JPS6171182A - Weld line image inputting method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To analyze a welding state in detail, and to control exactly a welding torch by inputting a weld line image by using plural filters having each different optical wavelength transmission chracteristic, and separating it into plural images. CONSTITUTION:A weld line image is inputted simultaneously by using filters 11, 12 having each different optical transmission characteristic, only an image of a necessary wavelength is made to transmit, stored in corresponding memories 31A, 31B, respectively, and thereafter, it is read out and substracted, also separated into data in the vicinity of an arc and other data by an image analyzing part 41, and a data required for controlling a welding torch 51 is obtained. In this way, the welding torch 51 can be controlld exactly, therefore, a product of a high quality is obtained. In this regard, it can be applied to both AC welding and DC welding.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to a weld line image input method suitable for application to both AC welding and DC welding.

[Technical background of the invention and its problems]

There are two types of image input methods for this type of method. One of them is applied to equipment that automates AC arc welding. Specifically, a shutter is placed in front of a television camera, and a welding process is performed using a welding torch while repeatedly creating an arc and shorting. When the arc is short-circuited, the shutter is opened and an image of the welding line is captured by the television camera,
This imaging data is processed appropriately by a computer,
This is a method to obtain the data necessary to control the welding torch.

However, since this image input means is a method of capturing a weld line image only during short-circuit arc welding, there is a problem that it can only be applied to AC welding.

Another image input means is applied to a device that automates DC welding. That is, in this method, two filters are placed in front of a television camera, one filter transmits an infrared welding line image from one spectrum formed by arc light, and the other filter transmits an infrared welding line image. Then, by transmitting the welding line image at a reduced light intensity, correcting the infrared light welding line image data using the attenuation welding line image data, and processing the data of this correction result as appropriate,
This is to obtain the data necessary to control the welding torch.

However, although this image input means is equipped with two filters, since the other filter is used for correction, only one type of image data can be obtained. It is difficult to obtain detailed data, and the welding torch cannot be properly controlled.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and can be applied to both AC welding and DC welding.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a welding line image input method for obtaining image data that allows reliable control of a welding torch.

[Summary of the invention]

The present invention involves arranging a plurality of filters with different light wavelength transmission characteristics, capturing images of welding lines during welding, storing them separately in memories corresponding to each filter, and subtracting image data from these memories. This is a welding line image input method in which the image data is then analyzed to obtain a plurality of types of welding line image data, and a welding torch, etc. is controlled based on the analysis results.

[Embodiments of the invention]

An embodiment in which the method of the present invention is applied to a welding line image input device will be described below with reference to FIG.

In the figure, reference numeral 10 denotes an image input means for capturing a welding line image during welding using first and second filters 11 and 12 having different light wavelength transmission characteristics, and this includes a convex range in the welding line image input optical path. 13 and a half mirror 14 are arranged, and the straight welding line image output from the half mirror 14 is sent to the first filter 11.
The reflected weld line image from is sent to the second filter 12.

This welding line image includes AC welding and DC welding.
``Arc light generated by entertainment arcs, short circuits, etc.'' and various types of light included in this arc light, such as molten pool light. Therefore, an image near the arc can be obtained from the arc light, but the wavelength of this arc light has a spread of, for example, 0.3 to 1.8 IErL, and within this wavelength, optical images such as molten pool light etc. contains. For this reason, the light wavelength transmission characteristics of the first and second filters 11 and 12 are determined in consideration of these wavelengths. An image sensor 15 is provided on the output side of each of the filters 11 and 12.
．． 16 are arranged. This 11iifg! Element 15
．． For example, a CCD (charge coupled device) or the like is used for 16. Reference numeral 17 denotes a switch circuit, to which image data output from each image sensor 15, 16 is input via preamplifiers 18, 19, respectively.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a drive control circuit, which receives a timing signal generated from the synchronization signal generator 21 to switch and control the switch circuit 17 and each image sensor 15.16, and also controls the necessary power supply voltage to each AM element 15.16. is giving. 2
2 is an amplifier.

30 is an image processing means, which includes first and second frame memories 31A each having a quantization digital conversion means.
, 31B, and stores the image data selected by the switch circuit 17 in response to a write/read control signal generated based on a signal from the synchronization signal generator 21, for example. Furthermore, frame memories 31A, 31
An image processing calculation unit 32 is provided on the output side of B.

This image processing calculation unit 32 generates R
@Has a function to subtract data.

40 is an image analysis unit 4 having the function of controlling necessary elements.
1, which is divided into, for example, near-arc data obtained by arc light and other data, and the welding torch is controlled based on these data. 52 is a welding power source controller that provides the necessary welding current to the welding torch based on the data of the analysis result of the image analysis section 41, and 53 is a welding power source controller that controls the position of the welding torch 51 and the feeding speed of the welding core wire based on the data of the analysis result. It is a torch drive controller that controls. 54 is a base material, 54a is a molten metal, and 56 is an arc. 57 is an image processing calculation unit 32
This is a CRT display section that displays output data from the .

Next, the operation of the device as described above will be explained. It is now assumed that the welding torch 51 is performing arc welding with 1% hair growth in the base material 54 based on commands from the controllers 52 and 53. At this time, a weld line image with a change in brightness is generated from the welded portion by the arc 56, the molten metal 54a, and the like.

In this welding line image, for example, as shown in FIG. It is assumed that the light wavelength range is .7u1n, and that the image of the molten pool light also includes images of the groove shape, etc. Thus, such a welding line image is sent to the half mirror 14 via the convex lens 13, where it is split into a straight image and a reflected image, and sent to the first and second filters 11, 12. This first filter 11
has a light transmission characteristic of 1.0 to 1.7 tan, while the second filter 12 has a predetermined value of 0.3 which is 0.6 uIn or less, for example.
Suppose that it has the light transmission characteristics of Tan. Therefore, the welding line images obtained through transmission and reflection from each filter 11.12 as described above are captured by the corresponding rim elements 15.16, converted into electrical data, and sent to the switch circuit 17. . At this time, since a switching signal is inputted from the drive control circuit 20 to the switch circuit 17 and each image sensor 15, 16, the image data is selectively transferred to the image processing means 3.
Sent to 0. The image processing means 30 quantizes and digitizes the input copy image data and stores it in the corresponding frame memory 31A or 31B, and then reads it out based on the signal from the synchronization signal generation section 21 and sends it to the image processing calculation section 32. Send to. Here, the image III processing calculation unit 32
subtracts the level of the imaging data corresponding to the image sensor 16 from the level of the am data corresponding to the Ifi image element 15, and sends this to the image analysis section 41 as image processing data.

In addition, the image processing data is image-enhanced if necessary and CR
It is sent to the T display section 55 and displayed. On the other hand, in the image analysis section 41, parameters for calculation and other data necessary for side image analysis are stored in advance, so this data is used to perform image analysis to generate data based only on arc light, that is, an image near the arc. Data from the molten pool light, that is, images of the molten pool and the groove shape, etc., are separated, and the image data resulting from this analysis is used to send control signals to each controller 52, 53.

Therefore, each controller 52, 53 controls the welding torch 51 based on the control signal from the image analysis section 41.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, welding line images are captured simultaneously using filters 11 and 12 with different light transmission characteristics, and only images of necessary wavelengths are transmitted and stored in the corresponding memories 31A and 31B. After that, the data is read out and subtracted, and the image analysis unit 41 separates the data into data near the arc and other data to obtain the data necessary to control the welding torch. It can be applied to both AC welding and DC welding. This makes it possible to automate welding and obtain high quality products.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, a filter replacement unit 24 may be arranged on the front side of the television camera 23, and the filters 11 and 12 may be replaced in response to a timing signal from a controller 25. Note that the output image of the television camera 23 is quantized, digitized, and stored in the frame memories 31A and 31B, and the subsequent image (!f! processing) is as described above, and the explanation thereof will be omitted here.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As detailed above, according to the present invention, since a welding line image is captured and separated into multiple types of images, the welding condition can be analyzed more clearly and in detail than in the past, and the welding torch can be controlled reliably. It is possible to provide a welding line image input method that can be applied to both AC welding and DC welding automation equipment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a device made by applying the method of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a characteristic diagram showing the intensity distribution of a weld line image, and Fig. 3 is a device made by applying the method of the present invention. It is a block diagram explaining other examples of. 1o... Image input means, 11.12...
・Filter, 14...Half mirror-115, 1
6...ms element, 17...switch circuit, 23...television camera, 24...
Filter replacement unit, 30... image [1ffi processing means, 31A, 31B... frame memory, 32...
...Image processing calculation unit, 41...Image analysis section, 51...Welding torch, 52...Welding power supply controller, 53...Torch Drive controller, 54...Base material for welding.

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) An image input means for capturing a weld line image during welding using a plurality of filters having different light wavelength transmission characteristics, and a weld line image captured by this image input means is provided in correspondence with the filter. an image processing means for storing each image data separately in each memory and subtracting the image data from these memories; and an image analysis means for analyzing the image data obtained by the image processing means to obtain a plurality of types of welding line image data. A welding line image input method, comprising: controlling a welding torch based on the analysis result. (2) The image input means arranges a half mirror in the welding line image input optical path during welding, receives the straight welding line image from the half mirror with a first filter, and receives the reflected welding line image from the half mirror. An optical system that receives data from a second filter, an image sensor that is placed on the output side of these filters and that captures a welding line image transmitted through each filter and is output, and a switch circuit that transfers the image data of these image sensors. 2. The welding line image input method according to claim 1, further comprising means for selectively inputting images via a switch circuit or directly without a switch circuit. (3) The image input means includes an imaging camera that captures a welding line image during welding, and a plurality of filters that are provided on the front side of this imaging camera and that change the light wavelength transmission characteristics in response to a control signal. 2. The welding line image input method according to claim 1, further comprising a filter replacement section for changing the welding line image. (4) The filter has a first filter having a light wavelength transmission characteristic of a predetermined width and a second filter having a light wavelength transmission characteristic lower than the light wavelength of the first filter. A welding line image input method according to claim 1. (5) The welding line image input method according to claim 1, wherein the image processing means subtracts the image data in the memory corresponding to one filter from the image data in the memory corresponding to the other filter. (6) The plurality of types of welding line image data obtained by the image analysis means include data near the arc caused by arc light and data caused by light other than arc light.
Welding line image input method described in section.