Contactless examination of a butt weld

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9816943-B2
Application number	US-201514748419-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2015
Priority date	Jul 4, 2014
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A device for the contactless examination of a butt weld of plastic pipes and fittings is provided. The device includes a carrier device, an illumination unit, and at least one sensor for monitoring the pipe ends or fitting ends to be welded and the weld seam, wherein the sensor is an electronic light-sensitive sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device for contactless examination of a butt weld of plastic pipes and fittings, the device comprising:
a carrier device,
an illumination unit,
a sensor carrier, and
at least one electronic light-sensitive sensor for optically monitoring pipe ends or fitting ends to be welded and the weld seam,
wherein the sensor carrier is arranged on the carrier device in a movable or rotatable manner such that the sensor carrier is rotatable about the pipe ends or fitting ends to be welded and/or the weld seam, and
wherein the electronic light-sensitive sensor is arranged on the sensor carrier.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor carrier is rotatable by 360° around the pipe ends or fitting ends to be welded and/or around the weld seam.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor carrier is C shaped.

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor is oriented tangentially or indirectly tangentially on a circumference of the pipe ends or fitting ends to be welded and/or the weld seam.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is arranged as a backlight.

6. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a mirror arranged on the sensor carrier.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is arranged as an incident light, and
wherein the sensor is oriented perpendicularly or approximately perpendicularly to the position to be recorded.

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is arranged on a butt welding machine or is implemented as an autonomous module adaptable for being retrofitting on a butt welding machine.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the illumination unit is arranged on the sensor carrier.

10. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising a mirror arranged on the sensor carrier, wherein the at least one electronic light sensitive sensor is oriented tangentially or indirectly tangentially onto the circumference of the weld seam via the mirror.

11. A method for contactless examination of a butt weld of plastic pipes and fittings, the method comprising:
chucking or fixing pipe ends to be welded at opposing end sides;
planing the pipe ends to be welded;
carrying out an optical contactless examination of the pipe ends to be welded with an electronic light-sensitive sensor and an illumination unit;
butt welding the pipe ends;
carrying out an optical contactless examination of a weld seam with the electronic light-sensitive sensor and the illumination unit during a cooling operation,
wherein the electronic light-sensitive sensor is arranged on a carrier sensor,
wherein the sensor carrier is arranged on a carrier device in a movable or rotatable manner such that the sensor carrier is rotatable about the pipe ends to be welded and/or the weld seam, and
wherein carrying out the contactless examination of the weld seam includes rotating the electronic light-sensitive sensor by 360° around the pipe ends to be welded or around the weld seam for the contactless examination.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the illumination unit includes one of a backlight or an incident light for illuminating the pipe ends to be welded or the weld seam.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the illumination unit is arranged on the sensor carrier.

Assignees

• Fischer G Rohrleitungssysteme Ag

Inventors

• Reiz Robert

Classifications

• B29C65/8253 Primary

  by the use of waves or particle radiation, e.g. visual examination, scanning electron microscopy, or X-rays (B29C65/8292 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C66/5221

  for forming coaxial connections, i.e. the tubular articles to be joined forming a zero angle relative to each other · CPC title

• G01N2201/062

  LED's · CPC title

• G01B11/24

  for measuring contours or curvatures · CPC title

• B29C66/1142

  Single butt to butt joints · CPC title