TW201511879A - Wire feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention aims to solve the problem of expense of time and labor for correcting a buffering amount of a solder wire buffering device. The solution of the present invention is a wire feeding device (1) that is composed of the following: the first and second wire feeding sections (11, 13) that feed a solder wire (5); a solder wire buffering device (12) arranged between the first and second solder wire feeding sections (11, 13); a buffering amount acquiring section (14) that acquires a buffering amount of the solder wire buffering device (12); an acquiring section (15) that acquires a pushing force and pulling force applied to the buffered solder wire (5); and a correction section (16) for correcting the buffering amount. By increasing or decreasing the buffering amount through any one of the first and second wire feeding sections (11, 13), the correction (16) sets the buffering amounts of the pulling force and the pushing forces so acquired which exceed limits as the upper and lower bounds. As a result, correction of the buffering amount can then be carried out automatically, and the amount of time and labor required for correction can be reduced.

Description

Wire feeding device

The present invention relates to a wire feeding device for feeding a welding wire.

In the prior art, the welding wire is mechanically short-circuited by causing the welding wire to advance (jog or inch) and retreat (retract) periodically, thereby achieving a welding operation with less spatter. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that by continuously driving the drive source, the welding wire is advanced and retracted at a high speed, and stable welding is also achieved. Further, in the wire feeding process of advancing and retreating the wire, Patent Document 2 discloses that a wire buffer is provided between the wire feeder that feeds the wire and the wire feeder that advances and retracts the wire. The back of the bumper feeds out the wire. By providing such a damper, it is possible to suppress the sliding of the wire and to achieve smooth wire feeding.

[Prior Art Literature]

[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Patent Publication JP 2012-91222

[Patent Document 2] Patent Publication JP2004-50292

However, in the case of setting a buffer, correction (calibration) is necessary. By performing the correction, it is possible to appropriately grasp how many wires are accommodated in the damper. As a result, by buffering the wire beyond the predetermined value, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of wire warpage and the like, and it is possible to prevent the wire buffer from being insufficient.

In addition, since this correction is usually performed manually, there is a problem that correction requires time and labor. In particular, when a wire feeding device having no buffer amount of memory is used, there is a problem that it takes time and labor to perform such correction every time it is started.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above technical problems, and an object thereof is to provide a wire feeding device which can reduce the time and labor required for performing wire-buffer amount-related correction.

In order to achieve the above object, a wire feeding device according to the present invention includes: a first wire feeding portion that feeds a welding wire; a wire buffer that buffers a wire fed from the first wire feeding portion; and a second wire feeding portion that is a wire buffered by the wire buffer is sent to the welding torch; a buffer amount acquiring unit acquires a wire amount buffered by the wire buffer as a buffer amount; an acquiring unit acquires a force in a longitudinal direction of the wire buffered by the wire buffer; and corrects The correction unit is configured to perform an operation of moving the wire to reduce the buffer by at least one of the first wire feeder and the second wire feeder. The amount of the buffer when the tension obtained by the acquisition unit exceeds the first limit value is set to a minimum value; and at least one of the first wire feeder and the second wire feeder is moved to increase the wire The amount of buffering is set to a maximum value when the thrust force acquired by the above-described acquisition unit exceeds the second limit value.

According to such a configuration, the correction of the buffer amount acquisition section can be automatically performed, and the time and labor required for the correction can be reduced. Moreover, even in the case of a wire feeding device that does not have a buffer amount of memory, the correction can be automatically performed when the device is activated.

Further, the wire feeding device of the present invention may further include: a controller that controls the welding wire sent from at least one of the first wire feeding portion and the second wire feeding portion to cause the above The buffer amount acquired by the buffer amount acquisition unit is between the above maximum value and the above minimum value. According to such a configuration, when the wire is fed, the correct amount of buffer can be used for proper control.

Further, in the wire feeding device of the present invention, wherein the wire buffer comprises: a casing having an inlet and an outlet of the wire, and accommodating from the above a wire having a change in length between the outlet and the outlet; a wire guide guiding the wire through the casing; and a shaft support providing shaft support to enable at least a portion of the wire guide to be relative to the casing The body rotates, wherein the buffer amount acquiring unit can acquire a buffer amount according to an angle of the wire guide that is pivotally supported by the shaft support portion. According to this configuration, the amount of buffer can be obtained according to the angle of the wire guide.

According to the wire feeding device of the present invention, the correction relating to the acquisition of the buffer amount can be automatically performed, and the time and labor required for such correction can be reduced.

1‧‧‧Wire feeding device

2‧‧‧ reel

3‧‧‧ welding torch

5‧‧‧ welding wire

11‧‧‧1st wire feeder

12‧‧‧Wire buffer

13‧‧‧2nd wire feeder

14‧‧‧Buffer Acquisition Department

15‧‧‧Acquisition Department

16‧‧‧Correction Department

17‧‧‧ Controller

21‧‧‧Box

22, 25‧ ‧ silk guide

23‧‧‧Axis support

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a wire feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2A is a view showing an example of a wire damper structure in the same embodiment, and Fig. 2B is a wire damper in the same embodiment; Example diagram of the structure; and Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing the operation of the wire feeding device in the same embodiment.

Hereinafter, an embodiment used in the wire feeding device of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiments, constituent elements and steps having the same reference numerals are the same or similar, and the repeated description will be omitted.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the wire feeding device will be described with reference to the drawings. The wire feeding device in the embodiment of the present invention can automatically perform the calibration of the buffer amount acquiring portion.

Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the structure of a wire feeding device 1 in the present embodiment. The wire feeding device 1 of the present embodiment is composed of a first wire feeding portion 11, a wire buffer 12, a second wire feeding portion 13, a buffer amount acquiring portion 14, an acquisition portion 15, a correction portion 16, and a controller 17. .

The first wire feeder 11 feeds the wire 5 wound on the wire reel 2 to the welding Gun 3. The first wire feeder 11 normally sends the wire in a direction in which the wire 5 advances. However, when the wire is corrected, the wire 5 can be moved in the backward direction. Further, the advancement of the welding wire 5 refers to the direction in which the welding wire 5 advances toward the welding torch 3, and the retreat of the welding wire 5 refers to the direction in which the welding wire 5 advances toward the winding drum 2. The first wire feeder 11 has a structure in which the welding wire 5 is sent out. This configuration is already known, so a detailed description is omitted here. Such a structure may include, for example, a roller that advances or retreats the welding wire 5 and a motor that rotates the roller. The motor can be rotated, for example, in a direction in which the welding wire 5 advances or retreats in accordance with an instruction from the correcting portion 16 and the controller 17.

The wire buffer 12 is located between the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13. Further, the welding wire 5 sent from the first wire feeder is buffered in the wire buffer 12. As the length of the welding wire 5 accommodated by the wire buffer 12 changes, the amount of damping of the welding wire 5 also changes. When the amount of the welding wire 5 sent by the first wire feeder 11 in the forward direction is larger than the amount of the wire 5 sent by the second wire feeder 13 in the forward direction, the amount of buffering increases, and when the amount is small, the amount of buffering is reduced. In addition, a configuration example of the wire buffer 12 will be described later.

The second wire feeder 13 feeds the wire 5 buffered by the wire buffer 12 to the welding torch 3. In the welding torch 3, arc welding is performed by a voltage from a welding power source. For example, the second wire feeder 13 may feed the welding wire 5 while repeatedly rotating and retracting the welding wire 5 with respect to the base material. The repeated forward and backward movements described herein may be performed periodically, for example, or may be based on feedback. In the former case, the second wire feeder 13 can advance and retract the welding wire 5, for example, by repeating a predetermined cycle. In the latter case, for example, when the welding wire 5 is advanced, the second wire feeder 13 retreats the wire 5, and then repeats the forward and backward movement according to the short-circuit test at the time of advancement and retreat of the wire 5. The feeding structure of the welding wire 5 provided in the second wire feeder 13 is the same as that of the first wire feeder 11, and the description thereof will be omitted. However, when the second wire feeder 13 repeatedly advances and retreats the wire 5 at a high speed, it is preferable to use a motor that can advance at a high speed and retreat.

The buffer amount acquiring unit 14 acquires the amount of the welding wire 5 that is buffered in the wire buffer 12, that is, the amount of buffering. The method of acquiring the amount of the buffer differs depending on the configuration of the wire buffer 12, and will be described together with the configuration of the wire buffer 12 in the following description.

The acquisition unit 15 acquires the length of the welding wire 5 that is buffered in the wire buffer 12 The force in the direction of the degree. Further, the force in the longitudinal direction of the welding wire 5 acquired by the acquisition unit 15 is the force when the buffer amount is corrected. The force in the longitudinal direction forms a tensile force when the welding wire 5 is pulled, and a thrust is formed when the welding wire 5 is compressed (pressed) in the longitudinal direction. In addition, the term "thrust" refers to the force applied in the opposite direction to the pulling force. That is to say, the force generated by the tensile stress is the tensile force, and the force generated by the compressive stress is the thrust. In order to distinguish whether the amount of the welding wire 5 buffered in the wire buffer 12 is the minimum value or the maximum value, the force in the longitudinal direction may not be a strict value. That is to say, the acquisition unit 15 can acquire that the force in the longitudinal direction is greater than the force between the minimum and maximum values of the buffer amount (refer to the setting of the minimum and maximum values of the buffer amount, the minimum buffer amount) The force between the maximum value and the maximum value is the force at the minimum value of the buffer amount, that is, the force in the longitudinal direction of the first limit value (pull force), and the force at the maximum value of the buffer amount, that is, the force in the longitudinal direction of the second limit value (thrust). A force for determining whether the force in the longitudinal direction exceeds the minimum value of the buffer amount or the maximum amount of the buffer amount). In the case where the motor feeds the welding wire 5 at a low speed, the torque of the motor is associated with the force in the longitudinal direction of the welding wire 5. Therefore, the acquiring unit 15 can also obtain the force in the longitudinal direction of the welding wire 5 based on the current value of the motor used to feed the welding wire 5. This motor is a motor that sends out the first wire feed portion 11 and/or the second wire feed portion 13 of the welding wire 5. The force in the longitudinal direction of the welding wire 5 may be, for example, a value obtained by converting a current value into a force in the longitudinal direction, or may be a current value itself. If it is the latter, then the current value can be regarded as the force in the length direction. Moreover, the current value can use the absolute value of the current value. Further, the acquisition unit 15 may acquire the tensile force and the thrust force of the welding wire 5 using the force of the welding wire 5 in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. When obtaining tension and thrust, for example, the same mechanism as the tension sensor can be used. Specifically, the tensile force can be measured based on the force when the welding wire 5 becomes a straight line, and the thrust can be measured according to the force when the welding wire 5 is bent. In addition, since the force in the longitudinal direction of the welding wire 5 is such that a new friction is generated when the welding wire 5 is sent, such acquisition is preferably performed only at the time of correction, and is not performed in the case of general delivery other than this. . In the present embodiment, the case where the acquisition unit 15 acquires the tensile force and the thrust force by the current value of the wire feed motor of the second wire feeder 13 will be mainly described.

The correction unit 16 corrects the buffer amount acquisition unit 14. The correction by the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 mainly sets the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 to acquire (1) the buffer amount. The minimum value, and (2) the maximum value of the buffer amount.

The description will be made as follows.

(1) Setting of the minimum amount of buffer

The correction unit 16 moves the welding wire 5 in at least one of the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13 in order to reduce the amount of buffering of the wire 5 that is buffered in the wire buffer 12 . Specifically, in the correction unit 16, the welding wire 5 may be retracted by the first wire feeder 11, or the welding wire 5 may be advanced by the second wire feeding portion 13, or the first wire feeding portion 11 and the second wire portion 11 may be used. Both of the wire feeders 13 retract and advance the welding wire 5, respectively. When one wire feeding portion moves the welding wire 5, the other wire feeding portion stops the movement of the welding wire 5. Further, during the movement of the welding wire 5, the correction unit 16 compares the tensile force of the welding wire 5 obtained by the acquisition unit 15 with the first limit value. If the amount of the welding wire 5 buffered in the wire buffer 12 is the smallest, the welding wire 5 cannot be continuously pulled out, so that the pulling force of the welding wire 5 becomes high. Therefore, when the pulling force acquired by the acquiring unit 15 exceeds the first limit value, the correcting unit 16 stops the movement of the welding wire 5, and the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 sets the buffer amount at this time to the minimum value. In this way, the minimum value of the buffer amount can be automatically set.

(2) Setting of the maximum buffer amount

The correction unit 16 moves the welding wire 5 in at least one of the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13 in order to increase the amount of the wire to be buffered by the wire buffer 12 . Specifically, the correction unit 16 may advance the welding wire 5 by the first wire feeder 11 or the first wire feeder 13 to retreat the wire 5 or the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire. Both of the wire feeders 13 advance and retract the welding wire 5, respectively. When one wire feeding portion moves the welding wire 5, the other wire feeding portion stops the movement of the welding wire 5. Further, during the movement of the welding wire 5, the correction unit 16 compares the thrust of the welding wire 5 obtained by the acquisition unit 15 with the second limit value. If the amount of the welding wire 5 buffered in the wire buffer 12 is the largest, the force is required to push the welding wire 5, so that the thrust of the welding wire 5 becomes high. Therefore, when the thrust force acquired by the acquisition unit 15 exceeds the second limit value, the correction unit 16 stops the movement of the welding wire 5, and the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 sets the buffer amount at this time to the maximum value. In this way, the maximum value of the buffer amount can be automatically set.

Here, the first limit value and the second limit value may be the same value or different values. In addition, when the amount of buffer is the minimum, since the wire 5 is pulled At the limit, the pulling force becomes quite large. On the other hand, when the amount of buffer is the maximum value, only the resistance of the wire 5 inserted into the wire buffer 12 is enhanced, and the thrust does not become so large. Therefore, the first limit value can be set to be larger than the second limit value.

In addition, even in the case where the buffer amount acquisition section 14 does not set the minimum value and the maximum value of the buffer amount (for example, when the wire feeding device 1 is started to be used, and when the wire feeding device without the memory is activated), such correction can be performed. This can also be done in other cases. In the latter case, for example, correction can be performed every predetermined period.

Further, when the minimum value and the maximum value of the buffer amount acquired by the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 are set, the minimum value and the maximum value of the measured value (this value may sometimes be referred to as "sensing value") may be acquired in order to acquire the buffer amount. Stored in a recording medium without illustration. Such storage may be performed, for example, by the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 or by the correction unit 16. In this case, for example, the minimum value S1 and the maximum value S2 of the sensed value are stored according to the correction, and the minimum value S1, the maximum value S2, and the sensed value at this time are controlled by the controller 17. Further, the minimum value and the maximum value of the buffer amount acquired by the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 may be set, and the minimum value and the maximum value of the sensing value may be made to correspond to the minimum value and the maximum value of the buffer amount of the predetermined range, thereby being set to be used for Information such as conversion formulas and conversion tables for converting the sensed value and the buffer amount. Such a setting may be performed, for example, by the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 or by the correction unit 16. In this case, for example, the sensing of the range of S1 to S2 can be generated in such a manner that the minimum value S1 and the maximum value S2 of the acquired sensing values correspond to the minimum value B1 and the maximum value B2 of the predetermined buffering amount. The value is converted into a conversion formula and a table (corresponding information) of the buffer amount in the range of B1 to B2, and these can also be stored in a recording medium not shown. At this time, the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 can convert the sensed value into a buffer amount and output it. Further, the controller 17 can control the supplied welding wire 5 using the converted amount of buffer. In addition, the relationship between the sensed value in the range of S1 to S2 and the amount of buffering in the range of B1 to B2 may or may not be linear. When the two are not linear, the information showing the relationship between the two is pre-stored in the recording medium (not shown), and the correction unit 16 can use the information to generate information necessary for the conversion.

Further, the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 or the correction unit 16 can set the optimum value of the buffer amount between the maximum value and the minimum value of the buffer amount. The most buffer The appropriate value may be, for example, an intermediate value between the maximum value and the minimum value of the buffer amount, or may be a point (value) divided by a predetermined ratio between the maximum value and the minimum value of the buffer amount.

The controller 17 feeds the wire to at least one of the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13 so that the buffer amount acquired by the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 can be between the maximum value and the minimum value of the buffer amount. 5 to control. For example, the controller 17 controls at least one of the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13 in order to make the buffer amount the optimum value described above. That kind of control method can be used, and an example will be briefly described here. For example, when the first wire feeder 11 feeds the wire 5 at a predetermined speed, the controller 17 controls the wire 5 fed by the second wire feeder 13 so that the amount of buffering is kept constant. Thereby, it is possible to consume a predetermined amount of the welding wire 5, and it is also possible to reduce the possibility of occurrence of welding defects. In addition, this kind of control requires fine control because it pursues a certain amount of buffering. A certain amount of buffering mentioned here may mean that the amount of buffering does not change. Further, for example, when the second wire feeder 13 feeds the wire 5 in accordance with the speed command of the welding wire 5, the controller 17 can control the welding wire 5 sent from the first wire feeder 11 in order to prevent the amount of the buffer from being minimized. This control is possible because the amount of the wire 5 to be buffered is only between the minimum value and the maximum value, so that fine control is not required.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of a wire buffer 12. In FIG. 2A, the wire buffer 12 includes a casing 21, a wire guide 22, and a shaft support portion 23.

The casing 21 is composed of an inlet 21a and an outlet 21b of the welding wire 5. Moreover, the casing 21 can accommodate the welding wire 5 that varies in length from the inlet 21a to the outlet 21b. That is, the buffering is performed as the length of the accommodated wire 5 changes. When the length of the accommodated length is increased, the amount of buffering is increased, and the length of the accommodated buffer is reduced.

The wire guide 22 is located in the casing 21 to guide the passage of the welding wire 5. The wire guide 22 can pass a part of the welding wire 5 accommodated in the casing 21 or pass all of the welding wire 5 accommodated in the casing 21. The latter case is shown in Fig. 2A. That is, the wire guide 22 is located between the inlet 21a and the outlet 21b. Further, the wire guide 22 may be, for example, a coil shape formed of a metal wire or a spiral resin. The wire guide 22 can be stretched in length according to the amount of the wire 5 accommodated in the casing 21.

The shaft support wire guide 22 provided by the shaft support portion 23 has at least a portion which is rotatable relative to the casing 21. In the case of Fig. 2A, in the center of the casing 21, the shaft support portion 23 is rotated in the direction of the arrow at the center of the wire guide 22 to provide shaft support. In addition, the center of the casing 21 and the center of the wire guide 22 may be accurately located at the center, or may be slightly offset from the precise center position due to production errors or assembly errors. Further, the shaft support portion 23 may be provided at a position other than the center of the casing 21. The shaft support portion 23 may also provide a shaft support to rotate the position other than the center of the wire guide 22 with respect to the casing 21. Further, for example, in order to rotate relative to the casing 21, the shaft support portion 23 may be set as a disk-shaped member. Further, a hole may be provided in the diameter direction of the shaft support portion 23 to pass the wire guide 22.

In the wire buffer 12 shown in Fig. 2A, when the amount of buffering of the welding wire 5 becomes the minimum value, the curvature of the wire guide 22 becomes small, that is, the position of 22a. On the other hand, as the amount of buffering of the welding wire 5 increases, the curvature of the wire guide 22 also increases, and the shaft support portion 23 rotates correspondingly, for example, the wire guide 22 becomes the position of 22b. As such, since the amount of buffering of the welding wire 5 has a monoton function relationship with the angle of the wire guide 22 of the shaft support portion 23, the buffer amount acquiring portion 14 can be guided by the wire supported by the shaft at the shaft supporting portion 23. The angle of the device 22 is used to obtain the amount of buffering. In this case, the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 can acquire the buffer amount based on the acquired angle of the shaft support portion 23. The amount of the buffer may be the angle itself, or the angle may be converted into a buffer amount. This angle can be obtained, for example, by an encoder that measures the angle of the shaft support portion 23, or can be obtained by measuring a predetermined angle of the shaft support portion 23 by a laser goniometer, or can be acquired by other angle sensors or the like. The so-called encoder, for example, may be in the form of an increment or an absolute shape. In the case of the former, it is also possible to additionally provide a memory for memorizing the current angle, or not. When there is no memory, for example, it can be corrected each time the device is activated. The angle corresponding to the minimum value of the buffer amount set by the correcting unit 16 is A, and the maximum angle is B. Then, the controller 17 controls the angle of the shaft support portion 23 to be larger than A and smaller than B.

The 2B diagram is another example of the wire buffer 12. In Fig. 2B, the wire buffer 12 is composed of a casing 21 and a wire guide 25. In addition, the wire guide 25 can only guide a part of the welding wire 5 accommodated in the casing 21 to pass. Therefore, the wire guide 25 is different from the wire guide 22 in that a non-stretchable material can be used. That is to say, it may not be a spiral, but may be a tubular material. Further, the wire guide 25 is set to be movable in the arrow range of FIG. 2B. Therefore, when the amount of buffering increases, the wire guide 25 moves upward in the drawing, and when the amount of buffering decreases, it moves to the lower side in the drawing. Therefore, the buffer amount acquiring portion 14 can acquire the buffer amount by acquiring the position of the arrow direction of the wire guide 25. The amount of the buffer may be the position itself, or the position may be converted into a buffer amount.

The method of obtaining the buffer amount is of course not limited to the above technical content. For example, the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 may have rollers that are respectively set at the inlet 21a and the outlet 21b of the casing 21, and that are rotatable according to the movement of the welding wire 5, and an encoder that detects the number of rotations of the roller. By using the roller and the encoder, the buffer amount acquiring portion 14 can acquire the length of the welding wire 5 entering the casing 21 and the length of the welding wire 5 emerging from the casing 21. Therefore, the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 can subtract the length of the welding wire 5 from the casing 21 by the length of the welding wire 5 entering the casing 21, thereby obtaining the amount of cushioning.

Next, the operation of the wire feeding device 1 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart of Fig. 3 shows a flowchart of the correction processing performed by the correction unit 16 or the like.

(Step S101) The correction unit 16 supplies a command for reducing the buffer amount by at least one of the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13, and pulls the wire 5 from the wire buffer 12 in accordance with the command. The amount of buffering is reduced. Further, at this time, the drive motor preferably moves the welding wire 5 at a low speed. Here, the low speed means that the feeding speed of the welding wire 5 is slower than that at the time of welding.

(Step S102) The correcting unit 16 determines whether or not the pulling force acquired by the acquiring unit 15 is larger than the first limit value. Therefore, when the pulling force is greater than the first limit value, step S103 is continued; when this is not the case, the process of step S102 is repeated until the pulling force becomes greater than the first limit value.

(Step S103) The correction unit transmits a command to stop the movement of at least one of the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13 that moves the welding wire 5. According to this instruction, the movement of the welding wire 5 is stopped.

(Step S104) The correcting unit 16 sets the buffer amount at this time to the minimum The command of the value is transmitted to the buffer amount acquisition unit 14. According to this command, the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 sets the angle of the shaft support portion 23, the position of the wire guide 25, the value of the encoder, and the like at this time as the minimum value of the buffer amount.

(Step S105) The correction unit 16 transmits a command for increasing the buffer amount to at least one of the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13. According to this command, the welding wire 5 is pulled into the wire buffer 12, and the amount of buffering is increased. Further, it is preferable that the drive motor at this time moves the welding wire 5 at a low speed. The low speed here means that the wire feeding speed of the welding wire 5 is slower than that at the time of welding.

(Step S106) The correcting unit 16 determines whether or not the obtained thrust by the acquiring unit 15 is larger than the second limit value. Therefore, when the thrust is greater than the second limit value, step S107 is continued; when this is not the case, step S106 is repeated until the thrust is greater than the second limit value.

(Step S107) The correcting unit 16 transmits a command to stop the movement to at least one of the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13 that moves the welding wire 5. According to this command, the welding wire 5 stops moving.

(Step S108) The correction unit 16 transmits a command for setting the buffer amount at this time to the maximum value to the buffer amount acquisition unit 14. According to this command, the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 sets the angle of the shaft support portion 23, the position of the wire guide 25, the value of the encoder, and the like at this time as the maximum value of the buffer amount.

(Step S109) The buffer amount acquisition unit 14 sets an optimum amount of a predetermined division point (for example, a midpoint or the like) between the maximum value and the minimum value of the buffer amount. This completes the processing of a series of corrections.

Further, although not shown in the flowchart of Fig. 3, the controller 17 may control the feeding of the welding wire 5 depending on the welding condition. For example, the controller 17 may use the maximum value and the minimum value of the buffer amount stored by the buffer amount acquiring unit 14, for example.

Next, the operation of the wire feeding device 1 of the present embodiment will be described by way of a specific example. In a specific example, the wire 5 is moved by the second wire feeder 13 to calibrate the amount of buffer. Further, the wire buffer 12 is a device shown in Fig. 2A, and the buffer amount acquiring portion 14 is a device for acquiring the angle of the shaft support portion 23 using an encoder. Set.

When the wire feeding device 1 is started, the operator pulls out the welding wire 5 from the wire spool 2, and passes through the first wire feeding portion 11, the wire buffer 12, the second wire feeding portion 13, and the welding torch 3 in this order. Then, the operator communicates the instruction to start the calibration to the wire feeding device 1. Then, based on the command, the correcting unit 16 transmits a command for advancing the welding wire 5 to the second wire feeder 13 in order to reduce the amount of buffering. Then, according to the command, the second wire feeder 13 starts to advance the welding wire 5 (step S101). Moreover, the acquisition unit 15 acquires the tensile force based on the current value of the wire feeding motor used at the time of advancement, and transmits the tensile force to the correction unit 16. This pulling force can be, for example, the absolute value of the current value. Then, the correcting unit 16 determines whether or not the pulling force is larger than the first limit value (step S102). When the welding wire 5 is moved by the second wire feeder 13, when the tensile force exceeds the first limit value, the correcting portion 16 causes the second wire feeder to stop the movement of the wire 5 (step S103). Further, the correction unit 16 transmits a command for setting the minimum value to the buffer amount acquisition unit 14. According to this command, the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 sets the value of the encoder at this time to the minimum value of the buffer amount (step S104). If the value of the encoder at this time is 10°, the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 sets 10° to the minimum value.

Next, the correcting unit 16 retreats the welding wire 5 of the second wire feeder 13 and determines whether or not the thrust is greater than the second limit value (steps S105 and S106). This thrust may be, for example, an absolute value of a current value of a motor used when the welding wire 5 is retracted. When the thrust exceeds the second limit value, the correcting unit 16 stops the movement of the welding wire 5 by the second wire feeder 13, and sets the value of the encoder at this time to the maximum value of the buffer amount (steps S107 and S108). If the value of the encoder is 70° in this case, the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 sets 70° as the maximum value. Moreover, if there is a linear relationship between the angle of the wire guide 22 obtained by the encoder and the length of the buffered welding wire 5, the correcting portion 16 can between the maximum value and the minimum value stored by the buffer amount acquiring portion 14. The value of the central encoder is set to 40° of the buffer amount. Further, when the maximum value of the buffer amount is "10" and the minimum value of the buffer amount is "-10", the correction unit 16 sets the buffer amount Y to Y = (X - 40) / 3. In addition, X is the value of the encoder. This completes the calibration work, and the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 can calculate the buffer amount Y based on the value X of the encoder using this formula, and communicate this buffer amount to the controller 17. Then, the controller 17 uses the received from the buffer amount acquiring section 14. The buffer amount Y is controlled to control the feeding of the welding wire 5 so that the amount of the wire 5 can be controlled in the range of -10 to 10.

As described above, the wire feeding device 1 of the present embodiment can automatically perform the correction relating to the amount of buffering. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time and labor required for manual correction. Moreover, since the automatic correction can be performed even when the apparatus is started up, particularly in the wire feeding device which does not have the buffer amount recording function, the convenience is further improved. Further, since the automatic correction can be performed, even if the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 does not include the buffer amount memory, the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 can be used to reduce the cost. Further, when the acquisition unit 15 acquires a tensile force or the like based on the current value, it is not necessary to add a new physical structure, and it is only necessary to add a correctable mechanism. Further, even if the buffer amount acquisition unit 14 changes with time, a steady-state error occurs, and since periodic correction can be performed, a correct buffer amount can be obtained, and as a result, accurate control feedback can be realized. Further, even if the configuration and state of the welding system are different from the ideal origin position, flexibility and flexibility can be achieved.

Further, in the present embodiment, the wire feeding device 1 is provided with the controller 17, and the control relating to the feeding of the welding wire has been described above, but this is not necessarily the case. Controls associated with the delivery of the wire can also be performed on other devices. In this case, in the wire feeding device 1, after the buffer amount is output, the controller 17 receives a control command for the buffer amount, and according to the control command, the first wire feeder 11 and the second wire feeder 13 start to operate.

In addition, as described above, the configuration of the wire buffer 12 and the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 is not limited to the above configuration, and the wire buffer 12 and the buffer amount acquiring unit 14 having the above-described configuration may be used.

Further, in the above-described embodiments, various processes or various functions may be realized by performing centralized processing using a single device or a single system. Alternatively, it is implemented by performing distributed processing by a plurality of devices or a plurality of systems.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the information transmission between the respective constituent elements, for example, when the two constituent elements that perform the information transmission are physically different from each other, may be issued by one constituent element. Information, then Another component collects information to implement the transfer; or, when the two components of the information transfer are physically the same object, the phase processed by one component may be transferred to the phase corresponding to the other component. (Phase), thus achieving information transfer.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, information related to processing when each component is processed, for example, information received, acquired, selected, generated, transmitted, and received by each component, and threshold values used in processing each component, mathematics Information such as formulas, setting values, etc., even if it is not clearly marked in the above description, can be temporarily or permanently stored in a recording medium not shown. Further, the storage of the memorable media information (not shown) may be performed by each component or a storage unit (not shown). Further, reading information from the memory medium not shown in the figure may be performed in each component or a reading unit (not shown).

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, information used for each component or the like, for example, information such as a limit value and various setting values used when each component performs a processing operation is not clearly defined in the above description when the user changes. Marked, but the user can change the information as appropriate or not. When the information is changed by the user, the change can be performed, for example, by a non-illustrated receiving unit that receives the user's change command and a change unit that does not change the information according to the change command. Implementation. The receiving unit (not shown) receives the processing of receiving the change command, and may be, for example, a charging process from the input device, or may be information transmitted via the communication line, or may be read from the set recording medium. The processing of the information is processed.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, each component may be constituted by a dedicated hardware or a component having a achievable software, and this may be realized by a program. For example, a software and a program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory are read and executed by a program execution unit such as a CPU, thereby realizing each component. At the time of execution, the program execution unit can execute the program while accessing the memory unit and the recording medium. Further, the program may be executed by downloading from a server or the like, or may be executed by reading a program recorded on a set recording medium (for example, a compact disc, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like). Moreover, this process It is also possible to use a program that constitutes a program product. Moreover, the computer that executes this program can be either single or multiple. That is to say, it can be processed centrally or distributed.

Further, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications are possible, and of course, these are also included in the scope of the present invention.

[Industrial use possibilities]

As described above, the wire feeding device of the present invention can obtain the effect of having the automatic buffer amount correction, and is very useful as a wire feeding device having a wire damper.

1‧‧‧Wire feeding device

2‧‧‧ reel

3‧‧‧ welding torch

5‧‧‧ welding wire

11‧‧‧1st wire feeder

12‧‧‧Wire buffer

13‧‧‧2nd wire feeder

14‧‧‧Buffer Acquisition Department

15‧‧‧Acquisition Department

16‧‧‧Correction Department

17‧‧‧ Controller

Claims (3)

A wire feeding device includes: a first wire feeding portion that feeds a welding wire; a wire buffer that buffers a wire fed from the first wire feeder; and a second wire feeding portion that feeds the wire buffered by the wire buffer to a welding gun; a buffer amount acquiring unit that acquires a wire amount buffered by the wire buffer as a buffer amount; an acquiring unit that acquires a force in a longitudinal direction of the wire buffered by the wire buffer; and a correction unit that performs the buffer amount acquiring unit In the correction, the correction unit is configured to: move the wire to reduce the amount of buffering by at least one of the first wire feeder and the second wire feeder, and obtain the acquisition unit The amount of the buffer when the tensile force exceeds the first limit value is set to a minimum value; and at least one of the first wire feeder and the second wire feeder is moved to increase the amount of the buffer, and the acquisition unit is used. The amount of buffering when the obtained thrust exceeds the second limit value is set to the maximum value. The wire feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising: a controller that controls a welding wire sent from at least one of the first wire feeder and the second wire feeder; The buffer amount acquired by the buffer amount acquisition unit is between the maximum value and the minimum value. The wire feeding device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the wire buffer comprises: a casing having an inlet and an outlet of the wire, and accommodating a change in length from the inlet to the outlet a wire guide that guides the passage of the wire in the casing; and a shaft support that provides a shaft support to enable at least a portion of the wire guide to rotate relative to the casing, wherein the buffer amount is obtained The portion acquires a buffer amount from the angle of the wire guide that is pivotally supported by the shaft support portion.