Control method and system for a trackless autonomous crawling all-position arc welding robot with wheels and permanent magnet caterpillar belts

• US 20060144835A1
• Filed: 12/19/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Bo Tsing Technology Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Bingyi Yan, Hua Zhang, Jiluan Pan, Lisheng Gao, Qinying Lu
• Inventors: Zhang, Hua, Gao, Lisheng, Yan, Bingyi, Pan, Jiluan, Lu, Qinying
• Granted Patent: US 7,498,542 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/124.340
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0258 Electric supply or control circuits therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0264 magnetically attached to the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 37/0294 Transport carriages or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/127 Means for tracking lines during arc welding or cutting copying in general B23Q35/00
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 9/1274 Using non-contact, optical means, e.g. laser means

Abstract

A method and system are provided for a trackless autonomous crawling all-position arc welding robot with wheels and permanent magnet caterpillar belts. A sensor detects a welding seam position and transmits the position to a tracking controller. The tracking controller sends instructions to a welding torch which may be moved in generally horizontal and vertical directions based upon the instructions. Additionally, a crawler drive controller receives the welding seam position and sends a control signal to an AC servomotor drive that positions the crawler based on the control signal.

Claims

1. A control method for a trackless autonomous crawling all-position arc welding robot with wheels and permanent magnet caterpillar belts, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting a position image signal of a welding seam using a laser CCD sensor;

transmitting said position image signal to a tracking controller after signal processing;

sending out instructions from the tracking controller upon receipt of said position image signal;

moving a welding torch in one of a vertical and horizontal direction upon said instructions via a bi-directional driving mechanism and a cross slide;

transmitting the position image signal to a crawler drive controller after signal processing and compensation;

sending a control signal from the crawler drive controller upon receipt of said position image signal after processing; and

driving one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts thereby moving a crawler via an AC servomotor drive.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending out a horizontal slide shift signal as a horizontal slide of the cross slide moves; and

transmitting the horizontal slide shift signal, after signal operating and processing, together with the position image signal from the tracking controller, to the crawler drive controller;

wherein the crawler drive controller sends out instructions after calculation to drive respectively the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts and thereby turn the crawler via the AC servomotor drive.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting welding current and voltage feedback signals to a welding power supply controller, wherein the welding power supply controller adaptively controls a welding power supply upon receipt of the current and voltage feedback signals.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting welding current and voltage feedback signals to a welding power supply controller, wherein the welding power supply controller adaptively controls a welding power supply upon receipt of the current and voltage feedback signals.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending out control signals from a weaving controller to select an amplitude of weaving, a frequency of weaving, pausing of the weaving and timing of the weaving of the welding torch and the control signals make the welding torch perform the weaving via a weaving drive of welding torch.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending out control signals from a weaving controller to select an amplitude of weaving, a frequency of weaving, pausing of the weaving and timing of the weaving of the welding torch and the control signals make the welding torch perform the weaving via a weaving drive of welding torch.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

coordinating said cross slide and the crawler in combined tracking control, welding power supply control, welding torch weaving control and welding program control from the PLC and adapting to different welding positions and joint types of the work-piece.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

coordinating said cross slide and the crawler in combined tracking control, welding power supply control, welding torch weaving control and welding program control from the PLC and adapting to different welding positions and joint types of the work-piece.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling welding parameters needing adjusting or manual intervening during the welding with a manual controller.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

controlling welding parameters needing adjusting or manual intervening during the welding with a manual controller.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling the one or more permanent caterpillar belts of the crawler by generating or removing magnetic force via a magnetic circuit switch;

wherein the magnetic circuit switch is turned on during crawler operation, a magnet body generates magnetic lines passing through a work-piece, and wherein a load carrying capacity of the crawler can be up to approximately 120 kg; and

turning off the magnetic circuit switch when the crawler is not in operation so that no magnetic lines pass through the work-piece, thereby removing magnetic attraction to work-piece, and allowing the crawler to be easily removed from the work-piece.

12. The method of claim 2, wherein the method further comprising:

controlled controlling the one or more permanent caterpillar belts of the crawler by generating or removing magnetic force via a magnetic circuit switch;

wherein the magnetic circuit switch is turned on during crawler operation, a magnet body generates magnetic lines passing through a work-piece, and wherein a load carrying capacity of the crawler can be up to approximately 120 kg; and

turning off the magnetic circuit switch when the crawler is not in operation so that no magnetic lines pass through the work-piece, thereby removing magnetic attraction to work-piece, and allowing the crawler to be easily removed from the work-piece.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

controlling a moving speed of the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts of the crawler by the crawler drive controller and the AC servomotor drive, and turning the crawler through the control of a difference between speeds of the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts and a turning and safety device engaged with the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts.

14. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

controlling a moving speed of the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts of the crawler by the crawler drive controller and the AC servomotor drive, and turning the crawler through the control of a difference between speeds of the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts and a turning and safety device engaged with the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts.

15. A control system for a trackless autonomous crawling all-position arc welding robot with wheels and permanent magnet caterpillar belts, said system comprising:

a laser CCD sensor operatively coupled to a tracking controller;

a bi-directional drive mechanism and cross slide operatively coupled to the tracking controller;

a crawler drive controller operatively coupled to an AC servomotor drive;

at least one permanent magnet caterpillar belt connected to the AC servomotor drive;

a welding power supply operatively coupled to a comprehensive programmable logic controller and a weaving controller; and

a welding torch operatively coupled to the laser CCD sensor and the welding power supply,

wherein

the laser CCD sensor detects a position image signal,

the tracking controller receives the position image signal after signal processing,

the tracking controller sends instructions to

the bi-directional drive mechanism which moves the cross slide and the welding torch in vertical and horizontal directions according to the instructions;

wherein the crawler drive controller receives the position image signal after signal processing and compensation and sends out a control signal after signal processing to the AC servomotor drive which drives the at least one

permanent magnet caterpillar belt thereby moving the crawler according to the control signal.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

a cross slide drive sends a horizontal displacement signal to the crawler drive controller after signal processing,

and sending with the position image signal from the tracking controller to the crawler drive controller

wherein the crawler drive controller sends out instructions after processing, to drive respectively one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts and thereby turn the crawler via the AC servomotor drive.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein:

a welding current and voltage feedback signals are transmitted to a welding power supply controller and the welding power supply controller adaptively controls the welding power supply according to the current and voltage feedback signals.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein:

a welding current and voltage feedback signals are transmitted to a welding power supply controller and the welding power supply controller adaptively controls the welding power supply according to the current and voltage feedback signals.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the weaving controller sends out control signals to select different amplitudes of weaving, frequencies of weaving, pausing of weaving and timing of weaving of the welding torch and the welding torch performs prescribed weaving via a weaving drive of welding torch according to the control signals.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the weaving controller sends out control signals to select different amplitudes of weaving, frequencies of weaving, pausing of weaving and timing of weaving of the welding torch and the welding torch performs prescribed weaving via a weaving drive of welding torch according to the control signals.

21. The system as of claim 15, wherein:

the programmable logic controller coordinates said cross slide and the crawler in combined tracking control, welding power supply control, welding torch weaving control and welding program control, to adapt them to different welding positions and joint types of the work-piece.

22. The system as of claim 16, wherein:

the programmable logic controller coordinates said cross slide and the crawler in combined tracking control, welding power supply control, welding torch weaving control and welding program control, to adapt them to different welding positions and joint types of the work-piece.

23. The system of claim 15, wherein:

a manual controller is connected to the programmable logic controller and controls the welding parameters needing adjusting or manual intervening during the welding.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein:

a manual controller is connected to the programmable logic controller and controls welding parameters needing adjusting or manual intervening during the welding.

25. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the at least one permanent magnet caterpillar belt of the crawler comprises a pair of chains, a permanent magnet body a magnetic circuit switch and a supporting wheel; and

wherein within a gap between the pair of chains is mounted a plurality of permanent magnet bodies, on each of which is a magnetic circuit switch.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the at least one permanent magnet caterpillar belt of the crawler comprises a pair of chains, a permanent magnet body bodies, a magnetic circuit switch and a supporting wheel;

wherein within a gap between the pair of chains is mounted a plurality of permanent magnet bodies, on each of which is a magnetic circuit switch.

27. The system of claim 15, wherein:

a magnetic force of the permanent magnet caterpillar belt of the crawler is controlled by a magnetic circuit switch, which controls the magnetic circuit of the permanent magnet body of the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts, putting when the magnetic circuit switch is on the permanent magnet body generates magnetic lines passing through the a work-piece, in order to ensure the magnetic attraction of the crawler to the work-piece, wherein a load carrying capacity of the crawler can be up to approximately 120 kg, and off when the magnetic circuit switch is off, the magnetic circuit generated by magnet body will be is shorted in its own body, no magnetic lines passing through the work-piece and thus no magnetic attraction, thereby the crawler can be easily removed from the work-piece work pieces.

28. The system of claim 16, wherein:

a magnetic force of the permanent magnet caterpillar belt of the crawler is controlled by a magnetic circuit switch, which controls the magnetic circuit of the permanent magnet body of the one or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts, when the magnetic circuit switch is on the permanent magnet body generates magnetic lines passing through a work-piece, in order to ensure the magnetic attraction of the crawler to the work-piece, wherein a load carrying capacity of the crawler can be up to approximately 120 kg, and when the magnetic circuit switch is off, the magnetic circuit generated by magnet body is shorted in its own body, no magnetic lines passing through the work-piece and has no magnetic attraction, thereby the crawler can be easily removed from the work-piece.

29. The system of claim 15 further comprising:

moving speeds of two or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts of the crawler are respectively controlled by the crawler drive controller and two or more AC servomotor drives, and through controlling a difference between the moving speeds and the turning and safety device engaged with the permanent magnet caterpillar belts, the crawler can turn.

30. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

moving speeds of two or more permanent magnet caterpillar belts of the crawler are respectively controlled by the crawler drive controller and two or more AC servomotor drives, and through controlling a difference between the moving speeds and the turning and safety device engaged with the permanent magnet caterpillar belts, the crawler can turn.