Welding trainer utilizing a head up display to display simulated and real-world objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10878591-B2
Application number	US-201715785019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2017
Priority date	Nov 7, 2016
Publication date	Dec 29, 2020
Grant date	Dec 29, 2020

Abstract

A system for aiding a user in at least one of welding, cutting, joining, and cladding operations is provided. The system includes a welding tool and a welding helmet with a face-mounted display. The system also includes a spatial tracker configured to track the welding helmet and the welding tool in 3-D space relative to an object to be worked on. A processor based subsystem is configured to generate virtual objects based on objects found in a welding environment and transmit the virtual objects to a predetermined location on the face-mounted display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system for training a user in at least one of a welding, cutting, joining, and cladding operation, the system comprising:
a welding tool for performing an actual physical real-world weld on one of a coupon or workpiece;
a see-through face-mounted display to allow the user to see a view of a welding environment including the one of a coupon or a workpiece, the face-mounted display having both a lens and an associated image combiner that allows displayed images to be viewed simultaneously with the welding environment through the lens;
a spatial tracker configured to track position, orientation and movement data of the face-mounted display and the welding tool in 3-D space relative to the one of a coupon or a workpiece and determine 6-D data that includes 3-D positional data, and roll, pitch and yaw orientation data based on the tracked position, orientation and movement data; and
a processor based subsystem configured to
receive the 6-D data from the spatial tracker,
generate at least one virtual object and at least one visual cue, wherein the at least one virtual object includes a simulated weld or a simulated obstruction in the welding environment,
perform a mapping of the at least one virtual object and visual cue to respective particular locations on the face-mounted display based on the 6-D data, wherein the at least one virtual object is further mapped to a position on or over the one of a coupon or a workpiece, and
transmit the at least one virtual object and visual cue to the image combiner of the face-mounted display such that the face-mounted display shows the at least one virtual object and visual cue overlaid on the view of the welding environment in accordance with said mapping, to provide a mixed reality and simulated scene of the welding environment.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the virtual object is displayed overlaid on an actual physical real-world article of the welding environment as viewed through the face-mounted display, and wherein the at least one visual cue includes a contact tip-to-work distance indicator and a work angle indicator shown overlaid on the welding tool, and wherein the contact tip-to-work distance indicator and the work angle indicator move with the welding tool.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the at least one virtual object includes the simulated weld, and the actual physical real-world article is a performed weld such that the simulated weld is displayed overlaid on the performed weld as viewed through the face-mounted display.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein at least one attribute of the simulated weld is at least one of displayed and changed to indicate to the user that a problem area or a potential problem area in the performed weld exists based on the 6-D data.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one attribute of the simulated weld is at least one of a color, a shape, a size, an intensity, and a location on the face-mounted display of the simulated weld, and wherein the at least one visual cue further includes a weave pattern indicator displayed at an end of the welding tool.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the problem area or the potential problem area in the performed weld is at least one of porosity, incomplete fusion, a crack, an undercut, weld profile is too thin, and weld profile is too thick.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one virtual object is semitransparent to show an underlying view of the welding environment.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one virtual object includes the simulated obstruction in the welding environment, and wherein the simulated obstruction changes color to indicate a virtual hit of the simulated obstruction by the user.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one virtual object is overlaid on the one of a coupon and a workpiece as viewed through the face-mounted display, and
wherein at least one of a texture and shape of the at least one virtual object is simulated to resemble an actual physical real-world item.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the welding tool is configured to vibrate to indicate the virtual hit of the simulated obstruction by the user.

11. A method for training a user in at least one of a welding, cutting, joining, and cladding operation, the method comprising:
performing an actual physical real-world weld on one of a coupon or workpiece using a welding tool;
providing a see-through face-mounted display to allow the user to see a view of a welding environment including the one of a coupon or a workpiece, the face-mounted display having both a lens and an associated image combiner that allows displayed images to be viewed simultaneously with the welding environment through the lens;
tracking, by one or more processors, a position, orientation and movement of the face-mounted display and the welding tool in 3-D space relative to the one of a coupon or a workpiece;
determining, by the one or more processors, 6-D data that includes 3-D positional data, and roll, pitch and yaw orientation data based on the tracked position, orientation and movement;
generating, by the one or more processors, at least one virtual object and at least one visual cue, wherein the at least one virtual object includes a simulated weld or a simulated obstruction in the welding environment;
mapping, by the one or more processors, the at least one virtual object and visual cue to respective particular locations on the face-mounted display based on the 6-D data, wherein the at least one virtual object is further mapped to a position on or over the one of a coupon or a workpiece; and
transmitting, by the one or more processors, the at least one virtual object and visual cue to the combiner of the face-mounted display such that the face-mounted display shows the at least one virtual object and visual cue overlaid on the view of the welding environment in accordance with said mapping, to provide a mixed reality and simulated scene of the welding environment.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the virtual object is displayed overlaid on an actual physical real-world article of the welding environment as viewed through the face-mounted display, and wherein the at least one visual cue includes a contact tip-to-work distance indicator and a work angle indicator shown overlaid on the welding tool, and wherein the contact tip-to-work distance indicator and the work angle indicator move with the welding tool.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one virtual object includes the simulated weld, and the actual physical real-world article is a performed weld such that the simulated weld is displayed overlaid on the performed weld as viewed through the face-mounted display.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
at least one of displaying and changing at least one attribute of the simulated weld to indicate to the user that a problem area or a potential problem area in the performed weld exists based on the 6-D data.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the at least one attribute of the simulated weld is at least one of a color, a shape, a size, an intensity, and a location on the face-mounted display of the simulated weld, and wherein the at least one visual cue further includes a weave pattern indicator displayed at an end of the welding tool.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein the problem area or the potential problem area in the performed weld is at least one of porosity, incomplete fusion, a crack, an undercut, weld profile is too thin, and weld profile is too thick.

17. The method of claim 11

Assignees

• Lincoln Global Inc

Inventors

• Meess Brian
• Evans Sarah

Classifications

• B23K9/0956 Primary

  using sensing means, e.g. optical · CPC title

• G06T7/70 Primary

  Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) · CPC title

• G06F18/22

  Matching criteria, e.g. proximity measures · CPC title

• G06Q50/04

  Manufacturing · CPC title

• G06Q10/06316

  Sequencing of tasks or work · CPC title