Welding quality inspection apparatus and method of the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11660707-B2
Application number	US-202016819993-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 16, 2020
Priority date	May 28, 2019
Publication date	May 30, 2023
Grant date	May 30, 2023

Abstract

A welding quality inspection apparatus for inspecting the welding quality of a plurality of welding parts formed on the material through the upper electrode and the lower electrode of the welding gun includes a position detection unit for detecting a position of the upper electrode, a control unit generating a position table based on a signal detected by the position detection unit during a total welding time of welding the plurality of welding parts of the material, generating first position data for a first welding time and second position data for a second welding time of a spot welding time of each of the welding parts based on the position table, checking whether the welding parts are defective by using the first position data, the second position data, and reference data, and generating result data based on whether the welding parts are detective, and an output unit for outputting the result data.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A welding quality inspection apparatus for inspecting the welding quality of a plurality of welding parts formed on a material through an upper electrode and a lower electrode of a welding gun, comprising:
a position detection unit for detecting a position of the upper electrode;
a control unit generating a position table based on a signal detected by the position detection unit during a total welding time of welding the plurality of welding parts of the material, generating first position data for a first welding time and second position data for a second welding time of a spot welding time of each of the welding parts based on the position table, checking whether the welding parts are defective by using the first position data, the second position data, and reference data, and generating result data based on whether the welding parts are detective; and
an output unit for outputting the result data;
wherein the control unit extracts a plurality of electrode position values from a first energization time to a second energization time in the spot welding time from the position table, and generates the first position data using the plurality of electrode position values;
wherein the control unit generates the first position data by calculating an average value of the plurality of electrode position values;
wherein the control unit extracts a plurality of electrode position values from a third energization time to a fourth energization time in the spot welding time from the position table, and generates the second position data using the plurality of electrode position values; and
wherein the control unit generates the second position data by calculating an average value of the plurality of electrode position values.

2. The welding quality inspection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the control unit compares the first position data with the second position data to generate position change data, and if the position change data is within a reference data range, determines that welding is normal to generate result data.

3. The welding quality inspection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the control unit sets the reference data based on at least one of a number, type, and thickness of the material for each of the plurality of welding parts.

4. The welding quality inspection apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the output unit includes at least one of:
a speaker to output the result data through sound;
a display unit for displaying the result data; and
a lamp unit for outputting the result data through light.

5. A welding quality inspection method for inspecting a welding quality of a plurality of welding parts formed on a material through an upper electrode and a lower electrode of a welding gun, comprising:
detecting a position of the upper electrode during a total welding time of welding the plurality of welding parts of the material;
generating a position table based on the position of the upper electrode;
generating first position data for a first welding time of a spot welding time of each of the welding parts based on the position table;
generating second position data for a second welding time of a spot welding time of each of the welding parts based on the position table; and
generating result data by checking whether the welding parts are defective based on the first position data, the second position data, and reference data;
wherein generating the first position data includes:
extracting a plurality of electrode position values from a first energization time to a second energization time included in the first welding time in the spot welding time from the position table; and
generating the first position data by calculating an average value of the plurality of electrode position values; and

wherein generating the second position data includes:
extracting a plurality of electrode position values from a third energization time to a fourth energization time included in the second welding time in the spot welding time from the position table; and
generating the second position data by calculating an average value of the plurality of electrode position values.

6. The welding quality inspection method of claim 5 , wherein:
generating the result data includes:
generating position change data by comparing the first position data and the second position data;
determining whether the position change data is within the reference data; and
determining that welding is normal and generating result data if the position change data is within a reference data range.

7. The welding quality inspection method of claim 5 , further comprising:
before generating the result data,
setting the reference data based on at least one of a number, type, and thickness of the material for each of the plurality of welding parts.

8. The welding quality inspection method of claim 6 , wherein:
generating the result data includes:
determining whether the position change data is equal to or less than a predetermined value; and
determining that welding is not performed if the position change data is less than or equal to the predetermined value, and generating the result data.

Assignees

• Hyundai Motor Co Ltd
• Kia Motors Corp

Inventors

• Seo Bok Deok

Classifications

• B23K11/36

  Auxiliary equipment (B23K11/31 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B23K11/115

  by means of two electrodes placed opposite one another on both sides of the welded parts · CPC title

• B23K9/126

  Controlling the spatial relationship between the work and the gas torch (between wire tip and piece B23K9/073) · CPC title

• B23K31/125 Primary

  Weld quality monitoring · CPC title

• B23K11/253

  the measured parameter being a displacement or a position · CPC title