Development of Laser Welding Technology for Commercial Vehicle Oil Pressure Sensor

Using a fiber laser heat source, an oil pressure sensor was fabricated to measure the pressure in commercial vehicles. A stepping motor was used for the rotational and translational motion in the diaphragms and hardware joining. Laser welding process algorism including shielding gas control and vision system was integrated by using LabVIEW software for the high quality welding and in-line monitoring purpose. For the maximum flexibility in pressure transmission to the pressure sensor, thin sheet metal diaphragm, $25{\sim}50{\mu}m$(SUS-316L), was used and the diaphragms were optimally designed with FEM analysis. The welded samples were cross-sectioned the observation showed that the maximum depth ratio was more than seven times of diaphragms. The maximum welding speed was measured to be as high as 50in/mm by the developed automation mechanism. The fabricated prototypes were tested for the proof pressure, spring constant and sealing. The FEM results of spring constant measurement was as accurate as up to 80% of the design value and the sensor was safely operated up to the nominal pressure of 10bars.

상용차 오일압력 측정용 압력센서 제작을 위한 레이저용접기술