Calibration devices for a welding training system

• US 9,666,100 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Becker, William J., Pfeifer, Kyle A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Utama, Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fletcher, Jerry-Daryl
• Application Number:
  US13/837,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20140272836A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 434219, 434234, 434260
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/252 using digital means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/253 the measured parameter being a displacement or a position
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools

Abstract

A welding training system includes a welding surface, a computer configured to execute a welding training software, and a calibration device. The welding training system also includes a sensor communicatively coupled to the computer and configured to sense a position of the calibration device, an orientation of the calibration device, or some combination thereof. The sensor is also configured to provide calibration data to the welding training software to calibrate a location of the welding surface relative to the sensor. The calibration data includes the position of the calibration device, the orientation of the calibration device, or some combination thereof.

Claims

1. A welding training system comprising:

a computer configured to execute a welding training software;

a calibration device communicatively coupled to the computer, wherein the calibration device comprises a trigger configured to receive an operator input prior to a simulated weld or a live weld; and

a sensor communicatively coupled to the computer and configured to sense a position of the calibration device, an orientation of the calibration device, or some combination thereof, when the trigger receives the operator input prior to the simulated weld or the live weld, and to provide calibration data to the welding training software to calibrate a first location of the calibration device with respect to a welding surface when the trigger receives the operator input prior to the simulated weld or the live weld, wherein the calibration data comprises the position of the calibration device, the orientation of the calibration device, or some combination thereof.

2. The welding training system of claim 1, wherein the calibration data comprises a first data set corresponding to the first location of the calibration device when the trigger receives the operator input prior to the simulated weld or the live weld and the calibration device touches the welding surface at a first surface location, and a second data set corresponding to a second location of the calibration device when the trigger receives the operator input prior to the simulated weld or the live weld and the calibration device touches the welding surface at a second surface location.

3. The welding training system of claim 2, wherein the computer is configured to calibrate welding surface position relative to the sensor, a welding surface orientation relative to the sensor, or any combination thereof, based at least partly on the first data set and the second data set.

4. The welding training system of claim 2, wherein the first surface location of the welding surface comprises a first aperture, and the second surface location of the welding surface comprises a second aperture, and wherein during calibration an end of the calibration device is disposed within the first aperture to produce the first data set, and the end of the calibration device is disposed within the second aperture to produce the second data set.

5. The welding training system of claim 1, wherein the calibration device comprises a handle, and a nozzle having a pointed end.

6. The welding training system of claim 1, comprising the welding surface, wherein the welding surface is a component of a training stand, and the welding surface comprises a plurality of apertures configured to interface with the calibration device to calibrate a welding surface orientation relative to the sensor, a welding surface position relative to the sensor, or any combination thereof.

7. The welding training system of claim 6, comprising a workpiece disposed on the welding surface, wherein the calibration data comprises a first data set corresponding to a first workpiece location of the workpiece touched by the calibration device when the calibration device receives the operator input prior to the simulated weld or the live weld, and a second data set corresponding to a second workpiece location of the workpiece touched by the calibration device when the calibration device receives the operator input prior to the simulated weld or the live weld.

8. The welding training system of claim 7, wherein the computer is configured to calibrate the location of the workpiece relative to the sensor based at least partly on the first data set and the second data set.

9. The welding training system of claim 1, wherein the calibration device comprises a calibration torch.

10. The welding training system of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises a plurality of cameras.

11. A method comprising:

detecting a position and an orientation of a welding torch positioned at a first location relative to a sensor;

receiving a first operator input from the welding torch when the welding torch is positioned at the first location relative to the sensor prior to a simulated weld or a live weld;

storing in a non-transitory memory the first location of the welding torch relative to the sensor, wherein storing the first location is based on receiving the first operator input;

receiving a second operator input from the welding torch when the welding torch is positioned at a second location relative to the sensor prior to the simulated weld or the live weld; and

storing in the non-transitory memory the second location of the welding torch relative to the sensor, wherein storing the second location is based on receiving the second operator input.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first operator input comprises a trigger pull.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein an end of the welding torch interfaces with a first surface location of a welding surface at the first location relative to the sensor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first surface location of the welding surface comprises an aperture configured to receive the end of the welding torch.

15. The method of claim 11, comprising determining a position of a welding surface, determining an orientation of a welding surface, or some combination thereof based at least in part on the first location and the second location, wherein the first location corresponds to a first surface location of the welding surface that the welding torch touched while receiving the first operator input, and the second location corresponds to a second surface location of the welding surface that the welding torch touched while receiving the second operator input.

16. A method comprising:

detecting a plurality of markers of a welding calibration device via an optical sensor;

determining a position of the welding calibration device, an orientation of the welding calibration device, or some combination thereof based at least in part on the detected plurality of markers;

receiving a first operator input at a first time from the welding calibration device when the welding calibration device is positioned at a first location relative to the optical sensor prior to a simulated weld or a live weld;

receiving a second operator input at a second time from the welding calibration device when the welding calibration device is positioned at a second location relative to the optical sensor prior to the simulated weld or the live weld, wherein the first time is different than the second time; and

storing calibration data in a non-transitory memory based on receiving the first operator input and the second operator input prior to the simulated weld or the live weld, wherein the calibration data comprises the first location and the second location of the welding calibration device relative to the optical sensor prior to the simulated weld or the live weld and at least one of the determined position of the welding calibration device and the orientation of the welding calibration device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein an end of the welding calibration device interfaces with a first surface location of a welding surface at the first location relative to the optical sensor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first surface location of the welding surface comprises an aperture configured to receive the end of the welding calibration device.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the optical sensor comprises a plurality of cameras.