Straight seam welded pipe weld seam tracking device

Abstract

This utility model discloses a weld seam tracking device for straight seam welded pipes, relating to the field of straight seam welded pipe technology. It includes: a main body structure, at least one end of which is suspended, with the lower part outside the suspended end serving as a welding station; a servo drive mechanism, installed at the suspended end of the main body structure, with at least one mounting part for mounting a welding torch module; a contour measurement front-end unit, used to display visible graphic / text information on the pipe to be welded; a vision module, used to acquire images of a designated welding area and the graphic / text information displayed by the contour measurement front-end unit; and multiple rotating rollers, each used to support the outer walls of both sides of the pipe to be welded. The driving direction of the servo drive mechanism includes a predefined direction parallel to and perpendicular to the centerline of the steel pipe. The contour measurement front-end unit and the vision module are located symmetrically on both sides of the welding torch module, and the rotating rollers serve as the action structure of the servo system. This application has the effect of improving the welding quality of straight seam welded pipes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of straight seam welded pipe technology, and in particular to a straight seam welded pipe weld seam tracking device. Background Technology

[0002] Due to differences in the mechanical properties of raw materials and instability in the forming process, straight seam welded pipes may experience deformations such as lateral bending and twisting, which directly results in the weld bevel not being a perfect straight line in the longitudinal direction. It is known that current pipe welding processes follow the weld seam.

[0003] The most widely used tracking method is to first rotate the weld at the beginning of the welding to the 12 o'clock position, then adjust the center of the laser tracking sensor to align with the center of the weld, and then start tracking the welding; when the weld deviates during the welding process, the correction system will drive the welding head to deviate accordingly.

[0004] The above method is effective for the horizontal lateral bending deformation of steel pipes, but: Reference Figure 3 Since existing equipment is basically only applicable to the horizontal offset of the weld, if the steel pipe weld is also twisted, that is, the weld offset may not be caused by the side bending of the steel pipe, or it may not be solely caused by the side bending, it is easy to cause the center plane of the weld to not coincide with the axis of the steel pipe, which is called weld deviation (skewness) in the industry. If both the inner and outer welds have weld deviation (skewness), there is a high possibility of quality problems such as little overlap or even no overlap between the inner and outer welds. Therefore, this application provides a new technical solution. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to improve the welding quality of straight seam welded pipes, this application provides a straight seam welded pipe weld seam tracking device.

[0006] This application provides a straight seam welded pipe weld seam tracking device, which adopts the following technical solution: A straight seam welded pipe weld seam tracking device, comprising: The main structure has at least one end that is suspended in the air, with the area below the suspended end serving as a welding station; A servo drive mechanism is installed on the overhead end of the main body structure and has at least one mounting part used to install the welding gun module. The front-end unit for contour measurement is used to display visible graphic / text information on the pipe to be welded; The vision module is used to acquire images of graphic / textual information displayed by the front-end unit for measuring the contour of a specified welding area. Rotating rollers, which are multiple and are used to support the outer walls of both sides of the pipe to be welded; The driving direction of the servo drive mechanism includes the parallel and perpendicular directions to the predefined centerline of the steel pipe. The front-end unit and vision module of the contour measurement are located on the symmetrical sides of the welding gun module, and the rotating roller is used as the action structure of the servo system.

[0007] Optionally, the front-end unit for contour measurement includes a light projection generator that projects a specified light profile onto the outer wall of the pipe to be welded.

[0008] Optionally, the light projection generator is used to project at least two or more lines.

[0009] Optionally, the vision module is hinged to the host structure, and the rotation path is parallel to the vertical plane.

[0010] Optionally, the distance between the front-end unit of the contour measurement and the host structure is smaller than that of the welding torch. In summary, this application includes the following beneficial technical effects: it can utilize a vision module and a front-end unit for contour measurement to analyze the position of the pipe to be welded and the changes in the contour and weld position relative to the starting end on any cross-section of the pipe. Then, it can drive a rotating roller to compensate for defects caused by the twisting of the pipe to be welded, so that the weld pool is always kept in the 12 o'clock direction. It can also adjust the welding gun module to compensate for the defects of the pipe not to be welded being bent and not aligned with the weld center. Thus, this application can improve the welding quality of straight seam welded pipes. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the application structure of this application; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the analytical results of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the prior art defects referred to in this application.

[0012] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Pipe to be welded; 2. Rotating roller; 3. Main unit structure; 5. Front-end unit for contour measurement; 6. Welding gun module; 7. Servo drive mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The following is in conjunction with the appendix Figure 1-2 This application will be described in further detail.

[0014] This application discloses a straight seam welded pipe weld seam tracking device.

[0015] Reference Figure 1 The straight seam welded pipe weld seam tracking device includes a main body structure 3, a servo drive mechanism 7, a front-end unit 5 for contour measurement, a vision module, and a rotating roller 2; for ease of understanding, the pipe to be welded 1 and the welding gun module 6 are added to the figure for overall explanation.

[0016] In this embodiment, the main unit structure 3 includes a plate, which can be installed on the base, bracket, or workstation trolley of the production line as a mounting foundation. It is understood that the main unit may also include a control module, which is electrically connected to the electrical components of the device to achieve semi-automatic or automatic control. One end of the plate of the main unit structure 3 is suspended, and the area below this suspended end serves as a welding station, i.e., the area where welding occurs.

[0017] The servo drive mechanism 7 is mounted on the overhead end of the main body structure 3, and at least one mounting part is used to mount the welding gun module 6. In this embodiment, the servo drive mechanism 7 includes an electric cross slide, the horizontal part of which is mounted on the overhead end of the main body structure 3 and is perpendicular to the predetermined length direction of the steel pipe. The external slider of the electric cross slide serves as the mounting part, and the welding gun module 6 is mounted on the structural frame, etc. That is, the driving direction of the servo drive mechanism 7 includes the direction parallel to and perpendicular to the predefined centerline of the steel pipe.

[0018] Understandably, welding gun module 6 can use existing welding guns, which can be one or more gun heads, and the welding direction can be vertical.

[0019] Below the welding torch module 6 are multiple rotating rollers 2, each used to support the outer walls of the pipe to be welded on both sides. For example, the rotating rollers 2 are arranged in pairs: The two rotating rollers 2 of the same pair rotate in the same direction. They can be driven by the same servo motor through the double grooved wheel drive wheel, the single grooved wheel on the rotating roller shaft, and the synchronous belt. The servo motor, double grooved wheel, single grooved wheel, and synchronous belt together form a servo system to meet the needs of automated tracking of the weld seam.

[0020] The tube to be welded 1 is placed on the rotating roller 2, and the front-end unit 5 for contour measurement and the vision module are located above it and can be installed on the main body structure 3.

[0021] The front-end unit 5 for contour measurement is used to display visible graphic / text information on the pipe to be welded; the vision module is used to acquire images of the graphic / text information displayed by the front-end unit 5 for contour measurement of the specified welding area.

[0022] Usage process: First, use the vision module to determine the center of the pipe to be welded 1 and define it as the equipment center, that is, the predefined steel pipe center mentioned above; Example: Take an image of the starting end of the pipe to be welded, perform image recognition and analysis, and locate the center; Note that the center here is not the center point of a circle, but the vertical line or vertical plane where the center point is located.

[0023] Then, based on the deviation between the current welding torch module 6, the front-end unit 5 of the contour measurement and the center of the equipment, corrections are made. For example, the current deviation is recorded, and the corresponding deviation is added in the subsequent calculation process, just like the coordinate origin is offset. The subsequent coordinates are supplemented with the offset of the coordinate origin to avoid coordinate errors.

[0024] Then, using the front-end unit 5 of the contour measurement, graphic / text information is displayed on the pipe to be welded 1. The vision module again acquires the image and compares it with the standard information. The actual measurements of the offset A of the weld seam of the pipe to be welded 1 relative to the center of the equipment, the horizontal offset H of the pipe body, and the vertical offset V are as follows: Figure 2 As shown, then, in conjunction with the diameter of the pipe to be welded 1 and the equipment parameters such as the rotating roller 2, the rotation angle B of the pipe to be welded 1 and the offset of the welding gun module 6 are obtained through the calculation model.

[0025] Finally, the servo drive mechanism is used to drive the rotating roller 2 to precisely control the rotation angle, so that the outer weld pool is always kept in the 12 o'clock position of the steel pipe; the offset of the welding gun module 6 is driven by the servo drive mechanism 7.

[0026] Based on the above settings, this application can: utilize the vision module and the front-end unit for contour measurement to analyze the position of the pipe to be welded and the changes in the contour and weld position relative to the starting end on any cross section; then drive the rotating roller accordingly to compensate for the defects caused by the twisting of the pipe to be welded, so that the weld pool is always kept in the 12 o'clock direction; adjust the welding gun module to compensate for the defects of the pipe not to be welded being bent and not aligned with the weld center, thereby this application can improve the welding quality of straight seam welded pipes.

[0027] In one embodiment of this application, the front-end unit 5 for contour measurement includes a light projection generator, such as a laser or a colored spotlight, used to project a specified light contour onto the outer wall of the pipe to be welded.

[0028] Regarding how to project a light outline, an example is a light source and a slit black box. The light source has a black box inside, and the light shines through the slit onto the designated location, thus forming an outline.

[0029] In another embodiment of this application, the light projection generator is used to project at least two or more lines, for example: Two lines are projected, perpendicular to and separated from the center of the device. The corresponding optical paths of the two lines form an obtuse angle. Under these conditions: If the pipe to be welded 1 is offset downwards, the distance between the two projected lines will increase; If the pipe to be welded 1 is offset to the left or right, assuming that the correct orientation is one symmetrical line to the left and one to the right of the center, then after the pipe to be welded 1 is offset, the distances from the two lines to the center will no longer be the same, and the spacing will also change accordingly.

[0030] That is, based on the above, the horizontal and vertical offset of the pipe 1 to be welded can be quickly identified.

[0031] In another embodiment of this application, the vision module is hinged to the host structure, and the rotation path is parallel to the vertical surface.

[0032] Based on the above settings, staff can adjust the tilt angle of the vision module when the diameter of the pipe to be welded 1 changes, so as to ensure that the clarity and area of ​​the acquired image meet the usage requirements.

[0033] In another embodiment of this application, the distance between the front-end unit 5 of the contour measurement and the host structure 3 is smaller than the distance between the welding gun module 6 and the host structure 3.

[0034] Based on the above settings, one is to facilitate structural installation, and the other is to reduce obstruction by the welding gun module 6 and reduce interference caused by light generated during welding.

[0035] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A straight seam welded pipe weld tracking device, characterized by, include: The main structure (3) has at least one end that is suspended, and the lower part outside the suspended end serves as a welding station; Servo drive mechanism (7), which is mounted on the overhead end of the host structure (3) and has at least one mounting part used for mounting welding gun module (6). The front-end unit (5) for contour measurement is used to display visible graphic / text information on the pipe to be welded (1); The vision module is used to acquire images of the graphic / text information displayed by the front-end unit (5) measuring the contour of the specified welding area; Rotating rollers (2), which are multiple and are used to support the outer walls on both sides of the pipe to be welded (1); The driving direction of the servo drive mechanism (7) includes the parallel direction and the vertical direction of the predefined steel pipe centerline. The front end unit (5) of the contour measurement and the vision module are located on the symmetrical sides of the welding gun module (6). The rotating roller (2) is used as the action structure of the servo system.

2. The straight seam welded pipe weld tracking apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The front-end unit (5) for contour measurement includes a light projection generator used to project a specified light profile onto the outer wall of the pipe to be welded (1).

3. The straight seam welded pipe weld tracking apparatus of claim 2, wherein: The light projection generator is used to project at least two or more lines.

4. The straight seam welded pipe weld tracking apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The vision module is hinged to the host structure (3), and its rotation path is parallel to the vertical plane.

5. The straight seam welded pipe weld tracking apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The distance between the front-end unit (5) of the contour measurement and the host structure (3) is less than the distance between the welding gun module (6) and the host structure (3).

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