Control Information Generation Device, Control Information Generation Method, Program, and Welding Device and Welding Method

Abstract

To provide a laminate-shaping control information generation device capable of suppressing the occurrence of an unwelded part caused by a gap formed inside a folded corner even when a bead-forming path has intersecting folded corner parts with a folded angle, a control information generation method, a program, a welding device, and a welding method.SOLUTION: A control information generation device 200 comprises: a target position information acquisition unit 31 that acquires information on a plurality of target positions for forming a bead in a shaping path; a folded angle calculation unit 33 that extracts folded corner parts of the shaping path from the plurality of target positions, and calculate a folded angle of the extracted folded corner parts; a target position interval correction unit 35 that corrects intervals among the plurality of target positions arranged in an inner region held by the shaping path of the folded corner parts; a shaping path correction unit 37 that corrects the shaping path so as to enlarge the interval among the target positions as the folded angle of the folded corner parts is smaller; and a control information generation unit 39 that generates control information including information about the corrected shaping path.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control information generation device, a control information generation method, a program, a welding device, and a welding method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, the need for shaping using a 3D printer as a production means has been increasing, and research and development have been promoted toward the practical application of shaping using metal materials. A 3D printer for shaping a metal material manufactures a shaped object by melting a metal powder or a metal wire using a heat source such as a laser, an electron beam, or an arc, and laminating the molten metal.

[0003] As such a shaping technique, Patent Document 1 discloses a laminating shaping apparatus that laminates molten processing materials to shape a three-dimensional shape. The laminating shaping apparatus shapes a layer shape by moving a processing position along a shaping path (also referred to as a "path") indicated by control information, melting a processing material, and arranging beads on a processing target surface, and laminates this layer shape to shape a desired three-dimensional shape. Then, during shaping, a correction width of the bead width is obtained based on the path of bead formation and the reference width of the bead cross section, and the bead is formed along a corrected path corrected based on this correction width, thereby suppressing a decrease in shaping quality due to bead overlap.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] By the way, in the three-dimensional shape modeling by the above-described laminated modeling, as shown in FIG. 16A, there may be a bent portion that forms a corner where the paths PS_1 and PS_2 of the bead and the paths PS_3 and PS_4 are bent. In that case, a gap SP is generated between the outer paths (PS_1, PS2) and the inner filling paths (PS_3, PS_4) in the inner region of the bent portion, and an unfused portion is likely to occur. This is because the outer edge of the formed bead B has a roundness outside the corner of the path while forming a sharp corner inside. As shown in FIG. 16B, the gap SP is more significantly generated as the bend angles where the paths PS1 and PS2 intersect and the paths PS3 and PS4 intersect are smaller.

[0006] In order to avoid the generation of such a gap SP, it is conceivable to simply extend the path of bead formation to fill the gap SP. However, since the filling is to fill the bead B in a narrow portion, the amount of welding is likely to be excessive unless the welding conditions are appropriately adjusted. As a result, as shown in FIG. 17, problems such as the bead height H at the bent portion becoming higher than the bead height H at other portions 0 are likely to occur.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a control information generation device, a control information generation method, a program, a welding device, and a welding method for laminated modeling that can suppress the occurrence of an unfused portion due to a gap generated inside a bent angle even when the path of bead formation has a bent portion that intersects with a bent angle.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] The present invention has the following configuration. (1) A control information generation device that generates control information for controlling a laminated modeling device that forms a layer shape using beads formed by adding a molten processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a modeling path, and laminates the layer shapes to model a three-dimensional shape of a desired modeled object, a target position information acquisition unit that acquires information on a plurality of target positions for bead formation in the modeling path, A bending angle calculation unit that extracts a bent angle portion of the shaping path from the plurality of target positions and obtains the bending angle of the extracted bent angle portion; A target position interval correction unit that corrects the interval between the plurality of target positions arranged in the inner region sandwiched by the shaping path of the bent angle portion; A shaping path correction unit that corrects the shaping path so that the interval between the target positions becomes larger as the bending angle of the bent angle portion becomes smaller; A control information generation unit that generates the control information including the information of the corrected shaping path; A control information generation device comprising the above. (2) A control information generation method for generating control information for controlling a layer manufacturing apparatus that forms a layer shape using beads formed by adding a molten processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a shaping path, and laminates the layer shapes to manufacture a three-dimensional shape of a desired shaped object, comprising: Obtaining information on a plurality of target positions for bead formation in the shaping path; Extracting a bent angle portion of the shaping path from the plurality of target positions, and obtaining the bending angle of the extracted bent angle portion; Correcting the interval between the plurality of target positions arranged in the inner region sandwiched by the shaping path of the bent angle portion; Correcting the shaping path so that the interval between the target positions becomes larger as the bending angle of the bent angle portion becomes smaller; Generating the control information including the information of the corrected shaping path; A control information generation method. (3) A program that executes the procedure of a control information generation method for generating control information for controlling a layer manufacturing apparatus that forms a layer shape using beads formed by adding a molten processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a shaping path, and laminates the layer shapes to manufacture a three-dimensional shape of a desired shaped object, comprising: Causing a computer to: Execute a procedure for obtaining information on a plurality of target positions for bead formation in the shaping path; A procedure for extracting the bending angle portion of the shaping path from the plurality of target positions and obtaining the bending angle of the extracted bending angle portion; A procedure for correcting the intervals between the plurality of target positions arranged in the inner region sandwiched by the shaping path of the bending angle portion; A procedure for correcting the shaping path so that the interval between the target positions increases as the bending angle of the bending angle portion becomes smaller; A procedure for generating the control information including the information of the corrected shaping path; A program for executing. (4) The control information generation device according to (1), The additive manufacturing device that performs arc welding along the shaping path based on the control information generated by the control information generation device; A welding device comprising the above. (5) A welding method that performs arc welding along the shaping path based on the control information generated by the control information generation method according to (2). [Advantages of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, even when the bead formation path has a bending angle portion where the paths intersect with a bending angle, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of an unwelded portion due to a gap generated inside the bending angle. [Brief Description of the Drawings]

[0010]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, a configuration example of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Here, a layer shape is formed using beads formed by adding a molten processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a shaping path, and the control information generation device of the present invention is applied to a layered manufacturing method in which the layer shapes are laminated to shape the three-dimensional shape of a desired shaped object. Further, the present invention can also be applied to the control of general welding such as fillet welding and butt welding.

[0012] The control information generation device generates a control signal for manufacturing a welded structure in a welding device including welding equipment such as a manipulator and a heat source. First, an example of a layered manufacturing device constituting the welding device will be described. The layered manufacturing device forms beads by adding a molten processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a shaping path. Using these beads, a layer shape is formed, and by laminating the layer shapes, the three-dimensional shape of a desired shaped object is shaped.

[0013] <Layered Manufacturing Device> FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a layered manufacturing device 100. The layered manufacturing device 100 includes a shaping unit 11 and a shaping control unit 13 that controls the shaping unit 11. The control information generation device 200 may be connected to the shaping control unit 13 to form a part of the layered manufacturing device 100, or may be provided separately from the layered manufacturing device 100 and connected to the shaping control unit 13 via communication such as a network or a storage medium. The shaping control unit 13 comprehensively controls each part of the shaping unit 11.

[0014] The shaping unit 11 includes a manipulator 17, a filler metal supply unit 19, a manipulator control unit 21, and a heat source control unit 23. The manipulator control unit 21 controls the manipulator 17 and the heat source control unit 23. A controller (not shown) is connected to the manipulator control unit 21 so that any operation from the manipulator control unit 21 can be instructed by an operator via the controller.

[0015] The manipulator 17 is, for example, an articulated robot, and the filler metal M is supported so as to be continuously supplied to a torch 25 provided at the tip axis. The torch 25 holds the filler metal M in a state protruding from the tip. The position and orientation of the torch 25 can be arbitrarily set three-dimensionally within the range of the degrees of freedom of the robot arm constituting the manipulator 17. The manipulator 17 preferably has six or more degrees of freedom, and preferably can arbitrarily change the axial direction of the heat source at the tip. The manipulator 17 may be in various forms, such as an articulated robot with four or more axes shown in FIG. 1, or a robot equipped with an angle adjustment mechanism on two or more orthogonal axes.

[0016] The torch 25 has a shield nozzle (not shown), and shield gas is supplied from the shield nozzle. The shield gas blocks the atmosphere, prevents oxidation and nitridation of the molten metal during welding, and suppresses welding defects. As the arc welding method used in this configuration, either a consumable electrode type such as covered arc welding or carbon dioxide arc welding, or a non-consumable electrode type such as TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding or plasma arc welding may be used, and it is appropriately selected according to the shaping object. Here, gas metal arc welding will be described as an example. In the case of the consumable electrode type, a contact tip is arranged inside the shield nozzle, and the filler metal M to which current is supplied is held by the contact tip. The torch 25 generates an arc from the tip of the filler metal M in a shield gas atmosphere while holding the filler metal M.

[0017] The filler material supply unit 19 supplies the filler material M toward the torch 25. The filler material supply unit 19 includes a reel 19a around which the filler material M is wound, and a feeding mechanism 19b that feeds out the filler material M from the reel 19a. The filler material M is fed to the torch 25 while being sent in the forward or reverse direction as needed by the feeding mechanism 19b. The feeding mechanism 19b is not limited to a push type that is arranged on the filler material supply unit 19 side and extrudes the filler material M, and may be a pull type arranged on a robot arm or the like, or a push-pull type.

[0018] The heat source control unit 23 is a welding power source that supplies the electric power required for welding by the manipulator 17. The heat source control unit 23 adjusts the welding current and the welding voltage supplied during bead formation for melting and solidifying the filler material M. Further, in conjunction with welding conditions such as the welding current and the welding voltage set by the heat source control unit 23, the filler material supply speed of the filler material supply unit 19 is adjusted.

[0019] The heat source for melting the filler material M is not limited to the arc described above. For example, other heat source methods such as a heating method that combines an arc and a laser, a heating method that uses plasma, a heating method that uses an electron beam or a laser, etc. may be adopted. When heating by an electron beam or a laser, the heating amount can be controlled more finely, the state of the bead B to be formed can be maintained more appropriately, and it can contribute to further improvement in the quality of the laminated structure. Also, the material of the filler material M is not particularly limited. For example, depending on the characteristics of the workpiece Wk, the type of the filler material M used may be different, such as mild steel, high-tensile steel, aluminum, aluminum alloy, nickel, nickel-based alloy, etc.

[0020] The additive manufacturing apparatus 100 with the above-described configuration operates according to a manufacturing program created based on the manufacturing plan of the workpiece Wk. The manufacturing program is composed of a large number of instruction codes and is created based on an appropriate algorithm according to various conditions such as the shape, material, and heat input amount of the workpiece Wk. According to this manufacturing program, while moving the torch 25, when the supplied filler metal M is melted and solidified, a linear bead B, which is a melt-solid of the filler metal M, is formed on the base 27. That is, the manipulator control unit 21 drives the manipulator 17 and the heat source control unit 23 based on a predetermined manufacturing program provided from the manufacturing control unit 13. The manipulator 17 moves the torch 25 while melting the filler metal M with an arc according to a command from the manipulator control unit 21 to form the bead B.

[0021] That is, the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 forms the bead B by adding the melted filler metal M, which is the processing material, to the processing target surface while moving the processing position along the path, which is the manufacturing path set by the manufacturing plan. Then, by repeatedly laminating the bead layers formed in the layer shape, the workpiece Wk with the desired shape is obtained.

[0022] The manufacturing control unit 13 receives the control information output from the control information generation device 200. This control information includes the above-described manufacturing plan and information on the manufacturing program. The manufacturing control unit 13 replaces or corrects the prepared manufacturing program according to the input control information, and drives each part of the manufacturing unit 11 with the obtained manufacturing program to perform additive manufacturing.

[0023] The above control information generation device 200 is configured by hardware using an information processing device such as a PC (Personal Computer). Each function of the control information generation device 200 is realized by a control unit (not shown) reading and executing a program having a specific function stored in a storage device (not shown). Examples of the control unit include a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processor Unit), or a dedicated circuit. Examples of the storage device include memories such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a volatile storage area connected to the processor, and a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a non-volatile storage area, as well as storage devices such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and an SSD (Solid State Drive).

[0024] In addition to the above-described form, the control information generation device 200 may be configured by another computer connected to the shaping control unit 13 from a remote location via a network or the like as described above, or may be configured by a computer that is not directly connected to the shaping control unit 13.

[0025] <Generation of Control Information> Next, the procedure for generating control information by the control information generation device 200 will be described. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the control information generation device 200. The control information generation device 200 includes a target position information acquisition unit 31, a fold angle calculation unit 33, a target position interval correction unit 35, a shaping path correction unit 37, and a control information generation unit 39. Although the details of the functions of each unit will be described later, the outline is as follows.

[0026] The aiming position information acquisition unit 31 acquires information on a plurality of aiming positions for bead formation from the shaping plan. The bend angle calculation unit 33 extracts the bend angle portions of the path, which is the shaping path, from the plurality of aiming positions, and obtains the bend angles of the extracted bend angle portions. The aiming position interval correction unit 35 corrects the intervals between a plurality of aiming positions arranged in the inner region sandwiched by the paths of the bend angle portions. The shaping path correction unit 37 corrects the path so that the interval between the aiming positions increases as the bend angle of the bend angle portion decreases. The control information generation unit 39 generates control information including information on the corrected path. Further, it is preferable that the control information generation device 200 further includes a movement amount calculation unit 41 that virtually applies a repulsive force between a plurality of aiming positions to estimate the movement amount of the aiming positions.

[0027] The control information generated by the control information generation unit 39 is output to the shaping control unit 13. The shaping control unit 13 switches or changes the shaping plan based on the input control information. Then, the shaping control unit 13 controls the layer forming apparatus 100 based on the updated shaping plan to layer-form a desired shaped object.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the generation procedure of the control information. Hereinafter, the generation procedure of the control information will be described in detail together with each component of the control information generation device 200 shown in FIG. 2. First, information on a shaping plan for driving the layer forming apparatus 100 to layer-form a shaped object is input to the control information generation device 200. The aiming position information acquisition unit 31 extracts the path for bead formation from the input shaping plan information, and acquires this as the aiming position information (S1). The aiming position here means the coordinates representing the tip position of the torch 25 when forming a bead at the tip of the torch 25, and is a plurality of points set at a predetermined interval along the path. The interval between the aiming positions may be a constant interval for each set path, or may be set according to the curvature of the path.

[0029] Next, the bend angle calculation unit 33 extracts the bend angle portions of the path (aiming positions) extracted by the aiming position information acquisition unit 31, and calculates the bend angles of the extracted bend angle portions (S2). Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a path for explaining the basic procedure of extracting a corner portion. Here, a plurality of target positions P0, P1, P2, P3, P4 are set in this order along the path PS, and the target position P2 is the bent corner portion of the path PS. Various methods can be considered for automatically detecting this corner portion. For example, at least three target positions including any one of the plurality of target positions (for example, target position P1), the forward target position (target position P2) arranged ahead in the shaping direction along the path PS with that target position as the center, and the rearward target position (target position P0) arranged rearward in the shaping direction are connected to form an angle (θ 1a , θ 1b ). This process is performed for each of the plurality of target positions. Then, the position where the obtained angle is minimized is determined as the corner portion.

[0030] That is, any one of the plurality of target positions and, with that any one target position as the center, among the other target positions included inside a predetermined radius distance, at least three target positions including the forward target position arranged ahead in the shaping direction along the path PS and the rearward target position arranged rearward in the shaping direction are obtained. The angle on the smaller side formed by connecting these three target positions is obtained for all of the plurality of target positions or a part of a specific region. The corner angle is determined from the result.

[0031] Specifically, at the above-mentioned target position P1, both of the two corner angles θ 1a , θ 1b are obtuse angles that are substantially equal, and it cannot be said to be a corner portion. Next, at the target position P2, the angle formed by connecting P1 - P2 - P3 is the inner corner angle θ 2a , the outer corner angle θ 2b , and the smaller corner angle θ 2a is taken as the value of the corner angle. Subsequently, at the target position P3, the corner angle formed by connecting P2 - P3 - P4 is a substantially equal obtuse angle as in the case of the target position P1, and it cannot be said to be a corner portion. Thus, the corner angles are obtained for all of the target positions, and since the smallest corner angle among the obtained corner angles is θ 2a , it can be determined that the corner portion is the target position P2.

[0032] Although the arrangement of a plurality of target positions shown in FIG. 4 is a simple pattern that makes it easy to extract the corner part, the arrangement of target positions in actual laminated manufacturing is complex, and it is often difficult to reliably and accurately extract the corner part. Therefore, it is required to appropriately arrange the above basic procedures to accurately extract the corner part.

[0033] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a path for explaining another procedure for extracting the corner part. In this procedure, instead of setting the position arranged one ahead in the shaping direction along the path PS in the basic procedure shown in FIG. 4 as the forward target position, a plurality of predetermined (for example, six) target positions arranged ahead in the shaping direction are set as the forward target positions.

[0034] That is, for the target position P1, the small-side corner formed by connecting P0 - P1 - P7 is θ 1 becomes. For the target position P2, the small-side corner formed by connecting P1 - P2 - P8 is θ 2 becomes. Similarly, for the target positions P3 to P5, the corner θ 3 ~ corner θ 5 is set. Among these corners θ 1 ~ θ 5 , the smallest corner is θ 5 Therefore, the target position P5 is extracted as the corner part. Note that for the rear target positions, a plurality of predetermined target positions arranged rearward in the shaping direction may also be set as the rear target positions. In this way, by setting the lines connecting the target positions across a plurality of target positions, the influence due to the disorder of the arrangement of the target positions can be suppressed, and the extraction accuracy of the corner part can be improved.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a graph schematically showing the distribution of the corner θ with respect to the target position P i (i is an integer representing an index). As shown in FIG. 6, even if the obtained corner θ has extreme values at a plurality of locations, θ min1 , θ min2 occurs, the minimum value among them, θ min2If the aiming position is selected as the corner part, the corner part can be accurately identified.

[0036] However, in the above method, the corner part may be missed. In that case, the corner part can also be identified under other conditions. Figure 7 is a graph schematically showing another distribution of the fold angle θ with respect to the aiming position P i When there are defects or inconsistencies in the aiming position of the shaping plan, the angle that should be the corner part may deviate from the original value. In that case, a range W is defined, and the aiming position where the fold angle θ is minimized within that range W is searched. This range W can be changed in terms of position and size, and by searching for the minimum value each time it is changed, even if the minimum value for all aiming positions P i is θ min2 even so, other corner parts such as θ min1 can be extracted without being affected. Furthermore, a smoothing process may be applied to the distribution of the fold angle θ before obtaining the minimum value, and in addition to determining based on the minimum value, other criteria based on differential values or the like may be used to determine the fold angle.

[0037] Next, in order to appropriately correct the path at the extracted corner part, first, a virtual repulsive force is applied to the aiming position near the corner part (S3). Regarding applying a virtual repulsive force to each aiming position to adjust the path, it can be generally explained as follows.

[0038] If a plurality of paths are arranged without approaching each other excessively and with an equal interval, gaps are less likely to occur even at the corner parts shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, which can contribute to improving the quality of the shaped object. Figures 8A to 8D are explanatory diagrams showing step by step the procedure for equalizing the intervals between paths. As shown in Figure 8A, assume that there are four paths PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4. The distance between path PS2 and path PS3 is narrower than the distances between path PS1 and path PS2 and between path PS3 and path PS4.

[0039] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 8B, between each pair of the four paths PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4, springs Sp1, Sp2, and Sp3 that elastically expand and contract are virtually provided. That is, a spring Sp1 is provided between path PS1 and path PS2, a spring Sp2 is provided between path PS2 and path PS3, and a spring Sp3 is provided between path PS3 and path PS4. The spring constant of each spring is the same. Also, as a constraint condition, the positions of the outer paths PS1 and PS4 are fixed so that the shape of the modeled object does not change.

[0040] Then, as shown in FIG. 8C, due to the elastic repulsive force of the spring Sp2 between the closely spaced paths PS2 and PS3, path PS2 is pushed back toward path PS1, and path PS3 is pushed back toward path PS4. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8D, paths PS2 and PS3 move to positions where springs Sp1, Sp2, and Sp3 are each in mechanical equilibrium. In this way, each of the paths PS1, PS2, PS3, and PS4 is arranged with a uniform interval.

[0041] When beads are formed along the paths PS1 to PS4 obtained as described above, the beads do not locally approach each other excessively, and thus, it becomes difficult to form a gap between the beads. Also, the generation of unevenness (narrow portions) on the surface to be modeled is suppressed.

[0042] The above-described path correction procedure will be described in more detail. FIGS. 9A to 9C are schematic explanatory diagrams showing step by step how adjacent paths are evenly arranged. FIG. 9A shows a pair of adjacent paths PSa and PSb. Each of the paths PSa and PSb is represented by a line connecting the target positions P i , Q j (i, j are indices) of the torch movement. Virtual repulsive forces are applied to each of the target position P i of path PSa and the target position Q j of path PSb. As the repulsive force, here, the elastic restoring force by a spring is exemplified, but it is not limited to this. For example, other mechanical models such as Coulomb force, magnetic force, and pressure may be used.

[0043] When using a spring as the source of the repulsive force, the spring Sp is placed here between the target position P i and the target position Q j (i,j = 1~7) respectively. That is, it is assumed that springs are provided between adjacent positions such as between the target position P 1 and the target position Q 1 and between the target position P 2 and the target position Q 2 and so on. The spring Sp generates a repulsive force according to the distance between the paths PSa and PSb, specifically the distance between the target position P i and the target position Q j on the path.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 9B, when a repulsive force acts on the target positions P i , Q j , the paths PSa and PSb move away from each other. This repulsive force decreases as the spring extends with the movement of the paths PSa and PSb and approaches a mechanical equilibrium state.

[0045] FIG. 10 is a graph schematically showing the time change of the movement distance of the paths. The paths PSa and PSb move under the action of the repulsive force. Their movement distance converges to a certain distance Lc. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9C, the paths PSa and PSb stop moving at the position where they reach an equilibrium state. This position becomes the arranged position of the paths where they are equalized. More specifically, the movement of the target positions is suppressed by the damping force that reduces the movement speed of the paths to reach an equilibrium state.

[0046] As examples of the above-described mathematical model of the repulsive force, equations (1) to (3) can be cited. When the target position on the path PSa is P i and the target position on the path PSb is Q j , the repulsive force F i acting on the i-th target position is obtained by equations (1) to (3).

[0047] [Number]

[0048] Here, k is a constant, and x i is the coordinate of the target position P i on the path PSa, and x j is the coordinate of the target position Q j on the path PSb. Note that the coordinates shown here are one-axis coordinates, but they may also be two-dimensional plane coordinates or three-dimensional space coordinates. Also, S 0 is the limit distance (influence radius described later) that the repulsive force F affects. When the distance between the target positions is S 0 or more apart, it is considered that there is no influence from the repulsive force F at that separated position. That is, the repulsive force F i acting on the i-th target position P i is the sum of the elastic forces from the spring Sp between the target position Q 0 in the region closer than the distance S j and the target position P i .

[0049] Figure 11 is a schematic explanatory diagram when the above mathematical model is applied to each of the paths PS1 to PS3. The repulsive force F acting on the target position Pa of the middle path PS2 is obtained based on the above-mentioned equations (1) to (3). That is, considering the distance between the target position Pa and other target positions in two dimensions, the target positions Pa 1 , Pa 2 other than the target position Pa existing within the range AR1 of the radius (influence radius) R1 centered on the target position Pa are extracted, and the repulsive forces corresponding to the distances between the target position Pa and the target position Pa 1 , and between the target position Pa and the target position Pa 2 are assumed to occur at the target position Pa. In this way, it is preferable to apply the repulsive force only to the target positions Pa 1 , Pa 2 to limit the generation range of the repulsive force. In that case, the calculations for analysis can be performed in a simpler system.

[0050] Also, the repulsive force F to be applied may be distinguished between the case within the same path and the case between different paths. That is, for the springs generated within the same path and the springs generated between different paths, the influence radii R1 and R2 are separated respectively, and individual springs are generated for each. By doing so, the generation of unintended springs and repulsive forces can be restricted. Also, regarding the spring constants of the generated springs, they can be distinguished as k1 within the same path and k2 between different paths. Note that it is preferable that the smaller the bending angle, the larger the repulsive force between each target position (however, the dependence on the bending angle θ is limited to the spring constant k1 within the same path).

[0051] Specifically, a repulsive force corresponding to the distances to the target positions Pa3 and Pa4 of other paths existing within the range AR2 of the influence radius R2 centered on the target position Pa will occur at the target position Pa. Thereby, the interval between the target positions can be adjusted more appropriately.

[0052] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a repulsive force is applied between each target position of the path PS out of the bending angle part shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 in and the path PS in inside it. Taking the target position P in_c of the path PS as an example, the target positions P in_c other than those existing within the range AR1 from the target position P in_c to the influence radius R1 are extracted, and springs are generated between the target position P in_1 and P in_2 , and between the target position P in_c and P in_1 respectively. Also, the target positions P in_c other than those of the path PSin existing within the range AR2 from the target position P in_2 to the influence radius R2 are extracted, and springs are generated between the target position P in_c and P out_1 , and between the target position P out_2 and P in_c and P out_1 and P in_c and P out_2 respectively.

[0053] Also in this case, assume that the spring constant of the springs within the same path is k1, and the spring constant of the springs between different paths is k2 (k2 ≠ k1).

[0054] Furthermore, a force that converges (attenuates the movement speed) the movement of the target position caused by the repulsive force may be assumed. This force is a force proportional to the movement speed of the target position when the repulsive force acts on each target position on the path.

[0055]

Number

[0056] Here, the vector u is the velocity vector of each target position, the vector x is the position vector of each target position, t is time, Δt is the time change amount, the vector F is the matrix of the repulsive force, and c is the attenuation coefficient. For the details of the above operations, please refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-230530 as appropriate.

[0057] (4) The term of the attenuation coefficient c in the formula is a term that attenuates the movement speed of the target position due to the repulsive force F, and stops the movement of the paths PSa and PSb in FIG. 9C. As a result, the amount of change in position converges over time. The convergence of this amount of change may be, for example, to stop updating the amount of movement when the amount of movement of the target position falls below a predetermined value. Also, the calculation of the amount of movement may be repeated multiple times. In that case, a plurality of candidates for the correction position that eliminates the densely packed paths can be extracted.

[0058] Furthermore, the bend angle calculation unit 33 may add other target positions arranged on the path to the plurality of target positions acquired by the target position information acquisition unit 31. In that case, it can be expected that the bend angle portion can be more easily extracted based on the information of the added target positions, and more accurate extraction is possible.

[0059] Also, as described above, fix the positions of the paths that form the contour of the layer. By making the positions of only the paths arranged within the contour movable, the paths can be evenly arranged within the contour without changing the shape of the contour.

[0060] As described above, by applying repulsive forces to adjacent aiming positions among a plurality of aiming positions, the amount of movement by which each aiming position moves from the position before the application of the repulsive force to the position where it is mechanically balanced after the application of the repulsive force is analytically obtained for the plurality of aiming positions (S4). This process is performed by the aiming movement amount calculation unit 41 shown in FIG. 2.

[0061] Next, the shaping path correction unit 37 corrects the position of the path according to the obtained amount of movement (S5). FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the result of changing the position of the path. In FIG. 12, at the bent portion of the path PS out , there was a relatively wide gap between the aiming position P out of the path PS out_c and the aiming position P in of the path PS in_c . However, by correcting the path by applying the repulsive force described above, the aiming positions of the path PS out and the path PS out remain as they are, and a plurality of aiming positions including the aiming position P in of the path PS are moved. As a result, the gap between the aiming position P in_c and the aiming position P out_c becomes narrower, and the gap between the aiming positions of the path PS in_c becomes wider. The interval between the aiming positions of the path PS in is increased as the bend angle of the bent portion becomes smaller. In this way, the shaping path correction unit 37 optimizes the path at the bent portion so that defects due to gaps are less likely to occur. According to the optimized path, the height of the formed bead is substantially uniform at the bent portion and at portions other than the bent portion, and the occurrence of steps can be suppressed. in

[0062] Then, the control information generation unit 39 generates control information including information on the corrected path. When this control information is output to the shaping control unit 13 shown in FIG. 1, the shaping control unit 13 performs the shaping plan according to the paths PS in , PS out shown in FIG. 13.It is changed to this. As a result, when the control information generated by the control information generation device 200 is sent to the molding control unit 13, the molding control unit 13 controls the molding unit 11 to perform arc welding along the corrected path, so that it is possible to perform layered molding of a high-quality molded product with suppressed occurrence of defects.

[0063] <Optimization Example of Path of Each Filling Part at Bend> Next, the result of optimizing the path of the created molding plan by the above-described procedure will be described. FIG. 14A is an explanatory diagram showing a path according to a molding plan when filling the inside of a quadrangle with beads, and FIG. 14B is an explanatory diagram showing the result of optimizing the path of FIG. 14A. In the path before optimization, a gap is likely to occur between the beads at the bent corner part (corner part). On the other hand, in the optimized path, the distance from the surrounding paths is shortened at the bent corner part, making it less likely for a gap to occur.

[0064] FIG. 15A is an explanatory diagram showing a path according to a molding plan when filling the inside of a quadrangle having a circular hole with beads, and FIG. 15B is an explanatory diagram showing the result of optimizing the path of FIG. 15A. Also in this case, in the optimized path, the distance from the surrounding paths is shortened particularly at the bent corner part where it has become an acute angle, making it less likely for a gap to occur.

[0065] In this way, by automatically performing the process of extracting the bent corner part and correcting the paths in the vicinity of the bent corner part, it is possible to create an almost ideal molding plan efficiently without requiring artificial work or experience.

[0066] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is also contemplated by the present invention that those skilled in the art can make changes and applications based on combining each configuration of the embodiments, as well as the description in the specification and well-known techniques, and such are included in the scope for which protection is sought.

[0067] As described above, the following matters are disclosed in this specification. (1) A control information generation device that generates control information for controlling a laminating and shaping apparatus that forms a layer shape using beads formed by adding a melted processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a shaping path, and laminates the layer shapes to shape a three-dimensional shape of a desired shaped object, comprising: A target position information acquisition unit that acquires information on a plurality of target positions for bead formation in the shaping path; A fold angle calculation unit that extracts a fold angle portion of the shaping path from a plurality of the target positions and obtains a fold angle of the extracted fold angle portion; A target position interval correction unit that corrects an interval between a plurality of the target positions arranged in an inner region sandwiched by the shaping path of the fold angle portion; A shaping path correction unit that corrects the shaping path so that the interval between the target positions becomes larger as the fold angle of the fold angle portion becomes smaller; A control information generation unit that generates the control information including information on the corrected shaping path; A control information generation device comprising: According to this control information generation device, from the information on the target positions acquired by the target position information acquisition unit, the fold angle calculation unit extracts the fold angle portion, and the shaping path is corrected by the target position interval correction unit so that the interval between the target positions arranged in the inner region of the fold angle becomes larger as the fold angle becomes smaller, and the control information generation unit generates the control information including the corrected shaping path. Thereby, even when a fold angle portion occurs, it is possible to correct the shaping path so that a defect of non-welding between beads hardly occurs. Further, the laminating and shaping apparatus can be controlled to laminate a high-quality shaped object according to this control information.

[0068] (2) The control information generation device according to (1), wherein the fold angle calculation unit determines the fold angle from a result obtained by obtaining, for all or part of the plurality of target positions, a small-side angle formed by connecting at least three target positions including any one of the plurality of target positions, a forward-side target position arranged ahead in the shaping direction along the shaping path, and a rear-side target position arranged behind in the shaping direction, among the other target positions included inside a predetermined radius distance centered on the any one target position. According to this control information generation device, in order to determine the bending angle from the angle determined by connecting three target positions, even if the tip of the bending angle part is chipped or a part of the target position is arranged away in an unintended direction, the corresponding bending angle can be mechanically calculated.

[0069] (3) The control information generation device according to (2), wherein the bending angle is determined as the minimum angle among the obtained angles or the minimum angle within a determined range. According to this control information generation device, by setting the minimum angle as the bending angle, the bending angle part can be easily specified.

[0070] (4) The control information generation device according to any one of (1) to (3) further includes a movement amount calculation unit that virtually applies a repulsive force between a plurality of the target positions and estimates the movement amount of the target positions from the mechanical balance position of the applied repulsive force. The shaping path correction unit adds the estimated movement amount to the interval between the target positions, in the control information generation device according to any one of (1) to (3). According to this control information generation device, when a repulsive force is applied between the target positions, the interval between the target positions can be analytically calculated by utilizing the mechanical behavior that the target positions move to the position where they are mechanically balanced.

[0071] (5) The repulsive force includes an in-path repulsive force acting between adjacent target positions in the same shaping path, and a proximity path repulsive force acting between the target position of the shaping path and the target position of another adjacent shaping path, in the control information generation device according to (4). According to this control information generation device, by equalizing the target positions within the same path and equalizing the target positions between adjacent paths, the target positions of the bending angle parts of each shaping path can be adjusted to appropriate positions.

[0072] (6) The control information generation device according to (4) or (5), wherein the repulsive force is generated between any one of the aiming positions and another aiming position included within a specified influence radius centered on the aiming position. According to this control information generation device, by restricting the generation range of the repulsive force, calculations for analysis can be performed in a simpler system.

[0073] (7) The control information generation device according to any one of (1) to (6), wherein the bend angle calculation unit extracts the bend angle part from information obtained by adding other aiming positions arranged on the shaping path to a plurality of the aiming positions acquired by the aiming position information acquisition unit. According to this control information generation device, by increasing the aiming positions, the bend angle can be obtained more accurately.

[0074] (8) A control information generation method for generating control information for controlling a laminating shaping apparatus that forms a layer shape using beads formed by adding a melted processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a shaping path, and laminating the layer shapes to shape a three-dimensional shape of a desired shaped object, the method comprising: acquiring information on a plurality of aiming positions for bead formation in the shaping path; extracting a bend angle part of the shaping path from the plurality of aiming positions, obtaining the bend angle of the extracted bend angle part; correcting the intervals between a plurality of the aiming positions arranged in an inner region sandwiched by the shaping path of the bend angle part; correcting the shaping path such that the intervals between the aiming positions increase as the bend angle of the bend angle part becomes smaller; generating the control information including information on the corrected shaping path. Control information generation method. According to this control information generation method, from the acquired information of the target positions, the bending angle part is extracted, and the shaping path is corrected so that the distance between the target positions arranged in the inner region of the bending angle becomes larger as the bending angle is smaller, and control information including the corrected shaping path is generated. Thereby, even when a bending angle part occurs, it is possible to correct the shaping path to a shaping path in which a defect of non-welding between beads is less likely to occur. Further, with this control information, the laminating shaping apparatus can be controlled so as to laminate high-quality shaped objects.

[0075] (9) A program that executes the procedure of a control information generation method for generating control information for controlling a laminating shaping apparatus that forms a layer shape using beads formed by adding a melted processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a shaping path and laminates the layer shapes to shape a three-dimensional shape of a desired shaped object, causes a computer to execute a procedure of acquiring information on a plurality of target positions for bead formation in the shaping path, extract the bending angle part of the shaping path from the plurality of target positions and obtain the bending angle of the extracted bending angle part, execute a procedure of correcting the distance between the plurality of target positions arranged in the inner region sandwiched by the shaping path of the bending angle part, execute a procedure of correcting the shaping path so that the distance between the target positions becomes larger as the bending angle of the bending angle part is smaller, execute a procedure of generating the control information including the information on the corrected shaping path, A program to be executed. According to this program, from the acquired information of the target positions, the bending angle part is extracted, and the shaping path is corrected so that the distance between the target positions arranged in the inner region of the bending angle becomes larger as the bending angle is smaller, and control information including the corrected shaping path is generated. Thereby, even when a bending angle part occurs, it is possible to correct the shaping path to a shaping path in which a defect of non-welding between beads is less likely to occur. Further, with this control information, the laminating shaping apparatus can be controlled so as to laminate high-quality shaped objects.

[0076] (10) A control information generation device according to any one of (1) to (7), and a laminated manufacturing apparatus that performs arc welding along the manufacturing path based on the control information generated by the control information generation device; A welding apparatus comprising the same. According to this welding apparatus, it is possible to perform laminated manufacturing of a manufactured product with suppressed occurrence of defects.

[0077] (11) A welding method of performing arc welding along the manufacturing path based on the control information generated by the control information generation method according to (8). According to this welding method, it is possible to perform laminated manufacturing of a manufactured product with suppressed occurrence of defects.

Explanation of Signs

[0078] 11 Manufacturing unit 13 Manufacturing control unit 17 Manipulator 19 Filler metal supply unit 19a Reel 19b Pay-out mechanism 21 Manipulator control unit 23 Heat source control unit 25 Torch 27 Base 31 Target position information acquisition unit 33 Bend angle calculation unit 35 Target position interval correction unit 37 Manufacturing path correction unit 39 Control information generation unit 41 Movement amount calculation unit 100 Laminated manufacturing apparatus 200 Control information generation apparatus AR1, AR2 Ranges B Bead F Repulsive force M Filler metal P0, P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, Pa, Pa 1 , Pa 2 , Pa 3 , Pa 4 , P in_1 , P in_2 , P in_c , Pout_1 , P out_2, P out_c , P i (i = 1~7), Q j (j = 1~7) aiming position PS, PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, PSa, PSb, PS in , PS out Path (shaping path) R1, R2 influence radius W range Wk shaped object θ, θ 1a , θ 1b , θ 2a , θ 2b , θ 3 , θ 4 , θ 5 Bending angle

Claims

1. A control information generating device that generates control information for controlling an additive manufacturing device that forms a layer shape using a bead formed by adding a molten processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a modeling path, and laminates the layer shapes to form a three-dimensional shape of a desired object, comprising: a target position information acquisition unit that acquires information on a plurality of target positions for bead formation in the molding path; a bend angle calculation unit that extracts bend angle portions of the modeling path from the plurality of target positions and calculates bend angles of the extracted bend angle portions; a target position interval correction unit that corrects intervals between the target positions arranged in an inner region between the modeling paths of the bending corner portion; a modeling path correction unit that corrects the modeling path so that an interval between the target positions is increased as the bend angle of the bend angle portion is smaller; and a control information generating unit that generates the control information including information of the corrected modeling path; A control information generating device comprising:

2. The bend angle calculation unit determines the bend angle from a result of calculating a smaller angle formed by connecting at least three target positions, the smaller angle being one of the plurality of target positions, a front-side target position disposed ahead in the printing direction along the printing path, and a rear-side target position disposed behind the printing direction, among the other target positions included inside a predetermined radial distance around the one target position, for all or a part of the plurality of target positions. The control information generating device according to claim 1 .

3. Among the angles thus obtained, a minimum angle or a minimum angle within a predetermined range is determined as the bend angle. The control information generating device according to claim 2 .

4. a movement amount calculation unit that virtually applies a repulsive force between the plurality of target positions and estimates a movement amount of the target position from a dynamic balance position of the applied repulsive force, The modeling path correction unit adds the estimated movement amount to an interval between the target positions. The control information generating device according to claim 1 .

5. The repulsive force is A repulsive force within the same path acting between adjacent target positions in the same modeling path; A repulsive force between adjacent paths acting between the target position of the modeling path and the target position of another modeling path adjacent to the modeling path; The control information generating device according to claim 4 , further comprising:

6. The repulsive force is generated between any one of the target positions and another of the target positions included within a specified radius of influence centered on the target position. The control information generating device according to claim 4.

7. The bend angle calculation unit extracts the bend angle portion from information obtained by adding other target positions to be arranged on the modeling path to the plurality of target positions acquired by the target position information acquisition unit. The control information generating device according to claim 1 .

8. A control information generation method for generating control information for controlling an additive manufacturing device that forms a layer shape using a bead formed by adding a molten processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a modeling path, and laminates the layer shapes to form a three-dimensional shape of a desired object, comprising: Acquire information on a plurality of target positions for bead formation in the molding path; Extracting bend corner portions of the shaping path from the plurality of target positions, and determining bend angles of the extracted bend corner portions; Correcting intervals between the target positions arranged in an inner region of the bending corner portion sandwiched between the modeling paths; The modeling path is modified so that the interval between the target positions is increased as the bend angle of the bend angle portion is smaller; generating the control information including information of the modified modeling path; A method for generating control information.

9. A program for executing the steps of a control information generation method for generating control information for controlling an additive manufacturing device that forms a layer shape using a bead formed by adding a molten processing material to a processing target surface while moving a processing position along a modeling path, and laminates the layer shapes to form a three-dimensional shape of a desired object, the program comprising: On the computer, acquiring information on a plurality of target positions for bead formation in the modeling path; A step of extracting bend corner portions of the shaping path from the plurality of target positions and determining bend angles of the extracted bend corner portions; correcting intervals between the target positions arranged in an inner region of the bending corner portion sandwiched between the modeling paths; a step of correcting the modeling path so that an interval between the target positions is increased as the bend angle of the bend angle portion is smaller; generating the control information including information of the modified modeling path; A program that executes the following.

10. A control information generating device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the additive manufacturing apparatus performing arc welding along the manufacturing path based on the control information generated by the control information generating device; A welding device comprising:

11. A welding method for performing arc welding along the shaping path based on control information generated by the control information generating method according to claim 8.

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