PORTABLE PRODUCTION MACHINE, MOBILE TERMINAL, PRODUCTION SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR CAPTURING DATA

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a portable production machine, a mobile terminal, a production system having a portable production machine and a mobile terminal, and a method for capturing data. According to aspects of the disclosure, on the production machine - which can be, for example, a welding machine or cutting machine - production data is automatically captured, organized into data sets, and converted into data set images, which are displayed on a display device. The displayed data set images are captured with a mobile terminal and transmitted to a central server. As a result, a plurality of production machines can be incorporated into a data system without the need for any changes to the hardware in the production machines.

Claims

1. A portable production machine, comprising: one or more sensors for monitoring a production process, a display device, which is suitable for displaying a two-dimensional graphical display, and a control device, which is configured so as to monitor the production process, wherein data describing the production process is captured with the one or more sensors, wherein the control device is configured so as to summarize the captured data into a data set and convert the data set into a machine-readable data set image and display the data set image on the display device.

2. The production machine according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured so as to convert the data set into a plurality of data set images, into which the data of the data set is distributed, and which are displayed simultaneously and/or sequentially on the display device.

3. The production machine according to claim 2, wherein an allocation code is respectively generated for the plurality of data set images and displayed simultaneously with the respective data set image on the display device, such that the plurality of data set images can be allocated to one another in a predetermined order.

4. The production machine according to claim 1, wherein the data set image is a machine-readable coding of data, in particular a two-dimensional coding, such as a QR code.

5. The production machine according to claim 1, wherein the production machine comprises one or more of the following sensors for monitoring the production process: a temperature sensor, an inertial sensor, a position sensor, an optical sensor, a gas sensor, an ammeter, a voltmeter, or a wire feeder sensor.

6. A mobile terminal comprising a camera, wherein the mobile terminal is configured so as to capture one or more data set images displayed on a display device, and wherein the mobile terminal comprises an interface to a data network, and wherein the mobile terminal is configured such that the data set images or data contained in the data set images can be transmitted via a data network to a server.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the mobile terminal is configured such that a plurality of data set images containing data from a common data set is stored on the mobile terminal while being allocated to one another or transmitted via the data network or data of a data set is extracted on the mobile terminal from one or more data set images and stored on the mobile terminal and/or transmitted via the data network.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the mobile terminal is configured so to automatically capture a sequence of data set images, or the mobile terminal is configured so as to automatically allocate multiple data set images to a data set.

9. A production system, comprising: a portable production machine according to claim 1; a mobile terminal, comprising a camera, wherein the mobile terminal is configured so as to capture one or more data set images displayed on a display device, and wherein the mobile terminal comprises an interface to a data network, and wherein the mobile terminal is configured such that the data set images or data contained in the data set images can be transmitted via a data network to a server; and the server, wherein the mobile terminal can be connected to the server via a data network in order to transmit the data set images or data contained in the data set images to the server.

10. A method for capturing data describing a production process, said method being carried out with a portable production machine, wherein the production process is monitored with sensors, wherein the data describing the production process is generated, wherein the data for a particular production process or a particular portion of a production process respectively forms a data set, and the data of a data set is converted into one or more machine-readable data set images, and the data set image(s) are displayed on the display device and captured by a mobile terminal that scans the display device and are then transmitted from the mobile terminal to a server via a data network, wherein the method involves using at least one of: a portable production machine, comprising: one or more sensors for monitoring a production process, a display device, which is suitable for displaying a two-dimensional graphical display, and a control device, which is configured so as to monitor the production process, wherein data describing the production process is captured with the one or more sensors, wherein the control device is configured so as to summarize the captured data into a data set and convert the data set into a machine-readable data set image and display the data set image on the display device; or a mobile terminal comprising a camera, wherein the mobile terminal is configured so as to capture one or more data set images displayed on a display device, and wherein the mobile terminal comprises an interface to a data network, and wherein the mobile terminal is configured such that the data set images or data contained in the data set images can be transmitted via a data network to a server.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0057] Aspects of this disclosure are explained in further detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawings schematically show the following:

[0058] FIG. 1a welding system and a mobile terminal for transmitting the data of the welding system to a server,

[0059] FIG. 2a method for capturing data of a welding process carried out on the welding system in a flow chart,

[0060] FIG. 3a data set for a particular welding operation, and

[0061] FIG. 4a further data set for a further welding operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0062] Aspects of this disclosure are explained in further detail below on the basis of a production machine, which is a welding machine 1. The welding machine 1 comprises a base station 2 and a welding head 3, which is connected to the base station 2 by a cable 11. In the present exemplary embodiment, the welding head 3 is configured as an orbital welding head, i.e., a welding head that can be used for connecting two pipe ends by means of a weld connection. Such welding machines are known, for example, from US 2010/0051586 A1 and EP 3 650 157 A1. They can have one or more sensors in the region of the base station 2 as well as in the region of the welding head 3. The base station 2, which is also referred to as the welding power source, serves to supply the welding head 3 with welding power. For this purpose, the base station 2 comprises an ammeter for measuring the welding current. An oxygen sensor for measuring the oxygen content within a welding chamber, a temperature sensor, and/or an inertial sensor can be provided on the welding head 3.

[0063] The base station 2 comprises a display device 4. The display device is preferably a color screen with a resolution of at least 200 x 150 pixels, in particular 400 x 300 pixels in a 4:3 aspect ratio format. However, higher resolution screens such as 800 x 600 pixels or 1260 x 1440 pixels and/or with another aspect ratio such as 16:9 or 21:9 can also be provided. The display device is thus a two-dimensional display device, which is suitable for the displaying two-dimensional images or graphical representations.

[0064] The base station 2 comprises a central control device, which controls all functions of the base station 2. With the central control device, individual functions of the welding head 3 can also be controlled.

[0065] The base station 2 comprises a memory device (not shown), in which executable program code and other data can be stored.

[0066] During a welding operation, various data is captured with the sensors and stored in the base station 2 and/or in the welding head 3. A welding operation can thus be monitored with the base station 2.

[0067] This welding machine 1 is a portable welding machine, i.e., it can be used at different locations for the welding of pipes. The display device 4 can be arranged on the inside of a lid 5 of the base station 2, for example. The lid 5 can be folded during transport of the welding machine 1, so that the display device 4 is protected.

[0068] The welding machine 1 is part of a welding system that comprises a mobile terminal 6 and a server 7 in addition to the welding machine 1. The mobile terminal and the server 7 can be connected to one another via a data network 8. The data network 8 is typically the internet. However, a different WAN or LAN can also be used. The mobile terminal 6 can also be connected directly to the server 7 by means of a data interface.

[0069] In the present exemplary embodiment, a data analysis system is configured on the server 7, which, in the present case, is an expert system 9 that regularly receives data from a plurality of welding machines 1, as will be explained in further detail below. The expert system 9 analyzes the data and automatically generates suggestions, control instructions, and conclusions that are provided to the users of welding machines 1 during future welding operations. The output of the expert system is symbolically represented in FIG. 1 by a display screen 9. The output can be via a variety of data channels. For example, users of mobile terminals 6 can obtain corresponding evaluation results from the expert system.

[0070] Below, the method is explained using the flow chart shown in FIG. 2, starting with the generation of data from the production process and ending with the transmission of the data to the server 7 or the data analysis system configured therein.

[0071] The method starts with step S1.

[0072] In step S2, when the production process is executed, data is generated that is captured using the aforementioned sensors of base station 2 and/or welding head 3 and stored in base station 2 and/or welding head 3. A data set for each welding operation is created in the base station 2, for example as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. This data set is also referred to as a log file. The data set contains information about the welding machine used, the timing, and the production parameters, which constitute welding parameters in the present embodiment. In the present exemplary embodiment, the welding parameters include current values of a current supplied in pulses for HP (high pulse) and LP (low pulse), the velocity of movement of the electrode, the welding voltage, and the gas flow of the inert gas.

[0073] The data sets contain further data relating to the person performing the welding operation, welding gas information, and parameters relating to particular components of the welding machine 1.

[0074] The data sets are created in the base station 2 (step S3).

[0075] The individual data sets are each transformed into one or more data set images (step S4). In the present embodiment, a standardized QR code is used as a data set image. However, in the context of this disclosure, other coding types are possible as data set images, in particular in the form of two-dimensional graphical representations.

[0076] Generally, it is also possible to convert the data set into data set images representing the data in an OCR-enabled font, wherein each data set image contains a specific amount of data or values. However, a coding of the data set in a two-dimensional graphical representation, such as in a QR code, is preferred, because much information can be compressed on a small surface, and it can be reliably scanned.

[0077] For larger data sets, it is expedient to distribute the data of a data set among multiple data set images and generate an allocation code for each data set image. The allocation code can be incorporated into the respective data set image.

[0078] The data set images 10 are displayed on the display device 4 of the base station 2 (step S5).

[0079] If a single data set image 10 contains a complete data set, then the data set image 10 can be scanned with the mobile terminal 6 having a camera (step S6).

[0080] If a data set is distributed among multiple data set images 10, then the multiple data set images 10 can either be displayed side-by-side on the display device 4, when sufficiently large, or the individual data set images 10 belonging to a data set are shown in succession on the display device 4. The plurality of data set images 10 associated with a data set are preferably shown along with the respective allocation code on the display device 4. The allocation code can be part of the data set images 10 or can be displayed on the display device 4 in addition to the data set images 10. The allocation code is also read with the mobile terminal 6, and, based on the allocation code, multiple data set images 10 are allocated to a specific data set.

[0081] The mobile terminal 6 comprises a memory device in which the plurality of data set images 10 can be stored.

[0082] In a preferred embodiment, the data set images are already extracted in the mobile terminal 6 (step S7) in order to restore the data sets of the welding machine 1 to their original form. Further information can be added to the data sets present at the mobile terminal 6. This further information can be supplemented with sensors provided at the mobile terminal 6 (camera, location sensor, etc.) or by data manually inputted by the user (step S7).

[0083] The data sets prepared in this way are then transmitted from the mobile terminal 6 to the server 7 via the data network 8 (step S8). This transmission of data can also be carried out at a time delay for capturing the data by means of the mobile terminal 6 at the base station 2. This is expedient especially when the welding machine 1 is in a location where there is no access to the data network 8. The data set images or data sets of several welding operations can be cached in the mobile terminal 6 and transmitted from the mobile terminal 6 to the server at a later point in time when the mobile terminal 6 is located in a place where there is access to the data network 8.

[0084] On the server 7, the data of the welding machine 1 is evaluated and incorporated into the expert system, which is available to the users of the respective welding machine 1 for further welding operations.

[0085] Step S9 ends this method.

[0086] In the exemplary embodiment discussed above, the data sets are extracted from the data set images 10 at the mobile terminal. In the context of this disclosure, it is also possible to transmit the data set images substantially unchanged from the mobile terminal 6 to the server 7 and to extract them there. Steps S7 and S8 are then switched. Additional data can also be added to the data set images 10 transmitted from the mobile terminal 6 to the server 7, which is then inputted into the corresponding data sets on the server 7.

[0087] The disclosure has been explained above by way of an exemplary embodiment of a production machine that is a welding machine. In the context of this disclosure, the production machine can also be another portable production machine, such as a cutting machine or the like. To carry out aspects of the present disclosure, the portable production machine should comprise a display device, a central control device, and one or more sensors for capturing production data. Then, the method discussed above can be similarly carried out on this production machine.

[0088] In accordance with this disclosure, it is possible that, on portable production machines such as portable welding machines, data of the production process can be captured and transmitted to a central server 7 without the need for the respective production machines themselves to be connected to a data network. By graphically preparing the data sets and scanning the data set images with the mobile terminal, the data from the production machine can be easily transmitted to the central server 7 via a data network. Aspects of this disclosure can be retrofitted simply to existing production machines having a display device. Only the software of the production machine needs to be changed here. No hardware measures are necessary. It is thus possible to capture, centrally compile, and centrally evaluate production data from a variety of similar production machines and automatically generate corresponding conclusions, instructions, and the like. One only needs a suitable software on the production machine for displaying the data on the display device and a suitable software (=app) on the mobile terminal for inputting and forwarding the data to the server.

[0089] The transmission between the mobile terminal 6 and the server 7 is preferably encrypted.

[0090] When the data sets are to be divided into a plurality of data set images 10, the software on the mobile terminal 6 is preferably configured such that the plurality of data set images 10 are automatically input successively and allocated correctly and in the proper order to the respective data sets.

[0091] Aspects of this disclosure make it possible to read out existing production machines used in remote locations in large numbers and integrate them into a common data system. This can significantly increase the quality of the production process.

[0092] The disclosure can be briefly summarized as follows:

[0093] The present disclosure relates to a portable production machine, a mobile terminal, a production system having a portable production machine and a mobile terminal, and a method for capturing data. In the disclosure, on the production machine - which can be, for example, a welding machine or cutting machine - production data is automatically captured, organized into data sets, and converted into data set images, which are displayed on a display device. The displayed data set images are captured with a mobile terminal and transmitted to a central server. As a result, a plurality of production machines can be incorporated into a data system without the need for any changes to the hardware in the production machines.

List of Reference Numerals

[0094] 1 Welding machine [0095] 2 Base station [0096] 3 Welding head [0097] 4 Display device [0098] 5 Lid [0099] 6 Mobile terminal [0100] 7 Server [0101] 8 Data network [0102] 9 Screen [0103] 10 Data set image [0104] 11 Cable