Resistance welding monitor

• US 5,343,011 A
• Filed: 07/30/1993
• Issued: 08/30/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryudo, Makoto, Goto, Yasuhiro, Ihara, Hideki, Fujii, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaw, Clifford C.
• Application Number:
  US08/099,360
• Time in Patent Office: 396 Days
• Field of Search: 219/109, 219/110, 219/108
• US Class Current: 219/109
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/257 the measured parameter being an electrical current
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/258 the measured parameter being a voltage

Abstract

A welding voltage output from a power source of a resistance welder is derived on the basis of a welding current and an interelectrode voltage, and diameter of a nugget which is formed in a sheetlike work to be welded is estimated on the basis of the welding current, the welding voltage, data of material constant and a thickness of the sheetlike work, subsequently, the estimated diameter of nugget is composed with a target diameter of nugget, and thereby quality of the resistance welding is determined.

Claims

1. A resistance welding monitor comprising:

input means for inputting data representing material characteristics of a material of a work to be welded, data representing a thickness of said work and data representing the shape of a pair of electrodes of a resistance welder,

a current sensor for detecting a welding current in welding operation,

welding voltage detection means for detecting a welding voltage which is a true output voltage of a power source of said resistance welder, on the basis of said welding current and said interelectrode voltage, detected by interelectrode voltage measuring means for measuring an interelectrode voltage received through a pair of coupling wire from said pair of electrodes,

calculation means for deriving a contact diameter which is a diameter of a current-pass between said electrode and work and an interplate current-pass diameter which is a diameter of a contact part of plural plates of said work, on the basis of an electrode resistance of the resistance of said electrode, a contact resistance of a resistance between said electrode and the surface of the work and a work resistance which is a ratio between said welding voltage and said welding current,

means for deriving a temperature distribution in said work on the basis of said welding voltage, welding current, contact diameter and interplate current pass diameter,

nugget diameter calculation means for deriving a nugget diameter which is formed between said plural plates on the basis of said temperature distribution,

input means for inputting data of a reference nugget diameter of a target diameter, and

comparison means for comparing said nugget diameter with said reference nugget diameter and for outputting a comparison result.

2. A resistance welding monitor in accordance with claim 1, wherein

said comparison means comprises means for outputting a control signal corresponding to said comparison result.

3. A resistance welding monitor in accordance with claim 2, wherein

said means for outputting said control signal comprises control means for changing responding to a control signal output from said comparison means at least one of a welding pressure of said electrodes, said welding current and a time length for flowing said welding current, thereby determining a welding condition in resistance welding.

4. A resistance welding monitor in accordance with claim 1, wherein

said calculation means comprises means for deriving nugget diameters at every successive welding operation, and for calculating an average of plural nugget diameters derived by said successive welding operations.

5. A resistance welding monitor in accordance with claim 1, wherein

said calculation means comprises means for deriving nugget diameters at every successive welding operation, for deriving a regression line on the basis of a variation of said nugget diameters of said successive welding operations, and for deriving a nugget diameter on the basis of said regression line.

6. A resistance welding monitor in accordance with claim 1, wherein

said calculation means comprises means for deriving nugget diameters every successive welding operation, for dividing said derived plural nugget diameters in plural groups in the order of a time sequence, for deriving an average in each group, for deriving a regression line of said average on the basis of the variation of said average, and for deriving a nugget diameter on the basis of said regression line.

7. A welding voltage measuring apparatus of a resistance welder comprising:

a current sensor for detecting a welding current and for outputting a detected voltage,

interelectrode voltage detection means for detecting an interelectrode voltage across a pair of electrodes of said resistance welder,

first calculation means for deriving a ratio of said detected voltage to said interelectrode voltage at a point of time of the rise edge of said welding current,

second calculation means for multiplying one of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage by said ratio derived by said first calculation means, and for equalizing both values of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage at said point of time of the rise edge, and

third calculation means for deriving a voltage difference between said equalized detected voltage and interelectrode voltage.

8. A welding voltage measuring apparatus of a direct current resistance welder comprising:

a current sensor for detecting a welding current and for outputting a detected voltage,

interelectrode voltage detection means for detecting an interelectrode voltage across a pair of electrodes of said resistance welder,

first voltage detection means for detecting a first detected voltage and a first interelectrode voltage at a first time immediately after said welding current has changed from decreasing phase to increasing phase,

a second voltage detection means for detecting a second detected voltage and a second interelectrode voltage at a second time point immediately before said welding current will change from decreasing phase to increasing phase,

first calculation means for deriving a first absolute value of a difference between said first detected voltage and said second detected voltage, and a second absolute voltage of a difference between said first interelectrode voltage and said second interelectrode voltage, and deriving a ratio of said first absolute value to said second absolute value,

second calculation means for equalizing both the values of said detected voltage and said interelectrode at one of said first time and said second time by multiplying one of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage by said ratio, and

third calculation means for deriving a voltage difference between said equalized detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage.

9. A welding voltage measuring apparatus of a direct current resistance welder in accordance with claim 8, wherein

said voltage detection means detects a first detected voltage and a first interelectrode voltage at a first point of time in increasing phase of said welding current and a second detected voltage and a second interelectrode voltage at a second point of time in decreasing phase of said welding current,

first calculation means derives a first absolute value of a difference of said first detected voltage and a second detected voltage and a second absolute voltage of a difference between said first interelectrode voltage and said second interelectrode voltage, and derives a ratio of said first absolute value and second absolute value,

second calculation means equalizes both the values of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage at one of said first time point and said second point of time by multiplying one of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage by said ratio, and

third calculation means derives a voltage difference between said equalized detected voltage and interelectrode voltage.

10. A welding voltage measuring apparatus of a direct current resistance welder in accordance with claim 8, wherein

said voltage detection means detects a variation of said detected voltage and a variation of said interelectrode voltage at a point of time at which said welding current changes from decreasing phase to increasing phase,

first calculation means derives a ratio of a variation of said detected voltage to a variation of said interelectrode voltage,

second calculation means equalizes both the values of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage at said time point by multiplying one of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage by said ratio, and

third calculation means derives a voltage difference between said equalized detected voltage and interelectrode voltage.

11. A welding voltage measuring apparatus of a direct current resistance welder in accordance with claim 8, wherein

said voltage detection means detects a variation between said detected voltage and a variation of said interelectrode voltage at a point of time at which said welding current changes from increasing phase to decreasing phase,

first calculation means derives a ratio of a variation of said detected voltage to a variation of said interelectrode voltage,

second calculation means equalizes both the values of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage at said time point by multiplying one of said detected voltage and said interelectrode voltage by said ratio, and

third calculation means derives a voltage difference between said equalized detected voltage and interelectrode voltage.