A closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of reinforcing cages during welding, and supporting welding equipment.
By real-time detection and reverse adjustment of deformation during the welding process of the steel cage, combined with a multi-degree-of-freedom fixing device, the problems of difficult elimination of welding errors and long detection time are solved, and a high-efficiency and low-cost welding process is achieved.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- CHINA RAILWAY TUNNEL GROUP CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-30
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-17
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, errors are difficult to eliminate during the welding process of steel cages, the inspection time is long, and the work efficiency is low under high precision requirements, which can easily lead to problems such as welding fractures and deformations that are difficult to detect.
A closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of steel cage welding is designed. By detecting deformation in real time during the welding process and adjusting it with external force, a reverse pressure is formed to eliminate the deformation. Combined with a multi-degree-of-freedom fixing device and measuring equipment, synchronous measurement and welding are achieved, forming a closed-loop adjustment.
It achieves a highly efficient welding process, reduces error accumulation, improves work efficiency, avoids weld breakage, and reduces manual maintenance costs.
Smart Images
Figure CN121670097B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of welding equipment for steel cages used in tunnel boring machines, and in particular to a closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of steel cages during welding, and a matching welding equipment. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, there are two main methods for manufacturing steel reinforcement cages: manual binding (tying) and automated welding (resistance spot welding). Manual binding is the traditional method, while automated welding has become the mainstream in modern segment manufacturing plants. Automated welding mainly includes the following steps: After the coiled steel bars are straightened, cut to length, and bent into shape, they are sent to the welding station via conveyor belt or robot; a multi-head welding machine or welding robot is used. The robotic arm or a dedicated welding head automatically grabs and places the longitudinal and transverse reinforcement bars according to a preset program, precisely positioning them on the welding mold; when the upper and lower electrodes press against the intersection of the reinforcement bars, a strong instantaneous current is used to generate high temperature using the resistance of the reinforcement bars themselves, causing the contact point to melt locally and form a strong weld under the electrode pressure; the welding machine completes the welding of all intersections of the entire steel reinforcement cage in one or more cycles, forming a rigid whole.
[0003] In current technology, advanced production lines use collaborative robots to grab and spot weld embedded parts. After welding, the mold is opened, and the robotic arm automatically removes the formed steel cage and sends it to the next workstation.
[0004] However, the applicant believes that the current technology has the following problems: 1. During the welding process, due to the mechanical characteristics of the steel bars themselves, deformation often occurs. Since this deformation occurs during the processing, it is often not detected in time. Once it is detected, it is often difficult to correct due to existing assembly constraints. 2. When encountering high-precision working conditions, in order to ensure the accuracy of the shape and position error of the finished product, it is often necessary to sacrifice work efficiency and adopt the method of welding while cooling with gaps, then measuring, and then performing mechanical correction based on the measurement results, then welding again, and then performing mechanical correction again.
[0005] 3. Moreover, there are the following problems: with more components, there are also more assembly constraints. Often, the deformation of one component will cause deformation of other steel components. When encountering the condition of poor welding in the early stage, the welding will often break and be difficult to detect until the final product is formed. When subjected to pressure, it will break significantly. Maintenance in this case will consume a lot of manpower and seriously affect the overall working condition. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of difficulty in eliminating errors and long processing and inspection times in existing welding processes.
[0007] The specific solution of this invention is: to design a closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of welded steel cages, comprising the following steps: (1). Use precast unit blocks to build a single-layer cage: The raw steel bars are installed on the precast unit blocks one by one from bottom to top and from the center to both ends until a single-layer cage is formed. During the overlapping process, the welding point of the next work station and the deformation measurement point near the welding point are determined, and the detection components are installed near the measurement point. (2) During the welding process, external force is used to achieve auxiliary fixation and the deformation of the rods in the cage is detected by means of the force of the auxiliary fixation: with reference to the scheme in the steps, the welding of the welding point is started, and at the same time, the pressure sensing device on the detection component is used to sense the deformation of the measurement point. The pressure sensing device is connected to the input end of the control platform. (3) Using the test results to reverse adjust the external force conditions to predict and eliminate welding deformation: The output end of the control platform is connected to the adjustment power source, which is installed on the test component to adjust the position of the test component, thereby forming reverse pressure to achieve reverse adjustment of the pressure of the clamped measurement point. At the same time, after the reverse adjustment, the deformation of the subsequent welding is detected, and the corresponding subsequent adjustment is started until the welding of the current weld point is completed. The process cycle is formed according to steps (1)-(3), and the working positions of the welding gun and measuring device are adjusted in the middle until the single-layer cage is processed.
[0008] In practice, the deformation measurement points are estimated based on prior manual or machine calculations to estimate the raw material steel bars (20) on both sides of the welding point or the surrounding raw material steel bars that are deformed due to the lap joint relationship.
[0009] In practice, the welding torch and measuring device are mounted on the portal frame using a multi-degree-of-freedom fixing device. The prefabricated unit blocks are modular, and the installation of one or more additional cages is achieved by clamping the prefabricated unit blocks. During the installation process, the working positions of the portal frame, the intermediate adjusting welding torch, and the measuring device are adjusted to fix and adjust other subsequent cages.
[0010] In practice, the bottom of the precast unit is equipped with a rotating device and a hydraulic lifting device to achieve welding of the weld points and adjustment of the reinforcing bars under the portal frame after rotating 90 degrees in the horizontal direction.
[0011] A welding device is used in a closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of reinforcing cage welding, comprising a reinforcing bar positioning device and an assembly component positioning device; the reinforcing bar positioning device includes a welding mold with multiple precast unit blocks, each precast unit block being equipped with tooling for preliminary installation of reinforcing bars to form a single-layer cage frame; the assembly component positioning device includes a portal frame, on which a positioning clamping mechanism and a welding mechanism are mounted; wherein the positioning clamping mechanism includes rotating blocks in multiple directions for clamping reinforcing bars, the rotating blocks being mounted on a multi-degree-of-freedom telescopic claw with a power source; the welding mechanism includes a welding torch mounting table with multiple degrees of freedom and a welding torch.
[0012] In specific implementation, the clamping mechanism includes front and rear clamping telescopic claws installed on the crossbeam of the portal frame, and also includes vertical clamping telescopic claws slidably installed on the portal frame door frame; the front and rear clamping telescopic claws include telescopic uprights driven by hydraulic linkages, and a turntable with a built-in motor is installed below the telescopic uprights. The clamping pins are installed on the turntable in a field-fitted manner, and the built-in motor drives the turntable to rotate; In specific implementation, the two ends of the auxiliary crossbar are installed on the portal frame beam. The vertical mounting telescopic claw includes a sliding part that is mounted on the auxiliary crossbar and a rotating part that is assembled onto the sliding part. The rotating part is fitted with a mounting pin on-site. The rotating part is equipped with a built-in motor to drive the rotating part to rotate. In a specific implementation, the telescopic claw includes inner and outer sliding platforms that can slide relative to each other, and the inner and outer sliding platforms are driven to move relative to each other via hydraulic linkages.
[0013] In practice, the precast unit blocks are connected by fixed steel bars in the form of safety pins, and the precast unit blocks are also provided with precast width pads to adjust their positions.
[0014] In practice, the portal frame is equipped with rollers and a rolling track underneath.
[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: During the work process, synchronous linkage measurement is achieved by using measuring equipment other than welding molds and welding tools. This method of using external equipment avoids the data superposition caused by the mutual interference between welding equipment and measuring equipment, which affects the final measurement result. On the other hand, the speed at which the measuring equipment outputs data is synchronized with the speed at which welding deformation occurs. With the help of the backend, it is possible to determine in real time how to offset the deformation error of the steel bar itself caused by the previous step in the adjacent step, and immediately implement the offsetting plan in the adjacent step. After offsetting, the pressure data generated by welding in the adjacent step is combined to either make adjustments directly in the adjacent step or place the adjustment in the next step while ensuring that the error becomes smaller and smaller, and finally achieve closed-loop adjustment. The whole process has almost no redundant steps and the work efficiency is high. The measuring equipment is designed with multiple degrees of freedom. Combined with the degrees of freedom of the welding equipment and welding mold, it can achieve a wide working range, which is convenient for adjustment and can be adjusted according to the working conditions. The fixing devices for the welding torch and measuring equipment both use slender rods. This design allows for real-time monitoring of the deformation of the welding torch and measuring equipment by detecting the shape and position of the slender rods from the side, thus achieving double protection for data accuracy. The welding mold is highly flexible and can be adjusted in multiple directions with the help of bottom rollers and hydraulic support feet; The measuring tool has multiple fixed directions, enabling multi-station fixing and measurement; This application makes appropriate use of analytical data for prediction and planning, and has a high degree of automation. Attached Figure Description
[0016] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the method of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the welding equipment of the present invention; Figure 3 yes Figure 2 Front view of the structure shown; Figure 4 yes Figure 2 Top view of the structure shown; Figure 5 yes Figure 2 Left view of the structure shown; Figure 6 yes Figure 2 Right view of the structure shown; Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the welding equipment of the present invention from another angle; Figure 8 This is a perspective view of another embodiment; Figure 9 yes Figure 8 Front view of the structure shown; Figure 10 This is a perspective view of another embodiment and another real-time state; Figure 11 yes Figure 10 Front view of the structure shown; Figure 12 yes Figure 10 Right view of the structure shown; Figure 13 This is a diagram showing the reinforcement fixing process; Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of circuit data transmission. The components in the diagram are named as follows: 1. Precast unit block; 2. Portal frame; 3. Welding torch; 4. Slide rail containing the sliding part; 5. Turntable; 6. Welding torch mounting platform; 7. Hydraulic connecting rod; 8. Telescopic upright; 9. Pin; 10. Pad; 11. Crossbeam; 12. Upright beam; 13. Fixed reinforcing bar; 14. Auxiliary crossbar; 15. Rotating device; 16. Hydraulic lifting device; 17. Roller; 18. Rolling track; 19. Load-bearing plate between the precast unit block and the hydraulic lifting device; 20. Raw material reinforcing bar; 21. Sliding part; 22. Rotating part; 23. Bushing-type clamp between the sliding part and the rotating part; The power source for the rotating parts is removed from the attached diagram; the power source for the clamping mechanism, welding mechanism, and auxiliary crossbeam, which are conventional technologies, is omitted. Detailed Implementation
[0017] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention. Example 1
[0018] A closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of welded steel cages, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figures 1 to 2 It includes the following steps: (1). Use precast unit blocks 1 to build a single-layer cage: The raw material steel bars 20 are installed on the precast unit blocks 1 one by one from bottom to top and from the center to both ends until a single-layer cage is formed. During the overlapping process, the welding point of the next work station and the deformation measurement point near the welding point are determined, and the detection components are installed near the measurement point. (2) During the welding process, external force is used to achieve auxiliary fixation and the deformation of the rods in the cage is detected by means of the force of the auxiliary fixation: with the scheme of step (1) as a reference, the welding of the welding point is started, and at the same time, the pressure sensing device on the detection component is used to sense the deformation of the measurement point. The pressure sensing device is connected to the input end of the control platform. (3) Using the test results to reverse adjust the external force conditions to achieve the prediction and elimination of welding deformation: The output end of the control platform is connected to the adjustment power source, and the adjustment power source is installed on the test component to adjust the position of the test component, thereby forming reverse pressure to achieve reverse adjustment of the pressure of the clamped measurement point. At the same time, after the reverse adjustment, the deformation of the subsequent welding is detected, and the corresponding subsequent adjustment is started until the welding of the current welding point is completed. The process cycle is formed according to steps (1)-(3), and the working positions of the welding gun 3 and the measuring device are adjusted in the middle until the single-layer cage is processed.
[0019] The deformation measurement points are estimated based on prior manual or machine calculations to determine the raw material steel bars 20 on both sides of the welding point or the surrounding raw material steel bars 20 that are deformed due to the presence of lap joints.
[0020] The welding torch 3 and the measuring device are mounted on the portal frame 2 with the help of a multi-degree-of-freedom fixing device. The unit prefabricated block 1 is modular. The installation of another or several other cages can be achieved by clamping the unit prefabricated block 1. During the installation process, the working positions of the portal frame 2, the intermediate adjustment welding torch 3 and the measuring device are adjusted to complete the fixing and adjustment of other subsequent cages.
[0021] This embodiment also relates to a welding device used in a closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of reinforcing cage welding, including a reinforcing bar positioning device and an assembly component positioning device. The reinforcing bar positioning device includes a welding mold with multiple precast unit blocks 1, each precast unit block 1 having tooling for initial installation of reinforcing bars to form a single-layer cage. The assembly component positioning device includes a portal frame 2, on which a positioning clamping mechanism and a welding mechanism are mounted. The positioning clamping mechanism includes rotating blocks in multiple directions for clamping reinforcing bars, the rotating blocks being mounted on a multi-degree-of-freedom telescopic claw with a power source. The welding mechanism includes a multi-degree-of-freedom welding torch 3 mounting table and a welding torch 3. In this embodiment, the tooling on the precast blocks uses existing technology and will not be described in detail.
[0022] In this embodiment, the clamping mechanism can be further subdivided into front and rear clamping telescopic claws installed on the crossbeam 11 of the portal frame 2, and vertical clamping telescopic claws slidably installed on the door frame of the portal frame 2; the front and rear clamping telescopic claws include a telescopic upright 8 driven by a hydraulic linkage 7, a turntable 5 with a built-in motor installed below the telescopic upright 8, and a clamping pin 9 installed on the turntable 5 in a field-fitted manner. The built-in motor drives the turntable 5 to rotate, and the turntable 5 acts as a rotating block; The two ends of the auxiliary crossbar 14 are installed on the upright beam 12 of the portal frame 2. The vertically mounted telescopic claw includes a sliding part 21 that is mounted on the auxiliary crossbar 14 and a rotating part 22 that is assembled onto the sliding part 21. The rotating part 22 is fitted with a mounting pin 9 on site. A built-in motor is installed inside the rotating part 22 to drive its rotation. During operation, the deformation of the steel bar is monitored by clamping the two pins 9 on both sides. When the steel bar deforms, the pressure sensor on the pin 9 can detect it and then provide the information to the back-end control device. The back-end device issues a command to adjust the position of the pins 9 to apply reverse pressure, restrain and overcome the deformation, and ensure the assembly dimensions of the cage frame. For example, during operation, pin 9 is initially designed to apply one pressure unit to the reinforcing bar, and this initial pressure unit is used for fixation. When welding begins and the reinforcing bar deforms, it is found that the deformed reinforcing bar provides pin 9 with 1.7 pressure units. This information is transmitted to the backend, which then sends a command. The power mechanism drives the corresponding pin 9 to apply 1.7 pressure units to the reinforcing bar to overcome the deformation. Subsequently, observation continues. If the pressure increases to 1.8, pressure is applied in the opposite direction along the reinforcing bar to pin 9, and vice versa, until the welding of this step is completed and the process stabilizes.
[0023] In this embodiment, the design of the pin is such that the installation dimensions of the pin along the axial direction can be determined according to the real-time working conditions. On the one hand, this improves the freedom of installation, and on the other hand, the pins that are not in use at the time can be disassembled at any time according to the working conditions, avoiding interference with other equipment. This improves the flexibility of the equipment to a certain extent and is more suitable for the later stage of cage assembly when there are many raw steel bars that are prone to interference.
[0024] The telescopic claw includes inner and outer sliding platforms that can slide relative to each other, and the inner and outer sliding platforms are driven to move relative to each other via a hydraulic linkage 7. This method ultimately drives the movement of the pin 9 in its mounting position.
[0025] The precast unit blocks 1 are connected by safety pin-type fixing steel bars 13, and the precast width pads 10 are also provided between the precast unit blocks 1 to adjust their position. Rollers 17 and rolling tracks 18 are provided below the portal frame 2.
[0026] The coordinate axis positions mainly refer to the transverse, longitudinal, and depth-inside / outside directions of the reinforcing bars; the coordinate angle positions mainly include the rotational directions of the transverse, longitudinal, and depth-inside / outside directions of the reinforcing bars. In the attached diagram, the power source for the rotating part 22 is removed. During operation, power transmission can be achieved by installing a motor on a bushing-like clamp between the sliding part 21 and the rotating part 22, installing a gear at the motor output end, and installing transmission gears on the rotating part 22.
[0027] During operation, the clamping mechanism, welding mechanism, and auxiliary crossbeam 11 are all connected to a power source that drives their reciprocating movement and forms a moving pair with the fixed equipment parts.
[0028] The pressure sensing device is located on the pressure contact surface or pressure contact line. Example 2
[0029] The principle of this embodiment is the same as that of embodiment 1, but the specific differences are as follows: 1. There can be multiple auxiliary crossbars 14 and multiple vertical clamping telescopic claws. During operation, by setting up each power mechanism, it is ensured that the clamping mechanism and welding mechanism do not interfere with each other, and the monitoring and adjustment of external forces in multiple directions during the steel bar processing can be realized. 2. The bottom of the precast unit 1 is equipped with a rotating device 15 and a hydraulic lifting device 16, which enable welding of the weld points and adjustment of the reinforcing bars under the portal frame 2 after rotating 90 degrees horizontally. After accumulating a certain number of layers, the precast unit 1 can be moved out, turned and moved in again to assist in the adjustment and inspection of the longitudinal reinforcing bars when fixing the reinforcing cage ring by ring.
[0030] Finally, it should be noted that the above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of welded steel cages, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Use precast unit blocks (1) to build a single-layer cage: The raw material steel bars (20) are installed on the precast unit blocks (1) one by one from bottom to top and from the center to both ends until a single-layer cage is formed. During the overlapping process, the welding point of the next work station and the deformation measurement point near the welding point are determined, and the detection components are installed near the measurement point. (2) During the welding process, external force is used to achieve auxiliary fixation and the deformation of the rods in the cage is detected by means of the force of the auxiliary fixation: with the scheme of step (1) as a reference, the welding of the welding point is started, and at the same time, the pressure sensing device on the detection component is used to sense the deformation of the measurement point. The pressure sensing device is connected to the input end of the control platform. (3) Using the test results to reverse adjust the external force conditions to predict and eliminate welding deformation: The output end of the control platform is connected to the adjustment power source, which is installed on the test component to adjust the position of the test component, thereby forming reverse pressure to achieve reverse adjustment of the pressure of the clamped measurement point. At the same time, after the reverse adjustment, the deformation of the subsequent welding is detected, and the corresponding subsequent adjustment is started until the welding of the current weld point is completed. The process cycle is formed according to steps (1)-(3), and the working positions of the welding gun (3) and the measuring device are adjusted in the middle until the single-layer cage is processed.
2. The closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of reinforcing cage welding as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The deformation measurement points are estimated based on prior manual or machine calculations, for the raw material steel bars (20) on both sides of the welding point or the surrounding raw material steel bars (20) that are deformed due to the presence of lap joints.
3. The closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of reinforcing cage welding as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The welding torch (3) and measuring device are mounted on the portal frame (2) with the aid of a multi-degree-of-freedom fixing device. The unit prefabricated block (1) is modular. The installation of another or several other cages can be achieved by clamping the unit prefabricated block (1). During the installation process, the working positions of the portal frame (2), the intermediate adjustment welding torch (3) and the measuring device are adjusted to complete the fixing and adjustment of other subsequent cages.
4. The closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of steel cage welding as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The unit prefabricated block (1) is equipped with a rotating device (15) and a hydraulic lifting device (16) at the bottom, so as to realize the welding of the welding point under the portal frame (2) and the adjustment of the reinforcing bars after rotating 90 degrees in the horizontal direction.
5. A welding device, used in the closed-loop method for automatic positioning and adjustment of reinforcing cage welding as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It includes a rebar positioning device and an assembly component positioning device; the rebar positioning device includes a welding mold with multiple precast unit blocks (1), each precast unit block (1) is provided with tooling to initially install the rebar to form a single-layer cage frame, the assembly component positioning device includes a portal frame (2), the portal frame (2) is equipped with a positioning clamping mechanism and a welding mechanism, wherein the positioning clamping mechanism includes a rotating block in multiple directions for clamping the rebar, the rotating block is mounted on a multi-degree-of-freedom telescopic claw with a power source; the welding mechanism includes a welding torch (3) mounting table with multiple degrees of freedom and a welding torch (3).
6. The welding equipment as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The clamping mechanism includes front and rear clamping telescopic claws installed on the crossbeam (11) of the portal frame (2), and also includes vertical clamping telescopic claws slidably installed on the door frame of the portal frame (2); the front and rear clamping telescopic claws include telescopic uprights (8) driven by hydraulic linkages (7), and a turntable (5) with a built-in motor installed below the telescopic uprights (8). The turntable (5) is equipped with clamping pins (9) in a field-fitted manner, and the built-in motor drives the turntable (5) to rotate; The two ends of the auxiliary crossbar (14) are installed on the upright beam (12) of the portal frame (2). The vertical surface clamping telescopic claw includes a sliding part (21) clamped on the auxiliary crossbar (14) and a rotating part (22) assembled on the sliding part (21). The rotating part (22) is equipped with a clamping pin (9) in the form of on-site assembly. The rotating part (22) is equipped with a built-in motor to drive the rotating part (22) to rotate.
7. The welding equipment as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The telescopic claw includes inner and outer slides that can slide relative to each other, and the inner and outer slides are driven to move relative to each other via a hydraulic link (7).
8. The welding equipment as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The precast unit blocks (1) are connected in series by fixed steel bars (13) in the form of safety pins, and the precast unit blocks (1) are also provided with precast width pads (10) to adjust their position.
9. The welding equipment as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The portal frame (2) is provided with rollers (17) and rolling tracks (18) below it.