Welding system and control method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a welding system and a control method thereof. The system comprises a control module, a generator, a switching module and at least two welding modules. The electric energy output end of the generator is connected with the switching module, and the switching module is connected with the welding modules. The control module is connected with the switching module, and the control module is used for controlling the switching module to communicate the generator with the welding modules with workpieces at the stations in a time-sharing manner; wherein the welding module communicated with the generator is used for welding a workpiece on the station where the welding module is located. The control module conducts connection between the generator and the welding module in turn, other welding modules can execute non-welding operation such as feeding and discharging or other preparatory work, and the idle waiting time of the generator is shortened to the maximum extent. The time utilization rate of a single generator is improved, the energy consumption and equipment cost of a unit product are reduced, and the space is saved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] The traditional ultrasonic welding "one machine, one generator" model results in a lot of waiting time for the generator in the production cycle (such as loading and unloading, equipment movement), and the actual working time accounts for a low proportion, resulting in a waste of energy and equipment investment, and multiple generators take up a lot of space. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention provides a welding system and a control method thereof, so as to solve the problems of low time utilization and large occupied space of a generator.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a welding system comprising: a control module, a generator, a switching module, and at least two welding modules;

[0005] The power output end of the generator is connected to the switching module, and the switching module is connected to each of the welding modules;

[0006] The control module is connected to the switching module, and the control module is used to control the switching module to connect the generator with each welding module at the workstation where the workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner; wherein the welding module connected to the generator performs welding operations on the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located.

[0007] Optionally, the generator includes a power supply module and a voltage conversion module, and the power supply module is connected to the input end of the voltage conversion module;

[0008] The switching module includes preset relays corresponding one to one with the welding modules, the first end of each preset relay is connected to the output end of the voltage conversion module, the second end of each preset relay is connected to the corresponding welding module, and the control end of each preset relay is connected to the control module. The control module is used to control the preset relays corresponding to each welding module where a workpiece is present at the workstation to be turned on in a time-sharing manner.

[0009] Optionally, the switching module includes preset relays corresponding one-to-one to the welding modules;

[0010] The generator includes a power supply module and a voltage conversion module corresponding to each of the preset relays, wherein the output end of the power supply module is connected to the first end of each of the preset relays, and the second end of each of the preset relays is connected to the first end of the corresponding voltage conversion module;

[0011] The second end of each voltage conversion module is connected to the welding module corresponding to the corresponding preset relay;

[0012] The control end of each preset relay is connected to the control module, and the control module is used to control the preset relay corresponding to each welding module at the workstation where the workpiece is present to be turned on in a time-sharing manner;

[0013] Wherein, the switching module is arranged in the generator.

[0014] Optionally, the welding system further includes a current protection module corresponding one-to-one to the welding module, and the switching module further includes a varistor corresponding one-to-one to the preset relay;

[0015] The varistor is connected between a first end and a second end of a preset relay corresponding to the varistor;

[0016] The current protection module is connected in series with a welding module corresponding to the current protection module.

[0017] Optionally, the welding system also includes a temperature monitoring module corresponding one-to-one to the preset relay, and the temperature monitoring module is located within a preset distance of the preset relay corresponding to the temperature monitoring module, and is used to obtain the temperature of the preset relay. The control module is connected to each of the temperature monitoring modules, and the control module is used to control the voltage output by the voltage conversion module connected to the preset relay to be reduced to a preset voltage value when the temperature of any of the preset relays is greater than a temperature threshold.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, a control method for a welding system is provided, for controlling the welding system described in the above aspect, wherein the control method for the welding system is executed by the control module;

[0019] The control method of the welding system includes:

[0020] The switching module is controlled to connect the generator with each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner; wherein the welding module connected to the generator performs welding operations on the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located.

[0021] Optionally, controlling the switching module to connect the generator to each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner includes:

[0022] When it is determined based on the workpiece position signals of each welding module that there are workpieces in the workstations where at least two of the welding modules are located, for any welding module with a workpiece at its workstation, the priority of the welding module is determined based on at least one of the workstation idle time signal, the workpiece urgency signal, and the matching signal of the welding module; wherein the workstation idle time signal is used to characterize the time interval between two adjacent workpieces arriving at the workstation where the welding module is located; the matching signal is used to characterize the degree of matching between the welding parameters of the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located and the preset welding parameters of the welding module; the workpiece urgency signal is used to characterize the urgency of welding the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located; and the workpiece position signal is used to characterize whether there is a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located.

[0023] According to the priority order from high to low of each welding module at the workstation where the workpiece exists, the switching module is controlled to connect the generator with each welding module at the workstation where the workpiece exists in sequence.

[0024] Optionally, determining the priority of the welding module according to at least one of a workstation idle time signal, a workpiece urgency signal, and a matching degree signal of the welding module includes:

[0025] The calculation formula of the priority of the welding module satisfies:

[0026] Score=A·T+B·Q+C·R;

[0027] Among them, Score is the priority, A, B, and C are all weight coefficients, A, B, and C are all greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1, and A+B+C=1, T is the workstation idle time signal, Q is the workpiece urgency signal, and R is the matching signal.

[0028] Optionally, the switching module includes preset relays corresponding one-to-one to the welding modules, and the welding system further includes a temperature monitoring module corresponding one-to-one to the preset relays;

[0029] After controlling the switching module to connect the generator to the welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is present, the method further includes:

[0030] Acquiring the current of the welding module connected to the generator and the temperature of the preset relay corresponding to the welding module connected to the generator;

[0031] When the current of the welding module connected to the generator is greater than or equal to the current threshold and the duration reaches a first preset time, or when the temperature of the preset relay corresponding to the welding module connected to the generator is greater than the temperature threshold, the preset relay corresponding to the welding module connected to the generator is disconnected and a first alarm signal is generated.

[0032] Optionally, before controlling the switching module to connect the generator to each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner, the method further includes:

[0033] Obtaining a production plan for the welding system and a workpiece position signal of each welding module, the workpiece position signal being used to indicate whether a workpiece exists at a workstation where the welding module is located, the workpiece position signal including a first signal indicating the presence of a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located and a second signal indicating the absence of a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located; the production plan for the welding system includes each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece may exist;

[0034] Determine, according to the production plan of the welding system, each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece may be present, and generate a second alarm signal for any welding module at a workstation where a workpiece may be present when a first signal corresponding to the welding module is not received within a second preset time period;

[0035] Alternatively, after controlling the switching module to connect the generator to a welding module with a workpiece at a workstation, the method further comprises:

[0036] The welding parameters of the welding module that performs welding operations on the workpiece are obtained. When the deviation between the welding parameters of the welding module and the preset welding parameters corresponding to the welding module is greater than the deviation threshold, the switching module is controlled to disconnect the connection between the generator and the welding module that performs welding operations on the workpiece, and a third alarm signal is generated.

[0037] The technical solution of this embodiment of the present invention utilizes a single generator connected to multiple welding modules. A control module, through a switching module, implements time-sharing activation of each welding module, allowing the generator to provide energy to only one welding module at a time. The control module alternately connects the generator to the welding module, allowing the other welding modules to perform non-welding operations such as loading and unloading or other preparatory work, minimizing the generator's idle waiting time. This improves the time utilization of a single generator, reduces energy consumption and equipment costs per unit product, and saves space.

[0038] It should be understood that the content described in this section is not intended to identify the key or important features of the embodiments of the present invention, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Other features of the present invention will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a welding system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of another welding system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of another welding system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 4 A flow chart of a control method for a welding system provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 5 This is a flow chart of another welding system control method provided by an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the description and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the numbers used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of the present invention described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. For example, a process, method, system, product or device that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0047] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a welding system provided in an embodiment of the present invention, referring to Figure 1 , the system includes: a control module 10, a generator 11, a switching module 12, and at least two welding modules 13;

[0048] The power output terminal U1 of the generator 11 is connected to the switching module 12, and the switching module 12 is connected to each welding module 13;

[0049] The control module 10 is connected to the switching module 12, and the control module 10 is used to control the switching module 12 to connect the generator 11 with each welding module 13 where there is a workpiece at the workstation; wherein the welding module 13 connected to the generator 11 performs welding operations on the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located.

[0050] For each welding module 13 , in a stage where the welding module 13 is not performing a welding operation, operations other than welding are performed on the welding module 13 .

[0051] In an optional embodiment, the switching module 12 includes a common terminal and a strobe terminal corresponding to each welding module 13. The common terminal of the switching module 12 is connected to the power output terminal U1 of the generator 11, and each strobe terminal is connected to its corresponding welding module 13. The control module 10 is also connected to each welding module 13 to obtain the workpiece position signal of each welding module 13. The control module controls the time-sharing connection between the common terminal and the strobe terminals corresponding to each welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece is located based on the workpiece position signal and the workstation idle time signal, workpiece urgency signal, and matching signal described below. For details, please refer to the detailed description of the control method of the welding system below, which will not be repeated here.

[0052] The generator 11 can be an ultrasonic generator, which converts electrical energy into high-frequency and high-voltage electrical energy through internal rectification, voltage conversion, and amplification circuits to drive the welding module 13 to perform welding operations on the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located. The welding module 13 includes a transducer and a welding head. The transducer is used to convert high-frequency electrical energy into mechanical motion of the same frequency, which is then transmitted to the welding head. The vibration energy received by the welding head is transmitted to the workpiece, causing the workpiece to undergo a thermal effect and weld together. In an optional embodiment, the switching module 12 can include a plurality of transistors connected in parallel, with the transistors corresponding to the strobe terminals one-to-one, that is, a transistor is connected between each strobe terminal and the common terminal. The control module 10 is connected to the gate of each transistor and controls the transistor to be turned on or off by outputting high and low potentials to the gate of the transistor. When the transistor is turned on, the common terminal is connected to the strobe terminal corresponding to the transistor. When the transistor is turned off, the connection between the common terminal and the strobe terminal corresponding to the transistor is disconnected. The control module 10 can be an MCU. In this embodiment, the strobe ends correspond one to one with the welding modules 13 . In other embodiments, the number of strobe ends may be greater than the number of welding modules 13 , each welding module 13 is connected to a strobe end, and a strobe end is only connected to one welding module 13 .

[0053] Optionally, the workpiece position signal is used to indicate whether there is a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located. Each welding module 13 is provided with a sensor for identifying whether there is a workpiece at the workstation and generating a workpiece position signal to transmit to the control module 10. After the control module 10 obtains the workpiece position signal of each welding module 13, it determines the welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece is located. When there is only a workpiece at the workstation where one welding module 13 is located, the control module 10 controls the strobe terminal corresponding to the welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece is located to be connected to the common terminal, so that the generator 11 provides energy to the welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece is located, and the welding module 13 performs a welding operation on the workpiece. When the control module 10 determines that there are workpieces at the workstations where at least two welding modules 13 are located, only the strobe terminal corresponding to one of the welding modules 13 is selected to be connected to the common terminal, that is, at a certain moment, only one welding module 13 is allowed to perform a welding operation on the workpiece. After the welding of the workpiece is completed, the welding module 13 at the other workstation where the workpiece is located is connected to the generator 11. At the same time, only one welding module 13 performs welding operations on the workpiece at its workstation. At this time, other welding modules 13 can perform operations other than welding, such as loading and unloading, positioning, etc., thereby increasing the overall operating time ratio of a single generator 11 through time staggered arrangement.

[0054] The technical solution of this embodiment of the present invention utilizes a single generator connected to multiple welding modules. A control module, through a switching module, implements time-sharing activation of each welding module, allowing the generator to provide energy to only one welding module at a time. The control module alternately connects the generator to the welding module, allowing the other welding modules to perform non-welding operations such as loading and unloading or other preparatory work, minimizing the generator's idle waiting time. This improves the time utilization of a single generator, reduces energy consumption and equipment costs per unit product, and saves space.

[0055] against Figure 1 The welding system shown in this embodiment provides two specific structures, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 shown.

[0056] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of another welding system according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. Figure 2 , the generator 11 includes a power supply module 111 and a voltage conversion module 112, and the input ends of the power supply module 111 and the voltage conversion module 112 are connected;

[0057] The switching module 12 includes preset relays 121 corresponding one to one with the welding modules 13. The first end of each preset relay 121 is connected to the output end of the voltage conversion module 112, and the second end of each preset relay 121 is connected to the corresponding welding module 13. The control end of each preset relay 121 is connected to the control module 10. The control module 10 is used to control the preset relays 121 corresponding to each welding module 13 where there is a workpiece at the workstation to be turned on in a time-sharing manner.

[0058] The power module 111 is used to output a fixed voltage signal, and the voltage conversion module 112 is used to step up and / or step down the voltage output by the power module 111, so as to increase or decrease the voltage value output by the power module 111 and provide it to the welding module 13 to drive the welding module 13 to perform a welding operation. The output end of the voltage conversion module 112 serves as the power output end U1 of the generator 11. In addition to the power module 111 and the voltage conversion module 112, the generator 11 also includes modules with other functions, which can refer to the structure of the generator 11 in the prior art and are not specifically limited here. Optionally, the voltage conversion module 112 includes a boost module for raising the voltage value output by the power module 111.

[0059] The preset relay 121 may be a radio frequency (RF) relay. When the RF relay is turned on, the welding module 13 corresponding to the RF relay is connected to the voltage conversion module 112 in the generator 11 .

[0060] In this embodiment, the parallel-connected preset relay 121 and other components are externally located outside the generator 11, making the configuration easy to modify and adapt according to the number of welding molds 13, thereby enhancing operability. Furthermore, the generator 11 includes only one voltage conversion module 112, which is simple in structure and easy to implement.

[0061] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of another welding system according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. Figure 3 , the switching module 12 includes preset relays 121 corresponding one-to-one to the welding modules 13;

[0062] The generator 11 includes a power supply module 111 and a voltage conversion module 112 corresponding to each preset relay 121. The output end of the power supply module 111 serves as the power output end U1 of the generator and is connected to the first end of each preset relay 121. The second end of each preset relay 121 is connected to the first end of the corresponding voltage conversion module 112.

[0063] The second end of each voltage conversion module 112 is connected to the welding module 13 corresponding to the corresponding preset relay 121;

[0064] The control ends of each preset relay 121 are connected to the control module 10, and the control module 10 is used to control the preset relay 121 corresponding to each welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece is present to be turned on in a time-sharing manner;

[0065] The switching module 12 is disposed in the generator 11 .

[0066] The functions of the power supply module 111 and the voltage conversion module 112 are similar to Figure 2 In this embodiment, the preset relay 121 may be an electromagnetic relay, and each electromagnetic relay and each voltage conversion module 112 are disposed within the generator 11. Electromagnetic relay technology is mature and low-cost, improving the reliability of the welding system and reducing the cost of the welding system.

[0067] refer to Figure 2 or Figure 3 The welding system further includes a current protection module 14 corresponding to the welding module 13, and the switching module 12 further includes a varistor 122 corresponding to the preset relay 121;

[0068] The varistor 122 is connected between the first end and the second end of the preset relay 121 corresponding to the varistor 122;

[0069] The current protection module 14 is connected in series with the welding module 13 corresponding to the current protection module 14 .

[0070] The varistor 122 is connected in parallel with the preset relay 121 corresponding to the varistor 122, and the varistor voltage is equal to 1.2 times the peak voltage of the generator 11, which suppresses the voltage spike at the switching moment of the switching module 12. Figure 2 In the welding system shown, the current protection module 14 can be connected in series between the welding module 13 corresponding to the current protection module 14 and the preset relay 121 corresponding to the welding module 13. Figure 3 In the illustrated welding system, the current protection module 14 can be connected in series between the welding module 13 corresponding to the current protection module 14 and the voltage conversion module 112 corresponding to the preset relay 121 corresponding to the welding module 13. The current protection module 14 can be a fuse or a circuit breaker with an operating current equal to 1.2 times the rated current of the welding module 13 to prevent short circuit damage to the preset relay 121.

[0071] Continue to refer Figure 2 or Figure 3 The welding system also includes an impedance matching module 15 corresponding one-to-one to the welding module 13. The impedance matching module 15 is connected in series with the welding module 13 corresponding to the impedance matching module 15. Further, the impedance matching module 15 is connected in series between the welding module 13 corresponding to the impedance matching module 15 and the current protection module 14 corresponding to the welding module 13.

[0072] Each impedance matching module 15 is used to perform impedance adjustment so that the impedance of the welding system remains within the tolerance range of the generator 11 after the switching module 12 switches the welding module 13 .

[0073] Optional, no way is Figure 2 still Figure 3 The structures shown can connect an LC filter circuit in parallel to the first end of each preset relay 121 to suppress the high-frequency harmonics of the generator 11. In the LC filter circuit, the inductance value of the inductor is equal to 10μH, and the capacitance value of the capacitor is equal to 100nF.

[0074] Continue to refer Figure 2 or Figure 3 Optionally, the welding system also includes a temperature monitoring module corresponding to the preset relay 121. The temperature monitoring module is located within a preset distance of the preset relay 121 corresponding to the temperature monitoring module, and is used to obtain the temperature of the preset relay 121. The control module 10 is connected to each temperature monitoring module. The control module 10 is used to control the voltage output of the voltage conversion module 112 connected to the preset relay 121 to be reduced to a preset voltage value when the temperature of any preset relay 121 is greater than the temperature threshold.

[0075] A temperature monitoring module, such as an NTC thermistor, is integrated into the heat sink of the preset relay 121. When the temperature of the preset relay 121 exceeds a temperature threshold, such as 80°C, the voltage output by the voltage conversion module 112 connected to the preset relay 121 is reduced to reduce the output power. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the entire welding system can be directly shut down.

[0076] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a control method for a welding system, which is used to control the welding system in any of the above embodiments. The control method for the welding system is executed by a control module. Figure 4 A flow chart of a control method for a welding system provided by an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 4 , the control method of the welding system includes:

[0077] S110: Control the switching module 12 to connect the generator 11 with each welding module 13 at a workstation where a workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner; wherein the welding module 13 connected to the generator 11 performs a welding operation on the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located.

[0078] The switching module 12 includes a common terminal and a strobe terminal corresponding to each welding module 13. After determining that each welding module 13 has a workpiece at its workstation, the switching module 12 controls the common terminal of the switching module 12 to conduct in a time-sharing manner with the strobe terminals corresponding to each welding module 13 at that workstation, thereby connecting the generator 11 to each welding module 13 at that workstation in a time-sharing manner. When workpieces are present at the workstations of at least two welding modules 13, at a given moment, any one welding module 13 can be selected to connect to the generator 11, thereby achieving time-sharing communication between each welding module 13 and the generator 11.

[0079] In the technical solution of this embodiment, a switching module is used to achieve time-sharing activation of each welding module. The generator only provides energy to one welding module at a time. By alternating the connection between the generator and the welding module, the other welding modules can perform non-welding operations such as loading and unloading or other preparatory work, minimizing the idle waiting time of the generator. This improves the time utilization of a single generator, reduces energy consumption and equipment costs per unit product, and saves space.

[0080] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of another control method for a welding system provided by an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 5 , the control method includes:

[0081] S111: When it is determined based on the workpiece position signals of each welding module 13 that there are workpieces in the workstations where at least two welding modules 13 are located, for any welding module 13 at which there is a workpiece, the priority of the welding module 13 is determined based on at least one of the workstation idle time signal, the workpiece urgency signal and the matching signal of the welding module 13; wherein the workstation idle time signal is used to characterize the time interval between the arrival of two adjacent workpieces at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located; the matching signal is used to characterize the degree of matching between the welding parameters of the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located and the preset welding parameters of the welding module 13; the workpiece urgency signal is used to characterize the urgency of welding the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located; and the workpiece position signal is used to characterize whether there is a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located.

[0082] The control module 10 uses workpiece position signals generated by sensors on each welding module 13 to determine which welding module 13 has a workpiece at its workstation. Each workpiece is identified by an identifier, which corresponds one-to-one with the workpiece. The control module 10 uses sensors on the welding modules 13 to identify each workpiece identifier. The control module 10 communicates with the Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and sends each workpiece identifier to the MES. The MES then sends the corresponding welding urgency and welding parameters to the control module 10. Furthermore, the control module 10 obtains the time interval between adjacent workpieces arriving at the workstation where each welding module 13 is located through the MES. The control module 10 generates a workpiece urgency signal based on the welding urgency of the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located, a matching signal based on the welding parameters of the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located and the preset welding parameters of the welding module 13, and a workstation idle time signal based on the time interval between adjacent workpieces arriving at the workstation where each welding module 13 is located. Welding parameters can include welding time, pressure, and amplitude during welding by the welding module 13. Among them, before the welding system is started, the time interval between two adjacent workpieces arriving at the workstation where each welding module 13 is located has been preset in the production execution system or control module. For example, if the interval between the first workpiece arriving at the first welding module and the second workpiece arriving is 2 minutes, the control module generates a workstation idle time signal based on the 2-minute time interval.

[0083] In an optional embodiment, for any welding module 13 at a workstation where a workpiece exists, the priority of the welding module 13 is determined based on the workpiece urgency signal of the welding module 13, that is, the greater the urgency of the workpiece, the higher the priority of the corresponding welding module 13.

[0084] In another optional embodiment, the calculation formula of the priority of the welding module 13 satisfies:

[0085] Score=A·T+B·Q+C·R;

[0086] Among them, Score is the priority, A, B, and C are all weight coefficients, A, B, and C are all greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1, and A+B+C=1, T is the workstation idle time signal, Q is the workpiece urgency signal, and R is the matching signal.

[0087] The longer the time interval between adjacent workpieces arriving at the workstation where welding module 13 is located, the smaller the value of the corresponding workstation idle time signal. The more urgent the welding of the workpiece at the workstation where welding module 13 is located, the larger the value of the corresponding workpiece urgency signal. The lower the degree of match between the welding parameters of the workpiece at the workstation where welding module 13 is located and the preset welding parameters of the welding module, the smaller the value of the generated matching signal. A higher priority value indicates a higher priority for welding module 13. A can be 0.4, B can be 0.3, and C can be 0.3. Based on these signals and weight coefficients, the priority of each welding module 13 with a workpiece at its workstation is calculated.

[0088] S121: Control the switching module 12 to sequentially connect the generator 11 with each welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece exists, in descending order of priority of each welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece exists.

[0089] For example, if the welding system includes two welding modules 13, and there are workpieces in both welding modules 13 at the same time, and after the priority of each welding module 13 is calculated according to the priority calculation formula, the priority of the first welding module is less than the priority of the second welding module, then the control switching module 12 first connects the generator 11 with the first welding module to weld the workpiece at the workstation where the first welding module is located. After welding is completed, the control switching module 12 connects the generator 11 with the second welding module to weld the workpiece at the workstation where the second welding module is located.

[0090] Optionally, in this embodiment, the switching module 12 is used to achieve time-sharing connection between the generator 11 and the welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece is located. In other embodiments, the switching module 12 can be used to achieve time-sharing connection between the generator 11 and the welding module 13 at the workstation where the workpiece is located in the first stage as needed. In the second stage, the common end of the switching module 12 is controlled to be connected to the corresponding strobe ends of at least two welding modules 13 at the workstations where the workpiece is located, so that the generator 11 can simultaneously drive the two welding modules 13 to perform welding operations.

[0091] refer to Figure 2 or Figure 3Optionally, after controlling the switching module 12 to connect the generator 11 to a welding module 13 at a workstation where a workpiece is present, the method further includes:

[0092] (1) The current of the welding module 13 connected to the generator 11 and the temperature of the preset relay 121 corresponding to the welding module 13 connected to the generator 11 are obtained.

[0093] A current sensor may be provided on the branch where the welding module 13 is located to obtain the current of the welding module 13 , and the temperature of the preset relay 121 may be obtained through a temperature monitoring module corresponding to the preset relay 121 .

[0094] (2) When the duration of the current of the welding module 13 connected to the generator 11 being greater than or equal to the current threshold reaches a first preset duration, or when the temperature of the preset relay 121 corresponding to the welding module 13 connected to the generator 11 is greater than the temperature threshold, the preset relay 121 corresponding to the welding module 13 connected to the generator 11 is disconnected and a first alarm signal is generated.

[0095] When the welding module 13 is short-circuited, the current on the welding module 13 will be greater than the current threshold, such as 20A, and the duration will be greater than or equal to the first preset duration, such as 100ms. At this time, the connection between the generator 11 and the welding module 13 is immediately cut off, and a first alarm signal is generated. The first alarm signal can be a simultaneous sound and light alarm.

[0096] Alternatively, when the temperature of the preset relay 121 is monitored to be greater than a temperature threshold such as 100° C., it indicates that the preset relay 121 is operating at an ultra-high temperature and continued operation will cause damage to the device. At this time, the connection between the generator 11 and the welding module 13 is immediately cut off.

[0097] refer to Figure 2 or Figure 3 Optionally, before controlling the switching module 12 to connect the generator 11 to each welding module 13 at a workstation where a workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner, the method further includes:

[0098] (1) Obtaining a production plan of the welding system and a workpiece position signal of each welding module 13. The workpiece position signal is used to indicate whether there is a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located. The workpiece position signal includes a first signal indicating that there is a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located and a second signal indicating that there is no workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located. The production plan of the welding system includes each welding module at which a workpiece may exist.

[0099] The control module interacts with the MES system to obtain the production plan for the welding system. Before the welding system is started, the MES system generates a production plan, such as which welding modules 13 will have workpieces at their respective workstations, so that the welding modules 13 can weld the workpieces at their respective workstations. The control module 10 interacts with the sensors installed on the welding modules 13 to obtain workpiece position signals from each welding module 13 to determine whether a workpiece is present at the workstation where each welding module 13 is located.

[0100] (2) According to the production plan of the welding system, each welding module 13 at which a workpiece will be present is determined, and for any welding module 13 at which a workpiece will be present, when the first signal corresponding to the welding module 13 is not received within a second preset time period, a second alarm signal is generated.

[0101] The second preset time length can be set to a time interval greater than the time interval between two adjacent workpieces arriving at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located. The second preset time length can be set to be larger. When there will be workpieces at the workstation where the welding module 13 is located according to the production plan, but the acquired signal is the first signal, it is determined that the sensor for sensing whether the workpiece exists set on the welding module 13 fails, and a second alarm signal is generated. The second alarm signal can be a sound alarm, such as broadcasting "secondary fault".

[0102] refer to Figure 2 or Figure 3 Optionally, after controlling the switching module 12 to connect the generator 11 to a welding module 13 at a workstation where a workpiece exists, the method further includes:

[0103] The welding parameters of the welding module 13 that performs welding operations on the workpiece are obtained. When the deviation between the welding parameters of the welding module 13 and the preset welding parameters corresponding to the welding module 13 is greater than the deviation threshold, the switching module 12 is controlled to disconnect the connection between the generator 11 and the welding module 13 that performs welding operations on the workpiece, and generate a third alarm signal.

[0104] During welding of the workpiece by the welding module 13, the welding parameters of the welding module 13 are acquired in real time. When the deviation between the welding parameters of the welding module 13 and the preset welding parameters exceeds a deviation threshold, for example, when the deviation between the real-time acquired welding amplitude and the preset welding amplitude exceeds 10%, the switching module 12 is controlled to disconnect the generator 11 from the welding module 13 performing the welding operation on the workpiece and generate a third alarm signal. The third alarm signal may be an audible alarm, such as an announcement of "Level 3 Fault."

[0105] When the second alarm signal and the third alarm signal appear, the faulty welding module 13 is controlled to stop welding, and the next welding module 13 is controlled to be connected to the generator 11 to perform welding.

[0106] When the second alarm signal and the third alarm signal appear in the welding system, when controlling the time-sharing connection between the generator 11 and the welding module 13, the welding module 13 where the alarm appears is skipped, and the connection between other welding modules 13 and the generator 11 is preferentially connected.

[0107] refer to Figure 1 , Optionally, the welding system further includes a mobile device corresponding one-to-one to the welding module 13, for transporting the workpiece;

[0108] The control method of the welding system also includes:

[0109] A welding end signal is generated based on the starting moment when the generator 11 is connected to the welding module 13 and the welding time required for the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module 13 connected to the generator 11 is located, and a welding end signal is sent to the mobile device corresponding to the welding module 13 corresponding to the workpiece so that the mobile device takes away the workpiece.

[0110] refer to Figure 1 In an optional embodiment, the welding system includes two identical welding modules that perform the same welding task. The production cycle includes loading, welding, and unloading. Optionally, T_load + T_unload > T_weld, where T_load is the loading time, T_weld is the welding time, and T_unload is the unloading time. The welding system is configured with a generator 11, two welding modules 13, namely the first welding module and the second welding module. The preset relay 121 in the switching module 12 is a radio frequency relay and is external to the generator 11. The control module 10 is a PLC controller. While the workstation where the first welding module is located is performing welding operations, the workstation where the second welding module is located is performing loading and unloading operations. After the first welding module completes the welding operation, it controls the second welding module to perform welding, and the first welding module performs unloading operations. The cycle time of a single welding module's workstation = T_load + T_unload + T_weld. When generator 11 and welding module 13 are connected in a time-sharing manner, the utilization rate of generator 11 is (T_weld·2) / (T_load+T_weld+T_unload+T_weld), or a more optimized value, significantly higher than T_weld / (T_load+T_weld+T_unload). The welding system in this embodiment has an equipment cost of approximately 65% of that of a conventional solution (saving one generator), occupies less space, and has a high utilization rate of generator 11. Specifically, the time-sharing connection between generator 11 and welding module 13 effectively utilizes the waiting time of generator 11, significantly reducing equipment investment and operating costs while improving space utilization.

[0111] It should be understood that the various forms of the processes shown above can be used to reorder, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in the present invention can be performed in parallel, sequentially, or in a different order, as long as the desired results of the technical solution of the present invention can be achieved. This is not limited herein.

[0112] The above specific embodiments do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions may be made based on design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A welding system, characterized in that: include: a control module, a generator, a switching module, and at least two welding modules; The power output end of the generator is connected to the switching module, and the switching module is connected to each of the welding modules; The control module is connected to the switching module, and the control module is used to control the switching module to connect the generator with each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner; wherein the welding module connected to the generator performs a welding operation on the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located; The generator includes a power supply module and a voltage conversion module, the power supply module is connected to the input end of the voltage conversion module, the switching module includes preset relays corresponding to the welding modules one by one, the first end of each preset relay is connected to the output end of the voltage conversion module, the second end of each preset relay is connected to the corresponding welding module, and the control end of each preset relay is connected to the control module, and the control module is used to control the preset relays corresponding to each welding module at the workstation where the workpiece is present to be turned on in a time-sharing manner; Alternatively, the switching module includes preset relays corresponding one-to-one to the welding modules, the generator includes a power supply module and a voltage conversion module corresponding one-to-one to the preset relays, the output end of the power supply module is connected to the first end of each of the preset relays, the second end of each of the preset relays is connected to the first end of the corresponding voltage conversion module, the second end of each of the voltage conversion modules is connected to the welding module corresponding to the corresponding preset relay, the control end of each of the preset relays is connected to the control module, and the control module is used to control the time-sharing conduction of the preset relays corresponding to each of the welding modules where there is a workpiece at the workstation, wherein the switching module is arranged in the generator.

2. The welding system according to claim 1, characterized in that The welding system further includes a current protection module corresponding to each of the welding modules, and the switching module further includes a varistor corresponding to each of the preset relays. The varistor is connected between a first end and a second end of a preset relay corresponding to the varistor; The current protection module is connected in series with a welding module corresponding to the current protection module.

3. The welding system according to claim 1, wherein: It also includes a temperature monitoring module corresponding one to the preset relay, the temperature monitoring module is located within a preset distance of the preset relay corresponding to the temperature monitoring module, and is used to obtain the temperature of the preset relay. The control module is connected to each of the temperature monitoring modules, and the control module is used to control the voltage output by the voltage conversion module connected to the preset relay to be reduced to a preset voltage value when the temperature of any of the preset relays is greater than the temperature threshold.

4. A control method for a welding system, characterized in that: Used to control the welding system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control method of the welding system is executed by the control module; The control method of the welding system includes: The switching module is controlled to connect the generator with each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner; wherein the welding module connected to the generator performs welding operations on the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located.

5. The control method of the welding system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The controlling the switching module to connect the generator with each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is present in a time-sharing manner comprises: When it is determined based on the workpiece position signals of each welding module that there are workpieces in the workstations where at least two of the welding modules are located, for any welding module with a workpiece at its workstation, the priority of the welding module is determined based on at least one of the workstation idle time signal, the workpiece urgency signal, and the matching signal of the welding module; wherein the workstation idle time signal is used to characterize the time interval between two adjacent workpieces arriving at the workstation where the welding module is located; the matching signal is used to characterize the degree of matching between the welding parameters of the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located and the preset welding parameters of the welding module; the workpiece urgency signal is used to characterize the urgency of welding the workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located; and the workpiece position signal is used to characterize whether there is a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located. According to the priority order from high to low of each welding module at the workstation where the workpiece exists, the switching module is controlled to connect the generator with each welding module at the workstation where the workpiece exists in sequence.

6. The control method of the welding system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The determining the priority of the welding module according to at least one of the workstation idle time signal, the workpiece urgency signal, and the matching degree signal of the welding module includes: The calculation formula of the priority of the welding module satisfies: Score=A·T+B·Q+C·R; Among them, Score is the priority, A, B, and C are all weight coefficients, A, B, and C are all greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 1, and A+B+C=1, T is the workstation idle time signal, Q is the workpiece urgency signal, and R is the matching signal.

7. The control method of the welding system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The switching module includes preset relays corresponding one-to-one to the welding modules, and the welding system also includes a temperature monitoring module corresponding one-to-one to the preset relays; After controlling the switching module to connect the generator to the welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is present, the method further includes: Acquiring the current of the welding module connected to the generator and the temperature of the preset relay corresponding to the welding module connected to the generator; When the current of the welding module connected to the generator is greater than or equal to the current threshold and the duration reaches a first preset time, or when the temperature of the preset relay corresponding to the welding module connected to the generator is greater than the temperature threshold, the preset relay corresponding to the welding module connected to the generator is disconnected and a first alarm signal is generated.

8. The control method of the welding system according to claim 4, characterized in that: Before controlling the switching module to connect the generator to each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece is located in a time-sharing manner, the method further includes: Obtaining a production plan for the welding system and a workpiece position signal of each welding module, the workpiece position signal being used to indicate whether a workpiece exists at a workstation where the welding module is located, the workpiece position signal including a first signal indicating the presence of a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located and a second signal indicating the absence of a workpiece at the workstation where the welding module is located; the production plan for the welding system includes each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece may exist; Determine, according to the production plan of the welding system, each welding module at a workstation where a workpiece may be present, and generate a second alarm signal for any welding module at a workstation where a workpiece may be present when a first signal corresponding to the welding module is not received within a second preset time period; Alternatively, after controlling the switching module to connect the generator to a welding module with a workpiece at a workstation, the method further comprises: The welding parameters of the welding module that performs welding operations on the workpiece are obtained. When the deviation between the welding parameters of the welding module and the preset welding parameters corresponding to the welding module is greater than the deviation threshold, the switching module is controlled to disconnect the connection between the generator and the welding module that performs welding operations on the workpiece, and a third alarm signal is generated.

Images