A weld-line generating apparatus includes a point-cloud-data acquiring unit that acquires 3D point cloud data of workpieces to be welded that are arranged in a predetermined space, an edge extracting unit that extracts 3D point cloud data of edges from the 3D point cloud data acquired by the point-cloud-data acquiring unit, a workpiece point-cloud-data generating unit that generates a 3D point cloud data component of each of the workpiece based on 3D point cloud data that is obtained by removing the 3D point cloud data of edges extracted by the edge extracting unit from the 3D point cloud data acquired by the point-cloud-data acquiring unit, and a weld-line generating unit 24 that generates weld lines for the workpieces based on the 3D point cloud data components of the workpieces generated by the workpiece point-cloud-data generating unit.

A method for identifying joining positions of workpieces includes capturing images of a joint by a camera, determining measurement data for the joining positions associated with a course of the joint from the images of the joint, determining a mathematical model of the joint course from a part of the measurement data, providing a curve based on the mathematical model for positioning a welding laser during a laser welding process along the curve.

In certain embodiments, a portable metal working robot system includes a metal working tool configured to perform a metal working process on one or more metal parts. In addition, the portable metal working robot system includes communication circuitry configured to receive control signals from a control system located remotely from the portable metal working robot system. The portable metal working robot system also includes control circuitry configured to control operational parameters of the portable metal working robot system in accordance with the received control signals.

A robot control apparatus for a more precise seam tracking operation, includes: a storage unit in which teaching data is stored; an accepting unit that accepts a sensing result of a laser sensor, from a robot including a working tool and the laser sensor attached to the working tool and configured to detect a shape of a working target before an operation of the working tool; and a control unit that moves the working tool based on the teaching data, corrects the movement of the working tool based on the sensing result, and adjusts an angle about a tool axis such that an operation point indicated by the sensing result is at a center of a field of view of the laser sensor. Accordingly, an operation line can be detected near the center of the field of view of the laser sensor, and thus more precise detection is possible.

A system and method of enhanced automated welding of a first workpiece and a second workpiece are provided. The method comprises providing a system for intelligent robot-based welding of the first workpiece and the second workpiece. The method further comprises determining a geometrical location of the first workpiece and the second workpiece to be welded at a welding sequence based a predetermined process variable. The method further comprises adjusting the predetermined process variable based on the geometrical location of the first and second workpieces to define an actual process variable. The method further comprises welding a first portion of the first and second workpieces with the actual process variable to define a first welded portion. The method further comprises determining a weld quality of the first welded portion.

The welding line detection system includes a photographing unit that photographs an image of an object to be welded, a coordinate system setting unit that sets a user coordinate system based on a marker included in the photographed image, a point-group-data plotting unit that detects a specific position of the marker on the basis of the image, sets the detected specific position on point group data acquired by a distance measurement sensor that measures a distance to the object to be welded, and plots, in the user coordinate system, the point group data to which coordinates in the user coordinate system, using the set specific position as an origin, are given, and a welding line detection unit that detects, on the basis of the point group data plotted in the user coordinate system, a welding line of the object to be welded.

An automated welding system includes a camera for capturing a camera image of a molten pool and an arc generated in a groove by arc welding; an estimation unit for outputting a probability distribution image based on a camera image by using a learned model; an extraction unit for extracting a region having at least a predetermined probability from the probability distribution image; a selection unit for selecting a representative point corresponding to a feature point of an arc and a representative point corresponding to a feature point of a molten pool, in the region having at least the predetermined probability; and a correction unit for correcting a control parameter of a welding robot based on a positional relationship of the representative point corresponding to the feature point of the arc and the representative point corresponding to the feature point of the molten pool.

A welding method for a welding strip of a back-contact solar cell chip includes the following steps: firstly, welding small chip assemblies of a back-contact solar cell to be interconnected to form a small cell string through an interconnected bar; then, punching the small cell string into small cell assemblies separated from each other through a cutting or punching process; subsequently, flexibly welding the small cell assemblies by a bus bar to reach a required length of a finished assembly product; and finally, breaking the bus bar through a post cutting or punching process to form cell assemblies with positive and negative electrodes connected in series or in parallel. The method makes the welding surfaces of the solar cell chips be on the same surface through using the back-contact solar cell chips, so that the interconnected bar of the solar cell chips can be welded rapidly and continuously.

A circumferential welding method is a method for circumferentially welding at least one of a V-shaped groove and an I-shaped groove by, using a vertical articulated robot, moving a welding torch with the welding torch directed downward. The circumferential welding is performed by moving the welding torch so as to draw a circular trajectory while adjusting a rotation angle of the welding torch in such a manner that a rotation center of a wrist of a robot main body of the vertical articulated robot is located at all times on a side where the robot main body is installed relative to the welding torch.

A process tracking laser camera with non-eye-safe and eye-safe operating modes is disclosed. The camera has an image sensor with a field of view covering a target area of a workpiece. The camera also has first and second laser units for projecting respectively non-eye-safe and eye-safe laser beams towards the target area. A control unit has laser drivers for driving the laser units, a cut-off circuit operatively connected to the laser driver of the first laser unit for disabling its operation depending on a control signal, and a control circuit for controlling the laser drivers depending on a cut-off condition of the cut-off circuit controlled by a switch device so that the first laser unit is enabled and the second laser unit is disabled in the non-eye-safe operating mode while the first laser unit is disabled and the second laser unit is enabled in the eye-safe operating mode.