System for characterizing manual welding operations

• US 10,347,154 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2018
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Boulware, Paul Christopher, Conrardy, Christopher C., Clark, Douglas A., Forquer, M. William
• Primary Examiner(s): Fletcher, Jerry-Daryl
• Application Number:
  US16/021,576
• Publication Number:
  US 20180308391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 376 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0956 using sensing means, e.g. optical
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/10 Other electric circuits therefor; Protective circuits; Remote controls
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/02 with visual presentation of the material to be studied, e.g. using film strip

Abstract

A system for characterizing manual welding exercises and providing valuable training to welders that includes components for generating, capturing, and processing data. The data generating component further includes a fixture, workpiece, at least one calibration devices each having at least two point markers integral therewith, and a welding tool. The data capturing component further includes an imaging system for capturing images of the point markers and the data processing component is operative to receive information from the data capturing component and perform various position and orientation calculations.

Claims

1. A method of characterizing a manual welding operation, said method comprising:

providing a plurality of welding parameters for a manual welding operation to a data processing component;

providing a workpiece to be welded by said manual welding operation;

mounting said workpiece on a weld platform of a stand structure, said weld platform including a plurality of first point markers positioned in a predetermined pattern;

capturing at least one image of said first point markers on said weld platform;

using a calibrating tool to identify a position and orientation of an operational path for said manual welding operation;

providing a welding tool having a plurality of second point markers, where said second point markers are positioned in a predetermined pattern;

defining a rigid body based on said plurality of second point markers on said welding tool;

manually welding said workpiece with said welding tool;

capturing a plurality of images of said second point markers on said welding tool during said manual welding operation;

processing said at least one image of said first point markers on said weld platform and data regarding said calibrating tool to determine the position and orientation of said operational path of said manual welding operation;

processing said plurality of images of said second point markers on said welding tool to determine an orientation and position of said welding tool during said manual welding operation; and

determining each of a welding tool work angle, welding tool travel angle, welding tool travel speed, bead placement and welding tool standoff distance for said manual welding operation based on said determined orientation and position of said welding tool and said determined position and orientation of said operational path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising placing said calibrating tool in physical contact with said work-piece.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising emitting light from said plurality of second point markers on said welding tool.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising clamping said workpiece to said weld platform for said manual welding operation.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing each of said determined work angle, travel angle, travel speed, bead placement and tool standoff distance to upper and lower thresholds for each of said work angle, travel angle, travel speed, bead placement and tool standoff distance, respectively, and displaying said comparison.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising predetermining each of said upper and lower thresholds for each of said work angle, travel angle, travel speed, bead placement and tool standoff distance.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a performance score for said manual welding operation, and where said performance score is determined using each of said determined work angle, travel angle, travel speed, bead placement and tool standoff distance.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing each of said determined work angle, travel angle, travel speed, bead placement and tool standoff distance to a preferred value for each of said work angle, travel angle, travel speed, bead placement and tool standoff distance, respectively.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of said processing steps uses a frame-by-frame point cloud analysis.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a quality of a weld created by said manual welding operation.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a three-dimensional position and orientation of at least one of the operational path and the welding tool.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining global coordinates for said operational path.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said calibrating tool includes at least one third point marker, and using captured images of said at least one third point marker on said calibrating tool to determine said operational path.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of first point markers on said weld platform and said plurality of second point markers on said welding tool are active point markers.