KR20220146953A - Welding information providing apparatus having outer cover plate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a welding information-providing apparatus having an outer cover plate. To this end, one aspect of the present invention comprises: a main body provided to be wearable by a user; a camera unit mounted on the outside of the body, and including at least one camera for obtaining a welding image frame for a welding operation; an outer cover unit including an outer cover frame coupled to the main body and an outer cover plate provided on the outer cover frame and disposed in front of the camera so as to protect the camera; a display unit disposed inside the main body and providing a welding image generated based on the welding image frame; and a path-changing unit changing the path of the welding image provided by the display unit to guide the welding image to the user's eyes. The camera unit can be protected by including the outer cover plate.

Description

Welding information providing apparatus including an outer cover plate

The present invention relates to a welding information providing apparatus including an outer cover plate.

Protective equipment such as a welding mask is used to protect a user from light and high heat generated during a welding process. Since the user can only check the welding progress through the protective equipment while wearing the protective equipment, in order to check various information for welding such as the conditions set in the welding device, it is a hassle to remove the protective equipment and visually check it There is this.

When the user's skill level is not high, in particular, when the automatic welding surface and the manual welding surface are worn, only the part adjacent to the welding light can be seen by the user, and it is difficult to recognize the specific welding situation such as the welding environment. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide the user with a high-definition image that the user can visually check up to the welding environment, and to provide the user with detailed information about welding state information.

Moreover, during welding, the illuminance/brightness of the welding light spot is very high, so a blackening filter is used to protect the user's eyes from the welding light spot and to make the welding work smoothly. In this case, the area other than the welding light spot is not visible at all, making welding work very difficult, and the accuracy of welding may be rather deteriorated.

The above problem can give the same problem to medical staff not only in welding work, but also in skin treatment and/or medical treatment using high-brightness/high-intensity light such as laser light, It becomes a problem.

An object of the present invention is to provide a welding information providing apparatus capable of improving welding accuracy of a user by showing a welding spot as well as a welding surrounding environment to a user in accordance with the above-mentioned necessity.

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

In order to achieve the above object, one aspect of the present invention is a camera unit including a main body provided so that a user can wear it, at least one camera mounted on the outside of the main body, and obtaining a welding image frame for a welding operation , an outer cover unit comprising an outer cover frame coupled to the main body and an outer cover plate provided on the outer cover frame and disposed in front of the camera to protect the camera, disposed inside the main body, the welding image The display unit may include a display unit providing a welding image generated based on a frame, and a path changing unit configured to change a path of the welding image provided from the display unit to guide the user's eyes.

In addition, the outer cover plate may be detachable from the outer cover frame.

In addition, the outer cover plate may be formed of a material through which light generated in the welding operation is transmitted.

In addition, the outer cover plate includes an inner surface facing the user's face and an outer surface positioned opposite to the inner surface, the first radius of curvature of the inner surface and the second radius of curvature of the outer surface are different can

Also, the center of the first radius of curvature and the center of the second radius of curvature may be spaced apart from each other.

Also, the outer cover plate may include a central portion and an outer portion spaced apart from the center portion and formed along an outer portion of the outer cover plate, and a first thickness of the central portion and a second thickness of the outer portion may be different from each other.

In addition, the outer cover unit may further include a light blocking cartridge disposed behind the outer cover plate to block at least a portion of the transmitted welding light.

Also, an imaginary extension line extending from the optical axis of the camera may pass through the path changing unit.

Also, a distance of a path through which the welding image passes through the path changing unit to the user's eye may be determined in a range of 200 mm or more and 700 mm or less.

The welding information providing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention may include an outer cover plate to protect the camera unit.

In addition, the welding information providing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention can provide a high-quality welding operation image by minimizing the refractive index of the outer cover plate.

In addition, the welding information providing apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention provides a welding image to the user by acquiring an image through a camera unit disposed at a height similar to the user's field of view, thereby minimizing a sense of alienation or incongruity with the actual work site. can do.

1 is a view for explaining the structure of a welding system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a simplified block diagram for explaining the components of a welding system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a perspective view of an apparatus for providing welding information according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV' of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of X of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 6 is a view schematically illustrating the outer cover plate of FIG. 4 .
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line SS′ of FIG. 6 .
8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining a position of a camera unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a perspective view of an apparatus for providing welding information according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII' of FIG. 7 .
12 is a view for explaining a position of a camera unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the following embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and when described with reference to the drawings, the same or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals, and the overlapping description thereof will be omitted.

Since the present embodiments can apply various transformations, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. Effects and features of the present embodiments, and a method of achieving them will become clear with reference to the details described later in conjunction with the drawings. However, the present embodiments are not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and may be implemented in various forms.

In the following embodiments, terms such as first, second, etc. are used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components without limiting meaning.

In the following examples, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following embodiments, terms such as include or have means that the features or components described in the specification are present, and the possibility that one or more other features or components may be added is not excluded in advance.

In the following embodiments, when it is said that a part, such as a unit, region, or component, is on or on another part, not only when it is directly on the other part, but also other units, regions, components, etc. are interposed therebetween. cases are included.

In the following examples, terms such as connect or couple do not necessarily mean direct and/or fixed connection or coupling of two members, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and does not necessarily mean that another member is interposed between two members. It's not about exclusion.

It means that a feature or element described in the specification is present, and does not preclude the possibility that one or more other features or elements may be added.

In the drawings, the size of the components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of description. For example, since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily indicated for convenience of description, the following embodiment is not necessarily limited to the illustrated bar.

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

Referring to FIG. 1 , a welding system 10 of the present invention may include a welding information providing apparatus 100 and a welding torch 200 . The welding information providing apparatus 100 and the welding torch 200 may be connected to each other through a communication network to transmit and receive data. The welding information providing apparatus 100 and the welding torch 200 may operate in a one-to-one match, but are not limited thereto, and may operate in a one-to-n correspondence. That is, n welding torches 200 may be connected to one welding information providing apparatus 100 , and one welding torch 200 may be connected to n welding information providing apparatus 100 to be implemented. have. In addition, the welding information providing apparatus 100 and the welding torch 200 may communicate with a separate server (not shown) to exchange data.

The welding information providing apparatus 100 may provide information on a welding situation to a user. In detail, the welding information providing apparatus 100 may obtain a welding image using at least one camera mounted on the welding information providing apparatus 100 , generate a composite image based on the obtained welding image, and display it to the user. The welding information providing apparatus 100 may generate a composite image by using a high dynamic range (HDR) technology, and may display and provide a high-quality composite image to a user. In this case, the user may be able to visually check information about the shape of the welding bead and the surrounding environment other than the portion adjacent to the welding light through the high-definition composite image.

The welding information providing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may acquire a welding image by arranging the camera unit at a position equal to the user's field of view. Through this, the welding information providing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may provide more accurate welding information to the user by acquiring a welding image similar to that when the user directly looks at the work site.

In addition, the welding information providing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can synthesize and provide high-quality welding images. For this purpose, images are acquired through two or more cameras, and each image is displayed on at least one display unit. can be displayed through For example, the camera unit may include two cameras, and in this case, they may be disposed at positions corresponding to the left and right eyes of the user, respectively.

The welding information providing apparatus 100 may synthesize images by repeatedly photographing by varying the shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and gain value of each camera. The welding information providing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may improve image quality by performing contrast ratio processing on the synthesized image.

Also, the welding information providing apparatus 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 information providing apparatus 100 of the present invention may provide a magnifying glass power correction function (eg, screen enlargement and reduction). Also, the welding information providing apparatus 100 of the present invention may provide a temperature composite image using a separate thermal imaging camera. In this case, the welding information providing apparatus 100 may display the welding temperature with a color. The welding information providing apparatus 100 of the present invention may support a function of providing sound (eg, a guide alarm) or a guide voice with respect to all the above-described functions.

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

The welding information providing apparatus 100 of the present invention may receive information on the operation setting and operation status from the welding torch 200 through a communication network connected to the welding torch 200 , and provide a user based on the received welding information. Job information can be provided through visual feedback.

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

Meanwhile, the sensing information on the temperature value may include information on whether or not the preset temperature range is exceeded. In addition, the sensing information for the temperature value may include a numerical value, a grade, a level, and the like 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 information providing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may inform the user to stop the operation. In the case of welding out of the preset temperature range, there is a risk of quality deterioration, and thus the user may be guided to adjust the temperature value of the torch.

In this case, the visual feedback may be to provide an icon indicating danger to a partial area of the display unit of the welding information providing apparatus 100 displaying the work site. As another example, the welding information providing apparatus 100 may provide a work stop guide through visual feedback by repeatedly increasing and decreasing the saturation of a specific color (eg, red) on the entire screen of the display unit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the welding information providing apparatus 100 may detect welding information through a sensor included in the welding information providing apparatus 100 in addition to at least one sensor included in the welding torch 200 . have. In this case, the welding information may detect a welding situation including a light level related to a real-time welding operation, a welding temperature, a welding direction, a welding inclination, a welding speed, and a distance between the base material and the welding torch through at least one sensor.

Similarly, the welding information providing apparatus 100 may provide guiding corresponding to the welding information based on the welding information sensed through the sensor included in the welding information providing apparatus 100 .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the welding information providing apparatus 100 performs the operation of the welding torch 200 by sensing a preset user's movement or a preset voice of Sayo Hongja after a guide for the middle of work is provided. can be changed

As another embodiment, in a state in which communication with the welding torch 200 is not smooth, the welding information providing apparatus 100 may acquire temperature values of the torch and the welding surface through image sensing provided by itself. For example, the welding information providing apparatus 100 may acquire temperature values of the torch and the welding surface based on image data acquired through a thermal imaging camera.

Of course, the above-described example only describes the case where the information received from the welding torch 200 is welding temperature information, and the welding information providing apparatus 100 may provide guiding for various types of 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, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a welding information providing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV' of FIG. 3 , and FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of X of FIG. 4 .

2 to 5 , the welding system 10 may include a welding information providing apparatus 100 and a welding torch 200 . The welding information providing apparatus 100 may include a main body 101 , a camera unit 110 , a display unit 120 , a path change unit 130 , a processor 140 , a sensor unit 150 , and a communication unit 190 . can

For example, the welding information providing apparatus 100 includes a main body 101 provided so that a user can wear it, at least one camera mounted on the outside of the main body 101 and obtaining a welding image frame for a welding operation. a camera unit 110 including, an outer cover frame 161 coupled to the main body, and an outer cover plate 162 provided on the outer cover frame 161 and disposed in front of the camera to protect the camera The outer cover unit 160, which is disposed inside the main body 101, the display unit 120 for providing a welding image generated based on the welding image frame, and the path of the welding image provided from the display unit It may include a path changing unit 130 for changing and guiding the user's eyes. In addition, the welding information providing apparatus 100 is disposed on the rear surface of the inner cover unit 170 and the main body 101 disposed between the display unit 120 and the user, the welding information providing apparatus 100 to the user's head (頭) part) may include a fixing part 180 for fixing it.

The main body 101 is for protecting the user's face and may be provided so that the user can wear it. The body 101 may be formed of a material having a predetermined strength, for example, reinforced plastic, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and any material resistant to elements such as sparks that may occur during welding may be used in various ways.

The main body 101 may be fixed to the user's head through the fixing part 180 provided inside the main body 101 . The fixing unit 180 may have a structure including a plurality of ribs, such as a head gear, and an element including a soft material such as a fiber material or a cushion material may be disposed on at least a part of the inner surface in direct contact with the operator's head. .

The camera unit 110 may include at least one camera that is mounted on the outside of the main body 101 and acquires a welding image frame for a welding operation. The camera unit 110 may receive a control command from the processor 140 , and change settings of shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and gain in response to the control command to photograph a welding operation phenomenon.

As an embodiment, the camera unit 110 may be located on the front portion of the main body 101 corresponding to the user's field of view. The camera unit 110 may include one camera to acquire a welding image frame for a welding operation, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

As another embodiment, the camera unit 110 may arrange two cameras at positions corresponding to each of the user's left and right eyes. As another embodiment, the camera unit 110 may further include a camera for acquiring a welding image frame by photographing at a location other than the front portion of the main body 101 corresponding to the user's field of view.

The camera unit 110 may be protected by the outer cover unit 160 . The outer cover unit 160 may include an outer cover frame 161 , an outer cover plate 162 , and a light blocking cartridge 163 .

The outer cover frame 161 may perform a function of coupling the outer cover unit 160 to the main body 101 . For example, an outer cover plate 162 may be coupled to the outer cover frame 161 , and the outer cover frame 161 may be coupled to the main body 101 and eventually an outer cover unit including the outer cover plate 162 . 160 may be coupled to the body 101 .

The outer cover plate 162 may be disposed in front of the camera to protect it. That is, since the camera for capturing the welding operation image is disposed on the outside of the main body 101 , the outer cover plate 162 is disposed in front of the camera to prevent the camera from being damaged by the external environment.

As an optional embodiment, the outer cover plate 162 may be detachable from the outer cover frame 161 . Since the outer cover plate 162 is disposed in front of the camera, the surface may be damaged by an external environment. In this case, the outer cover plate 162 is configured to be detachably from the outer cover frame 161 , and the damaged outer cover plate 162 may be replaced. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that the outer cover plate 162 may be integrally formed with the outer cover frame 161 .

The outer cover plate 162 may be disposed in front of the light blocking cartridge 163 to protect the light blocking cartridge 163 . The outer cover plate 162 may include a material through which light can pass, for example, a transparent material. The outer cover plate 162 may include a resin material such as polycarbonate or acrylic, and may be molded by injection molding. In this case, the moving path of the welding operation image may be in the order of the outer cover plate 162 , the light blocking cartridge 163 , and the camera.

The light blocking cartridge 163 may block welding light generated when welding occurs. That is, the light blocking cartridge 163 may increase the light blocking degree of the cartridge based on welding light information detected by the sensor unit 150 , for example, a photosensor. In this case, the light blocking cartridge 163 may include, for example, a liquid crystal panel whose blackening degree can be adjusted according to the alignment direction of liquid crystals. For example, the light blocking cartridge 163 may be implemented with various panels such as a VA (Vertical Align) type LCD, TN (Twist Nematic) type LCD, IPS (In Plane Switching) type LCD, and the like.

The blackening degree of the light blocking cartridge 163 may 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 unit 150 may be used. The sensor unit 150 detects the intensity of the welding light to obtain welding light information, and transmits information on the intensity of the welding light included in the welding light information to the processor 140 as a predetermined electrical signal to be described later, the processor Reference numeral 140 may control the degree of blackening based on the intensity of the welding light.

That is, the light blocking cartridge 163 can change the light blocking degree of the panel in real time to correspond to the intensity of light generated on the welding surface of the welding work site, etc., and the camera unit 110 is installed on the light blocking cartridge 163 in the front part A welding image in which a certain amount of the welding light is shielded by this method can be captured.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the welding information providing apparatus 100 may not include the light blocking cartridge 163 . In this case, the user may perform the welding operation only with the welding image acquired through the camera unit 110 .

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

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a lighting unit (not shown) electrically connected to the processor 140 may be further included. The lighting unit (not shown) is located outside the welding information providing apparatus 100 and is configured to irradiate light toward at least a welding work area. The lighting unit (not shown) may include a plurality of LED modules, and an output degree of light irradiated through the lighting unit (not shown) may be adjusted by the control of the processor 140 . According to an embodiment, the lighting unit (not shown) may operate in conjunction with the operation of the camera unit 110 under the control of the processor 140 .

The display unit 120 is disposed inside the body 101 and may provide a welding image. The display unit 120 may provide the welding image obtained from the camera unit 110 as it is, or may provide a high-definition composite image including welding information.

The display unit 120 may display a high-definition composite image so that the operator can visually check the surrounding environment (eg, the shape of a previously worked welding bead, etc.) other than the portion adjacent to the welding light. In addition, the display unit 120 may guide the operator with a visual feedback (eg, welding progress direction) on the welding progress state.

The display unit 120 is implemented with various display technologies such as Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED), Light-Emitting Diode (LED), Liquid Crystal on Silicon (LcoS), or Digital Light Processing (DLP). can be

The display unit 120 is disposed inside the main body 101, not at a position that directly provides a welding image to the user's field of view, but at a position that can indirectly provide a welding image by a path change unit 130 to be described later. can be placed.

As an embodiment, the display unit 120 may be positioned so that the direction in which the welding image is provided is parallel to the optical axis AX1 of the camera unit 110 . In other words, as shown in FIG. 3 , the display unit 120 may be located near the user's forehead to provide a welding image toward the path changing unit 130 .

The path changing unit 130 may change the path of the welding image provided from the display unit 120 to guide the user's eyes. For example, the path changing unit 130 may be formed of a mirror that reflects the welding image. The path changing unit 130 according to the embodiment of FIG. 3 includes a first mirror 131 that changes a path (A→B) of a welding image provided from the display unit 120 , and a first mirror 131 that is changed from the first mirror 131 . A second mirror 132 for guiding the user's eyes by changing the path of the welding image (B→C) may be included. Although the drawing shows a case in which the path of the welding image is changed using two mirrors, the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited thereto. Of course it can be changed.

Here, the first mirror 131 and the second mirror 132 may be made of or coated with a material that reflects the welding image, for example, poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA), poly carbonate (PC), polyester, Ag. (silver) or Al (aluminum).

The first mirror 131 is inclined at an angle of 45° to 50° with respect to the path of the welding image, so that the path of the welding image can be changed vertically. Similarly, the second mirror 132 is inclined at an angle of 45° to 50° with respect to the changed path of the welding image from the first mirror 131 , so that the path of the welding image can be changed vertically. For example, the first mirror 131 and the second mirror 132 may be disposed in a line symmetrical relationship with respect to a center line passing through the path changing unit 130 , but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The welding image provided from the display unit 120 may be reflected by the first mirror 131 and reversed, and then reversed again by the second mirror 132 and provided to the user. At this time, in order to provide the user with the same image as the actual work site, the display unit 120 has to provide the welding image in a state in which the upper and lower images are inverted, so the welding image provided by the display unit 120 is the camera unit 110 . ) may be an image obtained by inverting the top and bottom and left and right sides of the image. As another embodiment, when the path changing unit 130 includes more mirrors, the processor 140 converts the direction of the image acquired from the camera unit 110 to provide the user with the same image as the work site. may be transmitted to the display unit 120 .

Since it is difficult for the human eye to focus on an object that is too close, a clear image can be obtained only by placing the display unit 120 at the focal length of the field of view. If the display unit 120 is disposed in front of the user, the size of the welding information providing apparatus 100 is inevitably increased in order to secure such a distance. The welding information providing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may secure the focal length of the welding image provided from the display unit 120 through the path changing unit 130 , and select the display unit 120 as appropriate. The size of the main body 101 can be configured compactly because it can be placed in a position.

A distance of a path through which the welding image passes from the display unit 120 to the user's eye through the path changing unit 130 having the above structure may be 200 mm or more. In addition, the user may work at a distance between the field of view and the field of about 500 mm to 700 mm during operation. When the distance of the welding image path provided from the display unit 120 exceeds 700 mm, the user A sense of incongruity between the environment and the image may occur. Accordingly, the path of the welding image changed through the path changing unit 130 may be determined in a range of 700 mm or less. In other words, the sum of the paths A, B, and C of FIG. 3 may be 200 mm or more and 700 mm or less.

The welding information providing apparatus 100 may further include an inner cover unit 170 between the path changing unit 130 and the user's eyes, that is, on a path through which the welding image passes.

The inner cover unit 170 may perform a function of preventing foreign substances from penetrating into the path changing unit 130 . Although not shown, the inner cover unit 170 may include an inner cover plate (not shown) and a fixing frame (not shown) for fixing the inner cover plate to the inside of the main body 101 . Also, the inner cover unit 170 may have a structure that may further include a lens member such as a magnifying glass according to a user's selection.

The processor 140 may generate a high-quality composite image by synthesizing the welding image frame received through the camera unit 110 . The processor 140 may obtain a composite image by setting different shooting conditions for each frame by the camera unit 110 and synthesizing frames acquired in chronological order in parallel. Specifically, the processor 140 may control the camera unit 110 to take pictures by changing the shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and gain of the camera of the camera unit 110 .

In this case, the processor 140 may set different photographing conditions according to conditions such as the sensed welding light at the welding site, ambient light, and the degree of movement of the welding torch 200 . Specifically, the processor 140 may set the shooting conditions to decrease the ISO sensitivity and gain as the welding light and/or ambient light at the welding site is higher. In addition, when it is detected that the movement and/or the working speed of the welding torch 200 is fast, the shooting conditions may be set to increase the shutter speed.

The processor 140 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 photographing conditions.

When there are two or more cameras of the camera unit 110 , the processor 140 according to an embodiment of the present invention may control the shooting by setting different shooting setting conditions for each camera. Even in this case, the processor 140 may synthesize images of a preset number of frames in parallel.

The processor 140 may control the overall operation of the welding information providing apparatus 100 using various programs stored in a memory (not shown). For example, the processor 140 may include a CPU, a RAM (RAM), a ROM (ROM), and a system bus. Here, the ROM is a configuration in which a command set for system booting is stored, and the CPU copies the operating system stored in the memory of the welding information providing apparatus 100 to the RAM according to the command stored in the ROM, and executes O/S to configure the system. boot up When booting is complete, the CPU can perform various operations by copying various applications stored in the memory to the RAM and executing them. Although it has been described above that the processor 140 includes only one CPU, it may be implemented with a plurality of CPUs (or DSPs, SoCs, etc.).

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the processor 140 may be implemented as a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, and/or a time controller (TCON) for processing a digital signal. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a central processing unit (CPU), a micro controller unit (MCU), a micro processing unit (MPU), a controller, an application processor (AP), or Communication processor (CP), may include one or more of an ARM processor, or may be defined as a corresponding term In addition, the processor 140 is a SoC (System on Chip), LSI (System on Chip) in which a processing algorithm is embedded It may be implemented in large scale integration) or may be implemented in the form of a field programmable gate array (FPGA).

The sensor unit 150 may include a plurality of sensor modules configured to detect various information on a welding site and acquire 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 an interval between the base material and the welding torch. Furthermore, the sensor unit 150 may include an optical sensor module configured to detect a light level at least within the welding work area.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensor unit 150 may include an illuminance sensor, and in this case, the sensor unit 150 may obtain information on the welding light intensity at the welding site. The sensor unit 150 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, in addition to an illuminance sensor. , it can detect various changes related to the welding work environment.

The communication unit 190 is configured to receive welding information from the welding torch 200 and transmit a command for controlling the welding torch 200 . According to an embodiment of the present invention, the communication unit 190 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 of an operator/third party, and a computer.

The communication unit 190 may be configured to communicate with various types of external devices according to various types of communication methods. The communication unit 190 may include at least one of a Wi-Fi chip, a Bluetooth chip, a wireless communication chip, and an NFC chip. In particular, 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 are first transmitted and received, and then various types of information can be transmitted and received after communication connection 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 operating in an NFC (Near Field Communication) 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, 2.45 GHz, and the like.

Meanwhile, although not shown, the welding torch 200 may include a communication unit, a sensor unit, and a second processor.

The communication unit transmits and receives data to and from the welding information providing apparatus 100 . The communication unit includes a module capable of short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth, Wifi, Wifi-Direct) or long-distance wireless communication (3G, High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) or Long Term Evolution (LTE)) can do.

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

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

In the present disclosure, the sensor unit may include various sensors, and when the welding torch 200 is driven (or based on a user setting), power is supplied to at least one sensor preset according to control to detect a change in state of the welding torch 200 . can do.

In this case, the sensor unit may be configured to include at least one device among all types of sensing devices capable of detecting a state change of the welding torch 200 . For example, the sensor unit may include an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, an illuminance sensor, a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a noise sensor, and a video sensor. It may be configured to include at least one sensor among various sensing devices such as a video sensor and a gravity sensor. The amount of light in the welding work area sensed by the illuminance sensor of the welding torch 200 may be transmitted to the processor 140 through the communication unit, and the processor 140 is the sensor unit 150 of the welding information providing apparatus 100 . Instead of through, the lighting unit (not shown) and/or the camera 110 may be controlled based on the degree of light transmitted through the illuminance sensor of the welding torch 200 .

On the other hand, the acceleration sensor is a component for detecting the movement of the welding torch (200). Specifically, since the acceleration sensor can measure dynamic forces 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 of gravity. 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 detect various changes related to the welding work environment. .

FIG. 6 is a view schematically showing the outer cover plate 162 of FIG. 4 , and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line S-S′ of FIG. 6 .

6 and 7 , the outer cover plate 162 may include an inner surface facing the user's face and an outer surface positioned opposite to the inner surface. For example, the outer buffer plate 162 may include an inner surface and an outer surface, and the inner surface and the outer surface may be curved surfaces having a curvature. Accordingly, the outer cover plate 162 may be formed to have a curved surface.

Meanwhile, the welding scene first passes through the outer cover plate 162 . That is, the welding scene passes through the outer cover plate 162 and the light blocking cartridge 163 and is captured by the camera. Therefore, as described above, the outer cover plate 162 is formed of a material through which light generated in the welding operation is transmitted. However, since the outer cover plate 162 formed of such a material has a different refractive index from that of air, the welding scene may be distorted while passing through the outer cover plate 162 . Therefore, in order to solve this problem, the outer cover plate 162 may include a design structure for minimizing distortion of the welding scene, as will be described later.

As an embodiment, the first radius of curvature R1 of the inner surface may be different from the second radius of curvature R2 of the outer surface. For example, the first radius of curvature R1 of the inner surface may have a smaller value than the second radius of curvature R2 of the outer surface. Also, the center of the first radius of curvature R1 of the inner surface may be different from the center of the second radius of curvature R2 of the outer surface.

Accordingly, the welding light or welding scene incident to the outer cover plate 162 may be incident in parallel to the camera, whereby the welding image generated by the processor and incident to the user's eye through the display unit 120 is distorted. It may be an unfinished video. That is, the image projected by the user's eyes may be an image similar to that seen with the naked eye, may be a high-quality image, and may not cause fatigue to the user's eyes despite working for a long time.

As an embodiment, the outer cover plate 162 may be formed in a shape having an overall curved surface, and specifically, may be formed in a curved shape having different thicknesses of the central portion and the outer portion.

For example, the outer cover plate 162 may include a center and an outer portion spaced apart from the center and formed along the outer portion of the outer cover plate 162 , a first thickness t1 of the center and a second thickness of the outer portion ( t2) may be different.

As a specific embodiment, the first thickness t1 of the central portion may be greater than the second thickness t2 of the outer portion. For example, the outer cover plate 162 may be formed in a shape in which the central portion is relatively thick, and the thickness becomes thinner toward the outer portion.

Accordingly, the outer cover plate 162, as described above, the welding light or the welding scene may be incident parallel to the camera, whereby the welding image generated by the processor and incident to the user's eyes through the display unit 120 may be a non-distorted image. That is, the image projected by the user's eyes may be an image similar to that seen with the naked eye, may be a high-quality image, and may not cause fatigue to the user's eyes despite working for a long time.

In an optional embodiment, the first thickness t1 of the central portion of the outer cover plate 162 is 1 mm < t1 < 2.6 mm, 1.5 mm < t1 < 2.6 mm, 2.0 mm < t1 < 2.6 mm, or 2.1 mm ≤ t1 ≤ 2.5 mm, or 2.1 mm ≤ t1 ≤ 2.4 mm. Also, the second thickness t2 of the outer portion of the outer cover plate 162 may be at least 1.0 mm. For example, the second thickness t2 may be 1.0 mm ≤ t2 ≤ 1.5 mm. When the first thickness t1 is out of the above-described lower limit, it is difficult to form the outer cover plate 162 and the defect rate may increase. It may be difficult to implement the information providing apparatus 100 .

As another optional embodiment, the first radius of curvature (R1, unit: mm), the second radius of curvature (R2, unit: mm), and the second thickness (t2, unit: mm) may satisfy Equation 1 below. have.

(R2-t2+t2/n) -1 < R1 < R2 ----- Equation 1

Here, n represents the refractive index of the central portion of the outer cover plate 162 .

When the first radius of curvature R1, the second radius of curvature R2, and the second thickness t2 satisfy the above-mentioned equations, the light passing through the center of the outer cover plate 162 passes through the portion offset from the center. Since the light is incident on the outer cover plate 162 in parallel, the welding image can be realized more similar to the actual welding scene, and can be provided to the user in high quality.

8 and 9 are diagrams for explaining a position of a camera unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the camera unit 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be disposed at a position where a virtual extension line extending from the optical axis AX1 of the camera passes through the path change unit 130 .

As an embodiment, a virtual extension line extending from the optical axis AX1 of the camera unit 110 may pass through the second mirror 132 of the path changing unit 130 . Specifically, the camera unit 110 is parallel to the path of the welding image from the second mirror 132 in the vertical direction based on the virtual first surface P1 passing through the center O2 of the second mirror 132 . It can be located within the range of ±30mm (A1).

In other words, the camera unit 110 may be disposed on the front portion of the main body 101 to be positioned at a height similar to the user's field of view, and through this, an image equal to the user's eye level may be obtained.

Referring to FIG. 9 , as another embodiment, the camera unit 110 may include two cameras corresponding to each of the user's left and right eyes. The two cameras may be symmetrically disposed with respect to the center line C1 of the body 101, and the distance d between the optical axes of each camera may have a value in the range of 60 mm to 70 mm.

As described above, it may be located within the range A1 of ±30 mm in the vertical direction based on the first virtual surface P1 passing through the center O2 of the second mirror 132 .

10 is a perspective view of an apparatus for providing welding information according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII' of FIG. 10, and FIG. 12 is a camera unit according to another embodiment of the present invention It is a diagram for explaining the location of.

10 to 12 , the welding information providing apparatus 100 ′ according to another embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 101 , a camera unit 110 , a display unit 120 , a path change unit 130 , It may include a processor 140 (refer to FIG. 2), a sensor unit 150 (refer to FIG. 2), and a communication unit 190 (refer to FIG. 2). Another embodiment has the same configuration as the first embodiment, except that the path changing unit 130 includes one mirror, and thus a redundant description will be omitted.

The main body 101 is for protecting the user's face and may be provided so that the user can wear it. The main body 101 may be fixed to the user's head through the fixing part 180 provided inside the main body 101 .

The camera unit 110 may include at least one camera that is mounted on the outside of the main body 101 and acquires a welding image frame for a welding operation. The camera unit 110 may receive a control command from the processor 140 , and change settings of shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, and gain in response to the control command to photograph a welding operation phenomenon.

The camera unit 110 may be disposed at a position where a virtual extension line extending from the optical axis AX1 of the camera passes through the path change unit 130 . A virtual extension line extending from the optical axis AX1 of the camera unit 110 may pass through the path changing unit 130 . Specifically, the camera unit 110 is parallel to the path of the welding image from the path changing unit 130 and is within the range of ±30 mm in the vertical direction based on the virtual first surface P1 passing through the center O2 of the mirror ( It can be located in A1).

In other words, the camera unit 110 may be disposed on the front portion of the main body 101 to be positioned at a height similar to the user's field of view, and through this, an image equal to the user's eye level may be obtained.

The camera unit 110 may be protected by the outer cover unit 160 . The outer cover unit 160 may include a light blocking cartridge. The light blocking cartridge may block welding light generated when welding occurs. That is, the light blocking cartridge may increase the light blocking degree of the cartridge based on welding light information sensed by the sensor unit 150 , for example, a photosensor. In this case, the light blocking cartridge may include, for example, a liquid crystal panel whose blackening degree can be adjusted according to the alignment direction of the liquid crystal. For example, the light blocking cartridge 163 may be implemented with various panels such as a VA (Vertical Align) type LCD, TN (Twist Nematic) type LCD, IPS (In Plane Switching) type LCD, and the like.

The display unit 120 is disposed inside the body 101 and may provide a welding image. The display unit 120 may provide the welding image obtained from the camera unit 110 as it is, or may provide a high-definition composite image including welding information.

The display unit 120 is disposed inside the main body 101, not at a position that directly provides a welding image to the user's field of view, but at a position that can indirectly provide a welding image by a path change unit 130 to be described later. can be placed.

The display unit 120 may be positioned so that the direction in which the welding image is provided is perpendicular to the optical axis AX1 of the camera unit 110 . In other words, as shown in FIG. 11 , the display unit 130 may provide a welding image toward the path changing unit 130 located below the user's forehead.

Since the welding image provided from the display unit 120 is reflected through one mirror and reversed, the processor 140 converts the direction of the image obtained from the camera unit 110 to correspond thereto and provides it to the display unit 120 . can do.

The path changing unit 130 may change the path of the welding image provided from the display unit 120 to guide the user's eyes. For example, the path changing unit 130 may be formed of a mirror that reflects the welding image. The path changing unit 130 according to the embodiment of FIG. 10 may include a single mirror, and change the path of the welding image provided from the display unit 120 (A→B) to directly guide the user's eyes. can

Here, the path change unit 130 may be made of or coated with a material that reflects the welding image, for example, PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate), PC (poly carbonate), Polyester, Ag (silver), Al (aluminum). ) can be any one of The path changing unit 130 is inclined at an angle of 45° to 50° with respect to the path of the welding image, so that the path of the welding image can be changed vertically.

A distance of a path through which the welding image passes from the display unit 120 to the user's eye through the path changing unit 130 having the above structure may be 200 mm or more. In addition, the user may work at a distance between the field of view and the field of about 500 mm to 700 mm during operation. When the distance of the welding image path provided from the display unit 120 exceeds 700 mm, the user A sense of incongruity between the environment and the image may occur. Accordingly, the path of the welding image changed through the path changing unit 130 may be determined in a range of 700 mm or less. In other words, the sum of all the paths A, B, and C of FIG. 3 may be 200 mm or more and 700 mm or less.

The welding information providing apparatus 100 may further include an inner cover unit 170 between the path changing unit 130 and the user's eyes, that is, on a path through which the welding image passes.

As described above, the welding information providing apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention provides a clear welding image by changing the path of the welding image through the path changing unit and providing the user with a compact size of the body. have. In addition, the welding information providing apparatus according to the embodiments of the present invention provides a welding image to the user by acquiring an image through a camera unit disposed at a height similar to the user's field of view, thereby minimizing a sense of alienation or incongruity with the actual work site. can do.

As such, the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment shown in the drawings, but this is merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations of the embodiments are possible therefrom. Accordingly, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

101: body
110: camera unit
120: display unit
130: path change unit
140: processor
150: sensor unit
160: outer cover unit
162: outer cover plate
170: inner cover unit
180: fixed part
190: communication department

Claims (9)

a body provided to be worn by a user;
a camera unit mounted on the outside of the main body and including at least one camera configured to acquire a welding image frame for a welding operation;
an outer cover unit including an outer cover frame coupled to the main body and an outer cover plate provided on the outer cover frame and disposed in front of the camera to protect the camera;
a display unit disposed inside the body and configured to provide a welding image generated based on the welding image frame; and
and a path changing unit configured to change the path of the welding image provided from the display unit to guide the user's eyes. According to claim 1,
The outer cover plate,
The welding information providing apparatus including the outer cover frame and detachable, outer cover plate. According to claim 1,
The outer cover plate,
The welding information providing apparatus including an outer cover plate formed of a material through which light generated in the welding operation is transmitted. According to claim 1,
The outer cover plate,
Including an inner surface facing the user's face and an outer surface located opposite to the inner surface,
and an outer cover plate, wherein the first radius of curvature of the inner surface and the second radius of curvature of the outer surface are different. 5. The method of claim 4,
and a center of the first radius of curvature and a center of the second radius of curvature are spaced apart from each other, and an outer cover plate. According to claim 1,
The outer cover plate,
It includes a central portion and an outer portion spaced apart from the center portion and formed along an outer portion of the outer cover plate,
and an outer cover plate, wherein the first thickness of the central portion and the second thickness of the outer portion are different. According to claim 1,
The outer cover unit,
The welding information providing apparatus including an outer cover plate, further comprising a light blocking cartridge disposed behind the outer cover plate to block at least a portion of the transmitted welding light. According to claim 1,
and an outer cover plate, wherein an imaginary extension line extending from the optical axis of the camera passes through the path changing unit. According to claim 1,
and an outer cover plate, wherein a distance of a path through which the welding image passes to the user's eyes through the path changing unit is determined in a range of 200 mm or more and 700 mm or less.

Images