DE102023114824A1 - Process arrangement and method for producing a component connection - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a process arrangement with a welding or soldering device (25) for producing a component connection, in which joining partners (1, 3) are connected to one another via a connecting seam (19) designed as a weld seam or soldering seam, which extends over a seam length (I) between the joining partners (1, 3), wherein the welding or soldering device (25) is integrated in a control/regulating circuit (R) in which an electronic control unit (21) sets a parameter of the welding or soldering device (25) that influences the seam quality depending on a target specification. According to the invention, the process arrangement is a self-learning system with which a learning process can be carried out on the basis of a learning target specification (zS).

Description

The invention relates to a process arrangement for producing a component connection according to the preamble of claim 1 and a method for producing such a component connection according to claim 10.

In the series production of automobile bodies, welding or soldering processes carried out using industrial lasers are established, for example to join a mixed construction made of a cast metal part and a sheet metal part.

A generic process arrangement has a welding or soldering device, by means of which joining partners can be connected to one another in a materially bonded manner via a connecting seam designed as a weld or solder seam. The welding or soldering device is integrated in a control loop in which an electronic control unit sets a seam parameter of the welding or soldering device that influences the seam quality depending on a target specification. The control loop has, for example, an optical sensor for photo-optical detection of a surface profile of the connecting seam formed in the welding or soldering process. This sensor generates an actual value, which is compared with a target specification in the electronic control unit. From the comparison between the actual value and the target specification, the control unit determines a difference value, on the basis of which the control unit controls the welding or soldering device with a control value.

The optical sensor is used to capture a 2D image of the connecting seam surface, so that only external quality characteristics of the connecting seam are taken into account in the control system.

From the DE 10 2015 016 513 B4 A process arrangement with a welding or soldering device is known, with the help of which a component connection can be made, the joining partners of which are connected to one another via a connecting seam. The welding or soldering device is integrated into a control loop. The control loop has an X-ray device for actual value recording, which records the internal quality characteristics of the connecting seam by radiating the joining zone and uses this to determine an actual value.

The object of the invention is to provide a process arrangement and a method for producing a component connection which, compared to the prior art, enables an improved welding or soldering result with reduced energy consumption.

The object is solved by the features of claim 1 or 10. Preferred developments of the invention are disclosed in the subclaims.

The invention is based on a process arrangement with a welding or soldering device for producing a component connection. In the component connection, joining partners are connected to one another via a connecting seam designed as a weld seam or solder seam. The welding or soldering device is integrated in a control/regulation circuit in which an electronic control unit sets a parameter of the welding or soldering device that influences the seam quality depending on a target specification. According to the characterizing part of claim 1, the process arrangement is a self-learning system with which a learning process can be carried out on the basis of a learning target specification. The process arrangement can have a correction module for this purpose with which the learning target specification can be corrected into a correction target specification during the learning process. A subsequent process taking place after the learning process can therefore be carried out on the basis of the correction target specification. In the subsequent process, the electronic control unit therefore no longer sets a control value for the welding or soldering device depending on the original teach-in target specification, but rather depending on the correction target specification generated in the previous teach-in process.

In a specific implementation, the correction module can be in signal connection with a test unit. The test unit can carry out a quality check of the connecting seam during the learning process. On the basis of the test result, the correction module can generate the target correction specification. The test unit can have a sensor that carries out a preferably three-dimensional recording of the connecting seam during the quality check, in which both internal and external quality features of the connecting seam can be detected.

Based on the preferably three-dimensional detection, the sensor generates an actual value of the connecting seam. The test unit can also have a comparator module that determines a difference value from a comparison between the generated actual value and a stored target value. The difference value determined in the comparator module is sent to the correction module. This generates the correction target value based on both the difference value and the teach-in target value.

The sensor of the test unit may preferably be a radiometric device. This may consist of a radiation source that generates X-rays or gamma radiation and an imaging detection module. During the welding or soldering process, the radiation source can illuminate the joining area as a transmitted light radiation source. The imaging detection module can generate a radiation intensity image of this illuminated joining area. In an evaluation module of the test unit, the actual value can be determined by evaluating the radiation intensity image, which can be forwarded to the electronic control unit. The actual value can preferably be a seam depth of the connecting seam. Alternatively and/or additionally, the actual value can be an offset dimension between the connecting seam and the joint profile, and/or a material cross-section of the weld or solder material in the joining gap.

The process arrangement can have a data memory in which the correction target specification determined by the correction module is read and stored. This makes the correction target specification available for the subsequent process.

In a preferred embodiment, a sensor can be integrated into the control loop. The sensor can photo-optically record a surface profile of the connecting seam formed in the welding or soldering process as the actual value. The electronic control unit of the control loop can have a comparator module that determines a difference value from the comparison of the actual value and the teach-in target value/correction target value. On the basis of this difference value, the electronic control unit generates a control value for controlling the welding or soldering device.

The learning process for correcting the target specification can be carried out continuously during a welding or soldering operation. Alternatively, the learning process can only be carried out at certain events, for example after a tool change, at the start of a new welding or soldering operation or after a batch change for the joining partners.

The welding or soldering device can be implemented as a laser device that connects the joining partners by means of a laser weld seam or a laser soldering seam. The component connection created can be a mixed construction connection in which a first joining partner is a cast metal part, while a second joining partner is a sheet metal part.

An embodiment of the invention is described below with reference to the accompanying figures.

• 1 bis 3 jeweils unterschiedliche Darstellungen, anhand derer die Prozessanordnung sowie das Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Bauteilverbindung veranschaulicht sind.

They show:

• 1 to 3 each with different representations that illustrate the process arrangement and the method for producing a component connection.

In the 1 a completed hybrid construction connection is shown, which is formed from a metal casting 1, for example from die-cast metal or specifically from die-cast aluminum, and a sheet metal part 3, for example an aluminum or sheet steel part. In the hybrid construction connection, the sheet metal part 3 is realized as a thin-walled angle profile, which has a sheet metal part base section 5 and a sheet metal part flange 7 angled therefrom. The metal casting 1 is also realized as a thin-walled angle profile, which has a metal casting base section 9 and a metal casting flange 11. The base sections 5, 9 of the two joining partners 1, 3 merge flush into one another at a connecting joint, while a joining gap 15 is defined between the flanges 7, 9 of the two joining partners 1, 3, which is filled with soldering material 17. The soldering material 17 forms a connecting seam 19 which extends over a seam length I between the cast metal part 1 and the sheet metal part 3.

The 1 The composite joint shown is produced by a laser soldering process as described in 2 or 3 is indicated. Accordingly, a laser beam 27 generated by a laser device 25 is guided along the connecting joint, where it melts the brazing material 29, for example a copper-silicon wire. The melted brazing material 29 flows into the joint gap 15, forming the connecting seam 19.

In the laser soldering process, it is important to produce a perfect seam quality of the connecting seam 19 without excess or shortage of material and with as little energy consumption as possible. For this purpose, according to the 2 a process arrangement with a control loop R as well as with a test unit 30 and a correction module 41 is provided with which the laser soldering process can be carried out.

A core of the invention is that the laser soldering process is divided into at least one learning process ( 2 ) and a subsequent follow-up process ( 3 ) is divided into 2 parts. In the learning process ( 2 ) the control circuit R is extended by the test unit 30, the correction module 41 and a target specification unit 10 in order to optimize a training target specification zs of the target specification unit 10 in a targeted manner to a correction target specification z _SK . The subsequent process ( 3 ) no longer takes place using the original training target specification z _S , but using the already optimized correction target specification z _SK , so that in the subsequent process ( 3 ) the test unit 30, the correction module 41 and the target specification unit 43 are omitted.

The control circuit R consists of the learning process ( 2 ) from an electronic control unit 21, the soldering device 25, an optical sensor 23 and the target specification unit 10, which provides the learning target specification z _S for the control circuit R. The correction module 41 and a data memory 26 are interposed in the signal path from the target specification unit 10 to the electronic control unit 21. In the learning process ( 2 ), the correction module 41 corrects a learning target specification z _S read from the target specification unit 10 into a correction target specification z _SK . This is read into the data memory 26 and stored there. In the subsequent process that takes place after the learning process ( 3 ) a correction target specification z _SK is read out from the data memory 26 - that is, no longer from the target specification unit 10 - in the direction of the control unit 21. Based on the correction target specification z _SK, which is optimized in comparison to the teach-in target specification z _S , the control unit 21 generates a control signal y in the subsequent process to control the soldering device 25. This increases the seam quality and reduces the energy required for this.

With the help of the test unit 30, the target specification unit 10 and the correction module 41, a self-learning system is provided which works as follows: The learning process ( 2 ) is carried out on the basis of the learning target specification z _S stored in the target specification unit 10. During the learning process, the correction module 41 automatically corrects the learning target specification z _S in a targeted manner to the correction target specification z _SK , which can be read into the data memory 26. The correction target specification z _SK is then available for the subsequent process ( 3 ) available.

In the learning process, the correction target value z _SK is determined in a self-learning manner with the help of the correction module 41 from the learning target value z _S , which forms a starting point.

The sensor used in the test unit 30 is designed as a radiometric device. According to the 2 a radiation source 35 that generates X-rays or gamma radiation, and an imaging detection module 37. During the learning process, the radiation source 35 is used as a transmitted light radiation source that illuminates the joining area. The imaging detection module 37 generates a radiation intensity image of the illuminated joining area. In a downstream evaluation module 39, an actual value z ₂ is determined by evaluating the radiation intensity image, which can be forwarded to a comparator module 38 in the test unit. In the comparator module 38, a difference value Δz ₂ is determined from a comparison between the actual value z ₂ and a target value z _2S . The difference value Δz ₂ is forwarded to the correction module 41. This generates the correction target specification z _SK on the basis of the difference value Δz ₂ and the learning target specification z _S.

list of reference symbols

1.3

joining partner

5

sheet metal part base section

7

sheet metal part flange

9

metal casting base section

10

target unit

11

metal casting flange

15

joint gap

17

soldering material

19

connecting seam

21

electronic control unit

23

photo-optical sensor

25

soldering iron

26

data storage

27

laser beam

29

brazing alloy

30

test unit

35

radiation source

37

imaging acquisition module

39

evaluation module

38

comparator module

I

seam length

R

control loop

QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

This list of documents listed by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions.

Cited patent literature

• DE 10 2015 016 513 B4 [0005]

Claims (10)

Process arrangement with a welding or soldering device (25) for producing a component connection in which joining partners (1, 3) are connected to one another via a connecting seam (19) designed as a weld seam or solder seam, wherein the welding or soldering device (25) is integrated in a control/regulating circuit (R) in which an electronic control unit (21) controls the welding or soldering device (25) depending on a target specification, characterized in that the process arrangement is a self-learning system with which a learning process can be carried out on the basis of a learning target specification (z _S ), and in that the process arrangement has a correction module (41) with which the learning target specification (z _S ) can be corrected into a correction target specification (z _SK ) during the learning process, so that in particular a subsequent process can be carried out on the basis of the correction target specification (z _SK ). Process arrangement according to claim 1 , characterized in that the correction module (41) is in signal connection with a test unit (30) which carries out a quality test of the connecting seam (19) during the learning process, that on the basis of the test result the correction module (41) generates the correction target specification (z _SK ), and that in particular in the quality test a sensor carries out a preferably three-dimensional detection of the connecting seam (19), in which an actual value (z ₂ ) of the connecting seam (19) can be detected, and a comparator module (38) determines a difference value (Δz ₂ ) from a comparison between the actual value (z ₂ ) and a target value (z _2S ), and that the correction module (41) determines the correction target specification (z _SK ) on the basis of the difference value (Δz ₂ ). Process arrangement according to claim 2 , characterized in that the sensor of the testing unit (30) is an X-ray device which carries out an X-ray test by irradiating the joining zone. Process arrangement according to claim 1 , 2 or 3 , characterized in that the sensor is a radiometric device which consists of a radiation source (35) which generates X-rays or gamma radiation and of an imaging detection module (37), that during the welding or soldering process the radiation source (35) is used as a transmitted light radiation source which illuminates the joining area, that the imaging detection module (37) generates a radiation intensity image of the illuminated joining area, and that in an evaluation module (39) the actual value (z ₂ ) can be determined by evaluating the radiation intensity image and can be forwarded to the comparator module (38) of the test unit (30). Process arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actual value (z ₂ ) is a seam depth, an offset dimension between the connecting seam (19) and the joint profile, and/or a material cross-section of the weld or soldering material (17) in the joint gap (15). Process arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the control circuit (R) has a data memory (26) into which the correction target specification (z _SK ) can be read and stored, and that in the subsequent process the welding or soldering process can be carried out on the basis of the correction target specification (z _SK ). Process arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a sensor (23) is integrated in the control circuit (R), which photo-optically records a surface profile of the connecting seam formed in the welding or soldering process as an actual value (z ₁ ), that the electronic control unit (21) determines a difference value (Δz ₁ ) from a comparison of the actual value (z ₁ ) with the learning target specification/correction target specification, and that the electronic control unit (21) controls the welding or soldering device (25) on the basis of the difference value (Δz ₁ ). Process arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the learning process for correcting the target specification (z _S ) can be carried out permanently during a welding or soldering operation, or alternatively can only be carried out at certain events, for example after a tool change, at the start of a new welding or soldering operation or a batch change for the joining partners. Process arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the welding or soldering device (25) is a laser device which connects the joining partners (1, 3) by means of a laser weld seam or laser soldering seam (19), and/or that the component connection is a mixed construction connection in which a first joining partner (1) is a cast metal part and a second joining partner (3) is a sheet metal part. Method for producing a component connection by means of a process arrangement according to one of the preceding claims.

Images