Ring Gear Based Welding System

• US 20110186615A1
• Filed: 02/02/2010
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GIL Holdings, LLC (Technip Energies NV)
• Original Assignee: GIL Holdings, LLC (Technip Energies NV)
• Inventors: Stewart, Charles, Gatlin, Robert W., Sykes, Ian
• Granted Patent: US 8,916,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 228/102
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0286 with an electrode moving around the fixed tube during the welding operation
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/121 Devices for the automatic supply of at least two electrodes one after the other

Abstract

A welding system having a traveling base carriage, a carriage positioning mechanism engaging the base carriage; and a ring gear assembly mounted on the base carriage. The ring gear assembly will include: (i) two half ring sections, each having at least one gear track; (ii) a ring gear mount attaching each of the half ring sections to the base carriage, where the ring gear mounts allow the half ring sections to separate and guide the half ring sections into mating engagement. The system further includes at least one weld head assembly mounted on the ring gear assembly. The weld head assembly includes: i) a welding torch; ii) a torch positioner, and iii) a position sensor. A system controller is programmed to control at least the carriage positioning mechanism and the weld head assembly in order to perform the steps of: (i) setting a velocity of the base carriage to approximate the pipe joint'"'"'s lateral movement in order to maintain the position of the weld head assembly approximately at the pipe joint; and (ii) adjusting a path of the welding torch to accommodate a geometry of the pipe joint as detected by the position sensor.

Claims

1. A welding system comprising:

a. a traveling base carriage;

b. a carriage positioning mechanism engaging the base carriage;

c. a ring gear assembly mounted on the base carriage, the ring gear assembly comprising;

i. two half ring sections, each including at least one gear track;

ii. a ring gear mount attaching each of the half ring sections to the base carriage, the ring gear mounts allowing the half ring sections to separate and guiding the half ring sections into mating engagement;

d. at least one weld head assembly mounted on the ring gear assembly, the weld head assembly including;

i) a welding torch;

ii) a torch positioner, and iii) a position sensor;

e. a system controller programmed to control at least the carriage positioning mechanism and the weld head assembly to perform the following steps;

i. setting a velocity of the base carriage to approximate the pipe joint'"'"'s lateral movement in order to maintain the position of the weld head assembly approximately at the pipe joint; and

ii. adjusting a path of the welding torch to accommodate a geometry of the pipe joint as detected by the position sensor.

2. The welding system according to claim 1, wherein the ring gear mounts comprise tracks positioned on the base carriage and guide rails positioned on the half ring sections.

3. The welding system according to claim 2, wherein the half ring sections each include upper and lower extension arms to which the guide rails are attached.

4. The welding system according to claim 2, wherein the ring gear mounts comprising a first track positioned between said base carriage and a mounting plate, and a second track positioned on the mounting plate and being substantially perpendicular to the first track.

5. The welding system according to claim 4, wherein the second track is positioned horizontally such that extension arms of the half ring sections may travel along the second track.

6. The welding system according to claim 1, wherein the half ring sections have mating surfaces and guide members in order to align the gear tracks on the half ring sections.

7. The welding system according to claim 6, wherein the guide members are formed on the mating surfaces.

8. The welding system according to claim 7, wherein the guide member on a mating surface of one half ring assembly is an extending pin and the guide member on a mating surface of the other half ring assembly is an aperture sized to receive the extending pin

9. The welding system according to claim 1, wherein the system controller is further programmed to:

i. detect a pipe joint along a line of pipe sections; and

ii. simultaneously scan of the pipe joint with the position sensor and weld the pipe joint with the welding torch.

10. The welding system according to claim 1, the controller further performing the step of moving the base carriage along a pipe section until a pipe joint is detected and then tracking the pipe joint with the weld head assembly positioned approximately at the pipe joint.

11. The welding system according to claim 1, wherein the weld head assembly comprises a first torch positioner moving the welding torch in a radial direction and a second torch positioner moving the welding torch in a lateral direction.

12. The welding system according to claim 11, wherein a third positioner engages a gear on the ring gear assembly and moves the weld head assembly in an angular direction.

13. The welding system according to claim 10, wherein the base carriage moves independently of the pipe sections.

14. The welding system according to claim 10, further comprising a joint sensor spaced apart from the weld head assembly which detects the pipe joint.

15. A welding system comprising:

a. a traveling base carriage;

b. a carriage positioning mechanism engaging the base carriage;

c. a ring gear assembly mounted on the base carriage;

d. at least one weld head assembly mounted on the ring gear assembly, the weld head assembly including;

i) a welding torch;

ii) a torch positioner, and iii) a position sensor;

e. a system controller programmed to control at least the carriage positioning mechanism and the weld head assembly to perform the following steps;

i. detecting a pipe joint along a line of pipe sections;

ii. setting a velocity of the base carriage to approximate the pipe joint'"'"'s lateral movement in order to maintain the position of the weld head assembly approximately at the pipe joint;

iii. simultaneously scanning of the pipe joint with the position sensor and welding of the pipe joint with the welding torch; and

iv. adjusting a path of the welding torch to accommodate a geometry of the pipe joint as detected by the position sensor.

16. The welding system according to claim 15, further comprising a joint sensor spaced apart from the weld head assembly which detects the pipe joint.

17. The welding system according to claim 15, further comprising re-scanning a weld for defects with the position sensor as the weld head assembly returns to a start position.

18. The welding system according to claim 15, the controller further performing the step of moving the base carriage along a pipe section until a pipe joint is detected and then tracking the pipe joint with the weld head assembly positioned approximately at the pipe joint.

20. The welding system according to claim 15, wherein the weld head assembly comprises a laser welding torch.

21. The welding system according to claim 20, wherein the weld head assembly has a single laser welding torch.

22. The welding system according to claim 21, wherein the weld head assembly traverses a substantially full orbit around the ring gear assembly.

23. The welding system according to claim 16, wherein the base carriage includes a floor plate and the joint sensor comprises a camera mounted on the floor plate.

24. The welding system according to claim 15, wherein support rollers are positioned on either side of the traveling base carriage and a rotation sensor detects the lateral travel of a pipe section.

25. The welding system according to claim 15, wherein the controller detects the pipe joint base upon a signal from the position sensor.

19. (canceled)

26-31. -31. (canceled)