Automatic Welder Control System

The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for performing welding operations, and more particularly to such apparatus having weld quality detection sensors provide responsive outputs as well as input controls for operation of the welder.

Previously known welding apparatus have been adapted to sense weld quality. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,542,277, 4,684,778 and 4,861,959 to Dimitrios G. Cecil disclose a welding apparatus in which linear displacement of the electrodes provides position or condition signals for transfer to indicator devices. However, such apparatus have limited utility to the extent that they do not identify particular conditions before welding operation takes place. In addition, the known apparatus require constant monitoring by a user in order to ascertain the results of each welding step.

The present invention overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages by providing a control system operative in response to linear displacement of at least one welding electrode in order to control and report upon individual and collective welding operation results. The user determines weld gun data and quality specifications to be used during the welding operation. The present invention permits fit up of the metal before welder current is applied to the electrode. For example, linear displacement of the electrode can be used to determine whether a workpiece has been provided for welding, whether a workpiece to be attached is positioned on the workpiece, and whether more than one attachment is positioned for attachment to the workpiece. Moreover, the system provides a report as to whether a good weld has been made in real time, whether any expulsion has occurred around the weld, whether the weld has been made on a reinforced or unreinforced portion of the workpiece, whether penetration has been delayed after application of the welding current and whether the weld has occurred at an edge rather than on the attachment to be attached to the workpiece. Furthermore, the system detects whether an electrode has been stuck to the attachment or the workpiece after the welding operation has been terminated.

The present invention also provides a calibration feature for a desired position of the welding electrode tip. In addition, electrode tip wear is estimated or calibrated and collected for retrieval as desired. Moreover, the system of the present invention automatically compensates for tip wear through the operation of a production welding run.

These and other features of the present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Although a particular welding operation is described it will be understood that the present invention is not so limited and that a person of ordinary skill in the art would find it obvious to modify the teachings of the present invention to other welding operations, and the present invention is to be understood as not limited to the detailed features of the preferred embodiment.

The present invention will be better understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a welding, apparatus constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a graphical representation of welding performance in and monitoring provided by the present invention;

FIGS. 3-24 and 50 define flow charts for system operation as engoverned by a program logic controller;

FIGS. 25-48 are display screens related to the present invention;

FIG. 49 is a schematic diagram of a trigger circuit used in practicing the present invention;

FIG. 51 is a time line graph of selected procedures in the process of the present invention; and

FIG. 52 is a schematic diagram of a pneumatic system employed in the present invention.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a welding system 10 is there shown incorporating a weld gun apparatus 12, microprocessor control unit 14 and a programmable logic controller 16. Although the system of the present invention does not require a programmable logic controller, and may operate as a stand alone system, there are particular advantages to employing a programmable logic controller with the present. In particular, a programmable logic controller 16 may control the overall assembly of operation of which the welding function is only a part. As a result, the approach of workpieces, the rejection of workpieces due to poor quality and other inspection techniques may be enhanced by use of the present invention together with the other inputs an outputs used with the programmable logic controller to control a production process.

In the preferred embodiment, the control 14 may employ any standard industrial computer such as an IBM 7552 AT type computer. In addition to the microprocessing capabilities of the computer, the system includes a particular analog to digital (A/D) with an interface such as a Metrabyte STA-16 for communicating from the trigger circuit or welding sensor LVDT with the microprocessor. In addition, the input/output board is coupled by an interface such as a Metrabyte STA-U coupled with an opto 22 PB16T acting as a relay isolating the real time signals from the PLC to the computer operation.

The weld gun 12 is similar in many respects to the weld gun apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,861,959, 4,684,778 and 4,542,277, and those disclosures are incorporated by reference to the extent necessary to understand details of the operation of the apparatus. However, for the sake of describing the present invention, additional components or portions of the device will be described below. In general, the welding gun in the preferred embodiment differs from the previously known apparatus in that it includes a single electrode mounted for sliding movement with the cylinder or the piston. Rather, the workpiece 20 to which a balance strip 22 is to be welded will be grounded to form the other electrode of the welding apparatus. Moreover, the details of the position on the workpiece 20 such as the turbine rotors shown in the preferred embodiment will be determined by other portions of the assembly apparatus (not shown) which are controlled by the programmable logic controller 16.

The gun 12 comprises a weld cylinder 30 whose piston 32 carries an electrode 34. A sensor mechanism 36 is secured to the cylinder 30 in a manner substantially as shown in the previously discussed patents. This apparatus is carried by a bracket 36 mounted to the piston 38 of a sender cylinder 40. The sender cylinder 40 prepositions the weld cylinder 30 at a predetermined work station location, and the weld cylinder is maintained in that location throughout the welding procedure by means of a locking cylinder 42 that transversely engages the sender cylinder 40 to lock the piston 38 in its extended position. The bracket 36 supports an extension bracket 44 supported by journal 48 along a rail 50 along each side of the welding cylinder 30. In addition, pilons 52 secured to the extension bracket 44 support a rail 54 engaged in journal supported by the electrode plate 56 to resist twisting of the electrode about the axis of the cylinders.

When the system is first turned on, the system automatically checks the system for proper operation. In particular, the condition of the A/D board, the digital I/0 board, whether a PLC is active, whether the sensor is properly mounted, the condition of trigger board, the system parameters defined, and the active status of a printer. If any fault is detected, the system will indicate the fault and ask the operator to check the interface and to recheck the system until all faults are corrected. On initial installation, parameter errors will be indicated, until all data files, for example weld schedule, gun, quality, etc., have correct data entered and saved.

The apparatus includes a calibrate function which is used to calibrate or zero the gun mounted sensor. Calibration is necessary when the system is started, restarted, when a new tip is installed, when checking tip wear by either confirming or updating the tip wear data, and when estimated tip wear exceeds the limit entered on the quality data screen. The calibrate sequence is reached by setting the apparatus for manual operation. The calibrate/reset alarm button on the control panel is activated. The station is then cleared, and the master part is loaded, aligned and checked, the ground cylinder is advanced, the slide cylinder is advanced and the slide lock cylinder is advanced. If a production part is used it would be less accurate, and the part must be rotated so that there is no weld balance weight strip or welded spot against the weld gun when the weld gun advanced. If a new tip is being installed, the alarm reset/calibrate button is pressed within 10 seconds to register the new tip change. If a new tip change is not registered, an old tip legend appears on a display screen of the industrial computer. The weld cylinder 30 and tooling to a part without a balance weight. No welding operation is commenced at this point. The weld cylinder, the locking cylinder 42 and the sender cylinder 40, the ground electrode cylinder, the master part is unchecked and the data reloaded for operation. The control can then be placed in either manual or automatic operation. Calibration may be done at any time for data collecting. Calibrate position and tip wear is saved in a file for every tip.

The system estimates tip wear continuously. A method of estimation is that the tip wear is determined by the difference between the average fit-up for the first 20 welds after calibration/recalibration, and the average fit-up in the last 20 welds, plus the difference between the original calibration and the recalibration. This method assumes that the part is somewhat uniform with a "constant mean" and that the temperature of the tip is constant such that the length of the tip is constant. Thermally caused tip length changes are insignificant. The tip wear file is updated and the amount of tip wear is displayed on each subsequent "recalibration" or tip replacement by flashing a message on the display screen. After welding a part, a summary screen will appear on the display indicating any plurality of weld features that may have been selected initially including the total number of parts made during the day, the number of quality parts, percentage of quality parts, total welds made, percentage of good welds, the number of good welds and the number of bad welds, good welds with explusion, the number of welds below tolerance, the number of welds above tolerance, the number of welds with under displacement, and the number and percentages of parts with each of a predetermined number of welds. In the preferred embodiment, the part may be provided with zero, one or two welds. However, up to 30 groups of welds per part could be performed with the same apparatus as menu selectable by the user. As limited by the preferred embodiments use of QB - 4.5 language.

An alarm light is used to notify the operator of a faulty product or faulty condition situation. The system permits such a condition to stop the operation. Examples of such situations include a number of successive good welds with explusion which exceed a predetermined limit, a number of successive bad welds exceeds a predetermined number, a number of successive edge welds exceeds a predetermined limit, the tip wear limit is at 100% or other user selected limit in which case the program automatically calls for recalibration or tip replacement, the number of successive underdisplacements beyond a predetermined number, the number of successive "overmaterial thickness limit" warnings beyond a predetermined number, the number of successive "undermaterial thickness limit" occurrences exceeding a predetermined number, a fit-up position at or near the calibration position indicating that no balance strip is detected or fit-up position beyond tolerance indicating the double strip situation. Alarm conditions are also generated for gun sensor "out of position" as when the gun is stuck by a weld to the workpiece. The alarm is also actuated for a fit-up position grossly past the calibration position as were an electrode tip or workpieces missing. Furthermore, a system fault will also be indicated as an alarm condition. The system will not "alarm and/or shut down" with a partially welded part. If the number set on the quality specification screen is reached on the first weld of a strip which requires two welds, the second weld will be made before the "alarm/shut down" will occur. The first five conditions refer to above will generate a stoppage at the end of a production cycle. The six latter conditions will stop and hold the position immediately for the operator to continue welding or to correct a condition of the fault source. When an alarm occurs, the screen indicates what kind of problem has been detected and pushing the "reset alarm" actuator will cause the system to recheck.

A first mode of operation is in the apparatus with a PLC, the apparatus 10 will analyze the quality of the welds in real time while integrating with the PLC for control and operation. When the program has started, a "prephase" screen will appear. The "alarm reset" button must be pressed to continue the program the system's "check" screen will appear to verify that all system elements are functional. Any fault present will be displayed on the screen of the industrial computer. The operator then presses the "alarm reset" button to continue the program. The first item to be done is the calibration. The calibration is performed according to the following discussion regarding critical parameters. However once the calibration has been completed, the "mode select" screen will appear for mode input. The operator then presses the "alarm reset" button and the operation sequence will repeat automatically.

The operation sequence involves a monitor checking to assure that the weld gun is "home". If home, the "gun home" signal is delivered to the PLC. Once the "reset" signal is on, a monitor will read the number of welds from the digital I/O and will wait for the "request fit-up check" signal from the PLC. When the "request fit-up check" is received, the apparatus will scan the sensor while the gun moves, and will determine the "fit-up" of the balance weld strip. If there is not "part missing", the material thickness limit condition indicating under or over a predetermined limit, the computer signals the PLC with a fit-up ok. signal designated as "FIT UP OK".

When the fit-up is ok a "fit-up ok" is displayed on the screen, and this is immediately followed by a "start weld" signal to the weldtronic control and "ready" signal from the computer will turn off. The apparatus awaits a "trigger" signal from the welding transformer. Once the trigger is "activated", the monitor scans the sensor at the rate of 1800 samples per second. Once the first weld is completed, the monitor checks the "gun home" position again and outputs the "gun home" ok signal. The weld analysis is then performed on a graph of the "tip/piston rod movement versus time" will be displayed on the screen. The monitor outputs a "ready" signal to the PLC and awaits the next weld. In the second weld, the monitor repeats the same routine as in the first procedure. After the second weld is completed, the monitor evaluates the quality of the welding of that particular part and displays a summary report. In addition, the monitor outputs a "reject part" signal if necessary, checks for "gun home" signals, saves "weld data" and prints out a "bad weld" report if any. When completed, the "ready" signal from the monitor will be on again indicating to the PLC that the monitor is ready for the next part. The above described sequence is a typical operation for welding a part with two welds, and it will be understood that a single weld will be performed if a one weld operation has been selected. When a system error occurs, the system pauses, and displays an error message on the display screen. The operator then copies the error code and presses the calibrate/reset alarm button to continue. If the error is not "fatal" the system will recover. If the system fails to get out of the "system fault" additional technical support must be sought. The operator panel lights indicate why a machine may stop operating. If a "red" alarm light is "on", and the problem is monitored by the system, a message will be shown on the display screen.

In FIG. 2, the dotted line represents electrode displacement where delayed penetration has occurred in a vane weld and a good weld resulted because displacement was within the required specifications. The elongated dashed line demonstrates a weld in which delayed penetration occurred and the displacement was under the limit required for a good weld. The triple dash phantom line designates an edge weld which did not properly join the balance strip to the turbine. The double dash phantom line represents a good vane weld occurring under the desired specifications. The single dash phantom line demonstrates the displacement of a good weld with explusion, thus designating a part which must be cleaned of the explusion material before further production continues. The short dashed lines indicate a good weld occurring where delayed penetration has occurred. The solid line designates a typical good weld.

Having thus described the present invention, many modifications thereto will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which it pertains without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.