JP2002321072A - Laser beam marking device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser beam marking device capable of reducing the time for a marking process. SOLUTION: The laser beam marking device 11 is composed mainly of a control means 12 for controlling the entire device, a nonvolatile memory for storing reference coordinate data calculated previously with a calculating means, and a driving part 7 for driving galvano-mirrors 9, 9 based on the direction of the control means 12. The control means 12 successively reads out the reference coordinate data (step S3), executes a rotation processing/a positional correction processing as required (step S5), and executes a correction processing of a scanning position distortion (step S6). Since the reference coordinate data are calculated from font data with the calculating means and previously stored in the nonvolatile memory 13, the time for the marking process can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a galvano-scanning laser marking apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, laser light emitted from a laser light source is reflected by a galvanomirror, the galvanomirror is driven and controlled, and the laser light is scanned in two-dimensional directions to irradiate a target object with changing directions. , Mark the desired character, symbol, figure, etc. (hereinafter referred to as marking)
There is a galvano-scanning laser marking apparatus characterized by the above.

FIG. 13 shows a conventional electrical configuration of a laser marking apparatus 1 of this type. A laser marking device 1 having a conventional configuration includes a first CPU that generates data necessary for marking a desired marking shape input by a setting input unit 2.
3 and a second CPU 4.

A memory 5 is connected to the first CPU 3, and the memory 5 stores font data such as character data. FIG. 14A shows the contents of the font data, and FIG. 14B shows the setting position of the reference data with respect to the reference point of the character “A”, for example.
The font data indicates coordinate data in a coordinate system within a predetermined frame (L1, L2). That is, the memory 5 stores, for example, specific points P1 and P2 defined for each character in advance as font data constituting the character “A”.
With respect to E, P2S... P5, the coordinates in the X direction and the Y direction from the reference point are the reference data (X1, Y1)
-Stored as (X5, Y5). In addition, P2E,
P2S indicates the end point or the start point for the specific point P2, respectively. Also, specific points P1, P2E, P2S
... Line type information and position information (start point or end point) for the line are stored in correspondence with P5. still,
The memory 5 stores font data for each character, symbol, figure, and the like.

[0005] A memory 6 is connected to the second CPU 4. Further, a driving unit 7 is connected to the second CPU 4, and the driving unit 7 controls the galvanometer mirrors 9, 9 connected based on an instruction signal from the second CPU 4, and outputs a laser beam to a printing area on the surface of the object. It is configured to irradiate P.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the operation of the conventional configuration. When the first CPU 3 detects that a character and a position have been set and input by the setting input means 2, the first CPU 3 reads out font data (specific point, reference data, line type information, position information) of the character stored in advance and prints the print area. Assign to the coordinate system in P. That is, the first CP
U3 converts the reference data stored as the font data into area coordinate data corresponding to the print area P.

Further, the first CPU 3 transmits area data including the allocated area coordinate data to the second CPU 4.
Output to The second CPU 4 generates area intermediate data from the area data. That is, the second CPU 4 calculates, as the intermediate coordinate data, the coordinates obtained by dividing the specified points by a predetermined number from the line type information and the position information of the area data.
When the galvano-scanning method is used, since the moment of inertia of the galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9 is large, it is difficult to perform scanning between two points at a constant speed, and the distance between the end points of a straight line is divided into many points. Conventionally, data of each point is sequentially provided to a driving unit 7, and the galvanomirrors 9, 9 are driven and controlled via the driving unit 7 to perform marking on the print area P.

The second CPU 4 corrects the intermediate coordinate data for scanning position distortion caused by distortions represented by pincushion distortion and barrel distortion, and stores the corrected coordinate correction data in the memory 6. FIG. 14C shows distortion correction data to which screen distortion correction is applied at this time.
(D) shows an outline of data stored in the memory 6. Thereafter, when there is a setting input from the setting input means 2 for starting the marking operation, the second CPU 4
This marking operation start signal is detected via PU3,
The coordinate correction data stored in the memory 6 is sequentially read out and output to the drive unit 7 so that the laser light source 8 and the galvanomirror 9,
9 is driven and the distortion correction data is output to the driving unit 7 until all the data is output, so that the galvanomirrors 9 and 9 are driven and controlled via the driving unit 7 and marked on the print area P. You.

[0009]

However, according to the laser marking device 1 having the above-described configuration, the font data is not converted from the font data until the marking operation is actually started after the character and position are set and input by the setting input means 2. It takes time to generate all the distortion correction data and store it in the memory 6, which prevents the time required for marking from being shortened.

Therefore, in order to reduce the time required for marking, a configuration is conceivable in which the distortion correction data divided and corrected between the start point and the end point into many points is separately stored in an external memory in advance. At this time, which position in the print area P is to be marked differs depending on the case. Therefore, as the distortion correction data from the start point to the end point, for each position where there is a possibility of printing in the print area P with respect to the memory, It is necessary to store the distortion correction data, and the memory capacity for storing the data becomes enormous, which causes a problem that the cost of the laser marking device is increased, which is not preferable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a laser marking apparatus capable of shortening a marking processing time without incurring a cost increase accompanying a large increase in storage capacity. To provide.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser marking device for irradiating a laser light source with a laser light emitted from the laser light source and changing the direction of the laser light to an object. A galvanomirror to be set, setting input means for setting a marking shape such as a character, a symbol or a figure to be marked on the object by the laser light, and a plurality of reference coordinate data from a start point to an end point of the marking shape are previously calculated And a storage unit for storing the result, and sequentially reading the reference coordinate data from the storage unit based on the setting information of the setting input unit, and correcting the screen distortion corresponding to the marking position in the read reference coordinate data. Control means for performing correction, outputting the corrected reference coordinate data to the galvanomirror, and performing drive control. Having.

According to such a configuration, the control means sequentially reads a plurality of reference coordinate data of the marking shape stored in the storage means, and displays a screen corresponding to the marking position in the print area with respect to the reference coordinate data. A correction for correcting the distortion is performed, and the corrected reference coordinate data is output to a galvanomirror to perform drive control. Therefore, the laser light emitted from the laser light source is reflected by the galvanomirror whose drive is controlled, and the direction of the laser light is changed to irradiate the target object, whereby the marking shape of the setting information set by the setting input means is set. Will be marked on the object. This eliminates the need to store the distortion correction data in the storage unit at each position where there is a possibility that the marking may be performed at any position in the print area of the target object, resulting in a cost increase due to a large increase in storage capacity. Never invite. In addition, since the storage means stores the reference coordinate data calculated by the calculation means in advance, the time required for converting font data into data necessary for marking can be reduced.

Further, the control means can be configured so as to perform correction according to the marking position of the reference coordinate data while the galvanomirror is driven (claim 2). According to such a configuration, when the time required for correction according to the marking position is longer than the time required for driving the galvanomirror, the galvanomirror can be driven in parallel. Can be further shortened.

It is preferable that the control means be configured to perform a linear conversion process for correcting the reference coordinate data in accordance with the marking position in an integer type. According to such a configuration, since the linear conversion processing is performed in an integer type, high-speed processing can be performed without requiring expensive control means.

Further, it is desirable that the control means be configured to calculate the scanning position distortion correction processing when correcting the reference coordinate data according to the marking position in an integer type. According to such a configuration, the scanning position distortion correction processing is calculated in an integer type.
Similar to the described invention, high-speed processing can be performed without requiring expensive control means.

[0017]

(First Embodiment) A first embodiment of a laser marking apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an electrical configuration of the laser marking device 11. FIG. 1 shows only the components necessary for the description of the present embodiment, and the other parts are the same as those of the conventional configuration.
The description is omitted. The same components described in the section of the related art are denoted by the same reference numerals.

The laser marking device 11 is mainly composed of a control means 12 (for example, a microcomputer) for performing overall control, and a non-volatile memory 13 for storing reference coordinate data calculated in advance by calculation means (not shown).
A RAM 14 in which a work memory area for operating the control means 12 is secured, a setting input means 2 such as a keyboard for inputting various settings, and a control means 1
The drive unit 7 drives the galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9 based on the instruction of the control unit 2, and the laser light source 8 that emits a laser beam based on the instruction of the control unit 12.

The setting input means 2 is provided with a format (position setting, bold character setting, rotation setting, and rotation center coordinate S (Xr, Yr) of the marking shape (characters, symbols, figures, etc.) for marking. And information about the contents of printing, such as the rotation amount θ, and the marking function such as the current date and lot marking, for example, are configured to be selectable and inputtable, and the data is output to the control means 12. For information that is not selected and input, for example, data in a predetermined default format is output to the control unit 12.

The control means 12 inputs data from the setting input means 2, calculates various coordinate data, and controls the driving of the galvanometer mirrors 9, 9 via the drive unit 7 to determine the position for optical scanning. It is configured to control the output of the laser light source 8.

The galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9 are provided so as to reflect the laser light emitted from the laser light source 8, and form a print area P on a two-dimensional plane (X axis, Y axis) formed on the surface of the object. The laser beam reflected on an arbitrary position can be irradiated.

The non-volatile memory 13 as storage means
For example, the control means 1 is constituted by a flash memory.
An operation program, such as a control program for operating the second computer 2, is also stored. The non-volatile memory 13 stores the FER
It may be constituted by an AM (ferroelectric memory), an SRAM backed up by a battery, or the like. The optical scanning device 15 includes the driving unit 7, the galvanometer mirrors 9, 9 and a converging lens (not shown). In the nonvolatile memory 13, the values of cos θ and sin θ are calculated in advance in, for example, 0.1 ° steps in the range of 0.0 ° to 90.0 °, and are stored in association with the values of θ.

Here, the contents of a plurality of reference coordinate data stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 will be described. In addition, a plurality of reference coordinate data is stored in a certain marking shape (character / character).
Symbols, graphics, etc.) are stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in units of one file. In order to show a comparison with the conventional example, the letter "A" will be described as an example with reference to FIG. From the font data shown in FIG. 14 (a), a desired score (n1, n2 ·
..), The coordinates of the specific point of the reference data in the font data are equally divided, thereby generating the reference coordinate data including the coordinates of the specific point. FIG. 2 shows data stored in the non-volatile memory 13 and shows a calculation formula for the font data of the reference coordinate data.

For example, as coordinates from a specific point P1 where the position information in the font data is a start point to a specific point P2E which is an end point, the first specific point P1 next to the specific point P1 is used.
01, the X coordinate (X2E−X1) ÷ n1 + X
Reference coordinate data is obtained as 1, Y coordinate (Y2E-Y1) ÷ n1 + Y1. Further, at the second specific point P102 from the specific point P1, the X coordinate 2 × (X2E−X
1) {n1 + X1, Y coordinate 2 × (Y2E−Y1)} n1
Reference coordinate data is obtained as + Y1.

Similarly, a specific point P2 in the font data
As coordinates from S to P3, for example, at the first specific point P201 from the specific point P2S, the X coordinate (X3-X
2S) ÷ n2 + X2S, Y coordinate (Y3-Y2S) ÷ n2
Reference coordinate data is obtained as + Y2S. Also,
At the second specific point P202 from the specific point P2S,
X coordinate 2 × (X3-X2S) ÷ n2 + X2S, Y coordinate 2
× (Y3-Y2S) ÷ n2 + Y2S, and reference coordinate data is sequentially obtained.

Similarly, the coordinates from the specific point P1 to P2E, the coordinates from the specific point P2S to P3, and the coordinate from the specific point P4
From P5 to P5 are obtained by equally dividing the coordinates. At this time, information indicating "middle point" is generated as position information as a flag, and is stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in a corresponding manner as illustrated.

The reference coordinate data having such contents is calculated by the calculating means and stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 together with the position information in correspondence with the specific point. Note that the reference coordinate data does not include data of line type information.

The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows a laser marking device 11
6 is a flowchart showing the operation contents of FIG.

Setting information such as a marking shape format and a marking function for marking is selectively set and input by the setting input means 2 (step S1: Ye).
s), the setting input means 2 transmits the setting information to the control means 12
Output to When the control unit 12 detects that the setting information has been input from the setting input unit 2, the control unit 12 calculates the X-axis offset amount X and the Y-axis offset amount Y from the position set values, and also calculates the coordinates S of the rotation center during rotation. From (Xr, Yr), A ← X−Xr, B ← Y−Yr are calculated as fixed values independent of the position, and stored in the RAM 14 (step S2). The control means 12 sequentially reads out, for example, one specific point (one file) from the nonvolatile memory 13 from the reference coordinate data calculated by the calculation means in advance (step S3).

At this time, if there is a rotation setting or a position setting as the format of the marking shape at the time of marking (step S4: Yes), the control means 12 turns
A position correction process is performed (Step S5).

Here, the principle of the rotation / position correction processing will be described. FIG. 4 is a principle diagram showing a general position correction process. In FIG. 4, from point P (x, y) to point Q (x ', y')
When coordinate conversion is performed for and the position is corrected,
It is converted from the following equation.

[0033]

(Equation 1) Here, X indicates the offset amount in the X-axis direction, and Y indicates the offset amount in the Y-axis direction.

FIG. 5 is a principle diagram showing a general rotation correction process. In FIG. 5, when an arbitrary point S (Xr, Yr) is set as the coordinate of the rotation center, an R point (x '', X '', which is rotated from the Q point (x ', y') by a rotation amount θ [degree]. y´
The coordinates of ') are converted by the following equation.

[0035]

(Equation 2)

In the present embodiment, cos
Since the values of θ and sin θ are stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in advance in association with the values of θ, the values will be replaced with the values COS and SIN, respectively.

The processing in step S5 can be rewritten by the processing shown in FIG. However, fixed values A = X−Xr and B = Y−Yr calculated in step S2 from the values selected and input by the setting input unit 2 are shown as constants.

That is, the control means 12 substitutes g ← x + A for the variable g and substitutes h ← y + B for the variable h (step T1). The control means 12
Is expressed as R (x ″, y ″) as a value converted from the reference coordinate data indicated by the specific point, x ″ ← g × COS−h × SIN + Xr (3) y ″ ← g × SIN + h × COS + Yr (4) is substituted (step T2).

The rotation / position correction processing is performed as described above.
The control means 12 subsequently performs the processing of step S6 to execute RA
It is stored in M14. If there is no rotation setting or position setting in step S4, the control means 12 sets the position to, for example, a predetermined default format and performs the processing in step S6.

In step S6, the control means 12 performs scanning position distortion correction, that is, correction for correcting screen distortion. The correction for correcting the screen distortion (scanning position distortion correction) will be described. In general, the use of the galvanomirrors 9, 9 causes distortion represented by pincushion distortion and barrel distortion. The process of correcting the non-linear distortion between the position signal given to the optical scanning device 15 due to the distortion and the actual scanning position is the scanning position distortion correction.

In the following description of the correction of the scanning position distortion, after the parallel light emitted from the laser light source 8 is made incident on the convergent lens, a pair of galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9 are used to move the print area P on the target object. The case where scanning is performed is shown. The scanning position distortion correction processing differs depending on the optical configuration.
For example, a configuration in which parallel light emitted from a laser light source 8 is polarized by a pair of galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9 and then condensed by an fθ lens is only a different correction formula, and is applicable to the present invention.

Here, a galvanomirror that polarizes convergent light in the X-axis direction of the print area P is an X-axis galvanomirror 9,
A galvanometer mirror that polarizes light in the Y-axis direction is referred to as a Y-axis galvanometer mirror 9. When the mirror positions at which the galvanomirrors 9 and 9 bend the laser light at right angles are defined as the origins of the mechanical deflection angles of the respective mirror positions, the laser light is normally incident on the plane of the print area P, and printing is performed. The optical system is designed so as to focus on the area P. The laser incident position (center of the laser beam spot) at that time is set as the origin of the printing plane.

Next, when the X and Y axis galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9 are driven and controlled to swing by θx and θy, respectively, the laser spot position (x, y) on the printing surface is expressed by the following equation.

[0044]

(Equation 3) Here, D is the distance between the center of the Y-axis mirror and the printing plane, E
Is the distance between the center of the X-axis mirror and the center of the Y-axis mirror.

Conversely, when the laser spot position (x, y) is given, the mechanical deflection angles θx, θy of the X, Y axis galvanometer mirrors 9, 9 are expressed by the following equations.

[0046]

(Equation 4)

At this time, a general expression approximated by the fifth order by Taylor expansion

(Equation 5) Using

(Equation 6) Approximate expansion is possible. That is, the control unit 12 calculates the coordinates (x ′, y ′) given to the optical scanning device 15 as (10) and (11).
It is calculated as in the formula. Thus, the control means 12
Means that the scanning position distortion is corrected.

When the control means 12 corrects the scanning position distortion in step S6, the calculated coordinates (x ', y')
Is output to the drive unit 7 of the optical scanning device 15 (step S
7) driving control of the galvanomirrors 9 and 9 via the drive unit 7; As a result, the laser light emitted from the laser light source 8 is subjected to light path shift and light condensing action in the optical scanning device 15, and is scanned at a desired arbitrary position in the print area P of the object.

After that, the control means 12 determines whether or not the output of the coordinates, which have been performed up to the correction of the scanning position distortion of all the specific points for one marking shape, to the drive unit 7 has been completed (step S8). If the control unit 12 has not yet output to the drive unit 7 the coordinates of all the scanning position distortion corrections for a specific point for one marking shape in step S8 (step S8: No), the control unit 12 proceeds to step S8.
Steps S8 to S8 are repeatedly executed.

The control means 12 determines in step S8
If all the coordinates for one marking shape have been output to the drive unit 7 (step S8: Yes), it is determined whether or not the marking has been completed (step S9). That is, the control unit 12 determines whether or not all the marking shapes set by the setting input unit 2 at the time of execution of step S1 are marked. Control means 1
2 indicates that the marking has been completed (step S9: Ye
s) End, but if the marking is not completed (step S9: No), the marking shape is changed and steps S2 to S9 are repeatedly executed.

According to the first embodiment, the reference coordinate data of the marking shape to be marked is calculated by the calculating means and stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in advance. Even when a position is marked, only the linear conversion process and the scanning position distortion correction process are performed, so that the time required for the marking can be reduced. That is, the operation of subdividing the constituent lines of the marking shape that can be printed by the calculation means is performed in advance, and the actual printing operation is started after receiving the print command because it is stored in the nonvolatile memory 13. Be faster.

Further, no matter which position in the print area P of the object is marked, it is not necessary to store the distortion correction data in the nonvolatile memory 13 for each position where there is a possibility of printing. Since it is not necessary to store the line type information for each specific point in 13, there is no increase in cost due to a large increase in storage capacity.

Fixed value independent of position A = X−Xr, B
= Y−Yr is not calculated for each specific point, but is calculated in advance immediately after the selection setting is input, so that the rotation / position correction processing can be performed at high speed in the routine shown in FIG.

R (x ″, y ″) converted from the reference coordinate data indicated by the specific point by performing the rotation / position correction processing
When calculating is performed, only the addition and multiplication of the coordinates x, y, g, and h are performed as the processing performed for each specific point shown in FIG. 6, and the number of steps is simplified. .

(Second Embodiment) FIGS. 7 and 8 show a second embodiment.
This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the control contents are changed so as to perform correction according to the marking position of the reference coordinate data while driving the galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9. The control unit 12 described in the first embodiment is shown as a replacement control unit 16, and the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Will be described only. Regarding the control contents of the control means 16, the parts which are not described below are the same as the control means 1.
The description is omitted because it is the same as the control content of 2.

The control unit 16 receives setting information from the setting input unit 2, calculates various coordinate data, and controls the driving of the galvanometer mirrors 9 via the driving unit 7 to perform optical scanning. Control the marking position,
The output of the laser light source 8 can be controlled. Further, the control means 16 includes, for example, two timers A and B
Are configured to be able to be interrupted independently of each other, and further, it is possible to interrupt the input of the print start command signal from the setting input means 2 during the operation of the main routine described below.

Since other configurations are the same,
The description of the configuration is omitted. The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a main routine that is a main part of the operation of the control means 16.

The format of the marking shape and the setting information of the marking function for marking are selectively set and input from the setting input means 2 (step U1: Yes), and the setting input means 2 outputs the setting information to the control means 16. . In the second embodiment, it is assumed that the rotation and the position are set.

When the control means 16 detects that the setting information has been input from the setting input means 2, the control means 16 sets the setting input means 2.
(Step U2). The control unit 16 performs rotation / position correction processing on the specific point P1 (first specific point) (step U3), and further corrects scanning position distortion on the specific point P1 (first specific point). Processing, that is, correction for correcting screen distortion is performed (step U4).

The control means 16 sets 2 to the variable S (step U5), and permits input interruption from the setting input means 2 (step U6). Further, the control means 16 determines whether the variable S
The rotation / position correction processing is performed on the ith specific point (step U7), and the scanning position distortion correction processing is performed on the variable S-th specific point and stored in the RAM 14 (step U7).
8). The control unit 16 determines whether the variable S matches the number max of the specific points forming the marking shape (step U9). If the variable S matches the number max of the specific points (Step U9: Yes),
That is, if the processing shown in steps U7 and U8 has been performed for all the specific points, the CPU waits for an interrupt processing (step U11). Thereafter, after the interruption processing is performed, the processing from step U1 to step U11 is repeated again.

If the variable S does not match the specific point number max (step U9: No) at step U9, the control means 16 increments the variable S (step U10), and repeats the processing from step U7. I do. That is, the processing of steps U7 to U10 is repeatedly performed until the control unit 16 performs the rotation / position correction processing and the scanning position distortion correction processing of a specific point for a specified marking shape. These steps U7 to U7
It takes several hundreds of milliseconds to perform ten processes. The control means 16 determines in step U6
Since an input interrupt is permitted, when an input interrupt occurs in steps U7 to U10, an input interrupt process is performed.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of the input interrupt processing. The control means 16 substitutes 1 for the variable t (step V1), and sets the galvanomirrors 9, 9 at the corrected initial position indicated by the t-th, that is, the first specific point P1.
Drive control and laser power control (step V
2). In the laser power control, the laser output is turned on (ON) when the position information of the specific point is information of “start point” or “middle point”, and the position information of the specific point is information of “end point”. In this case, the control for turning off the laser output is performed.

The control means 16 determines whether or not the variable t matches the number max of the specific points forming the marking shape (step V3). If the variable t does not match max, the variable t is incremented (step V4),
Laser power control is performed (step V5). Then, the control means 16 determines whether or not the laser output has been turned on in step V5 (step V6). Control means 1
6 indicates that the laser output is not turned on (step V
6: No), the data corrected for the variable t-th specific point is output to the drive unit 7, and the drive of the galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9 is controlled via the drive unit 7. The control means 16 sets the built-in timer A (step V8), ends the input interrupt processing, and proceeds to steps U7 to U7 of the main routine.
The process returns to any of U10. Note that the processing time of steps V3 to V8 is shorter than the processing time of steps U7 to U10 in the main routine, and is performed, for example, at about 100 ms.

If the laser output of the laser light source 8 has been turned on in step V6, the control means 16 outputs the data of the variable t-th specific point to the drive unit 7 (step V9). By driving and controlling the galvanomirrors 9 and 9 via, the target object is marked on the print area P. The control means 16 sets the timer B (step V10), terminates the input interrupt processing, and proceeds to steps U7 to U7.
The process returns to any one of the processes 10. Note that the timer A set in step V8 is set for a relatively long time with respect to the timer B set in step V10. This is a jump section in which the timer A, which is set when the laser output of the laser light source 8 is turned off, is set to move from the “end point” to the “start point” as position information,
This is because only that time is required. The timer B moves the focal position of the galvanometer mirrors 9 with respect to the position from the “start point” to the “middle point”, the “middle point” to the “middle point”, and the “middle point” to the “end point” as position information. Since it is set occasionally, it is sufficient to make the timer A shorter. Note that the processing time of these steps V3 to V6 to V10 is shorter than the processing time of steps U7 to U10 in the main routine, for example, about 100 ms.

If the variable t matches max in step V3 (step V3: Yes), laser power control is performed (step V11), and the input interruption process ends. That is, in the input interrupt processing, when the laser output of the laser light source 8 is turned off at a specific point indicating the “end point” as the position information, the timer A
Is set. Thereafter, when the control means 16 controls the drive of the galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9, the control means 16 moves the focal position to the corrected coordinates with respect to the specific point indicating the “start point” as the position information, and responds to the marking position in the main routine. Another specific point correction process is performed. The control means 16 performs correction according to the marking position of the reference coordinate data when the marking is not being performed while the galvanomirrors 9 and 9 are being driven. At this time, when an interrupt is generated by the timer A or the timer B, the processing is performed from step V3.

According to the second embodiment, when the galvanomirrors 9 and 9 are driven and controlled, the rotation / position correction and the scanning position distortion correction (processing for correcting the screen distortion) with respect to the reference coordinate data are performed by the galvanomirror. This is also performed during the movement control of the focus position with respect to the print areas 9 and 9. That is, while driving the galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9, correction is performed according to the marking position of the reference coordinate data,
Since the time required for the focal positions of the galvanometer mirrors 9 and 9 to stabilize at the position where the next marking starts can be effectively used, higher-speed processing can be performed.

(Third Embodiment) FIGS. 9 to 11 show a third embodiment. The difference from the first and second embodiments is that the linear conversion processing accompanying the rotation / position correction processing is an integer type. It has just been configured to calculate. It should be noted that the control means 12 and 16 described in the above embodiment are shown as replacement control means 17, and the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted, and different parts will be described below. Will be described only. Regarding the control contents of the control means 17, the parts which are not described below are the same as the control contents of the control means 12 or the control means 16, and the description is omitted.

In the following description of the third embodiment,
For variables and constants of a signed integer type (Integer), a lowercase “i” is shown before the target variable and constant. The reference coordinate data is stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 13 in an integer type.

The calculating means calculates the values of cos θ and sin θ in the range of 0.0 ° to 90.0 °, for example, in steps of 0.1 °.
The value is multiplied by a predetermined natural number M (where M is a power of 2) which is predetermined so as not to overflow, rounded down to the nearest whole number, converted to a certain integer type value, and stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in association with the value of θ. Let it. At this time, the calculation means stores the converted values of cos θ and sin θ in the nonvolatile memory 13 in association with the value of i θ as an integer value i θ ← θ × 10.

For example, if the value of M is 1024, which is a power of 2, since sin30.0 ° = 0.5, iθ ← 30 × 10 = 30
0, Int (0.5 × 1024) = 512, and in this case, 3
SN corresponding to iθ = 300 as a sinθ value of 0.0 °
(300) = 512 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 13. In this way, the sin θ value is stored in the range of 0.0 ° to 90.0 ° in 0.1 ° steps. Similarly, cos6
Since 0.0 ° = 0.5, iθ ← 60 × 10 = 600, Int
(0.5 × 1024) = 512, in this case c of 60.0 °
CN (600) in association with iθ = 600 as the osθ value
= 512 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 13. I mean
sinθ and cosθ are functions SN (iθ) and CN (i
θ) is stored in the nonvolatile memory 13. When multiplying by a predetermined integer M, the processing speed can be increased by using a left shift operation.

The setting input means 2 is used to set the format (position setting, bold character setting, rotation setting, and rotation center coordinate S (Xr, Yr) of the marking shape (characters, symbols, figures, etc.) when marking. And information about the print content such as the rotation amount θ) and the marking function such as the current date and lot marking can be selected and input, and the data is output to the control means 12.
For information that is not selected and input, data in a predetermined default format is output to the control unit 12. At this time, the rotation amount θ
As a range from -180.0 ° to 180.0 °.

Since other configurations are the same,
The description of the configuration is omitted. The operation of the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS. Control means 1
7 is Step S1 described in the first embodiment.
To S9. At this time, steps S1 to S
In step 4, the control means 17 calculates the X-axis offset amount iX and the Y-axis offset amount iY from the position set values selected and set by the setting input means 2, and calculates the position from the coordinates S (iXr, iYr) of the rotation center. IA ← iX−iXr, iB ← iY−iYr are calculated as fixed values that do not depend on the above, and the integer type iA, iB is stored in the RAM 14. The control means 17 sequentially reads, for example, one reference point of the reference coordinate data calculated in advance by the calculation means from the nonvolatile memory 13. Thereafter, the control means 17 performs a rotation / position correction process. Note that all the processes described above are performed in an integer type.

As described in the first embodiment, R (x ″, y ″) converted from the reference coordinate data in the rotation / position correction processing can be rewritten as in equation (2). . The values of cos θ and sin θ in equation (2) are associated with the values of i θ as described above,
In the range of 0.0 °, it is stored in advance in the nonvolatile memory 13 as an integer-type converted value at step 0.1 °.

Hereinafter, when the rotation amount θin is set in the range of −180.0 ° to 180.0 °, the sine value and cosine value required for the calculation are stored in the non-volatile memory 13 in the range of 0.0 ° to 90 °.
The operation of calculating from limited data for 0 ° will be described. Note that the sine value and cosine value described in the present embodiment indicate M-type integer values.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation of calculating the sine value. The control means 17 sets the set θin at 10
And multiply it by iθsn (step W1). At this time, i
The value of θsn is a value between −1800 and 1800. At the time of the operation for calculating the sine value, the control means 17 substitutes 1 for the sign variable m to define the sign (step W2). When the control unit 17 determines that iθsn is less than 0 (step W3: Y
es), -1 is substituted for the sign variable m, and -iθsn is substituted for iθsn.
The code is converted by substituting the value of (step W4), and the process proceeds to step W5. The control means 17 determines in step W3
, When iθsn is 0 or more (step W3:
No), the process moves to the process of step W5.

At step W5, the control means 17
It is determined whether or not iθsn exceeds 900 (step W5: Yes).
0-iθsn) is substituted (step W6). When the control means 17 determines in step W5 that iθsn is 900 or less (step W5: No), the control means 17 proceeds to the processing of step W7.

In step W7, the control means 17 sets a sign variable m to the signed integer type iSIN.
Is multiplied by a function SN (iθsn). The iSIN value at this time is a value obtained by multiplying the value of sin θin by M in a signed integer type.

For example, if θin is set to −30.0 °, at step W7, m ← −1, θsn ← 300
And iSIN ← −512 corresponding to this is substituted.

FIG. 10 shows the operation of calculating the cosine value. The control means 17 multiplies the set θin by 10 to obtain i
Substitute into θcn (step X1). At this time, the value of iθcn is a value between −1800 and 1800. In the process of obtaining the cosine value, the control means 17 substitutes 1 for the sign variable m to define the sign (step X2). Control means 1
7 is when iθcn is less than 0 (step X3: Ye
s), the sign is converted by substituting the value of −iθcn for iθcn (step X4), and the process proceeds to step X5. When iθcn is equal to or larger than 0 in step X3 (step X3: No), the control means 17 shifts to the processing of step X5. In step X5, the control unit 17
Determines whether or not iθcn is a value exceeding 900, and when it is exceeded (step X5: Yes), substitutes −1 for the sign variable m and substitutes the value of (iθcn−900) for iθcn. (Step X6). The control means 17 determines in step X5
When it is determined that iθcn is 900 or less (Step X5: No), the process proceeds to Step X7.

In step X7, the control means 17 sets a code variable m for the signed integer type iCOS.
Is multiplied by a function CN (iθcn). At this time, the signed integer type iCOS value is a value obtained by multiplying the value of cos θin by M.

For example, if θin is set to −60.0 °, then at step X7, m ← 1, θcn ← 600, and iCOS ← 512 corresponding thereto is substituted. Thus, the rotation amount θin = −180.0 ° to 180.
When setting the 0 ° range, iS required for calculation
IN and iCOS are calculated.

Therefore, when actually performing the rotation / position correction processing in the integer type, it can be shown as the processing shown in the flowchart of FIG. That is, the control means 17
Is substituted into the variable ig as ig ← ix + iA,
Substitute ih ← iy + iB for the variable ih (step Y1). The control unit 17 determines iR (ix ″, iy ′) as a value converted from the reference coordinate data indicated by the specific point.
′) Is substituted as ix ″ ← (ig × iCOS−ih × iSIN) ÷ M + iXr (12) iy ″ ← (ig × iSIN + ih × iCOS) ÷ M + iYr (13) (step Y2). In the expression (12), the value in parentheses, that is, the value of ig × iCOS−ih × iSIN is calculated and then divided by M. That is, the value in parentheses is increased and then divided by M. still,
The division by M in Expressions (12) and (13) is performed to reversely convert a value that has been converted by multiplying iCOS and iSIN by M, but is performed by performing a right shift operation. , Can be processed at high speed. In this way, the rotation / position correction processing is performed in an integer type.

According to the third embodiment, since the linear conversion processing is performed in an integer type, the processing can be performed at high speed without the need for expensive control means 17. At the time of the rotation / position correction process, the data in the 360 ° range is calculated from the data in the 90 ° range for 0.0 ° to 90.0 ° stored in the nonvolatile memory 13.
The memory required to be stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in advance can be reduced under a configuration adaptable to 60 ° rotation.

Cos θ, s which is less than 1 at every θ value
Inθ is multiplied by the value of M to convert it to an integer type, multiplied by coordinates at the time of correction, and then divided by the value of M after the value increases, so that correction processing is performed with little effect on the value after conversion. be able to. Since M is configured to take a value of a power of 2, the multiplication / division can be calculated by the shift operation, and the calculation process can be sped up.

(Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 12 shows a fourth embodiment. The difference from the first, second and third embodiments is that the scanning position distortion correction processing is performed in an integer type. It has just been configured. It should be noted that the control means 12, 16, and 17 described in the above-described embodiment are shown as replacement control means 18, and the same portions as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. Only the parts will be described. Regarding the control contents of the control means 18, those parts which are not described below are the same as the control contents of the control means 12, the control means 16 or the control means 17, and the description is omitted.

In the following description of the fourth embodiment,
For variables and constants of a signed integer type (Integer), a lowercase “i” is shown before the target variable and constant.

As described in the first embodiment, the coordinates (x ′, y) given to the drive unit 7 of the optical scanning device 15 when driving the galvanometer mirrors 9 via the drive unit 7 are controlled.
') Can be calculated as in equations (10) and (11). The equations (10) and (11) may be subjected to a third-order approximation in order to process the equation 18 at a higher speed. That is,
In this case, the fifth order term is deleted. Below 5
An embodiment in which the following items are deleted will be described. Note that the reference coordinate data is stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in advance as an integer.

At this time, when storing the reference coordinate data in the nonvolatile memory 13, the calculating means adjusts and stores the reference coordinate data so that the value of the minimum resolution becomes a reference. That is, for example, as the coordinates of the reference coordinate data, 17 m
If the value of m is the minimum resolution of 10 μm, 17 mm
Since ÷ 10 μm = 1700, the value 1700 is stored in the nonvolatile memory 13. In this way, the x coordinate and the y coordinate of the reference coordinate data are adjusted, and the distance D between the center of the Y-axis mirror and the printing plane, X
Similarly, the distance E between the center of the axis mirror and the center of the Y axis mirror is adjusted according to the value of the minimum resolution, and stored in the nonvolatile memory 13. In addition, the calculation means is used for all y in the printing range.
Calculate the following array for

[0089]

(Equation 7)

This is a value obtained by multiplying a value obtained by dividing the value of p in the equation (10) by x and M2 that is set to a value which does not cause an overflow in advance. Then, the calculating means causes the nonvolatile memory 13 to store the value as an integer type.

Similarly, the fifth-order term in the equation (11) is deleted, and the following arrangement is calculated for all y in the print range.

[0092]

(Equation 8)

The calculating means stores this value in the nonvolatile memory 13
Is stored as an integer type value. Further, the calculating means is:
The following values are also stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 as m ← x × u (y) ÷ M2.

[0094]

(Equation 9)

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the scanning position distortion correction processing at the time of the integer type operation in the control means 18. Control means 1
Reference numeral 8 designates the input reference coordinate data as variables (ix, iy). At this time, the array u stored in the nonvolatile memory 13
(Y) is read by substituting iy for y, for example, by converting the integer type iu (iy) by truncating the decimal part. Control means 1
8 is obtained by multiplying this iu (iy) by the x coordinate ix and then calculating M
Divide by 2 and substitute for variable im (step Z1).

If the coordinates after conversion are (ix ′, iy ′), the control means 18 substitutes im obtained in step Z1 for m in v (m) in the equation (14) to obtain an integer type. Is converted to iv (im) to obtain a converted x coordinate ix ′ (step Z2). Similarly, y is substituted for y in z (y) in equation (13), and converted to an integer type to obtain iz (iz) A converted y coordinate iy 'which is (iy) is obtained (step Z3). In this manner, the scanning position distortion correction processing is performed in an integer type.

According to the fourth embodiment, since the scanning position distortion correction processing is executed only by the integer type operation, a lower cost CPU can be used.
Cost can be further reduced. Further, since the calculation can be speeded up, the time required for marking can be further reduced.

That is, u (y) is converted to an integer by multiplying by M2, multiplied by the x coordinate during correction, and then divided by the value of M2. While reducing the number, it is possible to increase the speed by performing calculations with integer types. Since M2 is configured to take a value of a power of 2, multiplication / division can be calculated by a shift operation,
This calculation process can be sped up.

(Other Embodiments) The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments at all, and can take various forms within the technical scope of the present invention. The following extensions or modifications are particularly possible. The above embodiment is also applicable to a case where a marking shape such as a character, a symbol, and a figure is cut (cut). The laser marking device in the present invention means that this type of laser cutting device is also included.

Although the reference coordinate data calculated by the calculation means is stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in advance, it may be stored in the RAM 14 of the volatile memory.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of the embodiment has been described on the assumption that data that has not been subjected to linear conversion processing is stored as reference coordinate data calculated in advance. Data which has been subjected to linear conversion processing (offset processing or rotation processing of a marking position, or both offset processing and rotation processing) in advance may be stored. That is,
Since the processing speed is almost sufficient to perform the scanning position distortion correction processing, the drive control of the galvanometer mirrors 9 can be performed more quickly than in the above-described embodiment.

Note that the rotation and position correction processing can be omitted by omitting the routine shown in steps S4 and S5 in FIG. 3 for the first embodiment.

By making it possible to select an arbitrary character from the setting input means 2, the arbitrary character can be printed. For example, by storing all ASCII character strings in the non-volatile memory 13 according to a predetermined format, an arbitrary character string can be printed when a character is selected and input from the setting input means 2.

In the first embodiment, the values of cos θ and sin θ are previously stored in the nonvolatile memory 13 in the range of 0 to 90.
Calculated in, for example, 0.1 ° steps in the range of θ, θ
Although it is configured to be stored in association with the value of, the fixed value may be calculated when calculating the fixed value in step S2 and stored in the RAM 14. When marking a bold character, a bold character can be realized by correcting the reference coordinate data according to the marking position and then shifting the data by a predetermined amount. In the third and fourth embodiments, the arithmetic processing is performed with a signed integer type, but may be performed with an unsigned integer type.

[0105]

As described above, according to the laser marking device of the present invention, a plurality of reference coordinate data from the start point to the end point of the marking shape calculated in advance by the calculation means are stored in the storage means, and the control means Since the reference coordinate data is read out, the correction for correcting the screen distortion according to the marking position is performed, and the corrected reference coordinate data is output to the drive unit of the galvanomirror. Even when marking is performed, it is not necessary to store the distortion correction data for each position where there is a possibility of printing in the storage unit, and the storage capacity of the storage unit can be reduced, so that the cost can be reduced. .

Further, since the storage means stores the reference coordinate data calculated by the calculation means in advance, it is possible to reduce the time required for converting the reference data into data required for marking. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an electrical configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a specific point, reference coordinate data, and position information.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an operation content (part 1);

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing position correction.

FIG. 5 is a view showing rotation correction about an arbitrary point;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an operation content (part 2).

FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3, showing a second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an input interrupt process;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of calculating a sine value according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a cosine value calculating operation;

FIG. 11 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating scanning position distortion correction processing according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an electrical configuration diagram showing a conventional example.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing font data and distortion correction data.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing operation contents.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 is a setting input unit, 7 is a driving unit, 8 is a laser light source, 9 is a galvanometer mirror, 11 is a laser marking device, 12,
Reference numerals 16, 17, and 18 denote control means, 13 denotes a non-volatile memory (storage means), and P denotes a print area.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A laser light source, a galvanomirror that reflects a laser beam of the laser light source, changes the direction of the laser beam, and irradiates the object with the laser light;
Setting input means for setting a marking shape such as a symbol or figure; storage means for calculating and storing a plurality of reference coordinate data from a starting point to an ending point of the marking shape by a calculating means in advance; setting information of the setting input means Sequentially reads out the reference coordinate data of the storage means based on the data, performs correction for correcting the screen distortion corresponding to the marking position on the read reference coordinate data, and outputs the corrected reference coordinate data to the drive unit of the galvanomirror. A laser marking device, comprising: 2. The laser marking apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit performs a correction according to a marking position of the reference coordinate data while the galvanomirror is driven. 3. The laser marking according to claim 1, wherein said control means calculates an integer type of linear conversion processing when correcting said reference coordinate data according to a marking position. apparatus. 4. The scanning control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said control means calculates a scan position distortion correction process when correcting said reference coordinate data in accordance with a marking position in an integer type. A laser marking device according to any one of the above.