JP4999145B2 - Laser processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a record over The processing equipment.

This type of laser processing apparatus includes, for example, a laser generator having a laser oscillator that generates laser light, and a scanning unit having a galvanometer mirror that changes the optical path direction of the laser light emitted from the laser generator. A laser marking device is known (see Patent Document 1). In this device, the processing is performed on the object to be processed by irradiating the laser beam within a processable region determined according to the rotation range of the galvano mirror or the size of the converging lens for converging the laser beam from the galvano mirror. It has come to give.
JP-A-10-118778

  By the way, in the above-described conventional laser processing apparatus, the processable area is fixed, and unless the relative position of the process target with respect to the laser processing apparatus is changed, the process on the process target object is performed only within the processable area. I could not. Therefore, in order to process a workpiece in a wider range than this, there are methods such as increasing the rotation range of the galvanometer mirror or providing a converging lens with a large size. May lead to an increase in size.

  The present invention has been completed based on the above-described circumstances, and its purpose is to suppress the enlargement of the apparatus and to move the workpiece to a wide area without moving the workpiece. It is in the place where it is possible to perform processing on.

As means for achieving the above object, a laser processing apparatus according to the invention of claim 1 includes a laser output unit for outputting a laser beam, and a workpiece to be processed within a region where the laser beam from the laser output unit can be processed. The axial direction of the reference axis of the processable region formed by the laser irradiation part to be irradiated to each of the above locations and the laser light from the laser irradiation part is rotated around a rotation axis orthogonal to the axial direction. By changing the position of the workable area of the laser irradiation unit on the work object, and for each workable area of each position changed by the change mechanism, within each workable area Each time the processable area is changed to each position by the setting unit that sets a process pattern to be processed on the object to be processed, and the change mechanism, the processable area at that position is handled. A processing control unit configured above by controlling the laser irradiation unit based on each processing pattern is irradiated with the laser beam from the laser irradiation unit performs processing on the workpiece, one of said plurality of removable region A laser beam irradiation position deviation amount of the laser irradiation unit per unit length of the processing pattern corresponding to another processable region according to the rotation angle in the axial direction by the change mechanism with respect to one reference processable region A correction unit that corrects .
The “reference axis of the workable region formed by laser light” in the present invention means, for example, the optical path of laser light that irradiates the center point of the workable region.

A second aspect of the present invention, in the laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, in accordance with the rotation angle of the shaft direction of the changing mechanism for one reference machining region of the plurality of removable regions, A focal length changing unit that changes the focal length of the laser beam from the laser irradiation unit is provided.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the laser processing apparatus according to the first or second aspect , the change mechanism connects the laser output unit and the laser irradiation unit so as to be rotatable about the rotation axis. The laser irradiation unit is configured such that the axial direction of the laser irradiation unit is a direction orthogonal to the connection direction by the connection unit, and the laser irradiation unit is rotated by the connection unit with respect to the laser output unit. The position of the workable area can be changed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the laser processing apparatus according to the third aspect , wherein a laser is output from the laser output unit to the laser irradiation unit through the connection unit, and the laser irradiation unit is configured to output the laser output unit. And a scanning optical system that scans the laser beam on the object to be processed in the processable region by changing the direction of the laser beam from the laser beam, accommodated in the connecting part, and from the laser output part A beam expander is provided for changing the beam diameter of the laser beam.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the laser processing apparatus according to the fifth aspect , the laser beam is expanded by the beam expander according to the axial rotation angle of the changing mechanism with respect to the reference processable region. A beam diameter control unit for changing the beam diameter is provided.

<Invention of Claim 1 >
According to this configuration, the position of the workable area of the laser irradiation unit on the work object can be changed, and the workable area is obtained by sequentially processing the work object for each workable area at each position. Compared with a laser processing method using a fixed conventional laser processing apparatus, a wider range of processing can be performed on a workpiece.
In addition, when the laser irradiation unit is controlled as it is based on the processing pattern set in the setting unit, the axial direction to the processing target differs depending on each processing region, and accordingly, the magnification variation of each processing region varies accordingly. May occur, which may cause a problem in processing quality. Therefore, in this configuration, the reference processable region in the uniaxial direction is used as a reference, and the laser beam irradiation position deviation amount of the laser irradiation unit (laser irradiation with respect to the unit length of the processing pattern) according to the rotation angle in the axial direction with respect to this. The deviation of the irradiation position of the laser beam irradiated on the workpiece is corrected. Thereby, the processing object can be processed according to the processing pattern set by the setting unit for each processable region.

<Invention of Claim 2 >
When the focal length of the laser beam from the laser irradiation unit is fixed, the distance to the workpiece is different depending on each processable region, and accordingly, the spot diameter on the workpiece in each processable region is It may be a problem in processing quality. Therefore, according to this configuration, the focal length of the laser beam from the laser irradiation unit is changed in accordance with the rotation angle in the axial direction relative to the reference workable region in the uniaxial direction. As a result, it is possible to process a workpiece with substantially the same spot diameter for each processable region.

<Invention of Claim 3 >
According to this configuration, the position of the workable region can be changed with a relatively simple configuration in which the laser irradiation unit is rotated with respect to the laser output unit. Further, it can be used in a place where the installation space is narrow as compared with the configuration in which the position of the workable region is changed by horizontally sliding the laser irradiation unit.

<Invention of Claim 4 >
According to this structure, the enlargement of a laser processing apparatus can be suppressed by accommodating a beam expander in a connection part.

<Invention of Claim 5 >
According to this configuration, by changing the beam diameter by the beam expander, it is possible to process a workpiece with substantially the same spot diameter for each processable region.

<Embodiment 1>
Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
1. Overall Configuration of Laser Marking Apparatus A laser processing apparatus according to this embodiment is a galvano scanning laser marking apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the laser marking device 1 has, for example, a product number or the like on the surface of a workpiece W (for example, an electronic component or the like corresponding to the “processing object” of the present invention) placed on a mounting table (not shown). Are used for printing a predetermined marking pattern (processed pattern).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the laser marking device 1 has a scanning unit 20 (“laser irradiation” of the present invention) on the tip side of a laser light source unit 10 (corresponding to “laser output unit” of the present invention) that has a prism shape as a whole. Part). The laser light source unit 10 accommodates therein a laser light source 14, and the scanning unit 20 includes optical members (in the present embodiment, for example, an fθ lens 25) such as a galvano mirror device 24 and an optical member (the present invention). (Corresponding to “scanning optical system”). In addition, the laser light source unit 10 and the scanning unit 20 are connected to the axis along the longitudinal direction of the laser light source unit 10 (optical axis LC of the laser light L) via a connecting member 30 (corresponding to the “connecting portion” of the present invention). Are connected to each other so as to be relatively rotatable. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 3, the laser light source unit 10 is of a swing head type capable of rotating the scanning unit 20 with respect to the laser light source unit 10 installed at a predetermined location. A beam expander 50 is accommodated in the connecting member 30 (see FIG. 2).

(1) Laser light source unit The casing 11 of the laser light source unit 10 has a cylindrical shape with a substantially rectangular cross section. Inside the casing 11, a laser light source 14 (for example, a CO 2 laser light source) is arranged along the longitudinal direction of the casing 11 (vertical direction in FIG. 2), and the scanning unit 20 is arranged with laser light L which is invisible light. The light can be emitted to the tip side.

  In addition, a front end opening portion of the casing 11 is closed by a front end wall 12, and a substantially circular laser emission port 15 is located at a position where the optical axis LC of the laser light L from the laser light source 14 abuts on the front end wall 12. Is open. As a result, the laser light L from the laser light source 14 is emitted from the laser emission port 15 to the outside of the casing 11.

(2) Scanning unit The casing 21 of the scanning unit 20 forms a box body having a substantially sectoral cross section, and the rear end opening portion facing the front end wall 12 of the scanning unit 20 is closed by the wall body 22A. A base plate 22 is mounted on the bottom surface.

  The casing 21 is provided with a galvanomirror device 24, an fθ lens 25, and the like. The galvanomirror device converts the laser light L incident inside through a circular laser entrance 26 formed in the wall 22A. The direction is changed via 24, and then the light is converged by the fθ lens 25 and irradiated onto the workpiece W. Specifically, the galvanometer mirror device 24 reflects the first galvanometer mirror 24A (X-galvanometer mirror) that changes the direction of the laser light L from the laser incident port 26 to one direction, and the first galvanometer mirror 24A. The laser beam L is configured to include a second galvanometer mirror 24B (Y-galvanometer mirror) that changes the laser beam L in a direction orthogonal to the direction of reflection by the first galvanometer mirror 24A. Further, the galvano mirror device 24 is provided with first galvano drive means and second galvano drive means for driving and controlling the respective rotation angles of the first and second galvano mirrors 24A and 24B.

  The laser light L from the laser incident port 26 is reflected by the first galvanometer mirror 24A and the second galvanometer mirror 24B, and is irradiated onto the workpiece W via the fθ lens 25. The position of the irradiation point P of the laser light L on the work W is determined by the first galvano mirror 24A being rotated by the first galvano driving means so that the one direction (the central axis of the connecting cylinder 31) on the work W. The second galvano mirror 24B is rotated by the second galvano driving means (moving in the direction orthogonal to the rotation axis of the scanning unit 20 with respect to the laser light source unit 10). As a result, the workpiece W is moved (scanned) in a direction perpendicular to the one direction (a direction along the central axis of the connecting cylinder 31, hereinafter referred to as “Y-axis direction”). As described above, the position of the irradiation point P of the laser beam L is determined by the rotation angle of the galvanometer mirrors 24A and 24B provided in the galvanometer mirror device 24, and based on the marking pattern of desired characters, symbols, figures, etc. By rotating the first and second galvanometer mirrors 24A and 24B, the converging light is scanned on the work to print the marking pattern.

(3) Connecting member As shown in FIG. 4, the connecting member 30 includes a connecting cylinder 31 provided with a flange 32 that protrudes in an annular shape toward the radially outer side at one end. The connecting cylinder 31 is fitted in the laser emission port 15 with no gap in a lateral orientation in which the flange 32 is accommodated in the casing 11 and the other end is directed to the scanning unit 20 side. Thereby, in the attached state, the optical axis LC of the laser beam L emitted from the laser emission port 15 and the central axis of the connecting cylinder 31 are positioned so as to coincide with each other. Note that a plurality of screw holes (not shown) are formed in the circumferential direction of the flange 32, and the entire connecting tube 31 is formed by screwing the side surface portion to the distal end wall 12 of the casing 11. It is fixed to the casing 11.

  The end of the connecting tube 31 opposite to the laser light source unit 10 is inserted into the laser incident port 26 of the wall 22A, and the laser light source unit 10 and the scanning unit 20 are connected to each other by the connecting tube 31. The cylinder 31 is connected so as to be relatively rotatable around a central axis (corresponding to a “rotary axis” in the present invention). Accordingly, the connecting member 30 corresponds to the “change mechanism” of the present invention. The arrangement direction of the laser light source unit 10 and the scanning unit 20 corresponds to the “connection direction” in the present invention.

  More specifically, the connecting cylinder 31 is provided with a turning mechanism including a pair of rings (first and second rings 41 and 42) forming an annular shape. Both the first and second rings 41 and 42 are provided with annular projections 41A and 42A projecting radially outward, and are fitted on the connecting cylinder 31 with the opposing surfaces of the rings 41 and 42 butting each other. In the attached state, the opposing surfaces are slidable contact surfaces, and both rings 41 and 42 are relatively rotated around the central axis of the connecting cylinder 31. The first ring 41 is fixed to the laser light source unit 10 and the second ring 42 is fixed to the scanning unit 20, so that the laser light source unit 10 and the scanning unit 20 are relative to each other. It will be connected so that rotation is possible (refer FIG. 3).

  In addition, the outer peripheral portions of both the rings 41 and 42 maintain the fitting state of both the rings 41 and 42, in other words, to restrict the two rings 41 and 42 from separating in the axial direction of the central axis of the connecting cylinder 31. The fitting holding ring 43 is arranged. The fitting holding ring 43 has an end ring shape, and is provided with a V-shaped fitting groove 43A on the side facing the first and second rings 41, 42, and the first, The annular protrusions 41A and 42A of the second rings 41 and 42 are fitted together.

(4) Beam Expander The beam expander 50 includes a collimator lens 53 and a diverging lens 54 housed in a cylindrical housing. The housing is composed of a cylindrical first lens holder 51 that houses a collimator lens 53 and a second lens holder 52 that houses a diverging lens 54, and the laser light source unit 10 side of the first lens holder 51. The second lens holder 52 is coaxially fitted in the formed fitting hole 51A.

  The collimator lens 53 accommodated in the first lens holder 51 is disposed on the end face side on the scanning unit 20 side, and is tightened from the end face by the stepped portion 51D and the lid 51E of the first lens holder 51. It is sandwiched and cannot move.

  The second lens holder 52 has a cylindrical shape like the first lens holder 51, and has an outer diameter that is substantially the same as the diameter of the fitting hole 51A described above so as to be in a close fitting state. It has become. Among these, the end surface on the laser light source unit 10 side is formed with a tapered surface 52A that is entirely inclined (see FIG. 5).

  In addition, a spring accommodating portion 51B is provided on the inner peripheral side of the first lens holder 51 and in the central portion in the length direction, and the second lens holder 52 is placed on the collimator lens 53 there. A coil spring 55 for energizing in the separating direction is accommodated (see FIG. 4).

  The first lens holder 52 is fitted to the connecting cylinder 31 without any gap, and is positioned so that the central axis of the connecting cylinder 31 and the optical axis of the beam expander 50 coincide with each other. . The positioning of the connecting cylinder 31 in the axial direction is performed by a step 51G formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first lens holder 52. That is, when the first lens holder 51 is attached to the connecting cylinder 31, the stepped portion 51 </ b> G hits the stepped portion 35 of the connecting tube 31, and further pushing operation is restricted. In this attached state, the tip of the first lens holder 51 protrudes into the laser light source unit 10. A through hole 51F penetrating to the left and right in FIG. 5 is formed in a portion protruding toward the laser light source unit 10, and an adjustment mechanism (which will be described later) 60 for adjusting the position of the diverging lens 54 is formed there. Can be attached. The connecting cylinder 31 is partially formed with a thin portion, and a cavity A is formed between the connecting lens 31 and the first lens holder 51. An electric wire is routed in the cavity A so that the laser light source unit 10 and the scanning unit 20 can be electrically connected.

(4) Adjustment mechanism The adjustment mechanism 60 includes an adjustment block 61, a cylindrical shaft portion 62, and a stepped support bolt 63.

  As shown in FIG. 5, plate-shaped mounting plates 19 are attached to the left and right sides of the connecting cylinder 31 in the front end wall 12 in a direction along the central axis of the connecting cylinder 31, and through holes 51 </ b> F in the right mounting plate 19. A screw hole 19 </ b> A is formed at a position opposite to. A support bolt 63 having a through hole 63C penetrating left and right at the center is screwed into the screw hole 19A. The shaft portion 62 is loosely inserted into the through hole 63 </ b> C of the support bolt 63.

  A large diameter portion 62 </ b> B is formed at the right end portion of the support bolt 63 in the shaft portion 62, and a retaining ring 64 is attached to the left end portion of the support bolt 63. As a result, the shaft portion 62 is prohibited from moving in the axial direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 5) of the shaft portion 62, and only a rotation operation around the axial line is allowed.

  A cylindrical resin J is interposed between the shaft portion 62 and the through hole 63 </ b> C of the support bolt 63. This has a function of a bearing, and the shaft portion 62 is idled.

  In addition, a threaded portion 62C having a threaded outer periphery is formed at the distal end portion of the shaft portion 62, and a linear groove portion 62A is formed at the lower end portion. An adjustment block 61 described below is screwed onto the screw portion 62C.

  The adjustment block 61 has a shape in which a cylinder protruding in the horizontal direction from the disc-shaped base end portion 61A is cut out obliquely, and a tapered surface 61B is provided in the cut-out portion. The tapered surface 61B comes into contact with the tapered surface 52A of the second lens holder 52 described above in the attached state. In addition, a passage hole 61 </ b> C that vertically penetrates the adjustment block 61 along the optical axis LC is formed in the adjustment block 61, and this is for allowing the laser light L to pass therethrough. Further, a screw hole is bored from the end face of the base end portion 61A so as to be orthogonal to the central axis of the connecting cylinder 31, and the above-described screw portion 62C is screwed there. In the present embodiment, for example, when a driving force is applied from an adjustment mechanism drive unit 73 (described later) connected to the groove portion 62A, the shaft portion 62 rotates and the adjustment block 61 is orthogonal to the central axis of the connection cylinder 31 ( It is a direction orthogonal to the optical axis LC, and is screwed back and forth in the vertical direction in FIG.

  From the above, the adjustment block 61 pushes the second lens holder 52 toward the collimator lens 53 against the urging force of the coil spring 55 to bring both the lenses 53 and 54 close, or on the contrary. Both lenses 53 and 54 are separated. By adjusting the relative distance between the collimator lens 53 and the diverging lens 54 in this way, the focal length of the laser light L or the spot diameter of the laser light L can be adjusted.

2. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the laser marking apparatus. As described above, the scanning unit 20 is provided with the galvanometer mirror device 24 and the converging lens 25. The first and second galvano drive means for driving and controlling the respective rotation angles of the first and second galvanometer mirrors 24A and 24B include a galvano drive motor 21 and a drive circuit 23 as components thereof. The galvano drive motor 21 is a generic term for both motors that drive the first and second galvanometer mirrors 24A, 24B, and the drive units (drive shafts, etc.) of these motors are respectively connected to the respective galvanometer mirrors 24A, The first and second galvanometer mirrors 24A and 24B are displaced by being connected directly to 24B or indirectly through other members. Further, the drive circuit 23 controls the drive of the galvano drive motor 21, and the drive circuit for driving each of the galvano drive motors is also generically named.

  The drive circuit 23 includes a D / A conversion circuit that converts a digital signal output from a control unit 70 (corresponding to a “processing control unit” of the present invention) provided on the laser light source unit 10 side into an analog signal, The motor control circuit controls the motor based on the analog signal converted by the D / A conversion circuit. A servo circuit is configured by the motor control circuit and the motor. Note that the rotation angles of the galvanometer mirrors 24A and 24B are determined in advance within a predetermined range due to restrictions on the structure or control of the first and second galvano driving means. As a result, in a state where the relative rotation position of the scanning unit 20 with respect to the laser light source unit 10 is fixed at an arbitrary position, a planar area where the position of the irradiation point P of the laser light L can be moved two-dimensionally on the workpiece W is also obtained. The plane area is finitely defined and corresponds to the “workable area” in the present invention, and is hereinafter referred to as “printing area E”.

  On the laser light source unit 10 side, the laser light source 14, the control unit 70, the setting unit 71, the memory 72, the adjustment mechanism driving unit 73 and the print area changing unit 74 described above are provided. The setting unit 71 is for setting each marking condition such as a marking speed and setting a desired marking pattern to be marked on the workpiece W. When the marking pattern is set by the setting unit 71, the control unit 70 reads out font data corresponding to the marking pattern from the font data storage area of the memory 72. Then, the control unit 70 divides the marking pattern into predetermined line elements based on the font data, and sets a plurality of points including the start point and the end point for each line element to XY corresponding to the actual print area E on the workpiece W. It is converted into a plurality of coordinate data indicating the positional relationship in the coordinate system, and these are stored in a coordinate data storage area in the memory 72 together with an on / off command for the laser light source 14.

  Here, in the laser marking device 1 of the present embodiment, the laser light L emitted from the laser light source 14 to the galvanometer mirror device 24 is scanned by the scanning unit 20 with respect to the laser light source unit 10 as described above. Of the optical path). When the scanning unit 20 is rotated, the irradiation direction of the laser light L from the scanning unit 20 (corresponding to “the axial direction of the reference axis of the workable region formed by the laser light” in the present invention), in other words, For example, the lens central axis direction of the fθ lens 25 is changed, and accordingly, the finite print area E moves on the workpiece W (in this embodiment, moves in the plus or minus direction on the X axis). . That is, the position of the print area on the work W can be moved according to each rotation angle of the scanning unit 20 with respect to the laser light source unit 10, and a marking pattern having a size exceeding the print area E can be printed on the work W. It becomes. The print area changing unit 74 is gear-coupled to the scanning unit 20 side, for example, and rotates the scanning unit 20 in response to a control signal from the control unit 70, thereby setting the position of the printing area E on the workpiece W. It is to be moved.

  In the marking pattern setting step in the present embodiment, the shape and size of the workpiece W itself or the portion to be marked (hereinafter simply referred to as “the shape and size of the workpiece”) are set in the setting unit 71, and the size of the workpiece W is set. 7 exceeds the print area E in the X-axis direction, graphic information shown in FIG. 7 is displayed on the display unit 71A included in the setting unit 71. Specifically, the shape 75 of the workpiece W and the first print area E1 as the reference print area (reference processable area) are displayed on the display unit 71A at a predetermined scale. Here, the reference print area means a print area when the scanning unit 20 is at an arbitrary rotation angle with respect to the laser light source unit 10. In this embodiment, the laser light L of the scanning unit 20 is emitted. This is a print area arranged on the workpiece W when the direction (the lens center axis direction of the fθ lens 25) is perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece W. Hereinafter, the rotation angle of the scanning unit 20 with respect to the laser light source unit 10 at this time is referred to as “zero degree”.

  When the user wants to print a marking pattern on the workpiece W beyond the first print area E1, a predetermined operation is performed to make the extended print area different from the first print area E1 on the display unit 71A. 1 or a plurality of print areas (in this description, for example, the second and third print areas E2 and E3) are displayed, and the second and third print areas E2 and E3 are displayed on the workpiece shape in the display portion 71A. Move to a desired position within 75 and perform a confirmation operation. Then, the position deviation information of the second and third printing areas E2 and E3 with respect to the first printing area E1 (in this embodiment, the rotation angle α of the scanning unit 20 corresponding to the position deviation) is obtained by the control unit 70. It is stored in the rotation angle storage area of the memory 72 in association with each print area E.

  Then, the user sequentially designates the first print area E1 to the third print area E3, and sets a desired marking pattern for each. The second and third print areas E2 and E3 in FIG. 7 are print areas when the scanning unit 20 is rotated by plus or minus α with respect to the first print area E1, for example. 3 shows a state in which a marking pattern “ABC” is set over the entire three print areas E1 to E3. Note that the marking pattern set in the setting unit 71 and the display information displayed on the display unit 71A are all in the normal XY coordinate system (X axis and Y axis corresponding to the first print area E1 as the reference print area). The coordinate system with the same unit length) is the standard. That is, for the marking patterns for the second and third printing areas E2 and E3 as the extended printing area, the user can perform the same vertical and horizontal magnification as the marking pattern to be actually printed, similarly to the marking pattern for the first printing area E1. You only have to set it.

  For the marking pattern “B” set for the first print area E1, the control unit 70 generates coordinate data of a plurality of points assigned as they are on the normal XY coordinate system. On the other hand, for the marking patterns “A” and “C” set for the second and third printing areas E2 and E3 in which the scanning unit 20 is rotated by plus or minus α, correction processing described later is performed. The corrected correction coordinate data is generated. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  As shown in the figure, the first galvano mirror 24A is rotated by an angle θ while the lens central axis of the fθ lens 25 is perpendicular to the surface of the workpiece W, in other words, the rotation angle of the scanning unit 20 is zero degrees. It is assumed that the position of the irradiation point P of the laser beam L when driving is x1 (= D1 · θ D1: distance from the fθ lens 25 to the surface of the workpiece W) in the first printing area E1. On the other hand, when the rotation angle of the scanning unit 20 is the angle α and the first galvanometer mirror 24A is rotated by the angle θ, the position of the irradiation point P of the laser light L is the second and third positions. In the printing areas E2 and E3, x2 (= (D2 · θ) / cosα D2: distance from the fθ lens 25 to the surface of the workpiece W). That is, when the first galvanometer mirror 24A is rotated by the corresponding rotation angle based on the positional deviation on the normal XY coordinate system for the same marking pattern, the fθ lens 25 in the lens central axis direction with respect to the surface of the workpiece W Due to the difference between the angle α and the workpiece distances D1 and D2, the marking pattern actually printed in the second and third printing areas E2 and E3 extends in the X-axis direction with respect to the marking pattern set by the setting unit 71. It becomes a pattern and may affect the print quality.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit 70 temporarily generates coordinate data on the normal XY coordinate system for the marking patterns actually printed in the second and third printing areas E2 and E3, This coordinate data is converted and corrected to corrected coordinate data on a non-normal XY coordinate system obtained by reducing the X-axis coordinate with respect to the normal XY coordinate system by a magnification corresponding to the rotation angle α of the scanning unit 20, and Store in the coordinate data storage area. As can be seen from FIG. 8, in the second and third printing areas E2 and E3, when it is desired to print a marking pattern having the same length in the X-axis direction as the first printing area E1, (cosα) ^ 2 times It can be seen that it is only necessary to generate coordinate data of a short position deviation and rotate the first galvanometer mirror 24A by (cosα) ＾ 2 times. Accordingly, for the marking pattern actually printed in the first print area E1, the correction coefficient ((cosα) ^ for the x variable is compared with the coordinate data (x, y) generated as a point on the normal XY coordinate system. 2) The multiplied (x · (cos α) ^ 2, y) is stored as the correction coordinate data.

  Based on the corrected coordinate data, a digital signal corresponding to the positional deviation of each coordinate point is given to the galvanometer mirror device 24 for control. Thereby, also for the printing on the second and third printing areas E2 and E3, the positional deviation amount of the irradiation point P of the laser beam on the workpiece W per unit length of the marking pattern set by the setting unit 71 is calculated. This can be the same as when printing in the first print area E1. That is, for the printing in the second and third printing areas E2 and E3, it is possible to print a marking pattern conforming to the normal XY coordinate system without distortion in the X-axis direction. At this time, the control unit 70 functions as a “correction unit” of the present invention.

  Although this correction coefficient can be obtained computationally as described above, it is desirable to obtain it by actual experiments in order to accurately reflect the actual design error of the laser marking apparatus 1 and the like. Each correction coefficient may be derived from a calculation formula stored in advance in the memory 72, or a correspondence table between each rotation angle and each correction coefficient is stored in the memory 72, and this correspondence table is stored. The correction coefficient may be derived from the above.

  Furthermore, since the workpiece distance is changed in the second and third printing areas E2 and E3 with respect to the first printing area E1, the spot diameter of the laser beam L on the workpiece W changes accordingly, which affects the printing quality. May give. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the beam expander 50 is controlled in accordance with the rotation angle α of the scanning unit 20 (the amount of change in the workpiece distance), thereby condensing the fθ lens 25 and the laser light L emitted therefrom. The distance between the dots (hereinafter referred to as “focusing point distance”) is changed so that the spot diameter of the laser beam L is made substantially uniform in printing for each printing area E.

  Specifically, in this embodiment, the spread angle of the laser light L emitted from the beam expander 50 is slightly changed by changing the relative distance between the collimator lens 53 and the diverging lens 54 of the beam expander 50. It is like that. As a result, by changing the relative distance between the collimator lens 53 and the diverging lens 54, the incident angle of the laser light L with respect to the fθ lens 25 changes, and thereby the condensing point of the laser light L emitted from the fθ lens 25 is changed. , And can be moved along the irradiation direction (the lens central axis direction of the fθ lens 25). Therefore, the beam expander 50 corresponds to the “focal length changing unit” of the present invention.

  Then, the control unit 70 changes the relative distance between the collimator lens 53 and the diverging lens 54 when printing in the second and third printing areas E2 and E3 with reference to printing in the first printing area E1. Control as follows. Specifically, correction is performed with a correction coefficient based on the rotation angle α of the scanning unit 20. For example, when the work distance at the time of printing in the first print area E1 is D1, and the work distance at the time of printing in the second and third print areas E2 and E3 is D2, the first print area E1. The ratio of the workpiece distance D1 to the workpiece distance D2 at the time of printing on the second and third printing areas E2 and E3 (D2 / D1 = (1 / cosα)) The relative distance between the collimator lens 53 and the diverging lens 54 is adjusted so that the workpiece distance D2 is multiplied. At this time, the control unit 70 functions as a “beam diameter control unit” of the present invention.

  In the actual laser marking device 1, the laser beam L condensed by the fθ lens 25 has a depth of focus that is approximately the same light beam diameter as the focal point in a predetermined range before and after the focal point in the irradiation direction. In this range, a certain level of print quality can be maintained. Therefore, when the rotation angle α of the scanning unit 20 is smaller than a predetermined angle, the control of the focal point distance change is not performed, and the rotation at that time is performed only when the predetermined angle is exceeded. It is good also as a structure which performs control of a condensing point distance change based on the angle (alpha).

3. Operation of Laser Marking Device With the above-described configuration, when the setting unit 71 sets marking patterns “A”, “B”, and “C”, for example, in the print areas E1 to E3, the control unit 70 The control shown in FIG. 9 is executed. First, in S1, the print area number is initialized to “1”, and for the marking pattern “B” set for the first print area E1 in S2, coordinate data of a plurality of points using the normal XY coordinate system is generated. In S3, the control unit 70 reads the rotation angle data of the scanning unit 20 corresponding to the printing area E currently being processed from the memory 72, and determines the coordinate data of the plurality of points according to the rotation angle data. In step S4, the scanning unit 20 is rotated and the focal point distance is changed according to the rotation angle α. Since the rotation angle α is “zero” in the first print area E1, these correction / change processes (S3, S4) are not executed. The process for the first print area E1 corresponds to the “first step” of the present invention.

  Next, in S5, the control unit 70 gives the position deviation data between each coordinate point to the galvanometer mirror device 24 as a digital signal based on the coordinate data or the corrected coordinate data. Thereby, the galvanometer mirror device 24 scans the irradiation point P of the laser beam L on the workpiece W by rotating the first and second galvanometer mirrors 24A and 24B by a rotation angle corresponding to the positional deviation between the coordinate points. The marking pattern “B” is printed.

  On the other hand, for the printing in the second and third printing areas E2 and E3, since the scanning unit 20 is rotated by the rotation angle α, the control unit 70 generates the marking pattern generated based on the normal XY coordinate system. The coordinate data “A (C)” is converted into corrected coordinate data corrected in accordance with the rotation angle α in S3, and the rotation of the scanning unit 20 and the focal point distance in the same manner in S4 according to the rotation angle α. Make changes. The processing for the second and third print areas E2 and E3 corresponds to the “second and third steps” of the present invention.

  Thereby, the marking pattern exceeding the printing area E originally restricted by the galvanometer mirror device 24 and the fθ lens 25 can be printed on the workpiece W. Also, by the above correction / change processing, marking patterns “A” and “C” as set without distortion in the X-axis direction are applied to the work W on the second and third print areas E2 and E3. Can be printed. Further, in the present embodiment, since the position of the print area E on the workpiece W is changed by a so-called swing mechanism that rotates the scan unit 20, for example, the scan unit 20 is horizontally slid to move the print area E to the position of the print area E. It can be used even in a narrow installation space compared to the configuration in which the position is changed.

<Embodiment 2>
In the first embodiment, the position of the print area E is changed by rotating the scanning unit 20 itself. However, in the second embodiment, the position of the print area E is changed by changing the direction of the fθ lens 25. The configuration is changed. The other points are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given and the redundant description is omitted, and only different points will be described next.

  As shown in FIG. 10, a rotation mechanism (for example, a rotation mechanism that allows the scanning unit 20 to rotate the fθ lens 25 about at least one of an axis parallel to the X axis and an axis parallel to the Y axis). Equivalent to the “change mechanism” of the present invention). Then, by driving this rotation mechanism, the lens central axis direction of the fθ lens 25 can be changed, and thereby the position of the print area E on the workpiece W can be changed. Then, by executing the correction / change processing (S3, S4) according to the rotation angle of the fθ lens 25, it is possible to suppress a decrease in print quality of the extended print area relative to the reference print area.

  With such a configuration, for example, by enabling rotation about an axis parallel to the X axis and enabling rotation about an axis parallel to the Y axis, the workpiece W can be rotated in two orthogonal directions. A marking pattern can be printed in a range exceeding the printing area E.

<Embodiment 3>
In the first embodiment, the scanning unit 20 itself is rotated to change the position of the print area E. However, in the second embodiment, the orientation of the galvanomirror device 24 in the scanning unit 20 is changed. Thus, the position of the printing area E is changed. The other points are the same as in the first embodiment. Therefore, the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment are given and the redundant description is omitted, and only different points will be described next.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11, the laser light L from the laser light source 14 is configured to be guided to the galvanometer mirror device 24 via the optical fiber F. The tip of the optical fiber F is fitted and fixed to the through hole of the device cover 24C of the galvanomirror device 24, and the direction of the laser emission light with respect to the first and second galvanometer mirrors 24A and 24B is fixed. In addition, the galvanometer mirror device 24 itself is a rotation mechanism that can rotate around at least one of the axis parallel to the X axis and the axis parallel to the Y axis in the scanning unit 20 (the present invention). The direction is changed by the “change mechanism”. Then, by driving this rotation mechanism, the irradiation direction of the laser light L irradiated from the galvanomirror device 24 through the fθ lens 25 is changed, and thereby the position of the print area E on the workpiece W is changed. can do. Then, by executing the correction / change processing (S3, S4) according to the rotation angle of the galvanometer mirror device 24, it is possible to suppress a decrease in print quality of the extended print area with respect to the reference print area.

  With such a configuration, for example, by enabling rotation about an axis parallel to the X axis and enabling rotation about an axis parallel to the Y axis, the workpiece W can be rotated in two orthogonal directions. A marking pattern can be printed in a range exceeding the printing area E.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) In each of the above-described embodiments, the change of the position of the print area E and the change of the focal point distance are automatically performed by the control of the control unit 70. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is manually performed by an operator. It may be a configuration.

  (2) Unlike the above embodiment, when a marking pattern exceeding the reference print area is set in the setting unit 71, an extended print area is automatically set on the display side next to the reference print area, and the set marking pattern is The print data may be divided for each print area, and coordinate data for the divided marking pattern may be generated in association with each print area.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the galvano scanning type laser marking device 1 has been described as an example of the laser processing device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a scanning optical system such as a Boligon mirror can be used instead of the galvano mirror device 24 The present invention can also be applied to a laser processing apparatus configured to scan laser light with a rotating polygon mirror. Furthermore, instead of the scanning optical system, a mask comprising a plurality of cells (liquid crystal cells) capable of transmitting and blocking laser light is provided, and each cell is transmitted or blocked according to the set marking pattern. Thus, the present invention can be applied to a (liquid crystal) dot marking type laser processing apparatus that processes an object to be processed. In this case, the “reference axis of the processable area” in the present invention is the irradiation direction of the cell that irradiates the center point of the maximum processable area that can be formed through a mask, for example.

  (4) In the above embodiment, it is assumed that the laser beam L passing through the lens central axis of the fθ lens 25 irradiates the central position of the printing area E, and the lens central axis of the fθ lens 25 is “processable” in the present invention. `` Regional axis of area '', but not limited to this, when the print area is set so that the laser beam that has passed the position deviated from the lens center axis of the converging lens irradiates the center point of the print area In this case, the optical path of the laser beam passing through the deviated position can be used as the “reference axis of the workable region”.

  (5) In the above embodiment, the condensing point distance (focal length) is changed by the beam expander 50. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fθ lens 25 is moved back and forth along the irradiation direction of the laser light L. By doing so, the condensing point distance (focal length) may be changed.

  (6) In the above embodiment, after printing on one printing area (for example, the first printing area E1), the coordinate data of the next printing area (for example, the second printing area E2 or the third printing area E3) is corrected. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When the marking pattern of each print area E is set in the setting unit 71, the coordinate data correction process for the extended print area is executed, and thereafter The reference print area and the extended print area may be printed. In this way, it is possible to shorten the printing time for all the printing areas.

  (7) In the above embodiment, the coordinate data is corrected for printing in the extended print area. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the circuit constant of the drive circuit 23 of the galvanomirror device 24 is variable (for example, a variable resistor). The circuit constant is changed according to the rotation angle α of the scanning unit 20 without correcting the coordinate data, and the positional deviation amount of the irradiation point P of the laser beam L per unit length of the marking pattern May be the same in the reference print area and the extended print area.

1 is a perspective view of a laser marking device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Cross section of laser marking device Front view of the laser marking device showing a state in which the scanning unit is rotated 1 is an enlarged side sectional view of the connecting member and the beam expander portion (cross section XX in FIG. 1). Cross sectional view (Y-Y cross section in FIG. 1) showing the connecting member and the beam expander in an enlarged manner. Block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the laser marking device Schematic diagram for explaining graphic information displayed on the display section of the setting section Schematic diagram for explaining the relationship between the rotation angle of the scanning unit and the correction coefficient The flowchart which shows the control content which a control part performs Schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the scanning unit according to the second embodiment. Schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the scanning unit according to the third embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1. Laser marking device (laser processing device)
10 ... Laser light source unit (laser output unit)
20 ... Scanning unit (laser irradiation part)
24 ... Galvano mirror device (scanning optical system)
25 ... fθ lens (scanning optical system)
30 ... Connecting member (connecting part, changing mechanism)
50 ... Beam expander (focal length changing part)
70: Control unit (processing control unit, correction unit, beam diameter control unit)
71 ... Setting part E ... Print area (processable area)
E1 ... 1st printing area (reference processing possible area)
L ... Laser beam LC ... Optical axis (rotating axis)
W ... Workpiece (workpiece)

Claims (5)

A laser output unit for outputting laser light;
A laser irradiation unit configured to irradiate each portion on the workpiece within a plurality of processable regions with laser light from the laser output unit;
The laser irradiation on the workpiece is performed by rotating the axial direction of the reference axis of the workable region formed by the laser light from the laser irradiation unit around a rotation axis orthogonal to the axial direction. A change mechanism for changing the position of the workable region of the part;
For each processable area at each position changed by the change mechanism, a setting unit that sets a processing pattern to be processed on the processing object within each processable area;
Each time the processable area is changed to each position by the change mechanism, the laser irradiation unit is controlled by controlling the laser irradiation unit based on each process pattern set corresponding to the processable area at that position. A processing control unit that irradiates the laser beam from a unit and processes the processing target;
The laser per unit length of the machining pattern corresponding to another workable area according to the rotation angle in the axial direction by the change mechanism with respect to one reference workable area among the plurality of workable areas A laser processing apparatus comprising: a correction unit that corrects a laser beam irradiation position deviation amount of the irradiation unit. A focal length changing unit that changes a focal length of the laser beam from the laser irradiation unit according to a rotation angle in the axial direction by the changing mechanism with respect to one reference workable region among the plurality of workable regions. A laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 . The changing mechanism is configured to include a connecting portion that rotatably connects the laser output portion and the laser irradiation portion around the rotation axis,
The laser irradiation unit has an axial direction orthogonal to a connecting direction by the connecting unit,
The laser processing apparatus according to the laser irradiation portion on the processable claim is positioned and capable of changing the area 1 or claim 2 by rotating at the connecting portion with respect to the laser output unit. It is configured to output a laser from the laser output unit to the laser irradiation unit through the connection unit,
The laser irradiation unit is configured to include a scanning optical system that changes the direction of the laser beam from the laser output unit and scans the laser beam on the workpiece in the processable region,
The laser processing apparatus of Claim 3 provided with the beam expander accommodated in the said connection part and changing the beam diameter of the laser beam from the said laser output part. 5. The laser according to claim 4 , further comprising a beam diameter control unit configured to change a beam diameter of the laser beam by the beam expander according to a rotation angle in the axial direction by the change mechanism with respect to the reference processable region. Processing equipment.

Images