Eddy current tool positioning system
US4830261A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 29, 1987 |
| Grant date | May 16, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 29, 2007 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S73/03
- WIPO fieldMachine tools
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A tool positioning system comprises a discontinuity detection means, such as an eddy current system, for detecting a discontinuity within a workpiece resulting from a joint between a first piece of material relative to a second piece of material, the discontinuity being detected from the back side of the second piece of material. The discontinuity is detected at a plurality of points by translating an eddy current probe over the back side of the second piece of material, the individual points thereafter being utilized to compute line elements that define the joint between the first and second pieces of material in a continuous fashion over the surface of the second piece of material. Thereafter a tool, such as a laser welding tool, is guided along the computed position along the backside of the second piece of material such that the first and second pieces of material are welded together along the joint.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.