JP2920830B1 - Three-dimensional piping assembly device using laser light - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to facilitate the operation of accurately welding flanges to both ends of a bent pipe or the like at a predetermined right angle, and to perform high-precision welding without depending on skill. A laser irradiation unit is held at two vertically offset positions, a flange is fixed to a flange fixing plate, and a laser receiving unit is attached to the flange fixing plate. The laser irradiation direction is adjusted by the optical axis adjustment mechanism, and the axis of the laser receiving unit is matched with the laser beam as a reference, whereby the flange is accurately positioned on the pipe. [Effect] The work of welding a flange to an end of a three-dimensionally arranged pipe at an accurate right angle is easy, can be completed in a short time, and one worker can do it.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional pipe assembling apparatus for accurately mounting a pair of flanges at both ends of a pipe with a bent pipe or a branch pipe at a predetermined angle, and relates to pipes for buildings and transportation equipment. It can be widely applied to piping, power generation facility piping, and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The present inventors have previously proposed a piping assembly jig for accurately attaching a flange to both ends or one end of a pipe such as a straight pipe or a bent pipe at a predetermined right angle.
-34385. In the prior invention, if there were flanges at both ends, it was assumed that those flanges were located on the same plane, but in actual application, three-dimensional arrangement in which the flanges at both ends were vertically offset. It has been found that the prior invention cannot always cope effectively with such a three-dimensional arrangement. The present invention relates to an improvement of the prior invention.

In order to fix and weld the flanges at both ends of the three-dimensional pipe as shown in FIG. 1 at an accurate right angle with respect to the axis of the pipe, a flange welding ruler or the like is sequentially provided from one end. The assembly must be continued with repeated measurements, using a plunger, level, etc. At this time, even when a very small dimensional error arrives at the end of a long pipe, the error has a great influence, and it may be difficult to connect to an adjacent pipe.

[0004] That is, in the conventional three-dimensional pipe assembling method, (1) the work is performed while repeatedly measuring using a ruler for flange welding, a metal fitting, a level, and the like, so that work time is required (2). The orientation of the flange surface and the alignment of the bolt holes
For visual inspection with a deposit or measurement using a level,
Accuracy varies depending on the skill of the operator. (3) It is difficult to match the relative positions of the flanges with long piping. (4) Two or more workers are required. .

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to easily and quickly weld a pair of flanges at both ends of a bent pipe or a pipe with a branch pipe at a predetermined right angle. It is to provide a simple piping assembly device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a pipe assembling apparatus which enables highly accurate welding and assembling work by one person without being affected by the skill of an operator.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A pipe assembling apparatus according to the present invention is provided for accurately mounting a pair of flanges at a predetermined right angle with a vertical offset to the end of a pipe having a bent pipe or a branch pipe. It can be used for work.
This apparatus comprises a vertical support for holding the laser irradiation unit at two vertically offset positions, a flange fixing plate for supporting at least one of the flanges attached to the end of the pipe, and a laser light receiving device mounted on the flange fixing plate. A unit, an angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting the direction of the flange fixing plate to a predetermined right angle, a gantry for supporting the angle adjusting mechanism, and a support for supporting the piping.

The laser irradiation unit includes a laser light emitter and an optical axis adjusting mechanism for vertically positioning the laser light emitter with respect to the vertical support. The laser irradiation unit is based on laser light emitted from the laser light emitter. By aligning the axis of the laser light receiving unit, the flange is accurately positioned on the pipe.

In the apparatus according to the present invention, accurate positioning of the flanges at both ends of the bent pipe as shown in FIG. 1 is performed, for example, in the following order. (1) The first flange is fixed to the flange fixing plate. (2) The laser beam is irradiated from the laser irradiation unit set at a predetermined position below the vertical support, and the light receiving unit on the first flange side so as to hit the target. (3) The laser irradiation unit and the light receiving unit are converted by a method described later, and the laser beam is returned from the first flange side to the vertical support side so that the optical axis is adjusted ( 4) Fix the second flange to the flange fixing plate. (5) Position the light receiving unit on the second flange side so that it hits the target by irradiating laser light from the laser irradiation unit set at a predetermined position above the vertical support. (6) The laser irradiation unit and the light receiving unit are converted by the method described later, and the laser irradiation unit and the light receiving unit are moved from the second flange side to the vertical support side. The optical axis is turning back the laser light is adjusted to match

(7) The pipe connected to the first flange is mounted on the support base horizontally and on a predetermined axis. (8) The pipe connected to the second flange is mounted horizontally and predetermined shaft on the support base. (9) The central pipe is brought into contact with the pipes on both sides. (10) The first flange is temporarily attached to the pipe while the optical axis of the laser is aligned. (11) The optical axis of the laser is aligned. Temporarily attach the second flange to the pipe in the state (12) Temporarily attach the end of the central pipe to the pipes on both sides (13) Perform the main welding

According to the present invention, based on such a configuration and method, the operation of three-dimensionally welding a flange to an end of a pipe is easy and short without requiring complicated and cumbersome steps as in the prior art. It takes time. Working using the apparatus according to the present invention enables highly accurate welding assembly work without being affected by the skill of the worker. Further, even for a pipe having a long dimension, it is easy to make the relative positions of the flanges coincide with each other, so that only one worker can do it. Furthermore, since the positioning is performed based on the laser beam, advantages such as that the work floor level does not have to be a flat surface such as a surface plate can be obtained.

As a method of converting between the laser irradiation unit and the light receiving unit, the target can be easily converted to the light receiving unit by inserting a target into a screw hole in the shape of a hollow bolt provided at the center of the laser irradiation unit, and to the irradiation unit by removing the target. Can be converted to As another method, a half mirror is attached to the laser receiving unit to reflect a part of the incident light to the laser irradiation unit, and only a part of the received light is reflected directly to the irradiation unit side. Can also.

If the pipe is bent in the middle and the flanges at both ends are not in the same direction, a constant deflection prism for bending the laser light in the middle is arranged, the laser light hits the target, and the axis is set. The matching allows the flange to be positioned at an exact angle.

In the present invention, it is not always necessary to attach the flange fixing plates to the flanges on both sides. One flange is fixed to the pipe, and the other flange is set at an accurate angle with the surface of the fixed flange as a reference plane. The present invention can be applied to the case of positioning. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0014]

1A and 1B show a basic concept of a piping assembly apparatus according to the present invention, and some components are omitted. The pipe 10 has three straight pipes 10A, 10
B, 10C and an intermediate elbow. Piping 1
In order to weld a pair of flanges 11 and 12 at exact right angles to both ends of the flange 0, each flange is provided with a flange fixing plate 21 and
The laser receiving units 15 and 16 are set on the flange fixing plate. The pipes 10A and 10C are supported horizontally and on a predetermined axis, and the pipe 10B is brought into contact with an end. Laser light is emitted from the laser irradiation unit 14 set below the vertical support 13 to the laser receiving unit 15 of the first flange 11.

When the laser receiving unit 15 is a laser reflecting unit, a part of the received laser light returns to the irradiation unit 14, and an accurate squareness can be set by matching the axes. Laser receiving unit 15
Is not a laser reflection unit, the target 18 in FIG. 1B is replaced by a laser irradiation unit, and the irradiation unit 14 is further converted into a light receiving unit by replacing the target 18 as in the conversion method described above. By returning the laser beam and aligning the axes, an accurate squareness can be set.

Similarly, laser light is emitted from a laser irradiation unit 14 set above the vertical support 13,
The optical axis is bent at a right angle by the constant deflection prism 17 and is irradiated to the laser light receiving unit 16 of the second flange 12, and the same process is repeated. Thus, the two flanges are welded at an exact right angle to the pipe axis.

The apparatus of FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, which comprises a reference laser irradiation comprising a vertical column 13 holding a laser irradiation unit 14 at two vertically offset positions. Parts, flange fixing plates 21 and 22 for supporting flanges 11 and 12 attached to the end of the pipe 10, laser receiving units 15 and 16 attached to the flange fixing plates, and directions of the flange fixing plates are predetermined. Angle adjusting mechanisms 23 and 24 for adjusting the angle to a right angle, flange positioning jigs including stands 25 and 26 for supporting the angle adjusting mechanisms, and supporting stands 27 and 28 for supporting the piping. It has. The pipe 10 mounted on the support 27 is connected to the pipe centering jig 4.
6 and is accurately positioned horizontally on a predetermined axis by a method described later.

A constant angle prism 17 for bending the optical axis of the laser beam is disposed between the laser irradiation unit 14 and the laser receiving unit 16 and supported on a support 29. The vertical support 13, the stand 25, and the supports 27 and 29 are Y
The carriage 26 and the support 28 travel on the X-rail 36. The position on the rail is scale 3
4 and the distance pointer 37.

Using the apparatus shown in FIG.
The process of welding the pair of flanges 11 and 12 at an accurate right angle to the pipe axis is performed as follows. (1) The mounts 25 and 26 of the flange positioning jig are moved on the rails and set at predetermined positions. (2) Each flange is fixed to the flange fixing plates 21 and 22 and is precisely perpendicular to each flange. (3) A laser beam is radiated horizontally in a predetermined direction from a laser beam irradiating unit 14 set below the vertical column 13 in the reference laser beam irradiating unit. Adjust the position of the light receiving unit 15 to hit the target

(4) When the laser receiving unit 15 is a laser reflecting unit, a part of the received laser beam returns to the irradiation unit 14 and is adjusted by adjusting the angle adjusting mechanism 23 so that the axes coincide with each other. (5) When the laser receiving unit 15 is not a laser reflecting unit, the target 18 in FIG. 1B is replaced by a laser irradiation unit as in the above-described conversion method, and the laser irradiation unit is converted to a laser irradiation unit. Is converted to a light receiving unit, and then the laser light is returned in the original direction. An accurate squareness is set by adjusting the angle adjustment mechanism 23 so that the optical axes match.

(6) Similarly, a horizontal laser beam in a predetermined direction is radiated from a laser irradiating unit 14 set on the upper side of the vertical support 13 through a constant deflection prism 17.
The position of the light receiving unit 16 is adjusted so as to hit the target of the light receiving unit 16. At this time, the fixed deflection prism 1
(7) The target 18 of the light receiving unit 16 is removed, converted into a laser irradiation unit, and irradiated to the laser irradiation unit 14 on the vertical support 13. An accurate squareness is set by adjusting the angle using the angle adjusting mechanism 24 so that the optical axes are aligned. (8) The pipe supports 27 and 28 are moved on the rails and set to predetermined positions. The pipes 10A and 10C are supported horizontally, are positioned horizontally on a predetermined axis using a pipe centering jig 46, and the pipe 10B is brought into contact with the end. (9) Thus, both flanges are connected to the pipe axis. It will be tacked and welded at an accurate right angle

FIGS. 3A and 3B show the structure of a reference laser irradiating unit for irradiating two horizontal and parallel laser beams offset in the vertical direction. FIG. 3A shows a laser irradiation unit 1.
This is an example of a structure in which a laser beam is radiated horizontally at two upper and lower locations by sliding the 4 up and down along a vertical support 13. FIG. 3B irradiates a laser beam upward from a laser pointer (automatic vertical irradiation mechanism) 30 arranged at the lower end of a vertical support, and vertically shifts the optical axis by a constant-deflection prism (pentaprism) 17 that can slide up and down. Fig. 3 shows an example of a structure that is bent to irradiate horizontally to a flange side.

FIGS. 4A and 4B show the structure of a jig for positioning a flange on the first flange side. A flange fixing plate 21 for supporting the flange 11, an angle adjusting mechanism 23 for adjusting the direction thereof, and a A gantry 25 for supporting is included. The flange positioning jig on the second flange side shown in FIG. 2 has the same structure. The laser receiving unit 15 is attached to the rear of the flange 11 using a bolt hole insertion jig 32, and the target 18 is attached to the front.

The gantry 25 in FIG. 4 runs on a Y-axis rail 35, and the gantry 26 runs on an X-axis rail 36. Positioning is performed by a scale 34 (FIG. 2) engraved on the rail and a distance indicating needle 37. The flange angle adjusting mechanism 23 slides up and down along the support pillar 33 together with the flange fixing plate 21. Thus, the flanges at both ends of the pipe are in the correct position (the position where the laser beam hits the target)
, The flange fixing plate moves up and down, and the direction of the flange can be adjusted.

FIGS. 5A to 5F show a detailed connection method of the bolt hole insertion jig 32. FIG. The jig 32 includes a guide pin 32A and a holder 32B. A notch 21A as shown in FIG.
Are provided, so that the guide pin 32A is notched
1A, and fixed horizontally by a level 38 at the top. Further, the guide pin 32A is inserted into the upper two holes among the eight (four to twelve depending on the diameter) bolt holes provided on the flange 11 while sliding the guide pins 32A to the left and right, so that the flange fixing plate 21 is formed. Attached to. In addition, the flange 11 and the flange fixing plate 21
The above operation is facilitated if the device is fixed in advance using a hand vise.

As shown in FIGS. 5B and 5C, a laser light receiving unit 15 is inserted into a hole 32C provided at the center of the holder 32B.
Is fixed horizontally by a level 38 with a hollow bolt 19, and the target 18 is inserted into the center of the hollow bolt 19. In addition, it is also possible to attach a reflection unit instead of the light receiving unit 15, and the details will be described later. FIGS. 5E and 5F show that even if the outer diameter of the flange 11 is considerably larger or smaller than that of the flange fixing plate 21, the guide pin can be slid right and left and mounted without any problem. .

FIGS. 6A to 6C show a table 29 for supporting the constant deflection prism 17 for bending the optical axis of the laser beam and a mechanism for stably supporting the prism 17. FIG. The prism 17 is held at a high position, so that the rail
The optical axis may become unstable due to the vibration of No. 5. Therefore, as a mechanism for holding the prism horizontally, a bubble-type level 41 is mounted on a plate 40 on which the prism 17 is fixed, and a mechanism that enables horizontal adjustment with a spherical support mechanism 42 or a magnetic braking type adjustment mechanism 43 A mechanism for stabilizing in a short time by using is considered.

FIGS. 7A to 7C show the structure of the support 27 for holding the pipe 10. FIG. The V-shaped support 45 is movable vertically and horizontally so as to receive the pipe 10. Further, facing the support 45, the pipe 10
A pipe centering jig 46 for performing axis alignment and horizontal positioning is straddled. A level 4 is placed on the pipe centering jig 46.
7 and the target 48 are attached, and the alignment of the pipes and the horizontal position can be correctly adjusted using the laser light from the laser irradiation unit 14.

FIGS. 8A and 8B show a detailed structure of the laser irradiation unit 14 and the angle adjusting mechanism 23 of the flange fixing plate. In FIG. 8A, the angle adjusting mechanism 23 includes three adjusting screws held by a bracket 50, and can adjust the inclination angle of the flange by adjusting the interval between the flange 21 and the bracket 50. FIG. 8B
, The laser irradiation unit 14 includes the laser emitter 5
2, a holder 53 surrounding it, and a rubber plate 54 for adjusting the distance, and are screwed to the above-mentioned bolt hole insertion jig 32 using an optical axis adjusting screw 55. A female screw is cut into the target opening 56 of the flange fixing plate 21, and the hollow bolt 19 is screwed therein. FIG. 5C
As shown in the above, if the target 18 is inserted into the center of the hollow bolt 19, the laser irradiation unit can be converted to a laser light receiving unit.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show an example in which the laser receiving unit is formed by a reflecting unit in order to save the trouble of mutually converting the laser irradiation unit and the laser receiving unit. Since the spot diameter does not increase when the laser reach distance is short, it is advantageous to use a reflecting unit instead of the laser receiving unit. That is, in FIG. 9A, a half mirror 61, which is a well-known optical component, is attached inside the incident side of the reflection unit 60, and most of the incident laser light advances as it is, but part of the half mirror 61 It is reflected in and returns to the original direction. If the returned laser beam matches the center of the laser unit on the irradiation side, it means that the flange is positioned at a right angle to the pipe.

FIG. 10 shows an application example in which the apparatus of the present invention is applied to a three-time bent pipe. Laser irradiation units 14 and 63 are set on a vertical support 13 in a reference laser irradiation section. The laser beam emitted from the lower laser irradiation unit 14 detects the perpendicularity between the first flange and the pipe in the same manner as in the above-described example. Book laser light 65
A and 65B are branched, and the laser light 65A is detected along the upper surface of the pipe to detect the horizontality and axial position of the pipe, and the laser light 65B is connected to the pipe by the laser receiving unit set in the hole of the flange. The perpendicularity to the flange 12 is detected.

FIG. 11 shows that, by attaching a jig 70 at a right angle to a pipe in which the first flange is set downward, the flange is formed using two horizontal laser beams in the same manner as in the above-described example. This indicates that the squareness of the pipe can be accurately positioned.

FIG. 12 shows a state in which an upward flange 82 is fixed to a branch pipe 81 of a large-diameter pipe 80, and then the other flange 8 is fixed.
3 shows an example of welding at a right angle to the pipe 80. After the laser beam emitted from the upper laser irradiation unit 84 is set along the surface of the flange 82, the laser irradiation unit By moving the laser beam 84 downward along the vertical support and irradiating the laser beam to the laser receiving unit 85 attached to the flange fixing plate 86 of the flange 83, relative positioning of the flanges on both sides is enabled. is there. After setting the lower flange 83 first, the upward flange 82 can be set.

The present invention can be widely applied to a case where the flange at the end of the pipe is offset in the vertical direction. Even for a pipe having a reduced diameter inserted in the middle of the pipe, the size of the flange fixing plate can be reduced. By changing the dimensions of the jig and the jig between the first flange side and the second flange side, the present invention can be similarly applied.

[0035]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the work of welding a flange to an end of a three-dimensionally arranged pipe at an accurate right angle can be performed easily and in a short time. Therefore, highly accurate welding and assembling work can be performed without being affected by the skill of the worker, and even if the pipe has a long dimension, it is easy to match the relative positions of the flanges with each other. The technical effect is extremely remarkable.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a piping assembly device according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a reference laser irradiation unit.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a flange positioning jig.

5A and 5B are a front view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a method of connecting a bolt hole insertion jig.

6A and 6B are a perspective view and a side view showing a constant deflection prism, a level, and a magnetic braking mechanism.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are a perspective view and a side view showing a pipe support base and a pipe centering jig.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view and a sectional view showing a laser light receiving unit and an angle adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view and a perspective view showing a reflection unit.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which the present invention is applied to a three-fold bent pipe.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which the present invention is applied to a downward flange.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating an example in which the present invention is applied to an upward flange.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Piping 11,12 Flange 13 Vertical support 14 Laser irradiation unit 15,16 Laser receiving unit 17 Constant deviation prism 18 Target 19 Hollow bolt 21,22 Flange fixing plate 23,24 Angle adjustment mechanism 25,26 Mounting stand 27,28 Pipe support Table 32 Bolt hole insertion jig 38, 41, 47 Level 46 Piping centering jig 52 Laser emitter 60 Reflection unit 61 Half mirror

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Satoshi Ogiwara 41, Wadai, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki Shinryo Corporation Sho-62-15881 (JP, U) Sho-kai Sho 62-101692 (JP, U) Sho-sho 60-115692 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G01B 11 / 00-11/30 102 G01C 15/00 B23K 37/053

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. An end of a pipe with a bent pipe or a branch pipe,
A pipe assembling apparatus for accurately mounting a pair of flanges at a predetermined right angle with a vertical offset, comprising: a vertical support for holding a laser irradiation unit at two vertically offset positions; and a pipe end. A flange fixing plate for supporting at least one of the flanges attached to the portion; a laser receiving unit attached to the flange fixing plate; an angle adjusting mechanism for adjusting the direction of the flange fixing plate to a predetermined right angle; A base for supporting the adjustment mechanism; and a support for supporting the pipe, wherein the laser irradiation unit is a laser illuminator and an optical axis adjustment mechanism for vertically positioning the laser illuminator on the vertical support. And the axis of the laser receiving unit is matched with respect to the laser light emitted from the laser emitter. Three-dimensional piping assembly apparatus using a laser beam, characterized in that to accurately position the flange to the pipe by Rukoto. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser receiving unit has a half mirror and reflects a part of the incident light toward the laser irradiation unit. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a level is provided for supporting the piping horizontally and on a predetermined axis. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser irradiation unit and the laser receiving unit can be mutually converted by attaching and detaching a target. 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a constant angle prism for bending the optical axis of the laser beam, a level, and a magnetic braking type adjusting mechanism between the laser irradiation unit and the laser receiving unit. apparatus.