Automatic Fillet Weld Tracing Mechanism

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an automatic fillet weld tracing mechanism.

2. Description of the Prior Art

When fillet welding of materials is to be performed by arranging the materials to be welded in parallel and stepwise to each other (for example, lapping two sheets of plate or inserting a smaller size pipe into a larger pipe), irregular gaps often arise, due to working deformations or to thermal expansion caused by the heat of welding, between the materials to be welded. Therefore, the aiming spot of the welding torch is required to be changed whenever such a gap occurs. When the welding operation proceeds with a fixed aiming spot for the torch without so changing the aiming spot for the torch in accordance with the change of the condition of a gap, it is feared that the bead of the weld may be offset to either side of the materials to be welded or separately fused with each of the materials to be welded.

The present invention has as an object the provision of an automatic fillet weld tracing mechanism which automatically provides a certain given relative position for the changing gap between the materials to be welded. The mechanism uses a welding torch arranged so that its aiming spot is maintained through a motor driven mechanism which operates in accordance with a change of the gap determined by signals of proximity sensors arranged respective to the surfaces of the materials to be welded at places near to the fillet welding portion. The first proximity sensor, arranged close to the surface of the material to be fillet welded, with the other material arranged parallel and stepwise, is held with a given proximity gap adjacent the surface of the first material by way of a signal issued from the sensor, an amplifier and a motor driven mechanism. The motor driven mechanism of the second proximity sensor which is arranged with a given proximity gap to the surface of the other material to be welded in the same way as the first proximity sensor, is held on a supporting arm which is protrudingly installed to the reciprocated moving driven member of the first motor driving mechanism. A welding torch driving mechanism moves in relation with the motor driven mechanism of the second proximity sensor through a differential mechanism, making the welding torch move in dependence upon the displacement of the above second proximity sensor, but with a given ratio.

Various other objects, features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a drawing (partially sectional) showing a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring now to the figure, a detailed description of the automatic fillet weld tracing mechanism of this invention is given below.

FIG. 1 is a drawing of an embodiment of the automatic fillet weld tracing mechanism of this invention in which A and B are the materials to be welded, which are arranged in parallel and stepwise while C indicates a fillet weld portion and E indicates the gap between the materials to be welded.

The automatic fillet weld tracing mechanism of the preferred embodiment of this invention, shown generally at 1, is attached to a movable car (not indicated in the drawing) by way of an arm 2 to perform fillet welding while moving along the fillet welding line. Conversely, the automatic fillet weld tracing mechanism 1 could be fixed and the welding portion of the materials to be welded moved so as to perform fillet welding. A first proximity sensor S.sub.1, is arranged close (sensing gap=1) to the surface of the material A to be welded and is linked to the reciprocally moving driven member 5 of the first motorized driving mechanism 3 through an adjustable length connecting rod 6. The first motorized driving mechanism 3 consists of a motor M.sub.1, a screw rod 4 which is rotatably driven by the motor M.sub.1, and a reciprocally moving driven member 5 which is engaged with the screw threads of the screw member 4. In this embodiment, the first motorized driving mechanism 3 is attached to a movable car (not shown) by way of the arm 2. The motor M.sub.1 is moved by a signal of the proximity sensor S.sub.1 through an amplifier Am.sub.1 so as to displace the reciprocally moving driven member 5 and make the proximity sensor S.sub.1 always maintain the given sensing gap relative to the surface of the material A to be welded. The second proximity sensor S.sub.2, which is arranged close (sensing gap=1) to the surface of the material B to be welded is linked to the reciprocally moving driven member 9 of the second motorized driving mechanism 7. The second motorized driving mechanism consists of a motor M.sub.2, a screw rod 8 rotatably driven thereby and the reciprocally moving driven member 9, by way of an adjustable length connecting rod 10, as in the case of the first proximity sensor S.sub.1. The motor M.sub.2 is operated by the signal of the second proximity sensor S.sub.2 through an amplifier Am.sub.2 so as to maintain the given sensing gap relative to the surface of the material B to be welded.

A supporting arm 11 is projectingly fixed to the reciprocally moving driven member 5 of the first motorized driving mechanism 3 of the first proximity sensor S.sub.1, and to the second motorized driving mechanism 7 of the second proximity sensor S.sub.2. A welding torch T, and a driving mechanism 12 to displace the welding torch T in relation with the second proximity sensor S.sub.2, are attached to the second motorized driving mechanism 7 of the second proximity sensor S.sub.2. A screw rod 13 of the driving mechanism 12 displaces the reciprocally moving driven member 14 by rotation of the screw rod 13 through a differential mechanism 16 consisting of a gear train driven by screw rod 8. Therefore, the welding torch T, attached to the driven member 14 by way of adjustable length connecting rod 15, is reciprocally displaced with a given ratio (for example 1/2 to 1/4) depending upon the displacement of the second proximity sensor S.sub.2 and the gear ratio of the differential 16.

The welding torch T is pivotally fixed to the distal end of the connecting rod 15. Fine adjustment of the position of the torch T in the longitudinal direction of the rod 15 is provided by adjusting screw 18 which adjusts the length of the rod 15, and fine adjustment of the angle of pivoting is provided by the adjusting screw 17.

The manner of operation of this embodiment of the automatic fillet weld tracing mechanism of this invention is explained below.

The first and the second proximity sensors S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 are positioned with a given sensing gap respective of the surfaces of materials A and B to be welded, and the welding torch T is set to the aiming spot of the fillet weld by adjusting the length, setting angle, etc., of the connecting rod 15. Fillet welding operation as normally performed, is implemented after the above setting and automatic tracing by the welding torch when distortions arise in the materials A and B to be welded due to the heat of the welding torch T during the welding operation will be explained hereunder. Suppose that a gap E arises due to the expansion of the material B to be welded, and the gap E grows as large as 5 mm. In this case, assuming that the ratio of the differential movement between the second motorized driving mechanism 7 and the driving mechanism 12 is set to 1/2, the proximity sensor S.sub.2 moves up by a distance corresponding to the increase in the gap E, or 5 mm, because the sensor S.sub.2 operates so as to maintain the given sensing gap relative to the surface of the material B to be welded. The welding torch T on the other hand, moves due to the upward movement of the proximity sensor S.sub.2, by a distance of 2.5 mm upwards resulting in the aiming spot of the torch T moving to the middle position of the gap E.

Suppose that the gap E is 5 mm, as above, and the material A to be welded expands by 3 mm to reduce the gap E to 2 mm. In this case the proximity sensor S.sub.1 will rise 3 mm by following the deformation of the surface of the material A to be welded. Accompanying this rise, the second motorized driving mechanism 7, which is attached to the supporting arm 11 protrudingly attached to the reciprocally moving driven member 5 of the first motorized driving mechanism 3, is also raised for 3 mm. However, the proximity sensor S.sub.2 will remain at its original position because it is operative to maintain the given sensing gap relative to the material B to be welded. Therefore, the sensor S.sub.2 moves 3 mm lower relative to the driving mechanism 7. The welding torch T, which is arranged to move at a predetermined ratio, such as 1/2, with the proximity sensor S.sub.2, moves a distance of 1.5 mm lower. The movement of the above first and second sensors S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 and the welding torch T are expressed mathematically relative to the surface of the material to be welded A, as follows:

movement of S.sub.1 : 3 mm (upward movement)

movement of S.sub.2 : 5 mm+3 mm-3 mm=5 mm

(holding the same position relative to B)

movement of T : 2.5 mm+3 mm-1.5 mm=4 mm

(upward movement)

This indicates clearly that the aiming spot of the welding torch T is set at the mid point of the gap E (in this case E=2 mm), and good welding may be performed.

The operation of the tracing mechanism of the preferred embodiment of this invention has been described in two stages in relation with the deformation of materials A and B to be welded. However, the respective mechanisms begin to operate simultaneously with the signals issued from proximity sensors S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 and the movement is performed continuously to the given position.

As explained above, the automatic fillet weld tracing mechanism of this invention completely attains the object of tracing the displacement of the welding torch corresponding to the change of the gap between the materials to be fillet welded so as to automatically hold the aiming post of the welding torch always in a fixed relative position corresponding to a change of the gap (for example the mid point of the gap).

Obviously, numerous modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.