CN107316544B - Virtual welding system - Google Patents

Abstract

A system and method for simulating welding activities. The system comprises: a mock welding tool adapted for manipulation by a user to perform a simulated welding operation; a spatial tracker configured to track movement and orientation of the mock welding tool as the mock welding tool is manipulated by the user relative to a welding coupon during the simulated welding operation; a helmet having a first display device to display a simulated welding environment to the user; and a processor-based subsystem operatively coupled to the spatial tracker to receive information related to the motion and orientation of the mock welding tool and related to the helmet to send information related to displaying the simulated welding environment.

Description

Virtual welding system

The application is a divisional application of an invention patent application with the patent application number of 201380017661.9 and the invention name of 'virtual welding system' and filed in 28 th 9 th 2014, wherein the PCT international application PCT/IB2013/000129 filed on 1 st 2 nd 2013 enters the China national stage.

Cross-reference to related applications: PCT International application PCT/IB2013/000129 is a continuation-in-part application with U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/501,257, filed on 10.7.2009.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to virtual reality simulations, and more particularly, to systems and methods for providing arc welding training in a simulated virtual reality environment or augmented reality environment.

Background

Learning how to arc weld traditionally requires many hours of instruction, training and practice. There are many different types of arc welding and arc welding processes that can be learned. A student typically learns welding using a real welding system and performing welding operations on real metal workpieces. Such real-world training can occupy scarce welding resources and deplete limited welding materials. However, recently training ideas using welding simulations have become more popular. Some welding simulations are implemented online via a personal computer and/or via the internet. However, currently known welding simulations are often limited to their training emphasis (focus).

For example, some welding simulations focus on training only for "muscle memory," which is simply training a welding student how to hold and position the welding tool. Other welding simulations have also only focused on showing the visual and audio effects of the welding process in a limited and often impractical manner that does not provide the student with the desired feedback that is a high representation of real-world welding. It is this actual feedback that guides the student to make the necessary adjustments to complete a good weld. Welding is learned by looking at the arc and/or puddle (pullle), rather than just muscle memory.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional, traditional, and proposed approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such approaches with embodiments of the present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

Disclosure of Invention

In one aspect of the invention, a virtual welding system includes a programmable processor-based subsystem and a spatial tracker operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem. A mock welding tool is employed that is capable of being spatially tracked by a spatial tracker. The mock welding tool includes one or more adapters, where each adapter simulates the real world appearance of a particular welding type (weld type). The base is removably coupled to each of the one or more adapters.

In another aspect of the present invention, a mock welding tool is used within a virtual welding system. One or more adapters are employed, wherein each adapter simulates the physical characteristics of a particular weld type. A base is removably coupled to each of the one or more adapters, the base identifying a real-time spatial position of the mock welding tool relative to a reference position.

Further, a method is employed to use a mock welding tool within a virtual welding system. A first adapter is removably connected to the base, the first adapter being associated with a first weld type. The first adapter is removed from the base, wherein the second adapter is removably connected to the base, the second adapter being associated with a second weld type. The use of multiple adapter types and a common base facilitates the use of a portable virtual welding system that can be employed in substantially any mobile (mobile) location.

One aspect of the present application provides a virtual welding system, comprising: a programmable processor-based subsystem; a spatial tracker operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem; a mock welding tool capable of being spatially tracked by the spatial tracker, the mock welding tool comprising, one or more adapters, wherein each adapter simulates a real-world appearance of a particular weld type; and a base removably coupled to each of the one or more adapters.

In some embodiments, the virtual welding system further comprises: one or more sensors disposed within the base; and a magnet having a spatial position, the magnet tracked by the one or more sensors to identify a relative position of the mock welding tool to the magnet.

In some embodiments, the virtual welding system further comprises: a welding coupon having at least one surface and simulating a real world component to be welded, the welding coupon being disposed a known distance from the magnet, wherein the at least one surface of the welding coupon is simulated in the virtual reality space as a dual displacement layer comprising a solid displacement layer and a melt pool displacement layer, wherein the melt pool displacement layer is capable of altering the solid displacement layer; wherein a holder may be provided to support the magnet and the welding coupon in a predetermined spatial relationship.

In some embodiments, the virtual welding system further comprises: a helmet to be worn by a user; and a face mounted display device disposed within the helmet, the face mounted display device displaying real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics of the simulated weld puddle to provide real-time visual feedback to a user of the simulated welding tool when displayed on the face mounted display device, allowing the user to adjust himself or maintain a welding technique in real-time in response to the real-time visual feedback.

In some implementations, the helmet position is determined by the spatial tracker and communicated to the programmable processor-based subsystem.

In some embodiments, the virtual welding system further comprises: one or more sensors disposed within the helmet to track a spatial position of the helmet relative to the magnet; wherein the sensor is preferably one or more of a capacitive sensor, a piezoelectric sensor, an infrared proximity sensor, a hall effect sensor, an eddy current sensor, an inductive sensor, and an ultrasonic sensor.

One aspect of the present application provides a mock welding tool for use within a virtual welding system, the mock welding tool comprising: one or more adapters, each adapter simulating physical characteristics of a particular weld type; and a base removably coupled to each of the one or more adapters, the base identifying a real-time spatial position of the mock welding tool relative to a reference position.

In some embodiments, the reference point is a welding coupon having at least one surface when simulating a real world part to be welded, the welding coupon having at least one surface and simulating a real world part to be welded, wherein the at least one surface of the welding coupon is simulated in the virtual reality space as a dual displacement layer comprising a solid displacement layer and a puddle displacement layer, wherein the puddle displacement layer is capable of altering the solid displacement layer.

In some embodiments, the virtual welding system further comprises: a magnet disposed in a predetermined position relative to the welding coupon; wherein a bracket may be provided, said bracket fixing the spatial position of said magnet relative to said welding coupon; wherein one or more sensors may be disposed within the base, the one or more sensors determining a position of the base relative to the magnet; wherein the sensors preferably communicate their location to the programmable processor-based subsystem.

In some embodiments, the virtual welding system further comprises: further comprising: an interface disposed at a first end of the base, the interface facilitating removable mechanical coupling with one of the one or more adapters.

In some embodiments, wherein the interface comprises at least one first mechanical feature complementary to at least one second mechanical feature within the adapter to facilitate removable mechanical coupling of each adapter to the base.

In some embodiments, the base further comprises a trigger device used to indicate an effective weld state within the virtual welding system, wherein preferably the trigger device is incorporated within each adapter via a sleeve that is mechanically manipulated by a user via the adapter to initiate an effective weld state.

One aspect of the present application provides a method of using a mock welding tool within a virtual welding system, the method comprising: removably connecting a first adapter to a base, the first adapter associated with a first weld type; removing the first adapter from the base; and removably connecting a second adapter to the base, the second adapter associated with a second weld type; wherein the base includes a sensor that determines the spatial position of the mock welding tool relative to the welding coupon, wherein the position of the base is updated to a display in real-time.

In some embodiments, the virtual welding system further comprises: a magnet disposed at a known location relative to the welding coupon, wherein the sensor determines a location of the magnet and calculates the location of the welding coupon based at least on the location of the magnet.

In some embodiments, the virtual welding system further comprises: moving said mock welding tool with said first adapter relative to a welding coupon in accordance with a first welding technique; tracking the mock welding tool with the first adapter in three-dimensional space using the virtual reality welding system; viewing a display of the virtual reality welding system showing a real-time virtual reality simulation of the mock welding tool with the first adapter and the welding coupon in virtual reality space as the mock welding tool with the first adapter deposits a first simulated weld bead material onto at least one simulated surface of the simulated welding coupon by forming a simulated weld puddle in proximity to a simulated arc emitted from the mock welding tool with the first adapter; viewing a first real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristic of the first simulated weld puddle on the display; and changing at least one aspect of the first welding technique in real-time in response to viewing the first real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics of the first simulated weld puddle, and preferably further comprising: moving said mock welding tool with said second adapter relative to a welding coupon in accordance with a second welding technique; tracking the mock welding tool with the second adapter in three-dimensional space using the virtual reality welding system; viewing a display of the virtual reality welding system showing a real-time virtual reality simulation of the mock welding tool with the second adapter and the welding coupon in virtual reality space as the mock welding tool with the second adapter deposits a second simulated weld bead material onto at least one simulated surface of the simulated welding coupon by forming a simulated weld puddle in proximity to a simulated arc emitted from the simulated and the second adapter mock welding tool; viewing on the display a second real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristic of the second simulated weld puddle; and changing at least one aspect of the second welding technique in real-time in response to viewing the second real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics of the second simulated weld puddle.

This brief description is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described herein. This brief summary is not intended to define key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. Further embodiments, aspects and advantages of the invention are derivable from the description, the drawings and the claims.

Drawings

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein certain embodiments and further advantages of the invention are illustrated, as described in more detail in the following description, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a virtual welding system including an interchangeable mock welding tool having a base that may be coupled to each of a plurality of adapters;

FIG. 2 is one implementation of the system set forth in FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is an exemplary side plan view of a GMAW adapter removably coupled to a pedestal;

FIG. 4 is an exemplary perspective view of a hand welding tool adapter removably coupled to a base;

FIG. 5 is an exemplary perspective view of a combustible gas (oxy fuel) adapter removably coupled to a base;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a base that may be connected with the adapter illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5;

FIG. 7 is a cut-away perspective view of the base depicted in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of an assembled mock welding tool comprising a base and a hand welding tool adapter;

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of an exploded mock welding tool including a base and a hand welding tool adapter;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a holder used to hold a weld coupon and magnet in a known spatial position;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating the cradle of FIG. 9 holding a welding coupon and magnet in an alternative, compact position in a known spatial position;

FIG. 11 is an assembly view illustrating a kit of parts including components to transport and operate the mobile virtual welding system;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view illustrating a user interface for communicating with the virtual welding system;

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view illustrating an alternative user interface for communicating with the virtual welding system;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a helmet that may be used by a user within a virtual welding system;

FIG. 15 is a rear perspective view of a FMDD mounted within a welding helmet that is used within a virtual welding system;

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a subsystem block diagram of the programmable processor-based subsystem (PPS) shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a block diagram of a graphics processing unit of the PPS of FIG. 16;

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a functional block diagram of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a training method using the virtual reality training system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 20 is a front view illustrating a welding pixel (welding pixel) displacement map (displacement map) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a sample space (coupon space) and a corresponding x-y weld space (weld space) of a flat weld specimen simulated in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a corner of a simulated corner (T-joint) weld coupon and corresponding T-S weld space in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a pipe coupon and corresponding T-S weld space of a pipe weld coupon simulated in the system of FIG. 1; and

FIGS. 24A-24C are elevation views illustrating the concept of a double displacement melt pool of the system of FIG. 1.

Detailed Description

Referring now to the drawings, some embodiments or implementations of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. The present embodiment is directed to a virtual welding system that employs a mock welding tool having a base to receive a plurality of adapters, wherein each adapter simulates a different weld type. The adapters may have a common size to allow seamless removable coupling with the base when desired. Although illustrated and described below in the context of various exemplary virtual welding systems, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments.

More particularly, embodiments of the present subject matter relate to a virtual reality welding system including a programmable processor-based subsystem, a spatial tracker operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem, at least one mock welding tool capable of being spatially tracked by the spatial tracker, and at least one display device operatively connected to the programmable processor-based subsystem. To provide additional flexibility, the mock welding tool includes a base and a plurality of adapters, wherein each adapter is used to simulate a different weld type. For example, a first adapter may simulate a true GMAW weld, a second adapter may simulate a SMAW weld, a third adapter may simulate a gas weld, and so on. Alternatively or additionally, the tool may be used to simulate a cutting device, such as a combustible gas or other cutting torch. The adapters may all be of standardized dimensions to provide portable use, with a compact cradle being used to hold the weld coupon in space for use with a mock welding tool. In this manner, the system is able to simulate multiple weld types in virtual reality space, wherein the weld puddle has real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics corresponding to each weld type.

When displayed, the real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics of the simulated weld puddle provide real-time visual feedback to a user of the mock welding tool, allowing the user to adjust or maintain a welding technique in real-time in response to the real-time visual feedback. The weld puddle displayed is a representation of the weld puddle that would be formed in the real world based on the user's welding technique and the selected welding process and parameters. By viewing the weld puddle (e.g., shape, color, slag, size), the user can modify his technique to perform a good weld and determine the type of weld being completed. The shape of the weld pool is responsive to movement of the simulated welding tool. As used herein, the term "real-time" means timely perception and experience in a simulated environment in the same manner that a user would perceive and experience in a real-world welding situation. In addition, the molten pool responds to the effects of the physical environment, including gravity, allowing a user to realistically practice welding in a variety of positions, including horizontal, vertical, and overhead welding, and a variety of pipe welding angles.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating exemplary embodiments, FIG. 1 is a system block diagram of asystem 100, thesystem 100 providing arc welding training in a real-time virtual reality environment. Thevirtual welding system 100 includes a programmable processor-based subsystem (PPS) 110. Thevirtual welding system 100 further includes a Spatial Tracker (ST)120 operatively connected to thePPS 110. Thevirtual welding system 100 also includes a physical Welding User Interface (WUI)130 operatively connected to the PPS110, and a Front Mounted Display Device (FMDD)140 operatively connected to the PPS110 and theST 120. Thevirtual welding system 100 also includes an Observer Display Device (ODD)150 operatively connected to thePPS 110. Thevirtual welding system 100 also includes at least one Mock Welding Tool (MWT)160 operatively connected to the ST120 and thePPS 110. Thevirtual welding system 100 also includes acradle 170, and at least one Welding Coupon (WC)180 that can be attached to thecradle 170.MWT 160 may include a base (not shown) coupled to one or more adapters (not shown) to simulate a variety of different weld types.

FIG. 2 illustrates asystem 200, thesystem 200 illustrating one implementation of the system set forth in FIG. 1. TheFMDD 140 is used to display a simulated virtual environment for a user to visually experience welding. To provide accurate rendering (rendering) of such a simulated environment, theFMDD 140 communicates with the PPS110 to receive and transmit data regarding the spatial location of theFMDD 140 in thesystem 200. Communication may be facilitated using known wired and/or wireless technologies, including bluetooth, wireless ethernet, and the like. To obtain spatial position data, one ormore sensors 142 are disposed within and/or adjacent to theFMDD 140. In turn, thesensor 142 evaluates spatial position relative to a particular reference (e.g., magnet 172) within thesystem 200. Themagnet 172 may be located at a known reference point and set at apredetermined distance 178 relative to theweld sample 180. Thispredetermined distance 178 may be maintained by utilizing a form factor, template, or preconfigured structure associated withbrace 170. Thus, movement of thesensor 142 relative to themagnet 172 may inherently provide positional data of theFMDD 140 relative to theweld coupon 180 within thecradle 170. Thesensors 142 may communicate wirelessly to identify position relative to the magnet, updating theFMDD 140 in real time using known communication protocols to coincide with the user's actions.

System 200 also includesMWT 160,MWT 160 includingadapter 162 coupled tobase 166. It will be understood thatadapter 162 is merely representative of one of a plurality of adapters, each adapter simulating a particular weld type. Theadapters 162 are removably coupled to the base 166 to allow for the removal and replacement of one adapter as an alternative to another. The removable coupling may be accomplished with tabs, recesses, sliders, buttons, or the like to allow a user to press, twist, or otherwise mechanically alter theadapter 162 and/or thebase 166. To accurately simulate a particular weld type, eachadapter 162 is sized to characterize a real-world equivalent device that will be used to perform the actual welding operation. Once a particular adapter is coupled to the base, the user may enter the type of adapter in use to allow the PPS to load and execute the appropriate instruction set associated therewith. In this manner, a precise rendering corresponding to each adapter type is displayed on theFMDD 140.

One ormore sensors 168 may be disposed within thebase 166 or adjacent to thebase 166. As with theFMDD 140, thesensor 168 may wirelessly determine the spatial position of themagnet 172 on thesupport 170. In this manner, theadapter 162 and the base 166 in combination inherently have a known position and space relative to themagnet 172 because the dimensions of both theadapter 162 and the base 166 are predetermined. To ensure that thesystem 200 is properly calibrated to receive eachadapter 162, a user may interface with the PPS110 (e.g., via the WUI 130) to indicate that a particular adapter is currently in use. Once such an indication is made, the PPS110 may retrieve a look-up table from thememory 112, thememory 112 containing a set of rules to correctly present the simulated environment as experienced by the user through theFMDD 140.

In an embodiment, the PPS110 is a computer operable to execute the disclosed architecture. In order to provide additional context for various aspects of the subject invention, the following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which the various aspects of the subject invention can be implemented. The PPS110 may employ computer-executable instructions that may be executed on one or more computers in conjunction with other program modules and/or implemented as a combination of hardware and software. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. For example, such programs and computer-executable instructions may be processed via a robot using various machine control paradigms.

Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the inventive methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multiprocessor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and personal computers, hand-held computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which can be operatively coupled to one or more associated devices. The illustrated aspects of the invention may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

The PPS110 may utilize the exemplary environment to implement various aspects of the invention including a computer, including aprocessor 114,memory 112, and a system bus for communication purposes. A system bus couples system components including, but not limited to,memory 112 toprocessor 114. Theprocessor 114 may be any of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures may also be employed as theprocessor 114.

The system bus can be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. Thememory 112 may include read-only memory (ROM) and Random Access Memory (RAM). A basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the PPS110, such as during start-up, is stored in ROM.

The PPS110 may also include a hard disk drive that reads from or writes to a removable magnetic disk, a magnetic disk drive that reads from or writes to a CO-ROM disk, and an optical disk drive that reads from or writes to other optical media, for example. The PPS110 may include at least some form of computer readable media. Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage media and communication media. Computer storage media includes volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) or other magnetic storage devices, or other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by thePPS 110.

Communication media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic (acoustic), RF, infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above should also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

A number of program modules may be stored in the drives and RAM, including an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules, and program data. The operating system at the PPS110 may be any of a number of commercially available operating systems.

In addition, a user may enter commands and information into the computer through a keyboard and pointing device (e.g., a mouse). Other input devices may include a microphone, an IR remote control, a trackball, pen input devices, a joystick, a game pad, a digitizer pad, a satellite dish, a scanner, and the like. These and other input devices are often connected to the processor through a serial port interface that is coupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interfaces, such as a parallel port, game port, universal serial bus ("USB"), IR interface, and/or various wireless technologies. A monitor (not shown) or other type of display device may also be connected to the system bus via an interface, such as a video adapter. Visual output may also be accomplished by remote display network protocols (e.g., remote desktop protocols, VNC and X-Window systems, etc.). In addition to visual output, computers typically include other peripheral output devices such as speakers, printers, and so forth.

Displays (e.g., theODD 150 and the WUI 130) may be used with the PPS110 to present data electronically received from the processor. For example, the display may be a monitor of an LCD, plasma, CRT, etc., that electronically presents data. Alternatively or additionally, the display may present the received data in a hard copy format (e.g., printer, fax machine, plotter, etc.). The display may present data in any color and may receive data from the PPS110 via any wireless or hardwired protocol and/or standard. In an embodiment, theWUI 130 is a touch screen that allows the user to interface with the PPS110, for example, to review welding data from one or more previous simulations. The user may also manipulate through various data paradigms to identify information about a particular analysis (e.g., weld quality), where such data is evaluated against one or more benchmarks for storage or other comparison.

The computer may operate in a networked environment using logical and/or physical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer(s). The remote computer(s) can be a workstation, a server computer, a router, a personal computer, an entertainment appliance-based microprocessor, a peer device or a general network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described relative to the computer. The logical connections depicted include a Local Area Network (LAN) and a Wide Area Network (WAN). Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets and the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer is connected to the local network through a network interface or adapter. When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer typically includes a modem, or is connected to a communications server on the LAN, or has other means for establishing communications over the WAN (e.g., the Internet). In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device. It will be appreciated that the network connections described herein are exemplary and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.

3-5 illustrate a non-limiting exemplary embodiment of theadapter 162, wherein FIG. 3 shows theadapter 162 as aGMAW torch 300; FIG. 4 illustratesadapter 162 as amanual welding tool 400; and figure 5 shows theadapter 162 as agas torch 500. Although the adapter is described herein as having a number of different components, it will be understood that single and multi-component embodiments of the adapter are contemplated within the scope of the present invention. Turning first to fig. 3,GMAW torch 300 includes anozzle 310, whichnozzle 310 is connected to aninterface 318 via atube 312. Thetorch 300 may have substantially the same weight and size as a GMAW torch, as used in real world applications. The dimensions of each component withingun 300 may be known values that may be used to calibrate the gun in view ofweld coupon 180 andmagnet 172. Theinterface 318 may include one or more mechanical features to allow removable coupling of theadapter 300 to the base.

FIG. 4 illustrates ahand welding tool 400 for plate welding and tube welding, and includes aholder 422 and asimulated stick electrode 410. In an embodiment, thesimulated stick electrode 410 may include a haptic (tactilely) resistance tip to simulate resistance feedback that occurs during a root pass welding process or when welding flat plates, for example, in real-world pipe welding. If the user moves thesimulated stick electrode 162 too far from the root, the user will be able to feel or perceive a lower resistance, thereby obtaining feedback for adjusting or maintaining the current welding process.Interface 418 allows for removable coupling ofmanual welding tool 400 to a base.

FIG. 5 illustrates acombustible gas adapter 500 including amouth 510 and aninterface 518, theinterface 518 allowing for removable coupling of thecombustible gas adapter 500 to a base. In this embodiment, theinterface 518 includes acollar 522, whichcollar 522 may be fixed around the diameter of the base. Thebutton 520 may include a protrusion or other feature to mechanically couple with a complementary feature (e.g., a recess) on the base. In this manner, theadapter 500 may be "locked" to the base depending on whether the button is pressed or otherwise manipulated. In other embodiments, the combustible gas adapter can be used to characterize a cutting torch that is used to cut a metal object. In this embodiment, the cutting torch is displayed within the virtual welding system as it operates in a real-world application. For example, the PPS110 may load and execute code representing a cutting torch application, rather than a welding torch.

Other simulated welding tools are possible according to other embodiments of the present invention, including, for example, a MWT simulating a hand-held semi-automatic welding gun having a wire electrode fed through the gun. Additionally, according to other particular embodiments of the present invention, a real welding tool may be used asMWT 160 to better simulate the actual feel of the tool in the user's hand, even though the tool may not be used to actually create a real arc invirtual welding system 100. Further, a simulated grinding tool (grinding tool) may be provided for use in a simulated grinding mode of thevirtual welding system 100. Similarly, a simulated cutting tool may be provided for use in a simulated cutting mode of thevirtual welding system 100. Additionally, a simulated Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) torch or filler material may be provided for use in thevirtual welding system 100.

Fig. 6 illustrates apedestal 600, whichpedestal 600 is used to interface one or more adapters, such asGMAW welding gun 300,manual welding tool 400, andcombustible gas adapter 500. Thebase 600 includes abody 620, whichbody 620 may house one or more electronic components, such as thesensors 168 described herein. In an embodiment, thebody 620 is comprised of two halves that are held together via fasteners 640 (such as, for example, screws, bolts, rivets, etc.). A hard-wiredcable 630 extends from thebody 620 to facilitate communication between the base 600 and thePPS 110.

Theheader 610 includesabutments 614 on opposite sides of theheader 610 and recesses 616 disposed therein. The abutment and recess combination may serve as a removable interlocking structure for complementary components within the interface of theexample adapter 300, 400, 500. However, substantially any mechanical interface is contemplated to facilitate efficient removal and replacement of the adapter to thebase 600. Abutton 618 disposed within the protrusion 636 may be used to indicate that the user is in an active welding mode when thebutton 618 is pressed. Referring at least to theadapter 400, a complementary form factor may be included in the adapter to fit as a sleeve over thebutton 618, where the user may press the button via a form factor feature on the adapter. For this purpose, the adapter form factor may emulate a real-world trigger or similar device to give the user a real-world look and feel for the welding operation.

Fig. 7 is a cut-away perspective view of the base 600 to reveal asensor 652 disposed within thebase 600. Thesensors 652 are in communication with one or more different components (e.g., PPS 110) viacables 654, and are disposed in a predetermined position within thebase 600 and held in place viafasteners 658. Thelouvers 672 provide structural support for thebase 600 throughout thebody 620. In an embodiment, thesensor 652 utilizes known non-contact technologies, such as capacitive sensors, piezoelectric sensors, eddy current sensors, inductive sensors, ultrasonic sensors, hall effect sensors, and/or infrared proximity sensor technologies. Such techniques may be used for other sensors described herein, includingsensors 142 and 168 used inhelmet 146 andbase 166, respectively. Fig. 8 illustrates amock welding tool 800 in which anadapter 400 is removably coupled to abase 600 for use within avirtual welding system 100.

Fig. 9 illustrates acradle 700 that is used to spatially position aweld coupon 758 in a known position relative to amagnet 710. Thebracket 700 includes anarm 714 and a base 724 coupled together via apost 722. In an embodiment, thepost 722 is removably coupled to the base 724 to allow thestand 700 to be broken down into individual components for packaging and shipping. In addition, thebase 724 and upright 722 may have one or more structural features (e.g., louvers) that add structural support to such components while maintaining a relatively low weight. Theplunger 732 can be pulled away from thearm 714 to allow removal and replacement of the specimen on therack 700 at a repeatable spatial location.

The dimensions of thearm 714 and the position of theweld coupon 758 relative to themagnet 710 disposed on theabutment 738 are known, and a mock welding tool adjacent to theweld coupon 758 will have a known and repeatable output, thereby providing a suitable real-time virtual welding environment for the user. Thepins 762, 764 may be removed from thebracket 700 to allow thearm 714 to pivot about thepin 764 as depicted in fig. 10. In this embodiment,pin 762 is removed fromholes 766, 768, allowingarm 714 to rotate aboutpin 764 to the second position. In this manner, a user may simulate welding in a large number of planes (e.g., horizontal and vertical) to experience the nuances associated with each. Notably, the design ofcradle 700 ensures that the spatial position ofmagnet 710 relative toweld coupon 758 is maintained in either of two positions to provide accurate repeatable results for the creation and display of real-time welding environment simulations.

Fig. 11 illustrates a portable welding kit that may be conveniently transported from one location to another. The kit may be constructed in substantially any location adjacent to a power source, which may include a battery, A/C or other power source. Thecontainer 810 may be formed substantially as a welding machine enclosure, with the interior including a plurality of shells, platforms, and other storage areas to house theWUI 130, thecradle 700, themock welding tool 800, and thehelmet 900. The container may further include wheels to facilitate efficient transport of thecontainer 810.

Fig. 12 illustrates anexemplary user interface 830, theuser interface 830 displaying a plurality of metrics associated with a typical welding system. Theinterface 830 includes aselector 832 to identify the type of adapter for the simulated welding system. Thetemperature measurement device 836,current measurement device 838, andvoltage measurement device 842 may provide real-time feedback to a user during a welding operation. Similarly, 854 and 856 display additional information and allow user input to modify the information. Fig. 13 illustrates analternative user interface 860 that simulates a real-world hardware welding system interface. In an embodiment, the user is able to provide input to thedisplay 860 using a touch screen or other peripheral input methods described herein.

Fig. 14 and 15 illustrate ahelmet 900 worn by a user when operating a virtual welding system. Fig. 14 shows a front perspective view of ahelmet 900, whichhelmet 900 may be an actual welding helmet for use in real world applications and, as described above, retrofitted to include a FMDD. In this way, the user may wear the welding helmet as he is in a real-world scenario, where the virtual environment is displayed to the user in real-time via theFMDD 140. Fig. 15 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of theFMDD 140 integrated into awelding helmet 900. TheFMDD 140 is operatively connected to the PPS110 and ST120 via a wired device or wirelessly. According to various embodiments of the invention, thesensors 142 of the ST120 may be attached to theFMD 140 or to thewelding helmet 900, allowing theFMDD 140 and/or thewelding helmet 900 to be tracked with respect to the reference of the 3D space frame created by theST 120.

Fig. 16 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a subsystem block diagram of a programmable processor-based subsystem (PPS)110 of thevirtual welding system 100 of fig. 1. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the PPS110 includes a Central Processing Unit (CPU)111 and one or more Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) 115. In one embodiment, one GPU115 is used to provide monoscopic vision on theFMDD 140. In another embodiment, twoGPUs 115 are programmed to provide stereo vision on theFMDD 140. In either case, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the user views a virtual reality simulation of a molten bath (also called a weld pool) having real-time molten metal fluidity and heat absorption and dissipation characteristics.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a block diagram of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU)115 of the PPS110 of FIG. 10. Each GPU115 supports the implementation of data parallel algorithms. According to an embodiment of the invention, each GPU115 provides twovideo outputs 118 and 119 capable of providing two virtual reality views. Two of the video outputs may be transmitted to theFMDD 140, giving the view of the welder, and a third video output may be routed to theODD 150, giving the view of the welder or some other view, for example. The remaining fourth video output may be routed to a projector, for example. The twoGPUs 115 perform the same welding physics calculations, but may render the virtual reality environment from the same or different views. GPU115 includes a unified computing device architecture (CUDA)116 andshaders 117. TheCUDA 116 is a compute engine of the GPU115 that a software developer can use through industry standard programming languages. TheCUDA 116 includes a parallel core and is used to run the physics model of the weld pool simulation described herein.CPU 111 provides real-time welding input data toCUDA 116 onGPU 115. Theshader 117 is responsible for drawing and applying the entire simulation. The bead and puddle views are driven by the state of the element displacement diagram described later herein. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the physical model is run and updated at a rate of about 30 times per second.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a functional block diagram of thevirtual welding system 100 of FIG. 1. The various functional blocks of thevirtual welding system 100 as shown in FIG. 12 are implemented, in large part, via software instructions and modules running on thePPS 110. The various functional blocks of thevirtual welding system 100 include aphysical interface 1201, a torch andfixture model 1202, anenvironment model 1203, asound content function 1204, awelding sound 1205, a cradle/table model 1206,internal architecture functions 1207, acalibration function 1208, awelding coupon model 1210,welding physics 1211, internal physics adjustment tools (tweakers) 1212, graphicaluser interface functions 1213, drawingfunctions 1214, student report functions 1215, arendering device 1216,bead rendering 1217,3D textures 1218, visual cue functions 1219, scoring andtolerance functions 1220, atolerance editor 1221, andspecial effects 1222.

Theinternal architecture functions 1207 provide a higher level of software operations for the processing of thevirtual welding system 100, including, for example, loading files, holding information, managing threads, enabling physical models, and triggering menus. Internal architecture functions 1207 run on theCPU 111, according to an embodiment of the invention. Specific real-time inputs for the PPS110 include arc position, torch position, FMDD or helmet position, torch enable/disable status, and contact generation status (yes/no).

The graphicaluser interface functionality 1213 allows a user to set up a welding scenario using the joystick 132 of thephysical user interface 130 via theODD 150. According to embodiments of the present invention, the setting of the welding scenario includes selecting a language, inputting a user name, selecting a practice board (i.e., a welding coupon), selecting a welding process (e.g., FCAW, GMAW, SMAW) and associated axial spray, pulse, or short arc methods, selecting a gas type and flow rate, selecting a stick electrode type (e.g., 6010 or 7018), and selecting a flux-cored wire type (e.g., self-shielded, gas-shielded). The setting of the welding scenario also includes selecting the table height, arm position, and arm rotation of thestand 170. The setting of the welding scenario further includes selecting an environment (e.g., a background environment in virtual reality space), setting a wire feed speed, setting a voltage level, setting an amperage, selecting a polarity, and enabling or disabling particular visual cues.

During the simulated welding scenario, themapping functionality 1214 collects and provides user performance parameters to the graphicaluser interface functionality 1213 for display in a graphical format (e.g., on the ODD 150). The trace information from ST120 is fed into thedrawing function 1214. Themapping function 1214 includes a Simple Analysis Module (SAM) and a jitter (whip)/sway (weaves) analysis module (WWAM). The SAM analyzes user welding parameters including weld travel angle, travel speed, weld angle, position, and tip-to-work gap distance by comparing the welding parameters to data stored in a weld pass table. The WWAM analyzes user jitter parameters including dime spacing, jitter time, and puddle time. The WWAM also analyzes user swing parameters including swing width, swing interval, and swing timing. SAM and WWAM interpret raw input data (e.g., position and orientation data) as functionally usable data for drawing. For each parameter analyzed by the SAM and WWAM, a tolerance window is defined by parameter limits (parameter limits) around the optimal or ideal setting for inputting the weld bead table using thetolerance editor 1221, and a scoring andtolerance function 1220 is performed.

Thetolerance editor 1221 includes a weld metric meter (welometer) that estimates material usage, electrical usage, and weld time. Furthermore, weld inconsistencies (i.e., weld defects) may occur when certain parameters are out of tolerance. Any solder discontinuities are handled by thedrawing functionality 1214 and presented in a graphical format via the graphicaluser interface functionality 1213. Such welding inconsistencies include improper weld bead size, poor bead placement, concave beads, excessive camber, undercut, porosity, lack of penetration, slag entrapment (slag entrapment), overfilling, burn through, and excessive spatter. According to embodiments of the present invention, the level or amount of discontinuity depends on the degree to which a particular user parameter deviates from an optimal or desired set point.

Different parameter limits may be predefined for different categories of users, such as welding beginners, welding experts, and people at trade shows. The score andtolerance function 1220 provides a numerical score based on how close the user is to the optimal (ideal) value for a particular parameter and based on the level of inconsistencies or defects that are present in the weld. The optimal value is obtained from real world data. The information from the score andtolerance function 1220 and from themapping function 1214 may be used by thetrainee reporting function 1215 to create a performance report for the instructor and/or the trainee.

Thevirtual welding system 100 is capable of analyzing and displaying the results of the virtual welding activity. By analyzing the results, it is meant that thevirtual welding system 100 is able to determine when and where along the weld joint during the welding stroke, the user is out of acceptable limits for the welding process. The score may be attributed to the user's performance. In one embodiment, the score may be a function that models the deviation of thewelding tool 160 in position, orientation, and speed over a plurality of tolerance ranges, which may extend from a desired welding stroke to a critical or unacceptable welding activity. Any gradient of the plurality of ranges may be included in thevirtual welding system 100 according to the selection for scoring the user's performance. The scores may be displayed numerically or alphanumerically. Furthermore, the user's representation may be displayed graphically, showing how closely the simulated welding tool traverses the weld joint in time and/or in position along the weld joint. Parameters such as angle of travel, angle of processing, speed, and distance from the weld joint are examples of what may be measured, however any parameter may be analyzed for scoring purposes. The tolerance ranges for the parameters are taken from real world welding data, providing accurate feedback on how the user will behave in the real world. In another embodiment, an analysis of defects corresponding to the user's performance may also be included and displayed on theODD 150. In this embodiment, a graph may be depicted that shows what type of discontinuity is caused by measuring various parameters monitored during the virtual welding activity. Although occlusions may not be visible on theODD 150, defects may still have occurred due to user performance, and the user performance results may still be displayed (i.e., graphical) accordingly.

Thevisual cue function 1219 provides immediate feedback to the user by displaying overlaid colors and indicators on theFMDD 140 and/orODD 150. Visual cues are provided for each of the welding parameters 151, the welding parameters 151 including position, tip-to-work gap distance, welding angle, travel speed, and arc length (e.g., for manual welding), and a user is visually indicated if certain aspects of the user's welding technique should be adjusted based on predefined limits or tolerances. Visual cues may also be provided, for example, for the dithering/oscillation technique and the weld bead "dime" spacing. The visual cues may be set independently or in any desired combination.

Thecalibration function 1208 provides the ability to match physical parts in real space (3D frame of reference) to visual parts in virtual reality space. Each different type of Weld Coupon (WC) is calibrated in the factory by mounting the WC to an arm 173 ofcarriage 170 and contacting the WC at a predefined point (e.g., indicated by three dimples on the WC) with a calibration pen (stylus) operatively connected toST 120. ST120 reads the magnetic field strength at the predefined point, provides position information to PPS110, and PPS110 uses the position information to perform the calibration (i.e., conversion from real world space to virtual reality space).

Any particular type of WC fits into thearm 714 of thebracket 170 in the same repeatable manner within very tight tolerances. In one embodiment, the distance between thecoupon 758 and themagnet 710 on thearm 714 is the knowndistance 178 as set forth above in fig. 2. Thus, once a particular WC type is calibrated, that WC type need not be repeatedly calibrated (i.e., calibration of a particular type of WC is a one-time event). The same type of WC is interchangeable. Calibration ensures that the physical feedback perceived by the user during the welding process matches what is displayed to the user in virtual reality space, making the simulation look more realistic. For example, if a user slides the end ofMWT 160 around a corner of anactual WC 180, the user will see onFMDD 140 that the end slides around the corner of a virtual WC as the user feels the end slides around the actual corner. According to an embodiment of the present invention,MWT 160 is placed on a pre-positioned shelf (jig) and is also calibrated based on the known shelf position.

According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a "smart" specimen is provided, for example with sensors on the corners of the specimen. The ST120 is able to track the corners of the "smart" welding coupon so that thevirtual welding system 100 is continuously aware of the location of the "smart" welding coupon in real world 3D space. According to yet another alternative embodiment of the present invention, a license key is provided to "unlock" the welding coupon. When a particular WC is purchased, a license key is provided that allows the user to enter the license key into thevirtual welding system 100, unlocking the software associated with the WC. According to another embodiment of the invention, a special non-standard weld coupon may be provided based on a real-world CAD drawing of the part. The user may be able to train the welding CAD part even before the part is actually generated in the real world.

Thesound content function 1204 and thewelding sound 1205 provide a particular type of welding sound that varies depending on whether a particular welding parameter is within or outside of tolerance. The sound is adjusted according to various welding processes and parameters. For example, in a MIG arc welding process, a crackling sound is provided when the user has not properly positioned theMWT 160, and a hissing sound is provided when theMWT 160 is properly positioned. In short arc welding processes, a stable crackling or "frying" sound is provided for the proper welding technique, while a hissing sound may be provided when undercutting occurs. These sound simulations (mimic) correspond to real-world sounds of both correct and incorrect welding techniques.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, high fidelity sound content may be taken from real world recordings of actual welds using various electronic and mechanical means. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the perceived volume and directionality of the sound varies according to the position, orientation and distance of the user's head (assuming the user is wearing theFMDD 140 tracked by ST 120) relative to the simulated arc betweenMWT 160 andWC 180. For example, sound may be provided to the user via earbud speakers in thehelmet 900 or via speakers configured in the console 135 orcradle 170.

Anenvironmental model 1203 is provided to provide various background scenes (static and moving) in the virtual reality space. Such background environments may include, for example, indoor welding shops, outdoor runways, garages, and the like, and may include moving vehicles, people, birds, clouds, and various environmental sounds. According to embodiments of the present invention, the background environment may be interactive. For example, a user may need to review (see) the background area to ensure that the environment is suitable (e.g., safe) for welding before starting welding. A torch andfixture model 1202 is provided to model various MWTs 160 (including, for example, guns, cradles with stick electrodes, etc.) in virtual reality space.

Acoupon model 1210 is provided to modelvarious WCs 180 in virtual reality space, theWCs 180 including, for example, flat plate coupons, T-joint coupons, butt-joint coupons, groove bead coupons, and tubular coupons (e.g., 2 inch diameter pipe and 6 inch diameter pipe). Alternatively or additionally, the weld specimen model may include multiple versions, wherein the specimen includes one or more weld specimen types within a single form factor. For example, an exemplary plurality of welding coupons may include T-joints, butt-joints, and groove beads in a single component. A stand/table model 1206 is provided to model various components of thestand 170 in virtual reality space, including anadjustable arm 714 as used in virtual reality space, abase 724, and a post 174 used to couple the adjustable arm to the base. Aphysical interface model 1201 is provided to model thewelding user interface 130, the console 135, and the various components of theODD 150 in virtual reality space.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a simulation of a weld puddle or weld puddle in a virtual reality space is achieved, wherein the simulated weld puddle has real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics. Located at the center of the weld pool simulation, according to an embodiment of the present invention, is a welding physics function 1211 (also called a physics model) running on theGPU 115. The weld physics functions employ a dual displacement layer technique to accurately model dynamic flow/viscosity (viscocity), solidification, thermal gradients (heat absorption and heat dissipation), weld puddle trace (wake), and weld bead shape, and is described in more detail herein in connection with fig. 14-18.

Theweld physics function 1211 communicates with thebead presentation function 1217 to represent the overall condition of the weld bead from the molten metal condition to the cold solidification condition. The weldbead rendering functionality 1217 uses information (e.g., heat, fluidity, displacement, dime spacing) from theweld physics functionality 1211 to accurately and realistically render the weld beads in virtual reality space in real-time. The3D texture function 1218 provides texture maps (texture maps) to thebead rendering function 1217 to overlay additional textures (e.g., focus, slag, grain) onto the simulated weld bead. For example, during or just after the welding process, slag may be shown appearing on the weld bead and then moved to expose the underlying weld bead. Thepresentation device function 1216 is used to use information from thespecial effects module 1222 to present various non-puddle specific characteristics, including sparks (sparks), spatters (spatterers), smoke, arc light, smoke and gases, and specific incoherency (e.g., undercuts and porosity).

The internalphysical tuning tool 1212 is an adjustment device that allows various welding physical parameters to be defined, updated, and modified for various welding processes. According to an embodiment of the present invention, internalphysics tuning tool 1212 runs onCPU 111 and the tuned or updated parameters are downloaded intoGPU 115. The types of parameters that may be adjusted via the internalphysical adjustment tool 1212 include parameters associated with the weld coupon, process parameters that allow the process to be changed without resetting the weld coupon (allowing a second weld pass to be formed), various global parameters that may be changed without resetting the entire simulation, and various other parameters.

Fig. 19 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of atraining method 1300 using thevirtual welding system 100 of fig. 1. Instep 1310, the mock welding tool is moved relative to the welding coupon in accordance with the welding technique. Instep 1320, the position and orientation of the mock welding tool is tracked in three-dimensional space using the virtual reality system. Instep 1330, a display of the virtual reality welding system is viewed showing a real-time virtual reality simulation of the mock welding tool and the welding coupon in virtual reality space as the mock welding tool deposits simulated weld bead material onto at least one simulated surface of the simulated welding coupon by forming a simulated weld puddle in proximity to a simulated arc emitted from the mock welding tool. Instep 1340, the real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics of the simulated weld puddle are viewed on the display. Instep 1350, at least one aspect of the welding technique is changed in real-time in response to viewing the real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics of the simulated weld puddle.

Themethod 1300 illustrates how a user can view a weld puddle in virtual reality space and change their welding technique in response to viewing various characteristics of the simulated weld puddle, including real-time molten metal fluidity (e.g., viscosity) and heat dissipation. The user may also view and respond to other features, including real-time puddle marks and dime spacing. Viewing and responding to the characteristics of the molten bath is how most welding operations are actually performed in the real world. A dual displacement layer model of thewelding physics function 1211 runs on the GPU115, allowing such real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics to be accurately modeled and presented to the user. For example, heat dissipation determines the curing time (i.e., how much time is required for the solder cell to completely cure).

Additionally, the user may perform a second weld pass on the weld bead material using the same or a different (e.g., second) mock welding tool and/or welding process. In such a second weld bead scenario, when a simulated mock welding tool deposits a second simulated weld bead material bonded to a first simulated weld bead material by forming a second simulated weld puddle in the vicinity of a simulated arc emitted from the simulated mock welding tool, the simulation shows the simulated mock welding tool, a welding coupon, and an original simulated weld bead material in virtual reality space. Additional subsequent passes using the same or different welding tools or processes may be formed in a similar manner. According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the previous weld bead material is combined with the new weld bead material being deposited in any second or subsequent weld pass as a new weld puddle is formed in the virtual real world from any combination of the previous weld bead material, the new weld bead material, and possibly the underlying sample material. Such subsequent passes may be required to form a large fillet or groove weld, for example, may be performed to repair a weld bead formed by a previous pass, or may include a high temperature pass and one or more fill and cap (cap) passes after a root pass is completed in the pipe weld. According to various embodiments of the present invention, the bead and substrate materials may include mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, nickel-based alloys, or other materials.

Fig. 20 illustrates the concept of a solder cell (solder cell) displacement diagram 1420, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 20 shows a side view of a flat Weld Coupon (WC)1400 with a flattop surface 1410. Thewelding coupon 1400 exists in the real world in the form of, for example, a plastic part, and may also exist in the virtual reality space in the form of a simulated welding coupon. Fig. 20 shows a representation of atop surface 1410 of asimulated WC 1400, thetop surface 1410 being decomposed into a grid or array of bond elements (i.e., bond elements) that form a bond element diagram 1420. Each bond (e.g., bond 1421) defines a small portion of thesurface 1410 of the weld coupon. The solder element map defines the surface resolution. Changeable channel parameter values are assigned to each of the weld cells, allowing the value of each weld cell to be dynamically changed in a virtual reality weld space in a real-time manner during the simulated welding process. The changeable channel parameter values correspond to channel puddles (molten metal flow/viscosity displacement), heat (heat absorption/dissipation), displacement (solids displacement), and additional content (various additional states such as slag, particles, coke breeze, virgin metal). These alterable pathways are referred to herein as PHEDs, which correspond to the melt pool, heat, additional content, and displacement, respectively.

Fig. 20 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of the weld coupon space and weld bead space of the flat Weld Coupon (WC)1400 of fig. 14 simulated in thevirtual welding system 100 of fig. 1. Points O, X, Y and Z define a local 3D weld sample space. In general, each specimen type defines a mapping from a 3D specimen space to a 2D virtual reality weld space. Theweld element map 1420 of FIG. 20 is a two-dimensional matrix of values mapped to the virtual reality weld space. As shown in fig. 20, the user will weld from point B to point E. In fig. 20, the trajectory line from point B to point E is shown in both the 3D welding sample space and the 2D weld space.

Each type of weld specimen defines a direction of displacement for each location in the map of weld elements. For the flat welding sample of fig. 21, the displacement directions of all the positions in the cell diagram (i.e., in the Z direction) are the same. To clarify the mapping, the texture of the metagram is denoted S, T (sometimes referred to as U, V) in both the 3D weld sample space and the 2D weld space. The primitive map is mapped to and characterizes arectangular surface 1410 of theweld coupon 1400.

Fig. 22 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a weld coupon space and a weld bead space of a corner (T-joint) Weld Coupon (WC)1600 simulated in thevirtual welding system 100 of fig. 1. Thecorner WC 1600 has twosurfaces 1610 and 1620 in 3D weld sample space, which twosurfaces 1610 and 1620 are mapped to 2D weld space as shown in fig. 22. Likewise, points O, X, Y and Z define a local 3D weld sample space. To illustrate the mapping, the texture of the weld map is labeled S, T in both 3D weld sample space and 2D weld space. As shown in fig. 22, the user will weld from point B to point E. In fig. 22, the trajectory line from point B to point E is shown in both the 3D welding sample space and the 2D weld space. However, the direction of displacement is towards the line X '-O' as shown in the 3D weld sample space, towards the opposite corner as shown in fig. 22.

Fig. 23 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a weld coupon space and a weld bead space of a tubular Weld Coupon (WC)1700 simulated in thevirtual welding system 100 of fig. 1.Tubular WC 1700 has acurved surface 1710 in the 3D weld coupon space, which surface 1710 is mapped to the 2D weld space as shown in fig. 23. Likewise, points O, X, Y and Z define a local 3D weld sample space. To illustrate the mapping, the texture of the weld map is labeled S, T in both 3D weld sample space and 2D weld space. As shown in fig. 23, the user will weld along a curved trajectory from point B to point E. In fig. 23, a trajectory curve and a line from point B to point E are shown in the 3D welding sample space and the 2D bead space, respectively. The direction of displacement is away from line Y-O (i.e. away from the center of the tube).

In a similar manner as the texture map may be mapped to rectangular surface areas of the geometry, the solderable element map may be mapped to rectangular surfaces of the welding coupon. Each element of the solderable map is called a solder element in the same sense as each element of the image is called a pixel element (abbreviation for image element). The picture elements contain channels of information of defined colors, for example red, green, blue, etc. The weld cell includes an information pathway (e.g., P, H, E, D) defining a weldable surface in virtual reality space.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the format of the primitive is attributed to a channel phased (puddle, heat, extra content, displacement) containing four floating point numbers. The additional channel is used as a set of binary numbers to store logical information about the weld cell (e.g., whether there is any slag at the location of the weld cell). The weld puddle channel stores displacement values for any liquefied metal at the weld element location. A displacement channel stores a displacement value for the solidified metal at the bond site. The thermal tunnel stores values that give the magnitude of heat at the bond site. In this manner, the weldable portion of the welding coupon may show displacement due to the weld bead being welded, a flickering surface "puddle" due to liquid metal, color due to heat, and the like. All of these effects are achieved by vertex shaders and pel shaders applied to the weldable surface.

According to an embodiment of the invention, displacement maps and particle systems are used, wherein particles can interact with each other and collide with the displacement maps. The particles are virtual dynamic fluid particles and provide the liquid behavior of the molten pool, but are not directly present (i.e. not directly visible). Instead, only the particle effect on the displacement map is visually visible. The heat input to the weld cell affects the motion of adjacent particles. There are two types of displacement involving simulated molten pools, including molten pools and displacement. The melt pool is "temporary" and persists only when particles are present and heat is present. The displacement is "permanent". The puddle displacement is a rapidly changing (e.g., flashing) weld liquid metal and can be considered to be at the "top" of the displacement. The particles cover a portion of the displacement map (i.e., the solder element map) of the virtual surface. The displacement characterizes a permanent solid metal that includes both the original base metal and the solidified weld bead.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a welding process simulated in virtual reality space works in the following way: the particles flow out of the emitter in the thin cone element (emitter of the simulated MWT 160). The particles first contact a surface of a simulated weld coupon, wherein the surface is defined by a weld element map. The particles interact with each other and with the weld map and accumulate in real time. The closer the solder element is to the emitter, the more heat is applied. Heat is modeled according to the distance from the arc point and the amount of time heat is input from the arc. The specific graphic part (e.g., color, etc.) is thermally driven. And drawing or presenting a molten pool in the virtual reality space aiming at the welding element with high enough temperature. Wherever hot enough, the nugget map liquefies, causing the weld pool to displace "lift" for those nugget locations. The puddle displacement was determined by sampling the "highest" particles at each pad location. As the transmitter progresses along the weld trajectory, the remaining weld element location cools. Heat is removed from the bond site at a specific rate. When the cooling threshold is reached, the map solidifies. In this way, the pool displacement is gradually converted into a displacement (i.e., a solidified bead). The increased displacement is equal to the removed puddle, so that the overall height is unchanged. The lifetime of the particles is adjusted or regulated to survive before curing is complete. The specific particle characteristics modeled in thevirtual welding system 100 include attraction/repulsion, velocity (relative to heat), wetting (relative to heat dissipation), direction (relative to gravity).

Fig. 24A-24C illustrate an exemplary embodiment of the concept of a dual displacement (displacement and particle) weld pool model of thevirtual welding system 100 of fig. 1. A welding coupon having at least one surface is simulated in virtual reality space. Simulating the surface of the welding sample in the virtual reality space to form a double displacement layer comprising a solid displacement layer and a molten pool displacement layer. The bath displacement layer is capable of altering the solid displacement layer.

As described herein, a "puddle" is defined by a region of the metaplot in which the puddle value has been increased due to the presence of particles. The sampling process is characterized in fig. 24A-24C. A segment of the bond map is shown with seven adjacent bonds. The current displacement value is characterized by an unshadedrectangular bar 1910 having a given height. In fig. 24A,particle 1920 is shown as a circular unshaded point colliding with the current displaced horizontal plane and is packed. In fig. 24B, the "highest"particle height 1930 is sampled at each pad location. In FIG. 24C, the shadedrectangle 1940 shows how much melt pool has increased on the displaced top due to the particles. Since the weld puddle is increased at a specific heat-based liquefaction rate, the weld puddle height is not immediately set to the sampled value. Although not shown in fig. 24A-24C, it is possible to visualize the solidification process as the melt pool (shaded rectangle) is gradually reduced and the displacement (unshaded rectangle) is gradually increased from below to just replace the melt pool. In this way, real-time molten metal fluidity characteristics are accurately simulated. As the user practices a particular welding process, the user is able to observe the molten metal fluidity characteristics and heat dissipation characteristics of the weld puddle in real-time virtual reality space, and use this information to adjust or maintain their welding technique.

The number of weld elements characterizing the surface of the weld coupon is fixed. Additionally, as described herein, the melt pool particles generated by the simulation to model fluidity are temporary. Thus, once thevirtual welding system 100 is used to generate an original weld puddle in virtual reality space during a simulated welding process, the number of weldments plus puddle particles tends to remain relatively constant. This is because during the welding process, the number of cells being processed is fixed, and since the puddle particles are being created and "destroyed" at a similar rate (i.e., the puddle particles are temporary), the number of puddle particles present and being processed tends to remain relatively constant. Thus, the processing load of the PPS110 remains relatively constant during the welding phase of the simulation.

According to an alternative embodiment of the invention, weld pool particles may be generated in or below the surface of the weld coupon. In such embodiments, the displacement may be modeled in a positive or negative manner relative to the original surface displacement of the initial (i.e., unwelded) weld coupon. In this way, weld pool particles can build up not only on the surface of the weld coupon, but also penetrate the weld coupon. However, the number of cells is still fixed, and the bath particles created and destroyed are still relatively constant.

In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, a element displacement map with more channels may be provided to model the fluidity of the puddle rather than to model the particles. Alternatively, dense voxel maps (voxel maps) may be modeled instead of particles. As used herein, a voxel (e.g., a volume pel) is a volume pel that characterizes a value on a regular grid in three-dimensional space. Alternatively, rather than modeling a weld metagraph, only particles that are sampled and never disappear may be modeled. However, such alternative embodiments may not provide a relatively constant processing load for the system.

Furthermore, according to an embodiment of the present invention, through penetration (blowthrough) or through hole (keyhole) is simulated by removing material. For example, if the user keeps the arc in the same location in the real world for too long, the material will burn out creating a hole. Such real-world penetrations are simulated in thevirtual welding system 100 by decimation techniques (differentiation techniques). If the heat absorbed by a solder cell is determined by thevirtual welding system 100 to be too high, the solder cell may be marked or designated as burned and presented with it (e.g., presented as a hole). However, next, weld cell reconstruction may occur for a particular welding process (e.g., pipe welding), where material is added back after initially being burned off. In summary, thevirtual welding system 100 simulates primitive decimation (removing material) and primitive reconstruction (i.e., adding material back). In addition, the operation of removing material in root pass welding is suitably simulated in thevirtual welding system 100.

In addition, the operation of removing material in root pass welding is suitably simulated in thevirtual welding system 100. For example, in the real world, grinding of the root bead may be performed before a subsequent welding pass is made. Similarly, thevirtual welding system 100 may simulate a grinding stroke operation that removes material from the virtual weld joint. It is to be understood that the material removed can be modeled as a negative displacement on the primitive map. That is, the grinding pass operation that removes material is modeled by thevirtual welding system 100, resulting in a changed pass profile. The simulation of the grinding stroke operation may be automated, that is, thevirtual welding system 100 removes a predetermined thickness of material, which may be the bead surface of the corresponding root bead.

In an alternative embodiment, the actual grinding tool or grinder (grinder) may be emulated to be enabled or disabled by simulating the activation of thewelding tool 160 or another input device. Note that the abrading tool may be simulated to emulate (resettable) a real-world mill. In this embodiment, the user manipulates (maneuver) the grinding tool along the root pass to remove material in response to movement of the grinding tool. It is to be understood that the user may be allowed to remove excess material. In a similar manner to that described above, if the user grinds away too much material, holes or other (as described above) defects may result. Also, a positive stop or stop may be implemented (i.e., programmed) to prevent the user from removing excess material or to indicate when excess material is being removed.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, thevirtual welding system 100 uses three other types of visible particles in addition to the invisible "puddle" particles described herein to characterize the arc effect, flame effect, and spark effect. These types of particles will not interact with any type of other particles but only with the displacement map. Although these particles do collide with the simulated welding surface, they do not interact with each other. According to an embodiment of the invention, only the bath particles will interact with each other. The physical characteristics of the spark particles are set so that the spark particles jump around in the virtual reality space and are presented as glowing dots.

The physical characteristics of the arc particles are set such that the arc particles strike (hit) the simulated specimen surface or weld bead and remain there for a period of time. Arc particles are presented as a large dark cyan-white point in virtual reality space. Many such points superimposed are used to form any kind of visual image. The end result is a white luminous halo (nimbus) with blue edges.

The physical characteristics of the flame particles are modeled to slowly rise upward. Flame particles are presented as medium-sized dark red-yellow dots. Many such points superimposed are used to form any kind of visual image. The end result is an orange-red flame mass with red edges that rises and fades upward (fading out). According to other embodiments of the invention, other types of non-puddle particles may be implemented in thevirtual welding system 100. For example, soot particles may be modeled and simulated in a similar manner as flame particles.

The final step in the simulated visualization process is handled by the vertex shader and the primitive shader provided byshader 117 ofGPU 115. Vertex shaders and pel shaders provide puddle and displacement and surface color and emissivity changes due to heat, among other things. The extra (E) channel in the phased solder cell format as previously described herein contains all the extra information used at each solder cell. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the additional information comprises non-initial bits (true bead, false initial steel), slag bits, bite values (amount of undercut at the cell, where zero equals no undercut), porosity values (amount of porosity at the cell, where zero equals no porosity), and said bead trace (wake) values encoding the bead solidification time. There is a set of image maps associated with different weld coupon panels, including initial steel, slag, weld bead, and porosity. These image maps are used in both bump mapping and texture mapping. The amount of these image map blends (blending) is controlled by the various flags and values described herein.

The weld bead trace effect is achieved using the 1D image map and each cell weld bead trace value that encodes the time at which a given portion of the weld bead (a given bit) is cured. Once the high temperature puddle element location is no longer sufficiently high temperature, referred to as the "puddle", time is saved at that location and is referred to as "weld bead trace". The end result is that the shader code can use 1D texture mapping to draw "ripple marks" (which give a unique appearance of depicting (port) the direction in which the weld bead is laid. In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention, thevirtual welding system 100 is capable of simulating and displaying a weld bead in virtual reality space having real-time weld bead trace characteristics resulting from a real-time fluidity-to-solidification transition of the simulated weld puddle as the simulated weld puddle moves along a weld trajectory.

According to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, thevirtual welding system 100 can teach a user how to troubleshoot (troubleshoot) the welding machine. For example, the troubleshooting mode of the system may train the user to ensure that he sets the system correctly (e.g., correct gas flow rate, connect correct power cord, etc.). In accordance with another alternative embodiment of the present invention, thevirtual welding system 100 is capable of recording and replaying a welding process (or at least a portion of a welding process, such as N frames). A track ball may be provided to scroll through the frames of the video, allowing the user or instructor to review the welding process. Playback may also be provided at selectable speeds (e.g., full speed, half speed, quarter speed). According to embodiments of the present invention, split-screen playback may be provided, for example, to allow two welding processes to be viewed side-by-side on theODD 150. For example, for comparison purposes, a "good" welding process may be viewed close to a "bad" welding process.

In summary, a real-time virtual reality welding system is disclosed, the system including a programmable controller-based subsystem, a spatial tracker operably connected to the programmable controller-based subsystem, at least one mock welding tool capable of being spatially tracked by the spatial tracker, and at least one display device operably connected to the programmable controller-based subsystem. Virtual reality welding systems are designed to provide portable use in which a compact cradle is used to hold a welding coupon in space for use with a simulated welding tool. The mock welding tool includes a common base that can be coupled to a plurality of adapters, where each adapter simulates a particular weld type. In this way, the system is able to simulate a molten pool in a virtual reality space with real-time molten metal fluidity and heat dissipation characteristics. The system is also capable of displaying the simulated weld puddle on the display device in real-time.

The above examples are merely illustrative of several possible embodiments of various aspects of the present invention, wherein equivalent alterations and/or modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (assemblies, devices/apparatus, systems and circuits, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a "means") used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component (e.g., hardware, software, or combination thereof) which performs the specified function of the described component (e.g., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the illustrated implementations of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application. Also, to the extent that the terms "including", "includes", "having", "has", "with", or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and/or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising". As used herein, the terms "baseline" and "fiducial" refer to a reference from which measurements are made.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, including making and using any devices or systems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope of the invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

Reference numbers:

100virtual welding system 318 interface

110 programmable processor basedsubsystem 400 manual welding tool

111central processing unit 410 simulated stick electrode

112memory 422 holder

114processor 500 gas torch

115graphics processing unit 510 nozzle

116 unifiedcomputing device architecture 518 interface

117shader 520 button

118video output 522 collar

119video output 600 base

120space tracker 610 interface

130welding user interface 614 abutment

132lever 616 recess

140 mounted on theface display device 618 buttons

142sensor 620 body

146helmet 630 hard-wired cable

150display device 640 fastener

160mock welding tool 652 sensor

162adapter 654 cable

166base 658 fastener

168sensor 672 blade

170rack 700 rack

172magnet 710 magnet

178predetermined distance 714 arm

180welding sample 722 stand

724 base of 200 system

300welding gun 732 plunger

310mouth 738 abutting portion

312tube 758 welding sample

762pin 1217 weld bead presentation

764 pin 12183D texture

766hole 1219 visual cue function

768-hole 1220 scoring/tolerance function

Tolerance editor for 800simulation welding tool 1221

810container 1222 special effect

830user interface 1300 method

832selector 1310 step

836temperature measuring device 1320 step

838 step ofcurrent measuring device 1330

842voltage measuring device 1340

854step 1350 step

856step 1400 Flat weld sample

860replaceable user interface 1410 flat top surface

900helmet 1420 displacement diagram

1201physical interface 1421 solder cell

1202 torch/clamp model 1600 weld specimens

1203environmental model 1610 surface

1204Sound content function 1620 surface

1205welding sound 1700 tube welding specimen

1206 stand/table model 1710 curved surfaces

1207internal architecture function 1910 rectangular bar

1208 calibrate functional 1920 particles

1210weld specimen model 1930 particle height

1211weld physics 1940 shaded rectangle

1212 internal physical adjustment tool 6010 stick electrode

1213 user interface function 7018 stick electrode

1214 drawing function

1215 student reports function B points

1216 presence device D information channel

E-point/information channel

H information channel

Point O

O' line

P information channel

S texture coordinate

T texture coordinate

U texture coordinates

V texture coordinates

Point X

X' ray

Point Y

Point Z

Claims (34)

1. A system for simulating a welding activity, the system comprising:

a welding tool adapted for manipulation by a user to perform a simulated welding operation, the welding tool comprising two or more adapters and a base, wherein the base is removably coupled to each of the two or more adapters, and wherein a type of the adapter utilized with the system is identified on a user interface;

a spatial tracker configured to track movement and orientation of the welding tool as the welding tool is manipulated by the user relative to a welding coupon during the simulated welding operation;

a helmet having a first display device to display a simulated welding environment to the user; and

a processor-based subsystem operatively coupled to the spatial tracker to receive information related to the motion and orientation of the welding tool and related to the helmet to transmit information related to displaying the simulated welding environment, the processor-based subsystem operable to execute code instructions to:

creating a simulated welding surface for the welding coupon,

displaying the simulated welding surface on the first display device,

generating a simulated weld puddle on the simulated welding surface during the simulated welding operation, the simulated weld puddle having real-time molten metal fluidity and real-time heat dissipation characteristics,

displaying the simulated weld puddle on the first display device,

generating a simulated weld bead based on the simulated weld puddle, an

Displaying the simulated weld bead on the first display device,

the processor-based subsystem executes the appropriate set of instructions associated with each adapter to present a display on the first display device corresponding to each of the two or more adapters.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a simulated welding console housing the processor-based subsystem.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the simulated welding console comprises a second display device.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to display at least one of the simulated welding environment, the simulated weld puddle, the simulated weld bead, or the simulated welding surface on the second display device.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to generate the simulated weld puddle by generating a simulated welding arc between the welding tool and the simulated welding surface and simulating creation of the simulated weld puddle based on the simulated welding arc.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to generate the simulated weld bead by simulating cooling of the simulated weld puddle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the welding tool is a mock welding tool.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the bonding tool is one of a plurality of bonding tools interchangeably associated with the processor-based subsystem.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of bonding tools includes corresponding bonding tools that are employable for different bonding processes.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the weld coupon is one of a plurality of coupons that are interchangeably utilized and adapted to simulate different types of weld seams.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to generate the simulated weld surface according to a type of weld joint simulated by the weld coupon.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the welding coupon is at least one of a pipe welding coupon, a flat plate coupon, a T-joint coupon, a butt-joint coupon, or a groove weld coupon.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the helmet comprises an audio speaker to output simulated welding sounds during the simulated welding operation.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a cradle for the welding coupon, wherein the cradle is configurable to position the welding coupon in a plurality of orientations.

15. A system for simulating a welding activity, the system comprising:

a welding tool adapted for manipulation by a user to perform a simulated welding operation, the welding tool comprising two or more adapters and a base, wherein the base is removably coupled to each of the two or more adapters, and wherein a type of the adapter utilized with the system is identified on a user interface;

welding a sample;

a spatial tracker configured to track movement and orientation of the welding tool as the welding tool is manipulated by the user relative to the welding coupon during the simulated welding operation;

a helmet having a first display device to display a simulated welding environment to the user;

a welding console having a second display device to display the simulated welding environment and a plurality of welding parameters during the simulated welding operation; and

a processor-based subsystem housed within the welding console and operatively coupled to the spatial tracker to receive information related to the motion and orientation of the welding tool and related to the helmet to transmit information related to displaying the simulated welding environment, the processor-based subsystem operable to execute code instructions to:

generating and displaying a simulated weld surface for the weld coupon, the weld coupon having a weld seam,

generating and displaying a simulated weld puddle on said simulated welding surface during said simulated welding operation, said simulated weld puddle having real-time molten metal fluidity and real-time heat dissipation characteristics,

generating and displaying a simulated weld bead based on the simulated weld puddle, an

Generating and displaying the plurality of welding parameters based at least in part on the information received from the spatial tracker,

the processor-based subsystem executes the appropriate set of instructions associated with each adapter to present a display on the first display device corresponding to each of the two or more adapters.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to track the plurality of welding parameters over time during the simulated welding operation.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to track the plurality of welding parameters relative to a location along the weld joint during the simulated welding operation.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to display the plurality of welding parameters in graphical form during the simulated welding operation.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the plurality of welding parameters comprises at least one of a welding angle, a travel angle, or a travel speed.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to compare a parameter of the plurality of welding parameters to a tolerance and display the comparison on the second display device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the comparison is graphically displayed relative to a graphical display of a tolerance window surrounding a set point for the parameter.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor-based subsystem further executes instructions to display a visual cue on the first display device for a welding parameter of the plurality of welding parameters, the visual cue indicating a deviation between the welding parameter and a predefined tolerance.

23. A method of simulating a welding activity, the method comprising:

tracking a welding tool manipulated by a user to determine movement and orientation of the welding tool relative to a welding coupon during a simulated welding operation, the welding tool comprising two or more adapters and a base, wherein the base is removably coupled to each of the two or more adapters, and wherein a type of the adapter being utilized is identified on a user interface;

generating a simulated welding surface for the welding coupon;

displaying the simulated welding surface on a display device, the display device being disposed in a helmet;

generating a simulated weld puddle on the simulated welding surface during the simulated welding operation, the simulated weld puddle having real-time molten metal fluidity and real-time heat dissipation characteristics;

displaying the simulated weld puddle on the display device;

generating a simulated weld bead based on the simulated weld puddle; and

displaying the simulated weld bead on the display device,

wherein the appropriate set of instructions associated with each adapter is executed to present a display on the display device corresponding to each of the two or more adapters.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

displaying at least one of the simulated welding environment, the simulated weld puddle, the simulated weld bead, or the simulated welding surface on a second display.

25. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating the simulated weld puddle by generating a simulated welding arc between the welding tool and the simulated welding surface and simulating creation of the simulated weld puddle based on the simulated welding arc.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating the simulated weld bead by simulating cooling of the simulated weld puddle.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein the bonding tool is a mock bonding tool.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the bonding tool is one of a plurality of bonding tools interchangeably associated with a processor-based subsystem.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the plurality of bonding tools includes corresponding bonding tools that are employable for different bonding processes.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein the weld coupon is one of a plurality of coupons that are interchangeably utilized and adapted to simulate different types of weld seams.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

generating the simulated weld surface according to the type of weld joint simulated by the weld coupon.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the weld coupon is at least one of a pipe weld coupon, a flat plate coupon, a T-joint coupon, a butt-joint coupon, or a groove weld coupon.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the helmet comprises an audio speaker to output simulated welding sounds during the simulated welding operation.

34. A method of simulating a welding activity performed by a processor-based device, the method comprising:

tracking a welding tool manipulated by a user to determine movement and orientation of the welding tool relative to a welding coupon during a simulated welding operation using helmet mounted sensors, the welding tool comprising two or more adapters and a base, wherein the base is removably coupled to each of the two or more adapters, and wherein a type of the adapter being utilized is identified on a user interface;

creating a simulated welding surface for the welding coupon to define a weldable surface;

generating a simulated weld puddle on the simulated welding surface during the simulated welding operation, the simulated weld puddle having real-time molten metal fluidity and real-time heat dissipation characteristics to characterize a weld puddle to be formed in the real world;

creating a simulated weld bead on the simulated weld puddle from a heated molten state to a cooled solidified state to define a weld bead on the weldable surface; and

displaying the simulated weld puddle with real-time molten metal fluidity and real-time heat dissipation characteristics on a display connected to the processor-based device,

wherein the appropriate set of instructions associated with each adapter is executed to present a display corresponding to each of the two or more adapters.

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