Patent ID: 6657156
Filing Date: 2003-12-02
Classification: B23K

Abstract:
A laser welding apparatus comprising:a weld portion detector of detecting a portion to be welded; a laser beam projector of projecting a laser beam on the portion to be welded; a holding-turning mechanism of holding the weld portion detector and the laser beam projector so as to maintain a predetermined distance between the weld portion detector and the laser beam projector and turning the laser beam projector, independently of the weld portion detector, in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the laser beam projector; a moving unit of moving the holding-turning mechanism; and a control unit of controlling a laser welding operation, the control unit sequentially storing pieces of data on weld positions detected by the weld portion detector together with times when the pieces of data on the weld positions are detected and moving speeds at which the holding-turning mechanism is moved in a memory, calculating a time when the weld portion detector passed a position at which the laser beam projector has just arrived, and controlling the laser beam projector and the holding-turning mechanism such that a laser beam is projected on a weld position which was detected by the weld portion detector at the time calculated by the controlling unit.