JP2004042103A - Trigger controller of laser beam machining mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily change the operation timing of peripheral devices and the timing of a trigger signal, and to enable flexible machining. <P>SOLUTION: A trigger controller 40 is provided to a laser beam machine, and an operation timing signal for making peripheral components operate is generated together with the trigger signal. Further, the oscillation frequency and pulse width of a laser are can be independently set. Also, a plurality of oscillation conditions can be set. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a trigger controller of a laser processing apparatus that generates a trigger signal for controlling the oscillation timing of a laser oscillator in accordance with a laser oscillation condition corresponding to a processing condition, and more particularly to laser drilling for processing a printed wiring board. The present invention relates to a trigger controller suitable for use in a machine and capable of easily changing the operation timing of a peripheral device and the timing of a trigger signal, and a laser processing apparatus using the trigger controller.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In a laser processing apparatus that performs processing by irradiating an object to be processed with a laser beam, such as a laser drilling machine, as illustrated in FIG. 1, an optical path of a laser oscillator 10 and a laser beam 12 emitted from the laser oscillator 10. An optical element 14 such as an electro-optic element (EOM) or an acousto-optic element (AOM) for branching a laser beam or shaping a laser pulse, an optical element control device 16 for controlling the optical element 14, and the laser A trigger generator 20 for generating a trigger signal for controlling the oscillation timing of the oscillator 10, a half mirror 22 for branching a part of the laser light irradiated to the workpiece 8, and branching by the half mirror 22 A light sensor 24 such as a GPD (Good Pulse Detector) sensor for detecting the intensity of the laser beam, and the output of the light sensor 24. While data, the trigger generator 20, a machining control unit (or host controller) 30 that gives the oscillation conditions of the laser in accordance with the processing conditions input from the operator.
[0003]
In such a laser processing machine, the optical element 14 such as EOM or AOM operates at a very high speed, and thus can cope with a high oscillation frequency and a short laser pulse width, which is useful for realizing a high throughput. On the other hand, since it operates at a very high speed, it is necessary to accurately synchronize its operation timing with laser oscillation.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, conventionally, for the optical element 14, a trigger signal to the laser oscillator 10 is branched, and a delay time is inserted into the signal by a delay circuit 18 or the like to generate an operation timing signal of the optical element 14. Was. Therefore, adjustment and the like are difficult, and accurate synchronization is difficult to be guaranteed. In addition, the performance of the optical element 14 may not be fully exhibited, and the applicable range is narrow.
[0005]
Some laser oscillators 10 can directly control the pulse width of the laser beam by changing the pulse width of the trigger signal. In a laser processing machine used for drilling a printed circuit board, etc., it is necessary to change the pulse width and oscillation frequency of the laser oscillator depending on the material to be processed, the processing shape, the pattern, and the like.
[0006]
However, in the conventional trigger generator 20, when changing the pulse width, first, the internal counter value of the trigger generator corresponding to the oscillation frequency is calculated, and the pulse width is similarly calculated to generate a trigger signal. It was. For this reason, even when only the pulse width is desired to be changed, it is necessary to calculate the oscillation frequency, and there is a problem that a delay occurs due to the calculation.
[0007]
In the conventional trigger generator, the calculation is performed each time the machining conditions change, and the laser oscillation parameters (oscillation frequency, pulse width, etc.) are set. For this reason, when the machining conditions frequently change at a fast cycle, a delay due to the calculation time occurs, and the machining throughput is limited. Further, even when several types of oscillation conditions occur repeatedly, the redundant configuration is such that the same calculation is repeated each time.
[0008]
The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and a first object is to accurately synchronize peripheral devices such as EOM and AOM with the oscillation timing of the laser oscillator.
[0009]
It is a second object of the present invention to prevent a delay time due to calculation of oscillation frequency and pulse width settings.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention relates to a trigger controller of a laser processing apparatus that generates a trigger signal for controlling the oscillation timing of a laser oscillator according to a laser oscillation condition according to a processing condition, for operating a peripheral device together with the trigger signal. The first problem is solved by generating an operation timing signal.
[0011]
Further, an abnormal signal from the peripheral device can be input, and when the abnormal signal is detected, the trigger signal is stopped.
[0012]
The present invention also provides a frequency for controlling a laser oscillation frequency in a trigger controller of a laser processing apparatus that generates a trigger signal for controlling an oscillation timing of a laser oscillator according to a laser oscillation condition corresponding to a processing condition. The second problem is solved by providing a counter and a pulse width counter for controlling the pulse width and enabling the laser oscillation frequency and pulse width to be set independently.
[0013]
Further, the frequency division number of the counter can also be set.
[0014]
Furthermore, generation of a trigger signal having a duty ratio outside the limit is prevented based on the set values of the frequency counter and the pulse width counter.
[0015]
In the trigger controller of the laser processing apparatus that generates a trigger signal for controlling the oscillation timing of the laser oscillator in accordance with the laser oscillation condition according to the processing condition, the present invention can set a plurality of oscillation conditions, It solves the second problem.
[0016]
The present invention also provides a laser processing apparatus comprising the trigger controller.
[0017]
The trigger controller, a processing control device that gives the trigger controller a laser oscillation condition according to processing conditions, and a memory shared between the processing control device and the trigger controller are provided. A laser processing apparatus is provided.
[0018]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0019]
In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the present invention is applied to a laser drilling machine in which an AOM 15 is used as an optical element, and a trigger according to the present invention is provided between a machining control device 30 and a laser oscillator 10. A controller 40 and a dual port memory (DPRAM) 50 shared by the trigger controller 40 and the machining control device 30 are provided. In the figure, reference numeral 17 denotes a control device for the AOM 15.
[0020]
As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the trigger controller 40 includes a CPU 41, an internal counter 42, a ROM 43, a RAM 44, a buffer 45, an A / D converter 46, and a general-purpose output port 47. ing.
[0021]
The trigger controller 40 is provided with a desired laser oscillation frequency and laser pulse width corresponding to the processing conditions from the processing control device 30, and the delay time of the operation timing signal of the AOM 15 with respect to the laser trigger (t in FIG. 4). ) Is preset. When a laser oscillation command is received from the machining control device 30, a laser trigger signal corresponding to a desired oscillation frequency and pulse width is first output as shown in FIG. Then, after the set delay time t, which is counted by the internal counter 42, is output an operation timing signal to the AOM 15.
[0022]
The trigger controller 40 can be input with an abnormal signal from a peripheral device such as the AOM 15. For example, when an abnormal signal from the AOM 15 is detected, a laser oscillator is promptly displayed as shown in FIG. The trigger signal output to 10 is stopped.
[0023]
The AOM 15 changes the refractive index at a very high speed in accordance with the input operation timing signal, and as a result, changes the optical path of the laser light, and operates like a shutter, for example.
[0024]
The laser oscillator 10 is, for example, a CO2 laser or a UV laser, and starts oscillating in response to a laser trigger signal that is first output. At this time, the laser beam is blocked in the middle of the optical path by the shutter operation of the AOM 15 and is not processed.
[0025]
When an operation timing signal to the AOM 15 is output from the trigger controller 40 after the set delay time t, the AOM 15 changes the output, that is, changes the optical path of the laser to perform processing. In this way, the pulse width of the laser light can be shaped.
[0026]
The delay time t of the operation timing signal to the AOM 15 can be freely changed by software in the trigger controller 40. When this configuration is adopted, the laser oscillator 10 apparently has its laser oscillation for each shot. It is possible to change the pulse width. In addition, since the trigger signal to the laser oscillator 10 and the operation timing signal to the AOM 15 are both generated based on the internal counter 42 of the trigger controller 40, it is possible to synchronize very accurately.
[0027]
Further, when the trigger controller 40 detects an abnormal signal of the AOM 15, as shown in FIG. 5, before the laser oscillator 10 oscillates the next one shot, the trigger signal output is immediately stopped, Equipment safety and processing quality can be guaranteed.
[0028]
For communication between the machining control device 30 and the trigger controller 40, serial, parallel communication or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, since the DPRAM 50 is used, extremely high-speed communication is possible.
[0029]
Further, when changing the oscillation frequency and pulse width of the laser oscillator depending on the material to be processed, the processing shape, the pattern, etc., it is performed as follows.
[0030]
That is, when the oscillation frequency and pulse width of the laser oscillator 10 are input to the machining control device 30 by the operator, the machining control device 30 corresponds to a counter value corresponding to the internal counter 42 of the trigger controller 40 (hereinafter referred to as a frequency counter value). Is calculated. Since the trigger controller internal counter 42 needs to change the frequency division number of the counter according to the frequency of the trigger signal to be output, the frequency division number of the counter is simultaneously calculated as shown in FIG. Similarly, the corresponding internal counter value (hereinafter referred to as pulse width counter value) is calculated for the pulse width.
[0031]
The processing control device 30 sets the frequency counter value, the pulse width counter value, and the frequency division number calculated in this way in the trigger controller 40. The trigger controller 40 drives the internal counter 42 according to the set counter value and frequency division number, and generates a trigger signal as shown in FIG.
[0032]
When the oscillation frequency or pulse width is changed by the operator during processing in the laser processing machine, the processing control device 30 needs to repeat the above calculation. However, when only the pulse width is changed, in this embodiment, the frequency is changed. Since it is not necessary to change the counter value and only the pulse width counter value is calculated and set in the trigger controller 40, the calculation time can be shortened. Conversely, if the frequency division number is within a certain range, it is not necessary to calculate the pulse width counter value when only the oscillation frequency is changed, and the calculation time can be shortened in the same manner.
[0033]
Here, the pulse width of the laser oscillator 10 has a limitation on the pulse width that can be set depending on the oscillation frequency, and the limitation is often expressed by a duty ratio. The duty ratio is a value that can be expressed as pulse width × oscillation frequency expressed in%. For example, when the oscillation frequency is 10 kHz and the pulse width is 10 μsec, (10 × 10 ³ ) × (10 × 10 ⁻⁶ ) = 0. .1 and 10%. As is clear from this, the duty ratio changes when the oscillation frequency is changed.
[0034]
However, in the trigger controller 40, since each parameter is given as an internal counter value, the limitation of the duty ratio is relatively easy to calculate, and when the frequency counter value is given, the upper and lower limits of the pulse width are The counter value is obtained simply by multiplying the upper and lower limits of the duty ratio. Therefore, it is possible to promptly determine whether the pulse width input by the operator is good or not and prevent the trigger signal having a duty ratio outside the limit value from being input to the laser oscillator 10.
[0035]
Also, it is desirable that the parameters are not always constant during processing but can be varied in order to obtain good results. For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the oscillation conditions can be changed, such as 10 shot oscillation (with cycle data T1) at 1 kHz pulse width of 10 μsec and then 20 shot oscillation (with cycle data T2) at 10 kHz 10 μsec. It is common. Therefore, when the above conditions are given by the operator to the host machining control device 30, the machining control device 30 brings these parameters to the trigger controller 40 and sets the oscillation frequency, pulse width, and number of shots together. Set as data (referred to as cycle data).
[0036]
The plurality of cycle data set in this manner can be simultaneously set as data called the number of stages in the DPRAM 50 as shown in FIG. 9, thereby controlling the number of cycle data. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, only cycle data T1, T1 and T2 are performed once or T1 is performed twice for each processing point h1 to h9 of each processing area A to H, and then T2 is set. This is set by a valid / invalid flag in the DPRAM 50, such as once. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, for example, processing is performed by oscillating the cycle data T1 → cycle data T2 and the laser during a series of processing, and then processing is performed by oscillating the cycle data T1 → cycle data T3 and the laser. It becomes possible.
[0037]
In the trigger controller 40, internal calculations are performed in advance corresponding to the cycle data, so that only the number of stages needs to be referred to immediately before or after the oscillation start signal is input, and rapid laser oscillation is possible.
[0038]
In this way, by updating the number of stages one after another with respect to cycle data given in advance, rapid laser oscillation can be performed according to various processes without being affected by the delay caused by the calculation in the trigger controller 40. It becomes possible.
[0039]
In the above-described embodiment, the acoustooptic device (AOM) 15 is used as the peripheral device. However, the peripheral device directly controlled by the trigger controller 40 is not limited to this, and is used for, for example, optical path branching of laser light. The same applies to other peripheral devices such as an acousto-optic device (AOM).
[0040]
In the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a laser drilling machine. However, the application target of the present invention is not limited to this, and is similarly applied to laser processing machines in general, such as a laser cutting machine and a marking machine. Obviously we can do it. The type of laser is not limited to CO ₂ laser or UV laser, but can be applied to other lasers.
[0041]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention, by giving the trigger controller as a parameter, the operation timing of the peripheral device of the laser oscillator can be easily changed, and more flexible processing is possible. Further, by directly outputting the operation timing signal from the trigger controller to the laser oscillator, an accurate synchronous operation is possible, and as a result, the processing quality can be improved.
[0042]
In addition, the delay time due to the calculation when the laser oscillation condition is changed can be shortened, and the processing time can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of a conventional laser drilling machine using a trigger generator. FIG. 2 shows an overall configuration of an embodiment of a laser drilling machine employing a trigger controller according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the trigger controller. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the relationship between a trigger signal and an operation timing signal in the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a time showing a trigger signal when an AOM abnormality is detected. Chart [Fig. 6] Time chart showing an example of the relationship between the setting value and count value of the internal counter of the trigger controller. [Fig. 7] The relationship between the frequency counter and pulse width counter setting values of the internal counter and the output trigger signal. [Figure 8] Time chart showing an example of a trigger signal that also changes depending on machining conditions [Figure 8] ] Similarly diagram showing an example of the setting state of the DPRAM [plan view showing an example of FIG. 10] processing object 11 is a flowchart EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS showing how to change the cycle data by processing conditions
8 ... Processing object 10 ... Laser oscillator 15 ... Acousto-optic device (AOM)
17 ... AOM control device 30 ... Processing control device 40 ... Trigger controller 42 ... Internal counter 50 ... Dual port memory (DPRAM)

Claims (8)

In the trigger controller of the laser processing apparatus that generates a trigger signal for controlling the oscillation timing of the laser oscillator according to the laser oscillation conditions according to the processing conditions,
A trigger controller for a laser processing apparatus, wherein an operation timing signal for operating a peripheral device is generated together with the trigger signal. 2. The trigger controller for a laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an abnormal signal from the peripheral device can be input, and the trigger signal is stopped when the abnormal signal is detected. In the trigger controller of the laser processing apparatus that generates a trigger signal for controlling the oscillation timing of the laser oscillator according to the laser oscillation conditions according to the processing conditions,
A frequency counter for controlling the oscillation frequency of the laser;
A pulse width counter for controlling the pulse width,
A trigger controller for a laser processing apparatus, wherein a laser oscillation frequency and a pulse width can be set independently. The trigger controller of the laser processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the frequency division number of the counter can also be set. 4. The trigger controller for a laser processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein generation of a trigger signal having a duty ratio outside the limit is prevented based on set values of the frequency counter and the pulse width counter. In the trigger controller of the laser processing apparatus that generates a trigger signal for controlling the oscillation timing of the laser oscillator according to the laser oscillation conditions according to the processing conditions,
A trigger controller for a laser processing apparatus, wherein a plurality of oscillation conditions can be set. A laser processing apparatus comprising the trigger controller according to claim 1. The trigger controller according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A processing control device for giving a laser oscillation condition according to the processing condition to the trigger controller;
A memory shared between the machining control device and the trigger controller;
A laser processing apparatus comprising:

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