Title: Profile measurement sensor for robotic laser welding

Authors: Chang-Hyun Kim, Tae-Yong Choi, Ju-Jang Lee, Jeong Suh, Kyoung-Taik Park, Hee-Shin Kang

Addresses: Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 373-1, Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea. ' Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 373-1, Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea. ' Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), 373-1, Guseong-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-701, Korea. ' Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Research Division, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), 171, Jang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-343, Korea. ' Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Research Division, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), 171, Jang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-343, Korea. ' Intelligent Manufacturing Systems Research Division, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), 171, Jang-dong, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 305-343, Korea

Abstract: A profile measurement sensor is developed and applied to robotic laser welding. The sensor consists of a PC based camera and a stripe-type laser diode. The surface profile of welding objects and other useful features are available with the sensor. Especially, the working distance of the sensor can be changed according to the application. Design of the sensor and implementation of necessary image processing are highlighted in this paper. A simple and efficient control scheme of the whole system is also presented. The profile measurement and seam tracking experiments were performed to evaluate operations of the system.

Keywords: autonomous robotic systems; robot control; automobile industry; robotics technology; intelligent manufacturing; sensor fusion; profile measurement sensors; robot welding; laser welding; seam tracking; automotive welding.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMS.2010.033184

International Journal of Mechatronics and Manufacturing Systems, 2010 Vol.3 No.3/4, pp.210 - 226

Published online: 10 May 2010 *

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