• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.66-72
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• 2005

An electromagnetic inductive sensor consisted of one exciter and three separated (triple) detectors has been developed for both tracking the weld seam of a workpiece and controlling the sensor-to-workpiece distance (height) simultaneously. The left and right detectors are used to track the seam, while the fore and the other two detectors allow the sensor to determine the height and the gap width by being coupled their outputs together. A series of experiments with the proposed sensor located above a mild steel plate containing a weld seam of gap are carried out to examine the feasibility of the sensor. The results revealed that the proposed sensor could fairly well track the desired seam and also well control the height to be constant even when the gap width of the seam varied. The gap width can be also determined during the seam tracking by using the sensor outputs. As a consequence, these can provide the developed sensor with substantial improvement for industrial uses with respect to the previous electromagnetic sensors being used for the weld seam tracking.

• 한국레이저가공학회지
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.17-23
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• 2010

It is very important to track a complicate weld seam for the welding automation. Very recently, laser vision sensor becomes a useful sensing tool to find the seams. Until now, however studies of welding automation using a laser vision sensor, focused on either image processing or feature recognition from CCD camera. Even though it is possible to use a simple algorithm for tracking a simple seam, it is extremely difficult to develop a seam-tracking algorithm when the seam is more complex. To overcome these difficulties, this study introduces a simulation system to develop the seam tracking algorithm. This method was verified experimentally to reduce the time and effort to develop the seam tracking algorithm, and to implement the sensing device.

• 한국정보통신학회논문지
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• 제5권1호
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• pp.144-149
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• 2001

산업현장의 열악한 작업중의 하나인 용접작업을 자동화하기 위한 방법으로 본 논문은 비접촉식 센서인 Fiber Sensor를 이용하여 용접선을 1차적으로 추적하고, 추적한 데이터를 텍스트 파일로 저장함과 통시에 2차적으로 추적한 용접선을 X-Y 로봇의 좌표값으로 다시 출력하여 용접을 하도록 하고 있다. Fiber Sensor를 통하여 읽어 들인 데이터는 Delphi Version 3.0을 이용하여 만들어진 프로그램을 통하여 처리하였고, I/O 입출력은 16 채널의 Relay Actuator 출력과 16 채널의 opto-isolated 입력이 가능한 PC의 ISA슬롯에 직접 삽입하여 사용하는 카드를 통해서 이루어졌다. 본 실험에서 용접선 추적은 직선, 기울기를 가진 직선 및 곡선에 관하여 추적을 행하였고, 추적한 데이터를 토대로 인버터 $CO_2$ 용접기를 사용하여 용접을 행하여 보았다.

• 한국정보통신학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국해양정보통신학회 2000년도 추계종합학술대회
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• pp.558-561
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• 2000

산업 현장의 열악한 작업중의 하나인 용접작업을 자동화하기 위한 방법으로 본 논문은 비접촉식 센서인 Fiber Sensor를 이용하여 용접선을 1차적으로 추적하고, 추적한 데이터를 텍스트 파일로 저장함과 동시에 2차적으로 추적한 용접선을 X-Y 로봇의 좌표값으로 다시 출력하여 용접을 하도록 하고 있다 Fiber Sensor를 통하여 읽어 들인 데이터는 Delphi Version 3.0을 이용하여 만들어진 프로그램을 통하여 처리하였고, I/O 입출력은 16 채널의 Relay Actuator 출력과 16 채널의 opto-isolated 입력이 가능한 PC의 ISA 슬롯에 직접 삽입하여 사용하는 카드를 통해서 이루어졌다. 본 실험에서 용접선 추적은 직선, 기울기를 가진 직선 및 곡선에 관하여 추적을 행하였고, 추적한 데이터를 토대로 인버터 CO2용접기를 사용하여 용접을 행하여 보았다.

• International Journal of Korean Welding Society
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• 제2권2호
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• pp.51-56
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• 2002

The weld seam tracking system for arc welding process uses various kinds of sensors such as arc sensor, vision sensor, laser displacement sensor and so on. Among the variety of sensors available, electro-magnetic sensor is one of the most useful methods especially in sheet metal butt-joint arc welding, primarily because it is hardly affected by the intense arc light and fume generated during the welding process, and also by the surface condition of weldments. In this study, a dual-electromagnetic sensor, which utilizes the induced current variation in the sensing coil due to the eddy current variation of the metal near the sensor, was developed for arc welding of sheet metal I-butt joints. The dual-electromagnetic sensor thus detects the offset displacement of weld line from the center of sensor head even though there's no clearance in the joint. A set of design variables of the sensor was determined far the maximum sensing capability through the repeated experiments. Seam tracking is performed by correcting the position of sensor to the amount of offset displacement every sampling period. From the experimental results, the developed sensor showed the excellent capability of weld seam detection when the sensor to workpiece distance is near less than 5 ㎜, and it was revealed that the system has excellent seam tracking ability for the I-butt joint of sheet metal.

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2003년도 추계학술대회
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• pp.1506-1511
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• 2003

This paper describes an automatic weld seam tracking method of plasma arc welding system designed for the corrugation panel that consists of a linear section and a curved section with various curvatures. Due to the complexity of the panel shape, it is difficult to find a seam and operate a torch manually in the welding process. So, the laser vision sensor for seam tracking is designed for sensing the seam position and controlling a torch automatically. To achieve precise seam tracking, the design of sensor head, image simulation, and calibration are carried out. Through a series of experiment result, compensation algorithm is added and real time error compensation is achieved. The experiment result shows that this vision sensor works effectively. It will provide more precise welding performance and convenience to the operator.

• International Journal of Precision Engineering and Manufacturing
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.30-38
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• 2003

This paper proposed PID controller for torch slider and PD controller for motor right wheel. to control the motion of two-wheeled welding mobile robot with seam tracking sensor touched on welding line. The motion control is realized in the view of keeping constant welding velocity and precise seam tracking even though the target welding line is on straight line or curved line. The position and direction of the body of the mottle robot are controlled by using signal errors between seam tracking sensor and body positioning sensor attached on the end of torch slider and body side of the mobile robot, respectively. In turning motion, the body and the torch slider are controlled by using the kinematic model related with two motions of body turning and torch sliding. The straight locomotion is controlled according to eleven control patterns obtained from displacements between two sensors of the seam tracking sensor and the body positioning sensor. The effectiveness is proven through the experimental results fur lattice type welding line. Through the experimental results, we can see that the position value of the electrode end point and the welding velocity are controlled almost constantly both in straight and turning locomotion.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.208-214
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• 2001

In this study, we constructed a visual sensor system for weld seam tracking in real time in GMA welding. A sensor part consists of a CCD camera, a band-pass filter, a diode laser system with a cylindrical lens, and a vision board for inter frame process. We used a commercialized robot system which includes a GMA welding machine. To extract the weld seam we used a inter frame process in vision board from that we could remove the noise due to the spatters and fume in the image. Since the image was very reasonable by using the inter frame p개cess, we could use the simplest way to extract the weld seam from the image, such as first differential and central difference method. Also we used a moving average method to the successive position data or weld seam for reducing the data fluctuation. In experiment the developed robot system with visual sensor could be able to track a most popular weld seam. such as a fillet-joint, a V-groove, and a lap-joint of which weld seam include planar and height directional variation.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.79-88
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• 1996

For improvement in productivity and weld quality, weld seam tracking and welding parameter control are very essential in the welding of a structure which can not be cxactly fit-up due to mismatch, discontinous gap, deflection, etc.. In this study, an automatic weld seam tracking system is developed for I-butt joint structure, and the system consists of XYZ working table, vision sensor and user interface program. In the developed vision sensor system, an image projection algorithm for weld-line detection and an adaptive current control algorithm for gap variation were implemented. The user interface program developed in this study by basing on the objct oriented concept could provide very convenient way to utilize the tracking system with the pull-down menu driven structure. The developed system showed a good seam tracking and weld quality control capability corresponding to deflected weld lines and gap variations.

• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정밀공학회 1996년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.680-684
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• 1996

Welding systems cannot adapt to changes in the joint geometry which may occur due to a variety of reason. Automatic seam tracking technigue is essential to adjust the welding torch position in real time as it moves along the seam. Automatic tracking system must keep the welding speed constant unrelation to the change of the welding path. Therefore, the information from the laser displacement sensor must be converted into the input to operate the X-Y table and to rotate the desired torch position by proposed algorithm. In this research, laser displacement sensor is used as a seam finder in the automatic tracking system. X-Y moving table manipulated by ac servo motor controls the position and velocity of the torch-and-sensor part. DC motor controls the position and velocity of the torch. X-Y table controls the position of sensor and relative position of torch is controlled by dc motor which is mounted at sensor-and-torch part. Sensor is always ahead of torch to preview the weld line. From the experimental results, we could see the possiblity that the laser displacement sensor can be used as a seam finder in welding process and that the seam tracking system controlled by proposed algorithm is well done.