Seam tracking investigation via striped line laser sensor

Purpose This paper aims to propose a set of six-axis robot arm welding seam tracking experiment platform based on Halcon machine vision library to resolve the curve seam tracking issue. Design/methodology/approach Robot-based and image coordinate systems are converted based on the mathematical model of the three-dimensional measurement of structured light vision and conversion relations between robot-based and camera coordinate systems. An object tracking algorithm via weighted local cosine similarity is adopted to detect the seam feature points to prevent effectively the interference from arc and spatter. This algorithm models the target state variable and corresponding observation vector within the Bayes framework and finds the optimal region with highest similarity to the image-selected modules using cosine similarity. Findings The paper tests the approach and the experimental results show that using metal inert-gas (MIG) welding with maximum welding current of 200A can achieve real-time accurate curve seam tracking under strong arc light and splash. Minimal distance between laser stripe and welding molten pool can reach 15 mm, and sensor sampling frequency can reach 50 Hz. Originality/value Designing a set of six-axis robot arm welding seam tracking experiment platform with a system of structured light sensor based on Halcon machine vision library; and adding an object tracking algorithm to seam tracking system to detect image feature points. By this technology, this system can track the curve seam while welding.