Methods for detecting the power of welding lasers and laser welding systems

Abstract

A method for detecting the power of a welding laser includes obtaining at least one power sample, wherein the power sample is obtained by sampling the power of the welding laser emitted by the laser at preset time intervals; acquiring multiple power samples within a preset power range from the at least one power sample; and processing the multiple power samples within the preset power range to obtain a power detection result. This method can improve system processing speed and enhance the reliability and accuracy of the obtained data. It also relates to a laser welding system, a non-transient computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of laser welding, and in particular to a method for detecting the power of welding laser and a laser welding system. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the development of high-power laser and the expansion of the application of laser welding, laser welding is widely used in automobile industry, electronic industry and biomedical industry and many other industries. With the increasingly wide and deep application of laser welding, the requirement for the quality of laser welding is also increasingly high. One of the important parameters that determine the quality of laser welding is the power of laser emitted by the laser during the laser welding process.

[0003] In order to detect the quality of laser welding, the power of welding laser needs to be detected more accurately. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a method for detecting the power of welding laser and a laser welding system, which can detect the power of welding laser more accurately, in view of the above problems.

[0005] According to an aspect of the present application, a method for detecting the power of welding laser is provided, which comprises obtaining at least one power sample, wherein the power sample is obtained by sampling the power of welding laser emitted by a laser at every preset time interval. The method can further comprise obtaining a plurality of power samples in a preset power range from the at least one power sample. The method can further comprise processing the plurality of power samples in the preset power range to obtain a power detection result.

[0006] In the technical scheme of the embodiments of the present application, by obtaining only the power samples in the preset power range during the detection of laser power, the interference of the power samples outside the preset power range can be excluded, and thus a more accurate power detection result can be obtained.

[0007] In some embodiments, processing the plurality of power samples in the preset power range can comprise averaging the plurality of power samples to obtain an average power, wherein the power detection result comprises the average power. By calculating the average power of the power samples, for example, the average level of the output power of the laser can be reflected by the numerical value of the power, and the quality of the laser emitted by the laser can be indicated.

[0008] In some embodiments, processing the plurality of power samples within the preset power range can include determining at least one of a minimum power and a maximum power of the plurality of power samples, wherein the power detection result comprises the at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power. By determining the minimum power and the maximum power of the power samples, for example, extreme values, distribution and fluctuation of the power samples within the preset power range can be determined, and the minimum power and the maximum power can continue to be used in other processing as described below.

[0009] In some embodiments, processing the plurality of power samples within the preset power range can include averaging the power samples other than the at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power to obtain a revised average power, wherein the power detection result comprises the revised average power. By revising the average power by removing the at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power, for example, power samples that have large fluctuations within the preset power range can be excluded, so that more accurate average power data can be obtained.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining a working condition of welding by the laser based on a position welded by the welding laser, and determining the preset power range according to the working condition of the welding. By obtaining the working condition of welding by the laser based on the position welded by the welding laser and determining the preset power range according to the working condition of the welding, for example, the preset power range can be flexibly determined according to the situation of the position to be welded by the laser, so that the preset power range conforms to the actual situation.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining a power collection standard value according to the working condition of the welding, and determining a lower limit value and an upper limit value of the preset power range respectively with respect to the power collection standard value. By first determining the power collection standard value and then determining the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the preset power range respectively with respect to the power collection standard value, for example, the process of determining the power collection standard value and the preset power range can be simplified, and the flexibility of setting can be increased.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining whether a quantity of the plurality of power samples within the preset power range meets a data quantity requirement, and sending the power detection result in response to the quantity of the plurality of power samples meeting the data quantity requirement. By sending the power detection result in response to the quantity of the plurality of power samples meeting the data quantity requirement, the quantity of the power detection results sent can be reduced, and sending of power detection results without value can be avoided, etc.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: determining whether the number of the plurality of power samples within the preset power range reaches a data quantity upper limit; and in response to the number of the plurality of power samples reaching the data quantity upper limit, stopping sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser for welding. By setting a data quantity upper limit for the number of power samples within the preset power range, the processing burden and cost can be avoided.

[0014] In some embodiments, the method further comprises obtaining a working condition of welding performed by the laser according to a position welded by the welding laser; and determining the data quantity upper limit according to the working condition of the welding. In this way, the data quantity upper limit of the laser samples can be flexibly set according to the working condition of the laser.

[0015] In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining the data quantity upper limit according to the duration of the laser emitted once by the laser and the preset time period. In this way, the data quantity upper limit that can cover the entire duration of the laser emitted by the laser can be determined.

[0016] In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining the data quantity upper limit according to the duration of the laser emitted once by the laser, the falling time of the output power of the laser, and the preset time period. In this way, the data quantity upper limit that can exclude the falling time of the output power of the laser can be determined.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method further comprises determining the data quantity upper limit according to the duration of the power of the laser within the preset power range and the preset time period. In this way, the data quantity upper limit that can exclude the ramp-up time and the falling time of the output power of the laser can be determined.

[0018] In some embodiments, the method further comprises, in response to the power sample obtained by sampling the power of the laser being greater than a power threshold value, generating information indicating that the power of the laser exceeds the power threshold value, the power threshold value being greater than or equal to an upper limit value of the preset power range. In this way, the case that the power of the welding laser is too high can be found, and the abnormal situation of the laser welding can be found and recorded.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method further comprises, in response to the power samples obtained by sampling the power of the laser within a threshold time period all being less than a lower limit value of the preset power range, obtaining re-welding information indicating that the laser performs re-welding, wherein the threshold time period is determined according to the ramp-up time of the output power of the laser. In this way, the case that the power of the welding laser is too low can be found, and the information of performing re-welding can be generated.

[0020] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: obtaining at least one power sample, wherein the power sample is obtained by sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser based on the repair welding information at every preset time period; obtaining a plurality of repair welding power samples within the preset power range from the at least one repair welding power sample; and processing the plurality of repair welding power samples within the preset power range to obtain a repair welding power detection result. Thus, the power of the welding laser can be detected during repair welding, and monitoring of the laser power for repair welding can be achieved.

[0021] In some embodiments, the method can further comprise: in response to all the power samples obtained by sampling the power of the laser within a threshold time period being less than the lower limit value of the preset power range, obtaining information indicating that welding by the laser fails, wherein the threshold time period is determined according to the ramping time of the output power of the laser. Thus, the case of welding failure can be found, and the article that fails to be welded can be removed from the production line in time, and the next step of processing of the article can be stopped.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present application, a laser welding system is provided, which includes a laser, a galvanometer, a controller and a host computer. The laser can be configured to emit a laser for welding and include a communication interface. The galvanometer can be configured to receive the laser from the laser and steer the laser for welding. The controller can include a communication interface and be configured to be coupled to the communication interface of the laser via a communication line through the communication interface to receive, from the laser, the power of the laser emitted by the laser for welding. The host computer can be configured to be communicatively coupled to the controller and receive the power detection result from the controller. The controller can be configured to perform part or all of the steps in the above method.

[0023] In the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, the controller receives information about the power of the laser emitted by the laser through the communication interface and the communication line, which can conveniently obtain the power of the laser emitted by the laser using the communication interface provided by the laser, and thus, for example, the convenience of system construction and configuration can be increased, and the cost of the entire system can be controlled.

[0024] According to another aspect of the present application, a laser welding system is provided. The system includes a laser, a galvanometer, a galvanometer control unit, a power analog quantity acquisition unit, a controller and a host computer. The laser can be configured to emit a laser for welding. The galvanometer can be configured to receive the laser from the laser. The galvanometer control unit can be configured to control the galvanometer to steer the laser for welding. The power analog quantity acquisition unit can be configured to acquire an analog quantity representing a power of the laser for welding emitted by the laser. The controller can be configured to receive the analog quantity representing the power of the laser for welding emitted by the laser from the power analog quantity acquisition unit through a wire and obtain the power of the laser for welding emitted by the laser according to the analog quantity. The host computer can be configured to be communicably coupled to the controller and receive the power detection result from the controller. The controller can be configured to perform part or all of the steps in the above method.

[0025] In the technical solution of the embodiments of the present application, by receiving the analog quantity representing the power of the laser from the power analog quantity acquisition unit through the wire and obtaining the power of the laser according to the analog quantity, the time for analog-digital conversion and encoding of the power of the laser and sending the encoded data through the communication interface via the communication line can be saved, and the processing speed of the system can be improved. In addition, by directly acquiring the analog quantity representing the power of the laser through the wire, the reliability and accuracy of the obtained data can be improved because the analog quantity is not processed by other third parties.

[0026] According to another aspect of the present application, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium is provided. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium stores instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause part or all of the steps in the above method to be performed.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present application, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product contains instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause part or all of the steps in the above method to be performed.

[0028] The above description is only a summary of the technical solutions of the present application. In order to enable a clearer understanding of the technical means of the present application, the above description can be implemented according to the content of the specification, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the following specific embodiments of the present application are described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0029] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a description of preferred embodiments, and are not meant to limit the present application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals in different drawings represent the same elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale. In the drawings:

[0030] Figure 1 An example plot of laser power during a laser shot is shown;

[0031] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a laser welding system 100 according to some embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0032] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a laser welding system 200 according to some other embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0033] Figure 4 A flowchart of a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to some embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0034] Figure 5 An example plot of laser power in connection with a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0035] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to some other embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0036] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to some other embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0037] Figure 8 A flowchart of a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to some other embodiments of the present application is shown;

[0038] Figure 9 A flowchart of a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to some other embodiments of the present application is shown; and

[0039] Figure 10 A general hardware environment 1000 in which the methods of the present application can be applied according to embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0040] Reference numerals in the detailed description of the embodiments are as follows:

[0041] A laser welding system 100;

[0042] A laser 110; an output optical path 111; a beam splitter 112; a photoelectric converter 113; a communication interface 114; a communication line 115;

[0043] galvanometer 120; laser output fiber 121; communication cable 122;

[0044] controller 130; communication interface 131;

[0045] host computer 140; communication line 141;

[0046] laser welding system 200;

[0047] laser 210; output optical path 211; optical splitter 212; photoelectric converter 213;

[0048] galvanometer 220; laser output fiber 221;

[0049] controller 230; communication interface 231; input terminal 232;

[0050] galvanometer control unit 250; communication cable 251; communication cable 252;

[0051] power analog quantity acquisition unit 260; wire 261; output terminal 262;

[0052] host computer 240; communication line 241. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The detailed description and drawings of the following examples are used to illustrate the principles of the present application, but cannot be used to limit the scope of the present application, that is, the present application is not limited to the described examples.

[0054] The embodiments of the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following examples are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and therefore only serve as examples, and cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present application.

[0055] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs; the terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application; the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of the present application and the above description of drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0056] Reference to an "example" herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example can be included in at least one example of the application. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same example, nor are separate or alternative examples mutually exclusive of other examples. One of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize from the disclosure herein, that an example described herein can be incorporated into other examples.

[0057] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is merely used to associate associated objects, and means that three relationships can exist, for example, A and / or B can mean that A exists alone, A and B exist together, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / " herein generally means that the front and rear associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0058] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "a plurality of" refers to two or more (including two).

[0059] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the technical terms "mounting", "connection", "connection", "fixing", "coupling" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, can be fixedly connected, or can be detachably connected, or can be integrated; can be mechanically connected, or can be electrically connected; can be directly connected, or can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0060] Reference Figure 1 , Figure 1 An example graph of laser power during a laser emission is shown. As Figure 1 indicated, the horizontal axis of the coordinate axis represents the time of laser emission, and the vertical axis of the coordinate axis represents the power of the laser. As can be seen from the power curve in the figure, at the beginning of each laser emission, the power of the laser will first go through a ramp-up phase T1, that is, in this phase, the power rises from zero to the stable emission power. Then the power of the laser enters a stable phase T2, in which the laser power can be substantially stable. Before the end of the laser emission, the power of the laser will again go through a ramp-down phase T3, that is, in this phase, the power decreases from the stable emission power to zero. The power in the stable phase T2 of the laser emission reflects the effective power of the laser for welding, and is therefore the result expected to be obtained.

[0061] In order to measure the power of the laser emitted in the stable phase T2, a Figure 1The sampling time period of the laser power is shown. Specifically, in the process of measuring the laser power, the sampling time period of the laser power can be set to avoid the ramp-up phase T1 and the drop phase T3 of the laser power, so as to only sample the laser power in the stable phase T2. For example, the ideal sampling time period of the laser power can be set to start after the ramp-up phase T1 of the laser power and end before the drop phase T3 of the laser power.

[0062] However, since the time length of each of the ramp-up phase T1, the stable phase T2 and the drop phase T3 of the laser power can be difficult to determine and can also be affected by various factors and change, it is difficult to accurately set the sampling time period of the laser power, and it is difficult to obtain a more accurate laser power. In addition, as shown in the figure, the power of the laser can also have a sharp fluctuation even in the stable phase T2, so the power samples obtained in the sampling time period of the laser power can still include sudden power samples deviating from the stable emission power. Analyzing such power samples can obtain an incorrect laser power detection result. Figure 1

[0063] In order to obtain a more accurate laser power detection result, one or more embodiments of the present application provide a method for detecting the power of a welding laser, which applies a preset power range to the power samples of the laser welding and only obtains power samples within the preset power range in the process of laser power detection. By processing the power samples within the preset power range, a more accurate power detection result can be obtained.

[0064] Through the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, by only obtaining power samples within the preset power range (for example, a range including the stable emission power of the laser) in the process of laser power detection, the interference of power samples outside the preset power range (for example, power samples in the ramp-up phase and the drop phase of the laser power and sudden power samples deviating from the stable emission power) can be excluded, so that a more accurate power detection result can be obtained.

[0065] The method for detecting the power of the welding laser disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to laser welding systems in various industries. For example, in the laser welding systems in the industries of vehicle parts, new energy batteries, stainless steel products, electronic products, etc., the method of the embodiments of the present application can be applied, and the effect of obtaining a more accurate power detection result can be achieved.

[0066] Similarly, the method for detecting the power of the welding laser disclosed in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various types of laser welding systems.

[0067] The following embodiments are described for convenience with the laser welding systems 100 and 200 of the embodiments of the present application as examples.​

[0068] Reference is made to Figure 2 , Figure 2 A structural diagram of a laser welding system 100 is shown according to some embodiments of the present application. As shown, the laser welding system 100 can include a laser 110, a galvanometer 120, a controller 130 and a host computer 140.

[0069] In embodiments of the present application, the laser 110 is configured to emit laser light for welding. The laser 110 in embodiments of the present application can be various types of lasers, for example, carbon dioxide laser, fiber laser, YAG laser, semiconductor laser, etc. The power of the laser light output by the laser 110 can be in the range of several hundred watts to several thousand watts.

[0070] In some embodiments of the present application, in order to obtain the power of the laser light output by the laser 110, for example, a light splitter 112 can be provided in an output light path 111 of the laser 110. The light splitter 112 can direct a small portion of the laser light to a photoelectric converter 113 and convert the intensity (i.e., power) of the laser light to the amplitude of an electrical signal by the photoelectric converter 113, whereby the power of the laser light emitted by the laser during the laser welding process can be obtained. In embodiments of the present application, the light splitter 112 can be, for example, a half-mirror, and reflect or transmit a small portion (e.g., 0.2%-0.5%) of the laser light to the photoelectric converter 113 and transmit or reflect the remaining portion of the laser light out. By amplifying the laser power obtained by the photoelectric converter 113 by a corresponding multiple according to the proportion of the portion of the laser light reflected by the light splitter 112 in the total laser power, the power of the laser light emitted by the laser 110 can be obtained. In embodiments of the present application, the photoelectric converter 113 includes, for example, a photomultiplier tube, a photodiode, a photovoltaic cell, a CCD and a CMOS, etc.

[0071] In embodiments of the present application, the laser 110 further includes a communication interface 114. Through the communication interface 114, the laser 110 can be coupled to the controller 130 via a communication line 115. The communication interface 114 of the laser 110 can be, for example, an Ethernet interface or an industrial Ethernet interface and the communication line 115 can be an Ethernet line or an industrial Ethernet line. Through the communication interface 114, the laser 110 can receive control commands from the controller 130 and send information to the controller 130. In embodiments of the present application, the laser 110 can send information about the power of the laser light emitted by the laser 110 to the controller 130 through the communication interface 114.

[0072] In embodiments of the present application, the communication interface and the communication line can include various adapters and circuitry implemented in software and / or hardware to enable communication between two subjects using wired or wireless protocols. Wired protocols are, for example, any one or more of a serial port protocol, a parallel port protocol, an Ethernet protocol, a USB protocol, or other wired communication protocols. Wireless protocols are, for example, any IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi protocol, a cellular network communication protocol, and the like.

[0073] In embodiments of the present application, the galvanometer 120 is configured to receive laser light from the laser 110 and steer the laser light for welding. The galvanometer 120 can receive laser light from the laser 110 through, for example, a laser output fiber 121. The galvanometer 120 can perform optical processing such as focusing on the laser light from the laser 110 and emit the laser light to a desired welding position through reflection or refraction, thereby welding the welding position. The mirror surface of the galvanometer 120 rotates or translates in one or two dimensional directions under electrostatic / piezoelectric / electromagnetic driving to adjust the reflection position of the laser light. The galvanometer 120 can also be connected to the communication interface 114 of the laser 110 through a communication cable 122 to receive control signals such as control signals for welding position from the laser 110.

[0074] In embodiments of the present application, the controller 130 can control and receive information from the laser 110, for example. The controller 130 can be, for example, a PLC, an industrial PC, a microcontroller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable chip, and the like. The controller 130 includes a communication interface 131 and is configured to be coupled to the laser 110 through the communication interface 131 via the communication line 115. The communication interface 131 can be, for example, an Ethernet interface or an industrial Ethernet interface. Through the communication interface 131, the controller 130 can send control commands to the laser 110 and receive information from the laser 110. In embodiments of the present application, the controller 130 can receive information about the power of the laser light emitted by the laser 110 from the laser 110.

[0075] In the embodiments of the present application, for the power of the laser emitted by the laser 110, the controller 130 can obtain at least one power sample, which is obtained by sampling the power of the laser at every preset time period. The controller 130 can obtain a plurality of power samples in the preset power range from the at least one power sample. The controller 130 can process the obtained plurality of power samples in the preset power range to obtain a power detection result. In this way, only the power samples in the desired power range can be obtained and the power samples outside the desired power range can be excluded, thereby achieving the effect of obtaining a more accurate power detection result. The operations performed by the controller 130 are further explained below with reference to the embodiments of the present application.

[0076] In the embodiments of the present application, the host computer 140 is configured to be communicatively coupled to the controller 130. For example, through the communication line 141, the host computer 140 can be connected to the communication interface 131 of the controller 130 and send information to or receive information from the controller 130. In the embodiments of the present application, the host computer 140 can receive the power detection result from the controller 130. The host computer 140 can also be communicatively coupled to and exchange information with other computing devices (e.g., computers, servers, single-chip computers) and / or storage devices. The host computer 140 refers to a device that issues commands to the controller 130 for control and receives information from the controller 130. The host computer 140 may, for example, be an industrial computer, a workstation, a touch screen, etc.

[0077] In the above embodiments of the present application, the information about the power of the laser emitted by the laser 110 is received by the controller 130 from the laser 110 through the communication interface and the communication line, the power of the laser emitted by the laser 110 can be conveniently obtained using the communication interface provided by the laser 110, and therefore, for example, the convenience of system construction and configuration can be increased, and the cost of the entire system can be controlled.

[0078] In the above embodiments of the present application, although the beam splitter 112 and the photoelectric converter 113 are shown as being inside the laser 110, those skilled in the art can understand that in other embodiments of the present application, one or more of the beam splitter 112 and the photoelectric converter 113 can be outside the laser 110 or at other positions and can be independent components, as long as the beam splitter 112 can direct the laser to the photoelectric converter 113 so that the photoelectric converter 113 can obtain the power of the laser and send it out through the communication interface 114.

[0079] Next, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3A structural diagram of a laser welding system 200 according to some other embodiments of the present application is shown. As shown, the laser welding system 200 can include a laser 210, a galvanometer 220, a controller 230, a host computer 240, a galvanometer control unit 250, and a power analog quantity acquisition unit 260.

[0080] Unlike the embodiments shown in Figure 2 In the embodiments of the present application, the laser 210 is configured to emit laser light for welding, and can be various types of lasers, similarly to the embodiments shown in

[0081] Unlike the embodiments shown in Figure 2 In the embodiments of the present application, the galvanometer 220 is configured to receive laser light from the laser 210 through, for example, a laser output fiber 221 and steer the laser light for welding, similarly to the embodiments shown in Figure 2 Unlike the embodiments shown in Figure 3 The laser welding system 200 shown in

[0082] Unlike the embodiments shown in Figure 2 Unlike the embodiments shown in Figure 3 The laser welding system 200 shown in

[0083] In the embodiments of the present application, the controller 230 includes the communication interface 231 and is configured to be coupled to the galvanometer control unit 250 via the communication line 251 through the communication interface 231. Through the communication interface 231, the controller 230 can send various control commands to the galvanometer control unit 250.

[0084] In the embodiments of the present application, as described above, the controller 230 includes the input terminal 232 and can receive the analog quantity representing the power of the laser emitted by the laser 210 for welding from the power analog quantity acquisition unit 260 through the wire 261 through the input terminal 232. The controller 230 can obtain the power of the laser emitted by the laser 210 for welding according to the analog quantity.

[0085] Similarly to the embodiments shown in Figure 2 , the controller 230 can perform similar operations on the power of the laser emitted by the laser 210 to obtain the power detection result. Thereby, only the power samples within the desired power range can be obtained and the power samples outside the desired power range can be excluded, thereby achieving the effect of obtaining a more accurate power detection result. The operations performed by the controller 230 will be further explained below with reference to the embodiments of the present application.

[0086] Similarly to the embodiments shown in Figure 2 , in the embodiments of the present application, the host computer 240 is configured to be communicatively coupled to the controller 230. The host computer 240 can also be communicatively coupled to and transceive information with other computing devices and / or storage devices.

[0087] In the above embodiments of the present application, by receiving the analog quantity representing the power of the laser from the power analog quantity acquisition unit 260 by the controller 230 through the wire 261 and obtaining the power of the laser according to the analog quantity, compared to the laser welding system 100 shown in Figure 2 , the time for analog-digital conversion and encoding of the power of the laser and sending out the encoded data through the communication interface via the communication line can be saved, and the processing speed of the system can be improved. In addition, the analog quantity representing the power of the laser is directly obtained by the controller 230 through the wire 261, and since the analog quantity has not been processed by other third parties, the reliability and accuracy of the obtained data can be improved.

[0088] In the above embodiments of the present application, although the galvanometer control unit 250 is shown and the galvanometer 220 receives the control signal from the galvanometer control unit 250, those skilled in the art can understand that in other embodiments of the present application, the galvanometer 220 can receive the control signal from the controller 230 similarly to the laser welding system 100 shown in Figure 2 , without providing the galvanometer control unit 250.

[0089] According to some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figure 4 and further referring to Figure 5 , Figure 4 a flowchart of a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to some embodiments of the present application is shown, Figure 5 an example graph of laser power in connection with a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0090] As Figure 4 shown, in step S410, at least one power sample is obtained, wherein the power sample is obtained by sampling the power of the welding laser emitted by the laser at every preset time interval. Referring to Figure 5 , the horizontal axis of the coordinate axis of the graph of Figure 1 , Figure 5 represents the time of laser emission, and the vertical axis of the coordinate axis represents the power of the laser. As Figure 5 shown, the laser starts to emit at time zero, and from the start of the laser emission, the power of the laser can be sampled at every preset time interval T4 to obtain at least one power sample. Figure 5 The reference signs S1 to S12 in Figure 5 indicate the obtained power samples, and the time interval between each power sample is T4. As can be seen from

[0091] , the power samples S1 to S3 are in the ramp-up phase T1 of the laser power, the power samples S3 to S10 are in the stable phase T2 of the laser power, and the power samples S11 to S12 are in the falling phase T3 of the laser power. Figure 2 In some embodiments of the present application, the controller 130 can receive the communication data of the real-time laser power from the laser 110, and take out those power samples at every preset time interval from the communication data of the laser power to obtain at least one power sample. In other embodiments of the present application, the controller 130 can command the laser 110 to sample and send the communication data of the laser power at every preset time interval, and the received laser power is taken as at least one power sample.

[0092] In connection with Figure 3In some embodiments of the present application, the controller 230 can receive the analog quantities of the laser powers in real time from the power analog quantity acquisition unit 260, and take out those analog quantities of the laser powers which are spaced apart by a preset time period, and obtain at least one power sample according to the taken-out analog quantity samples. In other embodiments of the present application, the controller 230 can command the power analog quantity acquisition unit 260 to sample the laser powers every preset time period and provide the analog quantity of the laser power at that time once through the wire 261, and obtain at least one power sample according to the provided analog quantity.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 4, in step S420, a plurality of power samples within a preset power range are obtained from the at least one power sample. Returning to FIG. 4, in step S430, the obtained plurality of power samples within the preset power range are processed to obtain a power detection result. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 4, in step S420, a plurality of power samples within a preset power range are obtained from the at least one power sample. Returning to FIG. 4, in step S430, the obtained plurality of power samples within the preset power range are processed to obtain a power detection result. Figure 5 In embodiments of the present application, the preset power range can be set to a value from power k1 to power k2, where power k1 is the lower limit value of the preset power range and power k2 is the upper limit value of the preset power range. From the above description of the power samples S1 to S12, it can be seen that the powers of the power samples S1 to S3 in the ramp-up stage T1 of the laser power and the powers of the power samples S11 and S12 in the ramp-down stage T3 of the laser power are all less than power k1 and thus outside the preset power range k1 to k2. In addition, although the power samples S4 to S10 are in the stable stage T2 of the laser power, due to the power fluctuation of the laser, the power of the power sample S6 is greater than the upper limit value k2 of the preset power range and the power of the power sample S8 is less than the lower limit value k1 of the preset power range. Therefore, the powers of the power samples S6 and S8 are also not within the preset power range k1 to k2. Through step S420, the plurality of power samples S4, S5, S7, S9 and S10 within the preset power range can be obtained. Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 4, in step S420, a plurality of power samples within a preset power range are obtained from the at least one power sample. Returning to FIG. 4, in step S430, the obtained plurality of power samples within the preset power range are processed to obtain a power detection result.

[0094] In embodiments of the present application, it can be judged by the controllers 130 and 230 whether each power sample obtained by sampling is within the preset power range, and the power samples judged to be “yes” are obtained as the plurality of power samples within the preset power range.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 4, in step S420, a plurality of power samples within a preset power range are obtained from the at least one power sample. Returning to FIG. 4, in step S430, the obtained plurality of power samples within the preset power range are processed to obtain a power detection result. Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 4, in step S420, a plurality of power samples within a preset power range are obtained from the at least one power sample. Returning to FIG. 4, in step S430, the obtained plurality of power samples within the preset power range are processed to obtain a power detection result.

[0096] By obtaining only the power samples within the preset power range (reflecting the stable emission power of the laser) in the process of laser power detection, only the power samples S4, S5, S7, S9 and S10 can be obtained, and the power samples S1, S2, S3, S6, S8, S11 and S12 outside the preset power range (far away from the stable emission power of the laser) are excluded. By processing the power samples thus obtained, a more accurate power detection result can be obtained.

[0097] Those skilled in the art can understand that, Figure 5 The power curve of the laser and the number of power samples shown in the above table are illustrative. In other words, the power curve of the laser can be determined according to actual conditions, and the number of power samples can be several to several hundred according to the actual length of time of laser emission and the length of the preset time period set. In some embodiments of the present application, the length of time of laser emission can be 1 second to several seconds, and the length of the preset time period can be several microseconds to several hundred microseconds. In this case, the number of power samples obtained by sampling can be tens to hundreds, and the number of power samples within the preset power range can also be tens to hundreds.

[0098] Next, the processing of the obtained plurality of power samples in step S430 is described.

[0099] According to some embodiments of the present application, processing the plurality of power samples within the preset power range can include averaging the plurality of power samples to obtain an average power. In this case, the power detection result includes the average power.

[0100] The average power refers to a value obtained by summing the power values of the plurality of power samples and dividing the sum by the number of power samples. In embodiments of the present application, the power values of each of the plurality of power samples can be summed one by one by the controller 130 or 230 in an accumulative manner, while the number of power samples is counted to obtain the number of power samples, and the sum is divided by the number of power samples to obtain the average power.

[0101] By calculating the average power of the power samples, for example, the average level of the output power of the laser can be reflected by a numerical value of the power and indicate the quality of the laser emitted by the laser.

[0102] According to some embodiments of the present application, processing the plurality of power samples within the preset power range can include determining at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power of the plurality of power samples. In this case, the power detection result can include at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power.

[0103] The minimum power and the maximum power of the power samples refer to the minimum value and the maximum value of the powers of the acquired plurality of power samples. In embodiments of the present application, one of the plurality of power samples can be compared with another one of the plurality of power samples by the controller 130 or 230, and the smaller one of the two is retained. Then, the smaller one of the two is compared with another one of the plurality of power samples that has not been compared yet by the controller 130 or 230, and the smaller one of the two is retained. This is repeated for all of the plurality of power samples within the preset power range, and the minimum power of the acquired plurality of power samples can be determined by the controller 130 or 230. Similarly, by comparing the power samples with each other and retaining the larger one of the two, the maximum power can be determined by the controller 130 or 230.

[0104] In another embodiment of the present application, the powers of the plurality of power samples can be arranged in order from small to large or from large to small by the controller 130 or 230, and at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power can be determined according to the arranged power samples.

[0105] According to needs, only the minimum power of the power samples can be determined, only the maximum power of the power samples can be determined, or both the minimum power and the maximum power of the power samples can be determined. Moreover, since the acquired plurality of power samples are all within the preset power range, the determined minimum power and the determined maximum power of the power samples are also within the preset power range.

[0106] By determining the minimum power and the maximum power of the power samples, the extreme values, the distribution, and the fluctuation of the power samples within the preset power range can be determined, for example, and the minimum power and the maximum power can continue to be used in other processes as described below.

[0107] According to some embodiments of the present application, after at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power of the plurality of power samples has been determined, processing the plurality of power samples within the preset power range can include averaging the powers of the plurality of power samples other than the at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power to obtain a revised average power. In this case, the power detection result includes the revised average power.

[0108] In the embodiments of the present application, the power value of each of the plurality of power samples can be summed up one by one by the controller 130 or 230 in a cumulative manner, while the number of the power samples is counted to obtain the number of the power samples. In addition, at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power of the power samples can be determined by the controller 130 or 230. Then, the sum result is subtracted by at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power, and the obtained value is divided by a value obtained by subtracting 1 (in the case of subtracting one of the minimum power and the maximum power) or 2 (in the case of subtracting both of the minimum power and the maximum power) from the number of the power samples, thereby obtaining the corrected average power.

[0109] By correcting the average power by removing at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power, for example, the power sample (i.e., the minimum power and / or the maximum power) that has a large fluctuation within the preset power range can be excluded, thereby obtaining more accurate average power data.

[0110] In the embodiments of the present application, as shown in Figure 4 The method of detecting the power of the welding laser according to some embodiments of the present application further includes a step 401 of determining the working condition of the welding performed by the laser according to the position welded by the welding laser. In addition, the method can further include a step S402 of determining the preset power range based on the working condition of the welding.

[0111] In embodiments of the present application, the position welded by the welding laser can refer to the position where the weld is located, i.e., the position where the two welded parts intersect. For laser welding of a power battery, for example, the welded positions can include: tab welding, busbar welding, shell welding, explosion-proof valve welding, etc. Different welding positions can impose different requirements on the welding laser. For example, tab welding requires a welding depth that can penetrate the tab and weld the tab and the underlying electrode together. Shell welding requires the laser to form a continuous and firm weld to connect the two parts of the shell, and the welding laser cannot penetrate the shell to avoid damaging the battery body. For side seam welding and top seam welding of the shell, side seam welding requires a longer weld length and welding time and a wider weld width, while top seam welding can require a greater welding depth. Explosion-proof valve welding requires the welding power of the laser to be accurate and stable. The working condition of the laser for welding refers to the working condition that the laser needs to achieve when the laser is used for welding. In embodiments of the present application, the working condition of the laser can include at least one of the following: power requirement of the welding laser, duration of the laser emitted by the laser, repetition frequency of the laser, repetition number of the laser, power stability of the welding laser, etc. As described above, for different positions welded by the welding laser, the working condition of the laser for welding is also different. Therefore, in embodiments of the present application, the working condition of the laser can be determined according to the position welded by the welding laser. Specifically, the working condition of the laser can be determined according to the working capacity of the laser itself and the welding requirements such as welding material, welding temperature, weld depth, weld length, etc. obtained from the information of the welding position. For example, for welds with high melting point of welding material, high welding temperature, or large weld depth, such as welding of the top seam of the shell of the battery, the power requirement of the welding laser can be high. In this working condition, the preset power range can be determined according to the power requirement of the welding laser, so that the preset power range meets the power requirement of the welding laser. In addition, for welds with long welding length, such as welding of the side seam of the shell of the battery, the duration of the laser emitted by the laser can be long. Due to the working capacity limitation of the laser itself, in order to reach the duration, the emission power of the laser can need to be controlled accordingly. In this working condition, the preset power range can be determined according to the duration of the laser emitted by the laser, so that the laser can continuously emit at the power of the preset power range for the corresponding time. In addition, for working conditions with high repetition frequency and large repetition number of the laser, such as welding of the tab of the battery, the emission power of the laser can also need to be controlled accordingly. In this working condition, the preset power range can be determined according to the repetition frequency and repetition number of the laser emitted by the laser, so that the laser can continuously emit at the power of the preset power range for the corresponding frequency and number of times.

[0112] In the embodiments of the present application, the width of the preset power range can also be determined according to the working condition of the welding performed by the laser. For example, in a working condition where the power stability requirement of the welding laser is not high, such as welding of the shell of a battery, the width of the preset power range can be set wider. For example, in a case where the duration of the laser emitted by the laser is longer, such as welding of the explosion-proof valve of a battery, the width of the preset power range can also be set wider considering the fluctuation and decay of the emission power of the laser.

[0113] In addition, in some embodiments of the present application, the preset power range can be determined in combination with multiple parameters in the working condition of the laser. For example, the preset power range can be determined in combination with the power requirement of the welding laser and the duration of the laser emitted by the laser, so that the laser can continuously emit at a power within the preset power range that meets the power requirement for a corresponding time.

[0114] In the embodiments of the present application, the controller 130 and 230 can determine the working condition of the welding performed by the laser according to the position welded by the welding laser, and determine the preset power range according to the determined working condition. In another embodiment of the present application, the controller 130 and 230 can determine the preset power range by the above operation according to the user input reflecting the position welded by the welding laser and / or directly reflecting the working condition of the laser.

[0115] By determining the working condition of the welding performed by the laser according to the position welded by the welding laser, and further determining the preset power range, for example, the preset power range can be flexibly determined according to the working condition to be achieved by the laser, so that the preset power range conforms to the actual situation.

[0116] In the embodiments of the present application, the determination of the preset power range based on the working condition of the welding performed by the laser in step S402 can include determining a power collection standard value based on the working condition of the welding performed by the laser. Then, in step S402, the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the preset power range can be respectively determined for the power collection standard value.

[0117] The power collection standard value refers to a value used to determine the preset power range standard. For example, the power collection standard value can be increased by a certain value to determine the upper limit value of the preset power range, and the power collection standard value can be decreased by a certain value to determine the lower limit value of the preset power range. Similar to the above discussion, the power collection standard value can also be determined based on the working condition of the welding performed by the laser, which will not be described in detail herein. In embodiments of the present application, the power collection standard value can be approximately equal to the power requirement of the welding laser. The values by which the power collection standard value is increased and decreased, respectively, can be different from each other and can be determined according to actual needs. In addition, as discussed above, the size of the values by which the power collection standard value is increased and decreased can also be determined according to the working condition of the laser, which will not be described in detail herein.

[0118] By first determining the power collection standard value and then determining the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the preset power range with respect to the power collection standard value, for example, the process of determining the power collection standard value and the preset power range can be simplified, and the setting flexibility can be increased.

[0119] It can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that steps S401 and S402 are optional steps. In other words, the method according to embodiments of the present application can not include steps S401 and S402, and in this case, the default preset power range or the preset power range input by the user can be used directly.

[0120] In some embodiments of the present application, steps S410, S420 and S430 can be performed in sequence. That is, the controllers 130 and 230 first collect a plurality of power samples in step S410. After the plurality of power samples are collected, the controllers 130 and 230 obtain a plurality of power samples within the preset power range from the power samples in step S420. Then, the controllers 130 and 230 process the obtained plurality of power samples together in step S430.

[0121] In some embodiments of the present application, the method of detecting the power of the welding laser can further comprise step S440, in which the power detection result is sent.

[0122] As can be appreciated by those skilled in the art, in combination with the above description of the two embodiments, steps S410, S420 and S430 can also be partially executed in sequence and partially executed in repetition, which will not be described here.

[0123] In some embodiments of the present application, the method of detecting the power of the welding laser can further comprise step S440, in which the power detection result is sent.

[0124] In embodiments of the present application, the power detection result can be sent from the controllers 130 and 140 to the host computers 140 and 240. The host computers 140 and 240 can store the power detection result, display the power detection result to the user, analyze the power detection result or send the power detection result to other devices. For example, the power detection result can be sent to a manufacturing management system (MES). The stored power detection result can be used to trace the specific conditions of the welding afterwards. For example, when looking for the cause of welding problems or when studying the improvement of the welding process, the power of the laser in the welding can be found from the stored power detection result. By analyzing one power detection result, it can be checked whether the quality of the welding has a problem. By analyzing multiple power detection results, the differences between multiple weldings can be compared.

[0125] In other embodiments of the present application, the power detection result can also be sent from the controllers 130 and 140 to other computers, servers, etc.

[0126] The sent power detection result can be used for analysis, improving the utilization value of the power detection result.

[0127] In some embodiments of the present application, step S440 can be followed by step S435, in which it is determined whether the number of the power samples meets a data amount requirement.

[0128] The power detection result is generated by processing the power samples, and when the number of the power samples used to generate the power detection result is small, it can be indicated that the power detection result is less accurate, less representative, or the welding duration corresponding to the power detection result is too short to be recorded, etc. Therefore, a basic data amount requirement can be set for the number of the power samples, and only the power detection result meeting the data amount requirement is sent. The data amount requirement can be set according to actual needs. For example, the data amount requirement can be set to 10. In this case, only the power detection result obtained by processing more than 10 power samples is sent. The data amount requirement can also be set to 50, 100, etc.

[0129] After it is determined that the number of the power samples corresponding to the power detection result meets the data amount requirement, the method proceeds to step S440, and in this step, the power detection result is sent.

[0130] In addition, when it is determined that the number of the power samples corresponding to the power detection result does not meet the data amount requirement, the method proceeds to step S436, and in this step, the power detection result is not sent.

[0131] By sending the power detection result in response to the number of the power samples meeting the data amount requirement, the number of the power detection results sent can be reduced, and sending of power detection results without value can be avoided, etc.

[0132] Next, reference will be made to Figure 6 , Figure 6 a flowchart of a method of detecting the power of a welding laser according to some embodiments of the present application is shown. Figure 6 Steps S610, S620 and S630 in Figure 4 correspond to steps S410, S420 and S430 in , and therefore will not be described in detail.

[0133] In embodiments of the present application, as Figure 6As shown, at least one power sample is obtained in step S610, wherein the power sample is obtained by sampling the power of the laser at every preset time interval, and the power sample within the preset power range is obtained in step S620. Then, step S625 can be further included, in which it is determined whether the number of power samples within the preset power range reaches the data amount upper limit. By performing step S610 and step S620, the number of power samples within the preset power range obtained increases with the time of laser emission. In the case of long time of laser emission, the number of power samples within the preset power range obtained can be excessive and beyond the number required for effective recording and analysis of the laser power. The excessive number of power samples can unnecessarily increase the processing burden of the controllers 130 and 230 and increase the processing cost. Therefore, the data amount upper limit can be set for the number of power samples within the preset power range, and the power samples exceeding the data amount upper limit are no longer collected or processed. The data amount upper limit can be set according to actual needs. For example, the data amount upper limit can be set to 300. In this case, when the number of power samples within the preset power range obtained reaches 300, no more power samples within the preset power range are obtained, thereby avoiding excessive increase in the number of power samples to be processed by the controllers 130 and 230.

[0134] Then, when it is determined that the number of power samples within the preset power range does not reach the data amount upper limit, the method returns to step S610, and the sampling of the laser power continues in this step.

[0135] In addition, when it is determined that the number of power samples corresponding to the power detection result reaches the data amount upper limit, the method proceeds to step S630 and stops sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser for welding.

[0136] By setting the data amount upper limit for the number of power samples within the preset power range, the processing burden and processing cost can be avoided.

[0137] In the embodiments of the present application, the working condition of the welding performed by the laser can be determined according to the position welded by the welding laser, and the data amount upper limit can be determined according to the working condition of the welding performed by the laser. For example, for a welding position with lower power stability requirement, a higher data amount upper limit can be set in the corresponding working condition, so as to obtain more data for analysis. In addition, for a welding position with long welding length, a higher data amount upper limit can be set in the corresponding working condition, so as to obtain more comprehensive welding laser power information for the weld. For a welding position with higher emission power requirement, a lower data amount upper limit can be set in the corresponding working condition, so as to avoid damage to the photoelectric converter caused by long time working, for example.

[0138] Thus, the upper limit of the data amount of the laser sample can be flexibly set according to the working condition of the laser.

[0139] In the embodiment of the present application, the upper limit of the data amount can be determined according to the duration of the laser emission by the laser and the preset time period. For example, the duration of the laser emission by the laser can be divided by the preset time period, and the upper limit of the data amount can be determined according to the quotient obtained. The quotient obtained by dividing the duration of the laser emission by the preset time period represents the maximum number of power samples that can be obtained in the time period of the entire laser emission. The upper limit of the data amount of the power sample thus obtained can cover the entire duration of the laser emission by the laser, thereby avoiding data loss.

[0140] Thus, the upper limit of the data amount that can cover the entire duration of the laser emission by the laser can be determined.

[0141] In the embodiment of the present application, the upper limit of the data amount can be determined according to the duration of the laser emission by the laser, the falling time of the output power of the laser, and the preset time period. As described with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 5 , the power of the laser can experience a falling phase T3 before the end of the laser emission, i.e., a phase in which the power falls from the stable emission power to zero power. The power samples in the falling phase T3 of the laser power can not be within the preset power range and thus will not be processed in step S630 even if they are sampled in step S610. In the embodiment of the present application, the upper limit of the data amount can be determined, for example, according to the quotient obtained by dividing the difference between the duration of the laser emission by the laser and the falling time of the output power of the laser by the preset time period. The difference obtained by subtracting the falling time of the output power of the laser from the duration of the laser emission by the laser is the length of time of the falling phase of the laser power. The quotient obtained by dividing the thus obtained difference by the preset time period represents the maximum number of power samples that can be obtained in the time period of the laser emission after the falling phase T3 is removed. The upper limit of the data amount of the power sample thus obtained can exclude the falling phase T3 of the laser power, reduce the amount of data obtained, and reduce the processing burden and cost.

[0142] Thus, the upper limit of the data amount that can exclude the falling time of the output power of the laser can be determined.

[0143] In the embodiment of the present application, the upper limit of the data amount can be determined according to the duration of the power of the laser being within the preset power range and the preset time period. As described with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 5As described, at the beginning of each laser emission, the power of the laser first experiences a ramp-up period T1, in which the power rises from zero to the power of the stable emission. Similar to the drop period T3 of the laser power, the power samples in the ramp-up period T1 of the laser power can not be within the preset power range and thus will not be processed in step S630 even if they are sampled in step S610. In an embodiment of the present application, the upper limit of the data quantity can be determined according to the quotient obtained by dividing the duration in which the power of the laser is within the preset power range by the preset time period. The difference between the duration in which the laser emits one laser and both the ramp-up time and the drop time of the output power of the laser is the length of time in which the ramp-up period and the drop period of the laser power are excluded. In an embodiment of the present application, the thus obtained difference can represent the duration in which the power of the laser is within the preset power range. The quotient obtained by dividing the thus obtained difference by the preset time period represents the maximum number of power samples that can be obtained in which the power of the laser is within the preset power range. The thus obtained upper limit of the data quantity of the power samples can exclude the ramp-up period T1 and the drop period T3 of the laser power, further reducing the obtained data quantity, and further reducing the processing burden and cost.

[0144] Thus, the upper limit of the data quantity in which the ramp-up time and the drop time of the output power of the laser can be excluded can be determined.

[0145] Those skilled in the art can understand that, in an embodiment of the present application, the upper limit of the data quantity can not be set for the number of power samples within the preset power range. For example, in some embodiments of the present application, whether to stop sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser can be determined according to whether one emission of the laser has ended. Thus, the power of the laser can be sampled throughout the entire time period of one laser emission, thereby minimizing sample omission. For example, in an embodiment of the present application, when the laser emission signal received from the laser stops or a laser emission end signal is received from the laser, it can be considered that one laser emission has ended and thus sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser is stopped. For example, in another embodiment of the present application, after the result of sampling the power of the laser approaches zero for a certain time period, it can be considered that one laser emission has ended and thus sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser is stopped. The time period may, for example, be less than the interval between two laser emissions and greater than the preset time period for sampling the laser.

[0146] Thus, it can be avoided that the power of the laser continues to be sampled after the laser emission has ended.

[0147] Further, the skilled in the art can understand that, in the embodiments of the present application, the upper limit of the data amount can be set for the number of the power samples in the preset power range, and it is also determined whether the one-time emission of the laser is ended. Thus, when one of the two conditions that the number of the power samples reaches the upper limit of the data amount and it is determined that the one-time emission of the laser is ended is met, it is determined to stop sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser.

[0148] Thus, it can be more flexible to set when to stop sampling the power of the laser.

[0149] Next, referring to Figure 7 , Figure 7 a flowchart of a method of detecting the power of a welding laser according to some other embodiments of the present application is shown.

[0150] In the steps S410 and S610 described above with reference to Figure 4 and Figure 6 , at least one power sample is obtained, wherein the power sample is obtained by sampling the power of the laser every other preset time period. For the obtained power sample, the method of the present application can further comprise a step S710, at which it is judged whether the obtained power sample is greater than a power threshold. The power threshold can be greater than or equal to the upper limit value of the preset power range. When the power sample of the laser is greater than the power threshold, it can be considered that the power of the laser is too high and can cause welding problems. For example, it can occur that the welding depth is too large or the laser penetrates the welding piece. Then, at step S720, in the case that the obtained power sample is greater than the power threshold, information indicating that the power of the laser exceeds the power threshold is generated. Otherwise, at step S730, in the case that the obtained power sample is not greater than the power threshold, the information indicating that the power of the laser exceeds the power threshold is not generated.

[0151] The generated information indicating that the power of the laser exceeds the power threshold can be provided to the user to inform that the power of the laser is too high, so as to remind the user to check the quality of the welding and take corresponding treatment. In addition, the generated information indicating that the power of the laser exceeds the power threshold can also be stored for later checking and tracing.

[0152] Thus, the case that the power of the welding laser is too high can be found, and the abnormal situation of the laser welding can be found and recorded.

[0153] Figure 7 The steps shown in the above Figure 4 and Figure 6 may be executed after the steps S410 and S610 described above, and can be executed after Figure 4 and Figure 6The described steps S420 and S620 are executed before or in parallel with steps S420 and S620. When Figure 7 The steps shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6 When steps S420 and S620 are performed prior to the steps described, laser samples exceeding the power threshold can be exempted from processing in steps S420 and S620, thereby reducing the processing burden and cost.

[0154] Next, refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 A flowchart of a method for detecting the power of a welding laser according to some other embodiments of this application is shown.

[0155] Based on the above references Figure 4 and Figure 6 In steps S410 and S610, at least one power sample is obtained, wherein the power sample is obtained by sampling the laser power at preset time intervals. For the obtained power samples, the method of this application may further include step S802, where it is determined whether all power samples obtained by sampling the laser power within a threshold time interval are less than the lower limit of a preset power range. This threshold time interval can be determined based on the ramp-up time of the laser's output power. In embodiments of this application, the threshold time interval can be equal to or greater than the ramp-up time of the laser's output power. If the laser power consistently fails to reach the lower limit of the preset power range within a time interval greater than the ramp-up stage T1 of the output power, it can be considered that the laser power cannot ramp up to the preset power range. For example, the laser may have malfunctioned or its own operating capability may not be able to achieve the output of the preset power range. When the laser's emission power is lower than the lower limit of the preset power, such a laser cannot meet the welding requirements and therefore cannot complete the welding. For example, situations such as failure to melt the welding material or insufficient welding depth may occur.

[0156] Subsequently, in step S804, if all power samples obtained from sampling the laser power within the threshold time period are less than the lower limit of the preset power range, welding information indicating that the laser should perform welding repair can be obtained. Otherwise, in step S806, if at least one of the power samples obtained from sampling the laser power within the threshold time period is greater than the lower limit of the preset power range, welding information indicating that the laser should perform welding repair will not be obtained.

[0157] Information indicating the laser's ability to perform repair welding can include, for example, markings indicating the area requiring repair, information about the previous weld, and the required welding energy. Information about the previous weld can include the welding power and duration of the previous weld. The required energy for repair welding can be determined based on information about the previous weld. For example, the laser power and duration of the previous weld can be used to determine the power required for repair welding.

[0158] This allows us to detect situations where the welding laser power is too low and generate information to perform repair welding.

[0159] Following step S804, steps S810, S820, and S830 can be performed during the repair soldering process. Steps S810, S820, and S830 are the same as those previously referenced. Figure 4 Steps S410, S420, and S430 are described similarly. Specifically, in step S810, at least one power sample is obtained, which is obtained by sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser based on the welding repair information at preset time intervals. In step S820, multiple welding repair power samples within a preset power range are obtained from the at least one welding repair power sample. In step S830, the multiple welding repair power samples within the preset power range are processed to obtain a welding repair power detection result. The content described in this application with reference to the above embodiments can be combined with... Figure 8 The embodiments shown are illustrated, and will not be repeated here.

[0160] Therefore, the power of the welding laser can be detected during the repair welding process, thus enabling the monitoring of the laser power during repair welding.

[0161] and Figure 7 The steps shown are similar. Figure 8 Steps S802, S804, and S806 shown can be performed in... Figure 4 and Figure 6 The described steps S410 and S610 are executed afterward, and can be performed in... Figure 4 and Figure 6 The described steps S420 and S620 are executed before or in parallel with steps S420 and S620. When Figure 8 Steps S802, S804, and S806 shown in the figure are Figure 4 and Figure 6 In some embodiments of this application, when steps S420 and S620 are performed prior to their description, sampling of the laser power can be stopped, i.e., steps S420 and S620 can be stopped, thereby reducing processing burden and cost. Alternatively, in other embodiments of this application, sampling of the laser power can continue, and the sampled data can be recorded as information about the previous welding.

[0162] Next, referring to Figure 9 , Figure 9 A flowchart of a method of detecting power of a welding laser according to another embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0163] Similar to the method shown in Figure 8 , in the method shown in Figure 9 , step S902 is further included, and in step S902, for the obtained power samples, it is determined whether all the power samples obtained by sampling the power of the laser within the threshold time period are less than the lower limit value of the preset power range.

[0164] Then, at step S904, when all the power samples obtained by sampling the power of the laser within the threshold time period are less than the lower limit value of the preset power range, information indicating that the welding performed by the laser fails can be obtained. Otherwise, at step S906, when at least one of the power samples obtained by sampling the power of the laser within the threshold time period is greater than the lower limit value of the preset power range, the information indicating that the welding performed by the laser fails is not obtained.

[0165] The information indicating that the welding performed by the laser fails may, for example, include information indicating that this welding fails, the quality of the weld is unqualified, the welded article should be scrapped, information indicating that the user checks whether the laser is normal, etc.

[0166] Thus, the welding failure can be found, and the article that fails in welding can be timely removed from the production line and the next step of processing of the article is stopped.

[0167] Similar to the steps shown in Figure 8 , Figure 9 Steps S902, S904 and S906 shown in Figure 4 and Figure 6 may be executed after steps S410 and S610 described above, and can be executed before steps S420 and S620 described above or in parallel with steps S420 and S620. Figure 4 Figure 6

[0168] Figure 10 A general hardware environment 1000 in which the present disclosure can be applied according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0169] Referring to Figure 10 ​​A computing device 1000 will now be described as an example of a hardware device applicable to aspects of the present disclosure. The computing device 1000 can be any machine configured to perform processing and / or computing, can be, without limitation, a workstation, a server, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a television, a tablet computer, a personal digital assistant, a smart phone, a portable camera, or any combination thereof. The above methods of the present application can be implemented, in whole or at least in part, by the computing device 1000 or similar devices or systems.

[0170] The computing device 1000 can include elements that can connect or communicate with the bus 1002 via one or more interfaces. For example, the computing device 1000 can include the bus 1002, one or more processors 1004, one or more input devices 1006, and one or more output devices 1008. The one or more processors 1004 can be any type of processors and can include, without limitation, one or more general-purpose processors and / or one or more special-purpose processors (such as application-specific processing chips). The input device 1006 can be any type of device capable of inputting information to the computing device and can include, without limitation, a mouse, a keyboard, a touchscreen, a microphone, and / or a remote control. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the input device 1006 can also include a camera. The output device 1008 can be any type of device capable of presenting information and can include, without limitation, a display, a speaker, a video / audio output terminal, and / or a printer. The computing device 1000 can also include or connect with a non-transitory storage device 1010, which can be non-transitory and can implement any storage device of a data store and can include, without limitation, a disk drive, an optical storage device, a solid-state storage device, a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a compact disk or any other optical medium, a ROM (read only memory), a RAM (random access memory), a cache memory, and / or any other memory chip or cartridge, and / or any other medium from which a computer can read data, instructions, and / or code. The non-transitory storage device 1010 can be detachable from the interface. The non-transitory storage device 1010 can have data / instructions / code for implementing the above methods and steps. The computing device 1000 can also include a communication device 1012. The communication device 1012 can be any type of device or system capable of communicating with external devices and / or with a network and can include, without limitation, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset such as a Bluetooth™ device, an 802.11 device, a WiFi device, a WiMax device, a cellular communication facility, and / or the like.

[0171] Bus 1002 can include, but is not limited to, an industry standard architecture (ISA) bus, a microchannel architecture (MCA) bus, an enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, a video electronics standards association (VESA) local bus, and a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus.

[0172] Computing device 1000 can also include working memory 1014, which can be any type of working memory usable to store instructions and / or data for processing by processor 1004. Working memory 1014 can include, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), and / or read only memory (ROM).

[0173] Software elements can be located within working memory 1014, including an operating system 1016, one or more application programs 1018, other program data, and / or other modules and programs that are not directly related to the execution of methods, as are described herein. Instructions for the operating system 1016, the one or more application programs 1018, and / or any other modules located within working memory 1014 can be executed by the processor 1004 from a computer-readable medium, such as one or more of the storage devices 1010.

[0174] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that, by way of example, an embodiment of the present disclosure can be realized in the form of software embodying a set of instructions executable by a processor. Such software can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as one or more of the storage devices 1010 described above. Such software, when executed by the processor 1004, can cause the processor 1004 to perform one or more of the methods described herein. Such software can also be downloaded from a remote location, such as a server, to the computer system 1000, and executed by the processor 1004.

[0175] Accordingly, according to some embodiments of the present application, there is provided a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor, implementing some or all of the steps of the above method.

[0176] Accordingly, according to some embodiments of the present application, there is provided a computer program product comprising instructions, the instructions, when executed by a processor, performing some or all of the steps of the above method.

[0177] According to some embodiments of the present application, referring to Figures 3 to 9The present application provides a method for detecting the power of a welding laser. The method includes obtaining at least one power sample, which is obtained by sampling the power of a welding laser emitted by a laser at every other preset time period. The method also includes obtaining a plurality of power samples in the preset power range from the at least one power sample. The method can also include determining the minimum power and the maximum power of the plurality of power samples, and averaging the plurality of power samples to obtain an average power. The power detection result can include the minimum power, the maximum power, and the average power. The method can also include sending the minimum power, the maximum power, and the average power as the power detection result, for example, uploading to a recording system.

[0178] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and are not limited thereto; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments can still be modified, or some or all of the technical features can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and they should be covered in the scope of the claims and the specification of the present application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, each technical feature mentioned in each embodiment can be combined in any way. The present application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of detecting the power of a welding laser, characterized by, The method comprises: obtaining at least one power sample, wherein the power sample is obtained by sampling the power of a welding laser emitted by a laser at every preset time interval; acquiring a plurality of power samples in a preset power range from the at least one power sample; and processing the plurality of power samples in the preset power range to obtain a power detection result.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Processing the plurality of power samples in the preset power range comprises: determining at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power of the plurality of power samples, wherein the power detection result comprises the at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, Processing the plurality of power samples in the preset power range comprises: averaging the plurality of power samples to obtain an average power, wherein the power detection result comprises the average power.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, Processing the plurality of power samples in the preset power range comprises: averaging the power other than the at least one of the minimum power and the maximum power from the plurality of power samples to obtain a corrected average power, wherein the power detection result comprises the corrected average power.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: determining a working condition of welding by the laser according to a position welded by the welding laser; determining the preset power range according to the working condition of welding.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The method further comprises: determining a power collection standard value according to the working condition of welding; and determining a lower limit value and an upper limit value of the preset power range respectively according to the power collection standard value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: determining whether the number of the plurality of power samples in the preset power range meets a data quantity requirement; and in response to the number of the plurality of power samples meeting the data quantity requirement, sending the power detection result.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: determining whether the number of the plurality of power samples in the preset power range reaches a data quantity upper limit; and in response to the number of the plurality of power samples reaching the data quantity upper limit, stopping sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser for welding.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: determining a working condition of welding by the laser according to a position welded by the welding laser; determining the data quantity upper limit according to the working condition of welding.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: determining the data quantity upper limit according to the duration of the laser emitted by the laser once and the preset time interval.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: determining the data quantity upper limit according to the duration of the laser emitted by the laser once, the falling time of the output power of the laser, and the preset time interval.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein, The method further comprises: determining the data quantity upper limit according to the duration of the power of the laser in the preset power range and the preset time interval.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: in response to the power sample obtained by sampling the power of the laser being greater than a power threshold value, generating information indicating that the power of the laser exceeds the power threshold value, the power threshold value being greater than or equal to the upper limit value of the preset power range.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: In response to all the power samples obtained by sampling the power of the laser within a threshold time period being less than the lower limit of the preset power range, welding failure information indicating that welding performed by the laser is failed is obtained, wherein the threshold time period is determined according to the ramping time of the output power of the laser.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein, The method further comprises: obtaining at least one welding power sample, wherein the welding power sample is obtained by sampling the power of the laser emitted by the laser based on the welding information within every other preset time period; obtaining a plurality of welding power samples within the preset power range from the at least one welding power sample; and processing the plurality of welding power samples within the preset power range to obtain a welding power detection result.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein, The method further comprises: In response to all the power samples obtained by sampling the power of the laser within a threshold time period being less than the lower limit of the preset power range, welding failure information indicating that welding performed by the laser is failed is obtained, wherein the threshold time period is determined according to the ramping time of the output power of the laser.

17. A laser welding system, characterized by The system comprises: a laser configured to emit a laser for welding and comprising a communication interface; a galvanometer configured to receive the laser from the laser and steer the laser for welding; a controller comprising a communication interface and configured to be coupled to the communication interface of the laser via a communication line through the communication interface to receive, from the laser, the power of the laser emitted by the laser for welding; and a host computer configured to be communicatively coupled to the controller and receive the power detection result from the controller; wherein the controller is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-16.

18. A laser welding system, characterized by, The system comprises: a laser configured to emit a laser for welding; a galvanometer configured to receive the laser from the laser; a galvanometer control unit configured to control the galvanometer to steer the laser for welding; a power analog quantity acquisition unit configured to acquire an analog quantity representing the power of the laser emitted by the laser for welding; a controller configured to receive, from the power analog quantity acquisition unit via a wire, the analog quantity representing the power of the laser emitted by the laser for welding, and obtain the power of the laser emitted by the laser for welding according to the analog quantity; and a host computer configured to be communicatively coupled to the controller and receive the power detection result from the controller; wherein the controller is configured to perform the method of any one of claims 1-16.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, comprising: instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause performance of the method of any one of claims 1-16.

20. A computer program product, characterised in that, instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause performance of the method of any one of claims 1-16.

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