Height-sensing device for a laser robot

An industrial laser robot provided with a machining head projecting a laser beam, and a height-sensing means for measuring a vertical distance between a laser beam projecting nozzle of said machining head and a workpiece to be machined, said laser robot comprising:

• a bracket means for mounting said height sensing means at a position closely juxtaposed to said machining head while establishing a parallel relationship between a center axis of said machining head and a center axis of said height sensing means;
• a measuring head means incorporated in said height sensing means for automatically measuring a longitudinal distance between said height sensing means and a surface of said workpiece;
• a means for known data, representing a distance between respective center axes of said measuring head means and said machining head, and a vertical distance between respective tips of said measuring head means and said machining head, in a storage means provided in a robot controller;
• and
• a signal transmitting means for transmitting, via a feedback signal line, data representing said vertical distance measured by said measuring head means of said height sensing means to said robot controller to thereby allow said machining head to move to a position where the laser beam is focussed onto said surface of said workpiece.