Electric heating – Metal heating – By arc
Patent
1990-04-18
1992-01-07
Albritton, C. L.
Electric heating
Metal heating
By arc
359796, 359872, B23K 2606
Patent
active
050794027
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a laser beam bender used in a laser beam machine composed of a combination of an articulated robot and a laser oscillator, and now particularly, to a laser beam bender capable of adjusting a reflection angle while the center of a reflection mirror is fixed.
2. Description of the Art
A laser beam machine composed of a combination of an articulated robot and a laser oscillator is widely used for metal welding or to effect a heat treatment process. With such a combination the positioning precision by the robot is thereby enhanced and the laser beam machine can be constructed by coupling a laser oscillator to a commercially available robot.
With this type of laser beam machine, it is necessary to guide a laser beam along the arm of the robot from the laser oscillator to the wrist of the robot, and accordingly, a laser beam bender for changing the direction of the laser beam must be provided midway of the path thereof.
In such a laser beam bender, a mirror holder or the like on which a reflection mirror is fixed is adjusted by using a micrometer or screw. In the laser beam benders now used, however, when the reflection angle of the mirror holder is adjusted by the micrometer, not only the reflection angle but also the mirror holder is moved linearly, and thus the center of the reflection mirror is also moved. As a result, the center of the reflection mirror must be returned to the original position thereof after the reflection angle is adjusted, but the reflection angle is changed when the center of the reflection mirror is returned to its original position, and therefore, the reflection angle must be again adjusted, and this adjustment must be repeatedly effected to finally obtain an accurate reflection angle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser beam bender capable of adjusting the reflection angle while the center of the reflection mirror is fixed.
The present invention achieves the above object by providing a laser beam bender for changing the direction of a laser beam, the bender including "L-shaped" light guide member for guiding the laser beam; a mirror holder fixed to the light guide member and having as an internal surface a spherical sliding surface having the reflection center of a reflection mirror as the center thereof; a mirror holding member for holding the reflection mirror and having a sliding surface able to slide on the sliding surface of the mirror holder; a micrometer or screw for moving the mirror holder member in a lateral direction; a first spring for applying a drag to the micrometer in the lateral direction; and a second spring for applying a drag to the micrometer in a vertical direction.
Since the mirror holding member holding the reflection mirror and the mirror holder fixed on the light guide member are able to slide on spherical surfaces thereof having the reflection center of the reflection mirror as the centers thereof, the center of the reflection mirror is not changed even if the mirror holding member is slidably moved by the micrometer, thus making it possible to easily adjust only the reflection angle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view showing one embodiment of a laser beam bender according to this invention; and
FIG. 2 is a view of the laser beam bender along an arrow A in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings, shown in FIG. 1 is one embodiment of a laser beam bender according to this invention. In FIG. 1, 1 denotes a mirror holding member formed of, for example, brass. The mirror holding member 1 holds a reflection mirror 3. Further, 3a denotes the reflection center of the reflection mirror to which the center of the optical axis of a laser beam 13a is applied, and 2 denotes a mirror holder fixed on a light guide member 4. The light guide member 4 has an "L-shaped" configuration, and the laser beam 13a passes through one side of the light guide member 4, is reflected at the reflection
REFERENCES:
patent: 3334959 (1967-08-01), Walsh
patent: 3601476 (1971-08-01), Mackenzie
patent: 4626649 (1986-12-01), Dupeyrat et al.
patent: 4910378 (1990-03-01), Arai
Albritton C. L.
Fanuc Ltd.
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