APPARATUS FOR DETECTING LASER IRRADIATION POINT AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING SEAM POSITION IN LASER BEAM WELDING MACHINE

摘要

PPROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for accurately detecting a laser irradiation point position (i.e., molten pool position) and a seam position even under actual welding conditions. PSOLUTION: Light from a projector 6 is emitted to a weld zone (near a laser light irradiation part). An imaging apparatus 7 images an image of the irradiation light reflected by a steel plate 1 and light from plasma. A laser irradiation position detecting means 8 detects a laser irradiation position from the plasma light imaged by the imaging apparatus 7. The plasma light is generated from a position where a material irradiated with the laser is fused, and has a higher luminance compared with reflected light from the surrounding steel plate 1. Consequently, when a high threshold value is set so that no reflection light from the surrounding steel plate is extracted, and an image is binarized, only the plasma light is extracted. By obtaining the centroid location of the binary image, the plasma light, namely, the laser irradiation position can be obtained. PCOPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT