Arc welding robot system with seam tracking and weld pool control based on passive vision

The automatic control in square-wave alternating current (AC) gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) is significant for a "teach and playback" robot to overcome the variation of the seam trajectory and the seam gap in the welding process. This paper presents a welding robot system based on the real-time visual measurement in the different levels of the welding current. The primary objective is to measure the offset of the torch to the seam center and the size of seam gap by passive vision, track the seam and control the weld pool in real time. A novel visual image analysis algorithm was developed for seam tracking and seam gap measuring, free from robot calibration. The control algorithm based on the knowledge base was established to control the weld formation by regulating the welding current and wire feed rate. The welding practice for the rocket storage tank demonstrates the efficiency of the proposed system.