JP7123788B2 - Laser processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to a laser processing apparatus, such as a laser marking apparatus, that performs processing by irradiating a laser beam onto a workpiece.

Conventionally, a laser processing apparatus capable of measuring a distance to a workpiece is known.

For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an objective condenser lens for condensing a processing laser beam (pulsed laser beam) emitted from a laser light source, and an object condenser lens and a workpiece (object to be processed). and an actuator that adjusts the focal position of the laser beam based on the measurement result of the distance sensor.

Further, in Patent Document 2, as an example of the distance measuring sensor according to Patent Document 1, a semiconductor laser that emits laser light and a pair of light receiving elements (semiconductor position a detection element).

Further, in Patent Document 3, as another example of the distance measuring sensor according to Patent Documents 1 and 2, distance measuring light (measurement laser light) for measuring the distance to a workpiece (object to be processed) is emitted. A laser processing apparatus is disclosed that includes a displacement sensor that

The laser processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3 irradiates a workpiece placed on a stage with distance measuring light from a displacement sensor, and by appropriately detecting the reflected light with the displacement sensor, It is designed to measure the distance to the workpiece.

JP-A-2006-315031 JP-A-10-051195 JP 2008-215829 A

However, the distance measuring light as described in Patent Document 3 propagates in a substantially straight line along the emission direction, but actually propagates while expanding in a conical shape.

Here, let us consider the case of irradiating distance measuring light onto a workpiece having a specific curved surface portion, such as a cylinder. In this case, if the distance measuring light propagates without spreading, the distance measuring light locally reflected by the curved surface becomes specularly reflected light that propagates with a specific reflection angle.

However, as described above, if the distance measuring light spreads while propagating, the distance measuring light that is reflected at various points on the curved surface at substantially the same time becomes specularly reflected light that propagates with a specific angle of reflection. In this case, the reflection angles of the specularly reflected lights become more dispersed as the curvature of the curved surface portion increases.

Therefore, for a cylindrical workpiece, for example, the specularly reflected light is more likely to reach the light-receiving element than for a plate-shaped workpiece. Therefore, simply devising the layout of the light-receiving elements or arranging a plurality of light-receiving elements may leave a considerable possibility that specularly reflected light reaches the light-receiving elements.

Since the specularly reflected light that has reached the light receiving element is detected at the same time as the diffusely reflected light, considering which detection value should be used is a factor of measurement error, which is inconvenient.

The technology disclosed herein has been made in view of this point, and its purpose is to reduce measurement errors caused by specular reflection when a workpiece having a curved surface portion is used as a distance measurement target. is to suppress

Specifically, a first aspect of the present disclosure includes an excitation light generation unit that generates excitation light, and generates laser light based on the excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit, and emits the laser light. and a laser beam scanning unit that irradiates a workpiece with the laser beam emitted from the laser beam output unit and performs two-dimensional scanning on the surface of the workpiece. related to.

Then, according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the laser processing device directs distance measuring light for measuring a distance from the laser processing device to the surface of the workpiece to the laser beam scanning unit. a distance measuring light emitting unit that emits the distance measuring light through the laser beam scanning unit; a distance measuring unit for measuring the distance from the laser processing device to the surface of the workpiece by a triangulation method based on the light receiving position of the ranging light in the ranging light receiving unit; a setting unit for setting shape information of a curved surface portion having a specific curvature; and based on the shape information set by the setting unit, distance measuring light is provided at a plurality of locations aligned in a direction orthogonal to the curvature radius of the curved surface portion. and a control unit for controlling the laser beam scanning unit and the distance measuring light emitting unit so that the distance measuring light is irradiated to each of the plurality of locations, and when the distance measuring light is irradiated to each of the plurality of locations by the control unit a position specifying unit that specifies a light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light from among a plurality of light receiving positions in the light receiving unit, and the distance measuring unit, based on the light receiving position specified by the position specifying unit, A distance to the curved surface portion of the workpiece is measured.

According to this configuration, when measuring the distance from the laser processing device to the surface of the workpiece, the distance measuring light emitting section emits the distance measuring light. The distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting section is irradiated onto the workpiece through the laser light scanning section. After being reflected by the object to be processed, the distance measuring light irradiated to the object travels backward through the laser beam scanning unit and reaches the distance measuring light receiving unit. Based on the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving part, the distance measuring part measures the distance to the surface of the workpiece.

Here, the shape information of the curved surface portion having a specific curvature in the workpiece is set by the setting unit. Based on this shape information, it is possible to irradiate the distance measuring light to a plurality of locations arranged in a direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature.

In this case, the light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light varies according to the distance to the workpiece. On the other hand, the light-receiving position due to specularly reflected light varies according to the positional relationship with the curved surface portion.

As described above, when the irradiation target of the distance measuring light is moved in the direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature, the distance to the workpiece does not fluctuate compared to the positional relationship with the curved surface portion. Therefore, the light-receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light is not displaced compared to the light-receiving position caused by the specularly reflected light.

Therefore, for example, by monitoring the amount of displacement of the light receiving position, the position specifying unit can specify the light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light from among the plurality of light receiving positions in the distance measuring light receiving unit. . Then, the distance measuring section measures the distance to the curved surface section based on the light receiving position (the light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light) specified by the position specifying section. As a result, the influence of light reception due to regular reflection can be eliminated, and measurement errors can be suppressed.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the control unit sequentially irradiates each of the plurality of locations with the distance measuring light by scanning the distance measuring light in a direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature. You can do it.

According to this configuration, since the distance measuring light emitting unit emits the distance measuring light through the laser beam scanning unit, the controller controls the laser beam scanning unit to scan and irradiate the distance measuring light. You can move ahead. By analyzing the detection results obtained by scanning along the time series, the amount of displacement of each light receiving position can be directly or indirectly monitored. As described above, the light-receiving position due to diffusely reflected light is not displaced compared to the light-receiving position due to specularly reflected light.

By using such a tendency, it is possible to specify the light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light, which is advantageous in suppressing the measurement error caused by the specularly reflected light.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, when the control unit scans the distance measuring light, the distance measuring unit measures the distance corresponding to each of the plurality of light receiving positions in the distance measuring light receiving unit. and, when the control unit scans the distance measuring light, the position specifying unit specifies the light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light based on the amount of displacement of each distance corresponding to each of the plurality of light receiving positions. , may be

With this configuration, it is possible to specify the light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light, which is advantageous in suppressing measurement errors caused by specular reflection.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the distance measuring light receiving section detects the amount of distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting section and reflected by the workpiece, and detects the position of the workpiece. The specifying unit integrates the amount of light received when the control unit scans the distance measuring light along the time series, and determines the light receiving position where the amount of light received after the integration is relatively large is the light received due to the diffusely reflected light. It may be determined as the position.

As described above, the light-receiving position due to diffusely reflected light is not displaced compared to the light-receiving position due to specularly reflected light. Therefore, when the amount of light received is integrated as described above, the amount of light received due to diffusely reflected light forms a larger peak than the amount of light received due to specularly reflected light.

Using such a tendency, it is possible to specify the light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light, which is advantageous in suppressing the measurement error caused by the specular reflection.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the setting unit is configured to be able to set at least one of a central axis of a cylinder, a central axis of a cone, and a center of a sphere as the shape information. ing.

As described above, according to the laser processing apparatus, measurement errors due to specular reflection can be suppressed when a workpiece having a curved surface portion is a distance measurement object.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a laser processing system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the laser processing apparatus. FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a marker head; FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the marker head; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the marker head. FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of a laser beam scanning unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configurations of the laser light guide section, the laser light scanning section, and the distance measuring unit. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an optical path connecting a laser beam guiding section, a laser beam scanning section, and a distance measuring unit. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an optical path connecting a laser beam guide section, a laser beam scanning section, and a distance measuring unit. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the triangulation method. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for machining a workpiece. FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating diffusely reflected light. FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating regular reflected light. FIG. 12A is a diagram illustrating the influence of specularly reflected light caused by the spread of ranging light. FIG. 12B is a diagram illustrating the influence of specularly reflected light caused by the spread of distance measuring light. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining how specularly reflected light and diffusely reflected light enter a light receiving element. FIG. 14 is a diagram exemplifying the received light amount distribution when the distance measuring light is scanned in the direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for specifying diffusely reflected light. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a setting screen for shape information. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an integrated value of the received light amount distribution.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. Note that the following description is an example.

That is, in this specification, a laser marker will be described as an example of a laser processing apparatus, but the technology disclosed herein can be applied to general laser application equipment regardless of the names of laser processing apparatus and laser marker.

In this specification, printing processing will be described as a representative example of processing, but the present invention is not limited to printing processing, and can be used in any processing processing using laser light, such as image marking.

<Overall composition>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a laser processing system S, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser processing device L in the laser processing system S. As shown in FIG. A laser processing system S illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a laser processing device L, an operation terminal 800 and an external device 900 connected thereto.

1 and 2 irradiates a laser beam emitted from the marker head 1 onto a workpiece W as an object to be processed, and three-dimensionally scans the surface of the workpiece W. Processing is performed by The term "three-dimensional scanning" as used herein refers to a two-dimensional operation (so-called "two-dimensional scanning") of scanning the surface of the workpiece W with the irradiation target of the laser beam, and adjusting the focal position of the laser beam. It refers to the general concept of a combination of one-dimensional motion and

In particular, the laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment can emit a laser beam having a wavelength of around 1064 nm as a laser beam for processing the workpiece W. This wavelength corresponds to the near infrared (Near-InfraRed: NIR) wavelength range. Therefore, in the following description, the laser beam for processing the workpiece W may be referred to as "near-infrared laser beam" to distinguish it from other laser beams. Laser beams other than near-infrared rays may be used for processing the workpiece W.

In addition, the laser processing apparatus L according to the present embodiment measures the distance to the workpiece W via the distance measuring unit 5 incorporated in the marker head 1, and uses the measurement result to emit near-infrared laser light. Focus position can be adjusted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the laser processing apparatus L includes a marker head 1 for emitting laser light and a marker controller 100 for controlling the marker head 1 .

The marker head 1 and the marker controller 100 are separated in this embodiment, electrically connected via electrical wiring, and optically coupled via an optical fiber cable.

More generally, one of the marker head 1 and the marker controller 100 can be integrated into the other. In this case, the optical fiber cable or the like can be omitted as appropriate.

The operation terminal 800 has, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) and memory, and is connected to the marker controller 100 . This operation terminal 800 functions as a terminal for setting various processing conditions such as print settings and for displaying information related to laser processing to the user. This operation terminal 800 includes a display unit 801 for displaying information to the user, an operation unit 802 for receiving operation input by the user, and a storage device 803 for storing various information.

Specifically, the display unit 801 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL panel. The display unit 801 displays the operation status of the laser processing apparatus L, processing conditions, and the like as information related to laser processing. On the other hand, the operation unit 802 is composed of, for example, a keyboard and/or pointing device. Here, the pointing device includes a mouse and/or a joystick. The operation unit 802 is configured to receive an operation input by the user, and is used to operate the marker head 1 via the marker controller 100 .

The operation terminal 800 configured as described above can set the processing conditions for laser processing based on the operation input by the user. The processing conditions include, for example, the contents of a character string to be printed on the workpiece W (marking pattern), the output required for the laser beam (target output), and the scanning speed of the laser beam on the workpiece W (scanning speed ) is included.

The processing conditions according to the present embodiment also include the conditions and parameters related to the distance measurement unit 5 (hereinafter also referred to as "distance measurement conditions"). Such distance measurement conditions include, for example, data that associates a signal indicating the detection result by the distance measurement unit 5 with the distance to the surface of the workpiece W, and the like.

The processing conditions set by the operating terminal 800 are output to the marker controller 100 and stored in the condition setting storage section 102 thereof. If necessary, the storage device 803 in the operation terminal 800 may store the processing conditions.

Note that the operation terminal 800 can be integrated into the marker controller 100, for example. In this case, the term "control unit" is used instead of "operation terminal", but at least in the present embodiment, the operation terminal 800 and the marker controller 100 are separated from each other.

The external device 900 is connected to the marker controller 100 of the laser processing device L as required. In the example shown in FIG. 1, an image recognition device 901 and a programmable logic controller (PLC) 902 are provided as the external device 900 .

Specifically, the image recognition device 901 determines the type and position of the work W conveyed on the line, for example. For example, an image sensor can be used as the image recognition device 901 . PLC 902 is used to control laser processing system S according to a predetermined sequence.

In addition to the devices and devices described above, the laser processing device L can also be connected to a device for operation and control, a computer for performing various other processes, a storage device, peripheral devices, and the like. The connection in this case may be serial connection such as IEEE1394, RS-232, RS-422 and USB, or parallel connection, for example. Alternatively, electrical, magnetic, or optical connections can be employed through networks such as 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, and the like. In addition to the wired connection, a wireless LAN such as IEEE802, or a wireless connection using radio waves such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared rays, optical communication, or the like may be used. Furthermore, various memory cards, magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, hard disks, etc., can be used as storage media used in storage devices for exchanging data and storing various settings.

The hardware configurations of the marker controller 100 and the marker head 1 and the configuration of the marker head 1 controlled by the marker controller 100 will be sequentially described below.

<Marker controller 100>
As shown in FIG. 2, the marker controller 100 includes a condition setting storage unit 102 for storing the processing conditions described above, a control unit 101 for controlling the marker head 1 based on the processing conditions stored therein, a laser excitation and an excitation light generator 110 that generates light (excitation light).

(Condition setting storage unit 102)
The condition setting storage unit 102 is configured to store processing conditions set via the operation terminal 800 and to output the stored processing conditions to the control unit 101 as necessary.

Specifically, the condition setting storage unit 102 is configured using a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or the like, and temporarily or continuously stores information indicating processing conditions. can do. Note that when the operation terminal 800 is incorporated in the marker controller 100, the storage device 803 can be configured to also serve as the condition setting storage section 102. FIG.

(control unit 101)
Based on the processing conditions stored in the condition setting storage unit 102, the control unit 101 controls at least the excitation light generation unit 110 in the marker controller 100, the laser light output unit 2 in the marker head 1, the laser light guide unit 3, By controlling the laser beam scanning unit 4 and the distance measuring unit 5, the printing process of the workpiece W and the like are executed.

Specifically, the control unit 101 has a CPU, a memory, and an input/output bus, and receives signals indicating information input via the operation terminal 800 and processing conditions read from the condition setting storage unit 102. A control signal is generated based on the indicated signal. The control unit 101 outputs the control signal thus generated to each unit of the laser processing apparatus L, thereby controlling the printing processing on the work W and the measurement of the distance to the work W. FIG.

For example, when starting machining of the workpiece W, the control unit 101 reads the target output stored in the condition setting storage unit 102, outputs a control signal generated based on the target output to the excitation light source driving unit 112, Controls the generation of laser excitation light.

(Excitation light generator 110)
The excitation light generation unit 110 is optically coupled to the excitation light source 111 that generates laser light according to the drive current, the excitation light source drive unit 112 that supplies the drive current to the excitation light source 111 , and the excitation light source 111 . and an excitation light condensing unit 113 . The excitation light source 111 and the excitation light collector 113 are fixed in an excitation casing (not shown). Although details are omitted, the excitation casing is made of a metal such as copper having excellent thermal conductivity, and can efficiently dissipate heat from the excitation light source 111 .

Each part of the excitation light generator 110 will be described in order below.

The excitation light source drive section 112 supplies drive current to the excitation light source 111 based on the control signal output from the control section 101 . Although details are omitted, the excitation light source driving section 112 determines the drive current based on the target output determined by the control section 101 and supplies the determined drive current to the excitation light source 111 .

The excitation light source 111 is supplied with a driving current from the excitation light source driving section 112 and oscillates laser light according to the driving current. For example, the excitation light source 111 is composed of a laser diode (LD) or the like, and an LD array or LD bar in which a plurality of LD elements are arranged in a straight line can be used. When an LD array or an LD bar is used as the excitation light source 111 , laser light emitted from each element is linearly output and enters the excitation light collecting section 113 .

The excitation light collector 113 collects the laser light output from the excitation light source 111 and outputs it as laser excitation light (excitation light). For example, the excitation light condensing unit 113 is configured by a focusing lens or the like, and has an incident surface on which laser light is incident and an emission surface from which the laser excitation light is output. The excitation light condensing section 113 is optically coupled to the marker head 1 via the aforementioned optical fiber cable. Therefore, the laser excitation light output from the excitation light focusing section 113 is guided to the marker head 1 via the optical fiber cable.

The excitation light generator 110 can be an LD unit or an LD module in which the excitation light source driver 112, the excitation light source 111 and the excitation light collector 113 are incorporated in advance. In addition, the excitation light emitted from the excitation light generator 110 (specifically, the laser excitation light emitted from the excitation light collector 113) can be unpolarized. There is no need to consider this, which is advantageous in terms of design. In particular, regarding the configuration around the excitation light source 111, the LD unit itself, which bundles and outputs the light obtained from each LD array in which several tens of LD elements are arranged, with an optical fiber, has a mechanism for making the output light unpolarized. It is preferable to have

(other components)
The marker controller 100 also has a distance measuring section 103 that measures the distance to the work W via the distance measuring unit 5 . The distance measuring unit 103 is electrically connected to the distance measuring unit 5, and is a signal related to the measurement result by the distance measuring unit 5 (at least a signal indicating the light receiving position of the distance measuring light by the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B). can be received.

As will be described later, the distance measuring unit 5 can emit the distance measuring light to the work W and receive the distance measuring light reflected by the work W from which it is emitted. The distance measuring unit 103 is configured to perform measurement based on the light receiving position of the reflected distance measuring light.

However, depending on the material or surface condition of the workpiece W, not only diffuse reflected light that can be used for measurement (see the upper diagram in FIG. 11), but also specular reflected light that is unnecessary for measurement (see the lower diagram in FIG. 11) may be received by the ranging unit 5 .

Therefore, the marker controller 100 according to this embodiment includes a position specifying unit 104 for specifying light reception due to specularly reflected light, and a setting unit 105 related to the position specifying unit 104 . A determination result by the position specifying unit 104 can be output to the distance measuring unit 103 , the operation terminal 800 and/or the external device 900 .

The distance measurement section 103 according to this embodiment is connected to the distance measurement unit 5 via the position specifying section 104 .

Note that the distance measuring unit 103 , the position specifying unit 104 and the setting unit 105 may be configured by the control unit 101 . For example, the control unit 101 may also serve as the distance measurement unit 103 . Alternatively, the distance measurement section 103 may also serve as the position specifying section 104 .

Details of the distance measuring unit 103, the position specifying unit 104, and the setting unit 105 will be described later.

<Marker head 1>
As described above, the laser excitation light generated by the excitation light generator 110 is guided to the marker head 1 via the optical fiber cable. The marker head 1 includes a laser light output unit 2 that amplifies, generates and outputs laser light based on laser excitation light, and a laser light output unit 2 that irradiates the surface of the workpiece W with the laser light output 2 . A laser light scanning unit 4 that performs dimensional scanning, a laser light guide unit 3 that forms an optical path from the laser light output unit 2 to the laser light scanning unit 4, and distance measurement that emits light and receives light through the laser light scanning unit 4. and a distance measuring unit 5 for measuring the distance to the surface of the work W based on light.

Here, the laser light guide unit 3 according to the present embodiment not only configures an optical path, but also includes a Z scanner (focus adjustment unit) 33 that adjusts the focal position of the laser light, and a guide light source that emits guide light. A plurality of members such as (guide light emitting portion) 36 are combined.

In addition, the laser light guide section 3 further includes an upstream merging mechanism 31 for merging the near-infrared laser light output from the laser light output section 2 and the guide light output from the guide light source 36, and the laser light scanning section 4. It has a downstream merging mechanism 35 for merging the guided laser light and the distance measuring light projected from the distance measuring unit 5 .

3A and 3B are block diagrams illustrating the schematic configuration of the marker head 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the marker head 1. FIG. 3A to 3B, FIG. 3A illustrates the case of processing the work W using a near-infrared laser beam, and FIG. 3B illustrates the case of measuring the distance to the surface of the work W using the distance measuring unit 5. is exemplified.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 4, the marker head 1 includes a housing 10 in which at least a laser light output section 2, a laser light guide section 3, a laser light scanning section 4, and a distance measuring unit 5 are provided. ing. The housing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIG. The lower surface of the housing 10 is defined by a plate-like bottom plate 10a. The bottom plate 10a is provided with a transmission window 19 for emitting laser light from the marker head 1 to the outside of the marker head 1. As shown in FIG. The transmission window 19 is configured by fitting a plate-like member capable of transmitting near-infrared laser light, guide light, and range-finding light into a through-hole extending through the bottom plate 10a in the plate thickness direction.

In the description below, the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 in FIG. It may be called "left and right direction". Similarly, the height direction of the housing 10 in FIG. 4 may be simply referred to as "height direction" or "vertical direction".

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the laser beam scanning unit 4. As shown in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4 and the distance measuring unit 5, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an optical path connecting the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4, and the distance measuring unit 5. FIG.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, a partition 11 is provided inside the housing 10 . The internal space of the housing 10 is partitioned into one side and the other side in the longitudinal direction by the partition portion 11 .

Specifically, the partition part 11 is formed in a flat plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 . In addition, in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10, the partition section 11 is arranged closer to one side in the longitudinal direction (the front side in FIG. 4) than the central portion of the housing 10 in the same direction.

Therefore, the space partitioned on one longitudinal side in the housing 10 has a smaller longitudinal dimension than the space partitioned on the other longitudinal side (rear side in FIG. 4). Hereinafter, the space partitioned on the other longitudinal side in the housing 10 will be referred to as a first space S1, and the space partitioned on the one longitudinal side will be referred to as a second space S2.

In this embodiment, the laser light output section 2, some components of the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4, and the distance measuring unit 5 are arranged inside the first space S1. On the other hand, main components of the laser beam guide section 3 are arranged inside the second space S2.

Specifically, the first space S1 is partitioned into a space on one side in the short direction (left side in FIG. 4) and a space on the other side (right side in FIG. 4) by a substantially flat base plate 12. . In the former space, mainly parts constituting the laser light output section 2 are arranged.

More specifically, among the parts that make up the laser light output unit 2, the optical parts 21, such as optical lenses and optical crystals, which are required to be hermetically sealed as much as possible, are arranged in the first space S1 in the transverse direction. In the side space, it is arranged inside a receiving space surrounded by a base plate 12 or the like.

On the other hand, among the parts that make up the laser light output unit 2, parts that do not necessarily need to be sealed, such as electrical wiring and a heat sink 22 shown in FIG. It is arranged on the opposite side (the other side in the short direction of the first space S1).

Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the laser beam scanning unit 4 can be arranged on one side in the short direction across the base plate 12, similarly to the optical component 21 in the laser beam output unit 2. . Specifically, the laser beam scanning section 4 according to this embodiment is arranged adjacent to the partition section 11 in the longitudinal direction and along the inner bottom surface of the housing 10 in the vertical direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the distance measuring unit 5 is arranged in the space on the other side in the short direction of the first space S1, like the heat sink 22 in the laser light output section 2. As shown in FIG.

Also, the components that make up the laser beam guide section 3 are mainly arranged in the second space S2. In this embodiment, most of the components that make up the laser beam guide section 3 are housed in a space surrounded by a partition section 11 and a cover member 17 that partitions the front surface of the housing 10 .

Note that, among the components that configure the laser beam guide section 3, the downstream merging mechanism 35 is arranged in the vicinity of the partition section 11 in the first space S1 (see FIG. 5). That is, in this embodiment, the downstream merging mechanism 35 is positioned near the boundary between the first space S1 and the second space S2.

A through hole (not shown) is formed in the base plate 12 so as to penetrate the base plate 12 in the plate thickness direction. Through this through-hole, the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4, and the distance measuring unit 5 are optically coupled.

The configurations of the laser light output section 2, the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4, and the distance measuring unit 5 will be described in order below.

(Laser light output unit 2)
The laser light output unit 2 generates near-infrared laser light for print processing based on the laser excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit 110, and directs the near-infrared laser light to the laser light guide unit 3. configured to output.

Specifically, the laser light output unit 2 generates a laser light having a predetermined wavelength based on the laser excitation light, and a laser oscillator 21a that amplifies the laser light and emits a near-infrared laser light. It has a beam sampler 21b for separating part of the oscillated near-infrared laser light, and a power monitor 21c into which the near-infrared laser light separated by the beam sampler 21b is incident.

Although the details are omitted, the laser oscillator 21a according to the present embodiment includes a laser medium for emitting laser light by performing stimulated emission corresponding to laser excitation light, and a laser medium for pulsating the laser light emitted from the laser medium. It has a Q switch and a mirror that resonates the laser light pulse-oscillated by the Q switch.

Particularly in this embodiment, rod-shaped Nd:YVO ₄ (yttrium vanadate) is used as the laser medium. As a result, the laser oscillator 21a can emit laser light having a wavelength of around 1064 nm (near-infrared laser light described above) as laser light. However, it is not limited to this example, and other laser media such as YAG, YLF, and GdVO ₄ doped with rare earth elements can also be used. Various solid-state laser media can be used according to the application of the laser processing apparatus L.

Also, a wavelength conversion element can be combined with the solid-state laser medium to convert the wavelength of the output laser light to an arbitrary wavelength. A so-called fiber laser, which uses a fiber as an oscillator instead of a bulk as a solid-state laser medium, may also be used.

Further, the laser oscillator 21a may be configured by combining a solid laser medium such as Nd: _YVO4 and a fiber. In that case, as in the case of using a solid-state laser medium, a laser with a short pulse width is emitted to suppress thermal damage to the workpiece W, while high output can be achieved as in the case of using a fiber. This makes it possible to achieve faster print processing.

The power monitor 21c detects the output of near-infrared laser light. The power monitor 21c is electrically connected to the marker controller 100, and can output its detection signal to the control section 101 or the like.

(Laser beam guide part 3)
The laser light guide section 3 forms an optical path P that guides the near-infrared laser light emitted from the laser light output section 2 to the laser light scanning section 4 . The laser light guide section 3 includes a bend mirror 34 for forming such an optical path P, a Z scanner (focus adjustment section) 33, a guide light source (guide light emission section) 36, and the like. All of these parts are provided inside the housing 10 (mainly in the second space S2).

The near-infrared laser light incident from the laser light output section 2 is reflected by the bend mirror 34 and passes through the laser light guide section 3 . A Z scanner 33 for adjusting the focal position of the near-infrared laser beam is arranged on the way to the bend mirror 34 . A near-infrared laser beam that passes through the Z scanner 33 and is reflected by the bend mirror 34 enters the laser beam scanning unit 4 .

The optical path P formed by the laser light guide section 3 can be divided into two with the Z scanner 33 as a focus adjustment section as a boundary. More specifically, the optical path P formed by the laser beam guide unit 3 includes an upstream optical path Pu from the laser beam output unit 2 to the Z scanner 33, a downstream optical path Pd from the Z scanner 33 to the laser beam scanning unit 4, can be divided into

More specifically, the upstream optical path Pu is provided inside the housing 10 and extends from the laser light output unit 2 to the Z scanner 33 via the above-described upstream joining mechanism 31 .

On the other hand, the downstream optical path Pd is provided inside the housing 10, and passes from the Z scanner 33, through the bend mirror 34, and the downstream merging mechanism 35 in order, to the laser beam scanning unit 4. It reaches the first scanner 41 .

As described above, inside the housing 10, the upstream joining mechanism 31 is provided in the middle of the upstream optical path Pu, and the downstream joining mechanism 35 is provided in the middle of the downstream optical path Pd.

Hereinafter, configurations related to the laser beam guide section 3 will be described in order.

- Guide light source 36 -
The guide light source 36 is provided in the second space S<b>2 inside the housing 10 and emits guide light for projecting a predetermined machining pattern onto the surface of the work W. The wavelength of this guide light is set to fall within the visible light range. As an example, the guide light source 36 according to the present embodiment emits red laser light having a wavelength of around 655 nm as guide light. Therefore, when the guide light is emitted from the marker head 1, the user can visually recognize the guide light.

In addition, in this embodiment, the wavelength of the guide light is set so as to be at least different from the wavelength of the near-infrared laser light. Further, as will be described later, the distance measuring light emitting section 5A in the distance measuring unit 5 emits distance measuring light having a wavelength different from that of the guide light and the near-infrared laser light. Therefore, the distance measuring light, the guide light, and the laser light have different wavelengths.

Specifically, the guide light source 36 is arranged at substantially the same height as the upstream merging mechanism 31 in the second space S2, and emits a visible light laser (guide light) toward the inner side of the housing 10 in the short direction. can be emitted. The guide light source 36 is also oriented such that the optical axis of the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 intersects with the upstream joining mechanism 31 .

The term “substantially the same height” as used herein means that the height positions are substantially equal when viewed from the bottom plate 10a forming the lower surface of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. Also in other descriptions, it refers to the height seen from the bottom plate 10a.

Therefore, when guide light is emitted from the guide light source 36 in order to allow the user to visually recognize the pattern processed by the near-infrared laser light, the guide light reaches the upstream merging mechanism 31 . The upstream merging mechanism 31 has a dichroic mirror (not shown) as an optical component. As will be described later, this dichroic mirror reflects near-infrared laser light while transmitting guide light. As a result, the guide light that has passed through the dichroic mirror and the near-infrared laser light that has been reflected by the mirror merge and become coaxial.

The guide light source 36 according to this embodiment is configured to emit guide light based on the control signal output from the control section 101 .

-Upstream merging mechanism 31-
The upstream merging mechanism 31 merges the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 as a guide light emitting part into the upstream optical path Pu. By providing the upstream merging mechanism 31, the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 and the near-infrared laser light in the upstream optical path Pu can be made coaxial.

As described above, the wavelength of the guide light is set to be at least different from the wavelength of the near-infrared laser light. Therefore, the upstream merging mechanism 31 can be configured using, for example, a dichroic mirror as described above. The near-infrared laser light and guide light coaxialized by this dichroic mirror propagate downward, pass through the Z scanner 33 and reach the bend mirror 34 .

-Z Scanner 33-
A Z scanner 33 as a focus adjustment unit is arranged between the upstream merging mechanism 31 and the bend mirror 34, and can adjust the focal position of the near-infrared laser light emitted from the laser light output unit 2. can. The Z scanner 33 as a focus adjustment unit functions as means for vertically scanning the near-infrared laser beam.

The near-infrared laser light passing through the Z scanner 33 is coaxial with the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 as described above. Therefore, by operating the Z scanner 33, not only the near-infrared laser light but also the focal position of the guide light can be adjusted.

Note that the Z scanner 33 according to this embodiment is configured to operate based on the control signal output from the control section 101, like the guide light source .

-Bend mirror 34-
The bend mirror 34 is provided in the middle of the downstream optical path Pd, and arranged so as to bend the optical path Pd and direct it backward. As shown in FIG. 6, the bend mirror 34 is arranged at substantially the same height as the dichroic mirror 35a in the downstream merging mechanism 35, and reflects the near-infrared laser light and the guide light that have passed through the Z scanner 33. can be done.

The near-infrared laser light and the guide light reflected by the bend mirror 34 propagate backward, pass through the downstream confluence mechanism 35, and reach the laser light scanning section (specifically, the first scanner 41).

- Downstream merging mechanism 35 -
The downstream merging mechanism 35 guides the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A in the distance measuring unit 5 to the work W via the laser beam scanning portion 4 by joining the above described downstream optical path Pd. . In addition, the downstream merging mechanism 35 guides the distance measuring light reflected by the workpiece W and returning to the laser beam scanning unit 4 and the downstream optical path Pd in that order to the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B in the distance measuring unit 5 .

By providing the downstream merging mechanism 35, the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A can be coaxial with the near-infrared laser light and the guide light in the downstream optical path Pd. At the same time, by providing the downstream merging mechanism 35, of the ranging light emitted from the marker head 1 and reflected by the workpiece W, the ranging light incident on the marker head 1 is led to the ranging light receiving section 5B. be able to.

As described above, the wavelength of the ranging light is set to be different from the wavelengths of the near-infrared laser light and guide light. Therefore, the downstream merging mechanism 35 can be configured using, for example, a dichroic mirror, like the upstream merging mechanism 31 .

Specifically, the downstream joining mechanism 35 according to the present embodiment has a dichroic mirror 35a that transmits one of the distance measuring light and the guide light and reflects the other (see FIGS. 6 and 7). More specifically, the dichroic mirror 35a is arranged at substantially the same height as the bend mirror 34 and behind the bend mirror 34, and is arranged in the space on the left side of the housing 10 in the short direction.

The dichroic mirror 35a is also fixed in such a position that one mirror surface faces the bend mirror 34 and the other mirror surface faces the base plate 12, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the near-infrared laser light and the guide light are incident on one mirror surface of the dichroic mirror 35a, while the distance measuring light is incident on the other mirror surface.

The dichroic mirror 35a according to the present embodiment can reflect the distance measuring light and transmit the near-infrared laser light and the guide light. As a result, for example, when the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring unit 5 is incident on the dichroic mirror 35a, the distance measuring light is merged into the downstream optical path Pd and made coaxial with the near-infrared laser light and the guide light. can be done. The near-infrared laser light, guide light, and distance measuring light thus coaxialized reach the first scanner 41 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

On the other hand, the distance measuring light reflected by the workpiece W returns to the laser light scanning unit 4 and reaches the downstream optical path Pd. The distance measuring light returning to the downstream optical path P is reflected by the dichroic mirror 35 a in the downstream merging mechanism 35 and reaches the distance measuring unit 5 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the distance measuring light incident on the dichroic mirror 35a from the distance measuring unit 5 and the distance measuring light reflected by the dichroic mirror 35a and incident on the distance measuring unit 5 both The light propagates along the left-right direction (the lateral direction of the housing 10) when the housing 10 is viewed from above.

(Laser beam scanning unit 4)
As shown in FIG. 3A, the laser light scanning unit 4 irradiates the workpiece W with laser light (near-infrared laser light) emitted from the laser light output unit 2 and guided by the laser light guide unit 3. It is configured to perform two-dimensional scanning on the surface of the work W.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the laser beam scanning unit 4 is configured as a so-called two-axis galvanometer scanner. That is, the laser beam scanning unit 4 includes a first scanner 41 for scanning the near-infrared laser beam incident from the laser beam guide unit 3 in a first direction, and a near-infrared laser beam scanned by the first scanner 41 . and a second scanner 42 for scanning light in a second direction.

Here, the second direction refers to a direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction. Therefore, the second scanner 42 can scan the near-infrared laser light in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first scanner 41 . In this embodiment, the first direction is equal to the front-rear direction (the longitudinal direction of the housing 10), and the second direction is equal to the left-right direction (the lateral direction of the housing 10).

The first scanner 41 has a first mirror 41a at its tip. The first mirror 41a is positioned at substantially the same height as the bend mirror 34 and the dichroic mirror 35a and behind the dichroic mirror 35a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the bend mirror 34, the dichroic mirror 35a, and the first mirror 41a are arranged in a line in the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction of the housing 10).

The first mirror 41 a is also rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) incorporated in the first scanner 41 . This motor can rotate the first mirror 41a around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. By adjusting the rotational posture of the first mirror 41a, the angle of reflection of the near-infrared laser beam by the first mirror 41a can be adjusted.

Similarly, the second scanner 42 has a second mirror 42a at its tip. The second mirror 42a is positioned at substantially the same height as the first mirror 41a in the first scanner 41 and to the right of the first mirror 41a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the first mirror 41a and the second mirror 42a are arranged side by side along the left-right direction (the lateral direction of the housing 10).

The second mirror 42a is also rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) incorporated in the second scanner 42. As shown in FIG. This motor can rotate the second mirror 42a around a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction. By adjusting the rotational attitude of the second mirror 42a, the angle of reflection of the near-infrared laser light by the second mirror 42a can be adjusted.

Therefore, when the near-infrared laser light is incident on the laser light scanning unit 4 from the downstream joining mechanism 35, the near-infrared laser light is reflected by the first mirror 41a of the first scanner 41 and the second mirror of the second scanner 42. 42 a in order, and exits the marker head 1 through the transmission window 19 .

At this time, by operating the motor of the first scanner 41 to adjust the rotational attitude of the first mirror 41a, the surface of the work W can be scanned with the near-infrared laser light in the first direction. . At the same time, by actuating the motor of the second scanner 42 to adjust the rotational posture of the second mirror 42a, the surface of the work W can be scanned with the near-infrared laser light in the second direction.

As described above, the laser beam scanning unit 4 receives not only near-infrared laser beams, but also guide light that has passed through the dichroic mirror 35a of the downstream merging mechanism 35, or range-finding light that has been reflected by the same mirror 35a. will also enter. By operating the first scanner 41 and the second scanner 42 respectively, the laser beam scanning unit 4 according to the present embodiment can two-dimensionally scan the incident guide light or distance measuring light.

In addition, the rotational postures that the first mirror 41a and the second mirror 42a can take are basically such that when the near-infrared laser light is reflected by the second mirror 42a, the reflected light passes through the transmission window 19. (see also FIGS. 7 and 8).

(Range measurement unit 5)
As shown in FIG. 3B, the distance measurement unit 5 projects distance measurement light through the laser beam scanning section 4 and irradiates the surface of the work W with the light. The distance measurement unit 5 also receives the distance measurement light reflected by the surface of the work W via the laser beam scanning section 4 .

The distance measuring unit 5 is mainly divided into a module for projecting distance measuring light and a module for receiving distance measuring light. Specifically, the distance measuring unit 5 is provided inside the housing 10 and emits distance measuring light for measuring the distance from the marker head 1 in the laser processing apparatus L to the surface of the work W. and the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting unit 5A provided inside the housing 10 and reflected by the workpiece W is sent through the laser beam scanning unit 4. and a distance measuring light receiving portion 5B that receives the light. The distance measuring unit 5 further includes a support base 50 that supports the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A and the distance measuring light receiving portion 5B from below. ing.

As described above, the distance measuring unit 5 is provided in the space on the other side in the short direction of the first space S1. As shown in FIG. 7, the distance measuring unit 5 emits distance measuring light forward along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and receives distance measuring light propagating substantially backward along the longitudinal direction.

Further, the distance measuring unit 5 is optically coupled to the laser light guide section 3 via the dichroic mirror 35a. As described above, the distance measuring unit 5 projects distance measuring light along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 . On the other hand, the dichroic mirror 35a reflects the range-finding light that propagates along the lateral direction of the housing 10 rather than along its longitudinal direction.

Therefore, a bend mirror 59 is provided inside the housing 10 to form an optical path connecting the distance measuring unit 5 and the dichroic mirror 35a (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

Therefore, the distance measuring light incident on the bend mirror 59 from the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A is reflected by the same mirror 59 and enters the dichroic mirror 35a. On the other hand, the distance measuring light returned to the laser beam scanning unit 4 and reflected by the dichroic mirror 35a is incident on the bend mirror 59 and is reflected by the same mirror 59 to enter the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B.

The configuration of each part forming the distance measuring unit 5 will be described in order below.

-Ranging light output unit 5A-
The distance measuring light emitting unit 5A is provided inside the housing 10 and is configured to emit distance measuring light for measuring the distance from the marker head 1 in the laser processing apparatus L to the surface of the work W. ing.

Specifically, the distance measuring light emitting unit 5A includes the above-described distance measuring light source 51 and the projection lens 52, a casing 53 that accommodates these, and a pair of It has guide plates 54L and 54R. The distance measuring light source 51 , the projection lens 52 , and the guide plates 54 L and 54 R are arranged in order from the rear side of the housing 10 , and their arrangement direction is substantially the same as the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 .

The casing 53 is formed in a tubular shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and the support base 50 , and one side in the same direction, that is, one end corresponding to the rear side of the housing 10 is provided with a distance measuring light source 51 . is attached, while a projection lens 52 is attached to the other end corresponding to the front side of the housing 10 . The space between the distance measuring light source 51 and the projection lens 52 is substantially airtightly closed.

The distance measuring light source 51 emits distance measuring light toward the front side of the housing 10 according to the control signal input from the control unit 101 . Specifically, the distance measuring light source 51 can emit laser light in the visible light range as the distance measuring light. In particular, the distance measuring light source 51 according to this embodiment emits a red laser beam having a wavelength of around 690 nm as distance measuring light.

The distance measuring light source 51 is also fixed in such a posture that the optical axis Ao of the red laser light emitted as the distance measuring light is along the longitudinal direction of the casing 53 . Therefore, the optical axis Ao of the distance measuring light extends along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and the support base 50 , passes through the central portion of the projection lens 52 and reaches the outside of the casing 53 .

The projection lens 52 is positioned between the pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R and the light receiving lens 57 in the distance measuring light receiving section 5B in the longitudinal direction of the support base 50 . The projection lens 52 is oriented so that the optical axis Ao of the distance measuring light passes through it.

The projection lens 52 can be, for example, a plano-convex lens, and can be fixed with a spherical convex surface facing the outside of the casing 53 . The projection lens 52 collects the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light source 51 and emits it to the outside of the casing 53 . The distance measuring light emitted outside the casing 53 reaches the guide plates 54L and 54R.

The guide plates 54L and 54R are configured as a pair of members aligned in the lateral direction of the support base 50, and each can be a plate-like body extending in the longitudinal direction of the support base 50. As shown in FIG. A space for emitting the distance measuring light is defined between one guide plate 54L and the other guide plate 54R. The distance measuring light emitted to the outside of the casing 53 passes through the space thus partitioned and is output.

Therefore, the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light source 51 passes through the space inside the casing 53, the central portion of the projection lens 52, the space between the guide plates 54L and 54R, and reaches the outside of the distance measuring unit 5. output. The output distance measuring light is reflected by the bend mirror 59 and the dichroic mirror 35 a in the downstream merging mechanism 35 and enters the laser beam scanning section 4 .

The distance measuring light incident on the laser beam scanning unit 4 is sequentially reflected by the first mirror 41a of the first scanner 41 and the second mirror 42a of the second scanner 42, and passes through the transmission window 19 to the outside of the marker head 1. will be emitted to

As described in the description of the laser beam scanning unit 4, the surface of the workpiece W can be scanned with the distance measuring light in the first direction by adjusting the rotational posture of the first mirror 41a of the first scanner 41. FIG. At the same time, the motor of the second scanner 42 is actuated to adjust the rotational attitude of the second mirror 42a, so that the surface of the workpiece W can be scanned with the distance measuring light in the second direction.

The distance measuring light thus scanned is reflected on the surface of the work W. As shown in FIG. A portion of the reflected distance measuring light (hereinafter also referred to as “reflected light”) enters the inside of the marker head 1 through the transmission window 19 . The reflected light that has entered the inside of the marker head 1 returns to the laser light guide section 3 via the laser light scanning section 4 . Since the reflected light has the same wavelength as the distance measuring light, it is reflected by the dichroic mirror 35 a of the downstream merging mechanism 35 in the laser beam guide section 3 and enters the distance measuring unit 5 via the bend mirror 59 .

-Ranging light receiving part 5B-
The distance measuring light receiving section 5B is provided inside the housing 10, and receives the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting section 5A and reflected by the workpiece W (equivalent to the aforementioned "reflected light"). is configured to

Specifically, the distance measuring light receiving section 5B has a pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R and a light receiving lens 57. As shown in FIG. A pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged at the rear end of the support base 50, respectively, while the light-receiving lenses 57 are arranged at the front end of the support base 50, respectively. Therefore, the pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R and the light receiving lens 57 are arranged substantially along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and the support base 50. As shown in FIG.

The pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged inside the housing 10 so as to sandwich the optical axis Ao of the distance measuring light from the distance measuring light emitting section 5A. A pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R receive the reflected light that has returned to the laser beam scanning section 4, respectively.

Specifically, the pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis Ao of the distance measuring light emitting section 5A. In this embodiment, the direction in which the pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged is the same as the lateral direction of the housing 10 and the support base 50, that is, the horizontal direction. In the same direction, one light receiving element 56L is arranged on the left side of the distance measuring light source 51, and the other light receiving element 56R is arranged on the right side of the distance measuring light source 51. As shown in FIG.

The pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R each have a light-receiving surface directed obliquely forward, detects the light-receiving position of the reflected light on each light-receiving surface, and provides a signal (detection signal) indicating the detection result. to output Detection signals output from the light receiving elements 56L and 56R are input to the marker controller 100 and reach the distance measuring section 103. FIG.

Elements that can be used as the light receiving elements 56L and 56R include, for example, a CMOS image sensor composed of a complementary MOS (CMOS), a CCD image sensor composed of a charge-coupled device (CCD), and an optical position sensor. A sensor (Position Sensitive Detector: PSD) and the like are included.

In this embodiment, each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R is constructed using a CMOS image sensor. In this case, each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R can detect not only the light receiving position of the reflected light but also the light receiving amount distribution (light receiving waveform). That is, when each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R is configured using a CMOS image sensor, pixels are arranged at least in the horizontal direction on each light receiving surface a. In this case, each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R can read out a signal for each pixel, amplify it, and output it to the outside. The intensity of the signal in each pixel is determined based on the intensity of the reflected light at the spot when the reflected light forms a spot on the light receiving surface 56a.

Note that when each light receiving element 56L, 56R is configured using an element capable of detecting the light receiving amount distribution (light receiving waveform) like a CMOS image sensor, the magnitude of the light receiving amount in each light receiving element 56L, 56R can be measured. The intensity of the distance light, that is, the intensity of the distance measurement light emitted from the distance measurement light emitting portion 5A (hereinafter also referred to as "projection light amount"), and the gain for amplifying the signal for each pixel (hereinafter referred to as (also referred to as "light receiving gain"). In addition to the gain, it can be adjusted using the exposure time in each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R.

The pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R according to the present embodiment can detect at least the peak position indicating the light receiving position of the reflected light and the amount of received light of the reflected light. As an index indicating the amount of received light, for example, the height of the peak in the distribution of the amount of reflected light can be used. Alternatively, the total value, average value, or integral value of the received light amount distribution may be used.

Although the present embodiment uses the peak position of the distribution of the amount of received light as an index indicating the position of receiving the reflected light, it may instead be the position of the center of gravity of the distribution of the amount of received light.

The light-receiving lens 57 is arranged inside the housing 10 so that the optical axes of the pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R pass through. The light-receiving lens 57 is also provided in the middle of the optical path connecting the downstream-side junction mechanism 35 and the pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R, and receives the reflected light that has passed through the downstream-side junction mechanism 35 into the pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R. Light can be collected on each light receiving surface.

The light-receiving lens 57 collects the reflected light that has returned to the laser beam scanning unit 4 and forms spots of the reflected light on the light-receiving surfaces of the light-receiving elements 56L and 56R. Each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R outputs to the distance measuring section 103 a signal indicating the peak position of the spot thus formed and the amount of received light.

The laser processing apparatus L basically measures the distance to the surface of the workpiece W based on the light receiving position of the reflected light on the light receiving surface of each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R (in this embodiment, the position of the peak of the spot). can do. A so-called triangulation method is used as a distance measurement method.

<About distance measurement method>
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the triangulation method. Although FIG. 9 shows only the distance measuring unit 5, the following description can also be applied to the case where the distance measuring light is emitted via the laser beam scanning section 4 as described above.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the distance measuring light is emitted from the distance measuring light source 51 in the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A, the surface of the workpiece W is irradiated with the distance measuring light. When the distance measuring light is reflected by the work W, the reflected light (particularly diffusely reflected light) propagates substantially isotropically if the influence of specular reflection is eliminated.

Although the reflected light thus propagated includes a component incident on the light receiving element 56L via the light receiving lens 57, the angle of incidence on the light receiving element 56L increases or decreases according to the distance between the marker head 1 and the workpiece W. will do. When the angle of incidence on the light receiving element 56L increases or decreases, the light receiving position on the light receiving surface 56a increases or decreases.

Thus, the distance between the marker head 1 and the workpiece W and the light receiving position on the light receiving surface 56a are associated with a predetermined relationship. Therefore, by grasping the relationship in advance and storing it in the marker controller 100, for example, the distance between the marker head 1 and the workpiece W can be calculated from the light-receiving position on the light-receiving surface 56a. Such a calculation method is nothing but a technique using a so-called triangulation method.

That is, the distance measuring unit 103 described above measures the distance from the laser processing apparatus L to the surface of the work W by the triangulation method based on the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B.

Specifically, the relationship between the light-receiving position on the light-receiving surface 56a and the distance between the marker head 1 and the surface of the workpiece W is stored in advance in the condition setting storage unit 102 described above. On the other hand, the distance measuring section 103 receives a signal indicating the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving section 5B, more specifically, the peak position of the spot formed by the reflected light on the light receiving surface 56a.

The distance measurement unit 103 measures the distance to the surface of the workpiece W based on the signal thus input and the relationship stored in the condition setting storage unit 102 . The measured values thus obtained are input to, for example, the control unit 101 and used by the control unit 101 to control the Z scanner 33 and the like.

<Regarding the processing procedure of the workpiece W>
As an example of using the measurement result of the distance measuring unit 103, the processing procedure of the workpiece W by the laser processing device L will be described below. FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the procedure for machining the workpiece W. As shown in FIG.

The control process illustrated in FIG. 10 is executed by the control unit 101 capable of controlling the excitation light generation unit 110, the laser light output unit 2, the Z scanner 33, the laser light scanning unit 4, the distance measurement light emission unit 5A, and the guide light source 36. It is possible.

First, in step S<b>101 , the processing conditions for laser processing are set by the user operating the operation terminal 800 . The processing conditions set in step S101 include, for example, the contents (marking pattern) such as character strings printed on the surface of the workpiece W, and the layout of such character strings.

In subsequent step S102, the control unit 101 selects a portion of the surface of the work W where the distance from the marker head 1 is to be measured (hereinafter also referred to as a "measurement point") based on the processing conditions set in step S101. is determined at multiple points.

In subsequent step S103, the control unit 101 measures the distance from the laser processing apparatus L to the surface of the work W via the distance measuring unit 103 by controlling the distance measuring light emitting unit 5A.

Specifically, in step S103, the control unit 101 emits the distance measuring light from the distance measuring light emitting unit 5A to each measurement point determined in step S102, and the reflected light is sent to the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B. light is received by A signal indicating the light receiving position of the reflected light in the distance measuring light receiving section 5B is input to the distance measuring section 103, and the distance measuring section 103 measures the distance to the surface of the work W. FIG. Distance measurement section 103 inputs a signal indicating the distance thus measured to control section 101 .

In subsequent step S104, the control unit 101 determines the control parameters of the Z scanner 33 based on the measurement results in step S103, ie, the distance measurement values at each measurement location, so that the focal position matches the measurement values.

Specifically, in step S104, the control unit 101 determines control parameters for the Z scanner 33 at each measurement point.

In subsequent step S105, the control unit 101 adjusts the focal position at each measurement location via the Z scanner 33, and after adjusting the focal position with the Z scanner 33, guides the work W to the surface of the work W via the guide light source 36. irradiate with light. At the same time, the control unit 101 traces the marking pattern with the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 by controlling the laser beam scanning unit 4 .

Since the upstream merging mechanism 31 for merging the guide light with the near-infrared laser light is provided on the upstream side of the Z scanner 33, by adjusting the focal position with the Z scanner 33, only the near-infrared laser light is used. It is possible to adjust the focal position of the guide light as well.

Further, the tracing of the marking pattern by the guide light is repeatedly performed by appropriately controlling the laser beam scanning section 4. FIG. As a result, the marking pattern is continuously displayed on the surface of the workpiece W due to the afterimage effect of the human eye. At this time, in order to make the continuous display by the afterimage effect effective, it is conceivable to set the scanning speed of the guide light to the minimum speed at which the afterimage phenomenon occurs or higher. On the other hand, depending on conditions such as the material of the work W and the output of the near-infrared laser light, the scanning speed of the near-infrared laser light may become excessively slow during printing. In response to this, the scanning speed of the guide light is set to a speed faster than the scanning speed of the near-infrared laser light, that is, a speed equal to or higher than the minimum speed at which the afterimage phenomenon occurs.

In subsequent step S106, the control unit 101 completes the setting related to the marking pattern, and executes print processing based on the setting. Instead of step S106, the settings related to the marking pattern may be transferred to the condition setting storage unit 102 or the operation terminal 800 and stored.

<Influence of specularly reflected light on a cylindrical workpiece>
FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating diffuse reflection light, and FIG. 11B is a diagram illustrating specular reflection light. 12A and 12B are diagrams for explaining the influence of specularly reflected light caused by the spread of distance measuring light, and FIG. 13 is for explaining the situation in which specularly reflected light and diffuse reflection are incident on the light receiving element 56L. It is a figure to do.

Further, FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the received light amount distribution when the distance measuring light is scanned in a direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature, and FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for specifying diffusely reflected light.

Hereinafter, among works W having various shapes, those having a curved surface to be machined may be denoted by a symbol "W'".

When the distance measuring light is reflected by the work W, so-called diffusely reflected light propagates approximately isotropically as shown in FIG. 11A. On the other hand, depending on the material or surface condition of the workpiece W, regular reflection light as shown in FIG. 11B may occur in addition to the diffuse reflection light shown in FIG. 11A. If specularly reflected light enters the light receiving element 56L, it is not desirable because it may adversely affect distance measurement.

Therefore, by devising the layout of the light-receiving element 56L or using a pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R as in the distance measuring unit 5 according to the present embodiment, specularly reflected light is prevented from entering the light-receiving element 56L. It is conceivable to configure

However, laser light including ranging light ideally propagates in a straight line as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 12A. In this case, the distance measuring light locally reflected by the surface of the workpiece W' becomes specularly reflected light propagating with a specific reflection angle θa.

However, the actual ranging light propagates while expanding in a conical shape as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 12A. In this case, the distance measuring lights simultaneously reflected by the surface of the workpiece W' become specularly reflected lights propagating at specific reflection angles. The angle of reflection of each specularly reflected light varies more as the curvature of the surface of the workpiece W' increases.

That is, the phenomenon caused by the spread of the distance measuring light is common to the plate-shaped work W. In this case, each specularly reflected light propagates in various directions, increasing the possibility that the specularly reflected light reaches the light receiving element 56L. As illustrated in FIG. 12B, as the curvature of the workpiece W' increases, the spread of each specularly reflected light increases.

Therefore, if the layout of the light-receiving element 56L is devised or if a plurality of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged, specularly reflected light may reach the light-receiving element 56L.

As illustrated in FIG. 13, the specularly reflected light that reaches the light receiving element 56L is detected at the same time as the diffusely reflected light. This is inconvenient because it causes an error.

On the other hand, the marker controller 100 according to the present embodiment is configured to identify the detected value due to specularly reflected light by executing processing considering the shape of the workpiece W'.

Specifically, first, the above-described setting unit 105 sets the shape information of the curved surface portion for each workpiece W′ based on an operation input from the outside or the like. The term “curved portion” as used herein refers to a portion of the work W′ that has a specific curvature. In this embodiment, the user sets the shape information of the curved surface portion via the operation terminal 800 .

In this embodiment, a columnar work W' is exemplified as the work W' on which the curved surface portion is formed. Therefore, the curved surface portion corresponds to a so-called circumferential surface. Therefore, in the following description, the curved surface portion is simply referred to as the "circumferential surface" and is given the symbol "Wa" as illustrated in FIG. 12B.

Here, the setting unit 105 is configured to be able to set at least one of the central axis of the cylinder, the central axis of the cone, and the center of the sphere as the shape information.

Based on the shape information set by the setting unit 105, the control unit 101 scans the laser light so that the distance measuring light is applied to a plurality of locations aligned in the direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature on the circumferential surface Wa. It controls the unit 4 and the distance measuring light emitting unit 5B. Here, the control unit 101 scans the distance measuring light in the direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature, thereby sequentially irradiating the distance measuring light to each of a plurality of locations aligned in the direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature. can be done.

The "direction orthogonal to the curvature radius" may be manually specified by the user via the operation terminal 800, or may be automatically determined by the control unit 101 based on the shape information. . For example, when the central axis of a cylinder is set as the shape information, the direction extending along the tangent to the circumferential surface and revolving around the central axis of the cylinder is the "direction perpendicular to the radius of curvature."

As described above, in the present embodiment, a cylindrical workpiece W' is exemplified as the workpiece W' having the curved surface portion. In this case, the "direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature" is, as described above, the direction extending along the tangential line of the circumferential surface Wa and rotating around the central axis of the cylinder. In the following description, the same direction will simply be referred to as the "perpendicular direction", and will be given the reference symbol "A1" as exemplified in FIG.

Here, for example, as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 14, assume that the distance measuring light is emitted to the circumferential surface Wa of the workpiece W'. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 13, specularly reflected light and diffusely reflected light may enter the light receiving element 56L.

Therefore, although illustration is omitted in FIG. 14, if it is assumed that the specularly reflected light and the diffusely reflected light are incident on the light receiving element 56L, the received light amount distribution obtained at that time includes a distribution due to the specularly reflected light (light receiving Position: X1) and the distribution due to the diffusely reflected light (light receiving position: X0) coexist (see the upper diagram of FIG. 14).

By the way, as described with reference to FIG. 9, the light-receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light varies depending on the distance to the workpiece W. As shown in FIG. On the other hand, the light-receiving position caused by the specularly reflected light fluctuates according to the positional relationship with the circumferential surface Wa (in particular, the incident angle of the distance measuring light).

Therefore, when the irradiation target of the distance measuring light is moved along the orthogonal direction A1, the distance to the work W does not change as compared with the positional relationship with the circumferential surface Wa. Therefore, the light-receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light is not displaced compared to the light-receiving position caused by the specularly reflected light.

For example, as shown in the middle diagram of FIG. 14, when the irradiation target of the distance measuring light is moved in the orthogonal direction A1, the distribution caused by the specularly reflected light shifts from the light receiving position X1 to the light receiving position X2. On the other hand, the distribution caused by the diffusely reflected light does not substantially displace from the light receiving position X0.

Then, as shown in the lower diagram of FIG. 14, when the irradiation destination of the distance measuring light is further moved, the distribution caused by the specularly reflected light shifts from the light receiving position X2 to the light receiving position X3. The light-induced distribution does not substantially displace from the light receiving position X0.

Based on the tendency shown in FIG. 14 , the position specifying unit 104 detects the position among the plurality of light receiving positions in the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B when the distance measuring light is irradiated to each of the plurality of positions aligned in the orthogonal direction A1. , the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light is identified.

In order to specify the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light, the position specifying unit 104 detects the diffusely reflected light based on the amount of displacement of each light receiving position in the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B when the distance measuring light is scanned. The resulting light receiving position X0 is identified.

Here, the position specifying unit 104 according to the present embodiment does not directly use the size of the light receiving position, but indirectly uses it to specify the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light.

Specifically, when the control unit 101 scans the distance measuring light, the distance measuring unit 103 measures the distance corresponding to each of the plurality of light receiving positions in the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B along time series. Then, the position specifying unit 104 performs diffuse reflection based on the amount of displacement of each distance thus obtained (each distance corresponding to each of a plurality of light receiving positions when the control unit 101 scans the distance measuring light). A light receiving position X0 caused by light is specified.

For example, the position specifying unit 104 calculates the difference between the distance corresponding to the light receiving position X1 in FIG. 14 and the distance corresponding to the light receiving position X2, The difference from the distance corresponding to the light receiving position X0 in the same figure is calculated. It should be noted that it is preferable to calculate the difference between the light receiving amount distribution acquisition timings corresponding to the respective light receiving positions that are different from each other.

The position specifying unit 104 determines that the light-receiving amount distribution with the smallest difference calculated in this manner is the light-receiving amount distribution caused by the diffusely reflected light, and specifies the light-receiving position X0 corresponding to the same distribution.

In this manner, the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light can be accurately specified by indirectly monitoring the amount of variation of each light receiving position through the distance corresponding to the light receiving position instead of directly monitoring the amount of change. becomes possible. The distance measuring unit 103 measures the distance to the circumferential surface Wa of the workpiece W' based on the light receiving position X0 specified by the position specifying unit 104. FIG. Specifically, the distance measuring unit 103 outputs the distance corresponding to the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light as the distance to the circumferential surface Wa of the workpiece W'.

Note that when a physical quantity other than the distance is used to specify the light receiving position X0 resulting from the diffusely reflected light, the distance measuring unit 103 masks the area outside the predetermined range including the light receiving position X0, and It is possible to exclude the influence of reflected light received in areas outside the predetermined range. As a result, the light receiving positions X1, X2, and X3 caused by specularly reflected light can be eliminated.

As illustrated in FIG. 14, when specifying the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light, the control unit 101 irradiates the distance measuring light to three or more points aligned in the orthogonal direction A1 on the circumferential surface Wa. may Thereby, the light receiving position X0 can be specified with high accuracy.

If there are a plurality of "perpendicular directions A1", it is preferable to select a direction in which the direction of movement of the reflected light when scanning with the distance measuring light is along the direction in which the pixels are arranged on the light receiving surface 56a.

Also, in FIG. 14, the magnitude of the waveform of the specularly reflected light (the magnitude of the amount of received light) is all the same, but more strictly speaking, the magnitude of the waveform decreases as the distance from the light receiving position X0 increases. . That is, the magnitude of the waveform of the specularly reflected light increases as the light receiving positions X1, X2, and X0 move, and the magnitude of the waveform of the specularly reflected light increases from the light receiving position X0 to X3 and away from X0. becomes smaller.

(Specific example of procedure for specifying diffusely reflected light)
A specific example of the procedure for specifying diffusely reflected light will be described below. FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for specifying diffusely reflected light.

First, in step S201 of FIG. 15, the marker controller 100 determines whether or not it is time to specify specularly reflected light. This timing may be the timing designated by the user via the operation unit 802 . If it is determined that it is time to specify specularly reflected light (step S201: YES), the process proceeds to step S202; if it is determined that it is not time to specify specularly reflected light (step S201: NO), step S201 is repeated.

In subsequent step S202, the control unit 101 reads the shape information set by the setting unit 105. FIG. The control unit 101 also determines the scanning direction (perpendicular direction A1) of the distance measuring light based on the read shape information.

In subsequent step S203, the control unit 101 scans the distance measuring light along the direction determined in step S202. Thereby, the position specifying unit 104 acquires a plurality of received light amount distributions in chronological order (step S204).

In subsequent step S205, the position specifying unit 104 detects the peak position of each light-receiving amount distribution, and regards this as the light-receiving position. The light-receiving positions obtained in the same step include those caused by diffusely reflected light and those caused by specularly reflected light. Then, in step S206, the distance measurement unit 104 measures the distance corresponding to each light receiving position.

In subsequent step S207, the position specifying unit 104 calculates the distances measured by the distance measuring unit 104 in step S206 between the light receiving amount distribution acquisition timings different from each other. The position specifying unit 104 specifies the light-receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light based on the difference thus calculated (in particular, the amount of displacement along the time series).

Then, in step S208, the distance measurement unit 103 selects the distance corresponding to the light receiving position X0 identified in step S207, and outputs this as the final measurement result.

Thus, the distance measuring unit 103 can measure the distance to the circumferential surface Wa of the workpiece W' based on the light receiving position X0 specified by the position specifying unit 104, and output this as the final measurement result. can.

FIG. 16 particularly exemplifies a setting screen for shape information among display modes on the display unit 801 . By operating the button B2, for example, on the screen shown in FIG. ,can do. Further, as exemplified by an arrow A3, the scanning direction A1 for specifying the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light can also be set on this screen.

That is, when it is set through the screen shown in FIG. 16 that the workpiece W' has a cylindrical shape, the vertex coordinates of the cylindrical shape and the direction perpendicular to the central axis of the cylinder can be determined. This makes it possible to determine the scanning direction A1 indicated by the arrow A3.

As described above, the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light varies according to the distance to the workpiece W', as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the light-receiving positions X1, X2, and X3 caused by specularly reflected light fluctuate according to the positional relationship with the circumferential surface Wa.

For example, when the irradiation target of the distance measuring light is moved in a direction perpendicular to the radius of curvature of the circumferential surface Wa, as shown in FIG. does not change in comparison. Therefore, the light-receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light is not displaced compared to the light-receiving positions X1, X2, and X3 caused by the specularly reflected light.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15, by monitoring the displacement amount of the distance based on the light receiving position, the position specifying unit 104 selects the diffusely reflected light from among the plurality of light receiving positions in the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B. It becomes possible to identify the light receiving position X0 that caused the error. Then, the distance measuring section 103 measures the distance to the circumferential surface Wa based on the light receiving position X0 specified by the position specifying section 104 . As a result, the influence of light reception due to regular reflection can be eliminated, and measurement errors can be suppressed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 14, since the distance measuring light emitting unit 5A emits the distance measuring light through the laser beam scanning unit 4, the control unit 101 controls the laser beam scanning unit 4, thereby The irradiation target can be moved by scanning the distance light. By analyzing the detection results (light receiving amount distribution) obtained by scanning in this manner along the time series, the displacement amount of each light receiving position can be directly or indirectly monitored. As described above, the light-receiving position X0 caused by diffusely reflected light is not displaced compared to the light-receiving position caused by specularly reflected light.

Using such a tendency, it is possible to specify the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light, which is advantageous in suppressing the measurement error caused by the specularly reflected light.

<<Other embodiments>>
In the above embodiment, the method for setting shape information has been described with reference to FIG. 16, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, when the laser processing system S is installed on a production line, the shape information can be set using various methods in the preparatory stage before starting the line.

For example, prior to operation of the system S, the laser processing system S may read CAD data indicating the shape of the workpiece to be processed. In this case, the setting unit 105 can estimate the radius of curvature of the work surface based on the CAD data thus read.

In addition, prior to the operation of the laser processing system S, the distance is comprehensively measured in advance for the workpiece to be processed, and the setting unit 105 estimates the surface shape of the workpiece based on the measurement result. You may

Further, in the above-described embodiment, a method based on the amount of displacement of the distance corresponding to the light receiving position X0 caused by diffusely reflected light has been described, but the technology disclosed here is not limited to such a method. For example, based on the integrated value of the amount of light received corresponding to each light receiving position, the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light can be specified.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an integrated value of the received light amount distribution. Specifically, FIG. 17 illustrates the result of superimposing the three graphs shown in FIG. As can be seen from the figure, the height P0 of the peak of the integrated value related to the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light is the height of the peak of the integrated value related to the other light receiving positions X1, X2, and X3 caused by the specular reflected light. It becomes larger than the height P1.

Therefore, the position specifying unit 104 integrates the amount of light received when the control unit 101 scans the distance measuring light in chronological order, and determines the light receiving position X0, where the amount of light received after the integration is relatively large, as diffuse reflection. It can be configured to determine that the light receiving position X0 is caused by light. According to this configuration, similarly to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to accurately determine the light receiving position X0 caused by the diffusely reflected light.

1 Marker head 10 Housing 2 Laser light output unit 4 Laser light scanning unit 5 Distance measuring unit 5A Distance measuring light emitting unit 5B Distance measuring light receiving unit 56L Light receiving element 56R Light receiving element 100 Marker controller 101 Control unit 102 Condition setting storage unit ( setting part)
103 distance measurement unit 104 position specifying unit 105 setting unit 110 excitation light generation unit A1 orthogonal direction (direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature of the curved surface)
L Laser processing device S Laser processing system W Work (workpiece)
W' work (workpiece)
Ws Circumferential surface (curved surface)
X0 Light receiving position caused by diffusely reflected light

Claims (5)

an excitation light generator that generates excitation light;
a laser light output unit that generates laser light based on the excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit and that emits the laser light;
A laser processing apparatus comprising a laser beam scanning unit that irradiates a laser beam emitted from the laser beam output unit onto a workpiece and two-dimensionally scans the surface of the workpiece,
a distance measuring light emitting unit for emitting distance measuring light for measuring the distance from the laser processing device to the surface of the workpiece toward the laser beam scanning unit;
a distance measuring light receiving section for receiving, via the laser beam scanning section, distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting section and reflected by the workpiece;
a distance measuring unit that measures the distance from the laser processing device to the surface of the workpiece by a triangulation method based on the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving unit;
a setting unit that sets shape information of a curved surface portion having a specific curvature in the workpiece;
Based on the shape information set by the setting unit, the laser light scanning unit and the range-finding light emitting device are arranged so that the range-finding light is emitted to a plurality of locations aligned in a direction perpendicular to the radius of curvature of the curved surface portion. a control unit that controls the unit;
a position specifying unit that specifies a light receiving position caused by diffusely reflected light from among a plurality of light receiving positions in the distance measuring light receiving unit when the distance measuring light is irradiated to each of the plurality of locations by the control unit; , and
The laser processing apparatus, wherein the distance measuring unit measures a distance to the curved surface portion of the workpiece based on the light receiving position specified by the position specifying unit. In the laser processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The laser processing apparatus, wherein the control unit sequentially irradiates each of the plurality of locations with the distance measuring light by scanning the distance measuring light in a direction orthogonal to the radius of curvature. In the laser processing apparatus according to claim 2,
the distance measurement unit measures distances corresponding to each of a plurality of light receiving positions in the distance measurement light receiving unit when the control unit scans the distance measurement light;
The position specifying unit specifies the light receiving position caused by the diffusely reflected light based on the amount of displacement of each distance corresponding to each of the plurality of light receiving positions when the control unit scans the distance measuring light. A laser processing device characterized by: In the laser processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The distance measuring light receiving unit detects the amount of distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting unit and reflected by the workpiece,
The position specifying unit integrates the amount of light received when the control unit scans the range-finding light in a time-series manner, and determines a light-receiving position where the amount of light received after the integration is relatively large is caused by the diffusely reflected light. A laser processing apparatus characterized in that it is determined that the light receiving position is a light receiving position. In the laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The laser processing apparatus, wherein the setting unit is configured to be able to set at least one of a central axis of a cylinder, a central axis of a cone, and a center of a sphere as the shape information.

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