Optical Head With High-Index Ball for Stable Laser Welding Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical heads for laser transmission welding with mechanical mounts face limitations in transmitting high forces due to design constraints, leading to inconsistent contact pressure and potential distortion of joining partners, and are not suitable for balls with diameters less than 30 mm.
Innovation Solution
An optical head with a ball made of material having a refractive index higher than quartz glass, mounted rotatably within a housing, using a collimating lens to maintain consistent focus distance and allowing for precise control of contact pressure via compressed air, enabling the use of smaller balls and more precise force application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a mechanical mount with compressed air is used to press the ball onto joining partners, then contact pressure can be applied, but the maximum contact pressure is limited by the design of the mechanical mount and high forces cannot be transmitted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mechanical mount entirely, extracting the limiting component from the system. The ball is held in the housing opening without any mechanical mounting structure, allowing direct force transmission from the laser beam through the ball to the joining partners, eliminating the design constraints of mechanical mounts on force transmission capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical mount system with an optical-based force transmission mechanism. The laser beam itself becomes the force transmission medium, focusing energy through the ball to create welding pressure, substituting mechanical force application with optical energy concentration
2Adaptability or versatility
If the ball position in the optical head is changed, then adaptability to different welding positions is improved, but the focus distance changes significantly, compromising welding reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from mechanical position adjustment to optical focusing control. By using a collimating lens to create parallel light beams and then focusing them through the ball, the system achieves position adaptability through optical path control rather than mechanical movement, maintaining consistent focus distance regardless of ball position
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the optical parameters of the system by introducing a collimating lens and adjusting the focusing geometry. The laser beam is collimated before reaching the ball, and the ball's high refractive index material properties are utilized to maintain consistent focal characteristics, allowing position flexibility without focus drift
3Force
If high forces are transmitted from the optical head to the joining partners, then welding pressure is sufficient, but the ball creates a bead and pushes it in front, leading to distortion and wrinkling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces the high refractive index ball as an optical intermediary that focuses the laser beam energy precisely at the welding point. The ball acts as a mediator that concentrates energy without direct mechanical contact, allowing sufficient welding pressure through optical energy concentration rather than mechanical force, thus avoiding material displacement and deformation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical pressing force with optical energy concentration for achieving welding pressure. The laser beam focused through the ball creates the necessary pressure at the welding interface through energy density rather than mechanical contact force, eliminating the harmful effects of mechanical pushing and material displacement
4Length of moving object
If a ball with diameter less than 30 mm is used, then precision and adaptability are improved, but known optical heads with mechanical mounts cannot accommodate such small balls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mechanical mount that constrained ball size selection. Without mechanical mounting structures, the housing opening can accommodate balls of any diameter, including small balls less than 30 mm, allowing selection based on welding precision requirements rather than mechanical compatibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a dynamic system where the ball can be freely positioned and adjusted in the housing opening without mechanical constraints. This dynamic configuration allows flexible selection of ball diameter based on specific welding application requirements, enabling use of small precision balls that would not fit in mechanically mounted systems
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution allows for reliable welding with consistent contact pressure and the ability to use smaller balls, overcoming the limitations of traditional optical heads by maintaining focus distance stability and enabling higher force transmission without distortion, even with smaller ball diameters.
Implementation Method 1
The ball is made of a material whose refractive index is higher than the refractive index of quartz glass
Implementation Method 2
using a collimating lens to maintain consistent focus distance
Implementation Method 3
allowing for precise control of contact pressure via compressed air
Implementation Method 4
the laser beam passing through a joining partner provides local heating at a joint located between both components
Data Source
AI summary
An optical head for a laser transmission welding apparatus comprising a housing with an end on the outlet side with respect to a laser beam and a ball mounted in the housing. The ball may comprise a material whose refractive index is higher than the refractive index of quartz glass.