Method and apparatus for controlling laser cutting by image processing

Abstract

A method and apparatus is provided for controlling the laser cutting of a laser beam machine by image processing techniques. A photographing device is provided to photograph a pattern or material object and to obtain a pattern image. According to the pattern, an article is cut by the laser beam machine. The photographed pattern image is digitized and stored in an image processing card. In turn, by using image processing techniques, the digitized pattern image is thresholded, and contours and/or skeletons are extracted therefrom. Each of the extracted contours and/or skeletons is linked point by point to form a series of characteristic points, and the linked lines are stored in a memory device of a microcomputer. The linked lines are replaced by a plurality of vector points in a curve approximation process, and the vector points for each linked line form a series of line vector data. The sequence of all of the series of line vector data is rearranged from the innermost line to the outermost line, and the rearranged series of line vector data are converted into a computer numerical control (CNC) program which is in turn entered into a CNC device to control the cutting paths of the laser beam machine.