Patent Description:
Joints to be formed in walls of various large containers and other similar pieces by welding joints of steel sheets (that is, for example joint lines between the ends and the shell as well as the longitudinal seam of the shell of a cylindrical tank) are normally welded by applying MAG welding methods (MAG metal-cored wire welding, MAG solid wire welding or MAG flux-cored wire welding). Welding large containers or similar pieces manually by holding a welding gun is heavy precision work, partly because the welded seams to be formed are long and require that the welding gun is held precisely in alignment with the work piece for long periods of time. Moreover, manual welding of the pieces often requires reaching and inconvenient working positions. To solve this problem and to increase efficiency of the welding work, various movable welding booms have been developed for keeping the welding gun at the right distance with respect to the work piece and/or for moving it with respect to the work piece at a constant speed required for the welding seam. During welding by using welding booms of prior art, the head of the welding boom and the welding gun are normally moved along the welding seam by an actuator (for example, a linear motor, or the like), to achieve a steady motion and a speed precisely suitable to meet the quality requirements of a welding seam set by welding standards. It is also possible to move the work piece to be welded with respect to the welding gun, instead of or in addition to moving the welding gun. For example, when welding the ends of a cylindrical tank to the shell, it is common to rotate the tank with respect to its longitudinal axis of symmetry during the welding.

By using welding booms of prior art, it has been possible to lighten the work of a welder, to facilitate the achievement of sufficient precision, and to improve the efficiency of the work. However, welding booms of prior art involve the disadvantage of their limited applicability and suitability for a number of pieces in different shapes and sizes to be welded. Normally, welding booms of prior art are designed for a given use or for few different uses only, whereby a number of different welding booms have to be obtained for various tanks to be welded, for example, or part of the welding has to be done manually or by other alternative methods. In addition, the use of welding booms of prior art is often slow and laborious, because it is usually slow and laborious to shift them and to move the head for fastening the welding gun (i.e. the head of the welding boom) and to turn it to a suitable position with respect to the work piece before starting the actual welding work. Furthermore, welding booms of prior art have the disadvantage that because of the devices for moving the welding gun, arranged in the welding boom or in its vicinity, the head of the welding boom is bulky and difficult to fit in tight areas, such as inside a capsular or tubular piece having a small diameter or small inner dimensions.

<CIT> discloses welding boom comprising a base, a vertical column mounted on it, and a horizontal arm fastened to the vertical column, wherein a welding gun fastener is provided at the end of the horizontal arm for fastening a welding gun of a welding device to the end of the welding boom, wherein the horizontal arm of the welding boom is fastened to the vertical column to be movable by a distance in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column and/or in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm, wherein the welding boom comprises at least one actuator drive for moving the horizontal arm a distance in at least the longitudinal direction of the vertical column and/or the longitudinal direction of the vertical arm at an adjustable speed by means of the actuator drive during welding by using the welding boom.

It is an aim of the invention to present a novel welding boom which is better suited for welding tanks and other similar pieces of different sizes. In addition, it is an aim of the invention to present a novel welding boom, whereby, at the stage of preparing for welding, the head of the welding boom and the welding gun attached to it can be moved more easily and more quickly to a desired position for starting welding with respect to the piece to be welded. Further, it is an aim of the invention to present a welding boom which can be easily fitted even in tight areas.

The aim of the invention is achieved by a welding boom comprising a vertical column and a horizontal arm, wherein the horizontal arm is fastened with respect to the vertical column to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column and in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm itself so that these movements comprise quick manual movements for moving the head of the welding boom to a desired position for starting welding, and wherein the horizontal arm is further configured to be movable with respect to the vertical column by an actuator and to be adjustable in its speed during the welding, at least in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm, for moving a welding gun attached to one end of the horizontal arm at a speed required for the welding. More precisely the welding boom according to the invention is characterized in what will be presented in the independent claim <NUM>. Dependent claims <NUM> to <NUM> present some advantageous embodiments of the welding boom according to the invention.

The welding boom according to the invention has the advantage of making it possible to weld a number of containers or similar pieces of different sizes to be made of sheet steel by using one and the same welding boom. Another advantage of the welding boom according to the invention is that quick manual movements make it easier and faster to arrange the head of the welding boom in the position for starting welding. Furthermore, the welding boom according to the invention has the advantage that the head of the welding boom can be made small in size, to be easily fitted even in narrow areas.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the appended drawings, in which.

<FIG> show a welding boom <NUM> according to the invention. It comprises a base <NUM>, a vertical column <NUM> mounted on the base, and a horizontal arm <NUM> mounted on the vertical column. At an end of the horizontal arm <NUM>, a welding gun fastener <NUM> is provided for fastening a welding gun to the head of the welding boom <NUM>.

The horizontal arm <NUM> is mounted on the vertical column <NUM> to be freely movable to different positions in its longitudinal direction (by a maximum of the length of the vertical column <NUM>) and in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm <NUM> (by a maximum of the length of the horizontal arm <NUM>) and to be locked with respect to the vertical column <NUM> by a locking device <NUM>. The horizontal arm <NUM> can thus be manually moved in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column <NUM> and in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm <NUM> into different positions with respect to the horizontal column <NUM>, and then locked in the desired position by the locking device <NUM>. Thus, the welding boom <NUM> of <FIG> is provided with manual adjustment of an initial position, whereby the welding gun fastener <NUM> at the end of the horizontal arm <NUM>, with the welding gun fixed in it, can be moved by quick manual adjustments of the initial position to a desired position for starting welding.

In addition to the initial position adjustment, the welding boom <NUM> of <FIG> comprises actuator drives for moving the horizontal arm <NUM> at an adjustable speed in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column <NUM> and in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm <NUM>, to generate the welding motion of the welding gun attached to the welding gun fastener <NUM>. The actuator drives always move the horizontal arm <NUM> in a selected direction of movement with respect to the vertical column <NUM>, irrespective of the initial position adjustment made. Consequently, the position for starting the welding motion can be determined by the initial position adjustment, and the direction of movement of the welding gun and the speed of the welding motion can be determined by the selected speeds of the actuator drives.

Moreover, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the vertical column <NUM> is mounted on the base <NUM> to be movable a distance by an actuator in the transverse direction with respect to the horizontal arm <NUM> and the vertical column <NUM>, for generating a transverse welding motion of the welding boom <NUM>. Consequently, when the welding boom <NUM> of <FIG> is used for welding, the welding gun can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column <NUM>, in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm <NUM>, and also in a direction transverse to the vertical plane formed by these. In other words, with the welding boom <NUM> of <FIG>, the welding gun can be moved along a path to be determined in a three-dimensional space during welding. In another embodiment of the welding boom according to the invention, the vertical column may be mounted to be pivotable about an axis parallel to the vertical column with respect to the base, in addition to or instead of its movement transverse to the travel direction of the base. Such a pivoting movement of the welding boom may also be provided with the above-described manual adjustment of the initial position as well as with an actuator drive (for generating a respective welding motion). This increases further the freedom to select a suitable initial position for welding in various ways with respect to the location of the base of the welding boom, as well as to implement the direction of the welding motion and the way of implementing the motion. On the other hand, in an embodiment of the welding boom according to the invention, simpler than the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the vertical column may be rigidly mounted on the base, whereby the welding boom can only be moved in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal boom and in the vertical direction during the welding motion. Furthermore, there may be another embodiment even simpler than the above-mentioned embodiments, wherein the welding motion is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm or the longitudinal direction of the vertical column only, whereby the welding boom is intended for making welding seams in the horizontal direction or in the vertical direction only.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the vertical column <NUM> and the horizontal arm <NUM> are aluminium profile beams, but in other embodiments they may be made of e.g. steel or another suitable material (e.g. composite). In any case, their structure should be sufficiently rigid and stable, so that the welding gun can be guided with a sufficient precision along the joint of the pieces to be welded during the welding motion of the head of the welding boom <NUM> driven by an actuator.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the horizontal arm <NUM> is placed on that side of the vertical column <NUM> shown in <FIG> (i.e. on the side of the vertical column <NUM> facing the horizontal arm) Moreover, in the embodiment of <FIG>, an intermediate frame <NUM> is provided between the vertical column <NUM> and the horizontal arm <NUM>. For achieving the above described movable fastening, guide tracks or the like are provided on opposite sides of the vertical column <NUM>, wherein a first element <NUM> of the intermediate frame <NUM>, which is connected to the vertical column and through which the vertical column <NUM> is fitted, is fastened to the guide tracks by means of corresponding guide tracks in the first element <NUM>, to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column <NUM>. The horizontal arm <NUM>, in turn, is fitted through a second element <NUM> of the intermediate frame <NUM> by means of interlinkable guide tracks in the second element <NUM> and in the horizontal arm <NUM>, to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm <NUM>. The first element <NUM> and the second element <NUM> of the intermediate frame <NUM> are in a position perpendicular to each other. Thus, the intermediate frame <NUM> movable along the vertical column <NUM>, the horizontal arm <NUM> connected to it, and the welding gun fastener <NUM> at the end thereof, move up or down along the vertical column <NUM>. Movement in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm <NUM>, in turn, enables the movement of the welding gun fastener <NUM> at the end of the horizontal arm <NUM> forward and backward with respect to the horizontal column <NUM> and the intermediate frame <NUM> (farther away and closer to the vertical column <NUM> and the intermediate frame <NUM>).

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the intermediate frame <NUM> is implemented so that the first element <NUM> therein comprises a sleeve extending around the vertical column, and the second element <NUM> comprises a sleeve extending around the horizontal arm <NUM>, the inner faces of the sleeves being provided with guide tracks corresponding and fitted to the guide tracks in the vertical column <NUM> and the horizontal arm <NUM>. The cross-sections of these sleeves correspond to the cross-sections of the vertical column <NUM> and the horizontal arm <NUM> so that the vertical column <NUM> and the horizontal arm <NUM> can be fitted through them in the way shown in <FIG>. In this way, the horizontal arm <NUM> can be fastened to the intermediate frame <NUM>, and the intermediate frame <NUM> can be fastened to the vertical column <NUM>, to be functionally movable as described above. In some other embodiments, the horizontal arm and the vertical column may be connected to each other in the above described way by means of different intermediate frames or even in a way totally different from using an intermediate frame of the above described type. However, the operation of the welding boom requires the use of an intermediate element or slide between the vertical column and the horizontal arm to make the horizontal arm movable with respect to the vertical column, in two directions perpendicular to each other in the same plane, as described above.

The locking device <NUM> is a coupling device operated by a manual lever for locking the horizontal arm <NUM> in a releasable way so that the horizontal arm <NUM> can be moved with respect to the vertical column <NUM> by actuator drives only.

Consequently, the locking device <NUM> in the embodiment of <FIG> is a mechanical coupling device arranged in the intermediate frame <NUM> and having two positions; in the first position, it releases the coupling of the actuator drives to the vertical column <NUM>, whereby the horizontal arm <NUM> can be freely moved with respect to the vertical column <NUM>, as described above, by moving it manually; and in the second position, it connects the actuator drives between the horizontal arm <NUM> and the vertical column <NUM>, whereby the movement of the horizontal arm <NUM> requires the operation of the actuators of the actuator drives (DC electrical motors in the embodiment of <FIG>). Because the transmission between these actuators and the vertical column <NUM> is self-locking (e.g. worm gear transmission, or the like), it is no longer possible to move the horizontal arm with respect to the vertical column manually after the locking device <NUM> has been turned with said manual lever to the second position (i.e. the position for locking the initial position adjustment).

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the actuator drives moving the horizontal arm <NUM> in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column <NUM> and in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm <NUM> are arranged in the intermediate frame <NUM>. Consequently, two actuator drives are provided for moving the horizontal arm <NUM> with respect to the vertical column in the embodiment of <FIG>. These actuator drives comprise the actuators and the transmissions for being functionally connected to the vertical column <NUM> and the horizontal arm <NUM>. The first actuator drive moves the intermediate frame <NUM> along the vertical column <NUM> in its longitudinal direction, i.e. generates its vertical movement, and the second actuator drive moves the horizontal arm <NUM> with respect to the intermediate frame <NUM> in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm <NUM>, i.e. generates its horizontal movement. In the embodiment of the welding boom <NUM> shown in <FIG>, the actuators of the actuator drives are DC electric motors having a steplessly adjustable rotation speed. In another welding boom according to the invention, they might as well be, for example, alternating-current motors or stepping motors having a rotation speed adjustable by a frequency converter. Further, in some embodiments, it would also be possible to apply hydraulic or pneumatic motors or linear actuators. In an embodiment, only one actuator drive may be provided for moving the horizontal arm with respect to the vertical column, when there is only one welding motion for moving the horizontal arm by means of an actuator drive, that is, when the welding boom only comprises an actuator moving the horizontal arm in either the longitudinal direction of the vertical column or the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm. Because the embodiment of <FIG> also comprises an actuator drive for moving the vertical column <NUM> with respect to the base <NUM>, the welding boom <NUM> of <FIG> comprises a total of three actuator drives.

In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the first end of the vertical column <NUM> is mounted on a base <NUM> movable on wheels along the ground so that the second end (upper end) of the vertical column <NUM> points upwards when the base <NUM> is in the horizontal position (i.e. is placed e.g. on a horizontal ground or floor surface). As shown in the figures, the wheels <NUM> of the base <NUM> are supported onto the frame of the base <NUM> with bearings, to be freely rotatable. In addition to the base <NUM>, the embodiment of <FIG> comprises a push rod <NUM>, by which the welding boom <NUM> can be moved manually by pushing or pulling (e.g. on the floor of an industrial hall). The wheels <NUM> may comprise a braking device by which the base <NUM> can be locked down to the place where welding boom <NUM> is to be used, and for locking the welding boom <NUM>, for example during transport when it is carried by a vehicle or on a sloping surface.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the vertical column <NUM> is provided with a counterweight mechanism <NUM> for lightening the movement of the horizontal arm in the direction of the vertical column upon manual adjustment of the initial position. The counterweight mechanism <NUM> comprises a wire rope <NUM> (or a corresponding rope element), a pulley <NUM> arranged at the end of the vertical column <NUM>, and a counterweight <NUM> arranged on the opposite side (shown in <FIG>) of the vertical column. Furthermore, the counterweight mechanism <NUM> comprises, among other things, fastening means for fastening one end of the wire rope <NUM> to the intermediate frame <NUM> and the other end to the counterweight <NUM>. The counterweight <NUM> is fastened to the vertical column <NUM> on the opposite side of the vertical column <NUM> with respect to the location of the horizontal arm <NUM> (i.e. "counterweight side" of the vertical column <NUM> shown in <FIG>), to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column <NUM>. The weight of the counterweight <NUM> is selected to be slightly smaller than or equal to the total weight of the intermediate frame <NUM> and the horizontal arm <NUM> as well as the other elements of the welding boom <NUM> fastened to them. Thus, the wire rope <NUM>, guided to extend from the intermediate frame <NUM> across the vertical column <NUM> via the pulley <NUM> fastened to its upper end to the counterweight <NUM>, lightens the lifting up of the intermediate frame <NUM> and the horizontal arm <NUM>, as well as all the elements fastened to them. This facilitates the manual movement of the horizontal arm <NUM> to the initial position for welding. In an embodiment without an actual intermediate frame, the wire rope of the counterweight may be connected at its first end to the horizontal arm by a suitable mechanical structure so that it allows the movement of the horizontal arm in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm, as described above, remaining stationary at the vertical column in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm.

In the embodiment of <FIG> (as well as in other embodiments of the welding boom according to the invention), the welding gun fastener <NUM> at the end of the horizontal arm <NUM> is fastened to the end of the horizontal arm <NUM> to be pivotable to different positions and lockable in a desired position. Such pivoting of the welding gun fastener <NUM> may be implemented, for example, by means of a ball joint or the like, whereby the welding gun fastener <NUM> can be turned in any direction with respect to the horizontal arm <NUM> in an angle of at least <NUM>°. In another embodiment, however, the welding gun fastener may be fastened to the end of the horizontal arm pivotably with respect to only one axis, or rigidly. Further, the welding gun fastener comprises a fastening device suitable for various welding guns, in which the welding gun can be fastened by means of, for example, jaws compressible towards each other, a clamping sleeve, or a corresponding mechanical arrangement.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the control of the actuator drives and the power supply is provided by a control unit <NUM>. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the control unit <NUM> is fixed in the lower part of the vertical column <NUM>, below the range of vertical movement of the intermediate frame <NUM>. Between the control unit <NUM> and the intermediate frame <NUM>, a power supply cable (not shown in the figures) is provided, which is coilable along the vertical column and which allows the movement of the intermediate frame <NUM> in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column <NUM> from the vicinity of the control unit <NUM> up to the upper end (maximum height) of the vertical column <NUM>. The control unit <NUM> comprises a programmable logic or corresponding control electronics, by which all the actuator-driven movements of the welding boom <NUM> can be programmed to take place automatically or can be controlled by a remote control unit (not shown in the figures) which can be connected to the control unit <NUM>. The remote control unit may be operable in a wired or wireless manner. A wireless remote control unit may operate by means of e.g. an RF radio transmitter and a corresponding receiver in the control unit, on the basis of an infra-red transmitter/receiver, or on the basis of a wireless local area network, or the like.

When using the welding boom of <FIG>, the welding boom <NUM> is moved by pushing and/or pulling with the push rod <NUM> to a suitable location in the vicinity of a work piece to be welded (e.g. a steel container or the like) so that the horizontal arm <NUM> and the welding gun to be fastened to the welding gun fastener <NUM> at its end can be moved all the way to the farthermost point of the welding joint in the work piece, seen from the vertical column <NUM>. Next, a welding device (e.g. a MAG welding device) is brought next to the welding boom, and the welding gun of the welding device is fastened to the welding gun fastener <NUM>. After this, the locking device <NUM> for the initial position adjustment of the horizontal arm <NUM> is released, and the horizontal arm <NUM> is moved manually, by using the initial position adjustment, to the selected initial position for welding. Next, the locking device <NUM> for the initial position adjustment is locked, whereby the initial position adjustment is locked and the horizontal arm <NUM> can no longer be moved manually with respect to the vertical column (and the work piece). After this, the welding device is turned on, and, if necessary, the welding head in the welding gun is moved by actuator drives more precisely with respect to the joint of the work piece so that the welding can be started. The welding device is activated, and moving of the welding head along the welding joint in the work piece is started, whereby a welding joint begins to form. The welding head can be moved automatically according to a preselected program, or manually by controlling the actuator drives by a remote control unit connected to the control unit <NUM> so that the welding head is moved along the joint to be welded. After the welding joint has been finished, the welding device is turned off and the locking device <NUM> for the initial position adjustment of the welding head is released, after which the welding gun fastener <NUM> and the welding gun in it can be moved farther from the work piece to be welded, by moving the horizontal arm <NUM> manually in a suitable way.

Claim 1:
Welding boom (<NUM>) comprising a base (<NUM>), a vertical column (<NUM>) mounted on it, and a horizontal arm (<NUM>) fastened to the vertical column (<NUM>), wherein a welding gun fastener (<NUM>) is provided at the end of the horizontal arm (<NUM>) for fastening a welding gun of a welding device to the end of the welding boom (<NUM>), and wherein the horizontal arm (<NUM>) of the welding boom (<NUM>) is fastened to the vertical column (<NUM>) to be movable by a distance in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column (<NUM>) and/or in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm (<NUM>), wherein
- the welding boom (<NUM>) comprises manual adjustment of an initial position, for moving the horizontal arm (<NUM>) and the welding gun fastener (<NUM>) at the end thereof in the longitudinal direction of the vertical column (<NUM>) and/or in the longitudinal direction of the horizontal arm (<NUM>) to a desired initial position for welding,
- the welding boom (<NUM>) comprises a locking device (<NUM>) for locking the manual adjustment of the initial position, and that
- the welding boom (<NUM>) comprises, in addition to the manual adjustment of the initial position, at least one actuator drive for moving the horizontal arm (<NUM>) a distance in at least the longitudinal direction of the vertical column (<NUM>) and/or the longitudinal direction of the vertical arm (<NUM>) at an adjustable speed by means of the actuator drive, irrespective of the adjustment of the initial position, during welding by using the welding boom (<NUM>).