current wire reel 200 is consumed, the wire feeder 100 starts to extend the welding wire 201 of another wire reel 200 into the conduit 330 until it reaches the welding torch 320 to complete the continuation of the welding wire. The welding operation can continue without manual replacement. When only one wire reel 200 is in use, the used wire reel 200 can be manually removed, a new wire reel 200 can be reinstalled, and the welding wire can be connected to the wire feeder 100, which can ensure the uninterrupted operation of the robot.

[0022] The conduit 330 in this embodiment is a PVC pipe or the like, or a metal braided hose, which can be bent at a certain angle and has a smooth inner wall for convenient wire threading. It can also be several sections of rigid pipelines connected by a rotating elbow, further improving the smoothness of the inner wall and facilitating wire threading. The front end of the conduit is set in a flared shape to facilitate the wire to enter.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present application, the bottom of the front end of the wire feeder 100 is rotatably connected to an adjusting plate 101, and the adjusting plate 101 is fixed to the robotic arm 310. After the adjusting plate 101 is fixed, the wire feeder 100 can change its angle following the lifting or lowering of the robotic arm 310, thereby avoiding directly bending the welding wire when the robotic arm 310 is lifted, which may affect its conveying effect in the conduit 330.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present application, the wire feeder 100 includes a mounting base 110 and a conversion wheel 120. The conversion wheel 120 is rotatably connected to the mounting base 110. The mounting base 110 is installed on the adjusting plate 101. A plurality of radially arranged wire threading arms 121 are provided on the conversion wheel 120. The welding wires on different wire reels 200 are pre-installed on the wire threading arms 121. It further includes a driving mechanism for driving the conversion wheel 120 to rotate to align different wire threading arms 121 with the conduit 330 and for driving the welding wire into the conduit 330.

[0025] By rotating, the conversion wheel 120 aligns different welding wires with the conduit 330, and then drives the welding wire 201 into the conduit 330 until it is guided into the welding torch 320 to complete the welding wire replacement.

[0026] A sensor may be provided at the front end of the conduit 330 to detect whether the current welding wire has been used up. When it detects that the welding wire has been used up, it sends a signal to the control system, and the control system controls the driving mechanism to act to complete the replacement and conveying of the welding wire.

[0027] In an embodiment of the present application, wire ports 122 are provided on the left and right sides of the wire threading arm 121, and a driving wheel 123 is provided between the wire ports 122. The driving wheel 123 is used to drive the welding wire 201 into the conduit 330; a wire guiding wheel matching the wire port 122 is provided on the mounting base 110. The wire port 122 is used for guiding and protecting the welding wire; a rubber sleeve is provided in the wire port 122, and the interference fit between the rubber sleeve and the welding wire can temporarily fix the welding wire 201 to prevent the welding wire from falling off during the movement of the robotic arm 310.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present application, a support frame 142 is provided on the mounting base 110. The support frame 142 is driven by a support cylinder 141 to rotate to the bottom of the driving wheel 123 for support, and a support wheel 143 matching the driving wheel 123 is provided on the support frame 142. After the support frame 142 supports under the driving wheel 123, it can support the bottom of the welding wire and squeeze the welding wire onto the driving wheel 123 to increase the friction force, ensuring that the driving wheel 123 can effectively drive the welding wire to move forward. When it reaches the welding torch 320, it can be driven by the welding torch 320 itself.

[0029] The support cylinder 141 is, for example, a rotary cylinder, a servo motor and other mechanisms, which can bear a pressure of 5 kg to ensure that the driving wheel 123 can squeeze the welding wire to complete the conveying.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present application, the driving mechanism includes a driving motor 130, a driving gear set 132 and a transmission shaft 133. The driving gear set 132 is arranged around the main gear 131 of the driving motor 130 and is installed on the conversion wheel 120. The driving gear set 132 drives the transmission shaft 133 to rotate. The transmission shaft 133 is arranged in the wire threading arm 121 and is used to drive the driving wheel 123 to rotate. By relying on only one driving motor 130 and using the friction force with the driving gear set 132, the rotation of the conversion wheel 120 can be driven. When the conversion wheel 120 is fixed by the support frame 142 and cannot rotate, it drives the transmission shaft 133 to rotate to complete the driving and conveying of the driving wheel 123.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present application, a clutch is installed on the driving wheel 123. The clutch is used to drive the driving wheel 123 to approach or move away from the transmission shaft 133, so that the driving wheel 123 meshes or disengages with the transmission shaft 133. When the same driving motor 130 drives all the driving gear sets 132 around at the same time, the function of the clutch is to only allow the driving wheel 123 pressed against the supporting wheel 143 to rotate, so as to ensure that the welding wire currently entering the conduit 330 is conveyed, and the welding wires on the remaining wire threading arms 121 cannot be driven.

[0032] By using only one set of driving motor 130, it can not only drive the conversion wheel 120 to rotate, but also drive the driving wheel 123 to work, greatly reducing the equipment cost. The wire threading arm 121 is of a hollow structure, and the driving gear set 132, the transmission shaft 133 and the clutch are all installed in the wire threading arm 121.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, the clutch includes a clutch frame 151, a guide rod 152 and a clutch spring 153. The driving wheel 123 is rotatably connected to the clutch frame 151, the clutch frame 151 is slidably connected to the wire threading arm 121, the guide rod 152 is fixed to the clutch frame 151 and penetrates through and is slidably connected to the wire threading arm 121, and the clutch spring 153 is sleeved on the guide rod 152 and always exerts a thrust force on the driving frame to move the driving wheel 123 away from the transmission shaft 133. When the conversion wheel 120 is driven to rotate and the driving wheel 123 is pressed against the supporting wheel 143, the clutch is pressed by the driving wheel 123, causing the clutch frame 151 to move backward and compress the clutch spring 153, so that the driving wheel 123 meshes with the transmission shaft 133, and the rotation of the transmission shaft 133 can drive the driving wheel 123 to rotate.

[0034] In this embodiment, gears are coaxially fixed on both sides of the driving wheel 123, and gears are also respectively fixed at the front and rear ends of the transmission shaft 133 to complete the meshing. The guide rod 152 can play a guiding role to ensure the movement stability of the clutch frame 151, so that the two gears can be accurately meshed.

[0035] In an embodiment of the present application, the driving motor 130 is a stepper motor or a servo motor. It can move the corresponding number of turns or angles. After rotating the angle of one wire threading arm 121, the supporting wheel 143 is lifted to complete the driving.

[0036] An embodiment of the present application discloses an automatic welding method for an automatic welding system using the above-mentioned welding robot, including the following steps: Step 1: Install the welding wires on several wire reels onto the wire changer, and connect the current welding wire to the welding torch; Step 2: Start the argon arc welding robot for welding operations until the welding wire on one wire reel is consumed; Step 3: The wire changer is started to input the welding wire of the next wire reel into the welding torch to continue welding.

[0037] In this step, when the welding wire is conveyed on the wire threading arm, it passes through the wire guide pulley, the wire threading port, the driving pulley, the wire threading port, and the wire guide pulley in sequence to form a straight line. During the driving process of the driving motor, due to the blocking of the welding wire and the supporting pulley, the welding wire will always be driven forward; When the welding wire is used up, the supporting pulley drops. After there is no blocking of the welding wire, the conversion wheel will be driven to rotate by a certain angle, and the supporting pulley will be lifted again for support until the wire threading arm presses against the supporting pulley to complete the driving of the clutch, thereby driving the welding wire to move. The head of the welding wire enters the conduit to complete the conversion.

[0038] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: Multiple welding wire rollers can be installed simultaneously. After the current welding wire is used up, the welding wire of the next welding wire roller can be automatically continued, and uninterrupted welding operations can be completed without manual intervention, greatly improving production efficiency; The equipment is simple and reliable, and no new auxiliary robots need to be added. This not only greatly reduces the equipment cost and usage cost, but also facilitates the transformation and upgrading of existing equipment.

[0039] It should be noted that the above detailed description is exemplary and is intended to provide further explanation of the present application. Unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present application belongs.

[0040] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0041] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the present application and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and do not necessarily need to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such terms can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0042] In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units does not necessarily have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or are inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0043] For ease of description, spatial relative terms, such as "above", "over", "on the upper surface", "upper", etc., may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of one device or feature to other devices or features as shown in the figures. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, a device described as "above" or "over" other devices or structures will then be positioned "below" or "under" the other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both orientations of "above" and "below". The device may also be positioned in other different ways, such as rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations, and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0044] In the foregoing detailed description, reference has been made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, like symbols typically identify like components, unless the context indicates otherwise. The illustrated embodiments described in the detailed description, the drawings, and the claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be used and other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein.

[0045] The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and changes. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic welding system for a welding robot, comprising a robotic arm and a welding torch, the welding torch being fixed to the end of the robotic arm, characterized in that, It also includes a wire feeder and a number of wire rollers. The wires on the wire rollers are all installed on the wire feeder. The wire feeder is installed on the robotic arm and connected to the welding torch through a conduit. The wire feeder is used to introduce the wires on different wire rollers into the conduit.

2. The automatic welding system of the welding robot according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the front end of the wire feeder is rotatably connected to an adjusting plate, and the adjusting plate is fixed to the robotic arm.

3. The automatic welding system of the welding robot according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wire feeder includes a mounting seat and a conversion wheel. The conversion wheel is rotatably connected to the mounting seat. The mounting seat is installed on the adjusting plate. The conversion wheel is provided with a number of radially arranged wire threading arms. The wires on different wire rollers are pre-installed on the wire threading arms. It also includes a driving mechanism. The driving mechanism is used to drive the conversion wheel to rotate to align different wire threading arms with the conduit, and to drive the wire into the conduit.

4. The automatic welding system of the welding robot according to claim 3, characterized in that, Wire guiding openings are provided on the left and right sides of the wire threading arm. A driving wheel is provided between the wire guiding openings. The driving wheel is used to drive the wire into the conduit; a wire guiding wheel matching the wire guiding opening is provided on the mounting seat.

5. The automatic welding system of the welding robot according to claim 4, characterized in that, A support frame is provided on the mounting seat. The support frame is driven by a support cylinder to rotate to the bottom of the driving wheel for support. A support wheel matching the driving wheel is provided on the support frame.

6. The automatic welding system of the welding robot according to claim 5, characterized in that The driving mechanism includes a driving motor, a driving gear set and a transmission shaft. The driving gear set is arranged around the main gear of the driving motor. The driving gear set drives the transmission shaft to rotate. The transmission shaft is arranged in the wire threading arm and is used to drive the driving wheel to rotate.

7. The automatic welding system of the welding robot according to claim 6, wherein, A clutch is installed on the driving wheel. The clutch is used to drive the driving wheel to approach or move away from the transmission shaft, so that the driving wheel meshes or disengages from the transmission shaft.

8. The automatic welding system of the welding robot according to claim 7, characterized in that, The clutch includes a clutch frame, a guiding rod and a clutch spring. The driving wheel is rotatably connected to the clutch frame. The clutch frame is slidably connected to the wire threading arm. The guiding rod is fixed to the clutch frame and penetrates and is slidably connected to the wire threading arm. The clutch spring is sleeved on the guiding rod and always applies a thrust to the driving frame to make the driving wheel move away from the transmission shaft.

9. The automatic welding system of the welding robot according to claim 8, characterized in that, The driving motor is a stepper motor or a servo motor.

10. An automatic welding method for an automatic welding system using the welding robot according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: Step 1: Install the wires on a number of wire rollers on the wire feeder, and connect the current wire to the welding torch. Step 2: Start the TIG welding robot for welding operations until the wire on one wire roller is consumed. Step 3: The wire feeder is started to input the wire of the next wire roller into the welding torch to continue welding.

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