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US 5,059,761 AGranted
Inductive depth sensing and controlling method and system for laser drilling
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRudolph A. A. Koegl, Richard A. Hogle, Susan D. Bauer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Laser drilling and real-time sensing and control of hole depth by the provision of magnetic field jack-up coils located around or to the side of a laser beam, in a stream of ionized plasma, and the coils are connected to a depth detector and comparator to halt laser drilling at a desired depth.
Claims20
A method of applying a laser beam to a workpiece comprising the steps of:
- placing at least one magnetic field pick-up coil adjacent to a surface on a front of a workpiece;
- applying a laser beam to an application point on said surface to drill a hole in said surface, said laser beam causing a magnetic field in an ionized plasma of particles escaping from said surface;
- sensing said magnetic field by use of said magnetic field pick-up coil;
- and
- generating a depth signal representative of the depth of the hole as it is being drilled, the depth signal being dependent on the sensing of the magnetic field.
2 more elements
A system for use when applying a laser beam to a workpiece comprising:
- at least one magnetic field pick-up coil for sensing a magnetic field in an ionized plasma of particles and escaping from a workpiece being drilled by a laser beam;
- and
- a depth detector connected to said magnetic field pick-up coil and including means to generate a depth signal representative of the depth of a hole as it is being drilled by a laser, the depth signal being dependent on sensing of magnetic field by the magnetic field pick-up coil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.