JP6593452B2 - Laser processing machine and workpiece processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser beam machine, a calculation device, and a workpiece machining method.

  2. Description of the Related Art A laser processing machine that performs cutting processing by irradiating a plate-shaped workpiece with laser light from a laser head is known. This laser processing machine may perform a cutting process or the like on a workpiece after being punched or formed by another processing machine such as a punch press. In this case, the work is carried into the laser processing machine from a punch press or the like, and it is necessary to match this work with the laser processing position (laser processing coordinate system) of the laser processing machine. For this reason, a hole formed by a punch press or the like is detected to calculate a shift amount of the workpiece with respect to the laser processing coordinate system, and the workpiece and the laser processing position are aligned based on the calculation result. . When detecting the hole, it is possible to obtain the position of the hole from an image of the hole or the like. However, there is an influence of illumination or dirt on the optical element. Instead, it is inserted into the hole. It has been proposed to use a probe having a contact bar (see Patent Document 1). The probe described in Patent Document 1 has a contact bar that can be raised and lowered, and the contact bar is lowered and inserted into the hole of the workpiece, and in this state, the contact bar is moved in the horizontal direction to move the hole. The position of the hole is measured by contacting the inner surface.

Japanese Patent No. 4182645

  In the probe described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to lower the contact rod and arrange the height of the lower end in the hole. For example, when the contact rod is inserted deeply, the lower end of the contact rod protrudes from the lower surface of the workpiece. Even if the contact rod is moved in the horizontal direction in this state, the contact rod is attached to the workpiece support portion that supports the lower surface of the workpiece. There is a problem that touches and causes false detection. In particular, when the workpiece is thin, the lower end of the contact bar easily protrudes from the lower surface of the workpiece. Therefore, it is required to arrange the lower end of the contact rod at an appropriate height in the hole.

  In view of the circumstances as described above, the present invention can obtain the relative position between the laser machining position by the laser head and the workpiece with high accuracy by arranging the lower end of the contact rod at an appropriate height in the hole. It is an object of the present invention to provide a possible laser processing machine, a calculation device, and a workpiece processing method.

Laser processing machine according to the present invention includes a laser head for machining a predetermined hole is formed plate-shaped workpiece, a total measuring unit for measuring the height of the upper surface of the workpiece, elevatable contact with the workpiece It has a rod, a probe capable of obtaining the relative position of the laser processing position and the work by the laser head by inserting into the hole by lowering a contact rod, a target of the contact bar on the basis of the total measurement of the measurement result A calculation device that calculates the lowering position or the lowering amount, and a drive unit that lowers the contact bar in accordance with the target lowering position or lowering amount calculated by the calculation device.

Further, the measuring unit may measure the height of the upper surface of the work around the hole. The probe may be provided on the laser head, and the contact rod may be formed so as to be movable up and down with respect to the laser head. Further, the measurement unit may be a non-contact sensor provided in the laser head. Also, calculating device includes a measurement result of the total measurement unit, based on the thickness of the workpiece, the side surface of the lower end of the contact rod calculates the vertical plane and can abut target lowering position or lowered amount of the hole May be. Further, a head drive unit for driving the laser head may be used as the drive unit. Further, the probe may include a shutter that closes the lower portion of the contact bar when the contact rod is raised and opens the lower portion of the contact rod when the contact rod is lowered. In addition, the lower end of the contact rod inserted into the hole may be formed in a cylindrical shape, and the lower end surface may be formed in a spherical shape.

  The calculation device according to the present invention receives a measurement result related to the height of the upper surface of a plate-like workpiece on which a predetermined hole is formed, and descends toward the hole based on the measurement result and inserts it into the hole. The target lowering position or lowering amount of the contact bar to be operated is calculated.

  The workpiece processing method according to the present invention measures the height of the upper surface of a plate-like workpiece on which a predetermined hole is formed, and a target for a contact rod to be inserted into the hole based on the measured height. Calculating the descent position or descent amount, lowering the contact bar according to the target descent position or descent amount, and acquiring the relative position between the workpiece and the laser machining position by the laser head with the contact bar inserted in the hole And processing a workpiece with a laser head based on the relative position.

  According to the laser processing machine of the present invention, the target lowering position or the lowering amount of the contact bar is calculated by the calculation device, and the contact bar is lowered based on the calculation result, so that the contact bar is surely placed at an appropriate position of the hole. Can be inserted. Thereby, the relative position between the laser processing position and the workpiece can be obtained with high accuracy. Further, even when the workpiece is thin, the lower end of the contact bar can be easily arranged at an appropriate height in the hole.

  In addition, when the measurement unit measures the height of the upper surface of the workpiece around the hole, the target descent position or the descent amount of the contact bar is accurately measured in order to measure the height around the hole to be inserted. Obtainable. In addition, when the probe is provided on the laser head and the contact rod is formed so as to be movable up and down with respect to the laser head, the laser processing is performed to lower the contact rod in a state where the positional relationship between the contact rod and the laser head is defined. The relative position between the position and the workpiece can be obtained with high accuracy.

In addition, when the measurement unit is a non-contact sensor provided in the laser head, the height of the upper surface of the workpiece is obtained using the non-contact sensor provided in the laser head, so that the measurement can be performed efficiently and separately. Since there is no need to provide a sensor or the like, an increase in cost can be suppressed. Calculation device, a measurement result of the total measurement unit, if based on the thickness of the workpiece, the side surface of the lower end of the contact rod calculates the vertical plane and can abut target lowering position or lowered amount of the hole, Since the side surface of the lower end portion of the contact bar is surely brought into contact with the vertical surface of the hole portion, the accurate position of the hole portion can be acquired, and the relative position between the workpiece and the laser processing position can be acquired with high accuracy.

  Further, when a head drive unit for driving a laser head is used as the drive unit, it is not necessary to provide a separate drive source for the contact rod by sharing the drive source for the laser head and the contact rod, resulting in an increase in cost. Can be suppressed. In addition, when the probe has a shutter that closes the bottom of the contact bar when the contact bar is raised and opens the bottom of the contact bar when the contact bar is lowered, it can be used as a non-use contact bar during laser processing. It can suppress that a foreign material etc. adhere. In addition, the bottom end of the contact rod that is inserted into the hole is formed in a cylindrical shape, so that it can be uniformly abutted against the inner surface of the hole, and the bottom end is formed in a spherical shape. Thus, even when the contact rod is detached from the hole and lowered, damage to the workpiece can be suppressed.

  According to the calculation device of the present invention, since the target lowering position or the lowering amount of the contact bar when the contact bar is inserted into the hole is easily and accurately calculated, the contact bar can be easily adjusted to an appropriate height in the hole. Can be arranged.

  According to the workpiece machining method of the present invention, the relative position between the workpiece and the laser machining position can be obtained with high accuracy, and the workpiece machining with the laser head can be performed with high accuracy.

It is a perspective view showing an example of a laser processing machine concerning an embodiment. It is an example of a probe, (A) is a figure which shows the state which the contact rod raised, (B) is a figure which shows the state in which the contact rod fell. (A) is a figure which shows an example of a contact bar, (B) is a figure which shows the other example of a contact bar. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of operation | movement of a laser beam machine. It is a figure which shows an example by which the workpiece | work is arrange | positioned at the laser processing machine. The operation | movement of a measurement part is shown, (A) is a side view, (B) is a top view. The operation of the probe is shown, (A) is a diagram of the state where the contact bar is raised, (B) is a diagram of the state where the contact bar is lowered. (A)-(C) is a figure explaining operation of a contact stick. It is a figure explaining the state which processes a workpiece | work with a laser head. It is a figure which shows the other example by which the workpiece | work is arrange | positioned at the laser processing machine.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below. In the drawings, some or all of the elements are schematically described in order to describe the embodiment, and the scale is appropriately changed, for example, partly enlarged or emphasized. In the following drawings, directions in the drawings will be described using an XYZ coordinate system. In this XYZ coordinate system, a plane parallel to the horizontal plane is defined as an XY plane. The direction orthogonal to the X direction is defined as the Y direction, and the vertical direction perpendicular to the XY plane is defined as the Z direction. In each of the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, the direction of the arrow in the figure is the + direction, and the direction opposite to the arrow direction is the − direction.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a laser processing machine 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 shows the main part of the laser processing machine 100. As shown in FIG. 1, the laser processing machine 100 includes a laser head 10, a head drive unit (drive unit) 20, a probe 30, a calculation device 40, and a control device 50. The laser processing machine 100 is, for example, a processing device that irradiates a plate-like workpiece W with laser light to cut into a desired hole shape or product shape. The laser processing machine 100 processes the workpiece W carried into the processing area. Although the work W is carried in and out by a processing pallet 60 described later, it may be carried out by another loader device or the like. In the present embodiment, the laser processing machine 100 performs laser processing on the workpiece W in which the hole is formed by another processing apparatus such as a punch press. The operation of each part of the laser beam machine 100 is controlled centrally by the control device 50.

  The laser processing machine 100 has a processing pallet 60 that supports the workpiece W. The processing pallet 60 is disposed at a processing position for processing the workpiece W, for example. The processing pallet 60 may be formed to be movable in the X direction or the like with the workpiece W placed thereon, for example, by a driving device (not shown). The processing pallet 60 includes a base plate 61 and a support plate 62. The base plate 61 is formed in a rectangular shape, for example. The support plate 62 supports the lower surface (the surface on the −Z side) of the workpiece W. A plurality of support plates 62 are provided on the upper surface (+ Z side surface) of the base plate 61.

  The plurality of support plates 62 are provided in a standing state with respect to the base plate 61 and are arranged side by side in the X direction. Each support plate 62 has a plurality of upper end portions 62a formed in a sawtooth shape, for example. Each upper end 62a is formed to have the same height (position in the Z direction) from the base plate 61.

  The workpiece W is placed on the plurality of upper end portions 62a. When the heights of the plurality of upper end portions 62a are not uniform, or when there is deformation such as warping of the workpiece W, the height of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W varies in the surface direction while the workpiece W is placed. It is in a state. Further, since the upper end portion 62a is formed in a sawtooth shape, the contact area between the upper end portion 62a and the workpiece W is reduced. The upper end 62a is not limited to a sawtooth shape, and may be a sword mountain shape or a wave shape, for example. Further, the processing pallet 60 is not limited to using the plurality of support plates 62, and for example, a plurality of pins may be arranged on the base plate 61.

  The laser head 10 has a nozzle 11 that emits laser light. The nozzle 11 is directed in the −Z direction and emits laser light in the −Z direction. The nozzle 11 is connected to a laser light source (not shown) through an optical transmission body such as an optical fiber 12. As the laser light source, for example, a carbon dioxide laser light source or a solid laser light source is used.

At the tip of the nozzle 11 (the end on the -Z side), the non-contact sensor (total measuring section) 13 is provided. The non-contact sensor 13 detects the distance d between the tip of the nozzle 11 and the workpiece W supported on the processing pallet 60 in a non-contact manner. The non-contact sensor 13 has an electrode provided at the tip of the nozzle 11. The non-contact sensor 13 outputs a voltage corresponding to the capacitance between the electrode and the workpiece W to the calculation device 40. When the distance d between the electrode and the workpiece W changes, the capacitance between the two changes, and the output voltage changes. Therefore, by storing the correspondence between the distance d between the electrode and the workpiece W and the output voltage in advance in the calculation device 40 or the like as a data table, the calculation device 40 or the like acquires the interval d corresponding to the output voltage. be able to. The non-contact sensor 13 is not limited to the capacitive sensor as described above. For example, an eddy current sensor or an optical sensor may be used as the non-contact sensor 13.

  The sensor for measuring the distance d between the nozzle 11 and the workpiece W is not limited to a non-contact type, and a contact type sensor may be used. Further, the non-contact sensor 13 is not limited to being arranged on the nozzle 11, and may be installed at a location away from the nozzle 11. The control device 50 measures the distance d between the nozzle 11 and the workpiece W by the non-contact sensor 13, so that the distance d is constant during laser processing even when the height of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W varies. In addition, the head drive unit 20 described later is controlled.

  The head drive unit 20 moves the laser head 10 in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction. The head drive unit 20 has a drive mechanism (not shown) that moves the laser head 10 such as a ball screw mechanism or a linear motor mechanism. The laser head 10 has a guide for guiding movement in each of the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction, and may include a drive mechanism for driving in each direction, or may be a robot arm or a manipulator. Thus, the laser head 10 may be moved in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction.

  The probe 30 acquires the relative position between the laser head 10 and the workpiece W. The probe 30 is connected to the laser head 10 by, for example, a connecting plate 21. Accordingly, the probe 30 is provided integrally with the laser head 10 so as to be movable in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction.

  2A and 2B are diagrams showing an example of the probe 30. FIG. The probe 30 includes a housing 31, a shutter 32, a slider 33, an air cylinder 34, a base 35, a contact bar 36, and a contact detection sensor 37. Note that the contact detection sensor 37 is omitted in FIG. 2 and is shown in FIG. The housing 31 can accommodate the slider 33, the base 35 (including the contact detection sensor 37), and the contact rod 36, and has an opening 31a at the lower end (−Z side).

  The slider 33 is attached to the inner surface of the housing 31 and is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction) along a guide (not shown) provided on the inner surface of the housing 31. The slider 33 moves between an upper limit position and a lower limit position defined by the guide. The slider 33 integrally supports the base 35 and the contact rod 36. The air cylinder 34 is a drive source that drives the slider 33 in the Z direction. By driving the air cylinder 34, the slider 33 moves up and down, and the base 35 and the contact bar 36 move together with the slider 33 in the vertical direction. The slider 33 is not limited to being driven by the air cylinder 34. For example, a ball screw mechanism or the like may be used.

  The shutter 32 is provided so that the opening 31a can be opened and closed. The opening and closing of the shutter 32 is performed in conjunction with the operation of the slider 33 by connecting the slider 33 and the shutter 32 by a link mechanism (not shown). When the slider 33 is in the upper position, the shutter 32 is operated by the link mechanism to close the opening 31a. When the slider 33 is in the lower position, the shutter 32 is operated by the link mechanism to move the opening 31a. Open. The operation of the shutter 32 is not limited to being performed by the link mechanism, and may be performed by a driving source such as an electric motor.

  The base 35 is supported by the slider 33. The contact rod 36 is attached to the support portion 35a below the base 35 (-Z side). The contact rod 36 is provided such that the lower end portion thereof is swingable with the support portion 35a as a fulcrum. The contact rod 36 can be moved up and down integrally with the base 35 by moving the slider 33 in the vertical direction. The contact bar 36 has an insertion portion 36a that can be inserted into a hole Wb provided in the workpiece W at a lower end portion. The insertion portion 36a is formed in a cylindrical shape (or a columnar shape), and the lower end surface 36b is formed in a spherical shape. The diameter of the insertion part 36a is set so that it can be inserted into the hole Wb. For example, when the diameter of the hole Wb is about 10 mm to 20 mm, the diameter of the insertion portion 36a is set to about 2 mm, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, when the slider 33 is disposed above the housing 31 by the air cylinder 34, the base 35 and the contact rod 36 are accommodated in the housing 31. In the state where the contact bar 36 is accommodated in the housing 31, the contact bar 36 is disposed above the opening 31a. Further, in a state where the contact bar 36 is accommodated in the housing 31, the contact bar 36 is disposed above the nozzle 11 of the laser head 10.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the slider 33 is disposed at a lower position of the housing 31 by the air cylinder 34, the shutter 32 is opened and the contact bar 36 protrudes downward from the opening 31a. Become. When the contact bar 36 protrudes downward from the opening 31 a, the insertion part 36 a of the contact bar 36 is disposed below the nozzle 11 of the laser head 10. Note that whether or not the shutter 32 is provided in the opening 31a is arbitrary, and the shutter 32 may not be provided.

  The contact detection sensor 37 detects the contact when the contact bar 36 contacts the inner surface Wc of the hole Wb. As the contact detection sensor 37, for example, as shown in FIG. 3A, an inclination detection sensor that is provided on the support portion 35 a of the base 35 and detects the inclination of the contact bar 36 is used. In this configuration, when the contact bar 36 is tilted in contact with the inner surface Wc (see FIGS. 6B and 7) of the hole Wb, an electrical signal is output from the contact detection sensor 37 to the control device 50, for example. The The control device 50 detects that the contact bar 36 has contacted the inner surface Wc by detecting this electrical signal.

  Moreover, as a contact detection sensor, as shown, for example in FIG.3 (B), the structure which has arrange | positioned the touch sensor 37A to the side surface of the insertion part 36a of the contact rod 36 may be sufficient. In this configuration, when the touch sensor 37A comes into contact with the inner surface Wc of the hole Wb, an electrical signal is output from the touch sensor 37A to the control device 50. The control device 50 detects that the contact bar 36 has contacted the inner surface Wc by detecting this electrical signal.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lower end surface 36b of the contact bar 36 is formed in a spherical shape, but its diameter is formed as a part of a sphere having a diameter larger than the diameter of the cylindrical portion of the contact bar 36. Is done. Thereby, the vertical height of the lower end surface of the spherical surface can be shortened, and even if the contact bar 36 hits the surface of the work W, the damage of the work W is suppressed, and the peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion of the contact bar 36 is lowered to the lower side. Can be extended.

  The calculation device 40 calculates the target lowering position or lowering amount of the contact rod 36 based on the measurement result of the non-contact sensor 13. Moreover, the calculation device 40 can acquire the plate thickness information of the workpiece W from an external device. For example, the control device 50 is provided with information on the material and thickness of the workpiece W in order to laser process the workpiece W, and the calculation device 40 may acquire the thickness information of the workpiece W from the control device 50. . Further, the calculation device 40 may acquire the thickness information of the workpiece W from an external device (for example, a device that creates machining data of the workpiece W) different from the control device 50. The calculation device 40 calculates the target lowering position or lowering amount of the contact bar 36 based on the height of the upper surface of the work W and the plate thickness information of the work W.

  Next, the operation of the laser beam machine 100 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation procedure of the laser beam machine 100. 5 to 10 show parts related to the main part of the operation. The operation of each unit described below is performed based on an instruction from the control device 50.

  In the laser processing machine 100, the workpiece W in which the hole Wb is formed by a processing apparatus such as a punch press is placed on the processing pallet 60 (see FIG. 1) and conveyed to the processing area of the laser processing machine 100. . Examples of the hole Wb include a hole provided near the corner of the workpiece W for alignment of the workpiece W, or a hole provided for each product to be cut by laser processing. In the following example, description will be made using a hole Wb provided in the vicinity of the corner of the workpiece W. The sizes of the holes Wb are substantially the same, but may be different from each other. The workpiece W is supported in a state where it is simply placed on the machining pallet 60, and deviates from the laser machining position (laser machining coordinate system set in the laser machining machine 100) by the laser head 10 of the laser machining machine 100. There may be.

  The control device 50 first performs rough alignment of the workpiece W prior to step S01 shown in FIG. The control device 50 drives the head driving unit 20 to move the non-contact sensor 13 in the horizontal direction. At this time, as shown in FIG. 5, the control device 50 selects two orthogonal sides among the four sides of the workpiece W, and moves the laser head 10 so that the non-contact sensor 13 extends over the workpiece W from above the workpiece W. Move. In this case, when the non-contact sensor 13 straddles one side of the workpiece W, the value of the output voltage generated by the non-contact sensor 13 changes. The control device 50 detects the position where the value of the output voltage has changed as a position on one side of the workpiece W.

  Such an operation is performed on one side of two orthogonal sides of the workpiece W and on two other sides. Thereby, since the position coordinates of three different points can be detected for two orthogonal sides of the work W, the position of the work W can be calculated based on the position coordinates. From this position coordinate, a relative position to the laser processing position by the laser head 10 is calculated. As shown in FIG. 5, when the X direction and the Y direction are the laser processing coordinate system set in the laser processing machine 100, the amount of deviation of the workpiece W in the X direction and the deviation in the Y direction from the laser processing coordinate system. The amount of rotation about the amount Z and the amount of rotation about the Z direction is confirmed, and the laser processing coordinate system is corrected by these, thereby completing the rough alignment between the laser processing position by the laser head 10 and the workpiece W.

  Note that whether or not to perform rough alignment as described above is arbitrary. Further, the rough alignment method is not limited to the above. For example, the rough alignment may be performed by abutting two orthogonal sides of the workpiece W against a fixing member or the like provided in the laser processing machine 100.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4, the height of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W is measured by the non-contact sensor 13 (step S01). The control device 50 drives the laser head 10 using the value corrected by the rough alignment, and the non-contact sensor 13 provided in the nozzle 11 of the laser head 10 faces the workpiece W as shown in FIG. The output voltage generated according to the capacitance between the non-contact sensor 13 and the workpiece W is detected, and the distance d corresponding to the detected output voltage is obtained to obtain the height of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W. Measure the thickness.

  At this time, since the position (approximately position) of the hole Wb is acquired by rough alignment, as shown in FIG. 6B, the control device 50 acquires the workpiece W in the region Wd around the hole Wb. The height of the upper surface Wa may be measured. For example, the control device 50 makes the non-contact sensor 13 face one place around the hole Wb, and then rotates the non-contact sensor 13 along the region Wd around the hole Wb as indicated by an arrow. The distance d may be obtained while moving. Thereby, the height of the workpiece W in the vicinity of the hole Wb into which the contact rod 36 is to be inserted can be obtained, and the target lowering position or the lowering amount can be accurately calculated by the calculation device 40.

  Next, the calculation device 40 calculates the target lowering position or lowering amount of the contact rod 36 (step S02). In step S02, the calculation device 40 determines the contact bar 36 based on the height (interval d) of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W obtained by the non-contact sensor 13 and the plate thickness information of the workpiece W obtained from an external device or the like. The target lowering position or lowering amount is calculated. The target lowering position of the contact bar 36 is calculated as, for example, the coordinate value of the lower end of the contact bar 36. In addition, the descending amount of the contact bar 36 is calculated as a distance to move downward from the state in which the contact bar 36 protrudes (the state shown in FIG. 2B). Either the target lowering position or the lowering amount may be calculated, or both may be calculated.

  Further, the calculation device 40 calculates a target lowering position or a lowering amount at which the insertion portion 36a of the contact bar 36 can come into contact with the vertical surface (shear surface) We of the hole Wb. When the hole Wb is formed on the work W by a punch press or the like, as shown in FIG. 7A, the inner surface Wc of the hole Wb has a sag Wf on the upper surface Wa side, and a vertical surface substantially at the center. (Shear surface) We is formed, and a fracture surface Wg inclined downward from the vertical surface We is formed. The position of the hole Wb can be accurately measured by the insertion portion 36a coming into contact with the vertical surface We of the inner surface Wc of the hole Wb. For example, the calculation device 40 calculates the target lowering position DP or the lowering amount DQ so that the height of the lower end surface 36b of the contact bar 36 is positioned about 0.1 mm above the lower surface Wh of the workpiece W. Thereby, it is suppressed that the contact rod 36 contacts the sag Wf of the hole Wb or the lower support plate 62.

  Next, the control device 50 inserts the contact rod 36 into the hole Wb (step S03). In step S03, first, the control device 50 drives the head drive unit 20, moves the probe 30 (contact bar 36) in the X direction and the Y direction, and places the probe 30 above the hole Wb. Subsequently, the control device 50 drives the air cylinder 34 to move the slider 33 downward. By this operation, the shutter 32 is opened and the contact bar 36 protrudes downward from the housing 31. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7B, the control device 50 drives the head driving unit 20 to move the laser head 10 and the probe 30 together in a downward direction. By this operation, the contact rod 36 is lowered (moved in the −Z direction), and the insertion portion 36a is inserted into the hole portion Wb.

  At this time, the control device 50 lowers (moves in the −Z direction) the contact rod 36 according to the previously calculated target lowering position DP or lowering amount DQ. Here, the target lowering position DP or the lowering amount DQ of the contact rod 36 is calculated so that the height of the lower end surface 36b is located above the lower surface Wh of the workpiece W as described above. For this reason, the insertion portion 36a of the contact rod 36 is prevented from being inserted shallowly into the hole portion Wb, or the lower end surface 36b is prevented from penetrating from the hole portion Wb and coming into contact with the upper end portion 62a of the support plate 62 of the workpiece W. The

  Next, the control device 50 acquires the relative position between the workpiece W and the laser processing position of the laser head 10 (step S04). In step S04, the control device 50 causes the head driving unit 20 to move the laser head 10 and the probe 30 together in the X direction or the Y direction, so that the side surface of the insertion portion 36a is the inner surface Wc (vertical surface We) of the hole Wb. Abut. When the side surface of the insertion portion 36a comes into contact with the inner surface Wc of the hole portion Wb, an electrical signal is output from the contact detection sensor 37 to the control device 50. The control device 50 obtains the driving amount of the laser head 10 in the X direction and the Y direction at the timing when the electric signal is detected, and detects the position of the laser head 10 to detect the relative position between the laser machining position of the laser head 10 and the workpiece W. Get the position.

  8A to 8C are diagrams illustrating an example of an operation for acquiring the relative position between the laser machining position of the laser head 10 and the workpiece W. FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 8A, the control device 50 moves the insertion portion 36a of the contact rod 36 in the −X direction inside the hole portion Wb to contact the inner surface Wc. Thereafter, the control device 50 moves the contact bar 36 in the + X direction to bring the insertion portion 36a into contact with the inner surface Wc. After measuring the distance between the contact position on the −X side and the contact position on the + X side, the control device 50 calculates the position (coordinate value) of the midpoint C1 and moves the insertion portion 36a to the midpoint C1.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8B, the control device 50 moves the insertion portion 36a of the contact bar 36 in the + Y direction so as to pass through the midpoint C1 to contact the inner surface Wc. Thereafter, the control device 50 moves the contact rod 36 in the −Y direction to bring the insertion portion 36a into contact with the inner surface Wc. After measuring the distance between the + Y side contact position and the −Y side contact position, the control device 50 calculates the position (coordinate value) of the midpoint C2 and moves the insertion portion 36a to the midpoint C2.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, the control device 50 moves the insertion portion 36a of the contact bar 36 in the −X direction so as to pass through the midpoint C2 to contact the inner surface Wc. Thereafter, the control device 50 moves the contact bar 36 in the + X direction to bring the insertion portion 36a into contact with the inner surface Wc. After measuring the distance between the contact position on the −X side and the contact position on the + X side, the control device 50 obtains the position coordinate of the midpoint C3. By obtaining the position coordinates of the midpoint C3, the position coordinates of the center of the hole Wb can be obtained.

  As described above, first, the midpoint C1 in the X direction is calculated in the hole Wb, then the midpoint C2 in the Y direction passing through the midpoint C1, and then the midpoint in the X direction passing through the midpoint C2. Since C3 is the center of the hole Wb, for example, even when the distance in the X direction is short when the midpoint C1 is calculated and an error is included in the calculation of the midpoint C1, the calculation of the midpoint C2 is performed again. By calculating the midpoint C3 in the X direction, the position coordinates of the center of the hole Wb can be accurately calculated. The calculation method of the position coordinates of the center of the hole Wb is arbitrary. For example, the insertion part 36a is brought into contact with three points on the inner surface Wc of the hole Wb, and the hole Wb is determined from the coordinate values of these three points. You may obtain | require the position coordinate of the center of.

  The control device 50 repeats the operations from step S01 to step S04 for the three holes Wb provided in the workpiece W. Thereby, the position coordinates of the centers of the three holes Wb are obtained. The control device 50 further updates the position of the workpiece W in the laser processing coordinate system from the rough alignment performed previously, using the positions of these three holes Wb as a reference. Thereby, the relative position (position alignment) between the laser processing position of the laser head 10 and the workpiece W is accurately acquired. That is, the pre-process machining coordinate system of the pre-process machine (such as a punch press) and the laser machining coordinate system are matched. Therefore, the processing start position, the driving direction, and the like of the laser head 10 are accurately set for the workpiece W that has been carried into the laser processing machine 100.

  Next, the control device 50 processes the workpiece W by the laser head 10 based on the updated relative position (step S05). In step S05, the control device 50 emits the laser light L from the nozzle 11 to the workpiece W while moving the laser head 10 by the head driving unit 20, as shown in FIG. In laser processing, a preset region of the workpiece W is cut. The control device 50 moves the laser head 10 based on the relative position between the workpiece W and the laser processing position acquired in step S04. Therefore, even when the workpiece W is displaced in the X direction and the Y direction or is inclined (see FIG. 5), the laser head 10 takes into account the displacement or inclination in the X direction and the Y direction. Moving. The non-contact sensor 13 detects the height of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W even during laser processing. The control device 50 controls the driving of the head driving unit 20 so as to maintain a constant distance d (see FIG. 6A) between the workpiece W and the nozzle 11 according to the detection result of the non-contact sensor 13. .

  Thus, according to the laser beam machine 100 according to the present embodiment, the calculation device 40 calculates the target lowering position DP or the lowering amount DQ of the contact bar 36, and lowers the contact bar 36 based on the calculation result. The contact rod 36 can be reliably inserted into a desired position of the hole Wb. Thereby, since it becomes possible to acquire the relative position of the laser processing position of the laser head 10 and the workpiece | work W with high precision, the processing precision of the workpiece | work W can be raised.

  In the above-described embodiment, it is described that the relative position between the workpiece W and the laser head 10 is obtained by inserting the contact rod 36 into the hole Wb formed near the corner of the workpiece W. When a plurality of products are created with one workpiece W, alignment with the laser processing position of the laser head 10 may be performed for each product.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a workpiece W in which a hole Wj is formed for each region (product) Wi to be cut by laser processing. As shown in FIG. 10, when the hole Wj is formed for each region Wi, the operations of steps S01 to S04 shown in FIG. 4 are performed for each hole Wj. Thereby, in addition to the overall alignment of the workpiece W, each cutting area Wi can also be aligned with the laser processing position of the laser head 10, and when creating a plurality of products from one workpiece W, The product can be laser processed accurately. Note that the present invention is not limited to measuring all of the plurality of holes Wj. For example, the above steps S01 to S04 may be performed for one of the plurality of holes Wj.

  Moreover, the hole Wb and the hole Wj are not limited to being provided separately from the product to be laser processed. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, when a hole Wk is formed in the product in advance by a punch press or the like, alignment with the laser head 10 may be performed using the hole Wk. At this time, either the case where only the hole portion Wk is used or the case where the hole portion Wb or the hole portion Wj and the hole portion Wk are used in combination may be used.

  Although the embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above description, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the insertion portion 36a of the contact bar 36 is formed in a cylindrical shape (columnar shape) has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and for example, an elliptical column shape, an oval shape, Other shapes such as a polygonal column shape may be used. In addition, the configuration in which the lower end surface 36b of the contact bar 36 is formed in a spherical shape has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and may be other shapes such as a planar shape.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the probe 30 is provided with the shutter 32 that can be opened / closed below the housing 31 has been described as an example. However, the opening / closing mechanism of the shutter 32 is the same as that of the above-described embodiment. For example, a slide-type configuration may be used.

  In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the head driving unit 20 that drives the laser head 10 is used as the driving unit that moves the contact bar 36 up and down has been described as an example. A driving unit for moving the head up and down may be provided separately from the head driving unit 20. In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the probe 30 moves integrally with the laser head 10 has been described as an example. However, the configuration is not limited thereto, and the probe 30 and the laser head 10 move independently independently. It may be a configuration. Further, the probe 30 and the laser head 10 may be provided separately.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where the target lowering position DP or the lowering amount DQ is calculated based on the measurement result of the non-contact sensor 13 and the plate thickness information of the workpiece W has been described as an example. Not. For example, the target lowering position DP or the lowering amount DQ may be calculated using only the measurement result of the non-contact sensor 13 without using the plate thickness information of the workpiece W.

  In the above-described embodiment, the height of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W is measured using the non-contact sensor 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the height of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W may be measured using the contact rod 36 provided in the probe 30. In this case, first, the contact rod 36 of the probe 30 is protruded downward, and in this state, the head driving unit 20 is driven to lower the contact rod 36, and the lower end surface 36b is brought into contact with the upper surface Wa of the workpiece W. You may detect the height of the upper surface Wa of the workpiece | work W based on the distance lowered | hung until contact | abutting. Further, the calculation device 40 calculates an amount obtained by adding a predetermined amount of length to be inserted into the hole Wb to the distance that the contact rod 36 is lowered until it comes into contact with the workpiece W, as the descending amount DQ of the contact rod 36. Also good. In addition, as far as permitted by law, the contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2015-236568, which is a Japanese patent application, and all the references cited in this specification are incorporated as part of the description of the text.

W ... Workpiece Wa ... Upper surface Wb, Wj ... Hole portion Wc ... Inner surface Wd ... Area We ... Vertical surface C1 ... Middle point C2 ... Middle point C3 ... Middle point DP ... Target lowered position DQ ... Lowering amount 10 ... Laser head 11 ... Nozzle 13 ... Non-contact sensor (measurement unit)
20: Head drive unit (drive unit)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Probe 32 ... Shutter 34 ... Air cylinder 36 ... Contact rod 36a ... Insertion part 36b ... Lower end surface 37 ... Contact detection sensor 37A ... Touch sensor 40 ... Calculation apparatus 50 ... Control apparatus 100 ... Laser processing machine

Claims (9)

A laser head for processing a plate-like workpiece in which a predetermined hole is formed;
A meter measuring unit for measuring the height of the upper surface of the workpiece,
A probe that can move up and down relative to the workpiece, and that can obtain the relative position between the laser machining position by the laser head and the workpiece by lowering the contact rod and inserting it into the hole;
A calculating device for calculating a target lowering position or lowering the amount of the contact bar on the basis of the measurement result of the meter measuring unit,
A laser processing machine comprising: a drive unit that lowers the contact bar in accordance with a target lowering position or a lowering amount calculated by the calculating device.   The laser processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the measurement unit measures a height of an upper surface of the work around the hole. The probe is provided in the laser head,
The laser processing machine according to claim 1, wherein the contact bar is formed to be movable up and down with respect to the laser head.   The laser processing machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the measurement unit is a non-contact sensor provided in the laser head. The calculating device includes a measurement result of the meter measuring section, based on the thickness of the workpiece, the vertical surface can contact the target lowering position or lowering of the side surface of the lower end of the contact rod the hole The laser beam machine according to claim 1, wherein the amount is calculated.   The laser processing machine according to claim 1, wherein a head driving unit for driving the laser head is used as the driving unit.   7. The probe according to claim 1, further comprising a shutter that closes a lower portion of the contact rod when the contact rod is raised and opens a lower portion of the contact rod when the contact rod is lowered. 2. The laser beam machine according to item 1.   The laser processing according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the contact rod has a lower end portion inserted into the hole portion formed in a cylindrical shape and a lower end surface formed in a spherical shape. Machine. Measuring the height of the upper surface of the plate-like workpiece in which the predetermined hole is formed;
Calculating a target lowering position or a lowering amount of the contact rod to be inserted into the hole based on the measured height;
Lowering the contact bar according to the target lowering position or lowering amount, and obtaining the relative position between the workpiece and a laser processing position by a laser head by the contact bar inserted into the hole;
Machining the workpiece by the laser head based on the relative position.

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