JP2005322064A - Welding work device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a welding work device capable of reducing a setting time and easily performing welding work by investigating a procedure of the welding work by a CG video. <P>SOLUTION: This welding work device has: an input part 15 inputting welding conditions of a work to be welded; respective axis motors 6-8 supporting the work, and driving a welding work table 1 rotatable around three axes of an X-axis, a Y-axis and a Z-axis; a display part 16 displaying the welding work procedure or the like; and a control part 17 controlling the respective axis motors and the display part 16 on the basis of input information from the input part 15. The many kinds of welding conditions such as a work shape stored in an information management part 18 are selected, the welding work procedure is graphically displayed on the display part 16 on the basis of its selected information to be confirmed, and the respective axis motors 6-8 are rotationally controlled such that a join line of the work is always directed toward a welding tool. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a welding work apparatus for assisting welding work of workpieces such as pipes and rods, and more particularly to a welding work support system that can easily perform welding work.

  Various methods such as welding, adhesion, pressure bonding, and screwing are used to join a plurality of tubes such as an aluminum tube and a stainless steel tube. In particular, in order to obtain an L-shaped product, a T-shaped product, a Y-shaped product, or the like by welding the tubes together, it is necessary to work by repeatedly changing the direction of the workpiece to be welded. For this reason, there is a problem that discoloration occurs due to welding seams and welding gas, and the appearance looks worse.

In Patent Document 1, as a preparatory stage for welding a workpiece that is a workpiece, first, the workpiece is placed on a rotary table, and the operation is read by an image sensor and a laser displacement meter while rotating the workpiece at a constant speed. An automatic welding apparatus is disclosed in which a path is calculated and measured, and a rotary table and a welding torch at the tip of an articulated robot are driven and controlled based on the measurement result.
JP 2002-103039 (paragraphs 0007 to 0012, FIG. 2)

  However, since the automatic welding apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes two driving targets, that is, a rotary table and an articulated robot, the distribution control operation becomes complicated, and it takes time to create control data. Further, since an image sensor and a laser displacement meter are used to determine the weld line and an articulated robot is used, an expensive automatic welding apparatus is obtained. Therefore, the automatic welding apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 is not suitable for the production of a large variety of small lots, and the appearance of a welding work apparatus that is optimal for the production of such a large variety of small lots is desired.

  In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide a welding work apparatus that can support welding work with a simple structure and is optimal for small-lot, multi-product production.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a welding work table that supports a workpiece and can rotate around three axes of an X axis, a Y axis, and a Z axis. Specifically, the welding work table includes a gantry, a rotating frame that rotates around the Z axis, a rotating arm that rotates around the Y axis on the left and right columns of the rotating frame, and the Y axis on the rotating arm. A work support that rotates around an orthogonal X axis, and a drive unit that rotationally drives the rotary frame, the rotary arm, and the work support around the three axes of the X, Y, and Z axes that are orthogonal to each other. Is.

  In the above configuration, since the welding work table that supports the workpiece rotates around three axes, the welding tool is fixed at a predetermined position, i.e., the contact between the welding tool and the welding location is fixed. It is possible to move in three dimensions, and it is only necessary to drive and control the welding worktable. At this time, depending on the welding state of the weld line, it is only necessary to make fine adjustments by changing the contact angle of the welding tool in contact with the welded portion, and the control becomes easier compared to Patent Document 1 that controls the two drive units. .

  This welding work table support system has an input unit for inputting welding conditions of a work to be welded, and a drive that supports the work and drives a welding work table that can rotate around three axes of the X, Y, and Z axes. And a control unit that controls the drive unit based on input information from the input unit, and the control unit can select from various types of information management units stored in advance according to the input information from the input unit. A workpiece welding condition such as a workpiece shape is selected, a three-axis rotation condition of the drive unit is calculated based on the selected information, and the drive unit is rotationally controlled.

  In the above-described configuration, welding conditions such as various types of workpiece shapes are stored, and based on this information, the rotation conditions such as the three-axis rotation angle of the welding work table along the workpiece joining line are calculated, and this Since the drive unit is controlled based on the calculation result, it is not necessary to read and calculate a welding line, a rotation angle, or the like each time using an image sensor or the like as in Patent Document 1.

  Further, since the position information of the welding tool is also stored, it is possible to control the rotation of the driving unit in accordance with the position of the welding tool. That is, it is possible to simply perform the work along the weld line by only the three-axis drive control of the welding work table with the position of the welding tool fixed. This point can be similarly applied even when the welding tool is automatically controlled or when the welding operator manually operates the welding tool.

  In addition, in the present invention, by providing a display unit that displays the driving status of the welding work table, the monitoring function for confirming the rotation status of the welding work table and the movement of the workpiece are simulated without actually driving the welding work table. A simulation function for displaying the image can be added.

  That is, the control unit can display the driving status of the welding work table on the display unit based on the workpiece welding condition selected from the information management unit according to the input information from the input unit. The driving situation in this case includes both a monitoring function and a simulation function.

  The control unit can correct the welding condition data selected from the information management unit based on the correction input information from the input unit, and can control the drive unit or the display unit based on the correction data. In addition, when the input information from the input unit does not match the welding condition data stored in the information management unit, the control unit sets a new welding condition based on the input information from the input unit, and this welding The drive unit or the display unit can be controlled based on conditions. Thereby, it is possible to easily perform welding work on workpieces having different dimensions.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to support welding work with a simple configuration by controlling only the welding work table based on the data stored in the information management unit. It is possible to provide a welding apparatus that is optimal for production.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a welding workbench according to the present invention. The welding work table 1 of this embodiment includes a gantry 2, a rotating frame 3 that rotates around the Z axis, a rotating arm 4 that rotates around the Y axis on the left and right columns 3 a of the rotating frame 3, and the rotating arm 4, a work support base 5 that rotates around an X axis that is orthogonal to the Y axis, and the rotation frame 3, the rotation arm 4, and the work support base 5 around the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis that are orthogonal to each other. Are provided with drive units 6, 7 and 8 which are rotationally driven.

  As the driving unit, an X-axis motor 6 that rotates around the X-axis, a Y-axis motor 7 that rotates around the Y-axis, and a Z-axis motor 8 that rotates around the Z-axis are used in the X, Y, and Z axes orthogonal to each other. It has been. For each of the shaft motors 6 to 8, a servo motor, a stepping motor or the like is used.

  The gantry 2 is composed of a flat plate or square frame, and can be placed on the floor.

  The rotating frame 3 is made of a frame material such as C-shaped steel, L-shaped steel, square pipe, etc., and has a U-shape that opens upward from a pair of left and right vertical columns 3a and a bottom frame 3b that connects the lower portions of the columns 3a. Is formed.

  A Z-axis motor 8 is installed at the center of the gantry 2, the central part of the bottom frame 3 b is connected to the motor shaft 8 a of the Z-axis motor 8, and the rotary frame 3 is rotated around the vertical axis (Z-axis). It can be rotated.

  The rotary arm 4 connects a pair of left and right arm portions 4a orthogonal to the Y axis and one end of the arm portion 4a from a member such as a square pipe passed between the upper ends of the left and right support columns 3a. It is formed in a U-shape that is open on one side from the connecting frame 4b. And one arm part 4a is pivotally supported by the horizontal axis 10 of the horizontal direction, and the other arm part 4a is connected with the motor shaft 7a of the Y-axis motor 7 attached to the support | pillar 3a, and the rotation arm 4 is the Y-axis. It can be rotated around.

  The work support 5 is formed in a disk shape, is connected to the motor shaft 6a of the X-axis motor 6 attached to the connection frame 4b, and is rotatable around the X axis. As a preferred embodiment of the workpiece support mode, when the workpiece is supported on the workpiece support 5, the intersection of the center lines of the plurality of aluminum tubes constituting the workpiece 11 is the intersection where the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis intersect each other. It is preferable to set the positions of the rotary arm 4 and the work support 5 so as to coincide with each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

  The workpiece support 5 includes a workpiece attachment portion (not shown) that supports the workpiece 11 to be welded, and this workpiece attachment portion is set so as to easily support the workpiece. For example, when the workpiece 11 such as an aluminum pipe is supported, the attachment portion is formed in a rod shape that can be inserted into the pipe.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a workpiece installed on the welding workbench 1 of FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a Y-type aluminum tube, FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a T-type aluminum tube, and FIG. 2C is a perspective view of an L-type aluminum tube. A plurality of aluminum pipes A and B are joined together to obtain a predetermined product shape. The joint portions of the aluminum pipes A and B have different joining line shapes depending on the product shapes. When welding is performed along this joining line, for example, when the welding tool 12 is installed on the front side and welding is performed with the position of the welding tool 12 fixed, welding work is performed according to each product. The rotation angle of each axis motor 6-8 of the stand 1 must be controlled.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the hardware configuration of the control device 12 that drives and controls the motors 6 to 8 of the welding work table 1 includes the input unit 15 such as the keyboard 13 and the foot switch 14, and the driving status of the welding work table. And a display unit 16 such as a display for displaying the display, and a control unit 17 for controlling the display unit 16 and each of the shaft motors 6 to 8 based on input information from the input unit 15.

  FIG. 3 is a control block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control device 20 shown in FIG. 1 in more detail. As shown in FIG. 3, the control device 20 supports an input unit 15 for inputting the welding conditions of the workpieces to be welded, and a welding operation that supports the workpiece 11 and can rotate around three axes of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis. A drive unit including an X-axis motor 6, a Y-axis motor 7, and a Z-axis motor 8 that drives the table 1, and a control unit 17 that controls the drive unit based on input information from the input unit 15. .

  Examples of the input unit 15 include a keyboard 13 and a foot switch 14. Of course, not only this but a mouse and other input means are included. The foot switch 14 is used as a switch for starting driving of the motors 6 to 8. The foot switch 14 may be an analog switch, and the rotational speed of each axis motor may be changed according to the amount of depression.

  The control unit 17 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM. The control unit 17a is similar to an arithmetic processing unit 17a that calculates a workpiece welding condition and a drive control unit 17b that controls the driving unit based on the calculation result. CG control means 17c for controlling the display unit 16 based on the calculation result.

  In the arithmetic processing means 17a, a selection function for selecting a workpiece welding condition from the information management unit 18 stored in advance according to input information from the input unit 15, a correction function for correcting the welding condition of the selected workpiece, a new workpiece It has a teaching function for creating a shape and a function for calculating the rotation angle of each of the shaft motors 6 to 8 based on the above functions.

  The information management unit 18 is a non-volatile memory that stores the welding conditions in advance, and is, for example, a ROM, a flash memory, a compact disk, or the like. Examples of information to be stored include various types of workpiece shapes, welding line information corresponding to the workpieces, welding conditions such as three-axis rotation information of the drive unit corresponding to the welding lines of each workpiece, and position information of the welding tool. it can.

  The workpiece shape is, for example, the Y-type, T-type, or L-type shown in FIG. In such a workpiece shape, since the trajectory of the joining line (welding line) between the tubes is determined for each workpiece shape, the welding line information is stored in correspondence with the workpiece shape. Further, since the trajectory of the weld line varies depending on the diameter of the pipe to be joined, it is preferable to store it in accordance with the standard of the pipe diameter. For example, pipe diameter information such as 63φ, 89φ, 114φ, and 140φ is stored.

  If the weld line trajectory information is obtained, the rotation angles around the three axes of X, Y, and Z can also be calculated. Therefore, it is preferable to store this information as well, but the workpiece shape and pipe diameter information are stored, These pieces of information may be calculated by the calculation processing means 17a of the control unit 17 to calculate the rotation angles of the shaft motors 6 to 8.

  Further, the position information of the welding tool 12 is also stored. This is because the rotation angle of the three axes also changes depending on the position of the welding tool 12. When the operator manually welds, the position information of the welding tool 12 can be utilized as the position of the line of sight, which is important.

  The information management unit 18 can also store the welding conditions calculated by the calculation processing unit 17a of the control unit 17.

  The CG control means 17c of the control unit 17 creates a CG (computer graphic) image of the workpiece based on the welding conditions calculated by the arithmetic processing means 17a. The created CG video is output to the display unit 16. In the CG control means 17c, a simulation function for simulating the output CG image in accordance with the welding procedure, and when the workpiece is actually driven, the rotation status of the workpiece is confirmed in accordance with the workpiece driving status. The monitor function to display can be exhibited.

  Here, the welding procedure refers to a rotation direction in which the workpiece is rotated so that the user can weld the welding portion when welding the workpiece. In addition, it is preferable that the display of the CG image enables the welding operation to be displayed from various angles. For example, a viewpoint image that displays the workpiece 11 in accordance with the position of the welding tool 12 or the position of the user's eyes, an entire image that displays the whole including the welding work table 1, and the like can be given. Such control is executed by a predetermined program stored in the CG control means 17c.

  The drive control means 17b of the control unit 17 controls the rotation of the X-axis motor 6, the Y-axis motor 7, and the Z-axis motor 8 based on the calculated three-axis rotation angle information. In this control, the rotation angles and rotation speeds of the three axes (X, Y, Z) are adjusted so that the welding line of the workpiece 11 faces the welding tool 12 and can be continuously welded along the welding line. Instructed to motors 6-8. This control is not limited to the case where the workpiece is continuously rotated, but also includes a control for temporarily stopping the workpiece. The temporary stop can be performed by receiving a command from the foot switch 14 of the input unit 15 or the keyboard 13 via the arithmetic processing means 17a.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a welding operation procedure using the welding support system shown in FIG. Based on this figure, a welding operation procedure will be described.

  First, the user selects a workpiece welding condition by an input operation from the input unit 15. This operation is performed, for example, by selecting the shape of the workpiece from the selection screen displayed on the display unit 16. Next, the dimensions of the workpiece 11 to be welded and the position of the user are input based on the extracted basic information. The input welding condition information is arithmetically processed by the arithmetic processing means 17a of the control unit 17, and the rotation amounts of the motors 6, 7, and 8 are calculated.

  The obtained rotation amount data is used for display control of the display unit 16 and drive control of the motors 6 to 8 of the welding work table 1 via the CG control means 17c and the drive control means 17b.

  In the display control of the display unit 16, a CG image of the work 11 is created by the CG control unit 17 c and output to the display unit 16. The user verifies the welding procedure from the CG image of the workpiece 11 displayed on the display unit 16. For example, it is verified whether a welding operation can be performed by performing a simulation display in which a CG image of a workpiece is rotated in accordance with a welding operation procedure by a key operation of the input unit 15.

  As a result of the verification, if it is determined that welding work cannot be performed by the displayed welding procedure, the welding conditions are corrected. The correction work is performed from the input unit 15, and the CG video is displayed again on the display unit.

  The welding procedure of the workpiece 11 is confirmed with a CG image, and if it is satisfactory, the welding procedure is determined. This determination is performed by keyboard operation from the input unit 15 or input from the foot switch 14.

  The output from the input unit 15 is input to the drive control unit 17b via the arithmetic processing unit 17a, and the rotation control signals of the respective axis motors 6 to 8 are output from the drive control unit 17b to drive the respective axis motors 6 to 8. Be controlled.

  At this time, the drive control means 17b first drives the work support base position of the welding work table 1 to an initial position that matches the work shape, and then drives the motors 6 to 8 according to the obtained welding work procedure. Control.

  The flow of FIG. 4 shows a control operation for setting the workpiece support base position to the initial position. In addition, the flow of FIG. 3 shows the work procedure for fixing the work 11 to the mounting portion of the work support after the work support is driven to the initial position. However, the work attachment time is limited to this. It may be installed simultaneously with the start of work. In addition, the workpiece | work 11 is temporarily fixed by spot welding etc. before fixing to a workpiece | work support stand.

  For example, when the foot switch 14 is turned on after the workpiece is rotated to the initial position, the drive control means 17b outputs a drive signal to each of the axis motors 6 to 8 according to the welding condition calculated by the calculation processing means 17a. The motors 6 to 8 are driven according to the commanded rotation angle, and can be set to always face the welding tool 12 to which the three-dimensional joining line is fixed. Therefore, the welding tool 12 does not require a special rotation operation and can perform the welding work in a fixed state.

  In this way, the work welding work can be set in a state where the work is rotated by the welding procedure confirmed by the CG image and the joining line always faces the welding tool. It can be surely welded.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, Of course, correction and a change can be added within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the motor is exemplified as the configuration of the drive unit. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is needless to say that various fluid pressure cylinders and other drive means may be used. Moreover, although each rotating member showed the example directly connected to the motor shaft of the motor, you may make it connect via a speed-reduction mechanism.

The whole block diagram of the welding operation equipment which shows the embodiment of the present invention (A) is a perspective view of a Y-shaped workpiece, (b) is a perspective view of a T-shaped workpiece, and (c) is a perspective view of an L-shaped workpiece. Control block diagram of the control equipment that controls the welding platform Flow chart showing welding procedure

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Welding work stand 2 Base 3 Rotating frame 4 Rotating arm 5 Work support stand 6 X-axis motor (drive part)
7 Y-axis motor (drive unit)
8 Z-axis motor (drive unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Horizontal axis 11 Work 12 Welding tool 13 Keyboard 14 Foot switch 15 Input part 16 Display part 17 Control part 18 Information management part 20 Control apparatus

Claims (6)

An input unit for inputting welding conditions of a workpiece to be welded, a driving unit for supporting a workpiece and driving a welding work table that can rotate around three axes of the X, Y, and Z axes, and an input from the input unit A control unit for controlling the drive unit based on information,
The control unit selects workpiece welding conditions such as various types of workpiece shapes from the information management unit stored in advance according to the input information from the input unit, and based on the selected information, the three of the drive units are selected. A welding work apparatus characterized by calculating a shaft rotation condition and controlling the rotation of the drive unit. A display unit for displaying the driving status of the welding workbench;
The said control part displays the drive condition of a welding worktable on the said display part based on the workpiece welding conditions selected from the said information management part according to the input information from the said input part. The welding work apparatus as described in. The welding operation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit simulates and displays a driving state of a welding work table on the display unit based on a workpiece welding condition selected from the information management unit. The control unit corrects welding condition data selected from the information management unit based on correction input information from the input unit, and controls the drive unit or display unit based on the correction data. The welding operation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3. When the input information from the input unit does not match the welding condition data stored in the information management unit, the control unit sets a new welding condition based on the input information from the input unit, and sets the welding condition to this welding condition. The welding device according to claim 1, wherein the driving unit or the display unit is controlled based on the welding unit. The welding work table includes a gantry, a rotating frame that rotates about the Z axis thereof, a rotating arm that rotates about the Y axis on the left and right columns of the rotating frame, and an X axis that is orthogonal to the Y axis on the rotating arm. And a drive unit that drives the rotary frame, the rotary arm, and the work support table to rotate about three axes of X, Y, and Z axes orthogonal to each other. The welding work apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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