Tracking type welding apparatus

A welding apparatus comprising

• workpiece mounting means for mounting a workpiece to be welded,
• a probe and torch assembly including a probe and a welding torch positioned a fixed distance from each other in a given direction and each being separately movable transversely of said given direction,
• main drive means for producing relative movement between said workpiece mounting means and said probe and torch assembly in said given direction,
• said probe being constructed to follow transverse deviations of a seam to be welded during said relative movement and to generate electrical probe movement signals corresponding to said deviations,
• said probe including a main probe slide driven in response to sensed vertical deviations of a workpiece and an auxiliary slide mounted to move on said main probe slide, a wedge shaped gap width sensing element on said auxiliary slide and drive means to move said auxiliary slide in response to movements of said gap width sensing element on said auxiliary slide,
• said torch including a torch drive arranged to drive said torch to undergo transverse deviations in accordance with electrical torch drive signals,
• an adjustable contour cam positioned remotely from said probe and torch assembly, said cam comprising a pin mounting means and a plurality of pins positioned side by side and forming a line on said mounting means,
• a pin setter and reader assembly including a pin setter and a pin reader mounted at a predetermined distance from each other along said line and each being separately movable in the longitudinal direction of the pins in contact with said pins,
• cam drive means for producing relative movement between said pin mounting means and said pin setter and reader assembly along said line, so that said setter and reader successively contact different ones of said pins during said relative movement,
• said pin reader being constructed to follow the longitudinal positions of the pins it contacts during said relative movement and to generate electrical reader signals in accordance with said positions,
• said pin setter including a pin setter drive arranged to adjust the longitudinal position of the pins it contacts during said relative movement in accordance with electrical pin setter signals applied thereto,
• first synchronizing means connected between said main drive means and said cam drive means to synchronize their operation,
• second synchronizing means connected to receive said electrical probe movement signals and to apply corresponding drive signals to said pin setter drive to synchronize the movements of said pin setter with those of said probe, and
• third synchronizing means connected to receive said electrical reader signals and to apply corresponding drive signals to said torch drive to synchronize the movements of said torch drive with those of said pin reader.

A welding apparatus comprising

• workpiece mounting means for mounting a workpiece to be welded,
• a probe and torch assembly including a probe and a welding torch positioned a fixed distance from each other in a given direction and each being separately movable transversely of said given direction,
• main drive means for producing relative movement between said workpiece mounting means and said probe and torch assembly in said given direction,
• said probe being constructed to follow transverse deviations of a seam to be welded during said relative movement and to generate electrical probe movement signals corresponding to said deviations,
• said probe comprising a base, a horizontal slide mounted to move horizontally on said base, a vertical slide mounted to move vertically on said horizontal slide a probe carried on said vertical slide, said probe being movable by a small amount in both the vertical and horizontal direction horizontal drive means including a horizontal drive motor mounted on said base and coupled to drive said horizontal slide, vertical drive means including a vertical drive motor mounted on said horizontal slide and coupled to drive said vertical slide, horizontal and vertical switch means arranged on said vertical slide to be actuated by horizontal and vertical movements of said probe respectively, said horizontal and vertical switch means being connected to control operation of said horizontal and vertical drive motors respectively, said probe including a probe block extending out from said vertical probe slide and pivotally mounted thereto about a vertical axis and a probe rod guided for vertical movement in said block a finite distance from said axis, said vertical switch means being mounted to be actuated by vertical movements of said probe rod relative to said block and said horizontal switch means being mounted to be actuated by pivotal movement of said block relative to said vertical slide,
• said torch including a torch drive arranged to drive said torch to undergo transverse deviations in accordance with electrical torch drive signals,
• an adjustable contour cam positioned remotely from said probe and torch assembly, said cam comprising a pin mounting means and a plurality of pins positioned side by side and forming a line on said mounting means,
• a pin setter and reader assembly including a pin setter and a pin reader mounted at a predetermined distance from each other along said line and each being separately movable in the longitudinal direction of the pins in contact with said pins,
• cam drive means for producing relative movement between said pin mounting means and said pin setter and reader assembly along said line, so that said setter and reader successively contact different ones of said pins during said relative movement,
• said pin reader being constructed to follow the longitudinal positions of the pins it contacts during said relative movement and to generate electrical reader signals in accordance with said positions,
• said pin setter including a pin setter drive arranged to adjust the longitudinal position of the pins it contacts during said relative movement in accordance with electrical pin setter signals applied thereto,
• first synchronizing means connected between said main drive means and said cam drive means to synchronize their operation,
• second synchronizing means connected to receive said electrical probe movement signals and to apply corresponding drive signals to said pin setter drive to synchronize the movements of said pin setter with those of said probe, and
• third synchronizing means connected to receive said electrical reader signals and to apply corresponding drive signals to said torch drive to synchronize the movements of said torch drive with those of said pin reader.