Systems, methods, and apparatuses for monitoring weld quality

• US 9,050,679 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2013
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Lincoln Global Incorporated (Lincoln Electric Holdings Incorporated)
• Inventors: Daniel, Joseph A., Chantry, Bruce J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, CUONG B
• Application Number:
  US14/045,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20140027425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 614 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 31/02 relating to soldering or welding dip or wave soldering in the manufacture of printed circuits H05K3/34
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 31/12 relating to investigating the properties, e.g. the weldability, of materials
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/095 Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0953 using computing means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0956 using sensing means, e.g. optical
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools

Abstract

An arc welder including an integrated monitor is disclosed. The monitor is capable of monitoring variables during a welding process and weighting the variables accordingly, quantifying overall quality of a weld, obtaining and using data indicative of a good weld, improving production and quality control for an automated welding process, teaching proper welding techniques, identifying cost savings for a welding process, and deriving optimal welding settings to be used as pre-sets for different welding processes or applications.

Claims

1. A method of certifying an operator performing an arc welding process by monitoring an electric arc welder electric arc as the welder is used by said operator to perform said arc welding process by creating actual welding parameters between an advancing wire and a workpiece with said arc welding process controlled by command signals to a power supply of said electric arc welder, said method comprising:

(a) generating a numerical score indicating a quality measurement of a weld formed according to said arc welding process relative to a predetermined baseline weld by;

(a1) generating a series of rapidly repeating wave shapes, each wave shape constituting a weld cycle with a cycle time;

(a2) dividing said wave shapes into states;

(a3) measuring a selected weld parameter occurring in one of said states at an interrogation rate over a period of time to obtain a data set for said selected weld parameter;

(a4) for each period of time, calculating a quality value for said selected weld parameter from said data set;

(a5) comparing each quality value to an expected quality value to determine if a difference between said quality value and said expected quality value exceeds a predetermined threshold;

(a6) if said difference exceeds said threshold, weighting said quality value with a magnitude weight based on said difference, and weighting said quality value with a time contribution weight based on a time contribution of said state to its wave shape; and

(a7) using all of said quality values, including any weighted quality values, obtained during said arc welding process to determine said numerical score;

(b) associating said numerical score with said operator; and

(c) certifying said operator if said numerical score exceeds a predefined certification threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said predefined certification threshold is based at least in part on attributes of the electric arc welder.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said predefined certification threshold is based at least in part on attributes of the arc welding process.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said predefined certification threshold is based at least in part on attributes of an operating environment in which the arc welding process is performed.

5. A method of certifying an operator performing an arc welding process to form a plurality of welds during an evaluation period by monitoring an electric arc welder as the electric arc welder is used by said operator to perform said arc welding process by creating actual welding parameters between an advancing wire and a workpiece with said arc welding process controlled by command signals to a power supply of said electric arc welder, said method comprising:

during said evaluation period;

(a) generating a numerical score indicating a quality measurement of each weld faulted according to said arc welding process relative to a predetermined baseline weld by;

(a1) generating a series of rapidly repeating wave shapes, each wave shape constituting a weld cycle with a cycle time;

(a2) dividing said wave shapes into states;

(a3) measuring a selected weld parameter occurring in one of said states at an interrogation rate over a period of time to obtain a data set for said selected weld parameter;

(a4) for each period of time, calculating a quality value for said selected weld parameter from said data set;

(a5) comparing each quality value to an expected quality value to determine if a difference between said quality value and said expected quality value exceeds a predetermined threshold;

(a6) if said difference exceeds said threshold, weighting said quality value with a magnitude weight based on said difference, and weighting said quality value with a time contribution weight based on a time contribution of said state to its wave shape; and

(a7) using all of said quality values, including any weighted quality values, obtained during said arc welding process to determine said numerical score;

(b) counting a number of times said numerical score is greater than a predefined certification threshold; and

(c) certifying said operator if said number of times is greater than or equal to a predefined certification count.