Adaptable servo-control system for force/position actuation

Abstract

An adaptable, servo-control system for force / position actuation generally includes an electric linear actuator and a controller. The controller interfaces with the electric linear actuator and with a number of I / O signals that are independent from the electric linear actuator. The controller interface to the independent I / O signals is transparent to the manner in which the I / O signals are produced. Rather the controller simply looks for the status of the I / O that is preferably received into the controller by hard-wiring or field bus I / O messaging such as from a industrial robot or programmable logic controller. The adaptable servo-control system is particularly suited to resistance weld systems wherein the electric linear actuator can replace the pneumatic actuator providing position and force actuation of the weld tip of the welding gun.

Description

CLAIM TO PRIORITY [0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 274,506, filed Oct. 18, 2002, entitled “ADAPTABLE SERVO-CONTROL SYSTEM FOR FORCE / POSITION ACTUATION,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference.FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention is related to weld motion controllers and, more particularly, to an electric servo-control system for welding that has commonality from robot-to-robot and robot-to-hard-tool whether within a stand alone application or, new or retrofit robotic application. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0003] Resistance welding is a group of welding processes in which the joining of metal is produced by the heat obtained from resistance of the work to the electric current, in a circuit of which the work is a part, and by the application of pressure. The three factors involved in making a resistance weld are the amount of current that passes through the work, the pressure that the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] The servo-control system is particularly suitable to resistance welding systems, whether fixture systems or industrial robot systems, where the electric linear actuator can be used to position or force actuate the welding tip of the welding gun. Again, the controller can interface with more than one electric linear actuator to effect different and independent weld operations per each electric linear actuator and can use a single motion control program with characterizable parameters per each linear actuator. The servo-control system may additionally monitor weld tip wear through various programmed operations and can observe the safety, stop operation features of a robotic welder by linking into that feature, i.e., using the controller to monitor the I / O signal enabling operation of the robot.

Problems solved by technology

The result is a complicated welding system running under different programs and languages, requiring different replacement parts, and costing a tremendous amount of money and time.

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