In conventional are welding, the errors in the position of the weld torch with respect to the weld seam are induced by unaccurate fitup and fixturing, and prevent the formation of good welds.
In this study, a vision system has been developed to recognize the position of weld groove and process parameters, then instruct the weld torch to the groove center accurately. The system uses a structured laser light illuminated on the weld groove and perceived by a C.C.D camera. New algorithm to detect the edge of the reflected laser light is introduced for real time processing.
The system was applied to arbitrary weld path with various types of joint in GMA welding process. As the result, the good positioning of the weld torch to the seam was obtained during welding.
