Apparatus and method for controlling an arc welding robot

A method for controlling a robot arm which is utilizing a welding torch, the method comprising:

• determining a time until an arc is to be cut off after sending a crater welding condition command to a welding power source in a crater treatment procedure when an effect point of the welding torch held by the robot arm reaches a welding end point;
• determining a response delay time of a wire feeder when a welding condition command value is changed from a regular welding condition command value to a crater condition command value;
• comparing the time and the response delay time;
• if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time, sending a crater welding condition command to the welding power source, and waiting for the time while temporarily maintaining the welding torch in an arc-on state;
• if the time is less than the response delay time, waiting for the response delay time while temporarily maintaining the welding torch in the arc-on state;
• and
• commanding arc cut-off of the welding power source either at a point in time after waiting for the time if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time or at another point in time after waiting for the response delay time if the time is less than the response delay time.

A method for controlling a robot arm which is utilizing a welding torch, the method comprising:

• determining a time until an arc is cut off after sending a crater welding condition command to a welding condition power source in a crater condition procedure when an effect point of a welding torch held by a robot arm reaches a welding end point;
• determining a response delay time of a wire feeder when a welding condition command value is changed from a regular welding condition command value to a crater welding condition command value;
• comparing the time and the response delay time;
• if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time, sending the crater condition command to the welding power source;
• if the time is less than the response delay maintaining the welding torch in an arc-onmaintaining the welding torch in an arc-on state and at the regular welding condition command value;
• and
• commanding arc cut-off of the welding power source either at a point in time after sending the crater condition command if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time or at another point in time after waiting for the time to pass if the time is less than the response delay time.

A control apparatus of an arc welding robot, comprising:

• a central processing unit being operable to execute a crater treatment procedure, wherein the crater treatment procedure includes:
• determining a time until an arc is to be cut off after sending a crater welding condition command to a welding power source in a crater treatment procedure when an effect point of the welding torch held by a robot arm reaches a welding end point,
• determining a response delay time of a wire feeder when a welding condition command value is changed from a regular welding condition command value to a crater condition command value,
• comparing the time and the response delay time,
• if the time is greater than or equal to the response time, sending a crater welding condition command to the welding power source, and waiting for the time while temporarily maintaining the welding torch in an arc-on state,
• if the time is less than the response delay time, waiting for the response delay time while temporarily maintaining the welding torch in the arc-on state, and
• commanding arc cut-off of the welding power source either at a point in time after waiting for the time if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time or at another point in time after waiting for the response delay time if the time is less than the response delay time;
• and
• an output being operable to output information from said central processing unit to the arc welding robot.

A control apparatus of an arc welding robot, comprising:

• a central processing unit being operable to execute a crater treatment procedure, wherein the crater treatment procedure includes:
• determining a time until an arc is cut off after sending a crater welding condition command to a welding condition power source in a crater condition procedure when an effect point of a welding torch held by a robot arm reaches a welding end point,
• determining a response delay time of a wire feeder when the welding condition command value is changed from a regular welding condition command value to a crater welding condition command value,
• comparing the time and the response delay time,
• if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time, sending the crater condition command to the welding power source,
• if the time is less than the response delay time, waiting for the time to pass while maintaining the welding torch in an arc-on state and maintaining the welding condition command at the regular welding condition command value, and
• commanding arc cut-off of the welding power source either at a point in time after sending the crater condition command if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time or at another point in time after waiting for the time to pass if the time is less than the response delay time;
• and
• an output being operable to output information from said central processing unit to the arc welding robot.

A control apparatus of an arc welding robot, comprising:

• a non-volatile memory being operable to hold characteristic data comprising wire feed characteristic data;
• a central processing unit being operable to execute at least one of first and second crater treatment procedures,
• wherein the first crater treatment procedure includes:
• determining a time until an arc is to be cut off after sending a crater welding condition command to a welding power source in a crater treatment procedure when an effect point of a welding torch held by a robot arm reaches a welding end point,
• determining a response delay time of a wire feeder based on the wire feeder characteristic data when a welding condition command value is changed from a regular welding condition command value to a crater condition command value,
• comparing the time and the response delay time,
• if the time is greater than or equal to the response time, sending a crater welding condition command to the welding power source, and waiting for the time while temporarily maintaining the welding torch in an arc-on state,
• if the time is less than the response delay time, waiting for the response delay time while temporarily maintaining the welding torch in the arc-on state, and
• commanding arc cut-off of the welding power source either at a point in time after waiting for the time if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time or at another point in time after waiting for the response delay time if the time is less than the response delay time, and
• the second crater treatment procedure includes:
• determining the time until the arc is cut off after sending the crater welding condition command to the welding condition power source in the crater condition procedure when the effect point of the welding torch held by the robot arm reaches the welding end point,
• determining the response delay time of the wire feeder when the welding condition command value is changed from the regular welding condition command value to the crater welding condition command value,
• comparing the time and the response delay time,
• if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time, sending the crater condition command to the welding power source,
• if the time is less than the response delay time, waiting for the time to pass while maintaining the welding torch in the arc-on state and maintaining the welding condition command at the regular welding condition command value, and
• commanding arc cut-off of the welding power source either at a point in time after sending the crater condition command if the time is greater than or equal to the response delay time or at another point in time after waiting for the time to pass if the time is less than the response delay time;
• said central processing unit being further operable to change the wire feed characteristic data based on a model change of the wire feeder;
• a personal computer communication control unit linked to said central processing unit, said personal computer communication control unit being operable to communicate with a manmachine interface.