Welding condition determination device, welding condition determination method and program

Abstract

A welding condition determination device outputs a (k + 1)th user confirmation screen to an output device when a welding parameter is determined based on an input for a kth user confirmation screen, outputs the kth user confirmation screen to confirm a weld quality of a welded object using a set welding parameter when the welding parameter is set based on the input for the kth user confirmation screen, and determines a welding condition, workpiece position, and wire target position for welding the object using the welding parameter determined based on an input of a user instruction for N user confirmation screens.

Description

TECHNICAL AREA

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a welding condition determination device, a welding condition determination method and a program. TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

[0002] Patent literature 1 discloses a welding condition setting method for easily determining a welding condition, in which an operator enters information about a welding object and information about a welding process, and then recommended values ​​for the welding condition, such as a welding current, a welding voltage, a wire feed rate, a welding speed, and a leg length, which are appropriate for the information about a welding object and the information about a welding process, are determined and displayed. Even if the operator changes values ​​starting from the recommended values, recommended values ​​for a welding condition that correspond to the changed values ​​are determined and displayed. QUOTE LIST PATENT LITERATURE

[0003] Patent literature 1: JP5927505B SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAL PROBLEM

[0004] The present disclosure provides a welding condition determination device, a welding condition determination method and a program for the simpler determination of welding conditions for the performance of quality welding. SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

[0005] The present disclosure provides a welding condition determination device comprising: a communication interface connected to a welding machine to enable data communication; an output device configured to output a number N (N is an integer of 2 or more) user confirmation screens in a predefined sequence to confirm the weld quality of an object welded by the welding machine; an input device configured to input a user instruction for each of the user confirmation screens; and a processor configured to set or determine a welding parameter of the welding process based on an input of the user instruction.The processor is configured to: output a (k + 1)th (k is a variable from 1 to N) user confirmation screen to the output device when the welding parameter is determined based on the user instruction input for a kth user confirmation screen; when the welding parameter is set based on the user instruction input for the kth user confirmation screen, output the kth user confirmation screen to the output device to confirm a weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine using the set welding parameter; and determine a welding condition, workpiece position, and wire target position for welding the object by the welding machine using the welding parameter after it has been determined based on the user instruction for the number N user confirmation screens.

[0006] The present disclosure provides a welding condition determination method performed by a welding condition determination device with one or more computers. The welding condition determination method comprises: a step of connecting to a welding machine configured to weld an object to enable data communication; a step of outputting, according to a predefined sequence, a number N (N is an integer of 2 or more) of user confirmation screens to confirm a weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine; a step of entering a user instruction for each of the user confirmation screens;and a step of setting or determining a welding parameter based on user input. The step of setting or determining the welding parameter includes: a step of outputting a (k + 1)th (k is a variable from 1 to N) user confirmation screen to an output device when the welding parameter is determined based on user input for a kth user confirmation screen; a step of outputting the kth user confirmation screen to the output device when the welding parameter is set based on user input for the kth user confirmation screen, to confirm the weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine using the set welding parameter;and a step of determining a welding condition, a workpiece position and a wire target position for welding the object by the welding machine using a welding parameter, after it has been determined on the basis of the user instruction for the number N user confirmation screens.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a program that causes a welding condition determination device to connect to one or more computers and perform the following: a step of connecting to a welding machine configured to weld an object to enable data communication; a step of outputting, according to a predefined sequence, a number N (N is an integer of 2 or more) user confirmation screens to confirm a weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine; a step of entering a user instruction for each of the user confirmation screens;and a step of setting or determining a welding parameter based on user input. In the step of setting or determining the welding parameter, the program causes the welding condition determination device to execute: a step of outputting a (k + 1)th (k is a variable from 1 to N) user confirmation screen to an output device when the welding parameter is determined based on user input for a kth user confirmation screen; a step of outputting the kth user confirmation screen to the output device when the welding parameter is set based on user input for the kth user confirmation screen, to confirm the weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine using the set welding parameter;and a step of determining a welding condition, a workpiece position and a wire target position for welding the object by the welding machine using a welding parameter, after it has been determined on the basis of the user instruction for the number N user confirmation screens. ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a welding condition for carrying out a high-quality weld can be determined more easily. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of a welding system according to a first embodiment; [ Fig. 2] Fig. Figure 2 is a diagram showing a table that defines an example of appropriate and usable ranges for a welding current, welding voltage, and feed angle; [ Fig. 3] Fig. Figure 3 shows an example of a confirmation screen that allows the user to confirm whether a burnout has occurred; [ Fig. 4] Fig. Figure 4 shows an example of a welding parameter guidance screen to prevent burn-through; [ Fig. 5] Fig. Figure 5 shows an example of a user confirmation screen to confirm whether a deposit amount is appropriate; [ Fig. 6] Fig. Figure 6 shows an example of a user confirmation screen to confirm whether a bead shape is appropriate; [ Fig. 7] Fig. Figure 7 shows an example of a user confirmation screen to confirm whether an intrusion is appropriate; [ Fig. 8] Fig. Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the operational sequence of a user interface device according to the first embodiment; [ Fig. 9] Fig. Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the operational sequence of the user interface device according to the first embodiment; and [ Fig. 10] Fig. Figure 10 is a diagram showing a table that defines a combination example of a first confirmation element, a second confirmation element, a third confirmation element, a fourth confirmation element, and a fifth confirmation element. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXECUTION FORMS (Background of this disclosure)

[0009] Several welding parameters must be preset to produce a welded product (especially for mass production) that meets the high weld quality required by the customer. These parameters are determined based on years of experience or the intuition of a welder with many years of experience and are often set in a welding machine (e.g., a welding robot or its control unit). Welding parameters include, for example, the welding current, welding voltage, wire feed rate, and torch angle in arc welding. A skilled welder can set the welding parameters relatively quickly. However, a less experienced welder may find it difficult or time-consuming to set the parameters for high weld quality.

[0010] The patent literature described above (1) does not assume that a worker visually identifies an actual welded object based on the determined welding parameters and ascertains whether the welding parameters are adequate to achieve high weld quality. Therefore, there is room for improvement insofar as an optimal welding condition for producing a welded product that meets the high weld quality desired by the customer (e.g., a standard suitable for series production) is not necessarily determined solely by inputting the information about a weld object and information about a welding process assumed in patent literature (1).

[0011] Therefore, examples of a welding condition determination device and a welding condition determination method for easier determination of a welding condition for carrying out quality welding are described below.

[0012] An embodiment in which a welding condition determination device, a welding condition determination method, and a program are specifically disclosed according to the present disclosure is described in detail below with reference to the drawings, where appropriate. However, unnecessarily detailed descriptions may be omitted. For example, detailed descriptions of known facts and redundant descriptions of essentially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy in the following descriptions and to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings and the following descriptions are intended to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims. (Configuration of the welding system)

[0013] First, an exemplary system configuration of a welding system 100 according to a first embodiment is described with reference to Fig. 1 described. In the first embodiment, a welding robot MC1 performs arc welding to weld objects (e.g., an upper plate Wk1 and a lower plate Wk2 made of metal, the same applies below) to form a T-joint, and a welding condition, which must be set in advance to perform the welding, is determined based on an operation by a worker (an example of a user, the same applies below). The type of welding and the type of joint are not particularly limited.

[0014] Fig. Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the welding system 100 according to the first embodiment. The welding system 100 comprises the welding robot MC1, a robot controller 50, and a user interface device 10. The welding robot MC1 and the robot controller 50 are interconnected to allow the input and output of signals, such as control signals. The robot controller 50 and the user interface device 10 are interconnected to allow the input and output of data signals, such as data. Fig. For the sake of simplicity, the interface can be abbreviated as "I / F".

[0015] The MC1 welding robot controls a manipulation unit 200 and a wire feeder 300 based on the control signal from the robot control unit 50 to move a welding torch 400, which holds a welding wire 301 (a consumable electrode), along a welding path defined by a welding program (not shown), thereby performing the welding on the workpiece. In this welding step, the MC1 welding robot performs, for example, arc welding. However, the MC1 welding robot can also perform other welding processes (e.g., laser welding and gas welding) besides arc welding. In laser welding, for example, the welding torch 400 is replaced by a laser head attached via an optical fiber that guides the laser light from a laser oscillator, which serves as the light source (not shown).The MC1 welding robot includes at least the manipulation unit 200, the wire feeder 300, the welding wire 301 and the welding torch 400.

[0016] The manipulation unit 200 comprises an articulated arm in which each of several links is rotatably connected via a joint, and drives at least one arm based on the control signal from the robot control unit 50. Accordingly, the manipulation unit 200 can freely change a positional relationship between the welding object and the welding torch 400, which is located at a tip end of the manipulation unit 200 (e.g., torch holding angle such as a feed angle and a retraction angle of the welding torch 400 with respect to a normal direction of a connecting surface of the lower plate Wk2) by driving the arm.

[0017] The wire feeder 300 is permanently connected to the manipulation unit 200. The wire feeder 300 comprises a feed motor (not shown) with a guide roller and an encoder (not shown) that detects the feed rate of the welding wire 301, which is driven by the feed motor. Based on the control signal from the robot controller 50, the wire feeder 300 controls a wire feed speed to supply the welding wire 301, which is a consumable electrode, to the welding torch 400. The wire feeder 300 can also include a sensor (not shown) capable of detecting the remaining amount of welding wire 301. Based on an output from the sensor, the robot controller 50 can detect the end of the welding step.

[0018] The welding wire 301 is held by the welding torch 400 and acts as a consumable electrode for welding when it melts due to a welding voltage applied by a welding power supply 54 to a contact tip (see below, not shown) of the welding torch 400. When, as described above, a required welding voltage is applied by the welding power supply 54 between the welding torch 400 and the workpiece, an arc discharge occurs between a tip end of the welding wire 301 and the workpiece, a welding current flows through the workpiece, and arc welding is carried out.

[0019] The contact tip (not shown) and a gas nozzle (not shown) are attached to a distal end of the welding torch 400. The contact tip (not shown) is a cylindrical conductor that guides the welding wire 301. The gas nozzle (not shown) is arranged to surround the contact tip (not shown) and supply a shielding gas such as argon to a weld section. Configurations of a gas cylinder, regulator, gas supply line, and the like for supplying a shielding gas such as argon to the welding torch 400 or to the weld part are not shown or described for the sake of simplicity.

[0020] When a welding instruction is received from the user interface device 10, the robot controller 50 detects a welding condition corresponding to an execution command of the welding instruction by referencing a memory 52 or the like. The robot controller 50 generates a control signal to weld the workpiece using the detected welding condition and transmits the control signal to the welding robot MC1. The control signal transmitted to the welding robot MC1 contains data specifying the welding condition (see below), which is defined by a design guide (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) between the user interface device 10 and the robot control unit 50. The welding condition consists of state data that includes several welding parameters (e.g., welding current, welding voltage, torch holding angle (feed angle or retraction angle), and wire feed speed), and which are determined, for example, based on the design guide (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) are generated between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50 and stored in the robot controller 50. The welding condition is not limited to the multiple welding parameters described above and may also include a diameter of the welding wire 301, a welding speed, a welding position, a protruding length of the welding wire 301, a diameter of the gas nozzle (not shown), a gas flow rate, a workpiece position, and a wire target position. The workpiece position is a position in which a workpiece (i.e., a welding object such as the upper plate Wk1 and the lower plate Wk2) is held. The workpiece target position specifies a position in which the welding torch of the welding robot MC1 approaches the workpiece (i.e., the welding object such as the upper plate Wk1 and the lower plate Wk2).The workpiece position and the target position of the workpiece can be conceptually included in the welding condition described above, or they can be separate parameters. Furthermore, the welding condition can also be stored in the user interface device 10. When the end of the welding process is detected, the robot controller 2 can generate a welding end report indicating the end of the welding process and inform the user interface device 10 of this report. Accordingly, an operator using the user interface device 10 can quickly detect the end of the welding process via the robot controller 2.A method for detecting the end of the weld by the robot control unit 2 can, for example, be a method for determining the end of the weld based on a signal indicating the end of the weld from the sensor (not shown) provided in the wire feeder 300, or it can be a known method, and the content of the method for detecting the end of the weld is not limited. The robot control unit 50 can be implemented as an example of the welding condition determination device according to the present disclosure. The robot control unit 50 comprises at least a processor 51, the memory 52, a communication interface 53, and the welding power supply unit 54.

[0021] The processor 51 is implemented, for example, by a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and, in conjunction with the memory 52, performs various types of processing and control. The processor 51 accesses a program and control data stored in the memory 52 and executes the program using the control data, thereby comprehensively managing and controlling the processing performed by the robot controller 50. The functions of the processor 51 include, for example, an arithmetic processing unit 51a and a power supply control unit 51b.

[0022] The arithmetic processing unit 51a calculates or reads various types of control values ​​that constitute the welding condition in order to cause the MC1 welding robot to perform the welding, and performs various types of calculations to set or determine welding parameters based on a data signal from the user interface device 10 during the design guide carried out with the user interface device 10 (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) by. For example, the arithmetic processing unit 51a calculates welding parameters and the like for controlling the operation of the welding robot MC1 (e.g., the manipulation unit 200 and the wire feeder 300) with reference to mathematical expressions or calculation tables stored in memory 52. ​​Based on the calculation, the arithmetic processing unit 51a generates a control signal to induce the calculated welding robot MC1 to weld.

[0023] The power supply control unit 51b calculates a welding voltage or welding current required for welding between the welding wire 301 and the workpiece and controls the output (application) of the welding voltage from the welding power supply unit 54.

[0024] Memory 52 comprises, for example, random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The RAM serves as working memory and temporarily stores the data generated or acquired by the processor 51. The ROM stores a program and control data that determine the processing by the processor 51. Memory 52 stores a welding condition, including the welding parameters, based on the design guide (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) were determined, which is carried out between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50. In addition, the memory 52 stores reference data (see below), which is accessed during the operation of the design guide (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) Reference is made to the communication that takes place between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50. The reference data includes the design guide during operation (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) the content of a first confirmation element (see below), a second confirmation element (see below), a third confirmation element (see below), a fourth confirmation element (see below), and a fifth confirmation element (see below), the type of welding parameters to be recommended to a worker to fulfill each confirmation element, and the values ​​of the welding parameters depending on the number of welding parameter settings. A specific example of the reference data will be described in detail later. Memory 52 can, for example, be a hard disk drive or a solid-state drive.

[0025] Here, appropriate and usable ranges of the welding current, welding voltage, and feed angle (an example of the torch holding angle) are defined as elements of the welding parameters that form part of the reference data, with reference to Fig. 2 described. Fig. Figure 2 is a diagram showing a table TBL1 that defines an example of the appropriate ranges and usable ranges of welding current, welding voltage and feed angle.

[0026] Although details will be described later, the reference data stored in the robot controller 50 is read by the robot controller 50 when the design guide is operated between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50. As described above, the reference data defines the types of welding parameters recommended to the operator to instruct the MC1 welding robot to perform a high-quality weld. Fig. Figure 2 shows three types of welding parameters, namely the welding current, the welding voltage and the feed angle, whereby the three types are shown for the purpose of simplifying the description and the types of welding parameters are of course not limited to these three types.

[0027] In table TBL1, for each type of welding parameter, the appropriate range (appropriate selection) in which the use of the welding parameter is considered appropriate and the usable range (usable range) in which the welding parameter can actually be used are matched.

[0028] For example, a predefined "RECOMMENDED UPPER CURRENT LIMIT" is an upper limit for the appropriate range, and a predefined "RECOMMENDED LOWER CURRENT LIMIT" is a lower limit for the appropriate range. Regarding the usable range of the welding current, a "RECOMMENDED UPPER CURRENT LIMIT + 10 A (amperes)" is an upper limit of the usable range, and a "RECOMMENDED LOWER CURRENT LIMIT - 10 A (amperes)" is a lower limit of the usable range. That is to say, with respect to the welding current, a range to which a range of ± 10 A (amperes) of the appropriate range is added is defined as the usable range.

[0029] For example, a "PREFINED VOLTAGE + 4 V (Volts)" is an upper limit for the acceptable range, and a "PREFINED VOLTAGE - 4 V (Volts)" is a lower limit for the acceptable range. Regarding the usable range of the welding voltage, a "PREFINED VOLTAGE + 8 V (Volts)" is an upper limit of the usable range, and a "PREFINED VOLTAGE - 8 V ​​(Volts)" is a lower limit of the usable range. This means that, with respect to the welding voltage, a range to which a range of ± 4 V (Volts) of the acceptable range is added is defined as the usable range.

[0030] For example, the appropriate range of the feed angle has an upper limit of "+30 degrees" and a lower limit of "-30 degrees". The usable range of the feed angle, meanwhile, is not defined, and the appropriate range and the usable range of the feed angle can be considered the same.

[0031] If the welding parameter to be set to fulfill a specific user confirmation element (see below) is, for example, the “WELDING CURRENT”, and a current setpoint exceeds the “PERMITTED RANGE” and approaches the “USABLE RANGE” (i.e., a limit for use), the processor 51 of the robot control unit 50 changes the welding parameter to be set to another welding parameter (e.g., the “WELDING STRENGTH” or the “FEED ANGLE”).

[0032] In the meantime, for example, if the welding parameter to be set to satisfy a particular user confirmation element (see below) is the “WELDING CURRENT” and the current set value is within the “APPROPRIATE RANGE”, the processor 51 of the robot control unit 50 makes a change to gradually decrease the setting amount depending on the number of setting operations without changing the setting parameter (i.e. maintaining the “WELDING CURRENT”).

[0033] For example, if the welding parameter is "WELDING CURRENT" and the setting is made for the first time, the processor selects 51 "+ 20 A" (a relative value indicating a difference from the current setpoint) as the setting amount. However, if the welding parameter is "WELDING CURRENT" and the setting is made a second time, the processor selects 51 "+ 10 A" (see the relative value described above) as the setting amount, and if the welding parameter is "WELDING CURRENT" and the setting is made a third time, the processor selects "+ 5 A" (see the relative value described above).As described above, when setting the same welding parameter within the appropriate or usable range, a large adjustment amount is assigned while the number of adjustment operations is small, and the adjustment amount is reduced each time the number of adjustment operations increases, thus shortening the time in which the welding parameter setting converges.

[0034] The communication interface 53 is a communication circuit capable of facilitating the communication of control signals between the welding robot MC1 and the robot controller 50, and the communication of data signals between the robot controller 50 and the user interface device 10. The communication interface 53 transmits a control signal generated by the processor 51 to the welding robot MC1 and a data signal generated by the processor 51 to the user interface device 10. The communication interface 53 receives a data signal from the user interface device 10 and sends the data signal to the processor 51. The control signal transmitted to the welding robot MC1 can, for example, contain a control signal for controlling the manipulation unit 200 and the wire feeder 300.

[0035] The welding power supply unit 54 comprises a high-voltage generating circuit (not shown) that generates a welding voltage to be applied to the contact tip (not shown), and a power supply control circuit (not shown) that controls the high-voltage generating circuit. The power supply control circuit generates a desired high voltage at a predefined time based on a command from the power supply control unit 51b and controls the wire feeder 300 to adjust the feed rate or wire feed speed of the welding wire 301 to the contact tip (not shown). When the high voltage generated by the high-voltage generating circuit (not shown) is applied between the welding torch 400 and the workpiece, an arc discharge occurs, which melts the welding wire 301 and welds the workpiece. At this point, the workpiece is at ground potential.

[0036] The user interface device 10 (an example of the welding condition determination device according to the present disclosure) is an end device operated and used by a welding worker (an example of a user, the same applies below) and is, for example, a programming handheld device or a tablet end device. The user interface device 10 receives an operating input from the worker and selects a welding parameter recommended (suggested) by the robot controller 50 to cause the welding robot MC1 to operate according to the design guide (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) to perform high-quality welding with the robot control unit 50. The user interface device 10 comprises a processor 11, a memory 12, an input device 13, a display device 14, and a communication interface 15.

[0037] The processor 11 is implemented, for example, by a CPU, a GPU, or an FPGA, and performs various types of processing and control in conjunction with the memory 12. The processor 11 accesses a program and control data stored in the memory 12 and executes the program using the control data, thereby comprehensively managing and controlling the processing performed by the user interface device 10.

[0038] Memory 12, for example, comprises RAM and ROM. The RAM serves as working memory and temporarily stores the data generated or acquired by processor 11. The ROM stores a program and control data that determine the processing by processor 11. Memory 12 stores the welding conditions, including the welding parameters, which are based on the input and output of the data signals (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50. Furthermore, the memory 12 can store the reference data (see below) to which the design guide is accessed during operation (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50. The memory 12 can comprise a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD).

[0039] Input device 13 is a device that recognizes operator input from the worker and is implemented, for example, by a touch panel or a button. Input device 13 captures operational input from the worker in relation to various types of user confirmation screens (see Fig. 3 to 7), which are displayed on the display unit 14 during operation of the design guide (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) is displayed, which is executed between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50, and transmits the operating input to the processor 11. For example, to induce the welding robot MC1 to perform a high-quality weld, a type (option) of a desired welding parameter recommended (suggested) by the robot controller 50 and a past change history (see Fig. 4) of the welding parameter entered.

[0040] The display device 14 (an example of an output device) can be a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or an organic electroluminescent (EL) display. The display device 14 shows various types of user confirmation screens (see Fig. 3 to 7) under the control of processor 11 during the operation of the design guide (see Fig. 8 and Fig. 9) which is executed between the user interface device 10 and the robot control unit 50.

[0041] The communication interface 15 is a communication circuit capable of facilitating the communication of data signals between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50. The communication interface 15 transmits a data signal to the robot controller 50, which is generated by the processor 11 based on the operator input from the worker as detected by the input device 13, and transmits a data signal from the robot controller 50 to the processor 11.

[0042] Here, the concept of the design guide between the user interface device 10 and the robot control unit 50 is briefly described.

[0043] As described above, several welding parameters must be set before welding to produce a welded product that meets the high weld quality required by the customer. A skilled worker can set the welding parameters (e.g., welding current, welding voltage, wire feed speed, and torch angle) in a relatively short time. However, it is difficult for an unskilled worker to set such welding parameters quickly.

[0044] Therefore, in the welding system 100 according to the first embodiment, the user interface device 10 and the robot control unit 50 execute the design guide for the communication of data signals (in other words, a back-and-forth exchange of data) in an interactive manner. Details of the operational sequence of the design guide will be described later with reference to the Fig. 8 and Fig. 9 described. This means that, according to the design guide, even a worker who has no know-how regarding the setting of welding parameters or who does not have much experience can easily obtain an optimal solution for the welding parameters (in other words, the welding condition that causes the MC1 welding robot to perform a weld with high weld quality) by making an operating input on the several user confirmation screens (see Fig. 3 to 7) are performed, which are displayed (shown) on the user interface device 10 to achieve the desired weld quality.

[0045] The following describes the operational sequence of the design guide and the various types of user confirmation screens that appear on user interface device 10 during the operation of the design guide, with reference to the Fig. 3 to 9 described.

[0046] Fig. Figure 3 shows an example of a user confirmation screen SCR1 to confirm whether a burn-out is occurring. Fig. Figure 4 shows an example of a welding parameter control screen SCR1a for preventing burn-through. Fig. Figure 5 shows an example of a user confirmation screen SCR2 to confirm whether a deposit amount is appropriate. Fig. Figure 6 shows an example of a user confirmation screen SCR3 to confirm whether a bead shape is appropriate.

[0047] Fig. Figure 7 shows an example of a user confirmation screen for SCR4 to confirm whether an intrusion is appropriate. Fig. 8 and Fig. Figures 9 are each a flowchart showing the operational sequence of the user interface device 10 according to the first embodiment. The following sections describe the elements shown in the Fig. 8 and Fig. The flowcharts shown in 9 refer to the content of the document in the Fig. The user confirmation screens shown in sections 3 to 7 are described where necessary.

[0048] In Fig. 8. When the design guide is initiated by a worker at the user interface device 10 based on an operator input (e.g., pressing a symbol (not shown) to start the design guide), the processor 11 of the user interface device 10 generates a screen (not shown) prompting the worker to perform an operation regarding the first confirmation element and displays the screen on the display device 14. This screen (not shown) is, for example, a screen to confirm whether the welding position of the welding robot MC1 is in the correct state with respect to the welding object (e.g., the top plate and the bottom plate Wk2) (in other words, a screen to prompt the worker to select one of the options "horizontal," "downward," and "upward," as described later). Here, the first confirmation element is, for example,A message prompts the worker to determine whether the welding posture of the MC1 welding robot is "horizontal," "downward," or "upward." "Horizontal" means that welding is performed horizontally. "Downward" means that welding is performed downwards. "Upward" means that welding is performed upwards. It is known that welding is slightly affected by gravity, and therefore it is preferable to set the welding speed higher in the case of "downward" than in the case of "horizontal." Thus, as a starting point of the design guide, the user interface device 10 confirms to the worker in which welding posture the MC1 welding robot will be positioned when welding the workpiece.

[0049] The processor 11 recognizes the operator input of the worker with respect to the screen displayed on the display unit 14 (not shown) (i.e., the worker's operator input with respect to the first confirmation element) (step St0) and transmits the operator input to the robot controller 50. Based on the welding position selected by the worker's operator input in step St0, the robot controller 50 generates a screen (not shown) displaying an element that must be confirmed if welding is to be performed in the selected welding position (i.e., the second confirmation element), prompts the worker to issue an instruction to begin welding using the currently set welding parameters, and displays the screen on the display unit 14.When the robot controller 50 detects an operating operation from the user interface device 10 to instruct the start of welding with respect to the screen (not shown), it retrieves a set (a combination) of several welding parameters from the reference data stored in memory 52, generates a control signal to execute the welding using the welding parameters, and transmits the control signal to the welding robot MC1. The welding robot MC1 performs the welding on the workpiece based on the control signal from the robot controller 50 (step St1). When the end of the welding process performed by the welding robot MC1 is detected, the robot controller 50 generates the user confirmation screen SCR1 (see ). Fig. 3) to request a worker operation with respect to the second confirmation element, and transmits the user confirmation screen SCR1 to the user interface device 10.

[0050] The processor 11 of the user interface device 10 displays the user confirmation screen SCR1 transmitted by the robot control unit 50 (see Fig. 3) on the display device 14 (step St2). The user confirmation screen SCR1 is a screen that defines the second confirmation element that the worker must query to determine the welding condition that needs to be established to achieve high-quality welding, and which is preferably determined, for example, according to the content of the first confirmation element.

[0051] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the user confirmation screen SCR1, for example, is a screen that displays content to ask the worker whether a "burn-through" occurs in relation to the weld quality of the workpiece during the welding process performed by the MC1 welding robot in step St1. Specifically, the user confirmation screen SCR1 includes a question message Q1 indicating whether a "burn-through" occurs, an instruction text G1, and YES buttons B1 and NO buttons B2 for answering the question of whether a "burn-through" occurs. The instruction text G1 indicates that pressing the YES button B1 will instruct the user to change a setting (welding parameter) that prevents burn-through.

[0052] If the worker visually confirms that no burn-through occurs in the workpiece during the welding process performed by the MC1 welding robot in step St1, the NO button B2 is pressed. Conversely, if the worker visually confirms that burn-through occurs in the workpiece during the welding process performed by the MC1 welding robot in step St1, the YES button B1 is pressed. When the YES button B1 is pressed, the processor 11 displays the information on the display unit 14. Fig. The welding parameter guidance screen SCR1a shown in section 4 is displayed according to the instruction text G1. If, however, the NO button B2 is pressed, the processor 11 retains the current welding parameters without changing them and performs various types of processing to display the next user confirmation screen SCR2 (see section 4). Fig. 5) to display.

[0053] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the welding parameter guidance screen SCR1a is a screen that displays content to prompt the worker about the type of welding parameter to be improved from the current welding parameters as a result of the worker's operational input indicating that a "PULSE THRUST" is occurring. Specifically, the welding parameter guidance screen SCR1a contains a message AD1, which prompts the selection of a welding parameter to be improved in order to prevent a "PULSE THRUST," a guidance text G1a, and the welding parameter options C1, C2, and C3, in a recommended order for improving the welding parameters. The guidance text G1a instructs the worker to select (click) the type (element) of welding parameter they wish to adjust.

[0054] The occurrence of a "burn-through" means that the amount of wire 301 that has burned through is increasing. Therefore, "decrease welding current" is displayed as option C1, "decrease welding stress" as option C2, and "adjust feed angle" as option C3. In other words, the user interface device 10 presents options C1, C2, and C3 in this order as a priority sequence that the operator must confirm to prevent a "burn-through" from occurring.

[0055] More precisely, if the operator selects option C1 "REDUCE WELDING CURRENT", processor 11 adjusts the welding current, which is one of the current welding parameters, to reduce it by an amount that depends on the number of adjustments, corresponding to the second confirmation element to prevent "PULSE THROUGH". Similarly, if the operator selects option C2 "REDUCE WELDING VOLTAGE", processor 11 adjusts the welding voltage, which is one of the current welding parameters, to reduce it by an amount that depends on the number of adjustments, corresponding to the second confirmation element to prevent "PULSE THROUGH".If the worker selects option C3 “FEED ANGLE”, the processor 11 adjusts the feed angle, which is one of the current welding parameters, to change the feed angle by an adjustment amount that depends on the number of adjustment operations corresponding to the second confirmation element, in order to prevent the occurrence of a “PULSE THROUGH”.

[0056] The welding parameter guidance screen SCR1a can contain the contents of a table TBL2, which displays a past change history indicating which settings (changes) were made to the welding parameters in the past to prevent "burn-through" occurrences, so that they correspond to the user confirmation element that indicates whether "burn-through" occurs. The change history shown in table TBL2 is stored in memory 52 of the robot controller 50 or in memory 12 of the user interface device 10. Although Fig. 4. If the change history of the past shows which settings (changes) were made to the welding parameters in the past to prevent the occurrence of "PURRING", the change history of the past can be stored in a similar way so that it corresponds to other user confirmation elements than the occurrence of "PURRING".

[0057] The in Fig. The change history table TBL2 shown in Figure 4 contains several state data entries, each specifying a welding condition (record) and including several elements: "CHANGE CONTENT" [relative value], "STATUS" (A, V, S) [absolute value], "TORCH HOLD ANGLE" [absolute value], "TRAVEL ANGLE" [absolute value], and "RESULT". The change content indicates the amount of change (the so-called difference value) compared to the value of the welding parameter before the change. "A" of the condition specifies the welding current (amperes), "V" of the condition specifies the welding voltage (volts), and "S" of the condition specifies the wire feed rate (meters / minute).

[0058] The respective records in the change history table TBL2 are assigned index numbers HIS1, HIS2, HIS3,... as identification numbers. The "RESULT" is an indication that specifies the weld quality of the workpiece in relation to the operator, as a result of welding performed after the welding parameters (welding conditions) corresponding to the record were changed. That is, it shows that the change in index number HIS1 (i.e., the reduction of the welding current by 20 A) is "INSUFFICIENT" (i.e., burn-through occurred again) with regard to preventing burn-through. It shows that the change in index number HIS2 (i.e., the reduction of the welding voltage by 5 V) is "EXCESSIVE" with regard to preventing burn-through (i.e., burn-through is prevented, but the weld quality is excessively altered).It is shown that changing the index number HIS3 (i.e., reducing the burner holding angle by 5 degrees) can solve the problem of preventing “burn-through” (i.e., preventing burn-through).

[0059] If the in Fig. When the welding parameter guidance screen SCR1a shown in Figure 4 is displayed on the display unit 14, the operator can select the index number (e.g., index number HIS1) that corresponds to a past change history, likely used for each record in the change history table TBL2. In this case, the processor 11 transmits a data signal to the robot controller 50 corresponding to the operator's selection of index number HIS1 (i.e., a data signal indicating the content of index number HIS1). The robot controller 50 sets the welding parameter based on the data signal transmitted by the user interface device 10.As described above, by viewing the result in the past change history displayed on the welding parameter guidance screen SCR1a, the worker can obtain a useful suggestion as to whether the welding parameter should be adjusted according to the change history and can instruct the MC1 welding robot to perform a high-quality weld.

[0060] Back to Fig. 8: When the processor 11 of the user interface device 10 detects that a worker operation is being entered indicating that the user confirmation element in the user confirmation screen SCR1 (for example, whether "BURN THROUGH" occurs as the second confirmation element) is not satisfied (step St3, NO), the processor 11 executes the processing of step St4. Specifically, the processor 11 modifies (sets) and sets a setting parameter depending on the number of settings for satisfying the second confirmation element (i.e., preventing the occurrence of "BURN THROUGH") based on the input of the worker operation (e.g., the operation in relation to the one in Fig. 4 shown welding parameter guidance screen SCR1a) (step St4).

[0061] After step St4, processor 11 again displays the user confirmation screen SCR1 (see Fig. 3) On the display unit 14 (step St2), a welding instruction is generated, containing a data signal of the modified (set) welding parameter set in step St4, and the welding instruction is transmitted to the robot controller 50. Based on the welding instruction transmitted by the user interface unit 10, the robot controller 50 instructs the welding robot MC1 to perform the welding using the modified (set) welding parameter specified by the welding instruction (step St5). After the welding performed by the welding robot MC1 in step St5 is completed, the operator visually inspects the welded object to determine the user confirmation element (e.g., whether "PULSE THROUGH" appears as the second confirmation element) in the user confirmation screen SCR1, which is displayed on the display unit 14 of the user interface unit 10.

[0062] If it is determined that the worker input indicates that the user confirmation element (e.g., whether "BURN THROUGH" appears as the second confirmation element) is fulfilled in the user confirmation screen SCR1 (step St3, YES), the processor 11 recognizes the worker input and transmits it to the robot controller 50. The robot controller 50 refers to the reference data stored in memory 52 and generates the user confirmation screen SCR2 (see Fig. 5) to request a worker operation with respect to a third confirmation element to be confirmed in addition to the second confirmation element, and transmits the user confirmation screen SCR2 to the user interface device 10.

[0063] Processor 11 displays the user confirmation screen SCR2 transmitted by the robot control unit 50 (see Fig. 5) on the display unit 14 (step St6). The user confirmation screen SCR2 is a screen that defines the third confirmation element queried from the worker to determine the welding condition required for a high-quality weld.

[0064] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 5, the user confirmation screen SCR2, for example, is a screen that displays content to ask the worker whether the "DEPOSIT AMOUNT" is appropriate in relation to the weld quality of the workpiece during the weld performed by the MC1 welding robot in step St5. The "DEPOSIT AMOUNT" can also be referred to as the "BEAD SIZE". Specifically, the user confirmation screen SCR2 includes a title message Q2 indicating the "DEPOSIT AMOUNT," which is the third confirmation element, an instruction text G2, and a YES button B3 and a NO button B4 to answer the question of whether the "DEPOSIT AMOUNT" is appropriate. Furthermore, a small bead button L1 and a large bead button U1 are arranged in the NO button B4 and are pressable, with the small bead button L1 serving to instruct the user to make the deposit amount (i.e., the bead size) smaller than a current deposit amount, and the large bead button U1 serving to instruct the user to make the deposit amount (i.e., the bead size) larger than a current deposit amount.The instruction text G2 is a text that asks the worker whether the deposit amount (bead size) is appropriate.

[0065] If, at the latest during steps St1 and St5, the operator visually confirms that the "deposit amount" (i.e., the bead size) of the workpiece is not adequate for the weld being performed by the MC1 welding robot, the Small Bead button L1 or the Large Bead button U1 in the NO button B4 is pressed. When the Small Bead button L1 is pressed, processor 11 generates an instruction to reduce a welding parameter from the current welding parameters by a predefined amount, depending on the number of adjustments, to make the "deposit amount" (bead size) smaller than the current depth, and transmits the instruction to the robot controller 50. Based on receiving the instruction, the robot controller 50 adjusts the welding parameter specified by the instruction to reduce it by a predefined amount, depending on the number of adjustments.As described above, when determining each user confirmation element, the setting amount (predefined amount) of the welding parameter is defined to gradually decrease as the number of settings increases, and this also applies to the following description. When the Large Bead button U1 is pressed, the processor 11 generates an instruction to increase one of the current welding parameters by a predefined amount, which depends on the number of settings, to make the "DEPOSIT AMOUNT" (bead size) greater than the current depth, and transmits the instruction to the robot controller 50. Based on receiving the instruction, the robot controller 50 sets the welding parameter specified by the instruction to increase it by a predefined amount, which depends on the number of settings.On the other hand, if the worker visually confirms at the latest point in steps St1 and St5 that the "DEPOSIT AMOUNT" (i.e., the bead size) of the workpiece is appropriate for the weld being performed by the MC1 welding robot, the YES button B3 is pressed. When the YES button B3 is pressed, processor 11 retains the current welding parameters without changing them and performs various types of processing to display the next user confirmation screen SCR3 (see ). Fig. 6) to display.

[0066] Back to Fig. 8: When the processor 11 of the user interface device 10 detects that a worker operation is being entered indicating that the user confirmation element (e.g., whether the "DEPOSIT AMOUNT," which is the third confirmation element, is adequate) in the user confirmation screen SCR2 is not satisfied (step St7, NO), the processor 11 executes the processing of step St8. Specifically, the processor 11 modifies (sets) and sets a setting parameter depending on the number of settings required to satisfy the third confirmation element (i.e., to achieve a more adequate "DEPOSIT AMOUNT") based on the worker operation input (e.g., the selection of the small bulge button L1 or the large bulge button U1 in the screen shown in the text). Fig. 5 shown user confirmation screen SCR2) (Step St8).

[0067] After step St8, processor 11 again displays the user confirmation screen SCR2 (see Fig. 5) on the display unit 14 (step St6), generates a welding instruction containing a data signal of the modified (set) welding parameter set in step St8, and transmits the welding instruction to the robot control unit 50. Based on the welding instruction transmitted by the user interface unit 10, the robot control unit 50 instructs the welding robot MC1 to perform the welding using the modified (set) welding parameter specified by the welding instruction (step St9). After the welding performed by the welding robot MC1 in step St9 is completed, the operator visually inspects the welded object to determine the user confirmation element (e.g., whether the "DEPOSIT AMOUNT," which is the third confirmation element, is adequate) in the user confirmation screen SCR2, which is displayed on the display unit 14 of the user interface unit 10.

[0068] If it is determined that the worker input indicates that the user confirmation element (e.g., whether the "DEPOSIT AMOUNT" appears as the third confirmation element) is fulfilled in the user confirmation screen SCR2 (step St7, YES), the processor 11 recognizes the worker input and transmits it to the robot controller 50. The robot controller 50 refers to the reference data stored in memory 52 and generates the user confirmation screen SCR3 (see Fig. 6) to request a worker operation with respect to a fourth confirmation element to be confirmed in addition to the third confirmation element, and transmits the user confirmation screen SCR3 to the user interface device 10.

[0069] Processor 11 displays the user confirmation screen SCR3 transmitted by the robot control unit 50 (see Fig. 6) on the display unit 14 (step St10). The user confirmation screen SCR3 is a screen that defines the fourth confirmation element that is requested from the worker to determine the welding condition that must be established to achieve a high-quality weld.

[0070] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 6, the user confirmation screen SCR3, for example, is a screen that displays content to prompt the worker about one of three types – “KEEP CURRENT STATE,” “WIDE AND FLAT,” and “NARROW AND HIGH” – for the “BEAD SHAPE” in relation to the weld quality of the workpiece during welding by the MC1 welding robot at the latest between steps St1, St5, and St9. Specifically, the user confirmation screen SCR3 includes a title message Q3 indicating the “BEAD SHAPE,” which is the fourth confirmation element, an instruction text G3, and a “WIDE AND FLAT” button B5, a “KEEP CURRENT STATE” button B6, and a “NARROW AND HIGH” button B7 for selecting one of the three types – “KEEP CURRENT STATE,” “WIDE AND FLAT,” and “NARROW AND HIGH” – for the “BEAD SHAPE.”The instruction text G3 displays a text with which the worker can be asked about one of the three types “KEEP CURRENT STATE”, “WIDE AND FLAT” and “NARROW AND HIGH” for the bead shape.

[0071] If the operator visually confirms, at the latest between steps St1, St5, and St9, that the "bead shape" of the welded object cannot be achieved during the welding process performed by the MC1 welding robot while maintaining the current welding parameters, the wide-and-flat button B5 or the narrow-and-high button B7 is pressed. When the wide-and-flat button B5 is pressed, processor 11 generates an instruction to reduce one of the current welding parameters by a predefined amount, depending on the number of adjustments, to make the "bead shape" wider than the current width, and transmits this instruction to the robot controller 50. Based on the receipt of the instruction, the robot controller 50 adjusts the welding parameter specified by the instruction by a predefined amount, which depends on the number of adjustments.When the narrow-and-high button B7 is pressed, processor 11 generates an instruction to increase a welding parameter of the current welding parameters by a predefined amount, depending on the number of settings, to make the "bead shape" narrower and higher than the current one, and transmits the instruction to the robot controller 50. Based on receiving the instruction, the robot controller 50 adjusts the welding parameter specified by the instruction so that it is increased by a predefined amount, depending on the number of settings. Alternatively, if the operator visually confirms at the latest between steps St1, St5, and St9 that the "bead shape" of the workpiece can be achieved during welding by the MC1 welding robot while maintaining the welding parameters, the maintain-current-state button B6 is pressed.When the retain-current-state button B6 is pressed, the processor 11 retains the current welding parameters without changing them and performs various types of processing to display the next user confirmation screen SCR4 (see . Fig. 7).

[0072] Back to Fig. 8: When the processor 11 of the user interface device 10 detects that a work operation is being entered indicating that the user confirmation element (e.g., whether the "bulge shape," which is the fourth confirmation element, can be retained as it is) in the user confirmation screen SCR3 is not satisfied (step St11, NO), the processor 11 executes the processing of step St12. Specifically, the processor 11 modifies (sets) and sets a setting parameter depending on the number of settings required to satisfy the fourth confirmation element (i.e., to realize a desired "bulge shape") based on the input of the work operation (e.g., the selection operation of the wide-and-flat button B5 or the narrow-and-high button B7 in the screen). Fig. 6 shown user confirmation screen SCR3) (Step St12).

[0073] After step St12, processor 11 again displays the user confirmation screen SCR3 (see Fig. 6) on the display unit 14 (step St10), generates a welding instruction containing a data signal of the modified (set) welding parameter set in step St12, and transmits the welding instruction to the robot control unit 50. Based on the welding instruction transmitted by the user interface unit 10, the robot control unit 50 instructs the welding robot MC1 to perform the welding using the modified (set) welding parameter specified by the welding instruction (step St13). After the welding performed by the welding robot MC1 in step St13 is completed, the operator visually inspects the welded object to determine the user confirmation element (e.g., whether the "bead shape," which is the fourth confirmation element, can be retained as is) in the user confirmation screen SCR3, which is displayed on the display unit 14 of the user interface unit 10.

[0074] When it is detected that a worker input is received indicating that the user confirmation element (e.g., whether the "BEAD FORM", which is the fourth confirmation element, can be retained as is) in the user confirmation screen SCR3 is satisfied (step St11, YES), the processor 11 captures the worker's work input and transmits it to the robot controller 50. The robot controller 50 refers to the reference data stored in memory 52 and generates the user confirmation screen SCR4 (see Fig. 7) to request worker input regarding a fifth confirmation element to be confirmed alongside the fourth confirmation element, and transmits the user confirmation screen SCR4 to the user interface device 10.

[0075] Processor 11 displays the user confirmation screen SCR4 transmitted by the robot control unit 50 (see Fig. 7) on the display device 14 (step St14). The user confirmation screen SCR4 is a screen that defines the fifth confirmation element that must be requested by the worker to establish the welding condition that must be determined to achieve a high-quality weld.

[0076] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 7, the user confirmation screen SCR4, for example, is a screen that displays content to query the worker about one of the three types “KEEP CURRENT STATE”, “SURFACE” and “DEEP” for a “PENSIONS DEPTH” in relation to the weld quality of the welded object when welded by the MC1 welding robot at the latest time between steps St1, St5, St9 and St13. In particular, the user confirmation screen SCR4 contains a title message Q4 indicating the “PENPIRATION DEPTH”, which is the fifth confirmation element (more precisely, the penetration depth of the 301 welding wire into a weld section), an instruction text G4, a flat button B8, a keep-current-state button B9, and a depth button B10 to answer one of the three types “KEEP CURRENT STATE”, “SURFACE” and “DEEP” for the “PENPIRATION DEPTH”.The instruction text G4 provides a text with which the worker can be asked about one of the three types “Maintain current state”, “Superficial” and “Deep” for the “Penetration depth”.

[0077] If the worker visually confirms, at the latest between steps St1, St5, St9, and St13, that the "Penetration Depth" of the weld object cannot be achieved during the weld performed by the MC1 welding robot while maintaining the welding parameters, the flat button B8 or the deep button B10 is pressed. When the flat button B8 is pressed, processor 11 generates an instruction to reduce one of the current welding parameters by a predefined amount, depending on the number of adjustments, to make the "Penetration Depth" shallower than the current depth, and transmits the instruction to the robot controller 50. Based on receiving the instruction, the robot controller 50 adjusts the welding parameter specified by the instruction to reduce it by a predefined amount, depending on the number of adjustments.When the Deep button B10 is pressed, processor 11 generates an instruction to increase a welding parameter of the current welding parameters by a predefined amount, depending on the number of settings, to make the "Penetration Depth" greater than the current depth, and transmits the instruction to the robot controller 50. Based on receiving the instruction, the robot controller 50 adjusts the welding parameter specified by the instruction to increase it by a predefined amount, which depends on the number of settings. On the other hand, the Keep-Current-State button B9 is pressed when the operator visually confirms, at the latest during steps St1, St5, St9, and St13, that the "Penetration Depth" of the weld object can be achieved during the weld performed by the MC1 welding robot if the welding parameters are kept as they are.When the retain-the-current-state button B9 is pressed, the processor 11 retains the current welding parameters without changing them, determines the current welding parameter as the welding condition and transmits the determined welding parameters to the robot control unit 50.

[0078] Back to Fig. 9: When the processor 11 of the user interface device 10 detects that an operation is being entered indicating that the user confirmation element (e.g., whether the "PENPRINCIPLE DEPTH," which is the fifth confirmation element, can be retained as is) in the user confirmation screen SCR4 is not satisfied (step St15, NO), the processor 11 executes the processing of step St16. Specifically, the processor 11 modifies (sets) and sets a setting parameter depending on the number of settings required to satisfy the fifth confirmation element (i.e., to achieve a desired "PENPRINCIPLE DEPTH") based on the operation input (e.g., the selection of the flat button B8 or the deep button B10 in the screen). Fig. 7 shown user confirmation screen SCR4) (Step St16).

[0079] After step St16, processor 11 again displays the user confirmation screen SCR4 (see Fig. 7) on the display unit 14 (step St14), generates a welding instruction containing a data signal of the modified (set) welding parameter set in step St16, and transmits the welding instruction to the robot controller 50. Based on the welding instruction transmitted by the user interface unit 10, the robot controller 50 instructs the welding robot MC1 to perform the welding using the modified (set) welding parameter specified by the welding instruction (step St17). After the welding performed by the welding robot MC1 in step St17 is completed, the operator visually inspects the welded object to determine the user's confirmation element (e.g., whether the "PENPIRATION DEPTH," which is the fifth confirmation element, can be maintained as is) in the confirmation screen SCR4, which is displayed on the display unit 14 of the user interface unit 10.

[0080] When it is determined that a worker operation is entered indicating that the user confirmation element (e.g., whether the "PENPIRATION DEPTH," which is the fifth confirmation element, can be retained) in the user confirmation screen SCR4 is satisfied (step St15, YES), processor 11 determines that the welding parameter, which has already been set or determined at that point, should be recorded as the welding condition (step St18). When a worker operation is entered to terminate the design guide, which is the processing of the welding condition determination (step St19, YES), the design guide between the user interface device 10 and the robot controller 50 ends. In this case, processor 11 transmits the welding condition determined in step St18 to the robot controller 50. The robot controller 50 stores the welding condition transmitted by the user interface device 10 in memory 52.

[0081] On the other hand, if a worker operation is entered to continue the design guide, which is the processing of the determination of the welding condition (step St19, NO), the processing of the user interface device 10 returns to step St1.

[0082] Fig. Figure 10 is a diagram showing a table that defines a combination example of the first confirmation element, the second confirmation element, the third confirmation element, the fourth confirmation element, and the fifth confirmation element. Fig. Figure 10 shows all possible combinations (specifically 120 combinations) of the first confirmation element, the second confirmation element, the third confirmation element, the fourth confirmation element, and the fifth confirmation element. Although the description of the elements in the Fig. 8 and Fig. In the flowcharts shown, a first combination set S1 is shown as an example; other combination sets (in particular combination sets S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, ..., S21, S22, S23 and S24) can be applied in the same way to the description of the processes described in the diagrams. Fig. 8 and Fig. The flowcharts shown in 9 can be applied.

[0083] The order of the remaining second through fifth confirmation elements can be changed according to the first confirmation element. For example, if the first confirmation element is "WELDING POSITION," the processing of the four steps St2, St3, St4, and St5 is performed as a single unit for each of the second through fifth confirmation elements. In other words, for "WELDING POSITION," the processing of the four steps described above is not performed, and only the processing of the step described in the second confirmation element is carried out. Fig. Step 8, shown, St1 is executed immediately afterwards. Therefore, the sequence of the steps shown in the diagram is... Fig. The processing shown in the flowchart 8 is carried out by appropriately combining the processing units of two steps of steps St0 and St1 (if the confirmation element = “WELDING POSITION”) and the four steps of steps St2, St3, St4 and St5 according to the respective combinations of the in Fig. The first to fifth confirmation elements shown in the 10 images are determined.

[0084] As described above, in the welding system 100 according to the first embodiment, a welding condition determination device (for example, the user interface device 10) comprises: the communication interface 15, which is connected to a welding machine (e.g., the welding robot MC1 and the robot control unit 50) in such a way that data communication is possible; an output device (e.g., the display device 14) which is configured to output N (N is an integer of 2 or more) user confirmation screens in a predefined sequence to confirm the weld quality of an object welded by the welding machine (e.g., the upper plate Wk1 and the lower plate Wk2); the input device 13, which is configured to display a user instruction (e.g.,a work operation); and processor 11, which is configured to set or determine a welding parameter based on user input. Processor 11 is configured to output a (k + 1)th (k is a variable from 1 to N) user confirmation screen to the output device when the welding parameter is determined based on user input for a kth user confirmation screen. Processor 11 is configured to output the kth user confirmation screen to the output device to confirm the weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine using a set welding parameter when the welding parameter is set based on user input for the kth user confirmation screen.The processor 11 is configured to determine a welding condition, a workpiece position and a wire target position for welding the object by the welding machine using a welding parameter determined based on the input of the worker operation for the N user confirmation screens.

[0085] Accordingly, the welding condition determination device (e.g., the user interface device 10) can more easily determine the welding condition, the workpiece position, and the wire target position for the MC1 welding robot to perform high-quality welding by displaying the user confirmation screen on the display device 14 and capturing the operator's operating input for each user confirmation screen.

[0086] Processor 11 is configured to change a welding parameter setting value depending on the number of welding parameter setting operations, based on the user input for the kth user confirmation screen. Since the welding condition determination device (e.g., user interface device 10) changes the setting value depending on the number of welding parameter settings, appropriate welding parameter adjustment can be easily performed.

[0087] Processor 11 is configured to progressively decrease the welding parameter setting amount each time the number of welding parameter adjustments increases. However, if the effect after the adjustment is minimal, the setting is repeated by the same amount as the previous setting. Similarly, the welding condition determination device (e.g., the user interface device 10) makes a large adjustment when the number of adjustments is low and decreases the adjustment amount each time the number of adjustments increases, thus enabling rapid convergence of welding parameter settings.

[0088] If the user instruction indicates that the weld quality of the object (e.g., the workpiece) is not improved by adjusting the welding parameter, the processor readjusts the welding parameter by an amount equal to the original setting. Accordingly, the welding condition determination device (e.g., the user interface device 10) can reduce the time required for adjusting the welding parameter, thus enabling earlier convergence in the welding parameter setting.

[0089] Processor 11 is configured to change the display order of the remaining user confirmation screens from a second user confirmation screen to an Nth user confirmation screen (e.g., a display order corresponding to burn-through, deposit amount, bead shape, and penetration depth) according to a first user confirmation screen (e.g., weld attitude) among the N user confirmation screens. Accordingly, the welding condition determination device (e.g., the user interface device 10) displays, for example, a user confirmation screen that is an important factor for setting the welding parameters first and changes the display order of the remaining user confirmation screens according to the confirmation elements on the user confirmation screen, so that the welding parameters can be set quickly.

[0090] One value of N is 4, and the four user confirmation screens include a first screen (e.g., user confirmation screen SCR1) to confirm whether burn-through occurs in the object welded by the welding machine, a second screen (e.g., user confirmation screen SCR2) to confirm whether the amount of metal deposited on the object welded by the welding machine is adequate, a third screen (e.g., user confirmation screen SCR3) to confirm whether the bead shape of the object welded by the welding machine is adequate, and a fourth screen (e.g., user confirmation screen SCR4) to confirm whether the penetration depth of the object welded by the welding machine is adequate. Consequently, the welding condition determination device (e.g.,the user interface device 10) determine the welding condition to support the realization of a high-quality weld based on the four user confirmation screens and a result of an operational input by the worker in relation to each user confirmation screen.

[0091] The predefined sequence is defined as the order of the first screen, the second screen, the third screen, and the fourth screen. This makes it possible to efficiently determine several welding parameters that a worker must consider to achieve high-quality welding work.

[0092] Processor 11 is configured to output a selection screen (e.g., user confirmation screen SCR1) to the output device (e.g., display device 14). This screen displays an instruction to select any type of welding parameter from several types, represented by a setting element and a corresponding selection icon (e.g., options C1, C2, and C3) for each of these parameters. This selection is based on the user's input regarding the welding quality of the object, as shown on the k-th user confirmation screen. Consequently, the operator of the user interface device 10 can easily determine which welding parameter should be set, even without extensive experience or intuition, thus improving the efficiency of the setting process.

[0093] Processor 11 is configured to arrange the selection icon for each of the several types of welding parameters according to a priority order to improve the weld quality of the object with respect to the k-th user confirmation screen. Accordingly, the worker operating the user interface device 10 can receive an indication of the order in which the welding parameter settings should be checked, thus improving not only the worker's knowledge but also the efficiency of setting the welding parameters.

[0094] When the welding parameter is set based on the user instruction, the processor 11 stores a change history on the selection screen. This history correlates at least one welding parameter setting and a corresponding weld quality result produced by the welding machine using that setting. The change history is then output to the output device (e.g., the display device 14). Accordingly, the operator of the user interface device 10 can receive a helpful suggestion as to whether the welding parameter should be adjusted according to the change history and can instruct the MC1 welding robot to perform a high-quality weld.

[0095] For each of the several types of welding parameters, a range of recommended values ​​(e.g., the appropriate range) is predefined. If a welding parameter, set based on user input, exceeds the range of the recommended value corresponding to that welding parameter, the processor 11 rearranges the selection icon for each of the several types of welding parameters in such a way that the priority order of the welding parameter is lowered. Accordingly, the operator using the user interface device 10 can easily see that the value of the welding parameter currently being set is approaching the range that is not recommended for the MC1 welding robot to perform the welding operation, and can easily identify the element (type) of the corresponding welding parameter to be set next.

[0096] Although various embodiments have been described above with reference to the drawings, it goes without saying that the present disclosure is not limited to such examples. It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that various modifications, corrections, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents are conceivable within the scope of the claims, and it should be clear that such modifications, corrections, substitutions, additions, deletions, and equivalents also fall within the technical scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the components in the various embodiments described above can be freely combined without departing from the core of the invention.

[0097] The welding parameter setting value can differ depending on whether the welding operation of the MC1 welding robot takes place during production (i.e., during mass production in full) or before production begins. The first embodiment described above illustrates the case before production starts. That is, when the user interface device 10 receives information indicating that production is underway, the setting value is halved compared to the case before production starts, even if this is the first time the welding parameter is being set for each user confirmation screen. The reduction is not limited to 50%.

[0098] The present application is based on Japanese patent application No. 2023-029695, which was filed on February 28, 2023, and the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0099] The present disclosure is useful as a welding condition determination device, as a welding condition determination method and as a program for the simpler determination of welding conditions for carrying out quality welding. REFERENCE MARK LIST 10 User interface device 11.51 processor 12.52 memory 13 Input device 14 Display unit 15, 53 Communication interface 50 robot control unit 51a arithmetic processing unit 51b Power supply control unit 54 Welding power supply unit 100 welding systems 200 manipulation units 300 wire feeder 301 welding wire 400 welding torches MC1 welding robot Wk1 upper plate WWII lower plate QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] JP 5927505B

[0003] JP 2023-029695

[0098]

Claims

[1] Welding condition determination device with: a communication interface connected to a welding machine to enable data communication; an output device configured to display a number of N (N is an integer of 2 or more) user confirmation screens in a predefined sequence to confirm the weld quality of an object welded by the welding machine; an input device configured to input a user instruction for each of the user confirmation screens; and a processor configured to set or determine a welding parameter based on user instruction input, wherein the processor is configured to: to output a (k + 1)th (k is a variable from 1 to N) user confirmation screen to the output device when the welding parameter is determined based on the input of the user instruction for a kth user confirmation screen; If the welding parameter is set based on the user instruction input for the k-th user confirmation screen, the k-th user confirmation screen is output to the output device to confirm the weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine using the set welding parameter, and to determine a welding condition, a workpiece position and a wire target position for welding the object by the welding machine using the welding parameter, after it has been determined based on the user instruction for the number N user confirmation screens. [2] Welding condition determination device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to change a setting amount of the welding parameter depending on the number of welding parameter setting operations based on the input of the user instruction for the k-th user confirmation screen. [3] Welding condition determination device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to gradually decrease the setting amount of the welding parameter each time the number of welding parameter setting operations increases. [4] Welding condition determination device according to claim 2, wherein, when the user instruction is received indicating that the welding quality of the object is not improved by adjusting the welding parameter, the processor is configured to readjust the welding parameter by an adjustment amount which is the same as the adjustment amount of the welding parameter. [5] Welding condition determination device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to change the display sequence of the remaining user confirmation screens from a second user confirmation screen to an Nth user confirmation screen according to a first user confirmation screen among the N user confirmation screens. [6] Welding condition determination device according to claim 1, wherein a value of N is equal to 5 and the five user confirmation screens comprise a first screen for confirming a welding attitude of the welding machine in relation to the object, a second screen for confirming whether burn-through occurs in the object welded by the welding machine, a third screen for confirming whether a deposit of metal on the object welded by the welding machine is adequate, a fourth screen for confirming whether a bead shape of the object welded by the welding machine is adequate, and a fifth screen for confirming whether penetration of the object welded by the welding machine is adequate. [7] Welding condition determination device according to claim 6, wherein the predefined sequence is defined as a sequence of the first screen, the second screen, the third screen, the fourth screen and the fifth screen. [8] Welding condition determination device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to output a selection screen to the output device in which an instruction to select any type from several types of welding parameters is mapped to each other as a setting element and a selection symbol or selection button of each type from the several types of welding parameters, based on the input of the user instruction to improve the welding quality of the object with respect to the k-th user confirmation screen. [9] Welding condition determination device according to claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to arrange the selection symbol or selection button for each of the multiple types of welding parameters according to a priority order to improve the welding quality of the object with respect to the k-th user confirmation screen. [10] Welding condition determination device according to claim 8, wherein, when the welding parameter is set based on the input of the user instruction, the processor is configured to overlay a change history on the selection screen in which at least one setting value of the welding parameter and a result of the welding quality caused by the welding machine using the set welding parameter are associated with each other, and to output the change history to the output device. [11] Welding condition determination device according to claim 9, wherein a range of usage recommendation value is predefined for each of the several types of welding parameters, and, If the set welding parameter, based on the user instruction input, exceeds the range of the usage recommendation value corresponding to the welding parameter, the processor is configured to rearrange the selection icon of each of the multiple types of welding parameters to lower the priority order of the welding parameter. [12] Welding condition determination method performed by a welding condition determination device containing one or more computers, the welding condition determination method comprising: a step of connecting to a welding machine configured to weld an object in order to enable data communication; a step of outputting, according to a predefined sequence, a number of N (N is an integer of 2 or more) user confirmation screens to confirm a weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine; one step of entering a user instruction for each of the user confirmation screens; and a step of setting or determining a welding parameter based on user instruction input, wherein The step of setting or determining the welding parameter includes: a step of outputting a (k + 1)th (k is a variable from 1 to N) user confirmation screen to an output device when the welding parameter is determined based on the input of the user instruction for a kth user confirmation screen; a step of outputting the k-th user confirmation screen to the output device when the welding parameter is set based on the input of the user instruction for the k-th user confirmation screen to confirm a weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine using the set welding parameter; and a step of determining a welding condition, a workpiece position and a wire target position for welding the object by the welding machine using a welding parameter, after it has been determined based on the user instruction for the number N user confirmation screens. [13] Program that causes a welding condition determination device to use one or more computers to perform the following: a step of connecting to a welding machine configured to weld an object in order to enable data communication; a step of issuing, according to a predefined sequence, a number N (N is an integer of 2 or more) of user confirmation screens to confirm a weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine; one step of entering a user instruction for each of the user confirmation screens; and a step of setting or determining a welding parameter based on user instruction input, wherein In the step of setting or determining the welding parameter, the program causes the welding condition determination device to execute: a step of outputting a (k + 1)th (k is a variable from 1 to N) user confirmation screen to an output device when the welding parameter is determined based on the input of the user instruction for a kth user confirmation screen; a step of outputting the k-th user confirmation screen to the output device when the welding parameter is set based on the input of the user instruction for the k-th user confirmation screen to confirm a weld quality of the object welded by the welding machine using the set welding parameter; and a step of determining a welding condition, a workpiece position and a wire target position for welding the object by the welding machine using a welding parameter, after it has been determined based on the user instruction for the number N user confirmation screens.

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