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US 12,629,773 B2Granted
Laser module end effector for robotic device
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsMatthew C. Johnson, Lisa Ann Cardon, Matthew W. Smith, Soren Mortvedt
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A laser module includes a laser source and at least one air knife. The laser source is configured to be coupled to a robotic arm of a robotic device, and emit a laser beam for processing a workpiece having a workpiece surface. The air knife is configured to be coupled to the robotic arm, and discharge an airflow sheet in a direction toward a laser spot where the laser beam impinges the workpiece surface, for clearing contaminants generated by impingement of the laser beam.
Claims20
A laser module, comprising:
- a laser source configured to be coupled to a robotic arm of a robotic device, and emit a laser beam for processing a workpiece having a workpiece surface;
- and
- a pair of air knives configured to be coupled to the robotic arm on opposite sides of the laser source, and respectively simultaneously discharge a pair of airflow sheets that are at least non-perpendicular to the laser beam and which entrain surrounding ambient air in a manner respectively forming a pair of expanding air wedges flowing toward the workpiece surface in a direction toward a laser spot where the laser beam impinges the workpiece surface, and the air knives are mounted in a manner such that, when the laser module is viewed along a direction perpendicular to the laser beam and parallel to faces of the airflow sheets as they flow toward the workpiece surface, each of the air wedges at least partially overlaps the laser spot and blows away contaminants generated by impingement of the laser beam.
A laser module, comprising:
- a laser source configured to be coupled to a robotic arm of a robotic device, and emit laser beam pulses;
- and
- a laser scanner configured to receive the laser beam pulses from the laser source, and scan the laser beam pulses over a scan field on a workpiece surface of a workpiece;
- and
- a pair of air knives configured to be coupled to the robotic arm on opposite sides of the laser source, and respectively simultaneously discharge a pair of airflow sheets that are at least non-perpendicular to the laser beam and which entrain surrounding ambient air in a manner respectively forming a pair of expanding air wedges flowing toward the workpiece surface in a direction toward a laser spot where the laser beam pulses impinge the workpiece surface, and the air knives are mounted in a manner such that, when the laser module is viewed along a direction perpendicular to the laser beam and parallel to faces of the airflow sheets as they flow toward the workpiece surface, each of the air wedges at least partially overlaps the laser spot and blows away contaminants generated by impingement of the laser beam.
2 more elements
A method of processing a workpiece, comprising:
- emitting a laser beam from a laser source of a laser module, and the laser source is coupled to a robotic arm of a robotic device, and the laser beam is configured to process a workpiece surface of the workpiece;
- and
- simultaneously discharging, from a pair of air knives coupled to the robotic arm on opposite sides of the laser source of the laser module, a respective pair of airflow sheets that are at least non-perpendicular to the laser beam and which entrain surrounding ambient air in a manner forming a pair of expanding air wedges flowing toward the workpiece surface in a direction toward a laser spot where the laser beam impinges a workpiece surface, and the air knives are mounted in a manner such that, when the laser module is viewed along a direction perpendicular to the laser beam and parallel to faces of the airflow sheets as they flow toward the workpiece surface, each of the air wedges at least partially overlaps the laser spot and blows away contaminants generated by impingement of the laser beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.