Automated pipeline welding apparatus and method

Abstract

An automated pipeline welding apparatus and method. The automated pipeline welding apparatus comprises: a support seat (1), which comprises two bases (11) and an intermediate arc-shaped seat (12); a clamping device (3), which comprises two clamping devices (31, 32), wherein the clamping device (31) can move axially and can rotate circumferentially; an image acquisition device, which comprises a first probe (41) and a second probe (42), wherein the first probe (41) can extend between two pipe fittings after the two pipe fittings are clamped by the two clamping devices, and can capture and acquire images of the contours of beveled end surfaces of the two pipe fittings, and the second probe (42) can rotate around the outer peripheries of the pipe fittings and can capture and acquire images of connection positions of the two connected pipe fittings; a welding device (6), which can rotate around the outer peripheries of the pipe fittings; and a control system (8), which is electrically connected to one clamping device, the image acquisition device and the welding device. The automated pipeline welding apparatus can realize alignment, before and during welding, of two pipe fittings to be welded, and can ensure that the two pipe fittings are subjected to port connection according to the maximum overlap of end surfaces, thereby ensuring welding quality and improving operation efficiency.

Description

Automated pipeline welding apparatus and method

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410946613.8, filed on July 15, 2024, and incorporates the disclosure of the aforementioned patent application as part of this application. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of pipeline welding, and in particular to an automated pipeline welding apparatus and method. BACKGROUND

[0004] In the transportation of resources such as oil and natural gas, metal pipe fittings are often fixedly connected by welding to form a pipeline for transportation. Traditional welding equipment is mainly based on manual and semi-automatic methods, while automatic welding is only available in the form of argon arc automatic welding process. Although the single argon arc welding process has good welding quality, it has the problems of low efficiency and slow welding speed, making it difficult to meet the requirements of the current high-efficiency era. At the same time, current pipeline automatic welding equipment has relatively simple functions, often only having automatic welding function. The function of the aligning device, especially the external aligning device, is generally based on point welding after alignment, and the aligning device needs to be removed during formal welding. Moreover, there is no automatic recognition and optimal matching function for the shape of the pipe end bevel during alignment, and the pipe end angle cannot be automatically adjusted to achieve optimal alignment. During welding, there is also a lack of real-time monitoring of the welding quality, and manual detection is often used in non-destructive testing of the weld after welding. Therefore, in the welding construction of the pipeline, multiple procedures such as the alignment of the end face bevels of the two pipe fittings, welding, and non-destructive testing of the weld after welding need to be implemented by multiple batches of personnel, resulting in a long construction period. For short-term construction projects, it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, has low work efficiency, and high labor costs. SUMMARY

[0005] The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an automated pipeline welding apparatus and method that can achieve alignment of two pipe fittings before welding and during the welding process, and can ensure that the two pipe fittings are ported in accordance with the maximum end face coincidence, thereby ensuring welding quality and improving work efficiency.

[0006] The purpose of the present disclosure can be achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0007] The present disclosure provides an automated pipeline welding apparatus, comprising:

[0008] The support base comprises two bases and an intermediate arc-shaped base, the two bases are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the support base, the intermediate arc-shaped base is located on one side of the interval region between the two bases and is connected with the two bases, and the space region surrounded by the inner wall of the intermediate arc-shaped base and the interval region constitute a welding operation region;

[0009] The clamping device comprises two clamping devices arranged on both sides of the welding operation region, the clamping holes of the two clamping devices are coaxially arranged, the two clamping devices are respectively arranged on the two bases, and the two clamping devices are used for clamping two pipe fittings respectively, wherein one clamping device can move along the axial direction of the clamping hole and can rotate circumferentially.

[0010] The pattern acquisition device comprises a first probe and a second probe, the first probe can extend into the space between the two pipe fittings after the two pipe fittings are clamped by the two clamping devices, and the first probe is used for photographing and acquiring the profile of the bevel end face of the two pipe fittings; the second probe can rotate around the outer periphery of the pipe fitting and can be used for photographing and acquiring the butt joint position of the two pipe fittings after butt joint.

[0011] The welding device is arranged in the welding operation region and can rotate around the outer periphery of the pipe fitting.

[0012] The control system is electrically connected with one of the clamping devices, the pattern acquisition device and the welding device, and can control one of the clamping devices to drive the pipe fitting to move and rotate according to the photographing information of the first probe, so that the two pipe fittings are port butt jointed according to the maximum end face coincidence degree; and can judge whether the contact state of the port butt joint meets the welding condition according to the photographing information of the second probe.

[0013] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, a molten pool state real-time monitoring device is arranged on the welding device, which is used for monitoring the weld quality in the welding process; the control system is electrically connected with the molten pool state real-time monitoring device, and can judge whether the weld quality in the welding process is qualified according to the data monitored by the molten pool state real-time monitoring device.

[0014] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, a non-destructive testing device is further arranged in the welding operation region, which is used for non-destructive testing of the weld quality after welding; the control system is electrically connected with the non-destructive testing device, and can judge whether the weld quality after welding is qualified according to the data detected by the non-destructive testing device.

[0015] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, the non-destructive testing device is an ultrasonic testing device, which comprises a plurality of non-destructive testing probes arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, a coupling agent ejection device is arranged on one side of each non-destructive testing probe, and the control system is further electrically connected with the coupling agent ejection device.

[0016] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, a first telescopic rod capable of telescopic movement along the radial direction of the pipe and a second telescopic rod capable of telescopic movement along the axial direction of the pipe are arranged in the welding operation area, the first probe is arranged at the end of the first telescopic rod, and the second probe is arranged at the end of the second telescopic rod; the first driving device and the second driving device are arranged in the welding operation area, the first driving device is connected with the first telescopic rod and capable of driving the first telescopic rod to telescopically move, the second driving device is connected with the second telescopic rod and capable of driving the second telescopic rod to telescopically move, and the control system is electrically connected with the first driving device and the second driving device.

[0017] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, two circular ring-shaped guide rails are arranged in the welding operation area, the centers of the two circular ring-shaped guide rails are on the same axis as the centers of the clamping holes of the two clamping devices, the two circular ring-shaped guide rails are respectively fixed on the two bases and partially located in the space area of the intermediate arc-shaped seat; the welding device is arranged on one of the circular ring-shaped guide rails and capable of circumferentially moving, and the second probe is arranged on the other circular ring-shaped guide rail and capable of circumferentially moving.

[0018] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, the clamping device and the circular ring-shaped guide rail each include an upper half circular seat and a lower half circular seat arranged in a top-bottom manner, one end of the upper half circular seat is capable of being hingedly connected with one end of the lower half circular seat, and the other end of the upper half circular seat is capable of being locked with the other end of the lower half circular seat through the locking structure.

[0019] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, a track, a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism are arranged on one of the bases, one of the clamping devices is capable of being slidably connected with the track through the moving support and capable of being locked with the supporting seat through the locking mechanism, the first driving mechanism is connected with the moving support and capable of driving the moving support to slide along the track, the second driving mechanism is connected with one of the clamping devices through the gear and rack structure and capable of driving the clamping device to rotate, and the control system is electrically connected with the first driving mechanism, the locking mechanism and the second driving mechanism.

[0020] The present disclosure further provides an automatic pipeline welding method, which comprises:

[0021] Clamp and fix the two pipes and leave a space between the two pipes;

[0022] Take a photo of the bevel end surface profile of the two pipes, and move and rotate one of the pipes according to the information of the photo, so that the two pipes are ported and docked with the maximum end surface coincidence;

[0023] Take a photo of the docking position of the two pipes, and judge whether the contact state of the ported and docked pipes meets the welding state according to the information of the photo;

[0024] If yes, weld the docking position of the two pipes.

[0025] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, the automatic pipeline welding method further comprises:

[0026] During the welding process, the weld quality during the welding process is monitored, and whether the weld quality during the welding process is qualified is judged according to the monitored data;

[0027] If yes, continue welding;

[0028] After the welding is completed, the weld quality after the welding is detected, and whether the weld quality after the welding is qualified is judged according to the detected data.

[0029] In an optional embodiment of the present disclosure, the automatic pipeline welding method further comprises:

[0030] If the contact state of the port butt joint is not in the welding state, a first alarm signal is generated, and the current operation is stopped;

[0031] If the weld quality during the welding process is in the unqualified state, a second alarm signal is generated, and the current operation is stopped;

[0032] If the weld quality after the welding is in the unqualified state, a third alarm signal is generated, and the current operation is stopped.

[0033] As described above, the automatic pipeline welding device and method of the present disclosure, through the cooperation of the clamping device, the image acquisition device and the control system, the alignment of the two pipe fittings before welding and during the welding process can be realized by using two clamping devices, which effectively ensures the coaxiality of the two pipe fittings. The control system can control the corresponding clamping device to move and rotate one of the pipe fittings according to the shooting information of the first probe, so that the two pipe fittings are port butt jointed according to the maximum end face coincidence degree, which ensures that the two pipe fittings to be welded realize the maximization of the end face coincidence degree after porting. At the same time, the position after butt jointing is photographed by using the second probe, which can judge whether the contact state of the port butt joint meets the welding condition, so as to automatically judge the operability of subsequent welding under this coincidence degree; the welding quality is ensured, the operation cost is reduced, and the operation efficiency is improved. In addition, the two bases and the middle arc-shaped seat of the support seat form an omega shape, and the welding operation area formed can accommodate the welding device and the second probe which need to rotate circumferentially. The structure of the support seat provides a moving space for the circumferential movement of the welding device and the second probe while ensuring the integrity of the entire support seat, ensures the always clamped and fixed state of the pipe fittings by the clamping device during the welding process, and ensures the always alignment of the two pipe fittings during the welding process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] The following drawings are only intended to illustrate and explain the present disclosure, and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. Among them:

[0035] Figure 1 is a schematic view of the top of the automatic pipeline welding equipment provided by the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 2 is a schematic view of the rotatable movable active clamping device cooperating with the base provided by the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic view of the fixed clamping device cooperating with the base provided by the present disclosure.

[0038] Brief Description of the Drawings: 1, support seat; 11, base; 111, longitudinal rod; 112, transverse rod; 12, intermediate arc-shaped seat; 121, mounting bracket; 13, reinforcing rib; 2, circular ring-shaped guide rail; 3, clamping device; 31, rotatable movable active clamping device; 32, fixed clamping device; 33, upper semicircular seat; 34, lower semicircular seat; 35, moving support; 36, gear and rack structure; 361, semicircular gear; 362, rack; 37, fixed support; 38, guide rod; 41, first probe; 42, second probe; 51, first telescopic rod; 52, second telescopic rod; 6, welding device; 71, molten pool state real-time monitoring device; 72, non-destructive testing device; 8, control system; 9, pipe; 91, first pipe; 92, second pipe. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] In order to have a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives and effects of the present disclosure, the specific embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0040] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the present application provides an automatic pipeline welding equipment, comprising:

[0041] The support seat 1 comprises two bases 11 and an intermediate arc-shaped seat 12, the two bases 11 are arranged at intervals along the length direction of the support seat 1, the intermediate arc-shaped seat 12 is located on one side of the interval region between the two bases 11 and is connected with the two bases 11, the space region surrounded by the inner wall of the intermediate arc-shaped seat 12 and the above-mentioned interval region constitute a welding operation region;

[0042] The clamping device 3 comprises two clamping devices 3 located on both sides of the welding operation region, the clamping holes of the two clamping devices 3 are coaxially arranged, the two clamping devices 3 are respectively arranged on the two bases 11, and the two clamping devices 3 are used for clamping two pipes 9 respectively, wherein one of the clamping devices 3 can move along the axial direction of the clamping hole and can rotate circumferentially;

[0043] The image acquisition device comprises a first probe 41 and a second probe 42, the first probe 41 can extend into the space between the two pipes 9 after the two pipes 9 are clamped by the two clamping devices 3, and can take a photo of the profile of the bevel end face of the two pipes 9; the second probe 42 can rotate around the outer periphery of the pipe 9 and can take a photo of the butt joint position of the two pipes 9 after butt joint;

[0044] A welding device 6 is arranged in the welding operation area and can rotate around the outer periphery of the pipe 9, and is used for welding the two pipe 9;

[0045] A control system 8 is electrically connected with one of the clamping devices 3, the image acquisition device, and the welding device 6, and can control one of the clamping devices 3 to move and rotate the pipe 9 according to the shooting information of the first probe 41, so that the two pipe 9 are ported according to the maximum end face coincidence; and can determine whether the contact state of the ported meets the welding condition according to the shooting information of the second probe 42.

[0046] The above-mentioned two clamping devices 3 are respectively a rotatable movable active clamping device 31 and a fixed clamping device 32, which are respectively used for clamping and fixing two pipe sections 9 (i.e. the first pipe 91 and the second pipe 92 in FIG. 1) to be welded, and the clamping hole centers of the two clamping devices 3 are on the same axis and coaxial with the pipe 9.

[0047] In use, first, the first pipe 91 and the second pipe 92 are clamped and fixed by the two clamping devices 3, and at this time, there is a gap between the to-be-welded ports of the two pipe sections 9; then the control system 8 controls the first probe 41 to move and extend into the gap between the two pipe 9, and take a photo of the bevel end face profile of the two pipe 9 to be welded; the control system 8 can analyze the optimal docking scheme of the maximum end face coincidence of the two pipe 9 according to the shooting information of the first probe 41, and then the control system 8 controls the rotatable movable active clamping device 31 to drive the corresponding pipe 9 to move axially and rotate circumferentially around its own axis, so that the two pipe 9 are ported according to the optimal docking scheme, i.e. ported according to the maximum coincidence optimization scheme. Next, the control system 8 controls the second probe 42 to face the docking position of the two pipe 9 and rotate around the outer periphery of the pipe 9 while taking a photo of the corresponding position of the docking position, and the control system 8 can determine whether the contact state of the ported meets the welding condition according to the shooting information of the second probe 42. If it does, the welding device 6 is started to rotate around the outer periphery of the pipe 9 while welding the docking position; if it does not, the machine is stopped for corresponding operation.

[0048] The control system 8 specifically performs automatic measurement and analysis of parameters including roundness of end face profile, wall thickness, coaxiality, etc. according to the photographing information of the first probe 41, and obtains an optimal butt joint scheme of the maximum end face coincidence degree of the two sections of pipe fittings 9 to be welded, which is the rotation angle of the first pipe fitting 91, so as to ensure that the first pipe fitting 91 is rotated by the angle and butted with the second pipe fitting 92 at the port, and the maximum coincidence area of the end faces of the two pipe fittings is obtained. The control system 8 also performs misalignment measurement and analysis of the end faces of the two sections of pipe fittings 9 to be welded after butt joint according to the photographing information of the second probe 42, and matches the obtained data with the target parameters (i.e. the weldability parameters of the welding program) stored in the control system 8, and then judges whether the contact state of the port butt joint meets the welding condition, i.e. whether the direct welding is possible, so as to instruct the welding device 6 to perform subsequent welding operation or issue a non-weldable prompt.

[0049] Therefore, the automatic pipe welding equipment can realize the alignment of the two pipe fittings 9 before welding and during the welding process by the cooperation of the clamping devices 3, the image acquisition device and the control system 8, and effectively ensures the coaxiality of the two pipe fittings 9. The control system 8 can control the corresponding clamping device 3 to drive one of the pipe fittings 9 to move and rotate according to the photographing information of the first probe 41, so that the two pipe fittings 9 are butted at the port according to the maximum end face coincidence degree, and the maximum end face coincidence degree of the two pipe fittings 9 to be welded after butt joint is ensured. Meanwhile, the contact state of the port butt joint can be judged by photographing the position of the butt joint by the second probe 42, so as to automatically determine the operability of whether to perform subsequent welding at the coincidence degree, and ensure the welding quality, reduce the operation cost and improve the operation efficiency. In addition, the two bases 11 and the intermediate arc-shaped seat 12 of the support seat 1 form an omega shape, and the welding operation area formed thereby can accommodate the welding device 6 and the second probe 42 which need to rotate circumferentially, the structure of the support seat 1 ensures the integrity of the entire support seat 1 and provides a moving space for the circumferential movement of the welding device 6 and the second probe 42, ensures the clamping and fixing state of the pipe fittings 9 by the clamping devices 3 during the welding process, and ensures the alignment of the two pipe fittings 9 during the welding process.

[0050] In the preferred implementation, the welding device 6 is provided with a molten pool state real-time monitoring device 71 for monitoring the weld quality during the welding process; the control system 8 is electrically connected with the molten pool state real-time monitoring device 71 and can determine whether the weld quality during the welding process is qualified according to the data monitored by the molten pool state real-time monitoring device 71.

[0051] A non-destructive testing device 72 is also provided in the welding operation area for non-destructive testing of the weld quality after welding; the control system 8 is electrically connected with the non-destructive testing device 72 and can determine whether the weld quality after welding is qualified according to the data detected by the non-destructive testing device 72.

[0052] The probe of the molten pool state real-time monitoring device 71 is fixed on the welding device 6 and moves synchronously with the welding device 6 during the welding process, and the aperture of the probe is always focused on the welding spot to monitor the welding quality.

[0053] The non-destructive testing device 72 may be an ultrasonic testing device, which comprises a plurality of non-destructive testing probes arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, and a coupling agent spraying device is arranged on one side of each non-destructive testing probe. The control system 8 is also electrically connected to the coupling agent spraying devices. After welding, the control system 8 controls the coupling agent spraying devices to automatically spray coupling agent onto the welding seam beside the corresponding non-destructive testing probe, and then the non-destructive testing probe performs ultrasonic testing.

[0054] The molten pool state real-time monitoring device 71 and the non-destructive testing device 72 are arranged to monitor the welding seam during the welding process and to non-destructively test the welding seam after welding, which is more automated and ensures the welding quality. The specific structure and monitoring / testing principle of the molten pool state real-time monitoring device 71 and the non-destructive testing device 72 are both prior art and will not be described here.

[0055] In actual application, the control system 8 is also connected to an alarm. When the control system 8 determines that the contact state of the port butt joint does not meet the welding state according to the photographing information of the second probe 42, that the welding quality during the welding process is unqualified according to the data monitored by the molten pool state real-time monitoring device 71, and that the welding quality after welding is unqualified according to the data detected by the non-destructive testing device 72, the control system 8 can control the alarm to emit an alarm sound to remind the operator to perform corresponding operations. When the welding quality is determined to be unqualified during the welding process, the control system 8 also controls the welding device 6 to stop.

[0056] In order to facilitate the first probe 41 to extend into the spacing area between the two pipe fittings 9 before butt joint and the second probe 42 to face the butt joint position after butt joint, a first telescopic rod 51 that can move along the radial direction of the pipe fitting 9 and a second telescopic rod 52 that can move along the axial direction of the pipe fitting 9 are arranged in the welding operation area, the first probe 41 is arranged at the end of the first telescopic rod 51, and the second probe 42 is arranged at the end of the second telescopic rod 52; a first driving device and a second driving device are also arranged in the welding operation area, the first driving device is connected to the first telescopic rod 51 and can drive the first telescopic rod 51 to move telescopically, the second driving device is connected to the second telescopic rod 52 and can drive the second telescopic rod 52 to move telescopically, and the control system 8 is electrically connected to the first driving device and the second driving device.

[0057] In order to facilitate installation connection, two circular guide rails 2 are arranged opposite to each other in the welding operation area, the centers of the two circular guide rails 2 are on the same axis as the centers of the clamping holes of the two clamping devices 3, the two circular guide rails 2 are respectively fixed on the two bases 11 and partially located in the space area of the middle arc-shaped seat 12; the welding device 6 is arranged on one of the circular guide rails 2 and can move circumferentially, and the second probe 42 is arranged on the other circular guide rail 2 and can move circumferentially. The plane of the circular guide rail 2 is perpendicular to the length direction of the support seat 1, that is, perpendicular to the axial direction of the pipe fitting 9; the second telescopic rod 52 is fixed to the corresponding circular guide rail 2, and the axial direction of the second telescopic rod 52 is parallel to the axial direction of the circular guide rail 2.

[0058] Corresponding crawling devices can be arranged on the two circular guide rails 2 and electrically connected to the control system 8, the welding device 6 and the second telescopic rod 52 are connected to the corresponding crawling devices, and the control system 8 can control the corresponding crawling devices to move along the circular guide rail 2 to drive the welding device 6 or the second probe 42 to rotate and move circumferentially along the circular guide rail 2. The structure of the welding device 6 and the second probe 42 moving circumferentially along the corresponding circular guide rail 2 can also be in other forms according to needs, and the embodiment is only for illustration.

[0059] The plurality of non-destructive testing probes of the non-destructive testing device 72 are uniformly arranged circumferentially on the circular guide rail 2 on which the second probe 42 is arranged, and can be directly fixed on the circular guide rail 2 or arranged circumferentially on the circular guide rail 2 (for example, the circumferential movement is realized by the corresponding crawling device).

[0060] The welding device 6 described above can adopt an automatic welding machine, for example, a welding gun, which can rotate and move circumferentially along the circular guide rail 2 during welding operation.

[0061] The two clamping devices 3 and the two circular guide rails 2 have the same structure and can be opened and closed; for example, a hinged opening and closing structure design of two semicircular members can be adopted, and the two pipe fittings 9 to be welded are put into or taken out of the clamping device 3 or the circular guide rail 2 by opening and closing the semicircular members.

[0062] Specifically, referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the clamping device 3 and the circular guide rail 2 each include an upper semicircular seat 33 and a lower semicircular seat 34 arranged in an upper-lower manner, one end of the upper semicircular seat 33 can be hinged to one end of the lower semicircular seat 34, and the other end of the upper semicircular seat 33 can be locked to the other end of the lower semicircular seat 34 by a locking structure.

[0063] The center hole enclosed by the closed upper semicircular seat 33 and lower semicircular seat 34 of the clamping device 3 constitutes the clamping hole of the clamping device 3. The pipe 9 can be placed into the lower semicircular seat 34 after the upper semicircular seat 33 is opened, then the upper semicircular seat 33 is closed and locked with the lower semicircular seat 34 through the locking structure, so as to realize the fixation of the pipe 9. The locking structure can adopt any existing way, which is not limited in the present application.

[0064] The opening, closing and locking of the clamping device 3 and the circular ring guide rail 2 can be manually operated or controlled and operated by a corresponding robot through the control system 8. After the two pipes 9 are respectively installed to the two clamping devices 3 and the two circular ring guide rails 2, the detection, alignment and welding of the end face bevel of the pipe 9 and the non-destructive testing of the weld after welding are all automatic operation processes without manual intervention, which has high automation degree and can realize continuous operation with higher operation efficiency.

[0065] Further, in order to facilitate the movement and rotation of the first clamping device 3, a track, a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism are arranged on one of the bases 11. One clamping device 3 is slidably connected with the track through the moving support 35 and can be locked with the support seat 1 through the locking mechanism. The first driving mechanism is connected with the moving support 35 and can drive the moving support 35 to slide along the track. The second driving mechanism is connected with one clamping device 3 through the gear and rack structure 36 and can drive the clamping device 3 to rotate. The control system 8 is electrically connected with the first driving mechanism, the locking mechanism and the second driving mechanism. After the control system 8 controls the first driving mechanism to drive the clamping device 3 to move and rotate to the position, the control device controls the locking mechanism to lock the clamping device 3 to maintain the position stable.

[0066] The locking mechanism can adopt any way. Referring to FIG. 2, the gear and rack structure 36 can include a semicircular gear 361 and a rack 362 which are engaged in an up-down manner. The semicircular gear 361 is fixedly arranged on the bottom of the lower semicircular seat 34. The length direction of the rack 362 is horizontally arranged. A guide rod 38 is connected with the moving support 35. The second driving mechanism can drive the rack 362 to horizontally reciprocate along the guide rod 38 to drive the lower semicircular seat 34 to rotate in the circumferential direction through the gear, which can rotate 180°. Of course, the movement and rotation of the movable and rotatable active clamping device 31 can also be realized by other ways, which is only an example in the embodiment.

[0067] Further, the Ω-shaped welding operation area can accommodate the circular ring guide rail 2. While the clamping device 3 and the circular ring guide rail 2 clamp and fix the pipe 9, the support seat 1 itself does not affect the rotation of the welding device 6 and the second probe 42, which can ensure that the clamping device 3 and the circular ring guide rail 2 always clamp and fix the pipe 9 during the welding process, and ensure that the two pipes 9 are always aligned during the welding process.

[0068] The intermediate arc-shaped seat 12 is connected and fixed with the two bases 11 by welding; in order to improve the structural stability, a reinforcing rib 13 can also be arranged between the outside of the intermediate arc-shaped seat 12 and each base 11. The intermediate arc-shaped seat 12 is preferably arranged on the left side or the right side of the spacing area between the two bases 11, which can reduce the overall height of the device.

[0069] In order to facilitate the movement of the rotatable movable active clamping device 31, each base 11 includes two longitudinal rods 111 arranged in parallel and spaced apart, and a plurality of transverse rods 112 connected between the two longitudinal rods 111, the length direction of the longitudinal rod 111 is parallel to the length direction of the support seat 1, and the length direction of the transverse rod 112 is perpendicular to the length direction of the longitudinal rod 111; the two longitudinal rods 111 on the two side bases 11 are in the same horizontal plane and on the same straight line; the plane where the circular ring guide rail 2 is located is perpendicular to the axis of the longitudinal rod 111; a sliding groove is arranged on each longitudinal rod 111 along the length direction thereof, and the sliding groove constitutes the above-mentioned track; two movable supports 35 are symmetrically connected to the bottom of the lower semicircular seat 34, and the bottom end of each movable support 35 is slidably inserted into the corresponding sliding groove; the rotatable movable active clamping device 31 can move axially on the two longitudinal rods 111 of the corresponding base 11, and the fixed clamping device 32 is fixed on the corresponding base 11 and cannot move.

[0070] In order to facilitate the coaxial arrangement of the clamping holes of the two clamping devices 3, two fixed supports 37 are symmetrically connected to the bottom of the lower semicircular seat 34 of the fixed clamping device 32, and the bottom end of each fixed support 37 is fixedly inserted into the corresponding sliding groove. Here, the sliding groove can be a dovetail groove, i.e., the cross section is dovetail-shaped.

[0071] The first probe 41 and the second probe 42 are both industrial cameras, and the first probe 41 is connected and fixed to the mounting bracket 121 arranged on the intermediate arc-shaped seat 12 through the first telescopic rod 51 when installed, so as to take a photo of the end face profile of the two pipe fittings 9 to be connected; the second probe 42 is arranged on the corresponding circular ring guide rail 2 through the second telescopic rod 52, and can rotate circumferentially along the circular ring guide rail 2 to take a photo of the contact state of the two pipe fittings after butt joint.

[0072] The control system 8 comprises a welding control module and an image information recognition module. The image information recognition module can automatically measure and analyze the butt joint optimization scheme of the maximum end face coincidence degree of the two pipe fittings 9 according to the photographing information of the first probe 41, and the welding control module can control the rotatable movable active clamping device 31 to drive the first pipe fitting 91 to rotate and move according to the analysis result of the image information recognition module, so as to perform port butt joint matching. The image information recognition module can also measure and analyze the misalignment amount according to the photographing information of the second probe 42, and the welding control module can also match and compare the analysis result of the image information recognition module with the stored target parameters, so as to judge whether the contact state of the port butt joint meets the welding state, that is, measure the misalignment amount of the end faces of the two pipe fittings 9 under the butt joint scheme and the operability of the welding operation, and instruct the welding machine to perform subsequent welding operation or alarm if the welding is not possible. The whole control system 8 identifies, judges and feeds back the information from each sensor (probe), and starts or stops the operation of each device according to the preset program system.

[0073] In summary, in view of the problems of the prior art in the welding construction of the pipeline, such as the need for multiple batches of personnel to implement the multiple processes of the alignment of the end face grooves of the two pipe fittings 9, welding, and nondestructive testing of the weld after welding, long construction period, low automation degree, low production efficiency, and high labor cost, the automatic pipeline welding equipment of the present application provides continuous operation space for the welding device 6 and the circular ring-shaped guide rail 2 for flaw detection through the special Ω-shaped base 11 design, so as to realize automatic and continuous operation from the alignment of the end face grooves of the pipe fittings 9, welding, and nondestructive testing of the weld after welding. The special image acquisition device and control system 8 design enable the end face coincidence degree of the two pipe fittings to be maximized after the port alignment, and automatically determine the operability of subsequent welding under this coincidence degree. The weld quality is monitored in real time during the welding process, which effectively guarantees the welding quality, reduces the operation cost, and improves the operation efficiency.

[0074] Further, the present application also provides an automatic pipeline welding method, which comprises:

[0075] Clamp and fix the two pipe fittings 9, and leave a gap between the two pipe fittings 9;

[0076] Take a photo of the groove end face profile of the two pipe fittings 9, and move and rotate one of the pipe fittings 9 according to the photographing information, so that the two pipe fittings 9 are port butt jointed according to the maximum end face coincidence degree;

[0077] Take a photo of the butt joint position of the two pipe fittings 9, and judge whether the contact state of the port butt joint meets the welding state according to the photographing information;

[0078] If not (i.e., the contact state of the port butt joint does not meet the welding state), a first alarm signal is generated, and the current operation is stopped.

[0079] If yes (i.e. the contact state of the butt joint is in conformity with the welding state), the butt joint position of the two pipe fittings 9 is welded;

[0080] During the welding process, the weld quality during the welding process is monitored, and whether the weld quality during the welding process is qualified is judged according to the monitored data;

[0081] If no (i.e. the weld quality during the welding process is in unqualified state), a second alarm signal is generated, and the current operation is stopped.

[0082] If yes (i.e. the weld quality during the welding process is in qualified state), the welding is continued.

[0083] After the welding is completed, the weld quality after the welding is non-destructive tested, and whether the weld quality after the welding is qualified is judged according to the detected data.

[0084] If no (i.e. the weld quality after the welding is in unqualified state), a third alarm signal is generated, and the current operation is stopped.

[0085] Among them, the first alarm signal, the second alarm signal and the third alarm signal here can be the same signal, or can be different signals. The alarm signal can be a sound signal, such as a buzzer alarm signal; or a light signal, etc. The alarm signal can be sent by the alarm in the welding equipment.

[0086] The method can be welded by the welding equipment described above, and the specific operation process and effects have been described in detail above, and will not be repeated here.

[0087] The above is only a specific embodiment of the disclosure, and is not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Any equivalent changes and modifications made by any person skilled in the art without departing from the concept and principles of the disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the disclosure.

Claims

1. An automated pipeline welding apparatus, wherein, The automatic pipeline welding equipment comprises: a support base comprising two bases and an intermediate arc-shaped base, the two bases being arranged at intervals along the length direction of the support base, the intermediate arc-shaped base being located on one side of the interval region between the two bases and connected with the two bases, the space region surrounded by the inner wall of the intermediate arc-shaped base and the interval region constituting a welding operation region; two clamping devices arranged on both sides of the welding operation region, the clamping holes of the two clamping devices being coaxially arranged, the two clamping devices being respectively arranged on the two bases, and the two clamping devices being used for clamping two pipe fittings respectively, wherein one of the clamping devices can move along the axial direction of the clamping hole and can rotate circumferentially; a pattern acquisition device comprising a first probe and a second probe, the first probe being capable of extending into the space between the two pipe fittings after the two pipe fittings are clamped by the two clamping devices and capable of photographing and acquiring the profile of the beveled end face of the two pipe fittings, and the second probe being capable of rotating around the outer periphery of the pipe fittings and capable of photographing and acquiring the butt joint position of the two pipe fittings after butt joint; a welding device arranged in the welding operation region and capable of rotating around the outer periphery of the pipe fittings; a control system electrically connected with one of the clamping devices, the pattern acquisition device and the welding device, and capable of controlling one of the clamping devices to move and rotate the pipe fittings according to the photographing information of the first probe, so that the two pipe fittings are port butt jointed with maximum end face coincidence, and capable of judging whether the contact state of the port butt joint meets the welding condition according to the photographing information of the second probe.

2. The automatic pipeline welding equipment according to claim 1, wherein a molten pool state real-time monitoring device is arranged on the welding device, used for monitoring the weld quality in the welding process; the control system is electrically connected with the molten pool state real-time monitoring device, and can judge whether the weld quality in the welding process is qualified according to the data monitored by the molten pool state real-time monitoring device.

3. The automatic pipeline welding equipment according to claim 1, wherein a non-destructive testing device is further arranged in the welding operation region, used for non-destructively testing the weld quality after welding; the control system is electrically connected with the non-destructive testing device, and can judge whether the weld quality after welding is qualified according to the data detected by the non-destructive testing device.

4. The automatic pipeline welding equipment according to claim 3, wherein the non-destructive testing device is an ultrasonic testing device, comprising a plurality of non-destructive testing probes arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, a coupling agent ejection device being arranged on one side of each non-destructive testing probe, and the control system is further electrically connected with the coupling agent ejection device.

5. The automatic pipeline welding equipment according to claim 1, wherein a first telescopic rod capable of telescopic movement along the radial direction of the pipe fittings and a second telescopic rod capable of telescopic movement along the axial direction of the pipe fittings are arranged in the welding operation region, the first probe is arranged at the end of the first telescopic rod, and the second probe is arranged at the end of the second telescopic rod. The welding operation area is also provided with a first driving device and a second driving device, the first driving device is connected with the first telescopic rod and can drive the telescopic movement of the first telescopic rod, the second driving device is connected with the second telescopic rod and can drive the telescopic movement of the second telescopic rod, and the control system is electrically connected with the first driving device and the second driving device.

6. The automated pipe welding apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The welding operation area is provided with two circular ring-shaped guide rails arranged oppositely, the centers of the two circular ring-shaped guide rails are on the same axis as the centers of the clamping holes of the two clamping devices, the two circular ring-shaped guide rails are respectively fixed on the two bases and partially located in the space area of the intermediate arc-shaped seat, the welding device is movably arranged on one of the circular ring-shaped guide rails, and the second probe is movably arranged on the other circular ring-shaped guide rail.

7. The automated pipe welding apparatus of claim 6, wherein, The clamping device and the circular ring-shaped guide rail each include an upper half circular seat and a lower half circular seat arranged in a top-down manner, one end of the upper half circular seat is hingedly connected with one end of the lower half circular seat, and the other end of the upper half circular seat is locked with the other end of the lower half circular seat through a locking structure.

8. The automated pipe welding apparatus of claim 1, wherein, One of the bases is provided with a track, a first driving mechanism and a second driving mechanism, one of the clamping devices is slidably connected with the track through a moving support and is locked with the support seat through a locking mechanism, the first driving mechanism is connected with the moving support and can drive the moving support to slide along the track, the second driving mechanism is connected with one of the clamping devices through a gear and rack structure and can drive the clamping device to rotate, and the control system is electrically connected with the first driving mechanism, the locking mechanism and the second driving mechanism.

9. An automated pipeline welding method, wherein, including: clamping and fixing two pipe fittings and leaving a space between the two pipe fittings; photographing the profile of the beveled end faces of the two pipe fittings and moving and rotating one of the pipe fittings according to the photographed information to make the two pipe fittings port butt joint with maximum end face coincidence; photographing the butt joint position of the two pipe fittings and judging whether the contact state of the port butt joint meets the welding state according to the photographed information; if yes, welding the butt joint position of the two pipe fittings.

10. The automated pipeline welding method of claim 9, wherein, The automated pipe welding method further includes: monitoring the weld quality during the welding process and judging whether the weld quality during the welding process is qualified according to the monitored data; if yes, continuing the welding; after the welding is completed, non-destructive testing the weld quality after the welding and judging whether the weld quality after the welding is qualified according to the detected data.

11. The automated pipeline welding method of claim 10, wherein, The automated pipe welding method further includes: if the contact state of the port butt joint is not the welding state, a first alarm signal is generated and the current operation is stopped; if the weld quality during the welding process is not the qualified state, a second alarm signal is generated and the current operation is stopped; If the quality of the weld after welding is in an unqualified state, a third alarm signal is generated, and the current operation is stopped.

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