US 11,235,412 B2Granted

Welding tool

AssigneeTrinity Central Maintenance, LLC

InventorGreg Alan Radighieri

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An apparatus includes a welding torch, a laser capable of projecting a beam towards a seam on a surface, a camera directed towards the surface, a memory, and a processor. The processor receives an image of the surface from the camera. Next, the processor determines, based on the reflection of the laser beam from the surface, a vertical distance from the torch to the seam. The processor adjusts the brightness and contrast of the image, applies a gamma correction, and applies at least one gradient filter to the image to produce a new image. Next, the processor determines a horizontal location of the seam in the new image, which it uses to determine a horizontal distance from the torch to the seam. Based on the vertical and horizontal distances from the torch to the seam, the processor adjusts a vertical and a horizontal position of the torch.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An apparatus comprising:

a welding torch comprising a torch head;
a laser beam source configured to project a laser beam generally towards a seam on a surface;
a camera directed towards the surface and configured to capture an image comprising the surface and a reflection of the laser beam from the surface;
a memory configured to store:
a gamma correction;
a brightness value;
a contrast value;
and
at least one gradient filter;
and
a hardware processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the camera, the hardware processor configured to:
receive the image from the camera;
determine, based on the reflection of the laser beam from the surface, a vertical distance from the torch head to the seam;
adjust a brightness of the image, based on the brightness value;
adjust a contrast of the image, based on the contrast value;
apply the gamma correction to the image;
apply the at least one gradient filter to the image to produce a new image;
determine a horizontal location of a line in the new image, the line in the new image corresponding to the seam;
determine, based on the horizontal location of the line in the new image, a horizontal distance from the torch head to the seam;
adjust a vertical position of the torch head, based on the vertical distance from the torch head to the seam;
and
adjust a horizontal position of the torch head, based on the horizontal distance from the torch head to the seam.

19 more elements

A system comprising:

a welding torch comprising a torch head;
a laser beam source configured to project a laser beam generally towards a seam on a surface;
a camera directed towards the surface and configured to capture an image comprising the surface and a reflection of the laser beam from the surface;
a storage element operable to store:
a gamma correction;
a brightness value;
a contrast value;
and
at least one gradient filter, comprising a first filter used to extract a west edge in the image;
and
a processing element communicatively coupled to the storage element and the camera and operable to:
receive the image from the camera;
determine, based on the reflection of the laser beam from the surface, a vertical distance from the torch head to the seam;
adjust a brightness of the image, based on the brightness value;
adjust a contrast of the image, based on the contrast value;
apply the gamma correction to the image;
apply the at least one gradient filter to the image to produce a new image;
determine a horizontal location of a line in the new image, the line in the new image corresponding to the seam;
determine, based on the horizontal location of the line in the new image, a horizontal distance from the torch head to the seam;
adjust a vertical position of the torch head, based on the vertical distance from the torch head to the seam;
and
adjust a horizontal position of the torch head, based on the horizontal distance from the torch head to the seam.

19 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/263,556Filed 31 Jan 2019
Published: US 2020/0246903 A16 Aug 2020
Granted: 1 Feb 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification6 codes

B23K 9/0956
Monitoring or automatic control of welding parameters: using sensing means, e.g. optical
B23K 9/127
Automatic feeding or moving of electrodes or work for spot or seam welding or cutting: means for tracking lines during arc welding or cutting
B23K 9/1274
Geometry oriented, e.g. beam optical trading: using non-contact, optical means, e.g. laser means
B23K 26/042
Automatically aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam, e.g. using the back-scattered light: automatically aligning the laser beam