Welding Electrode Monitoring via Multi-Exposure Arc Imaging
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In automated arc welding processes, the wear of non-consumable welding electrodes, particularly tungsten electrodes, is difficult to assess reliably and continuously due to the bright arc, leading to potential welding quality issues and reduced service life.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that post-process images of the welding electrode taken with different exposure times, combining them into a composite image to extract and assess the electrode's shape and position, allowing for real-time monitoring and detection of wear, and outputting signals for timely intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If visual assessment of the welding electrode is performed during the welding process, then the wear can be detected in real-time, but the bright arc makes the assessment particularly difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The camera captures images of the welding electrode at periodic intervals during the welding process, enabling continuous monitoring despite the bright arc. This periodic imaging approach allows wear assessment at multiple time points without requiring continuous visibility through the arc glare.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera creates optical copies (images) of the welding electrode, which can then be analyzed without directly observing the electrode through the bright arc. These image copies enable indirect assessment of electrode wear by capturing and processing visual information during welding.
2Measurement precision
If the welding process is interrupted to assess electrode condition, then the electrode wear can be evaluated, but the productivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The welding process continues uninterrupted while the camera simultaneously captures images of the welding electrode. This allows wear assessment to occur during the welding process itself, maintaining continuous productivity without stopping to evaluate electrode condition.
Solution Approach 2:
The camera acts as an intermediary device that enables electrode wear assessment without requiring direct intervention or interruption of the welding process. By capturing images during welding, the system mediates between the need for monitoring and the need for continuous production.
3Loss of time
If images are taken during the welding process with the bright arc, then real-time monitoring is possible, but the image quality is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The camera is triggered to capture images at specific periodic moments during the welding process, allowing optimization of exposure timing to balance arc brightness and image quality while maintaining real-time monitoring capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables continuous, reliable assessment of welding electrode wear during the process, improving welding quality and extending service life by allowing for immediate detection and correction of wear or replacement, thus preventing poor welding quality.
Implementation Method 1
an image processing device for post-processing the images and for obtaining a conclusion about the condition of the welding electrode
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4A~4C
AI summary
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus (10) for monitoring a non-melting welding electrode (2) of an automated arc welding apparatus (1), in which: using at least one camera (3), images (Bi) of the welding electrode (2) are captured and the images (Bi) are processed, and the state of the welding electrode (2) is inferred from the processed images; the images (Bi) of the welding electrode (2) are captured during a welding process carried out by the arc welding apparatus (1), the images (Bi) are reprocessed and the arc (L) of the welding process is extracted; from the reprocessed images (Bi') the shape (Fd) of the end (4) of the welding electrode (2) is determined and is compared with a pre-defined shape (Fv) of the end (4) the welding electrode (2). To enable a fast and reliable assessment of the state of the welding electrode (2), the images (Bi) are reprocessed, whereby at least two images are captured with different exposure times, sub-areas of the at least two images with different exposure times are cut out and/or weighted and are assembled into a composite image, and a signal (S) is output in the event of a deviation (ΔF) of the determined shape (Fd) of the end (4) of the welding electrode (2) from the pre-defined shape (Fv) of the end (4) of the welding electrode (2).