System and method of monitoring welding information

• US 10,665,128 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Becker, William Joshua, Beeson, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Paschall, Mark H
• Application Number:
  US14/747,701
• Publication Number:
  US 20150379894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,799 Days
• Field of Search: 21912145, 21912146, 2191241, 21912433, 21912434, 21913021, 219137 R, 219137 PS
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 31/125 Weld quality monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/00 Arc welding or cutting electro-slag welding B23K25/00; welding transformers H01F; welding generators H02K
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0953 using computing means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0956 using sensing means, e.g. optical
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/32 Accessories earthing connections H01R
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 9/00 Simulators for teaching or training purposes for the use of weapons F41; computing aspects G06; protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality H04L67/131

Abstract

A method of operating a welding system includes receiving welding data corresponding to a welding session for a weld, receiving a location selection from an operator, and displaying on a display a graphical representation of welding parameters of the welding selection corresponding to the location selection. The welding data includes welding parameters, including a work angle of a welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch along a path of the weld, an aim of the welding torch, or any combination thereof. The location selection corresponds to a point along the path of the weld traversed by the welding torch.

Claims

1. A method of operating a welding system comprising:

receiving welding data corresponding to a welding session for a weld, wherein the welding data comprises welding parameters, and the welding parameters comprise one or more of a work angle of a welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch along a path of the weld, or an aim of the welding torch;

receiving a location selection from an operator, wherein the location selection corresponds to a point along the path of the weld traversed by the welding torch; and

displaying on a display a graphical representation of the welding parameters of the welding session corresponding to the location selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the welding session comprises a live-arc welding session.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the location selection comprises:

sensing a position and an orientation of the welding torch relative to a workpiece; and

determining the point along the path of the weld, wherein the point corresponds to an intersection of the workpiece and a projected axis extending from an electrode of the welding torch.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving the location selection comprises:

sensing that the welding torch is contacting the workpiece; and

determining the point along the path of the weld, wherein the point corresponds to a contact point between the welding torch and the workpiece.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the welding parameters comprise arc parameters, and the arc parameters comprise a weld voltage, a weld current, a wire feed speed, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the welding session comprises a simulated welding session, a virtual reality welding session, or an augmented reality welding session.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical representation of the welding parameters comprises one or more graphs corresponding to each welding parameter, each graph of the one or more graphs comprises a value of the respective welding parameter with respect to time, and displaying the graphical representation of the welding parameters comprises displaying a time indicator on each graph of the one or more graphs corresponding to a time during the welding session when the welding torch traversed the point associated with the location selection.

8. The method of claim 1, displaying on the display an image of a workpiece, wherein receiving the location selection from the operator comprises receiving an operator selection of the point via a cursor on the display.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying on the display a frame of a video of the welding session corresponding to a time frame during the welding session when the welding torch traversed the point that corresponds to the location selection.

10. A welding system comprising:

a welding torch configured to be directed at a point of a weld formed on a workpiece;

a sensing device configured to sense a position and an orientation of the welding torch relative to the workpiece;

a display;

a memory comprising processor-executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the processor executable instructions, wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise instructions to;

determine the point of the weld at which the welding torch is directed; and

display on the display welding data of a previously performed welding session for the weld that corresponds to the point.

11. The welding system of claim 10, wherein the welding data comprises welding parameters, and the welding parameters comprise a work angle of the welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch, an aim of the welding torch, or any combination thereof.

12. The welding system of claim 10, wherein the welding data comprises arc parameters of the welding session for the weld that correspond to the point, and the arc parameters comprise a weld voltage, a weld current, a wire feed speed, or any combination thereof.

13. The welding system of claim 10, wherein the processor- executable instructions comprise instructions to determine one or more properties of the weld based at least in part on welding parameters or arc parameters of the welding session;

wherein the one or more properties comprise strength, porosity, penetration, hardness, appearance, heat affected zone size, or contamination, or any combination thereof;

wherein the welding parameters comprise one or more of a work angle of the welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch, and an aim of the welding torch, and

wherein the arc parameters comprise a weld voltage, a weld current, a wire feed speed, or any combination thereof.

14. The welding system of claim 10, wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise instructions to display graphical representations of the welding data, wherein the welding data comprise the welding parameters, the arc parameters, or any combination thereof, wherein each graphical representation comprises a value of the respective welding datum with respect to time and a time indicator, wherein the time indicator for each graphical representation corresponds to a time during the welding session when the welding torch traversed the point at which the welding torch is directed.

15. The welding system of claim 10, wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise instructions to display a frame of a video of the welding session corresponding to a time frame during the welding session when the welding torch traversed the point at which the welding torch is directed.

16. The welding system of claim 10, wherein the processor-executable instructions to determine the point of the weld at which the welding torch is directed comprise instructions to sense when the welding torch contacts the weld of the workpiece.

17. A method of operating a welding system comprising:

receiving welding data corresponding to a welding session for a weld, wherein the welding data comprises welding parameters, and the welding parameters comprise one or more of a work angle of a welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch along a path of the weld, and an aim of the welding torch;

determining one or more properties of the weld based at least in part on welding parameters or arc parameters of the welding session, wherein the one or more properties comprise strength, porosity, penetration, hardness, appearance, heat affected zone size, or contamination, or any combination thereof;

receiving a location selection from an operator, wherein the location selection corresponds to a point along the path of the weld traversed by the welding torch; and

displaying on a display the determined one or more properties of the weld corresponding to the location selection, and displaying on the display a graphical representation of the welding parameters of the welding session corresponding to the location selection.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the location selection comprises:

sensing a position and an orientation of the welding torch relative to a workpiece; and

determining the point along the path of the weld, wherein the point corresponds to an intersection of the workpiece and a projected axis extending from an electrode of the welding torch.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising displaying on the display a frame of a video of the welding session corresponding to a time frame during the welding session when the welding torch traversed the point that corresponds to the location selection.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the graphical representation of the welding parameters comprises one or more graphs corresponding to each welding parameter, each graph of the one or more graphs comprises a value of the respective welding parameter with respect to time, and displaying the graphical representation of the welding parameters comprises displaying a time indicator on each graph of the one or more graphs corresponding to a time during the welding session when the welding torch traversed the point associated with the location selection.

21. The method of claim 17, comprising adjusting the one or more determined properties of the weld based at least in part on testing performed on the weld.