System and method of reviewing weld data

• US 10,417,934 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2015
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Original Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
• Inventors: Becker, William Joshua
• Primary Examiner(s): Laflame, Jr., Michael A
• Application Number:
  US14/928,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20160125763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 219 54- 58, 219108-109, 21912111-12146
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 31/125 Weld quality monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0953 using computing means
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/0956 using sensing means, e.g. optical
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/126 Controlling the spatial relationship between the work and the gas torch between wire tip and piece B23K9/073
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/322 Head protecting means masks, shields or hoods for weldersp A61F9/06
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/24 Use of tools

Abstract

A method includes receiving welding data corresponding to a welding session completed with a welding system, receiving a selected location from an operator, and displaying on a display one or more quality characteristics of the welding session corresponding to the selected location. The welding data includes welding parameters and quality characteristics corresponding to a plurality of points along a path of the welding session. The welding parameters include a work angle of a welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch along the path of the welding session, an aim of the welding torch, or any combination thereof. The quality characteristics include porosity, undercut, spatter, underfill, overfill, or any combination thereof. The selected location corresponds to a point of the plurality of points along the path of the welding session.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving welding data corresponding to a welding session completed with a welding system,

wherein the welding data comprises welding parameters and quality characteristics corresponding to a plurality of points along a path of the welding session,

the welding parameters comprising one or more of a work angle of a welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch along the path of the welding session, or an aim of the welding torch, and the quality characteristics comprising one or more of porosity, undercut, spatter, underfill, or overfill;

receiving a selected location from an operator, wherein the selected location corresponds to a point of the plurality of points along the path of the welding session; and

displaying, on a display screen, one or more of the quality characteristics of the welding session corresponding to the selected location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the quality characteristics are based at least in part on the welding parameters.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the welding data comprises receiving welding data in real-time during completion of the welding session.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the welding session comprises a live-arc welding session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selected location comprises:

sensing a position and an orientation of a device relative to a workpiece; and

determining the point of the plurality of points along the path of the welding session, wherein the point corresponds to an intersection of the workpiece and a projected axis extending along the device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the device comprises the welding torch, and the projected axis extends from an electrode of the welding torch.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the selected location comprises:

receiving an operator input of the selected location via the display screen; and

determining the point of the plurality of points along the path of the welding session.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying on the display screen one or more of the welding parameters of the welding session corresponding to the selected location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the welding data comprises:

receiving a unique identifier input from the operator; and

retrieving the welding data from a data storage system based on the unique identifier, wherein the data storage system comprises non-transitory computer readable media.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the unique identifier is based at least in part on serial numbers corresponding to components of the welding system utilized by an operator during completion of the welding session.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising calibrating a workpiece to determine the path of the welding session, wherein the welding session comprises a previously completed live-arc welding session on the workpiece, and the welding data comprises the welding parameters and the quality characteristics corresponding to the plurality of points along the path of the previously completed live-arc welding session.

12. A method comprising:

receiving an operator input of a unique identifier of a welding session;

receiving welding data of the welding session from a data storage system based on the operator input of the unique identifier,

wherein the data storage system comprises non-transitory computer readable media, and the welding data comprises a set of welding parameters corresponding to the welding session,

wherein the welding parameters comprise one or more of a work angle of a welding torch, a travel angle of the welding torch, a contact tip to work distance, a travel speed of the welding torch, or an aim of the welding torch;

displaying, via a processor communicatively coupled to the data storage system, an operator viewable dashboard page with the welding parameters corresponding to the welding session;

receiving a selected location from an operator via the operator viewable dashboard page, wherein the selected location corresponds to a point of the plurality of points along the path of the welding session; and

displaying, on the operator viewable dashboard page, one or more of the quality characteristics of the welding session corresponding to the selected location.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising displaying, on the operator viewable dashboard, quality characteristics, wherein the welding data comprises quality characteristics corresponding to a plurality of points along a path of the welding session the quality characteristics comprise one or more of porosity, undercut, spatter, underfill, or overfill.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the welding data of the welding session from a data storage system comprises communicating remotely with the data storage system via a network device communicatively coupled between the processor and the data storage system.

15. The method of claim 12, comprising:

calibrating a workpiece to determine a path of a weld along a joint, wherein the welding session corresponds to the unique identifier and to a live-arc welding session that formed the weld; and

receiving a selected location from an operator, wherein receiving the selected location comprises;

sensing a position and an orientation of a welding device relative to the workpiece; and

determining the selected location along the path of the welding session as an intersection of the workpiece and a projected axis extending along the welding device.

16. A welding system comprising:

a pointing device configured to be directed at a point of a weld formed on a workpiece;

a sensing device configured to sense a position and an orientation of the pointing device relative to the workpiece;

a display screen;

a memory comprising processor-executable instructions; and

a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the processor-executable instructions, wherein the processor-executable instructions comprise instructions to;

determine the point of the weld at which the pointing device is directed; and

display, on the display screen, quality characteristics of a welding session for the weld that corresponds to the point, wherein the quality characteristics comprise one or more of porosity, undercut, spatter, underfill, overfill.

17. The welding system of claim 16, comprising the workpiece, wherein the workpiece comprises a unique identifier affixed to the workpiece, wherein the processor is configured to store the unique identifier in the memory to correspond with welding parameters of the welding session, wherein the welding parameters comprise one or more of a work angle of a welding torch during the welding session, a travel angle of the welding torch during the welding session, a contact tip to work distance during the welding session, a travel speed of the welding torch along a path of the welding session, or an aim of the welding torch during the welding session.

18. The welding system of claim 16, wherein the quality characteristics are based at least in part on welding parameters, arc parameters, or any combination thereof, wherein welding parameters comprise one or more of a work angle of a welding torch during the welding session, a travel angle of the welding torch during the welding session, a contact tip to work distance during the welding session, a travel speed of the welding torch along a path of the welding session, or an aim of the welding torch during the welding session, and the arc parameters comprise one or more of a weld voltage, a weld current, or a wire feed speed.

19. The welding system of claim 16, wherein the pointing device comprises a welding torch.

20. The welding system of claim 16, wherein the pointing device comprises a calibration tool.