Welding device and welding method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11167368-B2
Application number	US-201616313158-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 7, 2016
Priority date	Oct 7, 2016
Publication date	Nov 9, 2021
Grant date	Nov 9, 2021

Abstract

According to some embodiments, there is provided a welding device for welding outer peripheral edges of two irregular shaped plates which are overlapped, including: a rotary table to which the two irregular shaped plates in an overlapped state are fixed; a torch unit, including a welding torch positioned to face the outer peripheral edges of the two irregular shaped plates fixed to the rotary table; a first torch actuator, capable of changing an orientation and a distance of the welding torch relative to the outer peripheral edges; and a first controller, configured to control the first torch actuator, so that the orientation of the welding torch relative to a tangential line of the outer peripheral edges and the distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges are kept constant along a circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edges, during rotation of the two irregular shaped plates.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A welding device for welding outer peripheral edges of two overlapping irregular shaped plates each of which has a length from a rotation center, when fixed to a rotary table, to an outer peripheral edge varies in a circumferential direction of said each of the two irregular shaped plates, and the welding device comprising:
the rotary table to which the two overlapping irregular shaped plates are fixed;
a torch unit, including a welding torch positioned to face the outer peripheral edges of the two irregular shaped plates fixed to the rotary table;
a first torch actuator, capable of changing an orientation of the welding torch relative to the outer peripheral edges and a distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges; and
a first controller, configured to control the first torch actuator, so that the orientation of the welding torch relative to a tangential line of the outer peripheral edges and the distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges are kept constant along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edges, during rotation of the two irregular shaped plates,
wherein the first controller is configured to control an orientation displacement speed of the welding torch relative to the outer peripheral edges, so that a heating time for heating each of portions of the outer peripheral edges by the welding torch is constant.

2. The welding device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first controller has:
a torch posture map, in which a position and an orientation of the welding torch are described by a coordinate at a setting position of each of regions of the outer peripheral edges, for each of the regions, in a two-dimensional coordinate system whose origin is the rotation center of the two irregular shaped plates, the regions at least having different curvatures of the outer peripheral edges in the circumferential direction of the irregular shaped plates, wherein the orientation is set so as to have an identical angle with respect to a tangential line of the outer peripheral edges at all of the regions; and
a torch orientation displacement speed map, in which the orientation displacement speed of the welding torch is set, so that a heating time by the welding torch is constant among respective setting positions of the regions, and
wherein the first controller is configured to control the first torch actuator, based on the torch posture map and the torch orientation displacement speed map.

3. The welding device according to claim 2 , wherein
in the torch posture map,
a tip of the welding torch is described by a coordinate at an intersection point between y-axis of the two-dimensional coordinate system and the outer peripheral edges, and
an imaginary circle passing through the intersection point is set, and the orientation of the welding torch is set so as to have a constant angle with respect to a normal line passing through the intersection point and a center point of the imaginary circle.

4. The welding device according to claim 3 , wherein
the orientation of the welding torch is set so as to coincide with the normal line.

5. A welding device for welding outer peripheral edges of two overlapping irregular shaped plates each of which has a length from a rotation center, when fixed to a rotary table, to an outer peripheral edge varies in a circumferential direction of said each of the two irregular shaped plates, and the welding device comprising:
the rotary table to which the two overlapping irregular shaped plates are fixed;
a torch unit, including a welding torch positioned to face the outer peripheral edges of the two irregular shaped plates fixed to the rotary table;
a first torch actuator, capable of changing an orientation of the welding torch relative to the outer peripheral edges and a distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges; and
a first controller, configured to control the first torch actuator, so that the orientation of the welding torch relative to a tangential line of the outer peripheral edges and the distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges are kept constant along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edges, during rotation of the two irregular shaped plates,
wherein the welding device, further comprises:
a second torch actuator, capable of moving the welding torch in a direction intersecting front and rear surfaces of the two irregular shaped plates;
a third torch actuator, capable of changing the distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges;
a non-contact sensor, configured to detect an overlapped position in the direction intersecting the front and rear surfaces of the two irregular shaped plates and detect the distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges; and
a second controller, configured to control the second actuator and the third actuator, so that a position of the welding torch is matched with the overlapped position in the direction intersecting the front and rear surfaces, and the distance attains a setting value, based on a detection value of the non-contact sensor.

6. The welding device according to claim 5 , wherein
the non-contact sensor is a laser displacement sensor, and
wherein the second controller is configured to compare the detection value with a master shape stored in the second controller to detect the overlapped position and the distance.

7. The welding device according to claim 5 , wherein
the first controller is configured to control an orientation displacement speed of the welding torch, so that a heating time for heating a first portion of the outer peripheral edges where greater stress concentration occurs than a second portion of the outer peripheral edges is longer than the second portion.

8. A welding method for welding outer peripheral edges of two overlapping irregular shaped plates each of which has a length from a rotation center, when fixed to a rotary table, to an outer peripheral edge varies in a circumferential direction of said each of the two irregular shaped plates, and the welding method comprising:
fixing the two overlapping irregular shaped plates to the rotary table and rotating the two overlapping irregular shaped plates at a constant rotational speed;
welding the outer peripheral edges of the two irregular shaped plates along the circumferential direction by a welding torch positioned to face the outer peripheral edges of the two irregular shaped plates; and
performing a control so that an orientation of the welding torch relative to a tangential line of the outer peripheral edges and a distance of the welding torch from the outer peripheral edges are kept constant along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edges during welding the outer peripheral edges,
wherein performing the control comprises:
setting a position and an orientation of the welding torch at a setting position of each of regions of the outer peripheral edges, for each of the regions at least having different curvatures of the outer peripheral edges in the circumferential direction of the irregular shaped plates, wherein the orientation is set so as to have an identical angle with respect to a tangential line of the outer peripheral edges at all of respective setting positions of the regions; and
setting an orientation displacement speed of the welding torch, so that a heating time by the welding torch is constant among the respective setting positions of the regions.

Assignees

• Maekawa Seisakusho Kk

Inventors

• Kitagawa Hisashi
• Oomasa Yoshiyuki
• Shudai Hideki
• Ueno Yoshihiko
• Miyazaki Daisuke
• Takeda Masato
• Ohtomo Toshinori
• Kamae Toshikazu

Classifications

• B23K9/032 Primary

  for three-dimensional [3D] seams · CPC title

• B23K9/127 Primary

  Means for tracking lines during arc welding or cutting · CPC title

• B23K26/08

  Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece · CPC title

• B23K9/0956

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

• F28F3/10

  Arrangements for sealing the margins · CPC title