KR20200135239A - Welding guiding system providing high quality image - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a welding system for supporting a high-quality image and, more specifically, to a welding system for providing an image for guiding a welding state of a user. An objective of the present invention is to show an environment around welding to a worker. The welding system comprises: a display unit including a front surface corresponding to a welding direction and a rear surface corresponding to a face direction; at least one ocular display mounted on an area of the rear surface of the display unit; at least one camera which is mounted on an area of the front surface of the display unit, and acquires a plurality of welding image frames in accordance with a photographing condition for each frame; and a processor which controls the photographing condition of the at least one camera, synthesizes in parallel based on the plurality of welding image frames to acquire a first synthesis image, and controls the ocular display to display the first synthesis image.

Description

Welding guiding system providing high quality image}

The present invention relates to a welding system that provides a high-definition camera image to a user in order to know the shape of the welding bead and the welding progress direction.

In addition, the present invention relates to a welding system for guiding information on a welding state by displaying welding state information required by a user on a display.

Wear protective gear to protect workers from light and high heat generated during welding processes such as arc welding. Since the operator can only check welding progress through the protective equipment while wearing the protective equipment, it is troublesome to remove the protective equipment and check it with the naked eye in order to check various information for welding such as conditions set in the welding device. There is this.

When the operator's skill level is not high, in particular, when wearing an automatic welding surface or a manual welding surface, only a portion adjacent to the welding light can be seen by the operator, and it is difficult to recognize a specific welding situation such as an environment around the welding. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a high-definition image that the operator can visually check even the surrounding environment of the welding to the operator, and to provide the operator with detailed information about the welding state information.

The present invention is in accordance with the above-described necessity, and an object of the present invention is to provide a high-definition welding image capable of showing a welding environment to an operator.

In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a system for guiding information on welding state information to an operator.

However, these problems are exemplary, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereby.

A welding support system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a display unit including a front portion corresponding to a welding direction and a rear portion corresponding to a face portion direction; At least one eyepiece display mounted on a rear area of the display unit; At least one camera mounted on a front portion of the display unit and acquiring a plurality of welded image frames according to photographing conditions for each frame; And a processor controlling the photographing condition of the at least one camera, and synthesizing the plurality of welded image frames in parallel to obtain a first synthesized image. And a processor that controls the eyepiece display to display the first composite image.

In addition, the welding support system further includes a first sensor for detecting welding information, wherein the processor provides the guiding corresponding to the welding information based on the welding information detected through the first sensor. The display can be controlled.

In addition, the first sensor is mounted on a region of the front surface of the display unit.

In addition, the welding support system further includes a welding torch including a second sensor for detecting welding information, and the processor further includes a guide corresponding to the welding information based on the welding information received from the second sensor. The display may be controlled to provide ding.

In this case, the welding information may include welding speed information, welding direction information, welding temperature information, and distance information between the welding base material and the welding torch.

In this case, the camera includes a light-shielding cartridge installed in front of the camera lens and capable of changing a light-shielding degree, wherein the first sensor detects the welding light to obtain welding light information, and the processor receives the shooting condition for each frame The camera and the shading cartridge may be controlled to maintain the same, change the shading degree of the shading cartridge based on the weld light information, and obtain the plurality of weld image frames.

In addition, the at least one camera may include a first camera; And a second camera, wherein the processor may control shooting conditions of the first camera and the second camera, respectively.

In addition, the processor may control the first camera and the second camera so that a frame-by-frame shooting condition of the first camera and a frame-by-frame shooting condition of the second camera are different from each other, and the plurality of photographed by the first camera The first composite image may be obtained by synthesizing for each frame based on the first welding image of and a plurality of second welding images photographed through the second camera.

In addition, the at least one eyepiece display may include a first eyepiece display; And a second eyepiece display; wherein the processor controls the first eyepiece display to display an image photographed by the first camera, and configures the second eyepiece display to display an image photographed by the second camera. Can be controlled.

In addition, the processor obtains a second composite image by synthesizing the plurality of first welding images in parallel based on the plurality of first welding images, and obtaining a third composite image by synthesizing in parallel based on the plurality of second welding images The display unit may be controlled to display the second composite image on the first display and the third composite image on the second display.

In addition, the shooting conditions may include shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and GAIN.

Other aspects, features, and advantages other than those described above will become apparent from the detailed content, claims and drawings for carrying out the following invention.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a high-definition image capable of easily identifying a welding surrounding environment in addition to a portion adjacent to the welding light by synthesizing pictures taken through various photographing conditions in an HDR method.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention made as described above, it is possible to improve welding quality by providing efficient guiding to an operator with respect to the current welding operation state.

Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

1 is a view for explaining the structure of a welding system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram for explaining the components of the welding system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3A and 3B are perspective views illustrating a welding helmet equipped with a plurality of cameras according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4A and 4B are views showing a head mounted display (HMD) and a welding helmet including the HMD according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining that a camera acquires an image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining that a processor according to an embodiment of the present invention synthesizes an image obtained as in FIG. 5 and improves image quality of the synthesized image.
7 is a view for explaining that a plurality of cameras acquire an image according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a method of synthesizing a captured image obtained in FIG. 7.
9 is a diagram illustrating a method of providing an image to a display unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view for explaining an embodiment of displaying welding information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11A and 11B are diagrams for explaining guiding a UI for a welding direction of a torch through a visual feedback by a welding helmet.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in connection with the accompanying drawings. Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be subjected to various changes and may have various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and related detailed descriptions are described. However, this is not intended to limit the various embodiments of the present disclosure to a specific embodiment, and it should be understood that all changes and/or equivalents or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the various embodiments of the present disclosure are included. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals have been used for similar elements.

"Includes" that may be used in various embodiments of the present disclosure. Or "may include." The expression, etc. indicates the existence of a corresponding function, operation, or component that has been disclosed, and does not limit one or more additional functions, operations, or components. Also, in various embodiments of the present disclosure, "includes." Or "have." The terms such as, etc. are intended to designate the existence of a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or a combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features or numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or It is to be understood that the possibility of the presence or addition of those combinations thereof is not preliminarily excluded.

Expressions such as "first", "second", "first", or "second" used in various embodiments of the present disclosure may modify various elements of various embodiments, but do not limit the corresponding elements. Does not. For example, the expressions do not limit the order and/or importance of corresponding elements. The above expressions may be used to distinguish one component from another component. For example, a first user device and a second user device are both user devices and represent different user devices. For example, without departing from the scope of the rights of various embodiments of the present disclosure, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be referred to as a first component.

When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "mounted" to another component, the component is directly connected to or may be connected to the other component, but the component and It should be understood that new other components may exist between the other components. On the other hand, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly mounted" to another component, it will be understood that no new other component exists between the component and the other component. Should be able to

In the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, terms such as "unit" and "part" are terms used to refer to components that perform at least one function or operation, and these components are implemented as hardware or software, or It can be implemented as a combination of software. In addition, a plurality of "units", "parts", etc. may be integrated into at least one module or chip to be implemented as at least one processor, except when each needs to be implemented as individual specific hardware. have.

Terms as defined in a commonly used dictionary should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless clearly defined in various embodiments of the present disclosure, ideal or excessively formal It is not interpreted in meaning.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view for explaining the structure of a welding system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the welding system 10 of the present invention may include a welding helmet 100 and a welding torch 200. The welding helmet 100 and the welding torch 200 may be connected to a communication network to transmit and receive data. The welding helmet 100 and the welding torch 200 may be matched and operated on a one-to-one basis, but are not limited thereto, and a one-to-n relationship is possible. That is, n welding torches 200 may be connected to one welding helmet 100, and one welding torch 200 may be connected to n welding helmets 100.

The welding helmet 100 may provide information on a welding situation to a worker. Specifically, the welding helmet 100 may acquire a welding image acquired using at least one camera mounted on the welding helmet 100, generate a composite image based on this, and display it to an operator. At this time, the welding helmet 100 may generate a composite image using high dynamic range (HDR) technology, and may display and provide a high-quality composite image to an operator. In this case, the operator may visually check the shape of the welding bead and information on the surrounding environment other than the area adjacent to the welding light through the high-definition composite image.

The welding helmet 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may acquire images through two or more cameras and display each image through at least one LCD in order to synthesize and provide high-definition welding images. In this case, the welding helmet 100 may synthesize an image by repeatedly photographing each camera with different shutter speeds, ISO sensitivity, and gain values. The welding helmet 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may improve image quality by processing a contrast ratio on an acquired composite image.

In addition, the welding helmet 100 of the present invention may provide a function of displaying welding information in a preferred color (eg, green, blue) using RGB. In addition, the welding helmet 100 of the present invention may provide a magnifying glass power correction function (eg, screen enlargement and reduction). In addition, the welding helmet 100 of the present invention may provide a temperature synthesis image using a separate thermal imaging camera. In this case, the welding helmet 100 may display the welding temperature in color. The welding helmet 100 of the present invention may support a function of providing a sound (for example, a guide alarm) or a guide voice for all the functions described above.

The welding torch 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention detects a welding situation including a welding temperature for a real-time welding operation, a welding direction, a welding slope, a welding speed, and a gap between the base material and the welding torch through at least one sensor. Can be detected. The welding torch 200 may monitor the state of the torch and may change a set value of the torch operation according to the welding situation.

The welding helmet 100 of the present invention can receive information on the work setting and work status from the welding torch 200 through a communication network connected to the welding torch 200, and work information to the worker based on the received welding information. Can be provided through visual feedback.

For example, upon receiving sensing information on a welding temperature value, the welding helmet 100 may output a notification corresponding to the temperature value in various ways such as light, vibration, and message. In this case, the notification may be a visual feedback provided on the display or display of the welding helmet 100, and may be audible feedback through sound (eg, a guide alarm) or a guide voice.

Meanwhile, the sensing information on the temperature value may include information on whether or not it exceeds a preset temperature range. In addition, the sensing information on the temperature value may include a numerical value, grade, level, etc. corresponding to the temperature value of the welding surface.

When it is determined that the temperature values of the torch and the welding surface are out of a preset temperature range, the welding helmet 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may guide an operator to stop working. In the case of welding outside the preset temperature range, there is a risk of quality deterioration, and the operator can be guided so that the temperature value of the torch can be adjusted.

When the current or voltage state of the welding torch 200 is detected as abnormal, the welding helmet 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may provide visual feedback for warning.

In this case, the visual feedback may be to provide an icon indicating danger in a partial area of the display portion of the welding helmet 100 displaying the work site. As another example, the welding helmet 100 may provide guidance on stopping work through visual feedback by repeatedly increasing and decreasing saturation for a specific color (eg, red) on the entire display screen.

* According to an embodiment of the present invention, the welding helmet 100 includes at least one sensor (eg, a second sensor) included in the welding torch 200, as well as a sensor included in the welding helmet 100 (eg, a second sensor). 1 Sensor) can sense welding information. In this case, the welding information may detect a welding situation including a welding temperature for a real-time welding operation, a welding direction, a welding slope, a welding speed, and a distance between the base material and the welding torch through at least one sensor.

Similarly, the welding helmet 100 may provide guiding corresponding to welding information based on welding information detected through a sensor (eg, a first sensor) included in the welding helmet 100.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the welding helmet 100 may change the operation of the welding torch by sensing a preset user's movement or a preset user's voice, etc. after guiding for stopping work is provided.

In another embodiment, when communication with the welding torch 200 is not smooth, the welding helmet 100 may acquire temperature values of the torch and the welding surface through image sensing provided by itself. For example, the welding helmet 100 may acquire temperature values of the torch and the welding surface based on image data acquired through a thermal imaging camera.

The above-described example only describes the case where the information received from the welding torch 200 is welding temperature information, and the welding helmet 100 may provide various guiding for various welding information.

Figure 2 is a simplified block diagram for explaining the components of the welding system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, the welding helmet 100 of the welding system 10 may include at least one camera 110, a communication unit 120, a display unit 130, and a sensor 140, and the welding system 10 ) Of the welding torch 200 may include a communication unit 210, a sensor 220, and a welding torch processor 230.

The camera 110 is a component for photographing an image of a welding work site. The camera 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a camera implemented by a device included in the display unit 130 of the welding helmet 100. For example, among the cameras 110, a first camera and a second camera may be mounted symmetrically on a region of the front portion of the display unit 130 of the welding helmet 100, respectively.

The camera 110 may receive a control command from the processor 150 and change settings such as shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and GAIN in response to the control command to take a welding job site. When the camera 110 has a plurality of configurations, the first camera and the second camera according to an embodiment of the present invention may respectively capture a welding work site through different shooting settings.

The camera 110 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include an automatic light blocking cartridge in front of a lens that receives light from a subject. That is, in the case of an embodiment in which the camera 110 is included in one area of the front portion of the display unit 130, the automatic shading cartridge may also be included in the front portion of the display unit 130.

The automatic shading cartridge can block welding light generated when welding occurs by an operator. That is, the automatic shading cartridge (not shown) may increase the shading degree of the cartridge by blackening based on welding light information sensed through the sensor 140, for example, a photo sensor. In this case, the automatic shading cartridge may include, for example, a liquid crystal protection panel capable of adjusting the degree of blackening according to the alignment direction of the liquid crystal. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be implemented with various panels such as a vertical alignment (VA) type LCD, a twist nematic (TN) type LCD, and an IPS (In Plane Switching) type LCD.

The degree of blackening of the automatic shading cartridge can be automatically adjusted according to the brightness of the welding light. As described above, when automatically adjusted according to the brightness of the welding light, the sensor 140 may be used. For example, when the sensor 140 detects the intensity of the welding light to obtain welding light information, and transmits information about the intensity of the welding light included in the welding light information to the processor 150 to be described later as a predetermined electrical signal, The processor 150 may control the degree of blackening based on the intensity of the welding light.

That is, the automatic shading cartridge (not shown) can change the shading degree of the panel in real time so as to correspond to the intensity of light generated from the welding surface of the welding work site, and the camera 110 is provided by the automatic shading cartridge installed on the front side. A welding image in which a certain amount of welding light is shielded can be taken.

The camera 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a thermal imaging camera. The welding helmet 100 may acquire a temperature image by synthesizing a thermal image acquired through a thermal imaging camera with an image of a welding site.

The communication unit 120 is a configuration for receiving welding information from the welding torch 200 and transmitting a command for controlling the welding torch 200. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit 120 may transmit the composite image to an external device other than the welding torch 200. In this case, the external device may include various devices including a communication module such as a smart phone or a computer of a worker/third party.

The communication unit 120 may be a component that communicates with various types of external devices according to various types of communication methods. The communication unit 120 may include at least one of a WiFi chip, a Bluetooth chip, a wireless communication chip, and an NFC chip. Particularly, in the case of using a Wi-Fi chip or a Bluetooth chip, various types of connection information such as an SSID and a session key may be first transmitted and received, and various types of information may be transmitted and received after communication is connected using the same. The wireless communication chip refers to a chip that performs communication according to various communication standards such as IEEE, Zigbee, 3rd Generation (3G), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), and Long Term Evolution (LTE). The NFC chip refers to a chip that operates in a Near Field Communication (NFC) method using a 13.56 MHz band among various RF-ID frequency bands such as 135 kHz, 13.56 MHz, 433 MHz, 860 to 960 MHz, and 2.45 GHz.

The display unit 130 is a component for providing a high-definition composite image to an operator. In more detail, the display unit 130 may be implemented in the form of goggle glasses including a display that displays a composite image obtained by synthesizing an image acquired through the camera 110 to an operator.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the front portion of the display unit 130 may include at least one camera 110 and an automatic blackening cartridge mounted on the front lens of the camera 110. In addition, the rear portion of the display unit 130 may include a display for displaying a high-definition image to an operator, and an eyepiece and an eyepiece for viewing the display.

The display included in the display unit 130 may display a high-definition composite image so that an operator can visually check the surrounding environment (eg, the shape of a previously worked welding bead, etc.) other than a portion adjacent to the welding light. In addition, the display unit 130 may guide an operator with visual feedback (eg, a welding progress direction) on a welding progress state.

The displays included in the display unit 130 include Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED), Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode (AM-OLED), Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LcoS), or Digital Light Processing) can be implemented with various display technologies. In this case, the display according to an embodiment of the present invention is implemented as a panel made of an opaque material, and the operator may not be directly exposed to harmful light.

The sensor 140 may include a plurality of sensors as a configuration for detecting various information on a welding site and obtaining welding information. In this case, the welding information may include a welding temperature for a real-time welding operation, a welding direction, a welding slope, a welding speed, and a distance between the base material and the welding torch.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor 140 may include an illumination sensor, and at this time, the sensor 140 may obtain information on the intensity of welding light at a welding site. In addition to an illumination sensor, the sensor 140 may further include various types of sensors such as a proximity sensor, a noise sensor, a video sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and an RF sensor. Various changes related to the welding work environment can be detected.

The processor 150 may generate a high-definition composite image by synthesizing the welding image received through the camera 110. The processor 150 may obtain a synthesized image by setting the shooting conditions for each frame differently by the camera 110 and synthesizing the frames acquired in chronological order in parallel. Specifically, the processor 150 may control the camera 110 to shoot by changing the shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and GAIN of the camera 110.

In this case, the processor 150 may set different photographing conditions according to conditions such as welding light of the welding site, ambient light, and the degree of movement of the welding torch 200. Specifically, the processor 150 may set the shooting conditions to reduce ISO sensitivity and GAIN as the welding light and/or ambient light of the welding site increases. In addition, when it is detected that the movement and/or the working speed of the welding torch 200 is high, a shooting condition may be set to increase the shutter speed.

The processor 150 may synthesize images of a preset number of frames in parallel. According to an embodiment of the present invention, each image in a preset frame may be photographed under different shooting conditions.

The processor 150 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may control a shutter speed, and when two or more cameras 110 are used, the processor 150 may set different shooting setting conditions of each camera to shoot. Even in this case, the processor 150 may synthesize images of a preset number of frames in parallel.

The processor 150 may control the overall operation of the welding helmet 100 using various programs stored in a memory (not shown). For example, the processor 150 may include a CPU, RAM, ROM, and a system bus. Here, the ROM is a configuration in which an instruction set for booting the system is stored, and the CPU copies the operating system stored in the memory of the welding helmet 100 to RAM according to the instruction stored in the ROM, and executes O/S to boot the system. . When booting is complete, the CPU can perform various operations by copying various applications stored in the memory to RAM and executing them. In the above, it has been described that the processor 150 includes only one CPU, but when implemented, it may be implemented with a plurality of CPUs (or DSP, SoC, etc.).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, or a time controller (TCON) that processes digital signals. It is not limited to a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), or a communication processor ( Communication processor (CP)), one or more of an ARM processor, or may be defined in a corresponding term In addition, the processor 150 includes a system on chip (SoC) with a built-in processing algorithm, and a large scale integration (LSI). ) Or in the form of an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

The welding torch 200 may include a communication unit 210, a sensor 220 and a welding torch processor 230.

The communication unit 210 transmits and receives data to and from the welding helmet 100. The communication unit 210 is capable of short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth, Wifi, Wifi-Direct) or long-distance wireless communication (3G, HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) or LTE (Long Term Evolution)). May contain modules.

The sensor 220 or the second sensor is included in the welding torch and is configured to sense a welding situation such as a welding temperature, a welding speed, a welding slope, a welding direction, and a gap between the base material and the welding torch.

The sensor 220 detects at least one of various changes such as a change in the attitude of the user holding the welding torch 200, a change in the illuminance of the welding surface, and a change in the acceleration of the welding torch 200, and transmits an electrical signal corresponding thereto. It can be transferred to the processor 230. That is, the sensor 220 may detect a state change made based on the welding torch 200, generate a detection signal accordingly, and transmit it to the processor 230.

In the present disclosure, the sensor 220 may be composed of various sensors, and when the welding torch 200 is driven (or based on user settings), power is supplied to at least one preset sensor according to the control, and the state of the welding torch 200 Change can be detected.

In this case, the sensor 220 may include at least one of all types of sensing devices capable of detecting a state change of the welding torch 200. For example, the sensor 220 is an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an illumination sensor, a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a noise sensor. , It may be configured to include at least one sensor among various sensing devices such as a video sensor and a gravity sensor.

In particular, the acceleration sensor is a component for detecting the movement of the welding torch 200. Specifically, since the acceleration sensor can measure the dynamic force such as acceleration, vibration, and impact of the welding torch 200, it can measure the movement of the welding torch 200.

The gravity sensor is a component for detecting the direction in which gravity is directed. That is, the detection result of the gravity sensor may be used to determine the movement of the welding torch 200 together with the acceleration sensor. In addition, the direction in which the welding torch 200 is gripped may be determined through the gravity sensor.

In addition to the above-described types of sensors, the welding torch 200 may further include various types of sensors such as a gyroscope sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and an RF sensor, and may detect various changes related to the welding work environment. .

3A to 4B are views schematically showing a welding helmet 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3A and 3B are perspective views illustrating a welding helmet equipped with a plurality of cameras according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 3A, the welding helmet 100 of the present invention includes a main body 160, a display unit 130 installed in front of the main body 160, and at least one camera mounted on a front area of the display unit 130 ( 110), it may include at least one sensor 140 and a fixing portion 170 disposed on the rear surface of the body 160 to fix the welding helmet 100 to the head of the operator.

According to an embodiment, a plurality of cameras 110 may be implemented. In particular, when there are two cameras 110, they may be symmetrically mounted on one area of the front portion of the display unit 130. In this case, the front portion of the display unit 130 may be an external region (a region illustrated in FIG. 3A) corresponding to a direction in which the welding operation is performed. Conversely, the rear portion of the display unit 130 may be an inner area corresponding to the direction of the operator's face portion.

In FIG. 3A, at least one sensor 140, or the first sensor, is shown to be mounted in a region of the front surface of the display unit 130, but according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor 140 is the main body 160 It may be included in. In this case, the sensor 140 may be mounted in the front direction of the main body 160 so as to detect a welding situation.

The body 160 that protects the operator's face may be formed of a material having a predetermined strength, such as reinforced plastic, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and any material that is resistant to elements such as sparks that may occur during welding It can be used in various ways.

The fixing part 170 is configured to directly contact the operator's head, and one side of the fixing part 170, that is, at least a part of the inner surface in direct contact with the operator's head, may include a soft material such as a fiber material or a cushion material. have.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the main body 160 for protecting the face of a worker according to the present invention may include a display unit 130 and a sensor 140 installed in front of the main body 160. In addition, at least one camera 110 may be symmetrically mounted on both sides of the body 160. In addition, the welding helmet 100 may include a fixing part 170 disposed on the rear surface of the main body 160 to fix the welding helmet 100 to the head of the operator.

In particular, the camera 110 is implemented with two cameras, and may be mounted on both sides of the main body 160 in a direction corresponding to the operator's working direction, respectively. Although not shown in this drawing, when the number of cameras 110 is odd, it may be mounted on the upper center of the body 160.

In this example, the rear portion of the display unit 130 is a direction of the operator's face, and a composite welding image can be displayed to the operator.In addition, the front portion of the display unit 130 is a direction in which the operator's welding work is progressed, and a preset event When is generated, a UI for a current state such as a battery state of the welding helmet 100 may be displayed.

In FIG. 3B, at least one sensor 140 (or first sensor) is shown to be mounted in a region of the front portion of the display unit 130, but according to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor 140 is the main body 160 It may be included in. According to another embodiment, the sensor 140 may be included in at least a part of at least one camera 110 and mounted.

4A and 4B illustrate a welding helmet including a Head Mounted Display (HMD) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the display unit 130 of the welding helmet 100 may be implemented in the form of an HMD. The display unit 130 may be implemented in a structure in which a portion corresponding to one eye can be arbitrarily opened.

The display unit 130 of the present invention may mount the camera 110 and the sensor 140. The camera 110 and the sensor 140 may be mounted on an area of the front surface of the display unit 130. At this time, the front portion of the display unit 130 refers to an area corresponding to the direction in which the welding operation is performed, and the rear portion of the display unit 130 corresponds to the direction of the operator's face and refers to an area corresponding to the direction in which the welding image is displayed. I can.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the display unit 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include four cameras 110 and two sensors 140. According to an example, some of the four cameras 110 may be thermal imaging cameras. Two of the four cameras 110 may be mounted on an area of the front portion of the display unit 130 so as to correspond to each eye. In this case, it is possible to obtain images from multiple angles, thereby providing a three-dimensional high-definition image to the operator.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 may also be included in the display unit 130. That is, the display unit 130 may synthesize the image acquired using the camera 110 and the sensor 140 by the processor 150 and display it to the user. In this case, the display unit 130 of the present invention can be used in a form that can be separated from the main body.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one sensor 140 may be mounted on an area of the front surface of the display unit 130 so as to correspond to each eye. As another example, the sensor 140 may be included in the main body 160, and the sensor 140 may be mounted in a front direction of the main body 160 to detect a welding situation.

4B is a diagram illustrating a rear portion of the display unit 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4B, the display unit 130 may be separated from the welding helmet 100 and implemented as a separate configuration. The rear portion of the display unit 130 may include an eyepiece part 131 and an eyepiece display 132. The eyepiece part 131 may be fixed so as not to move by bringing both eyes in close contact. The operator may close both eyes to the eyepiece part 131 and view a high-definition composite image displayed on the eyepiece display 132. In one embodiment, each of the eyepiece parts 131 may include a lens unit, and the lens unit may enlarge a high-definition composite image implemented on the eyepiece display 132 so that an image is easily formed on the user's eyes.

Meanwhile, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the display unit 130 displays an image synthesized based on the image acquired by the camera 110 corresponding to each eye on the eyepiece display 132 corresponding to each eye. can do.

For example, when a first camera mounted in an area corresponding to the left eye of the front portion of the display unit 130 acquires an image under the first photographing condition, the display unit 130 is included in an area corresponding to the left eye of the rear portion. The first composite image synthesized based on the first photographing condition may be displayed on the first eyepiece display 132. Similarly, when a second camera mounted in an area corresponding to the right eye among the front portions of the display unit 130 acquires an image under the second photographing condition, the display unit 130 A second synthesized image synthesized based on the second photographing condition may be displayed on the eyepiece display 132.

As described above, compared to displaying the same composite image for both eyes, a three-dimensional and fluid composite image can be provided. However, this is only an example, and it goes without saying that each eyepiece display 132 may display the same composite image even if the camera 110 corresponding to each shoots under different conditions.

5 is a view for explaining that a camera acquires an image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 shows an example in which two cameras 110 of the present invention are implemented. Referring to FIG. 5, the first camera and the second camera of the camera 110 may photograph a welding site while changing photographing conditions in chronological order. In this case, the shooting conditions may include ISO sensitivity, GAIN, and shutter speed.

The first frame (a11) and the fifth frame (a21) were shot under the first shooting condition, the second frame (a12) was shot under the second shooting condition, and the third frame (a13) was shot under the third shooting condition. will be. In this example, the first camera and the second camera are photographed under the same shooting conditions in the same frame.

For example, the first photographing condition may be that the shutter speed is faster than that of the second photographing condition, and the photographing is performed with a high sensitivity and high gain setting, and the third photographing condition may be a reduction degree setting of the slowest shutter speed. However, the above-described example is only an example, and the camera 110 may acquire an image under various photographing conditions.

6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining that a processor according to an embodiment of the present invention synthesizes an image obtained as in FIG. 5 and improves image quality of the synthesized image.

The processor 150 of the present invention may synthesize an image based on a preset number of frames. In this case, the number of frames for one composite image may be set by an operator or may be set at the time of shipment.

The processor 150 of FIG. 6A may generate a composite image based on the number of three frames. In more detail, the processor 150 may obtain a first intermediate composite image b1 by synthesizing the first frame a11 and the second frame a12. Also, the processor 150 may obtain a second intermediate composite image b2 by synthesizing the second frame a12 and the third frame a13.

The processor 150 may obtain a first composite image c1 by synthesizing the first intermediate composite image b1 and the second intermediate composite image b2.

Similarly, the processor 150 may synthesize a third intermediate synthesized image (not shown) by synthesizing the third frame a13 and the fourth frame a14, and the second intermediate synthesized image b2 and the third intermediate A second synthesized image c2 may be obtained by synthesizing the synthesized image (not shown).

As described above, according to the present invention, a high-definition composite image can be obtained by synthesizing pictures taken under various photographing conditions in an HDR method. Through the above-described high-definition composite image, there is an effect that the operator can easily identify a peripheral portion other than a portion adjacent to the welding light. That is, in the related art, since the brightness of the welding light is overwhelmingly brighter than that of the surrounding area, there has been a problem that the shape of the previously worked welding bead and the surrounding environment of the welding cannot be easily identified. Through it, even beginner workers can easily identify it.

Meanwhile, the processor 150 may perform the first composite image c1 and the second composite image c2 in parallel. According to the present invention, the processor 150 performs parallel image synthesis at a difference of one frame, so that a plurality of synthesized images may be obtained at the same speed as the speed of capturing frames through the camera 110.

6B is a diagram illustrating that a processor according to an embodiment of the present invention performs contrast ratio processing on a synthesized image.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the processor 150 may perform contrast ratio processing on the acquired composite image. For example, the processor 150 may obtain a second synthesized image c12 and a third synthesized image c13 by performing an additional contrast ratio or contrast ratio processing on the acquired first synthesized image c11.

As described above, the contrast ratio can be increased through additional contrast ratio processing on the composite image, and the light state of the welding surface can be clearly identified.

7 is a view for explaining that a plurality of cameras acquire an image according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, the first camera and the second camera may photograph a welding situation under different photographing conditions in a frame of the same time.

For example, the first frame d11 of the first camera and the third frame e11 of the second camera may be photographed under the first photographing condition. The second frame d12 of the first camera and the first frame e12 of the second camera are the second shooting conditions, and the third frame d13 of the first camera and the second frame e13 of the second camera are It was taken under the third shooting condition. That is, in this example, the first camera and the second camera are photographed under different shooting conditions in the same frame.

For example, the first photographing condition may be that the shutter speed is faster than that of the second photographing condition, and the photographing is performed with a high sensitivity and high gain setting, and the third photographing condition may be a reduction degree setting of the slowest shutter speed. However, the above-described example is only an example, and the camera 110 may acquire an image under various photographing conditions.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing a method of synthesizing a captured image acquired in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 8, the processor 150 may obtain a first intermediate composite image f1 by synthesizing a first frame d11 of a first camera and a first frame e12 of a second camera. Also, the processor 150 may obtain a second intermediate composite image f2 by synthesizing the second frame d12 of the first camera and the second frame e13 of the second camera.

The processor 150 may generate a first composite image g1 by synthesizing the first intermediate composite image f1 and the second intermediate composite image f2. Similarly, the processor 150 may obtain a second composite image g2 by synthesizing the second intermediate composite image f2 and the third intermediate composite image f3. In the same way, the processor 150 may obtain a third composite image (not shown).

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily identify the welding light of an image by synthesizing a picture taken through various photographing conditions in an HDR method.

Meanwhile, the processor 150 may perform the first composite image g1 and the second composite image g2 in parallel. According to the present invention, the processor 150 performs image synthesis in parallel with the first camera and the second camera photographing a frame, so that a plurality of synthesis is performed at the same speed as the frame photographing speed through the camera 110 Can acquire images

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 may display the synthesized image on only one side of the display unit 130 including the binocular display. For example, a composite image obtained by synthesizing an image obtained through the first camera by the method of FIG. 6A may be displayed on a display of the eyepiece display 132 corresponding to the first camera. On the other hand, a composite image synthesized by the method of FIG. 8 may be displayed on a display of the eyepiece display 132 corresponding to the second camera. Through this, there is an effect that a three-dimensional effect can be imparted by providing an image in which the welding light on the welding surface is corrected in an HDR method only on one of the eyepiece displays 132.

In FIGS. 5 to 8, it has been described that the photographing conditions of the camera 110 are changed for each frame to obtain a welding site image or a welding image frame. However, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 of the present invention may change the light blocking degree of the automatic light blocking cartridge based on sensing information on the intensity of welding light acquired through the sensor 140. That is, the camera 110 may obtain a welding image frame by changing the light blocking degree of the automatic light blocking cartridge installed on the front of the camera.

In this case, the processor 150 maintains the same shooting conditions of the camera 110, and changes the degree of light blocking, so that the frames a11 to a13, a21, and d11 to have a difference in contrast ratio as in FIGS. 5 to 8 d13, e11 to e13, etc.) can be obtained.

9 is a diagram illustrating a method of providing an image to a display unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the camera 110 of the present invention may include a first camera, a second camera, and a third camera. The display unit 130 may include a first eyepiece display 132-1 and a second eyepiece display 132-2. In this case, the first camera may be a camera corresponding to the first eyepiece display 132-1, the second camera may be a camera corresponding to the second eyepiece display 132-2, and the third camera is a thermal image. It may be a detection camera.

The first eyepiece display 132-1 and the second eyepiece display 132-2 of the present invention may display a high-definition composite image to which an HDR technique is applied based on images acquired by the first and second cameras.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the processor 150 may obtain a temperature synthesis image obtained by additionally synthesizing a thermal image image acquired by a third camera to a high definition synthesis image. The first eyepiece display 132-1 and the second eyepiece display 132-2 may respectively display a thermal image synthesis image. At this time, the first eyepiece display 132-1 and the second eyepiece display 132-2 may provide visual information on the welding temperature using color.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, different images may be displayed on the first eyepiece display 132-1. For example, an image to which the HDR technique is not applied may be displayed on the first eyepiece display 132-1, and a composite image to which the HDR technique is applied may be displayed on the second eyepiece display 132-2. Even in this case, the processor 150 may synthesize a thermal image image to each of the image to which the HDR technique is not applied and the synthesized image to which the HDR technique is applied, and the first eyepiece display 132-1 and the second eyepiece display 132- 2) may control the display unit 130 to display on each.

10 is a view for explaining an embodiment of displaying welding information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The welding system 10 of the present invention may provide feedback on the state of the welding current and/or voltage in the welding power cable based on welding information sensed from the welding torch 200. Specifically, referring to FIG. 10, the welding system 10 may provide a UI for a current state on a portion of an image screen displayed by the display unit 130. In this case, the UI may display information in a preset color using RGB.

For example, when the current and/or voltage state of the welding torch 200 is detected as abnormal, the welding helmet 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention displays a red UI 1010 as a visual feedback for warning. In other cases, the green UI 1020 can be displayed.

The welding system 10 may provide feedback on various welding information in addition to the current state. For example, as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the welding helmet 100 may guide the UI for the welding direction of the torch through visual feedback.

Referring to FIG. 11A, the welding system 10 may display information on a welding direction as an arrow UI 1110. Specifically, the welding helmet 100 may be displayed as a straight arrow for each welding direction worked in a straight line based on information detected through an acceleration sensor included in the welding torch 200 and provided to the worker.

Alternatively, referring to FIG. 11B, the welding system 10 may display information on a welding direction as a curved arrow UI 1110. Specifically, based on information sensed through the acceleration sensor included in the welding torch 200, the previously-worked welding direction may be displayed as a curved arrow and provided to the operator.

However, this is only an example, and the welding system 10 includes a welding temperature, a welding slope, a welding speed, and a base material for a real-time welding operation sensed through at least one sensor 220 included in the welding torch 200. A UI corresponding thereto may be displayed on a partial area of the display unit 130 based on sensing information including a distance between welding torches and the like.

For example, when the welding helmet 100 receives sensing information on the welding temperature value, it may display a UI corresponding to the temperature value in various ways such as light, vibration, and message. In this case, the UI may be visual feedback displayed on the display unit 130 or on a partial area of the display, or may be audible feedback through voice.

Meanwhile, the sensing information on the temperature value may include whether the temperature of the mother agent exceeds a preset temperature range. Further, the sensing information on the temperature value may include a numerical value, grade, level, etc. corresponding to the temperature value of the welding surface.

The welding system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may guide an operator to stop working when it is determined that the temperature value of the welding base material is out of a preset temperature range. In the case of welding outside the preset temperature range, there is a risk of quality deterioration, and thus, the operator can guide the welding mother to adjust the temperature value.

As another example, when receiving detection information on a welding speed value, the welding system 10 may display a UI corresponding to the value. In this case, the UI may be visual feedback provided to the display unit 130 or the display, or may be auditory feedback through voice.

When it is determined that the welding speed of the torch is out of the normal range, the welding system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention may guide the operator to stop the work through visual feedback. In this case, the visual feedback may be to provide an icon indicating danger to a partial area of the display unit displaying the work site.

As another example, the welding system 10 may provide a UI so that an operator can easily identify a shape corresponding to the previously worked welding bead. Specifically, when the shape of the welding bead is detected, the welding helmet 100 may overlap and display the UI for the shape of the welding bead on the high-definition composite image.

In this case, the shape of the welding bead may be obtained by detecting the residual temperature of the mother material after the welding operation through the thermal imaging camera included in the welding system 10. This is only an exemplary embodiment, and the welding system 10 may obtain the shape of a welding bead through various methods.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but these are only exemplary, and those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. . Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

10: welding system
100: welding helmet
110: camera
120: communication department
130: display
140: sensor
150: processor
160: main body
170: fixing part
200: welding torch
210: communication department
220: sensor

Claims (1)

A display unit including a front portion corresponding to a welding direction and a rear portion corresponding to a direction of the face portion;
At least one eyepiece display mounted on a rear area of the display unit;
At least one camera mounted on a front portion of the display unit and acquiring a plurality of welded image frames according to photographing conditions for each frame; And
A processor for controlling the eyepiece display to control the photographing condition of the at least one camera, obtain a first composite image by synthesizing in parallel based on the plurality of welded image frames, and display the first composite image Welding support system including;

Images