JP2783493B2 - Optical gap detection method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical gap detecting method for determining a surface shape of a measuring object using an optical sensor and detecting a gap formed between the measuring objects.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in an automatic welding machine, a welding robot, or the like, in order to perform a precise welding operation, the shape of a workpiece (work) to be processed is recognized and the objects are welded to each other. It is necessary to accurately detect and determine the gap between a pair of workpieces to be welded.

Therefore, conventionally, JP-A-3-32469, JP-A-3-32470 and JP-A-3-52.
A technology disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent No. 774 is proposed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, light such as laser light is radiated from the optical sensor 1 to the work (workpiece to be measured) 2 or 3, and an optical system of the reflected light is applied. Based on the position of incidence on the sensor 1, the sensor controller 4 calculates the surface positions of the work-pieces 2 and 3 by trigonometry in the sensor controller 4 and obtains them as sensor data.
The data is displayed on the monitor 5 as data, and the gap length A between the work workpieces 2 and 3 is detected based on the sensor data.

[0004]

However, in the conventional gap detecting method, the optical sensor 1 using a laser or the like is used.
Therefore, in FIG. 2, the work
3. The work gap is small, and the work
If there is a curved surface in the gap portion, irregular reflections caused by light from the optical sensor 1 illuminated on the surfaces of the workpieces 2 and 3 are generated, and the optical sensor 1 receives these irregular reflections. The reflected light cannot be accurately obtained in the gap between the work workpieces 2 and 3, and the accurate surface shapes of the work workpieces 2 and 3 can be obtained by sensor data and image data. Therefore, there is a problem that the gap length A in the gap between the work workpieces 2 and 3 cannot be accurately detected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve this problem. Even when the gap between the measurement objects is small and a curved surface exists in the gap portion of the measurement object, the object of the measurement object can be improved. It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical gap detection method capable of detecting a surface shape and accurately detecting a gap.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, an optical gap detection method according to the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, a pair of measurement objects arranged in a state where a gap is formed between the pair of measurement objects is provided. An object is irradiated with light from an optical sensor, the optical sensor detects each surface position of the pair of measurement objects based on the reflected light, and the gap is detected based on the detection result. In the optical gap detection method, when detecting a gap by the optical sensor, one of the pair of measurement objects is disposed at a predetermined position, and the optical measurement is performed on the one measurement object. After irradiating light from the type sensor and detecting the surface position of the one measurement object by the optical sensor based on the reflected light, the other measurement object of the pair of measurement objects is Measurement target Are arranged opposite to each other with a gap formed, irradiating the light of the optical sensor to the other measurement object, and detecting the surface position of the other measurement object based on the reflected light. It is characterized by.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the surface position of the one measurement object is formed in a curved shape, and the surface position of the other measurement object is formed in a corner shape where two planes intersect. .

[0008]

In the above-described optical gap detecting method of the present invention, after the surface position of one of the pair of measuring objects is detected by the optical sensor, the optical sensor is arranged to face the one measuring object. Since the surface position of the other measurement target is set to be detected by the optical sensor, the gap between the pair of measurement targets is small, and even when the measurement target has a curved surface. In addition, each surface position of each measurement object can be accurately detected, and therefore, a gap between a pair of measurement objects can be accurately detected.

[0009]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 (a) and 1 (b), this embodiment has a configuration similar to that of the prior art shown in FIG. 2, that is, an optical sensor 1, a sensor controller 4 and The monitor 5 is the same as that of the prior art, and the work target work 2 has a corner portion (R portions 2a to 2b) curved with a predetermined radius R.
2d) is a prismatic member having four corners,
The hook 3 is a U-shaped member having a U-shaped cross section. In this embodiment, when welding these work workpieces 2 and 3 to each other, a gap between these work workpieces 2 and 3 is to be detected.

When detecting the gap between the workpieces 2 and 3 using the apparatus constructed as described above, first, as shown in FIG. After arranging the target work 2 at a predetermined position, a surface position a where the other outer plane 2B orthogonal to the one outer plane 2A intersects the R portion 2a is detected. That is, the optical sensor 1 is moved to a position facing one outer flat surface 2A of the work object work 2, and the work object work is detected by the optical sensor 1.
By irradiating light to the outer flat surface 2A of the work 2
The sensor controller 4 calculates the surface position a of the work object work 2 by triangulation in the sensor controller 4 based on the incident position of the light reflected on the outer flat surface 2A on the optical sensor 1. Get as. The surface position "a" of the work 2 can be accurately measured even on the R portion 2a, since the reflected light of the optical sensor 1 is clear.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1 (b), the work 3 to be worked, which is a U-shaped member, has a U-shaped cross section 3A at a predetermined distance from the outer flat surface 2B of the work 2 to be worked. (Gaps) are arranged so as to be substantially parallel to each other. In this embodiment, the optical sensor 1 irradiates light to the outer flat surface 3B of the work 3 to be worked, and the optical sensor of the reflected light reflected by the outer flat surface 3B of the work 3 to be worked. 1
Based on the incident position, the sensor controller 4 calculates the surface position b of the work 3 to be opposed to the surface a of the work 2 with a gap therebetween by triangulation, and the sensor data is obtained. Obtained as Db. Since the surface position b of the work 3 does not exist on the curved surface, the surface position a of the work 2 and the work 2 are not located on the curved surface.
Even if the surface position b of the work 3 is combined, the surface position b of the work 3 can be accurately detected.

As described above, when the sensor data Da and Db indicating the surface positions a and b of the work workpieces 2 and 3 are obtained, the work workpiece work is performed based on both the sensor data Da and Db. Calculate and determine the gap length A between the two.

As described above, according to the optical gap detecting method of the present embodiment, the work piece 2 which is a prismatic member is disposed at a predetermined position, and the work piece 2 is disposed on the outer flat surface 2A of the work piece 2. After irradiating the optical sensor 1 with light and detecting the surface position a by the optical sensor 1, the work 3, which is a U-shaped member, is moved to a predetermined position with respect to the outer flat surface 2 B of the work 2. The work 3 is disposed at an interval, and the outer surface 3 of the work 3 is irradiated with light from the optical sensor 1 so that the surface position b of the work 3 facing the surface position a can be detected. Optical sensor 1
Therefore, even when the gap between the work-pieces 2 and 3 is small and the work-piece 2 has a curved R portion 2a,
The surface positions a and b of the work objects 2 and 3 can be accurately detected, and therefore, the gap between the work objects 2 and 3 can be accurately detected.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and there are design changes and the like within the scope of the present invention. Is also included in the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the gap length A between the work 2 to be worked of the prismatic member and the work 3 to be worked of the U-shaped member has been described. The same applies to the case of detecting the gap between the measurement objects having the shapes described above.

[0016]

As described above in detail, according to the optical gap detecting method of the present invention, after detecting the surface position of one of the pair of measurement objects by the optical sensor, Since the surface position of another measurement object disposed opposite to the measurement object is detected by the optical sensor, the gap between the pair of measurement objects is small, and the measurement object Even when the object has a curved surface, the respective surface positions of the pair of measurement objects can be accurately detected, and therefore, the gap between the pair of measurement objects can be accurately detected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an optical gap detection method as an embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) is a perspective view showing a procedure for detecting a surface position of one measurement object, and (b) is another perspective view. It is a perspective view showing the procedure of detecting the surface position of a measuring object.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a conventional optical gap detection method.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Optical sensor 2, 3 Work target work (measurement target)

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Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] An optical sensor irradiates a pair of measurement objects disposed with a gap between them with light from an optical sensor, and based on the reflected light, the pair of measurement objects is irradiated by the optical sensor. In the optical gap detection method of detecting each surface position of the measurement target and detecting the gap based on the detection result, when the gap is detected by the optical sensor, one of the pair of measurement targets is measured. An object is disposed at a predetermined position, the one measurement object is irradiated with light from the optical sensor, and the surface of the one measurement object is irradiated by the optical sensor based on the reflected light. After detecting the position, the other measurement object of the pair of measurement objects is disposed so as to face the one measurement object with a gap formed, and the optical sensor is provided for the other measurement object. Irradiate the light of Optical gap detecting method and detecting the surface position of the other measurement object based on the reflected light. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface position of the one measurement object is formed in a curved shape, and the surface position of the other measurement object is formed in a corner shape where two planes intersect. Optical gap detection method.