Abb Schweiz Ag

Abb Research Ltd.

Jingguo Ge

Lei Mao

Peng Kong

Gang Wu

Jens Hofschulte

A method and an apparatus of identifying welding seams of a welding object. The method includes identifying intersection lines between geometrical bodies of the welding object in a three-dimensional model for the welding object, based on geometry of the geometrical bodies to form a collection of welding seams for the welding object. The method also includes eliminating hidden seams from the collection of welding seams for the welding object based on overlapping relationship among the welding seams to form a candidate seam list. Welding seams can be identified automatically and efficiently, and the method or the apparatus makes the automatic programming of the welding robot possible and thus facilitates use of a robot in welding huge and complex structures manufactured in a small batch.

Method and apparatus of identifying welding seams of a welding object

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a method and apparatus of scheduling welding operations. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method includes identifying seams on a welding object in a three-dimensional model for the welding object based on geometry of bodies contained in the welding object. The method also includes determining a welding sequence based on the seams, welding parameters and welding process requirements. The method further includes generating an operation procedure for a welding robot based on another three-dimensional model for the welding robot, the welding sequence, robot path parameters and the welding parameters to schedule the welding operations of the welding object. With embodiments of the present disclosure, the welding procedure could be generated in an automatic way and thus a robot can be used in welding huge and complex structures or structures manufactured in a small batch so that the automatic level can be increased remarkably and the production cost can be reduced accordingly.

Method and apparatus of scheduling welding operations for a welding robot

A monitor for determining the operation condition of at least one cable that suffers bending and/or twisting and constitutes an electrical loop and a method thereof are provided. The monitor comprises a test electrical signal generator () for generating an identifiable test electrical signal and injecting the test electrical signal into the first point of the at least one cable, a test electrical signal filter () adapting to extract the injected test electrical signal from the second point of the at least one cable, and a comparator () for comparing a predetermined threshold with the difference between the electrical state of the injected test electrical signal and the extracted test electrical signal and producing a warning signal indicating cable fatigue when the difference exceeds the predetermined threshold. It provides the advantages as follows: it only monitors the electric performance, not the mechanical performance of a cable; it monitors the cable itself rather than a monitor material; it is applicable to all kinds of cables, including but not limited to a large-current cable; it does not introduce new cables; it is an on-line monitoring, i.e. the electro-mechanical system needs no pause for monitoring its cable fatigue.

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Shanghai, China

Jingguo Ge