US 4,724,302 A · Bead process control with profiler

Abstract

Feed process control is accomplished using an optical profiler to determine the height, width, and cross sectional area of a bead produced by a bead producing tool. Feedback control of the height, width, and/or area is obtained by modifying various parameters of the bead producing tool. If the bead producing tool is a welding torch, the parameters may include the weld torch voltage, weld torch current, wire feed rate, and the speed of travel of the torch across the workpiece or workpieces. If the bead producing tool is a sealant or glue gun, the parameters may include the pressure of the sealant or the glue supplied to the sealant or the glue gun, the size of an adjustable nozzle orifice of the sealant or the glue gun, and the speed of travel of the sealant or the glue gun along the surface of the workpiece.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A method of automatically controlling a bead producing process in real time comprising the steps of:

producing a bead by moving a bead producing tool along the surface of one or more workpieces;
generating dimensional profile information on said bead immediately after its formation with an optical profiler that tracks said bead;
deriving from said profile information bead variables which are the height and width and cross sectional area of said bead above the workpiece level;
comparing said bead variables to respective reference values and determining which are unsatisfactory;
calculating process parameters that affect at least first and second unsatisfactory bead variables and compensate for any deviation;
and
controlling said bead producing tool for feedback control of said first and second bead variables.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Bead process control with profiler

Life of this patent

Bead process control with profiler

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims8