Laser welding device with measuring function

Abstract

The invention discloses a laser welding device with a measuring function, and belongs to the technical field of laser welding, the laser welding device comprises a laser and a welding head, a welding laser module and a measuring module are arranged in the laser, welding laser generated by a laser generator in the welding laser module is transmitted through a welding optical fiber, and the measuring module is connected with the laser module. Measurement light generated by a measurement module in the measurement module is transmitted through a measurement optical fiber, and the measurement light is coupled to a welding optical fiber through a first beam combiner, so that welding laser and the measurement light are transmitted in the welding optical fiber along the same optical path and are emitted through a welding head, and then the welding laser and the measurement light are coaxially incident to a to-be-welded part; accordingly, the measuring light is reflected back into the measuring module after making contact with the surface of the to-be-welded part and the molten pool, the measuring module determines information such as the welding working distance, the penetration depth and the welding seam width according to the sent and received signals, data support is provided for adjusting the welding technology in time, and the welding quality and the product percent of pass are effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of laser welding, and particularly relates to a high-power welding laser with a measurement function. Background Art

[0002] In the field of laser welding, high-power welding lasers are widely used in various industrial production scenarios, such as automobile manufacturing, aerospace, etc. The main function of traditional high-power welding lasers is to achieve efficient welding operations. However, in the actual welding process, there is a lack of real-time monitoring means for welding quality, resulting in the inability to detect welding defects in a timely manner, which affects product quality and production efficiency.

[0003] To improve welding quality, in the prior art, a measurement module is generally combined with a laser welding head to detect the welding effect in real time. However, in the actual use process, there are still many problems. For example, to ensure the synchronization of the measurement optical path and the welding optical path, a complex combination of optical elements is generally required to achieve the coupling of the optical cable, so as to coaxialize the measurement light and the welding laser. However, it has problems such as complex structure, high cost, and poor stability. Moreover, due to the large differences in characteristics such as wavelength and power between the measurement light and the welding laser, it is difficult to adjust to keep the two coaxial during the mobile welding process. The prior art is difficult to meet the requirements of high-precision, high-stability welding and real-time monitoring in actual production. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of one or more of the above defects or improvement requirements of the prior art, the present invention provides a laser welding device with a measurement function, which can realize the optical path integration of multiple light sources in the laser, and realize the real-time monitoring of the welding quality during the welding process of the welding laser, and can automatically adjust the welding parameters to improve the welding quality and production efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a laser welding device with a measurement function, which includes a laser and a welding head;

[0006] The laser includes a welding laser module and a measurement module;

[0007] The welding laser module includes a laser generator and a welding optical fiber; the laser generator is used to generate welding laser, and is connected to one end of the welding optical fiber to transmit the welding laser through the welding optical fiber;

[0008] The measuring module includes a measuring module and a measuring optical fiber; the measuring module is used to generate and receive measuring light, and is connected to one end of the measuring optical fiber to transmit the measuring light through the measuring optical fiber; the other end of the measuring optical fiber is connected to the welding optical fiber through a first beam combiner, so that the measuring light is coupled into the welding optical fiber through the first beam combiner, so that the welding laser and the measuring light are transmitted in the welding optical fiber along the same optical path;

[0009] The welding head includes a welding head module, which is connected to the end of the welding optical fiber away from the laser generator, so as to focus and emit the multiple light sources transmitted by the welding optical fiber to the workpiece to be welded through the welding head module;

[0010] After the welding laser and the measuring light are emitted by the welding head, the welding laser performs laser welding on the workpiece to be welded, and the measuring light contacts the surface of the workpiece to be welded and the molten pool and is reflected back to the measuring module. The measuring module determines the welding working distance, penetration depth and weld width information according to the emitted and received signals.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, it also includes an intelligent control system, in which the acceptable ranges of penetration depth and weld width are preset; the intelligent control system is connected to the measuring module and the laser generator to control the laser generator in real time to adjust the power and pulse frequency of the welding laser according to the penetration depth and weld width information obtained from the measuring module, so that the penetration depth and weld width are always maintained within the set range.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, the welding head further comprises a motion module, and the welding head module is arranged on the motion module, so that the welding head module is driven to move in the horizontal and vertical directions by the motion module;

[0013] The intelligent control system also presets an acceptable range of the working distance. The intelligent control system is connected to the motion module. The intelligent control module controls the motion module in real time to drive the welding head module to adjust the working distance based on the working distance information obtained from the measuring module, so that the working distance of the welding head is always maintained within the set range during the welding process.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the laser further includes a guiding light module, which includes a guiding light module unit and a guiding optical fiber. The guiding light module unit is used to generate visible colored light, which is connected to one end of the guiding optical fiber. The other end of the guiding optical fiber is connected to the welding optical fiber through a second beam combiner, so as to couple the visible colored light into the welding optical fiber through the second beam combiner, so that the visible colored light, the welding laser and the measurement light are transmitted in the welding optical fiber along the same optical path, and are emitted to the workpiece to be welded through the welding head, for guiding and positioning during the laser welding process.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the second beam combiner is arranged on the welding optical fiber between the laser generator and the first beam combiner.

[0016] As a further improvement of the present invention, the first beam combiner and the second beam combiner are the same beam combiner, and the guiding light and the measurement light are simultaneously coupled into the welding optical fiber through the same beam combiner.

[0017] As a further improvement of the present invention, an optical path compensation component is further arranged on the welding optical fiber between the first beam combiner and the welding module. The optical path compensation component includes a phase compensator and / or an optical intensity regulator to perform phase compensation and / or optical intensity compensation on lights with different wavelengths in the welding optical fiber;

[0018] and / or,

[0019] An optical circulator is further arranged on the welding optical fiber between the first beam combiner and the laser generator to prevent part of the measurement light from being reflected back to the laser generator.

[0020] As a further improvement of the present invention, the measurement module unit is an OCT measurement module unit.

[0021] As a further improvement of the present invention, the measurement module unit is an FMCW measurement module unit, which includes a transmitting component, a receiving component and a signal processing component. The transmitting component is connected to the measurement optical fiber and the signal processing component, and is used to transmit continuous measurement light with a frequency varying with time to the measurement optical fiber and transmit the transmitted signal to the signal processing component; the receiving component is connected to the measurement optical fiber and the signal processing component, and is used to receive the reflected measurement light and transmit the received signal to the signal processing component. The signal processing component analyzes and calculates the working distance, penetration depth, weld width and vibration information of the device through the frequency difference between the transmitted signal and the received signal.

[0022] As a further improvement of the present invention, the welding head module includes a welding head body and an optical fiber interface. The optical fiber interface is arranged on one side of the welding head body close to the welding optical fiber, and one end of the welding optical fiber is connected to the optical fiber interface through an optical fiber head.

[0023] As long as the above-mentioned improved technical features do not conflict with each other, they can be combined with each other.

[0024] Generally speaking, compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the above technical solutions conceived by the present invention include:

[0025] (1) The laser welding device with a measurement function of the present invention integrates a measurement module in the laser to monitor the working distance and welding quality in real time through the measurement module during the welding process, improving the accuracy and comprehensiveness of welding quality monitoring, providing richer data support for optimizing the welding process, effectively reducing welding defects, and improving product quality. At the same time, before each light source emits light, a beam combiner is used to complete the integration of the optical paths of multiple light sources inside the laser, realizing the coaxial emission of multiple light sources, effectively simplifying the device structure, reducing costs, improving the stability and reliability of the optical path, and reducing equipment failures caused by optical cable problems.

[0026] (2) The laser welding device with a measurement function of the present invention is provided with an intelligent control system, which is respectively connected to the laser generator, the measurement module and the motion module to automatically adjust the welding parameters according to the welding quality data monitored in real time, realizing adaptive control during the welding process, improving the welding quality and production efficiency, and reducing the dependence of the device on the skills of operators.

[0027] (3) The laser welding device with a measurement function of the present invention integrates a pilot light module in the laser and couples it to the welding optical fiber through a second beam combiner to co-axially emit visible colored light and welding laser to locate the welding position, facilitating the adjustment of the optical path and the focus position.

[0028] (4) The laser welding device with a measurement function of the present invention has a simple and compact structure, solves the problems of difficult optical cable integration and complex coaxial adjustment in the prior art, effectively reduces costs and maintenance difficulties, and improves the stability and reliability of the welding system. Description of the Drawings

[0029] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0030] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the laser welding device with a measurement function in the embodiments of the present invention;

[0031] In all the drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same technical features, specifically: 1. Laser; 11. Laser generator; 12. Welding optical fiber; 13. Second beam combiner; 14. Pilot light optical fiber; 15. Pilot light module; 16. First beam combiner; 17. Measurement optical fiber; 18. Measurement module; 19. Optical fiber head; 2. Intelligent control system; 3. Welding head; 31. Optical fiber interface; 32. Welding head body; 33. Light beam. Detailed implementation manners

[0032] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below can be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0033] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "center", "longitudinal", "transverse", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0034] In addition, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0035] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, the terms "mounted", "connected", "coupled", "fixed", etc. shall be construed in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral one; it may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it may be the internal communication between two components or the interaction relationship between two components, unless otherwise clearly limited. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention may be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0036] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, the first feature being "on" or "under" the second feature may be that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are indirectly in contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "over" and "on top of" the second feature may be that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or merely indicates that the first feature has a higher horizontal height than the second feature. The first feature being "under", "beneath" and "underneath" the second feature may be that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or merely indicates that the first feature has a lower horizontal height than the second feature.

[0037] Embodiment:

[0038] Please refer to Figure 1 , the laser welding device with a measurement function in the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a laser 1 and a welding head 3. The laser 1 can simultaneously emit welding laser, measurement light, and guiding light visible to the human eye, and is focused into a light beam 33 by the welding head 3 and emitted to guide, weld the workpiece to be welded, and measure in real time information such as the working distance, penetration depth, weld width, and device vibration during the welding process.

[0039] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1 , the laser 1 in the preferred embodiment includes a welding laser module and a measurement module; among them, the welding laser module includes a laser generator 11 and a welding optical fiber 12. The laser generator 11 is used to generate high-power welding laser, which is connected to one end of the welding optical fiber 12 to transmit the high-power welding laser through the welding optical fiber 12; at the same time, the other end of the welding optical fiber 12 is provided with an optical fiber head 19 to connect the welding optical fiber 12 to the welding head 3 through the optical fiber head 19, and then transmit the light in the welding optical fiber 12 into the welding head 3.

[0040] Further, the measurement module includes a measurement module 18 and a measurement optical fiber 17. Among them, the measurement module 18 is used to generate and receive measurement light, which is connected to one end of the measurement optical fiber 17 to transmit the measurement light emitted by the measurement module 18 through the measurement optical fiber 17. At the same time, the other end of the measurement optical fiber 17 is connected to the welding optical fiber 12 through a first beam combiner 16 to couple the measurement light into the welding optical fiber 12 through the first beam combiner 16, and transmit it in the welding optical fiber 12 along the same optical path as the welding laser, so that before the welding laser and the measurement light are output from the light source of the laser 1 to the welding head 3, they are simultaneously coupled into the welding optical fiber 12 and emitted by the welding optical fiber 12 at the same time, thereby realizing the coaxial emission of multiple light sources.

[0041] At the same time, after the measurement light is focused and emitted by the welding head 3 and irradiates the surface of the workpiece to be welded and the molten pool, it is reflected back to the measurement module 18. The measurement module 18 can analyze and calculate information such as the working distance, penetration depth, weld width, and vibration of the laser welding head 3 according to the received reflected measurement light, so as to realize the real-time monitoring of the welding quality.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, the measurement module 18 is an OCT measurement module, which mainly uses the interference phenomenon of light to measure the relevant distance by analyzing the intensity and phase information of the interference signal.

[0043] In another embodiment of the present invention, the measurement module 18 is an FMCW measurement module, which includes a transmitting component, a receiving component, and a signal processing component. Among them, the transmitting component is connected to the measurement optical fiber 17 and the signal processing component, and is used to transmit continuous measurement light with a frequency varying with time to the measurement optical fiber 17 and transmit the transmitted signal to the signal processing component. Correspondingly, the receiving component is connected to the measurement optical fiber 17 and the signal processing component, and is used to receive the reflected measurement light and transmit the received signal to the signal processing component. The signal processing component then analyzes and calculates the working distance, welding penetration depth, weld width, and vibration information of the device according to the frequency difference between the transmitted signal and the received signal.

[0044] Preferably, the laser 1 further includes a guiding light module, which includes a guiding light module 15 and a guiding light optical fiber 14. Among them, the guiding light module 15 is used to generate visible colored light as the guiding light. In the preferred embodiment, visible red light is used as the guiding light. The guiding light module 15 is connected to one end of the guiding light optical fiber 14 to transmit the visible colored light emitted by the guiding light module 15 through the guiding light optical fiber 14. At the same time, the other end of the guiding light optical fiber 14 is connected to the welding optical fiber 12 through the second beam combiner 13, so that the guiding light can be coupled into the welding optical fiber 12 through the second beam combiner 13, so that the guiding light can be transmitted along the same optical path as the welding laser and the measuring light, and then uniformly emitted from the welding head 3 to the workpiece to be welded. During the laser welding operation, the operator can position the welding position through the visible colored light and can intuitively see the path and focus position of the laser, which is convenient for adjusting the optical path and focus position.

[0045] In actual setting, the second beam combiner 13 can be arranged on the welding optical fiber 12 between the laser generator 11 and the first beam combiner 16, so that the guiding light is first coupled into the welding optical fiber 12, and then the measuring light is coupled into the welding optical fiber 12, as Figure 1 shown in. Of course, the second beam combiner 13 can also be arranged between the first beam combiner 16 and the fiber head 19, so that the measuring light is first coupled into the welding optical fiber 12, and then the guiding light is coupled into the welding optical fiber 12.

[0046] In actual setting, the first beam combiner 16 and the second beam combiner 13 can select appropriate beam combiners according to parameters such as the power and wavelength of the welding laser, the measuring light and the guiding light, to ensure low insertion loss and high isolation, so as to reduce the energy loss and crosstalk of the optical signal during transmission.

[0047] In another specific embodiment of the present invention, the first beam combiner 16 and the second beam combiner 13 are the same beam combiner, which is a 3×1 beam combiner. One ends of the guiding light optical fiber 14 and the measuring optical fiber 17 are simultaneously coupled into the welding optical fiber 12 through this beam combiner.

[0048] Preferably, it further includes an optical path compensation component, which includes a combination of one or more of a phase compensator, a light intensity regulator, etc., to compensate for the phase difference and light intensity change generated during the transmission of light with different wavelengths, and to ensure the stability and consistency of the measuring light and the welding laser.

[0049] Preferably, it further includes a circulator, which is arranged between the laser generator 11 and the first beam combiner 16 and is arranged on the welding optical fiber 12 to prevent part of the measuring light from being reflected into the laser generator 11 and affecting it.

[0050] Furthermore, the welding head 3 in the preferred embodiment includes a welding head module and a motion module; among them, the welding head module includes a welding head body 32 and an optical fiber interface 31. The optical fiber interface 31 is arranged on one side of the welding head body 32 close to the welding optical fiber 12. The welding optical fiber 12 is connected to the optical fiber interface 31 through an optical fiber head 19 to transmit various light sources in the welding optical fiber 12 to the welding head body 32, and after being focused into a light beam 33 by the welding head body 32, it is emitted onto the workpiece to be welded.

[0051] Correspondingly, the welding head module is connected and arranged on the motion module to drive the welding head module to move relative to the workpiece to be welded in the horizontal and vertical directions through the motion module.

[0052] Furthermore, the laser welding device in the preferred embodiment further includes an intelligent control system 2. The intelligent control system 2 is connected to the measurement module 18, the laser generator 11 and the motion module to obtain welding quality data information such as the working distance, penetration depth, and weld width of the device from the measurement module 18. At the same time, the acceptable ranges of the working distance, penetration depth, weld width, etc. are preset in the intelligent control system 2 to control the laser generator 11 to automatically adjust parameters such as the power and pulse frequency of the welding laser, and control the motion module to drive the welding head module to adjust the working distance, so as to realize the adaptive control adjustment of the welding process and further improve the welding quality of the welding device.

[0053] The laser welding device with a measurement function of the present invention has a simple and compact structure, solves the problems of difficult optical cable integration and complex coaxial adjustment in the prior art, effectively reduces the cost and maintenance difficulty, and improves the stability and reliability of the welding system.

[0054] It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A laser welding device with a measurement function, characterized in that, Includes laser and welding head; The laser includes a welding laser module and a measuring module; The welding laser module includes a laser generator and a welding optical fiber; the laser generator is used to generate welding laser, and is connected to one end of the welding optical fiber to transmit the welding laser through the welding optical fiber; The measuring module includes a measuring module and a measuring optical fiber; the measuring module is used to generate and receive measuring light, and is connected to one end of the measuring optical fiber to transmit the measuring light through the measuring optical fiber; the other end of the measuring optical fiber is connected to the welding optical fiber through a first beam combiner, so that the measuring light is coupled into the welding optical fiber through the first beam combiner, so that the welding laser and the measuring light are transmitted in the welding optical fiber along the same optical path; The welding head includes a welding head module, which is connected to the end of the welding optical fiber away from the laser generator, so as to focus and emit the multiple light sources transmitted by the welding optical fiber to the workpiece to be welded through the welding head module; After the welding laser and the measuring light are emitted by the welding head, the welding laser performs laser welding on the workpiece to be welded, and the measuring light contacts the surface of the workpiece to be welded and the molten pool and is reflected back to the measuring module. The measuring module determines the welding working distance, penetration depth and weld width information according to the emitted and received signals.

2. The laser welding device with a measurement function according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an intelligent control system, in which the acceptable ranges of penetration depth and weld width are preset; the intelligent control system is connected to the measuring module and the laser generator to control the laser generator in real time to adjust the power and pulse frequency of the welding laser according to the penetration depth and weld width information obtained from the measuring module, so that the penetration depth and weld width are always maintained within the set range.

3. The laser welding device with a measurement function according to claim 2, characterized in that, The welding head further comprises a motion module, and the welding head module is arranged on the motion module so as to drive the welding head module to move in horizontal and vertical directions through the motion module; The intelligent control system also presets an acceptable range of the working distance. The intelligent control system is connected to the motion module. The intelligent control module controls the motion module in real time to drive the welding head module to adjust the working distance based on the working distance information obtained from the measuring module, so that the working distance of the welding head is always maintained within the set range during the welding process.

4. The laser welding device with a measurement function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The laser also includes a guiding light module, which includes a guiding light module and a guiding light optical fiber. The guiding light module is used to generate visible colored light and is connected to one end of the guiding light optical fiber. The other end of the guiding light optical fiber is connected to the welding optical fiber through a second beam combiner, so that the visible colored light is coupled into the welding optical fiber through the second beam combiner, so that the visible colored light, the welding laser and the measuring light are transmitted in the welding optical fiber along the same optical path, and are emitted to the workpiece to be welded through the welding head, so as to be used for guidance and positioning during the laser welding process.

5. The laser welding device with a measuring function according to claim 4, characterized in that, The second beam combiner is arranged on the welding optical fiber between the laser generator and the first beam combiner.

6. The laser welding device with a measuring function according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first beam combiner and the second beam combiner are the same beam combiner, and the guiding light and the measuring light are simultaneously coupled into the welding optical fiber through the same beam combiner.

7. The laser welding device with a measurement function according to claim 4, characterized in that, An optical path compensation component is further arranged on the welding optical fiber between the first beam combiner and the welding module. The optical path compensation component includes a phase compensator and / or an optical intensity regulator to perform phase compensation and / or optical intensity compensation on lights with different wavelengths in the welding optical fiber. and / or An optical circulator is further arranged on the welding optical fiber between the first beam combiner and the laser generator to avoid part of the measuring light being reflected back to the laser generator.

8. The laser welding device with a measurement function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The measurement module is an OCT measurement module.

9. The laser welding device with a measuring function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The measurement module is an FMCW measurement module, which includes a transmitting component, a receiving component, and a signal processing component. The transmitting component is connected to the measurement optical fiber and the signal processing component, and is used to transmit continuous measuring light with a frequency varying with time to the measurement optical fiber and transmit the transmitted signal to the signal processing component. The receiving component is connected to the measurement optical fiber and the signal processing component, and is used to receive the reflected measuring light and transmit the received signal to the signal processing component. The signal processing component analyzes and calculates the working distance, the penetration depth, the weld width, and the vibration information of the device through the frequency difference between the transmitted signal and the received signal.

10. The laser welding device with a measurement function according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 5 to 9, characterized in that, The welding head module includes a welding head main body and an optical fiber interface. The optical fiber interface is arranged on one side of the welding head main body close to the welding optical fiber, and one end of the welding optical fiber is connected to the optical fiber interface through an optical fiber head.

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