Vertical welding apparatus and method for controlling vertical welding apparatus

Abstract

To provide a self-propelled vertical welding device that can stably maintain a working posture of a welding carriage, and a control method for the vertical welding device.SOLUTION: A vertical welding device for welding a groove formed by two materials to be welded in a vertical posture comprises: a welding carriage which performs welding while travelling on a front side on one side perpendicular to a plate thickness direction of the material to be welded along the groove; and a welding torch mounted on the welding carriage. The welding carriage has: at least two or more guide rollers that are juxtaposed along a welding travel direction, and travel along an extension direction of the groove; and detection means that detects an amount of deviation of the welding carriage in the welding travel direction to the extension direction of the groove. At least one of guide rollers is a movable guide roller which can be moved in parallel in a direction orthogonal to the welding travel direction by use of driving means, and the driving means performs drive control for pressing the movable guide roller against the groove face so as to move the amount of deviation detected by the detection means in a cancelling direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a self-propelled vertical welding apparatus and a method for controlling a vertical welding apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Vertical position welding is performed in manufacturing in a variety of industries, including shipbuilding, steel building frames, and energy plants. There is a demand for automation of this vertical position welding, and conventionally known welding devices that achieve this include rail-type vertical welding devices and non-rail-type vertical welding devices (hereinafter also referred to as self-propelled vertical welding devices).

[0003] Among these welding machines, rail-type vertical welding machines have high welding accuracy but require rails to be installed in advance on the workpiece side, resulting in problems with work efficiency, while self-propelled vertical welding machines have superior work efficiency compared to rail-type vertical welding machines because they do not require rails or other equipment to be installed in advance on the workpiece side.Self-propelled vertical welding machines include hanging types that pull up the welding machine, and magnet wheel types that attach it to the workpiece by magnetic force.

[0004] An example of this self-propelled vertical welding device is disclosed in Patent Document 1. Patent Document 1 discloses that the welding carriage's traveling rollers are driven to rotate by an electric motor, and that by providing narrow grooves on the entire circumference of the roller surface, the welding carriage can be securely held on the side to be welded, eliminating the risk of the welding carriage falling, and enabling welding to be performed while correcting misalignment of the groove. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Publication No. 53-155522 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, the self-propelled vertical welding device described in Patent Document 1 may experience a shift in the welding position due to changes in the attitude of the welding carriage caused by working conditions or disturbances. Examples of working condition factors include cases where the thicknesses of the two workpieces to be welded are different when welding a groove formed at the butt joint of the two workpieces, or where the thickness of the workpieces at the joint is different. Examples of disturbance factors include misalignment in the thickness direction of the workpieces.

[0007] Self-propelled vertical welding machines generally have a pair of left and right travel rollers positioned across the butt joint, and welding is performed while the machine moves along the groove extension direction, which is the welding progress direction. However, due to the above factors, there can be a difference in travel distance between the left travel roller and the right travel roller positioned across the opposing workpieces. As a result, in conventional self-propelled vertical welding machines, the welding carriage rotates left and right relative to the welding progress direction, using the guide roller pressed against the groove as a fulcrum. This can cause a misalignment in the left and right positions of the welding torch installed behind the welding carriage. As a result, the welding position may deviate from the groove position, resulting in a decrease in welding quality. For this reason, there is a demand for a self-propelled vertical welding machine that can stabilize the position of the welding carriage even under various construction conditions and disturbances.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its object is to provide a self-propelled vertical welding apparatus that can stably maintain the working posture of a welding carriage, and a control method for a self-propelled vertical welding apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration [1] relating to a vertical welding apparatus. [1] A vertical welding device for welding in a vertical position to a groove formed by two workpieces, A welding carriage that welds one surface side perpendicular to the plate thickness direction of the material to be welded while traveling along the groove, and a welding torch mounted on the welding carriage, The welding carriage is At least two or more guide rollers are arranged side by side along the welding direction and advance along the extension direction of the groove; A detection means for detecting a deviation amount of the welding proceeding direction of the welding carriage with respect to the extension direction of the groove, At least one of the guide rollers is a movable guide roller that can be moved in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the welding proceeding direction by using a driving means, The driving means performs drive control to press the movable guide roller against the groove surface so as to move in a direction that cancels the amount of deviation detected by the detecting means. A vertical welding device characterized by:

[0010] The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configuration [2] relating to a control method for a vertical welding apparatus. [2] A control method for a vertical welding device for welding in a vertical position to a groove formed by two workpieces, The vertical welding apparatus includes a welding carriage that welds one surface side of the workpiece that is perpendicular to the plate thickness direction while traveling along the groove, and a welding torch mounted on the welding carriage, The welding carriage is At least two or more guide rollers are arranged side by side along the welding direction and advance along the extension direction of the groove, At least one of the guide rollers is a movable guide roller that is movable in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the welding proceeding direction, When a deviation amount of the welding carriage in the welding proceeding direction with respect to the extension direction of the groove is detected, the movable guide roller presses the groove surface in the direction in which the deviation amount is detected. A method for controlling a vertical welding apparatus. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, in a self-propelled vertical welding device and a control method for a vertical welding device that do not require rail installation, good welding quality can be ensured by stably maintaining the posture of the welding carriage and suppressing deviation of the welding torch tip position. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a vertical welding device. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the vertical welding apparatus. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a vertical welding apparatus. [Figure 4] 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 taken along line B-B. [Figure 6] 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along CC in FIG. 3. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a drive unit air circuit. [Figure 8] (A) is a model diagram of a reference position and a current position photographed by a visual sensor, (B) is a model diagram showing a state in which the visual sensor detects that the amount of deviation is less than a threshold, and (C) is a model diagram showing a state in which the visual sensor detects that the amount of deviation is greater than or equal to the threshold. [Figure 9] 10(A) to 10(D) are schematic diagrams showing the effect of drive control. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a drive control process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of a self-propelled vertical welding apparatus and a control method for a vertical welding apparatus according to the present invention will be described. Note that each drawing has been created for the purpose of explaining the present invention, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the content shown in the drawings. Furthermore, the welding method to which the vertical welding apparatus is applied is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include electroslag welding and electrogas welding. In this embodiment, the case where the apparatus is used for electroslag welding will be described as an example.

[0014] In this embodiment, the weld line direction is defined as the X-axis. This X-axis weld line direction is synonymous with the direction along the groove centerline and also synonymous with the groove extension direction described below. Furthermore, the direction perpendicular to the weld line on the XY plane, which is the surface on which the materials to be welded are welded, is defined as the Y-axis. The direction of this Y-axis is synonymous with the groove width direction. Furthermore, the plate thickness direction of the materials to be welded, which is the direction perpendicular to the plane of the materials to be welded where welding is performed, is defined as the Z-axis.

[0015] Furthermore, with regard to the surface of the workpiece on which welding is performed, the surface on which the welding carriage described below travels will be referred to as the "front surface," and the opposite surface will be referred to as the "back surface." The front surface is the surface in the +Z direction, and the back surface is the surface in the -Z direction. With respect to the direction of the Z axis, the +Z direction, which is the front surface direction, will be referred to as "upward," and the -Z direction, which is the back surface direction, will be referred to as "downward," based on the vertical welding equipment.

[0016] Furthermore, the direction in which welding proceeds relative to the vertical welding equipment is referred to as the "forward" direction, and the direction in which it retreats is referred to as the "rear." The forward direction is the +X direction, and the rearward direction is referred to as the -X direction. The welding equipment of this embodiment performs upward welding in a vertical position on the workpiece, so welding toward the forward direction is synonymous with welding in an upward direction.

[0017] The directions of rotation relative to the direction of travel along the -X axis are referred to as "right" and "left." Right is the +Y direction, and left is the -Y direction.

[0018] <Vertical welding equipment> Figures 1 to 6 show an example of the configuration of a vertical welding apparatus according to an embodiment. Figures 1 to 3 are a perspective view, a front view, and a side view showing the vertical welding apparatus. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in Figure 2. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Figure 2. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in Figure 3.

[0019] The vertical welding apparatus 1 includes a welding carriage 2 that travels forward in a vertical position over a pair of steel plates 5, 5 that are the workpieces to be welded, an electric winch 3 that hoists the welding carriage 2 so that it travels upward over the surface of the steel plates 5, and a welding torch 4 mounted on the welding carriage 2. The pair of steel plates 5, 5 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction so that a groove 10 extending in the vertical direction is formed between them. Note that, with respect to the direction in which welding progresses, the left workpiece of the pair of steel plates 5, 5 is referred to as steel plate 5A, and the right workpiece is referred to as steel plate 5B. When describing the steel plates 5A, 5B as a set, they will be referred to as steel plates 5.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1 and other figures, the welding carriage 2 includes a main frame 6, traveling rollers 7 that slide on the surface of the steel plate 5, guide rollers 8 that are placed within the groove 10 during welding, a front copper plate support 11 that supports a front copper plate 9 against the front side of the groove 10 so that it can be pressed against it, a back copper plate support 13 that supports a back copper plate 12 against the back side of the groove 10 so that it can be pressed against it, a visual sensor 14 as a detection means for detecting the welding position, and a control unit (not shown). The welding carriage 2 is configured to perform electroslag welding by traveling forward along the X-axis direction, which is the direction of the weld line, while welding between the vertical grooves 10. Each component will be described in detail below.

[0021] <Electric winch> The electric winch 3 is installed above the steel plate 5 on which welding work is performed and in front of the welding carriage 2, and suspends and supports the welding carriage 2. The electric winch 3 is configured to lift the welding carriage 2, thereby moving the welding carriage 2 forward along the X-axis, which is the vertical weld line direction. The traveling speed of the welding carriage 2 depends on the hoisting speed of the electric winch 3, and adjusting the hoisting speed of the electric winch 3 allows the traveling speed during welding work, i.e., the welding speed, to be adjusted. The hoisting speed of the electric winch 3 is configured to be controllable by a control unit. By configuring the welding carriage 2 to be hoisted by the electric winch 3, there is no need to route motor power lines and signal lines to distant locations, compared to when the winch and the suspended load (welding carriage) are typically separated, and the entire vertical welding apparatus can be configured more compactly.

[0022] In addition, as a self-propelled vertical welding device in which the welding carriage 2 travels upward in a vertical position over the steel plate 5, the traveling rollers 7 of the welding carriage 2 may be powerful magnets that adhere to the steel plate 5, and a drive unit (not shown) provided on the welding carriage 2 side may drive the traveling rollers 7 adhered to the steel plate 5, thereby enabling the welding carriage 2 to travel upward in a vertical position.

[0023] <Welding torch> The welding torch 4 is supported on the welding carriage 2 side via a torch support 16, which will be described in detail later. This allows the welding torch 4 to adjust the welding position in the Y-axis direction, which is the groove width direction and the direction in which the welding carriage 2 rotates left and right, and in the Z-axis direction, which is the plate thickness direction of the steel plate 5. The torch support 16 also has an attitude adjustment mechanism 17 that adjusts the vertical swing position of the welding torch 4, allowing the welding torch 4 to be directed toward the slag bath at an angle suitable for the welding work. The specific configuration of the torch support 16 will be described later.

[0024] The welding torch 4 has a contact tip that guides the welding wire so that it is fed toward the groove 10, and is configured to be able to weld the groove 10 formed between a pair of steel plates 5A, 5B by supplying a welding current from a welding power source (not shown) to the welding wire.

[0025] Specifically, welding torch 4 feeds a welding wire guided by a contact tip into groove 10 surrounded by a pair of steel plates 5A, 5B, a front copper plate 9, and a back copper plate 12, thereby feeding the welding wire into a slag bath, which is a molten pool formed in groove 10, and at the same time, a welding current can be passed from the welding wire through the slag bath to the molten metal. This generates Joule heat due to the welding current passed through the slag bath and the electrical resistance of the slag bath, making it possible to perform electroslag welding, in which welding proceeds while melting the welding wire and steel plates.

[0026] <Main body frame> 1 and 2, the main body frame 6 has main body frames 18, which are a pair of left and right plate-like members extending along the traveling direction of the welding cart 2, and a pair of front and rear connecting rods 19, 20 extending in the left-right direction so as to connect the opposing surfaces of the pair of left and right main body frames 18, 18, and is formed in a frame shape that is open in the X-axis direction, which is the front-rear direction, and in the Z-axis direction, which is the up-down direction. A U-shaped winch support frame 21 that protrudes forward in a plan view is formed to span the front end side of the main body frame 6, and an electric winch 3 that hoists the welding cart 2 is attached and fixed via the winch support frame 21.

[0027] <Travel roller> The running roller 7 has a pair of left and right front wheels 7A, 7A and a pair of left and right rear wheels 7B, 7B provided on the main body frame portion 6 side, and is configured so that the main body frame portion 6 can slide stably on the surface of the steel plate 5.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4 and other figures, the front wheel support shaft 22, which is a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, is journaled to the center of the front connecting rod 19 so as to be able to swing up and down. A pair of left and right front wheels 7A, 7A are journaled to both left and right ends of the front wheel support shaft 22. Similarly, the rear wheel support shaft 23, which is a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, is journaled to the center of the rear connecting rod 20 so as to be able to swing up and down. A pair of left and right rear wheels 7B, 7B are journaled to both left and right ends of the rear wheel support shaft 23.

[0029] According to this configuration, even if there are slight irregularities or inclinations on the surface of the self-propelled steel plate 5, the positional deviation of the main body frame 6 and the welding torch 4 can be absorbed by the swinging action of the front wheel support shaft 22 and the rear wheel support shaft 23, making welding work by the self-propelled welding cart 2 more stable.

[0030] <Front copper plate support> The front copper plate support part 11 supports the front copper plate 9 that is arranged on the rear side of the welding carriage 2 on the surface of the steel plate 5. The front copper plate support part 11 has front copper plate air cylinders 24, 24 as a pair of left and right actuators that press the front copper plate 9 against the surface of the steel plate 5, a front side link mechanism 25 that operates the front copper plate 9 with the pair of front copper plate air cylinders 24, 24, and a torch support part 16 that supports the welding torch 4.

[0031] The front copper plate 9 is a plate-like member having a pressure surface that contacts the surface of the steel plate 5, and is generally equipped with a water-cooled cooling mechanism (not shown). The front copper plate 9 forms part of the slag bath by contacting the surface of the steel plate 5, and in this state the welding carriage 2 moves independently while performing welding, allowing it to slide over the groove 10 while cooling the slag bath.

[0032] 1 to 3, the front copper plate air cylinders 24 are provided in a pair on the left and right sides of the main body frame 6, and the front ends of the heads are attached and fixed to the front outer surface of the main body frame 18 via fixing plates 26, which are plate-shaped members extending in the front-rear direction, and the rear ends of the operating rods are connected to the front-side link mechanism 25. As a result, the front copper plate air cylinders 24 are attached and fixed to the main body frame 18 side of the main body frame 6 with the operating direction of the operating rod facing diagonally upward and rearward.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the front-side link mechanism 25 has a front-side driving link member 28 which is a driving link extending in the front-rear direction, a front-side driven link member 31 which is a driven link extending in the front-rear direction, and a front-side intermediate link member 32 which is an intermediate link extending in the up-down direction.

[0034] The front side drive link member 28 is a pair of link members provided on the left and right corresponding to the front copper plate air cylinder 24, and its front end side is connected to the rear lower side of the main frame 18 via the first connecting section 27, and its rear end side is connected to the front side intermediate link member 32 side via the third connecting section 33.

[0035] The front side driven link member 31 is a pair of link members provided on the left and right outer sides of the main body frame portion 6, and its front end is connected to the upper rear side of the main body frame 18 via the second connecting section 29, and its rear end is connected to the front side intermediate link member 32 via the fourth connecting section 34.

[0036] The front-side intermediate link member 32 extends in the vertical direction, which is the thickness direction of the steel plate 5, and its lower end is connected to the rear end of the front-side driving link member 28 via a third connecting section 33, and its middle part in the vertical direction is connected to the rear end of the front-side driven link member 31 via a fourth connecting section 34.

[0037] As shown in Figure 1, etc., the third connecting section 33 connects the rear ends of the pair of left and right front driving link members 28, 28 together using a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction, and the fourth connecting section 34 connects the rear ends of the pair of left and right front driven link members 31, 31 together using a rod-shaped member extending in the left-right direction.

[0038] At this time, the front side driving link member 28 and the front side driven link member 31 are formed to have approximately the same length. In addition, the line connecting the first connecting section 27 and the second connecting section 29 is arranged so as to be perpendicular to the traveling direction of the welding carriage 2. In addition, the distance between the third connecting section 33 and the fourth connecting section 34 on the front side intermediate link member 32 is formed to have approximately the same length as the distance between the first connecting section 27 and the second connecting section 29. In other words, the front side link mechanism 25 constitutes a four-section link with a closed loop structure formed in the shape of a parallelogram in side view.

[0039] 3 and other figures, the front drive link member 28 is integrally formed with a front operation arm portion 28a that extends forward and upward from the first connecting joint 27, and the front end of the front operation arm portion 28a is connected to the operating rod of the front copper plate air cylinder 24. The connecting joint between the front operation arm portion 28a and the operating rod is located forward and upward of the second connecting joint 29 in a side view.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3 etc., the front intermediate link member 32 has a front copper plate 9 provided on its protruding lower end below the third connecting section 33, i.e., on the steel plate 5 side, and is supported so that the pressure surface of the front copper plate 9 can abut against the surface of the steel plate 5.

[0041] With the front-side link mechanism 25 configured as described above, the operating force associated with the extension and contraction of the operating rod of the front copper plate air cylinder 24 is applied in the following order: operating rod → front-side operating arm portion 28a → front-side driving link member 28 → front-side intermediate link member 32 and front copper plate 9 → front-side driven link member 31, thereby allowing the front-side intermediate link member 32 and front copper plate 9, which are perpendicular to the steel plate 5, to move up and down while maintaining their respective postures. That is, with the front copper plate support portion 11 described above, it is possible to operate a pressurizing operation for pressing the front copper plate 9 against the front side of the steel plate 5 and a release of the pressurizing operation of the front copper plate 9. Note that an electric cylinder or a motor may be used as the actuator for operating the front-side link mechanism 25, instead of the front copper plate air cylinder 24.

[0042] The torch support part 16 has a left-right connecting support part 35 that connects the upper ends of the pair of left and right front-side intermediate link members 32, a welding position adjustment mechanism 36 that is attached and fixed to the front side of the connecting support part 35 and has an operating part at its lower end that operates to expand and contract in the thickness direction of the steel plate 5, a posture adjustment mechanism 17 that supports the welding torch 4 so that the angle can be adjusted by swinging it up and down, and a support bracket 37 that connects the operating part of the welding position adjustment mechanism 36 and the posture adjustment mechanism 17. The support bracket 37 supports the posture adjustment mechanism 17 so that the position can be adjusted in the X-axis direction, which is the extension direction of the groove.

[0043] Attitude adjustment mechanism 17 is a fan-shaped plate-like member formed with an arc-shaped accommodation hole 17a that extends toward the rear side as it extends forward, and is configured so that torch gripping portion 38 that supports welding torch 4 can be held at any position above accommodation hole 17a. Torch gripping portion 38 may be configured so that its vertical swing position can be controlled by a motor or the like.

[0044] <Back copper plate support part> The back copper plate support part 13 supports the back copper plate 12 arranged on the rear side of the welding carriage 2 on the back side of the steel plate 5. The back copper plate support part 13 has a back link support frame 41 configured to be detachable from the main body frame part 6 side, attraction air cylinders 42, 42 as actuators that attract the back link support frame 41 to the back side of the steel plate 5, a back copper plate air cylinder 43 as an actuator that presses the back copper plate 12 against the back side of the steel plate 5, and a back link mechanism 44 that is actuated by the back copper plate air cylinder 43.

[0045] The back copper plate 12 is a plate-like member formed with a pressure surface that contacts the back surface of the steel plate 5, and is generally equipped with a water-cooled cooling mechanism. The back copper plate 12 forms part of the slag bath by contacting the back surface of the steel plate 5, and in this state the welding carriage 2 moves independently while performing welding, allowing it to slide over the groove 10 while cooling the slag bath, etc.

[0046] 3 and 4, the back-side link support frame 41 is a pair of left and right plate-like members that extend in the front-rear direction along the traveling direction of the welding carriage 2 and are arranged on the back side of the steel plate 5. A pulling frame 45 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction, i.e., in the thickness direction of the steel plate 5, is attached and fixed to the midpoint of the front-rear direction of the back-side link support frame 41 so as to be sandwiched therebetween, thereby forming an overall T-shape. In addition, back-side traveling rollers 46 consisting of a pair of left and right back-side front wheels 46A, 46A and a pair of left and right back-side rear wheels 46B, 46B are journaled on the front and rear end sides of the back-side link support frame 41.

[0047] The pulling frame 45 is a plate-like member extending from the front side to the back side of the steel plate 5 through the groove 10, which is the gap formed between the pair of steel plates 5A, 5B. One end of the pulling frame 45 is attached to the main body frame 6 in a state in which it can be pushed and pulled along the extension direction via pulling air cylinders 42, 42. The other end of the pulling frame 45 is detachably pinned to the middle of the longitudinal direction of the back link support frame 41.

[0048] As shown in Figure 5 etc., a pair of pulling air cylinders 42 are provided on the left and right rear side between the pair of left and right main body frames 18, 18 inside the main body frame 6. The pair of pulling air cylinders 42 are configured so that a pair of operating rods supported facing upward in the vertical direction can be connected to the pulling frame 45 side via a connecting member 47.

[0049] In other words, the pulling air cylinder 42 is configured so that by extending the operating rod, the pulling frame 45 is pulled up toward the welding carriage 2 placed on the surface of the steel plate 5, thereby pressing the back running roller 46 provided on the back link support frame 41 side against the back side of the steel plate 5.

[0050] As shown in Figure 4, the air cylinder 43 for the back copper plate is attached and fixed within the main body frame 6 with the operating rod facing directly downward in the vertical direction via cylinder support plates 48, 48 arranged to sandwich the head side on the left and right, and a pair of front and rear fixing members 49, 50 extended in the left-right direction so as to bridge the pair of cylinder support plates 48, 48.

[0051] 4 and other figures, the air cylinder 43 for the back copper plate has an operating rod connected to one end of an L-shaped operating piece 51 that is pivotally supported on a fixed member 50 between a pair of cylinder support plates 48, 48 so as to be able to swing. A back-side link operating body 52 is provided on the other end of the operating piece 51, and the back-side link operating body 52 is configured to be able to operate the back-side link mechanism 44 by being operated to swing back and forth in the forward and backward directions by the extension and contraction operation of the air cylinder 43 for the back copper plate.

[0052] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the rear link mechanism 44 has a rear drive link member 61 which is a driving link extending in the vertical direction, a rear driven link member 62 which is a driven link provided on the rear side of the link mechanism, and a rear intermediate link member 63 which is an intermediate link extending in the front-to-rear direction.

[0053] The rear drive link member 61 is a link member that extends vertically in front of the main frame 6 and the front wheels 7A. The lower side of the rear drive link member 61 is connected to the front end of the rear link support frame 41 via a first connecting joint 57, and the further lower side is connected to the front end of the rear intermediate link member 63 via a third connecting joint 59.

[0054] The rear-side driven link member 62 is a link member that is arranged on the rear side of the main body frame 6 and on the rear side of the steel plate 5. The rear-side driven link member 62 has its front upper end connected to the rear end side of the rear-side link support frame 41 via the second connecting joint 58, and its front lower end connected to the rear end side of the rear-side intermediate link member via the fourth connecting joint 60.

[0055] The rear-side intermediate link member 63 is a link member that extends in the front-rear direction along the rear-side link support frame 41. The front end of the rear-side intermediate link member 63 is connected to the lower end of the rear-side driving link member 61, and the rear end of the rear-side intermediate link member 63 is connected to the lower front end of the rear-side driven link member 62.

[0056] In this case, the distance between the third connecting section 59 and the fourth connecting section 60 on the rear-side intermediate link member 63 is formed to be approximately the same as the distance between the first connecting section 57 and the second connecting section 58. The length between the first connecting section 57 and the second connecting section 58 can also be said to be the length of the rear-side link support frame 41. In this way, the rear-side link mechanism 44 constitutes a four-section link with a closed-loop structure formed in the shape of a parallelogram in side view.

[0057] As shown in Figure 4, the rear drive link member 61 is extended upward from the first connecting section 57 to integrally form a rear operation arm portion 61a, and the upper side of the rear operation arm portion 61a is configured to abut against the rear link operation body 52 operated by the air cylinder 43 for the rear copper plate.

[0058] 3 and 4, the back-side driven link member 62 is formed in the shape of a plate extending in the front-rear direction, and has a notch 62a formed on the upper rear side thereof, and the back copper plate 12 is supported by the notch 62a. As a result, the back copper plate 12 is configured so that the pressure surface is supported parallel to the back side of the steel plate 5, and the entire pressure surface comes into contact with the back side of the steel plate 5.

[0059] According to the back side link mechanism 44 having this configuration, the operating force accompanying the extension and contraction operation of the air cylinder 43 for the back copper plate is applied in the order of the operating rod → back side link operating body 52 → back side operating arm part 61a → back side driving link member 61 → back side intermediate link member 63 → back side driven link member 62 and back copper plate 12, thereby making it possible to move the back copper plate 12 up and down relative to the back side of the steel plate 5. Note that as the actuator for operating the back side link mechanism 44, an electric cylinder or a motor may be used instead of the air cylinder 43 for the back copper plate.

[0060] That is, with the back copper plate support part 13 described above, the front and back surfaces of the steel plate 5 on which the groove 10 is formed can be firmly clamped between the traveling rollers 7 on the main body frame part 6 side and the back traveling rollers 46 on the back link support frame 41 side, so that the welding carriage 2 in a vertical position suspended by the electric winch 3 can be held in a self-propelled state on the surface of the steel plate 5. Also, a pressure operation for pressing the back copper plate 12 against the back side of the steel plate 5 and a release of the pressure operation of the back copper plate 12 can be operated.

[0061] <Guide roller> The guide roller 8 is a tracing roller that is positioned in the groove 10 in front of the welding torch 4 that performs welding, and that guides the welding carriage 2 so that the welding proceeding direction is along the extension direction of the groove 10, i.e., along the weld line. More specifically, the guide roller 8 is positioned in the groove 10 so as to abut against the groove faces 5a and 5b of the pair of steel plates 5A and 5B that form the groove 10. Note that the left groove face with respect to the direction in which the welding proceeds is referred to as 5a, and the right groove face is referred to as 5b. A plurality of guide rollers 8 are provided along the extension direction of the groove 10. Note that, in the example shown, two guide rollers 8 are provided.

[0062] In this embodiment, the guide rollers 8 include a fulcrum guide roller 8B and a movable guide roller 8A that is positioned forward of the fulcrum guide roller 8B. The fulcrum guide roller 8B is positioned in the front-to-rear direction between the front wheels 7A and the rear wheels 7B and is supported so as to be movable up and down. The movable guide roller 8A is positioned in front of the welding carriage 2 and is supported so as to be movable left and right and up and down. The positions and number of guide rollers 8 are not limited to these, but it is preferable to position at least one in front of the welding carriage 2.

[0063] As shown in Figure 4, etc., the fulcrum guide roller 8B has a fulcrum roller shaft 66 that supports the fulcrum guide roller 8B, a pair of left and right fulcrum roller support plates 67, 67 attached and fixed to both ends of the fulcrum roller shaft 66, and a pair of left and right fulcrum gas springs 68 that support the fulcrum roller support plates 67 so that they can be displaced in the vertical direction.

[0064] Here, the lower end of the fulcrum gas spring 68 is attached and fixed to the fulcrum roller support plate 67, and the upper end is attached and fixed to the connecting rod 69 formed so as to bridge the pair of left and right main body frames 18. As a result, the fulcrum guide roller 8B is elastically displaceable in the vertical direction and is supported on the main body frame 6 side in a configuration in which it is urged toward the inside of the groove 10.

[0065] As shown in Figures 4 and 6, the movable guide roller 8A is equipped with a movable roller support portion that supports the movable guide roller 8A on the main body frame portion 6 side so that the movable guide roller 8A can be displaced in the vertical direction, and a movable roller drive portion that supports the movable guide roller 8A so that it can be driven in the horizontal direction, and is configured so that the horizontal position of the movable guide roller 8A can be controlled by the control portion.

[0066] The movable roller support section has a movable roller shaft 71 that supports the movable guide roller 8A, a pair of left and right vertical swing frames 72, 72 that extend obliquely upward and rearward from the movable roller shaft 71 and are provided on either side of the movable roller shaft 71, and a pair of left and right vertical drive air cylinders 73, 73 whose actuating rods face forward. At this time, the actuating rod of the vertical drive air cylinder 73 is connected to the base end of the vertical swing frame 72 via a vertical link rod 74, so that it can urge the vertical swing frame 72 downward.

[0067] According to this configuration, the movable guide roller 8A is supported on the main body frame 6 side so as to be swingable in the vertical direction, and the biasing force of the vertical drive air cylinder 73 can bias the movable guide roller 8A so as to press it against the groove 10. In addition, the movable guide roller 8A is configured to be slidable in the horizontal direction on the movable roller shaft 71 between the pair of left and right vertical swing frames 72, 72. Details will be explained below.

[0068] The movable roller drive unit includes left and right drive air cylinders 75, 75 as a pair of left and right drive means provided on the left and right outer sides of the movable roller shaft 71 at the front end of the vertically oscillating frame 72 to enable the movable guide roller 8A to slide on the movable roller shaft 71, and the above-mentioned control unit that controls the drive of the left and right drive air cylinders 75. As shown in FIG. 6 and other figures, in this embodiment, the movable roller drive unit is configured to be able to control the drive thrust of the left and right drive air cylinders 75 via a left and right drive unit air circuit controlled by the control unit. Note that the actuator that slides the movable guide roller 8A is not limited to the left and right drive air cylinder 75, and an electric cylinder or a motor may also be used.

[0069] The drive unit air circuit will be described with reference to Figure 7. Figure 7 is a diagram showing the configuration of the drive unit air circuit. As shown in the figure, the drive unit air circuit includes left and right drive air cylinders 75, 75, a meter-in flow control valve 76, a directional control valve (3-position, exhaust center) 77, and an electro-pneumatic regulator 78. Note that the configuration of the drive unit air circuit is not limited to the above, and the flow control valve 76 may be omitted.

[0070] Specifically, when sliding the movable guide roller 8A to the right, the drive unit air circuit switches the directional control valve 77 and passes air through the electro-pneumatic regulator 78 and flow control valve 76, filling the head side of the left-side horizontal drive air cylinder 75 and the rod side of the right-side horizontal drive air cylinder 75 with air, and discharging the air from the rod side of the left-side horizontal drive air cylinder 75 and the head side of the right-side horizontal drive air cylinder 75. Similarly, when sliding the movable guide roller 8A to the left, the directional control valve 77 switches and passes air through the electro-pneumatic regulator 78 and flow control valve 76, filling the rod side of the left-side horizontal drive air cylinder 75 and the head side of the right-side horizontal drive air cylinder 75 with air, and discharging the air from the head side of the left-side horizontal drive air cylinder 75 and the rod side of the right-side horizontal drive air cylinder 75.

[0071] In addition, as shown in Figure 7, by switching the drive air circuit to a state in which air is discharged from both the rod side and head side of the left and right left drive air cylinders 75, the movable guide roller 8A can be placed in a free state in which it can move freely in parallel in the left and right direction on the movable roller shaft 71.

[0072] When the control unit detects a misalignment between the welding direction of the welding carriage 2 during welding operation and the extension direction of the groove 10 that is greater than a predetermined threshold value using the visual sensor 14, which will be described in detail later, the control unit adjusts the sliding position of the movable guide roller 8A via the left and right drive air cylinders 75 so that the welding carriage 2 rotates in a direction that reduces the detected misalignment. On the other hand, when the misalignment detected by the detection sensor is less than the predetermined threshold value, the air on the rod side and head side of the left and right left drive air cylinders 75 is discharged, thereby enabling drive control to be performed so that the movable guide roller 8A is in a free state where it can move freely in parallel in the left and right direction. A specific control method for drive control will be described later.

[0073] <Visual sensor> The visual sensor will be specifically described with reference to Figures 1 to 8. Figure 8(A) is a model diagram of a reference position and a current position photographed by the visual sensor, Figure 8(B) is a model diagram showing a state in which the visual sensor has detected that the amount of deviation is less than a threshold, and Figure 8(C) is a model diagram showing a state in which the visual sensor has detected that the amount of deviation is equal to or greater than the threshold.

[0074] In this embodiment, a visual sensor 14 that captures an image of the welding site is used as a detection sensor to detect the amount of misalignment between the extension direction of the groove 10 extending in the X-axis direction, i.e., the welding line, and the welding progress direction of the welding carriage 2. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the visual sensor 14 is provided on the rear connecting rod 20 that constitutes the main body frame 6, and is installed along the inside of the groove 10. Therefore, while the welding carriage 2 is traveling upward on the surface of the steel plate 5 while performing welding work, the visual sensor 14 captures an image 80 that always includes the slag bath, which is the welding site, in its angle of view, so that it can detect the amount of misalignment between the welding progress direction of the welding carriage 2 and the extension direction of the groove 10 extending in the X-axis direction, i.e., the weld line.

[0075] Specifically, before starting the welding operation, the welding carriage 2 is fixed to the steel plate 5 side so that it is not tilted left or right relative to the weld line, i.e., in the yaw angle direction, and the mounting position of the visual sensor 14 is adjusted so that the slag bath is located at the center of the captured image 80. Next, as shown in FIG. 8(A), the shape X of the slag bath is analyzed from the image 80 captured by the visual sensor 14, and the center of gravity of the shape X of the slag bath is obtained as the reference position Y. The shape X of the slag bath is approximately the same as the shape of the groove 10. The reference position Y is not limited to the center of gravity of the slag bath, and may be set at any position. At this time, the visual sensor 14 is installed so that the reference position Y and the center position C of the image 80 overlap.

[0076] 8(B) and 8(C), after the start of welding work, if the reference position Y of the slag bath in the image 80 captured by the visual sensor 14 deviates left or right from the center position C of the image 80, which is the current position of the welding carriage 2, the amount of deviation can be detected as the amount of deviation in the welding progress direction of the welding carriage 2 relative to the weld line, i.e., the amount of yaw angle displacement. In other words, the amount of deviation is detected based on the difference between the reference position Y of the slag bath and the center position C of the image, which is the current position of the welding carriage 2.

[0077] At this time, a frame T indicating the threshold value used in drive control may be displayed within the image 80 acquired by the visual sensor 14. In this case, if the reference position Y goes outside the frame T during welding work as shown in FIG. 8(C), the amount of deviation exceeds the threshold value, allowing the worker to intuitively grasp the amount of deviation. The size of the frame T within the image 80 varies depending on the set threshold value.

[0078] The detection sensor for detecting the amount of deviation is not limited to the visual sensor 14 as long as it is configured to detect the amount of displacement of the welding proceeding direction of the welding carriage 2 relative to the extension direction of the groove 10, specifically, the amount of yaw angle displacement. The detection sensor may be an optical sensor such as a laser sensor, a magnetic sensor, a gyro sensor, or the like, or a combination of these may be used for detection.

[0079] <Control method> Next, specific processing contents of the drive control by the control unit will be explained with reference to Figures 9(A) to (D) and Figure 10. The control unit is, for example, a part of a processor, and is a control device that controls the reading and writing, input and output, etc. of the arithmetic unit and storage device, and is connected to the visual sensor 14 on the input side, and to the output side, the directional control valve 77 and the electro-pneumatic regulator 78.

[0080] An overview of the drive control will be explained based on Figures 9(A) to (D), which are schematic diagrams showing the effect of the drive control. When welding work is started in which welding carriage 2 travels upward on steel plate 5 while welding, as shown in Figure 9(A), the control unit starts detecting the amount of deviation between the welding proceeding direction of welding carriage 2 and the extension direction of groove 10 using visual sensor 14, and if the amount of deviation is less than a threshold, the control unit sets movable guide roller 8A in a free state and continues the welding work.

[0081] 9(B) shows a case where, during welding operation, visual sensor 14 detects that the welding progress direction of welding carriage 2 is tilted to the left with respect to the extension direction of groove 10, i.e., in the direction approaching steel plate 5A, and that the amount of this deviation has exceeded a threshold. In this case, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 9(C), by controlling the drive of a pair of left and right drive air cylinders 75, 75, movable guide roller 8A is slid so as to press against groove surface 5a to the left where the deviation has occurred.

[0082] As a result, as shown in FIG. 9(D), a reaction occurs from the left groove surface 5a pressed by the movable guide roller 8A, causing the welding carriage 2 to pivot to the right, which is the opposite direction to the sliding direction of the movable guide roller 8A, using the fulcrum guide roller 8B in the groove 10 as a fulcrum. In other words, the welding carriage 2 pivots in a direction in which the welding proceeds along the extension direction of the groove 10. That is, the welding carriage 2 can correct the amount of misalignment detected by the visual sensor 14 by returning the traveling direction of the welding carriage 2, which has begun to deviate from the extension direction of the groove 10, to the traveling direction along the extension direction of the groove 10. Note that this "correcting the amount of misalignment" may also be rephrased as "canceling the amount of misalignment."

[0083] According to this configuration, when the welding carriage 2 is undergoing welding work, various working conditions and disturbances may occur, such as different thicknesses of the steel plates 5A and 5B that form the groove, different thicknesses at the plate joints, an inclination, or a misalignment between the left and right positions of the groove 10, causing a misalignment between the welding progress direction of the welding carriage 2 and the weld line. When the visual sensor 14 detects this misalignment, the left and right drive air cylinders 75, 75 can perform drive control to press the groove surfaces 5a, 5b on one side with the movable guide roller 8A so that the welding carriage 2 moves in a direction that cancels the detected misalignment.

[0084] Next, the process flow of the drive control will be described with reference to Fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a flow diagram showing the process of the drive control. When the process of the drive control is started, the control unit proceeds to step S1. In step S1, the visual sensor 14 detects the amount of deviation between the welding proceeding direction of the welding carriage 2 and the extending direction of the groove 10, and then the process proceeds to step S2.

[0085] In step S2, it is confirmed whether the amount of deviation detected by the visual sensor 14 is equal to or greater than a preset threshold, and if it is detected that the amount of deviation detected is equal to or greater than the threshold, the process proceeds to step S3.

[0086] In step S3, the control unit calculates the air pressure required to drive the left-right drive air cylinder 75 to correct the amount of misalignment based on the detected amount of misalignment, and drives the pair of left-right drive air cylinders 75, 75 based on the calculated air pressure. This causes the movable guide roller 8A to slide left and right, pressing the groove surface (either groove surface 5a or groove surface 5b) in the direction in which the amount of misalignment was detected. Then, the process returns.

[0087] As a result, welding carriage 2 is pushed back in the opposite direction to the sliding direction of movable guide roller 8A with fulcrum guide roller 8B in groove 10 as the fulcrum, and welding carriage 2 can be rotated in a direction that reduces the amount of deviation. By continuing this process until the amount of deviation detected by visual sensor 14 becomes less than the threshold value, the welding proceeding direction of welding carriage 2 can be returned to the correct position along the weld line.

[0088] As a method for calculating the air pressure to drive the left and right drive air cylinders 75, 75, a configuration may be adopted in which the relationship between the detected amount of misalignment and the air pressure required to correct the amount of misalignment is compiled in advance into a database, and the air pressure to be supplied to the pair of left and right drive air cylinders 75, 75 is determined based on the database and the value of the detected amount of misalignment. Also, a configuration may be adopted in which data on the air pressure and the degree of misalignment correction is recorded and learned automatically, or a configuration may be adopted in which the air pressure is not calculated and the left and right drive air cylinders 75 are always driven with a constant air pressure.

[0089] If it is determined in step S2 that the amount of deviation detected by the visual sensor 14 is less than a preset threshold value, the process proceeds to step S4.

[0090] In step S4, the horizontal drive air cylinder 75 does not slide the movable guide roller 8A, and the state is switched to a state in which air is discharged from both the head side and the rod side of the horizontal drive air cylinder 75, in other words, a guide roller free state in which the movable guide roller 8A can move freely in parallel in the horizontal direction on the movable roller shaft 71, and then the process returns. As a result, even if a disturbance occurs such that the movable guide roller 8A comes into contact with a location where the horizontal position of the groove changes suddenly, such as when joining upper and lower plates, the movable guide roller 8A can escape in the horizontal direction, thereby avoiding a sudden yaw change in the welding cart 2.

[0091] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the present invention also contemplates the mutual combination of the various components of the embodiments, as well as modifications and applications by those skilled in the art based on the description in the specification and well-known techniques, and these modifications and applications are included in the scope of protection sought.

[0092] As described above, the present specification discloses the following: (1) A vertical welding device for welding in a vertical position to a groove formed by two workpieces, A welding carriage that welds one surface side perpendicular to the plate thickness direction of the material to be welded while traveling along the groove, and a welding torch mounted on the welding carriage, The welding carriage is At least two or more guide rollers are arranged side by side along the welding direction and advance along the extension direction of the groove; A detection means for detecting a deviation amount of the welding proceeding direction of the welding carriage with respect to the extension direction of the groove; and At least one of the guide rollers is a movable guide roller that can be moved in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the welding proceeding direction by using a driving means, The driving means performs drive control to press the movable guide roller against the groove surface so as to move in a direction that cancels the amount of deviation detected by the detecting means. A vertical welding device characterized by: According to this configuration, in a self-propelled vertical welding device that does not require rail installation, the posture of the welding carriage can be maintained stably and deviation of the welding torch tip position can be suppressed, thereby ensuring good welding quality.

[0093] (2) The detection means sets a threshold value for the amount of deviation in advance, and when it detects that the amount of deviation is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it performs the drive control, and when it detects that the amount of deviation is less than the threshold value, it makes the movable guide roller freely movable in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the welding direction. The vertical welding apparatus according to (1) is characterized in that: According to this configuration, the movable guide roller is driven and controlled only when the amount of deviation is equal to or greater than a threshold value, thereby improving accuracy without reducing the work efficiency of welding work in a vertical position as much as possible.

[0094] (3) The detection means At least one sensor is included among a visual sensor, an optical sensor, and a magnetic sensor; The amount of deviation is detected based on the difference between a predetermined reference position acquired by the sensor and the current position of the welding carriage. The vertical welding apparatus according to (1) or (2) is characterized in that: According to this configuration, the amount of deviation between the direction of travel of the welding carriage and the direction in which the groove extends can be detected easily and accurately.

[0095] (4) Among the guide rollers, the guide roller arranged most forward in the welding direction is the movable guide roller. The vertical welding device according to any one of (1) to (3) above, characterized in that: According to this configuration, the movable guide roller that is driven in the left-right direction is disposed at the frontmost position, so that the operation of correcting deviation in the welding progress direction of the welding carriage can be performed smoothly.

[0096] (5) A hanging vertical welding device, An electric winch is provided to lift the welding carriage. The vertical welding device according to any one of (1) to (4) above, characterized in that: According to this configuration, the size and weight of the entire device can be made compact, and the preparation process before starting work is relatively simple, which improves maintainability and work efficiency.

[0097] (6) Vertical welding equipment for electroslag welding or electrogas welding, The welding carriage is A front copper plate is arranged on the front surface side, which is one surface of the material to be welded, and slides along the groove; A back copper plate is arranged on the back side, which is the other surface of the material to be welded, and slides along the groove; a link mechanism that operates the front copper plate and the back copper plate in a direction that clamps the material to be welded; an actuator for controlling the link mechanism; The vertical welding device according to any one of (1) to (5) above, characterized in that: According to this configuration, the front copper plate and the back copper plate that hold the material to be welded can be accurately operated with a relatively simple structure.

[0098] (7) The driving means is an air cylinder that moves the movable guide roller in a parallel direction, and the output of the air cylinder is calculated based on the amount of deviation detected by the detecting means. The vertical welding apparatus according to (2) is characterized in that According to this configuration, it is possible to easily calculate the output of the air cylinder required to correct the amount of deviation.

[0099] (8) A control method for a vertical welding device for performing welding in a vertical position on a groove formed by two workpieces, comprising: The vertical welding apparatus includes a welding carriage that welds one surface side of the workpiece that is perpendicular to the plate thickness direction while traveling along the groove, and a welding torch mounted on the welding carriage, The welding carriage is At least two or more guide rollers are arranged side by side along the welding direction and advance along the extension direction of the groove, At least one of the guide rollers is a movable guide roller that is movable in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the welding proceeding direction, When a deviation amount of the welding carriage in the welding proceeding direction with respect to the extension direction of the groove is detected, the movable guide roller presses the groove surface in the direction in which the deviation amount is detected. A method for controlling a vertical welding apparatus. According to this configuration, in a control method for a self-propelled vertical welding device that does not require the installation of rails, the posture of the welding carriage can be maintained stably and deviation of the welding torch tip position can be suppressed, thereby ensuring good welding quality. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 2 welding carts 3 Electric winch 4 welding torches 8A Movable guide roller (guide roller) 8B Fulcrum guide roller (guide roller) 9 Front copper plate 12 Back copper plate 14 Visual sensor (detection means) 15 Control Unit 24 Air cylinder (actuator) for front copper plate 25 Front link mechanism (link mechanism) 43 Air cylinder for back copper plate (actuator, air cylinder) 44 Back side link mechanism (link mechanism) 75 Left and right drive air cylinder (drive means, air cylinder)

Claims

1. A vertical welding device for performing welding in a vertical position on a groove formed by two workpieces, A welding carriage that welds one surface side perpendicular to the plate thickness direction of the material to be welded while traveling along the groove, and a welding torch mounted on the welding carriage, The welding carriage is At least two or more guide rollers are arranged side by side along the welding direction and advance along the extension direction of the groove; A detection means for detecting a deviation amount of the welding proceeding direction of the welding carriage with respect to the extension direction of the groove; and At least one of the guide rollers is a movable guide roller that can be moved in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the welding proceeding direction by using a driving means, The driving means performs drive control to press the movable guide roller against the groove surface so as to move in a direction that cancels the amount of deviation detected by the detecting means. A vertical welding device characterized by:

2. The detection means sets a threshold value for the amount of deviation in advance, and when it detects that the amount of deviation is equal to or greater than the threshold value, it performs the drive control, and when it detects that the amount of deviation is less than the threshold value, it makes the movable guide roller capable of free translation in a direction perpendicular to the welding direction.

2. The vertical welding apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The detection means At least one sensor is included among a visual sensor, an optical sensor, and a magnetic sensor; The amount of deviation is detected based on the difference between a predetermined reference position acquired by the sensor and the current position of the welding carriage.

3. A vertical welding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Among the guide rollers, the guide roller arranged furthest forward in the welding direction is the movable guide roller.

3. A vertical welding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

5. A hanging type vertical welding device, An electric winch is provided to lift the welding carriage.

3. A vertical welding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

6. A vertical welding apparatus for electroslag welding or electrogas welding, The welding carriage is A front copper plate is arranged on the front surface side, which is one surface of the material to be welded, and slides along the groove; A back copper plate is arranged on the back side, which is the other surface of the material to be welded, and slides along the groove; a link mechanism that operates the front copper plate and the back copper plate in a direction that clamps the material to be welded; an actuator for controlling the link mechanism; 3. A vertical welding apparatus according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The driving means is an air cylinder that moves the movable guide roller in a parallel direction, and the output of the air cylinder is calculated based on the amount of deviation detected by the detecting means.

3. The vertical welding apparatus according to claim 2.

8. A control method for a vertical welding apparatus for performing welding in a vertical position on a groove formed by two workpieces, The vertical welding apparatus includes a welding carriage that welds one surface side of the workpiece that is perpendicular to the plate thickness direction while traveling along the groove, and a welding torch mounted on the welding carriage, The welding carriage is At least two or more guide rollers are arranged side by side along the welding direction and advance along the extension direction of the groove, At least one of the guide rollers is a movable guide roller that is movable in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the welding proceeding direction, When a deviation amount of the welding carriage in the welding proceeding direction with respect to the extension direction of the groove is detected, the movable guide roller presses the groove surface in the direction in which the deviation amount is detected. A method for controlling a vertical welding apparatus.

Images