Transducer built into an electrode
AssigneeDaimlerChrysler AG
InventorsRoman Gr. Maev, Andrei A. Ptchelintsev, John L. Mann
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Abstract
The present invention provides an electrode assembly for a spot welder which has an acoustic sensor built therein. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a spot welder has a first and second electrode assembly according to the present invention. During welding, the acoustic sensor from the first electrode assembly selectively generates a burst of acoustic energy which passes through a weld subject and is received by the second electrode assembly. The acoustic sensor in the second transducer then emits an output signal, representative of the geometry of the weld nugget, to a computer.
Claims10
A spot welder comprising:
- a first electrode assembly and a second electrode assembly, each of said electrode assemblies selectively conducting a weld current through a weld subject for spot welding, each of said electrode assemblies having an ultrasonic probe, said ultrasonic probes at least partially surrounded by an outer shell;
- and
- said ultrasonic probe of said first electrode assembly selectively generating a burst of acoustic energy through a weld subject, wherein each of said ultrasonic probes receives a portion of said burst of acoustic energy for providing at least one output signal representative of measurements of a weld nugget of said weld subject.
A method for monitoring a welding process of a weld subject, comprising the steps of:
- a. clamping a weld subject between a first electrode and a second electrode;
- b. transmitting a series of bursts of acoustic energy from a first ultrasonic probe disposed within said first electrode and receiving portions of said bursts of acoustic energy with said first ultrasonic probe and a second ultrasonic probe disposed within said second electrode, said series of bursts of acoustic energy being transmitted until after welding is complete;
- c. welding said weld subject;
- and
- d. generating a first output signal from said first ultrasonic probe and a second signal from said second ultrasonic probe which are representative of measurements of said weld subject.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.