Electric heating – Metal heating – By arc
Patent
1991-01-02
1992-03-03
Albritton, C. L.
Electric heating
Metal heating
By arc
21912162, 21912179, B23K 2602
Patent
active
050935526
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a robot for performing laser machining such as cutting and welding of a workpiece by emitting a laser beam thereon, and more particularly, to a method of preventing mis-emission of a laser beam, thereby improving safety of a laser robot of this kind.
BACKGROUND ART
An apparatus arranged to emit a laser beam onto a workpiece to practice various laser machining, e.g., cutting and welding of the workpiece, is conventionally known. If the laser beam to be emitted onto the workpiece is erroneously emitted from the laser machining apparatus to the human body or peripheral devices, there is a possibility of the human body, etc. being damaged. In a portal laser machining apparatus having a laser nozzle attached vertically downward and movable in the horizontal and vertical directions, a laser beam is emitted downward in the vertical direction from the laser nozzle, and hence, the laser beam is normally prevented from being erroneously emitted to the distance. Thus, according to the portal laser machining apparatus, normally, the danger due to the mis-emission of the laser beam does not occur. On the other hand, in the laser robot where a laser nozzle mounted to a distal end of a robot arm is permitted to assume various positions and orientations, the laser beam can be erroneously emitted to the distance. This is dangerous.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of preventing mis-emission of a laser beam, thereby improving safety of a laser robot.
In order to achieve the aforementioned object, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of preventing mis-emission of a laser beam, which method is applied to a laser robot having an arm provided at a distal end with a laser-beam emitting section. The method comprises the steps of (a) detecting an angle between a horizontal plane and an axis of the laser-beam emitting section on the basis of joint angles of respective joints of the laser robot, (b) comparing the detected angle with a predetermined angle, and (c) inhibiting emission of the laser beam from the laser-beam emitting section when the detected angle is less than the predetermined angle.
As described above, according to the present invention, since emission of the laser beam is inhibited when the angle between the horizontal plane and the axis of the laser-beam emitting section mounted to the arm of the laser robot is less than the predetermined angle, the laser beam never be erroneously inadvertently emitted to the distance, so that the human body and peripheral devices never be damaged, whereby the safety of the laser robot can be improved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a five-axis laser robot to which a method according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, with the five-axis laser robot partly shown in block diagram;
FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing a principal part of a robot control apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a laser-beam mis-emission preventing process executed by a processor of the robot control apparatus.
BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a fifth-axis laser robot, to which a laser-beam mis-emission preventing method of an embodiment of the present invention is applied, is provided with a robot body 1 which comprises a base 2 fixed to a floor, a body section 3 disposed on the base 2 for swiveling motion, and an arm 4 consisting of a first and second links 5 and 6. The second link 6 is mounted at its distal end with a laser-beam emitting section (a laser nozzle in the present embodiment) 8 through a support section 7. Further, the laser robot is provided with a robot control unit 10, and a laser oscillator 30 connected to the laser nozzle 8 for generating a laser beam, so as to drive the robot body 1 under the control of the control unit 10 to thereby control the position and orientation of the laser nozzle 8 in a robot installation spac
REFERENCES:
patent: 4028524 (1977-06-01), Moll et al.
patent: 4575610 (1986-03-01), Gavin
Ito Susumu
Terada Akihiro
Torii Nobutoshi
Albritton C. L.
Fanuc Ltd.
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