JPH0712533A - Detection method of welding gap - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To precisely computes a gap by a method wherein the intersection line of a welding line with a plane used as a normal line and a beam-of-light track plane is made to nearly coincide with a perpendicular line to the welding line from a sensor light-sensing part. CONSTITUTION:While light from an optical sensor 1 is being scanned along a detection line 10 formed by crossing a beam-of-light track plane SA with surfaces 2A, 3A on objects 2, 3 to be welded, it is shone at the surfaces 2A, 3A on the objects 2, 3, a light-receiving image which is drawn on the surfaces is detected by a light-sensing part 1A on the sensor 1, end positions P3, P4 on the objects 2, 3 are computed by triginometry by means of a sensor box 6, and sensor data are obtained. The data are used as image data, it is displayed on a monitor 7, and a gap length A between the objects 2, 3 is detected on the basis of the sensor data. Thereby, the scanning distance of the sensor 1 can be set to be large, and the surface shape of the objects 2, 3 can be detected precisely while scattered and reflected light received by the sensor 1 is being suppressed even when a gap is small.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

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

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When performing welding by a conventional automatic welding machine or welding robot, a gap (welding condition data) between the objects to be welded is required in order to perform a precise welding operation. Must be detected accurately.

Therefore, conventionally, JP-A-3-32469, JP-A-3-32470, and JP-A-3-5277 have been used.
Techniques disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-207577 are proposed.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b),
1 is an optical sensor connected to the sensor box 6, 2
Reference numeral 3 is a pair of plate-shaped objects to be welded arranged with a gap A forming a welding line 4 therebetween, and 7 is a monitor connected to the sensor box 6. Then, the optical sensor 1, as shown in FIG. 2B, has a surface 2A of the objects 2, 3 to be welded so that the ray trajectory of the irradiation light forms a ray trajectory plane SA that is substantially orthogonal to the welding line 4. It irradiates 3A while inspecting the light, and the light is applied to the surfaces 2A, 3A of the objects 2, 3 to be welded.
A light-receiving image drawn on the sensor box 6 is detected by the photosensitive section 1A of the optical sensor 1, and based on the detection result.
At the end position P of the welding objects 2 and 3 by trigonometry
1, P2 is calculated and obtained as sensor data, and then the gap length A between the welding objects 2 and 3 is detected based on the sensor data. The monitor 7 also displays the sensor data from the sensor box 6 as image data.

[0005]

However, in the conventional welding gap detecting method, since the optical sensor 1 using laser light or the like is used, the gap between the objects to be welded 2 and 3 is small (1.0 mm or less), a large amount of irregularly reflected light is generated by the light from the optical sensor 1 irradiated on the surfaces 2A and 3A of the welding objects 2 and 3, and the optical sensor 1 receives this light. In the gap portion between the two and the three, it becomes impossible to accurately obtain the light reception image drawn by the light from the optical sensor 1 on the surface of the welding target object, and the accurate surface shape of the welding target objects 2 and 3 can be obtained. There is a problem that it is difficult to obtain the sensor data and the image data, and the gap length in the gap portion between the welding objects 2 and 3 cannot be accurately detected.

The present invention has been made in order to solve such a problem, and enables the surface shape of a welding object to be detected even when the gap between the welding objects becomes small, and the gap is accurately calculated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a welding gap detection method adapted to do so.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above object, the welding gap detecting method of the present invention is applied to a pair of objects to be welded arranged with a gap forming a welding line therebetween. A light receiving image drawn by the light from the light source of the optical sensor while scanning the light from the light source of the optical sensor so that the light ray trajectory of the irradiation light intersects the welding line. In the welding gap detecting method for detecting the gap of the pair of objects to be welded by detecting the photosensitive portion of the optical sensor, a plane having the welding line as a normal line and a ray trajectory plane intersect, and It is characterized in that the line substantially coincides with the perpendicular line drawn from the photosensitive portion of the optical sensor to the welding line.

[0008]

In the welding gap detecting method of the present invention described above,
The scanning distance of the light of the optical sensor between the pair of objects to be welded can be increased, and the diffuse reflection received by the optical sensor can be suppressed.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

An optical gap detection method as one embodiment of the present invention is shown, (a) is a diagram schematically showing an external configuration of an apparatus to which the method of this embodiment is applied, and (b) is It is the figure which showed the procedure which calculates | requires the gap length between work target work based on the sensor data detected and calculated by the method.

In FIG. 1, the optical sensor 1 has a ray locus plane in which a ray locus of the irradiation light intersects a plane SB whose normal line is the welding line 4 (intersection angle θ = 45 ° in this embodiment). The surface 2A of the welding objects 2 and 3 so as to form SA
It is arranged so as to be adjacent to and adjacent to 3A, and the perpendicular line 8 drawn from the photosensitive portion 1A to the welding line 4 coincides with the intersection line 9 between the ray locus plane SA and the plane SB.

Then, the light from the optical sensor 1 is converted into the light shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the ray locus plane SA and the surfaces 2A and 3A of the welding objects 2 and 3 intersect each other along the detection line 10 formed so as to cross the welding objects 2 and 3 while Surface 2A,
3A is irradiated, and the light is applied to the surface 2A
The light-receiving image drawn on 3A is the photosensitive portion 1A of the optical sensor 1.
And the end positions P3 and P4 of the objects to be welded 2 and 3 are calculated by triangulation in the sensor box 6 based on the detection result to obtain the sensor data.

Next, the sensor data is displayed on the monitor 7 as image data, and the gap length A between the objects 2, 3 to be welded, that is, A = | P3-, is displayed based on the sensor data. P4 | × cos 45 ° is detected.

As described above, according to the welding gap detecting method of this embodiment, the optical sensor 1 has the ray trace plane SA in which the ray trace of the irradiation light intersects the plane SB whose normal line is the welding line 4. Surface 2 of objects 2 and 3 to be welded
Since it is possible to irradiate light on A and 3A,
The scanning distance of the optical sensor 1 between the objects to be welded 2 and 3 can be made larger than in the past, and even if the gap between the objects to be welded 2 and 3 is small, the optical sensor 1 can be used. It is possible to accurately detect the surface shape of the welding objects 2 and 3 while suppressing the irregular reflection light received by the welding object 1. Therefore, the gap between the welding objects 2 and 3 can be detected more accurately than in the conventional case.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific structure is not limited to this embodiment, and there are changes in design within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. However, it is included in this invention. For example, the angle θ of the optical sensor 1 with which the pair of welding objects 2 and 3 is irradiated is 45 °, but the invention is not limited to this, and other irradiation angles are the same as in the present embodiment. It is possible to obtain various effects.

In the above embodiment, the case where the gap A between the plate-shaped welding objects 2 and 3 is detected has been described, but the method of the present invention is the gap between welding objects having other shapes. The same applies to the above embodiment when detecting

[0017]

As described above in detail, according to the welding gap detecting method of the present invention, in the optical sensor, the ray locus of this irradiation light intersects with the plane having the welding line as the normal line. Since it irradiates the surface of the object to be welded while inspecting it, the scanning distance of the optical sensor in the gap between the pair of objects to be welded can be made large, and a pair of objects to be welded can be obtained. Even when the gap between them is small, it is possible to accurately detect the surface shape of the pair of welding objects while suppressing the diffused reflection light received by the optical sensor, and therefore, compared to the conventional case, The gap between the pair of welding objects can be accurately detected.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an optical gap detection method as one embodiment of the present invention, (a) is a diagram schematically showing an external configuration of an apparatus to which the method of this embodiment is applied, (b) FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a procedure for obtaining a gap length between work-target works based on sensor data detected and calculated by the method.

2A and 2B show a conventional optical gap detection method, in which FIG. 2A is a diagram schematically showing an external configuration of an apparatus to which the method of the related art is applied, and FIG. It is the figure which showed the procedure which calculates | requires the gap length between work target works based on the calculated sensor data.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Optical Sensor 1A Photosensitive Part 2 and 3 Work Target Work (Measurement Target) 4 Welding Line 6 Sensor Box 7 Monitor 8 Vertical Line 9 Intersection Line A Gap

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A pair of objects to be welded arranged with a gap forming a welding line between them forms a plane of a ray trajectory of irradiation light that intersects with the welding line. Irradiate while scanning light from the light source of the optical sensor,
In the welding gap detection method, in which a light-receiving image drawn by the light on the surface of the welding object is detected by the photosensitive portion of the optical sensor, and the gap of the pair of welding objects is detected, the welding line is determined. A welding gap detecting method characterized in that a plane as a line and a ray locus plane intersect each other, and the intersecting line substantially coincides with a perpendicular line drawn from the photosensitive portion of the optical sensor to the welding line.