Offline Welding Teaching Program Updates by Welding Line Group

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing offline teaching devices for welding systems require significant labor to change welding conditions across multiple coordinate positions in a teaching program, as operation instructions and welding instructions are separately registered and must be adjusted collectively to improve welding results.

Innovation Solution

The offline teaching device includes a control unit with selection, first change, and second change functions, along with a welding line storage unit and teaching program storage unit, allowing operators to change welding conditions for multiple coordinate positions simultaneously by assigning welding line identification information, reducing the need for individual adjustments.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If operation instructions and welding instructions are separately registered in different lines in the teaching program, then the instructions can be controlled independently by robot and welding device respectively, but it becomes difficult to change welding conditions collectively across multiple coordinate positions, requiring significant manual labor

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of changing welding conditionsVSAvoidstructure of teaching program
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges operation instructions and welding instructions into unified welding condition groups that can be collectively managed. By associating multiple coordinate positions with a single welding condition group, the system enables simultaneous modification of welding parameters across multiple positions, resolving the contradiction between independent control and collective modification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The welding condition group structure serves multiple functions: it stores both operation instructions (torch position, orientation) and welding instructions (current, voltage, speed), and can be applied to multiple coordinate positions simultaneously. This multi-functionality allows a single change to propagate across all associated positions, improving ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Manufacturing precision

If welding conditions are changed for one coordinate position, then the welding result may be improved, but it requires changing the same conditions for all other coordinate positions manually to maintain consistency, increasing the operator's burden

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewelding result qualityVSAvoidtime for changing teaching program
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary grouping of welding conditions across multiple coordinate positions before actual welding. By pre-associating coordinate positions with welding condition groups and storing these relationships in a welding condition management table, the system enables rapid propagation of changes without requiring manual intervention at each position, thus reducing time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

When a welding condition is modified in a welding condition group, the change is automatically copied to all coordinate positions associated with that group. This copying mechanism ensures consistency across all positions while eliminating the need for manual repetition of changes, directly addressing the time loss issue.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

3Measurement precision

If the teaching program stores detailed welding conditions for each coordinate position separately, then precise control is achieved, but modification of common welding parameters requires changing each position individually, reducing productivity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprecision of welding condition controlVSAvoidefficiency of teaching program modification
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the teaching program into hierarchical layers: welding condition groups at the upper level and coordinate positions at the lower level. This segmentation allows independent management of welding parameters at the group level while maintaining precise association with specific coordinate positions, enabling both precise control and efficient bulk modification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The welding condition group acts as an intermediary between the operator and individual coordinate positions. Instead of directly modifying each position's welding conditions, the operator modifies the group, which then mediates the propagation of changes to all associated positions. This intermediary structure preserves precision while boosting productivity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3263268B1Offline teaching device
Publication Date: 2021.04.14 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP3263268B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3263268B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3263268B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

In an offline teaching device in the related art, in the case of changing a teaching program, even in the case of performing the same change at each teaching point, it is necessary to perform the change with respect to each teaching point. The offline teaching device of the present disclosure has a selection function, a first change function, a second change function, a welding line storage function, and a teaching program storage function. The selection function causes one welding line among a plurality of welding lines stored in the welding line storage function to be selected. The first change function causes content of a welding conditions configuring the welding line selected with the selection function to be changed. The second change function causes the welding conditions of entire instructions in the teaching program having the same welding line identification information as welding line identification information that is assigned to the welding line selected with the selection function to be changed to the same content as content changed with the first change function.