Robot path planning with two-axis positioner for non-ideal sphere-pipe joint welding based on laser scanning

Abstract

Our paper mainly introduces a novel path planning method for non-ideal sphere-pipe intersecting curve robot welding based on laser scanning. This method integrates the generation of laser scanning trajectory, the processing of scanning data, and the path planning of non-ideal sphere-pipe joint welding. First, the paper perfects the ideal sphere-pipe intersection model and represents the parametric equation of ideal intersecting curve, which can cover all the intersection ways for sphere-pipe joints. Since the spheres and pipes applied in actual production are not standard, this paper adopts the scheme of scanning and identifying weld seam using the laser displacement sensor and gives the laser sensor scanning trajectory by analyzing the direction and attitude of space welds. In this paper, by sampling and filtering the distance data obtained from laser sensor, a novel weld point identification algorithm suitable for the above scanning trajectory is proposed. In response to the constantly changing of sphere-pipe joints’ weld inclination and attitude, this paper adopts the robot-positioner welding scheme and introduces a novel algorithm for solving the position of two external axes. The ADAMS simulation experiments prove that this scheme can effectively avoid the adverse effects of the uphill and downhill welding on the welding quality.