VIRTUAL TESTING AND INSPECTION OF A VIRTUAL WELDMENT

• US 20110183304A1
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Wallace, Matthew Wayne, Peters, Carl
• Granted Patent: US 8,657,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/234
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools

Abstract

Arc welding simulations that provide simulation of virtual destructive and non-destructive testing and inspection of virtual weldments for training purposes. The virtual testing simulations may be performed on virtual weldments created using a virtual reality welding simulator system (e.g., a virtual reality arc welding (VRAW) system). The virtual inspection simulations may be performed on “pre-canned” (i.e. pre-defined) virtual weldments or using virtual weldments created using a virtual reality welding simulator system. In general, virtual testing may be performed using a virtual reality welding simulator system (e.g., a virtual reality arc welding (VRAW) system), and virtual inspection may be performed using a standalone virtual weldment inspection (VWI) system or using a virtual reality welding simulator system (e.g., a virtual reality arc welding (VRAW) system). However, in accordance with certain enhanced embodiments of the present invention, virtual testing may also be performed on a standalone VWI system.

Claims

1. A system for the virtual testing and inspecting of a virtual weldment, said system comprising:

a programmable processor-based subsystem operable to execute coded instructions, said coded instructions including;

a rendering engine configured to render at least one of a three-dimensional (3D) virtual weldment before simulated testing, a 3D animation of a virtual weldment under simulated testing, and a 3D virtual weldment after simulated testing, and

an analysis engine configured to perform simulated testing of a 3D virtual weldment, and further configured to perform inspection of at least one of a 3D virtual weldment before simulated testing, a 3D animation of a virtual weldment under simulated testing, and a 3D virtual weldment after simulated testing for at least one of pass/fail conditions and defect/discontinuity characteristics;

at least one display device operatively connected to said programmable processor-based subsystem for displaying at least one of a 3D virtual weldment before simulated testing, a 3D animation of a virtual weldment under simulated testing, and a 3D virtual weldment after simulated testing; and

a user interface operatively connected to said programmable processor-based subsystem and configured for at least manipulating an orientation of at least one of a 3D virtual weldment before simulated testing, a 3D animation of a virtual weldment under simulated testing, and a 3D virtual weldment after simulated testing on said at least one display device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said programmable processor-based subsystem includes a central processing unit and at least one graphics processing unit.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said at least one graphics processing unit includes a computer unified device architecture (CUDA) and a shader.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said analysis engine includes at least one of an expert system, a support vector machine (SVM), a neural network, and an intelligent agent.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said analysis engine uses welding code data or welding standards data to analyze at least one of a 3D virtual weldment before simulated testing, a 3D animation of a virtual weldment under simulated testing, and a 3D virtual weldment after simulated testing.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said analysis engine includes programmed virtual inspection tools that can be accessed and manipulated by a user using said user interface to inspect a virtual weldment.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein said simulated testing includes at least one of simulated destructive testing and simulated non-destructive testing.

8. A virtual welding testing and inspecting simulator, said simulator comprising:

means for performing one or more simulated destructive and non-destructive tests on a rendered 3D virtual weldment;

means for analyzing results of said one or more simulated destructive and non-destructive tests on said rendered 3D virtual weldment; and

means for inspecting said rendered 3D virtual weldment at least after a simulated test of said 3D virtual weldment.

9. The simulator of claim 8 further comprising means for rendering a 3D virtual weldment.

10. The simulator of claim 8 further comprising means for rendering a 3D animation of said virtual weldment while performing said one or more simulated destructive and non-destructive tests.

11. The simulator of claim 10 further comprising means for displaying and manipulating an orientation of said 3D animation of said virtual weldment.

12. The simulator of claim 8 further comprising means for inspecting a 3D virtual weldment before, during, and after simulated testing of said 3D virtual weldment.

13. A method of assessing the quality of a rendered baseline virtual weldment in virtual reality space, said method comprising:

subjecting said baseline virtual weldment to a first computer-simulated test configured to test at least one characteristic of said baseline virtual weldment;

rendering a first tested virtual weldment and generating first test data in response to said first test; and

subjecting said first tested virtual weldment and said first test data to a computer-simulated analysis configured to determine at least one pass/fail condition of said first tested virtual weldment with respect to said at least one characteristic.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said first computer-simulated test simulates a real-world destructive test.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said first computer-simulated test simulates a real-world non-destructive test.

16. A method of claim 13 further comprising:

re-rendering said baseline virtual weldment in virtual reality space;

subjecting said baseline virtual weldment to a second computer-simulated test configured to test at least one other characteristic of said baseline virtual weldment;

rendering a second tested virtual weldment and generating second test data in response to said second test; and

subjecting said second tested virtual weldment and said second test data to a computer-simulated analysis configured to determine at least one other pass/fail condition of said second tested virtual weldment with respect to said at least one other characteristic.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said second computer-simulated test simulates a real-world destructive test.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said second computer-simulated test simulates a real-world non-destructive test.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising manually inspecting a displayed version of said rendered first tested virtual weldment.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising manually inspecting a displayed version of said rendered second tested virtual weldment.