System and method of enhanced automated welding of first and second workpieces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11498157-B2
Application number	US-202016778870-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2020
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Nov 15, 2022
Grant date	Nov 15, 2022

Abstract

A system and method of enhanced automated welding of a first workpiece and a second workpiece are provided. The method comprises providing a system for intelligent robot-based welding of the first workpiece and the second workpiece. The method further comprises determining a geometrical location of the first workpiece and the second workpiece to be welded at a welding sequence based a predetermined process variable. The method further comprises adjusting the predetermined process variable based on the geometrical location of the first and second workpieces to define an actual process variable. The method further comprises welding a first portion of the first and second workpieces with the actual process variable to define a first welded portion. The method further comprises determining a weld quality of the first welded portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of enhanced automated welding of a first workpiece and a second workpiece, the method comprising:
providing a system for intelligent robot-based welding of the first workpiece and the second workpiece;
determining a transient geometrical location of the first workpiece and the second workpiece to be welded at a welding sequence based a predetermined process variable, wherein determining the transient geometrical location of the first workpiece and the second workpiece includes sensing real-time geometrical measurements of the first workpiece and the second workpiece, and the transient geometrical location of the first workpiece and the second workpiece are based on the real-time geometrical measurements;
adjusting in real-time the predetermined process variable based on the transient geometrical location of the first and second workpieces to define an actual process variable, wherein the predetermined process variable is adjusted in real-time based on the real-time geometrical measurements;
welding a first portion of the first and second workpieces with the actual process variable to define a first welded portion; and
determining a weld quality of the first welded portion.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
determining whether a part distortion of the first welded portion is within a distortion tolerance;
adjusting one of the welding sequence and the actual process variable based on the part distortion of the first welded portion to define one of an adjusted welding sequence and an adjusted process variable, if the part distortion exceeds the distortion tolerance; and
welding a second portion of the first and second workpieces with one of the adjusted welding sequences and the adjusted process variable to define a second welded portion, if the part distortion exceeds the distortion tolerance.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined process variable comprises at least one of robot path, weld speed, amplitude of weld path, wavelength of weld path, weld current, weld voltage, and weld wire diameter.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the actual process variable comprises at least one of robot path, weld speed, amplitude of weld path, wavelength of weld path, weld current, weld voltage, and weld wire diameter.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the adjusted process variable comprises at least one of robot path, weld speed, amplitude of weld path, wavelength of weld path, weld current, weld voltage, and weld wire diameter.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the geometrical location of the first workpiece and the second workpiece comprises:
determining whether the first and second workpieces are located within a location tolerance; and
determining whether the first and second workpieces have a gap within a gap tolerance.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the step of adjusting the predetermined process variable comprises:
adjusting the predetermined process variable if the first and second workpieces exceed the location tolerance; and
adjusting the predetermined process variable if the gap exceeds the gap tolerance
wherein a gap width of the gap varies within a single welding segment;
wherein the gap width is one millimeter at a start of the single welding segment;
wherein the gap width is two millimeters at an end of the single welding segment;
wherein the actual process variable is a weld path;
wherein the weld path has a sinusoidal shape;
wherein the sinusoidal shape has an amplitude that starts at +/−0.5 millimeters and linearly increases until the amplitude is +/−1 millimeters at the end of the single weld segment.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the system for intelligent robot-based welding of the first workpiece and the second workpiece comprises:
a robot having a weld gun for welding the first and second workpieces based on a predetermined process variable;
a controller in communication the robot and the weld gun;
a vision sensor disposed on and in communication with the robot and the controller for sensing geometric location of the first and second workpieces and communicating the geometric location to the controller;
a laser projector disposed on and in communication with the robot to project a laser on the first and second workpieces for sensing a gap between the first and second workpieces and communicating the gap to the controller, wherein the laser projector is separate from the vision sensor, the laser projector is spaced apart from the laser projector;
wherein the controller is programmed to adjust the predetermined process variable based on the geometric location and the gap of the first and second workpieces, defining the actual process variable,
wherein the controller is programmed to control the weld gun to weld the first and second workpieces based on the actual process variable,
wherein the controller is programmed to adjust the actual process variable based on the geometric location and the gap of the first and second workpieces, defining the adjusted process variable,
wherein the controller is programmed to control the weld gun to weld the first and second workpieces based on the adjusted process variable;
wherein the real-time geometric measurements are part of geometric data; and
wherein the method further comprising transmitting the geometric data to the controller in real-time.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining weld quality comprises:
determining whether the weld quality of the first welded portion is within a quality tolerance, the quality tolerance being based on degrees of discrepancy; and
repairing the first welded portion if the weld quality exceeds the quality tolerance.

10. A system for intelligent robot-based welding of a first workpiece and a second workpiece, the system comprising:
a robot having a weld gun for welding the first and second workpieces based on a predetermined process variable;
a controller in communication the robot and the weld gun;
a vision sensor disposed on and in communication with the robot and the controller, wherein the vision sensor is configured to sense real-time geometrical measurements of the first workpiece and the second workpiece to determine a transient geometric location of the first workpiece and the second workpiece, the real-time geometrical measurements of the first workpiece and the second workpiece are part of geometric data, and the vision sensor is configured to transmit the geometric data to the controller in real-time;
a laser projector disposed on and in communication with the robot to project a laser on the first and second workpieces for sensing a gap between the first and second workpieces and communicating the gap to the controller;
wherein the controller is programmed to adjust the predetermined process variable in real-time based on the geometric location and the gap of the first and second workpieces, defining an adjusted process variable, wherein the predetermined process variable is adjusted in real-time based on the real-time geometrical measurements;
wherein the controller is programmed to control the weld gun to weld the first and second workpieces based on the adjusted process variable.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the controller is programmed to adjust the actual process variable based on the geometric location and the gap of the first and second workpieces, defining the adjusted process variable, and wherein the controller is programmed to control the weld gun to weld the first and second workpieces based on the adjusted process variable, the laser projector and the vision sensor are separate components, the laser projector and the vision sensor are spac

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Wang Pei-Chung
• Mellas Spyros P
• Saez Miguel A
• Spicer John P

Classifications

• B23K9/0953

  using computing means · CPC title

• B23K9/1274

  Using non-contact, optical means, e.g. laser means · CPC title

• B23K9/28

  Supporting devices for electrodes · CPC title

• B23K9/0956

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

• B23K9/32

  Accessories · CPC title