Method for monitoring and controlling a quality of spot welds

• US 9,839,972 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2014
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Haeufgloeckner, Juergen, Zeller, Sebastian, Rathke, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): Thanh, Quang D
• Assistant Examiner(s): MAYE, AYUB A
• Application Number:
  US14/516,791
• Publication Number:
  US 20150108100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 219 861, 219 8633, 219 8641, 219 8651, 219 8661, 219 867
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/11 Spot welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/255 the measured parameter being a force B23K11/253 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/256 the measured parameter being the inter-electrode electrical resistance
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/257 the measured parameter being an electrical current
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 11/258 the measured parameter being a voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 31/125 Weld quality monitoring

Abstract

The disclosure concerns a method for monitoring and/or controlling a quality of spot weldings of a processing island, comprising at least two welding controls on one or more workpieces, wherein the method is based on a comparing of the measured values and an outputting of a fault message taking place from a central control of the processing island, the central control being in communicating connection with every welding control, in order to control them appropriately in dependence on all of the measured values and the predefined tolerance margin, the welding controls being in communicating connection with one another.

Claims

1. A method for at least one of monitoring and controlling a quality of spot weldings of a processing island having at least two welding controls on at least one workpiece, the method comprising:

measuring measured values one of during and after an execution of resistance spot weldings at different locations on the at least one workpiece, the measured values representing at least one of a voltage, a current, a resistance, a welding time, an energy, a force on welding contacts, and a power during a production of a resistance spot welding;

storing the measured values;

monitoring the measured values;

comparing the measured values with a reference measurement value, the reference measurement value representing at least one of a corresponding voltage, a current, a resistance, a welding time, an energy, a force on welding contacts, and a power during a production of a corresponding resistance spot welding; and

outputting a fault message when a predetermined number of successive measured values lie at least one of outside a predefined tolerance margin from the reference measurement value and outside a tolerance zone,

wherein the at least two welding controls are each configured to carry out different welding processes on the at least one workpiece,

wherein the comparing of the measured values and the outputting of the fault message are performed by a central control of the processing island,

wherein the central control is in communication with each of the at least two welding controls to control the at least two welding controls in response to the measured values and the predefined tolerance margin,

wherein the at least two welding controls are in communication with one another, and

wherein each of the welding processes perform a different spot welds on the at least one workpiece.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

assessing a quality of the resistance spot welding, the assessing comprising;

comparing a temporal resistance/force profile of the resistance spot welding with a temporal resistance/force profile of a resistance reference spot welding; and

evaluating one of whether the temporal resistance/force profile of the resistance spot welding is located outside a tolerance range around the temporal resistance/force profile of the resistance reference spot welding, and whether a derivative of the temporal resistance-force profile of the resistance spot welding at a predefined point in time lies outside the tolerance zone around the derivative of the temporal resistance/force profile of the resistance reference spot welding at the predefined point in time, wherein the outputting further comprises;

outputting a warning message when the temporal resistance/force profiles of successively executed resistance spot weldings at least one point in time lie outside the tolerance range around the temporal resistance/force profiles of the resistance reference spot welding at a corresponding point in time.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the at least two welding controls are interconnected by way of a communication network,

the method further comprises at least one of:

outputting monitoring results of the resistance spot weldings over the communication network; and

exchanging monitoring results of the resistance spot weldings over the communication network, and

each of the at least two welding controls have results of at least one of the comparing and the monitoring available to them by at least one of calling the results up from the central control and exchanging information with one another.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, during the measuring of the measured values of an individual resistance spot welding, the fault message from the central control when at least two successively measured resistance spot weldings are at least one of outside the predetermined tolerance margin and outside the tolerance zone.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, during the measuring of the measured values of an individual resistance spot welding, the fault message from the central control when a predetermined number of the measured values within a series of the measured values at least one of lie outside the tolerance margin and lie outside the tolerance zone.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

outputting, during the measuring of the measured values of an individual resistance spot welding of a combination of metal sheets to be connected to one another, the fault message from the central control when a predetermined percentage of the measured values is at least one of outside the predetermined tolerance margin and outside the tolerance zone.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

outputting, during at least one of a predetermined welding interval and predetermined assessment interval, the fault message when the measured values at a resistance welding gun are at least one of outside the predetermined tolerance margin and outside the tolerance zone, and

switching the machine off for maintenance purposes, during at least one of the predetermined welding interval and the predetermined assessment interval, when the measured values at a resistance welding gun are at least one of outside the predetermined tolerance margin and outside the tolerance zone.