Method and apparatus for removing material from a surface
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsJohn E. Daunt, John P. Tipton, John E. Adair
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The relative position of a plurality of holes through a surface of a member, the holes having been generated by high energy means, such as a laser, which vaporizes material of the member to produce a light flash, is inspected and controlled as the holes are being generated using a light sensing means which is responsive to the light flash and which observes the relative positions of the holes being produced. The light sensing means signals a hole pattern comparison means which compares the actual hole pattern with a preselected hole pattern. Adjustment can then be made to reposition the high energy beam if required to correct undesirable error in the actual hole pattern during generation of the holes.
Claims8
In a method for making a plurality of holes through a surface of a member in which the holes are generated by an energy beam sufficient to vaporize material of the workpiece and create a light flash, the method of inspecting and controlling the position of such plurality of holes comprising:
- determining the relative position of the generated holes by a light sensing means responsive to the light flash resulting from material of the member vaporizing as the energy beam produces each hole, each light flash illuminating an actual hole pattern in the vicinity of the hole from which the flash is generated;
- comparing the actual hole pattern with a preselected hole pattern;
- and then
- adjusting the position of the energy beam if required to correct undesirable error in the actual hole pattern.
In apparatus for making a plurality of holes through a surface of a member, using a high energy beam which vaporizes material of the member to produce a light flash, an apparatus for inspecting and controlling the position of the plurality of holes comprising:
- light sensing means responsive to the light flash produced by the energy beam when vaporizing material of the member in making a hole, to observe the relative position of the hole being produced with respect to adjacent holes and to generate a signal, the light flash illuminating the actual hole pattern in the vicinity of the hole being made;
- a hole pattern comparison means comparing the signal of the actual hole pattern from the light sensing means with a preselected hole pattern;
- means to transmit the signal between the light sensing means and the hole pattern comparison means;
- and
- means to adjust the position of the high energy beam, if required to correct undesirable error in the actual hole pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.