Granted Patent B2

US 8,176,793 · App. 12/333,567 · Granted May 15, 2012

Abstract

Claims (81)

1. Method to diagnose a failed weld in a welding process, comprising:

monitoring a location of a weld created on a plurality of work pieces;

diagnosing said weld as a failed weld based on said location with respect to a closest edge of one of said work pieces; and

identifying said failed weld based on said diagnosing;

wherein said diagnosing said weld as a failed weld comprises:

evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge; and

diagnosing said failed weld based upon said evaluating; and

wherein said evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge comprises:

comparing said location of said weld to a nominal location of said weld; and

diagnosing said failed weld if said location of said weld varies from said nominal location by more than a threshold maximum distance.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said monitoring a location of said weld comprises utilizing a machine vision system.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said monitoring a location of said weld comprises utilizing physical probes measuring location data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said monitoring a location of said weld comprises monitoring movement of welding machinery utilized to create said weld.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising repairing said work pieces based upon said identifying said failed weld.

6. Method to diagnose a failed weld in a welding process, comprising:

monitoring a location of a weld created on a plurality of work pieces;

diagnosing said weld as a failed weld based on said location with respect to a closest edge of one of said work pieces; and

identifying said failed weld based on said diagnosing;

wherein said diagnosing said weld as a failed weld comprises:

evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge; and

diagnosing said failed weld based upon said evaluating; and

wherein said evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge comprises:

comparing said location of said weld to a 3D model of said work pieces to determine a distance from said location of said weld to said closest edge; and

diagnosing said failed weld if said distance is less than a threshold minimum distance from said closest edge.

7. Method to diagnose a failed weld in a welding process, comprising:

monitoring a location of a weld created on a plurality of work pieces;

diagnosing said weld as a failed weld based on said location with respect to a closest edge of one of said work pieces; and

identifying said failed weld based on said diagnosing;

wherein said diagnosing said weld as a failed weld comprises:

evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge; and

diagnosing said failed weld based upon said evaluating; and

wherein said evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge comprises:

monitoring accepted weld location data from a data referencing device;

comparing said location of said weld to said accepted weld location data; and

diagnosing said failed weld if said location of said weld violates said accepted weld location data.

8. Method to diagnose a failed weld in a welding process, comprising:

monitoring a location of a weld created on a plurality of work pieces;

diagnosing said weld as a failed weld based on said location with respect to a closest edge of one of said work pieces; and

identifying said failed weld based on said diagnosing;

wherein said diagnosing said weld as a failed weld comprises:

determining a predicted weld strength based upon said location of said weld comparing said predicted weld strength to a required weld strength for said weld; and

diagnosing said failed weld if said predicted weld strength is less than said required weld strength.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein said determining said predicted weld strength is based upon experimentally testing yield strength of samples of said work pieces welded in various locations.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein said determining said predicted weld strength is based upon modeling said work pieces and a resulting distance to said closest edge based upon said location of said weld.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein said modeling further comprises factoring material properties and predicted weld geometry based upon said location of said weld.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein said determining said predicted weld strength is further based upon a yield strength of a material of said work pieces and a coupon thickness of said work pieces.

13. Method to diagnose a failed weld in a welding process, comprising:

monitoring a location of a weld created on a plurality of work pieces;

diagnosing said weld as a failed weld based on said location with respect to a closest edge of one of said work pieces; and

identifying said failed weld based on said diagnosing;

wherein said diagnosing said weld as a failed weld comprises:

evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge; and

diagnosing said failed weld based upon said evaluating; and

wherein said evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge comprises:

monitoring a defined safe zone for the weld;

comparing said location of said weld to said defined safe zone; and

diagnosing said failed weld if said location of said weld is outside of said defined safe zone.

14. Method to diagnose a failed weld in a welding process, comprising:

monitoring a location of a weld created on a plurality of work pieces;

diagnosing said weld as a failed weld based on said location with respect to a closest edge of one of said work pieces; and

identifying said failed weld based on said diagnosing;

wherein said diagnosing said weld as a failed weld comprises:

evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge; and

diagnosing said failed weld based upon said evaluating; and

wherein said evaluating said location of said weld with respect to a distance from said closest edge comprises:

monitoring a defined edge zone for the weld;

comparing said location of said weld to said defined edge zone; and

diagnosing said failed weld if said location of said weld is inside of said defined edge zone.

15. Method to diagnose a failed welding process, comprising:

monitoring locations of a plurality of welds created on a set of work pieces;

determining a weld strength for each of said welds based on said locations with respect to a closest edge of one of said work pieces for each weld;

determining a resulting strength in said overall set of work pieces based upon compilation of said weld strengths; and

identifying said failed weld process based on said resulting strength in said overall set of work pieces.

16. Apparatus to diagnose a weld failure in a welding process, comprising:

a control module, including programming to:

monitor a location of a weld created on a plurality of work pieces;

determine a distance from said location of said weld to a closest edge of said work pieces;

determine a predicted strength of said weld based upon said distance;

compare said predicted strength of said weld to a required strength of said weld; and

diagnose said weld failure based upon said comparing.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , further comprising a machine vision system generating said location of said weld.

Assignments (8)