Method and welding device for connecting sheets of material

• US 8,002,165 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Leister Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Leister Process Technologies
• Inventors: Zurbuchen, Reto, Gubler, Ulrich
• Primary Examiner(s): STONER, KILEY SHAWN
• Application Number:
  US12/741,394
• Publication Number:
  US 20100268372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 228/102
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/10 using hot gases (e.g. combustion gases) or flames coming in contact with at least one of the parts to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/20 with direct contact, e.g. using "mirror"
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/72 by combined operations or combined techniques, e.g. welding and stitching
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/1122 Single lap to lap joints, i.e. overlap joints B29C66/45, B29C66/472, B29C66/52272 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/43 Joining a relatively small portion of the surface of said articles B29C66/45 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/836 Moving relative to and tangentially to the parts to be joined, e.g. transversely to the displacement of the parts to be joined, e.g. using a X-Y table B29C66/65 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/86521 being self-propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/86535 by the edge of one of the parts to be joined or by a groove between the parts to be joined, e.g. using a roller
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/98 Determining the joining area by using markings on at least one of the parts to be joined
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/108 Roofs
• CPC Class Codes: E04D 15/04 for roof coverings comprising slabs, sheets or flexible material
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for connecting material webs disposed with overlapping edges, wherein an automatic welding machine having a driven chassis and a drive unit disposed thereon and a welding unit is guided along the overlap zone of the material webs to be connected, such that the carried welding unit connects the edges to be connected to one another. The invention further relates to an automatic welding machine for performing the method. The invention proposes that a temporary guide marking moving along with the chassis be generated along the edge of the overlapping material web by means of a marking unit disposed on the chassis, said guide marking always extending parallel to the edge and prescribing the path of the automatic welding machine on the overlapping material web and that the guide marking be detected by means of a sensor device during the movement of the automatic welding machine, wherein a control signal is generated for a display unit and/or the drive unit and the chassis is movable along the guide marking by means of the control signal.

Claims

1. A method for connecting material webs arranged with overlapping edges, in which an automatic welder which has a carriage, a drive unit and a welding device, is guided along an overlapping zone of the material webs to be connected, whereby the edges to be connected are connected to each other by the welding device, wherein a temporary guide marking moving with the carriage along the edge of the overlapping material web and prescribing a movement track of the automatic welder is generated on the overlapped material web by means of a marking device arranged on the automatic welder, and the guide marking is detected during the movement of the automatic welder by a sensor device whereupon a control signal is produced for a display unit and/or for a steering unit and the automatic welder is always movable precisely along the movement track prescribed by the generated guide marking by means of the control signal.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the overlapping zone is illuminated from the direction of the overlapping material web with a light source as marking device and a hard shadow starting from the edge of the overlapping material web is generated on the overlapped material web, which serves as guide marking.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein an opto-electronic sensor is used as sensor device.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the light source and the sensor are synchronously clocked.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein the overlapping zone is protected in the marking area of the marking device from stray light from the environment by means of a shutter device provided on the carriage.

6. An automatic welder for connecting material webs arranged with overlapping edges, having a carriage, a drive unit and a welding device, the carriage being guidable along an overlapping zone of the material webs to be connected and the edges to be connected being connectable by means of the welding device, wherein by a marking device by means of which a temporary guide marking, moving together with the carriage and prescribing a movement track of the automatic welder can be generated on the overlapped material web along the edge of the overlapping material web, and a sensor device with which the guide marking can be detected during the movement of the automatic welder, so that a control signal for a display unit and/or for a steering unit can be produced, with which the automatic welder is always movable precisely along the movement track prescribed by the guide marking, wherein

the marking device and the sensor device have a different lateral distance from the guide marking,

the sensor device comprises an opto-electronic sensor which retrieves the guide marking vertically from above,

the marking device has a light source which locally illuminates the overlapping zone of the material webs from the direction of the overlapping material web at an angle,

the light source produces a hard shadow along the edge serving as the guide marking,

the drive unit has a steering unit which can be influenced by the control signal from the sensor device, and

the automatic welder has a shutter device, which is arranged on the carriage jointly surrounding or overlapping the marking device and the sensor device.

9. An automatic welder according to claim 6, wherein the shutter device has a lateral wall which extends to the material webs.

10. An automatic welder according to claim 6, wherein the shutter device is a protective hood against stray light.

7. An automatic welder for connecting material webs arranged with overlapping edges, having a carriage, a drive unit and a welding device, the carriage being guidable along an overlapping zone of the material webs to be connected and the edges to be connected being connectable by means of the welding device, wherein by a marking device by means of which a temporary guide marking, moving together with the carriage and prescribing a movement track of the automatic welder can be generated on the overlapped material web along the edge of the overlapping material web, and a sensor device with which the guide marking can be detected during the movement of the automatic welder, so that a control signal for a display unit and/or for a steering unit can be produced, with which the automatic welder is always movable precisely along the movement track prescribed by the guide marking, wherein the automatic welder has a shutter device, which is arranged on the carriage jointly surrounding or overlapping the marking device and the sensor device, while the shutter device has a lateral wall which extends to the material webs.

8. An automatic welder according to claim 7, wherein the shutter device is a protective hood against stray light.