JPH10291072A - Welding equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically and excellently perform complicated welding in a narrow space. SOLUTION: The welding equipment is constituted by retaining a welding torch 2 with a holding member 3 and attaching the member 3 to a manipulator 8. The welding torch 2 is provided with the body 13, nozzle 14 and a connector 15 which connects the body and the nozzle and which is formed comparatively long and linearly. The holding member 3 is formed along the connector 15 and equipped with a bolster 4 for supporting the connector 15. The bolster 4 prevents deflection of the connector 15 and also prevents the nozzle 14 from vibrating at the time of the movement of the welding torch 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a welding apparatus capable of automatically welding a weld in a narrow space.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When welding a weld in a narrow space,
If the welding torch is larger than the space, the nozzle of the welding torch cannot be brought into contact with the welded portion, and welding may not be performed. Therefore, as a first conventional example, a special welding torch is used in which a cylindrical connecting portion connecting the main body of the welding torch and the nozzle is formed to extend relatively linearly and relatively long (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. Hei 3 (1999)). 174977). If this welding torch is used, the nozzle can be brought into contact with the welded portion by inserting the connecting portion into the space even when the body is outside the space. Further, as a second conventional example, a welding torch having a trolley configuration is used (Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 57-3).
0588). That is, in this welding torch, the torch head is configured to be laid horizontally as much as possible so that the torch head can be inserted into a narrow space.
The truck is equipped with wheels that guide it in two directions, horizontal and vertical. The torch head is connected to another self-propelled bogie part at the rear by an elongated and strong torch holding pipe. The rear bogie portion includes a welding wire supply section. And entering the space,
With only the torch head and torch holding pipe, the rear bogie part is always outside.

[0003]

When performing automatic welding using a robot system, it is necessary to make the robot system recognize the position of the welded portion. In a generally used position recognition method, a virtual coordinate axis and an origin are defined in advance, and the tip of the welding torch (welding wire) is brought into contact with a workpiece to be recognized, and the coordinate value at the time of the contact is recognized. ing. The contact is detected by applying a voltage between the welding wire and the material to be welded in advance and detecting the contact when a current flows between the welding wire and the material to be welded. Here, the movement of the welding torch is performed by driving the manipulator provided in the robot system.In the case of the position recognition, the welding torch is continuously moved at a relatively high speed near the workpiece to be welded. Until they come into contact with each other, the movement (inching) of the minute length is repeated intermittently. this is,
This is because if the welding torch hits the material to be welded too vigorously, the tip portion may be damaged.

[0004] When the welding torch is moved by the inching, if the connecting portion between the main body and the nozzle is long as in the first conventional example, the nozzle vibrates due to the bending of the connecting portion. For this reason, a shift occurs in the contact timing between the nozzle and the workpiece, and an error occurs in the recognized position. Accordingly, there is a problem that a deviation occurs between the position of the welded portion recognized by the robot system and the actual position of the welded portion, and good welding cannot be performed.

On the other hand, in the case of the welding torch according to the second conventional example, the torch head (tip portion) is guided by the bogie along the material to be welded and moves in the space. There is no shift in the recognition position, and good welding can be realized. However, since the moving direction of the torch head is basically only a straight line direction,
Although it is most suitable for linear welding, it cannot be used for curved welding and has a drawback that the range of use is limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional disadvantages, and an object of the present invention is to provide a welding apparatus which can automatically and satisfactorily perform complicated welding in a narrow space. Is to do.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, a welding apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention holds a multi-joint manipulator 8, a welding torch 2, and a welding torch 2, and a tip end of the multi-joint manipulator 8. The welding torch 2 includes a holding member 3 to be attached, and the welding torch 2 includes a main body 13, a nozzle 14, and a relatively long and linear connecting portion connecting the main body 13 and the nozzle 14. 15, and the holding member 3 is formed along the connecting portion 15 and supports the supporting portion 4 that supports the connecting portion 15.
It is characterized by having.

In the welding apparatus of the first aspect, the welding torch 2 is a relatively long and straight connecting portion 1.
5, the nozzle 14 can be brought into contact with a weld in a narrow space. Further, since the welding torch 2 is attached to the articulated manipulator 8 by the holding member 3, it can make a complicated movement and can follow a complicated welding part including a curved part and the like.
Further, since the connecting portion 15 is supported by the supporting portion 4 of the holding member 3, the bending of the connecting portion 15 is prevented, and the generation of vibration of the nozzle 14 when the welding torch 2 moves is prevented. As a result, a complicated weld in a narrow space can be satisfactorily and automatically welded.

Further, in the welding apparatus according to the second aspect, the support portion 4
Is characterized in that it is configured to be exchangeable according to the length of the connecting portion 15.

In the welding apparatus according to the second aspect, the support portion 4 for supporting the connecting portion 15 of the welding torch 2 is provided with the connecting portion 15.
Since the welding torch can be changed according to the working conditions, the welding torch can be changed and used, the range of use is expanded, and the versatility is improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a welding wire 9 extruded from a wire feeding device 11 is fed to the welding torch 2, and a main body 13 of the welding torch 2 is drawn and fed. It is provided with a roller, and is characterized in that the fed welding wire 9 is extruded and fed to the connecting portion 15.

In the welding apparatus of the third aspect, since the welding wire 9 is fed by a push-pull system, even if the welding wire 9 has a relatively long connecting portion 15, the welding wire 9 can be smoothly fed.
Can be supplied to the nozzle 14.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a welding apparatus comprising: a multi-joint manipulator; a welding torch; and a holding member that holds the welding torch and is attached to a distal end of the multi-joint manipulator. The welding torch 2
Main body 13, nozzle 14, Main body 13 and nozzle 14
The holding member 3 is formed along the connecting portion 15 and the connecting portion 15 is formed along the connecting portion 15.
A predetermined voltage is applied between the welding wire 9 fed from the nozzle 14 and the material to be welded, and the support portion 4 is provided between the welding wire 9 and the material to be welded. It is characterized in that the position of the weld is detected when a current flows.

In the above welding apparatus, when the welding torch 2 is brought into contact with the material to be welded at the time of recognizing the position of the welded portion prior to the welding operation, the nozzle 14 does not vibrate, and the contact timing is reduced. No displacement occurs, and the accuracy of position recognition is remarkably improved. Thereby, favorable welding can be performed without displacing from the welded portion.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, an embodiment of a welding apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG.
3 is a side view showing a configuration of a welding torch 2 and a holding member 3 constituting a welding apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the welding apparatus 1, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing a configuration of a support portion 4 constituting the holding member 3, FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a main body portion 5 constituting the holding member 3, and FIG. It is a figure showing composition of stop 6 used at the time of attachment.

First, a schematic configuration of the welding apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. A welding torch 2 is attached to a manipulator 8 of an articulated robot 7 by a holding member 3. The welding wire 9 pulled out from the wire reel 10 by the wire feeding device 11 is
It is fed through a cable 12. In addition, a welding gas from a gas supply source (not shown) is also supplied to the welding torch 2 via the cable 12. The articulated robot 7
For example, a 6-axis articulated robot is used.
The position recognition of the welded portion by the articulated robot 7 is performed by applying a voltage in advance between the welding wire 9 and the material to be welded, and when a current flows between the welding wire 9 and the material to be welded. Is determined to have touched, and the coordinate value at that time is recognized.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 1, the welding torch 2
It comprises a main body 13, a nozzle 14, and a connecting portion 15. The cable 12 is connected to one end of the main body 13 so that the welding wire 9 and the welding gas are supplied. A connecting portion 15 for connecting the main body 13 and the nozzle 14 is connected to the other end of the main body 13. Further, the main body 13 is formed with a mounting piece 17 used for mounting to the holding member 3 described later, protruding downward. At a substantially central portion of the mounting piece 17, a mounting hole 17a through which a bolt is inserted is formed. The connecting portion 15 is realized by a cylindrical body, and the welding wire 9 and the welding gas are supplied to the nozzle 14 through the inside thereof. From the tip of the nozzle 14, the welding wire 9 is fed and a welding gas is jetted. The connecting portion 15 is
The main body 13 extends in one direction from the other end and is formed substantially in a straight line, and has a curved portion 16 near its front end. still,
Since the connecting portion 15 is formed relatively long in a straight line, the feedability of the welding wire 9 may be reduced.
In such a case, in addition to the extrusion feed roller in the wire feed device 11, a drawer feed roller is provided in the main body 13 so as to feed the welding wire 9 by a so-called push-pull method. If it does, the feedability will be improved.

Next, the configuration of the holding member 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 1 and FIGS. The holding member 3 is attached to the manipulator 8 while holding the welding torch 2, and includes a support portion 4 and a main body 5.

The support 4 is provided with a connecting portion 15 of the welding torch 2.
And is realized by a flat plate having substantially the same length as the connecting portion 15, and has a mounting piece 18 projecting obliquely downward in FIG. The mounting piece 18 is used for mounting to the main body 5 and has a mounting hole 19 through which a bolt is inserted. still,
The thickness of the support portion 4 is formed slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the connecting portion 15.

The main body portion 5 is formed in a flat plate shape thicker than the support portion 4 and has an upper portion shown in FIG. A part 21 is formed. The interval is selected to be substantially the same as the thickness of the mounting piece 17 of the main body 13 and the mounting piece 18 of the support portion 4. The length (length in the left-right direction of FIG. 4) of the mounting portion 21 is selected to be substantially the same as the length of the main body 13 of the welding torch 2, and the main body 13 is provided substantially in the center thereof.
A mounting hole 22 for mounting the mounting piece 17 is formed. Inserting the mounting piece 17 between the holding plates 20, 20,
The main body 13 is fixed to the holding member 3 by positioning the mounting holes 17a and 22 so as to communicate with each other, inserting a bolt into the mounting holes 17a and 22, and screwing and tightening a nut. Further, a mounting hole 23 for mounting the mounting piece 18 of the support 4 is formed at the left end (hereinafter, also referred to as “front side”) of the mounting portion 21 in FIG. The mounting piece 18 of the support portion 4 is inserted between the sandwiching plates 20, 20 and positioned so that the mounting holes 19, 23 communicate with each other.
The support part 4 is fixed to the main body part 5 by inserting a bolt through 23 and screwing and tightening a nut. Therefore,
Depending on the length of the connecting portion 15 of the welding torch 2, the support 4
Can be replaced.

A disk-like mounting plate 24 for mounting to the manipulator 8 is formed at the lower right end of the main body 5 in FIG. Further, reinforcing ribs 25, 25 are formed on the front side of the mounting plate 24.

Next, a mounting structure between the support portion 4 and the connecting portion 15 will be described. The support portion 4 is formed with a plurality of long holes 26, 26,... In FIG. 3, five sets of long holes 26 are formed, but the number of long holes 26 is appropriately selected according to the length of the support portion 4, that is, the length of the connecting portion 15. On the other hand, the stopper 6 shown in FIG. 5 is made of, for example, a synthetic resin material having flexibility and has a U-shaped cross section, and extends parallel to each other from the opening-side end of the holding section 27. It consists of a pair of mounting plates 28a, 28b formed. The interval between the mounting plates 28a and 28b is selected to be substantially equal to the thickness of the support portion 4. Mounting plates 28a, 28b
Are provided with two mounting holes 29, 29, respectively, and the distance between the holes is selected to be the same as the distance between the pair of long holes 26.

When attaching the stopper 6, the mounting plates 28a and 28b are pushed from above the connecting portion 15 until the inner peripheral surface of the holding portion 27 comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the connecting portion 15. It is mounted by positioning so as to communicate with the long hole 26, penetrating a bolt through the mounting hole 29 and the long hole 26, and screwing and tightening a nut.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if the welding torch 2 having the connecting portion 15 formed relatively linearly and relatively long is attached to the manipulator 8 and moved, the supporting portion 4 of the holding member 3 can be moved. The bending of the connecting portion 15 is prevented by this, the nozzle 14 which is the tip does not vibrate, and the occurrence of displacement at the time of position recognition can be prevented.
The movement at the time of welding can also be performed accurately. As a result, complicated welding in a narrow space can be satisfactorily and automatically performed.

Further, since the supporting portion 4 of the holding member 3 can be replaced according to the length of the connecting portion 15 of the welding torch 2, versatility is improved. Further, since the welding wire 9 is fed by the push-pull method, the welding wire can be smoothly fed to the nozzle 14 even if the connecting portion 15 is long.

[0026]

As described above, according to the welding apparatus of the first aspect of the present invention, a complicated weld in a narrow space can be welded satisfactorily and automatically.

According to the welding device of the second aspect, the welding torch can be replaced as needed according to the working conditions such as the shape of the welded portion and the size of the space around the welded portion. Also, versatility is improved.

Further, according to the welding apparatus of the third aspect, even if a welding torch having a relatively long connecting portion is used, the welding wire can be smoothly supplied to the nozzle, so that good welding can be performed.

According to the welding apparatus of the fourth aspect, the accuracy of the position recognition of the welded portion is significantly improved, and the position is not shifted.
Good welding can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a welding torch and a holding member that constitute a welding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the welding device.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a configuration of a support portion forming the holding member.

4A and 4B are diagrams showing a configuration of a main body constituting the holding member, wherein FIG. 4A is a side view and FIG. 4B is a plan view.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing a configuration of a stopper used when attaching a welding torch to a holding member, wherein FIG. 5A is a side view and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view.

[Description of Signs] 1 Welding device 2 Welding torch 3 Holding member 4 Support section 8 Manipulator 9 Welding wire 11 Wire feeder 13 Main body 14 Nozzle 15 Connection part

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI B23K 9/29 B23K 9/29 H

Claims (4)

[Claims] An articulated manipulator (8), a welding torch (2), and a holding member (3) that holds the welding torch (2) and is attached to a tip of the articulated manipulator (8). The welding torch (2)
Main body (13), nozzle (14), and main body (13)
And a relatively long and straight connecting portion (15) connecting the nozzle and the nozzle (14), and the holding member (3) extends along the connecting portion (15). A welding device characterized in that it has a support part (4) formed and supported by the connecting part (15). 2. The support part (4) is connected to the connecting part (1).
5) The welding device according to claim 1, wherein the welding device is configured to be exchangeable according to the length. 3. The welding torch (2) is supplied with a welding wire (9) extruded from a wire feeding device (11), and further has a main body (13) of the welding torch (2).
Is provided with a draw-off feed roller and fed welding wire (9)
3. The welding device according to claim 1, wherein the welding device is extruded and fed to the connecting portion (15). 4. A multi-joint manipulator (8), a welding torch (2), and a holding member (3) that holds the welding torch (2) and is attached to a tip end of the multi-joint manipulator (8). The welding torch (2) is formed in a relatively long and linear shape connecting the main body (13), the nozzle (14), and the main body (13) and the nozzle (14). The holding member (3) is formed along the connecting portion (15) and has a support portion (4) for supporting the connecting portion (15). A predetermined voltage is applied between the welding wire (9) fed from the nozzle (14) and the material to be welded, and a current flows between the welding wire (9) and the material to be welded. A welding device for detecting a position of a welding portion when the welding is performed.