KR102442939B1 - Welding system in which welding robot senses and aligns welding line of base material and base material rotates to perform precise welding to realize smart factory in which entire process is automated - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a welding system in which a welding robot senses and aligns a welding line of a base material and the base material rotates to perform precise welding so as to realize a smart factory in which the entire process is automated. The welding system comprises: a supply conveyor through which the base material moves; an input conveyor for receiving the base material from the supply conveyor; a welding jig into which the base material is input from the input conveyor; the welding robot for welding the base material located in the welding jig; a discharge conveyor through which the base material welded in the welding jig is discharged; and a transfer conveyor to which the base material discharged from the discharge conveyor is transferred. In the welding jig, the base material moves in an axial direction of the base metal, the welding line is sensed by the welding robot, rotates based on the axis of the base metal, and is welded by the welding robot.

Description

A welding system in which a welding robot senses and aligns the welding part of the base material and performs precise welding by rotating the base material for the realization of a smart factory in which the entire process is automated. MATERIAL ROTATES TO PERFORM PRECISE WELDING TO REALIZE SMART FACTORY IN WHICH ENTIRE PROCESS IS AUTOMATED}

The present invention relates to a welding system in which a welding robot senses and aligns a welding part of a base material and performs precise welding by rotating the base material for realization of a smart factory in which the entire process is automated.

Welding is a general term for metallurgical joining of metals, and refers to a method of joining metal materials of the same or different types by applying heat and pressure to form a direct bond between solids.

A smart factory is a factory where the entire process of manufacturing, packaging, and inspecting machines is automatically performed. The smart factory is a next-generation 4th industry that is achieved by convergence of robot technology and information and communication technology (ICT) in a factory where processes are performed based on traditional human resources. It is regarded as the heart of the revolution.

However, in order to implement a smart factory in the welding field, the arm of the welding robot must accurately depict the hand movements of a skilled welder, so a lot of research and development is being made for this purpose. In other words, in order to realize a smart factory in the welding field, the entire process should be automated and at the same time, the welding quality similar to that performed by an actual skilled welder should be achieved.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a welding system in which the welding robot senses the welding line of the base material, aligns it by sensing the welding line of the base material, and performs precise welding by rotating the base material in order to realize a smart factory in which the entire process is automated.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A welding system of the present invention for solving the above-described problems is a feed conveyor on which the base material moves; an input conveyor receiving a base material from the supply conveyor; a welding jig into which the base material is input from the input conveyor; a welding robot for welding the base material located on the welding jig; a discharge conveyor for discharging the base material on which welding is completed in the welding jig; and a transfer conveyor through which the base material discharged from the discharge conveyor is transferred, wherein the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material in the welding jig, the welding line is sensed by the welding robot, and rotates based on the axis of the base material, and the welding robot It may be characterized in that it is welded by

The welding jig includes a plurality of guide units supporting a base material and guiding movement and rotation, and a base material driving unit providing a driving force for moving and rotating the base material, and each of the plurality of guide units rotates about a rotation axis. and a guide part for guiding the movement of the base material, and a posture control part for controlling the guide part so that the posture of the rotation shaft of the guide part is changed, wherein the posture control part includes the guide part when the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material in the welding jig. The guide part is controlled so that the axis of rotation is perpendicular to the axis of the base material, and when the base material rotates based on the axis of the base material in the welding jig, the guide part is controlled so that the axis of rotation of the guide part is parallel to the axis of the base material. .

The welding jig may further include a guide driving unit providing a driving force for moving the plurality of guide units to contact or release contact with the base material.

The welding robot includes a welding tip for performing welding, a robot arm for driving the welding tip, a rail for moving the robot arm, a marking sensor for sensing a welding line of a base material, and a welding sensor for sensing a welding part of a base material Including, wherein the welding robot senses the welding line of the base material by the marking sensor, the robot arm moves along the rail so that the welding line of the base material and the robot arm are aligned, and the welding line of the base material and the welding tip are aligned. After the welding tip is driven by the robot arm, it may be characterized in that welding is performed along the welding line of the base material.

It may further include a gas sensor for measuring the amount of purge gas inside the base material of the supply conveyor.

In the welding system of the present invention, the entire process is automated by the supply conveyor, the input conveyor, the welding jig, the welding robot, the discharge conveyor, and the transfer conveyor, so that a smart factory can be implemented in the welding field.

In addition, in the welding system of the present invention, the base material moves in the axial direction in the welding jig, the welding line of the base material is sensed by the welding robot, the welding robot is aligned based on the welding line of the base material, and then, the base material is moved along the axis As welding proceeds while rotating, there is an advantage in that welding quality can be realized as if a skilled welder performed welding.

In addition, in the welding system of the present invention, when the base material moves and rotates in the axial direction, the posture of the rotation shaft of the guide part is changed, so that the movement and rotation of the base material can be precisely guided (thus, the defect rate of the process is reduced).

In addition, in the welding system of the present invention, when there are a plurality of welding lines in the base material, the welding robot first senses the welding lines and performs welding, then moves to the next welding line according to a preset program to perform welding, so that the plurality of welding lines is automated process It has the advantage of being weldable.

Furthermore, in the case of gas welding in the welding system of the present invention, since the process is carried out by measuring the amount of purge gas inside the base material by a gas sensor, it is possible to prevent deterioration of welding quality due to lack of purge gas.

Effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

1 is a conceptual diagram showing a welding system of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating that the base material moves based on the axis of the base material and the welding robot senses the welding line in the welding system of the present invention (sensing step).
3 is a conceptual diagram illustrating that the base material rotates about the axis of the base material and the welding robot performs welding in the welding system of the present invention (welding step).
4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating that the welding robot sequentially performs welding while moving along a plurality of welding lines according to a preset programming in the welding system of the present invention (welding step).
5 and 6 are conceptual views showing that the welding system of the present invention is discharged by returning to the initial position while moving the base material after welding is completed based on the axis of the base material (discharging step).
7 is a flowchart illustrating a welding method of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart showing an automated welding method of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention.
9 is a conceptual diagram showing that the welding is performed while the base material rotates forward and backward in the automated welding method of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention.
10 is a conceptual diagram illustrating that welding is performed by aligning the welding tip of the welding robot with the welding line of the base material at an appropriate distance and angle in the automated welding method of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms, and only these embodiments allow the disclosure of the present invention to be complete, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the present invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural, unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase. As used herein, “comprises” and/or “comprising” does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components in addition to the stated components. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout, and "and/or" includes each and every combination of one or more of the recited elements. Although "first", "second", etc. are used to describe various elements, these elements are not limited by these terms, of course. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, it goes without saying that the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the spirit of the present invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein will have the meaning commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In addition, terms defined in a commonly used dictionary are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless clearly specifically defined.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, the welding system 100, the welding method 200, and the automated welding method 300 of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention will be described. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a welding system of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing that the base material moves based on the axis of the base material and the welding robot senses the welding line in the welding system of the present invention (sensing step), FIG. 3 is In the welding system of the present invention, the base material rotates about the axis of the base material and the welding robot performs welding (welding step). It is a conceptual diagram showing that welding is sequentially performed while moving along a welding line (welding step), and FIGS. 5 and 6 are the welding system of the present invention, in which the welding is completed, the base material moves based on the axis of the base material, and returns to the initial position and discharged. It is a conceptual diagram (discharge step), Figure 7 is a flow chart showing the welding method of the present invention, Figure 8 is a flow chart showing the automatic welding method of the T-pipe connection part of the present invention, Figure 9 is the T-pipe of the present invention It is a conceptual diagram showing that welding is performed while the base material rotates forward and backward in the automated welding method of the connection part, and FIG. It is a conceptual diagram showing that welding is performed by being aligned with a distance and an angle.

First, the welding system 100 of the present invention will be described. The welding system 100 of the present invention includes a supply conveyor 10 , an input conveyor 20 , a welding jig 30 , a welding robot 40 , a discharge conveyor 50 , a transfer conveyor 60 , and a gas sensor 70 . and an electronic control unit (not shown).

The supply conveyor 10 is a conveyor on which a base material moves, and the base material of the yard may be supplied to the input conveyor 20 by moving along the supply conveyor 10 . The input conveyor 20 may be a conveyor that receives the base material from the supply conveyor 10 and puts the base material into the welding jig 30 . In this case, the movement direction of the base material in the supply conveyor 10 and the input conveyor 20 may be the same, and a plurality of base materials are arranged on the supply conveyor 10 to move toward the input conveyor 20 , and the input conveyor At 20 , only one base material is waiting, and when the welding process is completed in the welding jig 30 , a new base material may be put into the welding jig 30 .

On the other hand, when the electronic control unit receives a signal that welding has been completed from a sensor separately provided in the welding jig 30 or the welding robot 40 or the discharge conveyor 50, the input conveyor 20 is operated to produce a new base material in the welding jig. It can be controlled to be put into (30). In this case, the input conveyor 20 may move the base material in one direction and simultaneously lift the base material to be stably seated on the welding jig 30 .

In the welding jig 30 , the base materials are input one by one from the input conveyor 20 , and welding may be performed by the welding robot 40 . In detail, in the welding jig 30, the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material, the welding line is sensed by the welding robot 40, and the welding robot 40 is aligned based on the welding line of the base material, and then the base material is the base material. It rotates about an axis and can be welded by the welding robot 40 . That is, the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material so that the welding line comes within the sensing range (scanning range) of the welding robot 40, and then rotates when the welding robot 40 detects the welding line and aligns the welding robot 40 can be welded by

To this end, the welding jig 30 includes a base material driving unit 31 providing a driving force for moving and rotating the base material, a plurality of guide units 32 supporting the base material and guiding movement and rotation, and a plurality of guide units 32 ) may include a guide driving unit (not shown) that provides a driving force to move the contact or release contact with the base material.

That is, in the welding jig 30 , the base material can be moved and rotated in a state supported and guided by the plurality of guide units 32 , and the driving force required for movement and rotation is provided by the base material driving unit 31 . can In addition, if necessary, the plurality of guide units 32 may be independently controlled by the guide driving unit to contact or release contact with the base material. In this case, a motor, a hydraulic/pneumatic cylinder, etc. may be used for the base material driving unit 31 , but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The plurality of guide units 32 may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction and the axial direction of the base material. Each of the plurality of guide units 32 rotates on the basis of the rotation axis to guide the guide portion 32-1 for guiding the movement of the base material, and the guide portion 32-1 so that the posture of the rotation shaft of the guide portion 32-1 is changed. ) may include a posture control unit 32-2 for controlling the.

That is, the posture control unit 32-2 controls the guide unit 32-1 so that the rotation axis of the guide unit 32-1 is perpendicular to the axis of the base material when the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material in the welding jig 30 . In the welding jig 30 , when the base material rotates with respect to the axis of the base material, the guide part 32-1 can be controlled so that the axis of rotation of the guide part 32-1 is parallel to the axis of the base material.

Various parts may be used for the guide part 32-1 in the welding system 100 of the present invention, and for example, a ball bearing having a degree of rotational freedom based on one rotational axis may be used, but is not limited thereto. . In addition, in the welding system 100 of the present invention, various parts may be used for the posture control unit 32-2, for example, a turntable may be used, but is not limited thereto.

Accordingly, in the welding system 100 of the present invention, when the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material, the guide part 32-1 has the posture control unit 32 so that the rotation axis of the guide part 32-1 is perpendicular to the axis of the base material. The posture of the guide part 32-1 is set by -2) so that when the base material moves in the axial direction, it can be moved while being stable by the rotation of the guide part 32-1 while minimizing resistance.

In addition, in the welding system 100 of the present invention, when the base material rotates with respect to the axis of the base material, the guide part 32-1 has the posture control unit 32 so that the axis of rotation of the guide part 32-1 is parallel to the axis of the base material. The posture of the guide part 32-1 is set by -2), so that when the base material rotates, it can be rotated while being stable by rotation of the guide part 32-1 while minimizing resistance.

On the other hand, when the base material is moved in the axial direction of the base material in a state supported by the plurality of guide units 32, when the base material has a protrusion such as a branched pipe or socket on the outer circumferential surface such as a T-shaped pipe (branch pipe), the protrusion is Movement may be restricted by being caught by the plurality of guide units 32 .

In order to prevent this, in the welding system 100 of the present invention, each of the plurality of guide units 32 independently comes into contact with the base material or releases the contact (the protrusion and the guide unit are It can be controlled to be spaced apart so that the axial movement of the base material is possible (sliding movement closer to or away from the base material; driving force is provided by a plurality of guide units).

The welding robot 40 may weld the base material located on the welding jig 30 . To this end, the welding robot 40 includes a welding tip 41 for performing welding, a robot arm 42 for driving the welding tip 41, a rail 43 for moving the robot arm 42, and a base material. It may include a marking sensor 44 for sensing the welding line of the welding sensor 45 for sensing the welding portion of the base material.

Accordingly, the welding robot 40 senses the welding line of the base material by the marking sensor 44, and then the robot arm 42 moves along the rail 43 so that the welding line of the base material and the robot arm 42 are aligned. After the welding tip 41 is driven by the robot arm 42 so that the welding line of the base material and the welding tip 41 are aligned, welding may be performed along the welding line of the base material.

In detail, in the welding robot 40, the marking sensor 44 scans the base material while the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material in the welding jig 30, and the marking sensor 44 senses the welding line located on the base material. The axial movement of can be stopped. Then, the welding robot 40 can be aligned with the welding line of the base material by moving the robot arm 42 in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the base material along the rail 43 . Then, the welding robot 40 may operate the robot arm 42 to control the welding tip 41 to be aligned with the welding line of the base material. In this case, the robot arm 42 is capable of multi-axis linear movement and rotation, and accordingly, the welding tip 41 may be aligned with the welding line of the base material at an appropriate distance and posture. Finally, when the base material rotates on the basis of the axis of the base material in the welding jig 30, the welding robot 40 performs welding with the welding tip 41 along the welding line of the base material to form a welded portion along the circumference of the base material. . At the same time, the welding sensor 45 of the welding robot 40 senses the welding part of the base material, analyzes the position coordinates thereof, and compares the position coordinates with the position coordinates of the welding line to determine whether welding is precisely performed according to a preset condition.

The discharge conveyor 50 may be a conveyor in which the base material that has been welded is discharged from the welding jig 30 and moves, and the transfer conveyor 60 may be a conveyor in which the base material discharged from the discharge conveyor 50 is transferred to the warehouse. .

The gas sensor 70 is disposed on at least one of the supply conveyor 10 or the input conveyor 20 during gas welding to measure the amount of the purge gas (eg, nitrogen, etc.) of the capped base material with the purge gas filled therein. can do. As a result of the sensing, the gas sensor 70 generates a warning signal to the manager terminal and stops the operation of the supply conveyor 10 or the input conveyor 20 when the amount of purge gas filled in the base material does not fall within a preset range. can be

The electronic control unit (not shown) may be a unit that receives a signal and electronically controls various components of the welding system 100 of the present invention according to the signal, and a detailed description will be provided later.

Hereinafter, the welding method 200 of the present invention will be described. The welding method 200 of the present invention may be used to perform welding along the outer periphery of a tubular base material (such as a connection portion of a pair of tubular base materials), but is not limited thereto.

The welding method 200 of the present invention includes a purge gas sensing step 210 of measuring the amount of purge gas inside the base material in the gas sensor 70 and checking whether it is within a reference range; An input step 220 in which the supply conveyor 10 and the input conveyor 20 put the base material into the welding jig 30; A welding line sensing step 230 in which the welding jig 30 moves the base material in the axial direction of the base material and the marking sensor 44 of the welding robot 40 senses the weld line of the base material; The robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 moves based on the welding line of the base material and drives the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40, so that the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 is the welding line of the base material. an alignment step 240 that is aligned with; A welding step 250 in which the welding jig 30 rotates the base material and the welding robot 40 performs welding; It may include; a discharge step 260 of transferring the discharging conveyor 50 and the conveying conveyor 60 to the warehouse for the welding-completed base material.

In the gas sensor 70, the purge gas sensing step 210 of measuring the amount of the purge gas inside the base material and checking whether it is within the reference range is a step of determining whether the amount of the purge gas inside the base material meets the design conditions in the case of gas welding can be The gas sensor 70 may transmit an abnormal signal to the electronic control unit (not shown) when the amount of the purge gas inside the base material is out of the reference range, and the electronic control unit accordingly the supply conveyor 10 and the input conveyor (20) can be controlled to stop.

In the input step 220 in which the supply conveyor 10 and the input conveyor 20 put the base material into the welding jig 30, the base material moves along the supply conveyor 10 and the input conveyor 20 to the welding jig 30 It may be a step that is put into To this end, the electronic control unit receives a welding completion signal from at least one of the welding jig 30 or the welding robot 40 , and confirms that there is no preceding base material in the current welding jig 30 , then the supply conveyor 10 and the input conveyor By operating (20), it is possible to put a new base material into the empty welding jig (30). In this case, the input conveyor 20 is normally in a descending state, and when the welding of the preceding base material is completed, it is lifted, and then a new base material is moved to be put into the welding jig 30 .

The welding jig 30 moves the base material in the axial direction of the base material, and the welding line sensing step 230 in which the marking sensor 44 of the welding robot 40 senses the weld line of the base material is the welding line of the base material. The welding jig 30 may be a step of moving the base material in the axial direction of the base material so as to be located within the sensing range of the marking sensor 44 .

In the welding line sensing step 230, the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 are partially in contact with the base material by the guide driving unit (not shown) of the welding jig 30, and the rest can be released from contact with the base material. have. This is to prevent a branch pipe or a socket from being caught by the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 and blocking movement when the base material is a branch pipe such as a T-shaped pipe when the base material moves in the axial direction. To this end, the electronic control unit may control the guide driving unit according to a preset condition to release some of the plurality of guide units 32 from contact with the base material, and is sensed by a separate sensor (sensing a branch pipe or a socket). By receiving the information and processing it to control the guide driving unit, it is possible to release some of the plurality of guide units 32 that are likely to be caught in branch pipes or sockets when the base material is moved from contact with the base material. In this case, the base material may be supported and guided by the rest of the plurality of guide units 32 in contact with the base material to move.

In addition, in the welding line sensing step 230 , the base material driving unit 31 of the welding jig 30 provides a driving force so that the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material, and a plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 . The rotation axis may be arranged perpendicular to the axis of the base material. To this end, the electronic control unit first transmits a control signal to the posture control unit 32-2 of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 to rotate the axis of rotation of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 . The posture of the guide portion 32-1 of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 can be controlled so as to be vertically aligned with the axis of the base material, and then, a control signal to the base material driving unit 31 can be transmitted to control the base material to move in the axial direction of the base material. Accordingly, the base material is stably supported by the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 rotating in the moving direction and can slide.

On the other hand, the welding robot 40 can scan the base material with the marking sensor 44 of the welding robot 40, and while the base material is moving, it is in the sensing range (scanning range) of the marking sensor 44 of the welding robot 40. When the welding line of the base material is detected, the next step, the alignment step 240 may be performed. To this end, the electronic control unit may receive the welding line detection signal of the base material of the marking sensor 44 of the welding robot 40 and process it to stop the operation of the base material driving unit 31 of the welding jig 30 .

The robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 moves based on the welding line of the base material and drives the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40, so that the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 is the welding line of the base material. The aligning step 240 may be a step in which the welding robot 40 aligns the welding line of the base material before starting welding.

In the alignment step 240 , first, the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 moves in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the base material along the rail 43 of the welding robot 40 to be aligned based on the welding line of the base material. Then, the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 may be driven by the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 to be aligned based on the welding line of the base material. That is, when the welding robot 40 senses the welding line of the base material, the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 macroscopically moves toward the welding line of the base material and then microscopically of the welding tip 31 of the welding robot 40. It can be precisely driven by the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 to prepare to start welding. To this end, the electronic control unit processes the position coordinates of the welding line of the base material and transmits a control signal to the rail 43 of the welding robot 40, so that the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 is moved to the welding robot 40 . It can be controlled to move to a position close to the welding line along the rail 43 of the Then, the electronic control unit transmits a control signal to the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 based on the positional coordinates of the welding line of the base material, whereby the posture of the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 and the base material The welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 can be controlled so that the distance of the welding robot 40 has a predetermined posture and distance.

In the welding step 250 in which the welding jig 30 rotates the base material and the welding robot 40 performs welding , the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 maintains a state aligned with the welding line of the base material, and the base material is It may be a step in which welding is performed by rotating.

In the welding step 250 , all of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 may be in contact with the base material by a guide driving unit (not shown) of the welding jig 30 . That is, in order to stably rotate the base material after the axial movement of the base material is completed, all of the plurality of guide units 32 may contact the base material. However, the welding method 200 of the present invention is not limited thereto, and in some cases, when the branch pipe or socket of the base material is caught in some of the plurality of guide units 32 during rotation, only the rest except for this may be in contact with the base material. . To this end, the electronic control unit may control the guide driving unit according to a preset condition to bring all of the plurality of guide units 32 into contact with the base material or to bring some of the plurality of guide units 32 into contact with the base material, and separately Receives sensing information by the sensor (sensing the branch pipe or socket) and processes it to control the guide driving unit. and the rest can be brought into contact with the base material. In this case, the base material may be rotated by being supported and guided by all or part of the plurality of guide units 32 . Meanwhile, the above-described process may be performed in the alignment step 240 .

In addition, in the welding step 250 , the base material driving unit 31 of the welding jig 30 provides a driving force so that the base material rotates based on the axis of the base material, and the rotation axis of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 . may be arranged parallel to the axis of the base material. To this end, the electronic control unit first transmits a control signal to the posture control unit 32-2 of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 to rotate the axis of rotation of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 . The posture of the guide portion 32-1 of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 can be controlled so as to be arranged in parallel with the axis of the base material, and then, a control signal to the base material driving unit 31 can be transmitted to control the base material to rotate about the axis of the base material. Accordingly, the base material can be stably supported and rotated by the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 rotating in the rotational direction.

In addition, in the welding step 250, the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 is driven by the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 to rotate at a predetermined angle and a predetermined distance from the welding line of the base material while the base material rotates. Posture and position can be controlled to be maintained. To this end, the electronic control unit processes the position coordinates of the welding line of the base material and transmits a control signal to the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40, so that the position and posture of the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 are It can be controlled to be an appropriate angle and an appropriate distance to the welding line of the base material (improving welding quality).

In addition, in the welding step 250, the welding sensor 45 of the welding robot 40 inspects whether the welding part (part where actual welding is performed) of the base material is formed along the welding line of the base material, and the welding part of the base material and the welding line of the base material If it is not aligned, it may return to the alignment step 240 and alignment may be performed again. To this end, the electronic control unit receives signals for the position coordinates of the welding line of the base material and the position coordinates of the welding part of the base material from the marking sensor 44 and the welding sensor 45 of the welding robot 40. It is possible to stop by transmitting a control signal to the base material driving unit 31 of the jig 30 and align the welding robot 40 with the base material welding line again.

Furthermore, in the case of a plurality of welding lines of the base material, the welding robot 40 performs welding of one base material to the welding line according to a program preset in the electronic control unit (not shown) and then uses the next welding line to the rail 43 of the welding robot 40. ) along the axial direction of the base material and aligned again based on the next weld line of the base material. .

In the discharge step 260, in which the discharge conveyor 50 and the transfer conveyor 60 transfer the welded base material to the warehouse, the welded base material moves along the discharge conveyor 50 and the transfer conveyor 60 and is transferred to the warehouse. It may be a step

To this end, in order for the welding-completed base material to be discharged to the discharge conveyor 50, the base material must be returned to the initial position in advance, and the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 are A part of the guide driving unit (not shown) may be in contact with the base material and the rest may be released from contact with the base material. This is to prevent a branch pipe or a socket from being caught by the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 and blocking movement when the base material is a branch pipe such as a T-shaped pipe when the base material moves in the axial direction. In this case, the electronic control unit may control the guide driving unit according to a preset condition to release some of the plurality of guide units 32 from contact with the base material, and is sensed by a separate sensor (sensing a branch pipe or a socket). By receiving the information and processing it to control the guide driving unit, it is possible to release some of the plurality of guide units 32 that are likely to be caught in branch pipes or sockets when the base material is moved from contact with the base material. On the other hand, the base material may be supported and guided by the rest of the plurality of guide units 32 in contact with the base material to move.

In addition, the base material driving unit 31 of the welding jig 30 provides a driving force to move the base material in the axial direction of the base material, and the rotation axis of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 is perpendicular to the axis of the base material can be arranged neatly. To this end, the electronic control unit first transmits a control signal to the posture control unit 32-2 of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 to rotate the axis of rotation of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 . The posture of the guide portion 32-1 of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 can be controlled so as to be vertically aligned with the axis of the base material, and then, a control signal to the base material driving unit 31 can be transmitted to control the base material to move in the axial direction of the base material. Accordingly, the base material is stably supported by the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 rotating in the moving direction, and can be returned to the initial position by sliding.

Then, the electronic control unit receives the welding completion signal from at least one of the welding jig 30 or the welding robot 40, and operates the discharge conveyor 50 and the transfer conveyor 60 to transfer the welded base material. have. In this case, the discharge conveyor 50 is normally in a descending state, and when the welding of the base material is completed, it is lifted, and then the base material on which the welding is completed can be moved and transferred to the warehouse.

Hereinafter, the automated welding method 300 of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention will be described. The automatic welding method 300 of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention can be used for the automated welding method of the connection part of the main pipe and the branch pipe in the T-shaped base material in which the branch pipe is formed perpendicular to the main pipe, However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The automatic welding method 300 of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention includes an alignment step 310 in which the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 is aligned with the base material; The welding jig 30 rotates the base material forward and reversely, and the welding robot 40 performs welding in a welding step 320; may include. On the other hand, in the automated welding method 300 of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention, except for the alignment step 310 and the welding step 320, the welding system 100 of the present invention and the welding method 200 of the present invention are described above. The technical characteristics of can be applied mutatis mutandis.

The alignment step 310 in which the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 is aligned with the base material may be a step in which the welding robot 40 aligns the welding line of the base material before starting welding. In this case, the weld line of the base material may be formed in the connection portion of the main pipe and the branch pipe.

In the alignment step 310, first, the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 moves in a direction parallel to the axial direction of the base material along the rail 43 of the welding robot 40 to be aligned based on the welding line of the base material. Then, the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 may be driven by the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 to be aligned based on the welding line of the base material. That is, when the welding robot 40 senses the welding line of the base material, the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 macroscopically moves toward the welding line of the base material and then microscopically of the welding tip 31 of the welding robot 40. It can be precisely driven by the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 to prepare to start welding. To this end, the electronic control unit processes the position coordinates of the welding line of the base material and transmits a control signal to the rail 43 of the welding robot 40, so that the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 is moved to the welding robot 40 . It can be controlled to move to a position close to the welding line along the rail 43 of the Then, the electronic control unit transmits a control signal to the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40 based on the positional coordinates of the welding line of the base material, whereby the posture of the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 and the base material The welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 can be controlled so that the distance of the welding robot 40 has a predetermined posture and distance.

In the welding step 320 in which the welding jig 30 rotates the base material forward and reverse, and the welding robot 40 performs welding , the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 is aligned with the welding line of the base material. It may be a step in which the welding proceeds by rotating the base material while maintaining it.

In the welding step 320 , all of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 may be in contact with the base material by the guide driving unit of the welding jig 30 . That is, in order to stably rotate the base material after the axial movement of the base material is completed, all of the plurality of guide units 32 may contact the base material. However, the automatic welding method 300 of the T-shaped pipe connection part of the present invention is not limited thereto, and when the branch pipe or socket of the base material is caught in some of the plurality of guide units 32 during rotation, only the rest except for this is in contact with the base material can do. To this end, the electronic control unit may control the guide driving unit according to a preset condition to bring all of the plurality of guide units 32 into contact with the base material or to bring some of the plurality of guide units 32 into contact with the base material, and separately Receives sensing information by the sensor (sensing the branch pipe or socket) and processes it to control the guide driving unit. and the rest can be brought into contact with the base material. In this case, the base material may be rotated by being supported and guided by all or part of the plurality of guide units 32 . Meanwhile, the above-described process may be performed in the alignment step 310 .

In addition, in the welding step 320 , the base material driving unit 31 of the welding jig 30 provides a driving force so that the base material rotates based on the axis of the base material, and the rotation axis of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 . may be arranged parallel to the axis of the base material. To this end, the electronic control unit first transmits a control signal to the posture control unit 32-2 of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 to rotate the axis of rotation of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 . The posture of the guide portion 32-1 of the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 can be controlled so as to be arranged in parallel with the axis of the base material, and then, a control signal to the base material driving unit 31 can be transmitted to control the base material to rotate about the axis of the base material. Accordingly, the base material can be stably supported and rotated by the plurality of guide units 32 of the welding jig 30 rotating in the rotational direction.

In addition, in the welding step 320, the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 welds half of the connection part of the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base material while the base material rotates forward at a rotation angle of 180 degrees, and the base material rotates 180 degrees The other half of the connecting part of the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base metal can be welded during the reverse rotation at the angle. That is, in the automated welding method 300 of the T-pipe connection part of the present invention, unlike the welding method 200 of the present invention, welding is not performed by rotating the base material 360 degrees in one direction, but forward rotation at a rotation angle of 180 degrees. Welding half of the connecting part of the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base metal (approximately in the form of an arc with a central angle of 180 degrees), and then reversing the rotation angle of 180 degrees, while the other half of the connecting part of the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base metal is welded. (approximately in the form of an arc with a central angle of 180 degrees) can be welded.

In addition, in the welding step 320, the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 is driven by the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40, while the base material rotates, the welding line of the base material (the main pipe and the branch of the base material) The position and position can be controlled so that it can be maintained at a certain angle and a certain distance from the connection part of the engine. To this end, the electronic control unit processes the position coordinates of the welding line of the base material and transmits a control signal to the robot arm 42 of the welding robot 40, so that the position and posture of the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 are It can be controlled to be an appropriate angle and an appropriate distance to the welding line of the base material (improving welding quality).

In detail, in the welding step 320, the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 expands the welding line of the base material (the connection part of the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base material) at a certain ratio to move along the similarity-converted welding trajectory. have. Accordingly, while welding is in progress, the distance between the welding tip 31 of the welding robot 40 and the welding line of the base material (the connection portion between the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base material) may be kept constant.

In addition, in the welding step 320, the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40 has a central axis of the welding line of the base material (the connection between the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base material) and the welding tip 41 of the welding robot 40. It can be arranged so as to be arranged along an imaginary line connecting the points corresponding to each other in the welding trajectory of Accordingly, while welding is in progress, the angle between the welding tip 31 of the welding robot 40 and the welding line of the base material (the connection part between the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base material) can be constantly maintained at an appropriate welding angle. .

Further, in the welding step 320, the welding sensor 45 of the welding robot 40 determines whether the welding part of the base material (the part where actual welding is performed) is formed along the welding line of the base material (the connection part between the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base material). Inspection, if the weld of the base material is not aligned with the weld line of the base material (the connection between the main pipe and the branch pipe of the base material), return to the alignment step 240 and alignment may be performed again. To this end, the electronic control unit receives signals for the position coordinates of the welding line of the base material and the position coordinates of the welding part of the base material from the marking sensor 44 and the welding sensor 45 of the welding robot 40. It is possible to stop by transmitting a control signal to the base material driving unit 31 of the jig 30 and align the welding robot 40 with the base material welding line again.

The welding method 200 of the present invention described above and the automatic welding method 300 of the T-shaped pipe connection part are implemented as a program (or application) for execution in combination with a server, which is hardware, and may be stored in a medium.

The above-described program is coded in a computer language such as a machine language that can be read by a processor (CPU) of the computer through a device interface of the computer in order for the computer to read the program and execute the methods implemented as a program. Code may be included. Such code may include functional code related to a function defining functions necessary for executing the methods, etc. can do. In addition, the code may further include additional information necessary for the processor of the computer to execute the functions or code related to memory reference for which location (address address) in the internal or external memory of the computer should be referenced. have. In addition, when the processor of the computer needs to communicate with any other computer or server located remotely in order to execute the functions, the code uses the communication module of the computer to determine how to communicate with any other computer or server remotely. It may further include a communication-related code for whether to communicate and what information or media to transmit and receive during communication.

The storage medium is not a medium that stores data for a short moment, such as a register, a cache, a memory, etc., but a medium that stores data semi-permanently and can be read by a device. Specifically, examples of the storage medium include, but are not limited to, ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, and optical data storage device. That is, the program may be stored in various recording media on various servers accessible by the computer or in various recording media on the computer of the user. In addition, the medium may be distributed in a computer system connected by a network, and computer-readable codes may be stored in a distributed manner.

The steps of the method or algorithm described in relation to the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented directly in hardware, implemented as a software module executed by hardware, or implemented by a combination thereof. A software module may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, hard disk, removable disk, CD-ROM, or It may reside in any type of computer-readable recording medium well known in the art to which the present invention pertains.

As mentioned above, although embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can realize that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without changing its technical spirit or essential features. you will be able to understand Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

Claims (5)

In the welding system for welding the base material of the branch pipe type,
a feed conveyor on which the base material moves;
a gas sensor for measuring the amount of purge gas inside the base material of the supply conveyor;
an input conveyor receiving a base material from the supply conveyor;
a welding jig into which the base material is input from the input conveyor;
a welding robot for welding the base material located on the welding jig;
a discharge conveyor for discharging the base material on which welding is completed in the welding jig; and
Containing a transfer conveyor to which the base material discharged from the discharge conveyor is transferred,
In the welding jig, the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material, the welding line is sensed by the welding robot, rotates about the axis of the base material, and is welded by the welding robot,
The welding jig supports a base material and includes a plurality of guide units for guiding movement and rotation, a base material driving unit providing driving force for moving and rotating the base material, and a driving force for moving the plurality of guide units to contact or release contact with the base material Includes a guide driving unit that provides
The plurality of guide units are arranged to be spaced apart from each other in the width direction and the axial direction of the base material,
Each of the plurality of guide units comprises a ball bearing type and a guide unit for guiding the movement of the base material by rotating based on the rotation axis, and a posture control unit for controlling the guide unit to change the posture of the rotation axis of the guide unit in the form of a turntable,
The posture control unit controls the guide part so that the rotation axis of the guide part is perpendicular to the axis of the base material when the base material moves in the axial direction of the base material in the welding jig, and when the base material rotates based on the axis of the base material in the welding jig, the guide Controls the guide part so that the rotation axis of the part is parallel to the axis of the base material,
The welding robot includes a welding tip for performing welding, a robot arm for driving the welding tip, a rail for moving the robot arm, a marking sensor for sensing a welding line of a base material, and a welding sensor for sensing a welding part of a base material including,
The welding robot senses the welding line of the base material by the marking sensor, and then the robot arm moves along the rail so that the welding line of the base material and the robot arm are aligned, and the welding line of the base material and the welding tip are aligned on the robot arm. After the welding tip is driven by the welding, welding is performed along the welding line of the base material,
In the step of the welding robot sensing the welding line of the base material by the marking sensor, the base material driving unit provides a driving force to move the base material in the axial direction of the base material, and the axis of rotation of the plurality of guide units is perpendicular to the axis of the base material The posture of the guide unit is controlled by the posture control unit so as to be arranged in one direction, and a part caught in the branch pipe is released from contact with the base material when the base material among the plurality of guide units moves in the axial direction by the guide driving unit,
In the step of the welding robot performing welding along the welding line of the base material, the base material driving unit provides a driving force to rotate the base material in the axial direction of the base material, and the axis of rotation of the plurality of guide units is parallel to the axis of the base material. The posture of the guide unit is controlled by the posture control unit so as to be arranged, and the plurality of guide units are all in contact with the base material by the guide driving unit. delete delete delete delete

Images