Ultrasonic Sensors in Robotic Seam Tracking

A seam tracking system for application in robotic arc welding using an ultrasonic sensor has been developed. The acoustic sensing system obtains range information between the sensor and the workpiece. Real time surface characterization and the calculation of the torch path is performed on an LSI 11/23 microprocessor, interfaced to the controller of an Advanced Robotics Corporation, Cyro 725 robot.