JPH02280989A - Laser beam transmitting device and laser beam machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the positioning accuracy of laser beam by arranging combining part of a first shifting means and a second shifting means to the same position as emitting means on progressing direction. CONSTITUTION:The first laser beam 6 is changed to the second laser beam 9 progressing to the prescribed direction with beam direction changing means (a beam bender) 7. The first laser beam 6 is emitted with emitting means. The first shifting means is constituted so that the emitting means is fixed and shift along the progressing direction. The second shifting means is constituted so that the beam direction changing means 7 is fixed and combined with the first shifting means and shift along the progressing direction. The combining part of the first shifting means and the second shifting means, is arranged to the same position as the emitting means on the progressing direction. By this method, the laser beam can accurately irradiate the machining point.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a laser beam transmission device that guides a laser beam to processing points such as cutting, drilling, welding, and trimming, and a laser processing machine using the same. The present invention relates to a laser beam transmission device that transmits a laser beam according to the movement of an arm of a horizontally articulated robot, and a laser processing machine using the same.

[Conventional technology]

Conventional laser processing machines are CN represented by concave machines.
Two types: one using C control and one using articulated robot.
It is broadly divided into species.

In a portal type machine, when guiding a laser beam to a processing point, it is only necessary to transmit the laser beam along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, so that the laser beam transmission device can be easily configured. Further, the gate-type machine has a high positional accuracy of 10 μm and a fast moving speed of the laser beam. However, this gate type machine is very expensive.

On the other hand, although laser processing machines using articulated robots are cheaper than gate-type machines, they have the disadvantages of a positional accuracy of about 1 mm and a slow beam movement speed, so they are not widely used. The current situation is that there is no such thing.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

On the other hand, the applicant of the present application
No. 1, the positioning accuracy has been increased to 10μm, which is the same level as NC laser processing machines, while maintaining the low cost and simplicity of laser processing machines.
We have filed an application for a laser processing machine that can be improved to a certain degree and realize high-speed movement.

In this laser processing machine, a horizontally articulated robot is used as an articulated robot, and a laser beam transmission device is provided on the upper part of the horizontal arm of this horizontally articulated robot. This laser beam transmission device is configured to freely expand and contract on a straight line as the horizontal arm bends.

The previously proposed mechanism for freely expanding and contracting this laser beam transmission device in a straight line was to insert and connect one of two cylindrical tubes, install a linear bearing between them, The cylindrical tubes are constructed so that they slide over each other and expand and contract.

However, in a laser beam transmission device with such a configuration, if the horizontally articulated robot frequently moves such as turning, the laser beam optical axis will shift due to fluctuations in the movement of the horizontal arm. Despite highly accurate positioning, a problem arose in that the laser beam could not accurately irradiate the processing point.

The present invention has been made in view of these points, and provides a laser beam transmission device and the same, which reduce the deviation of the optical axis due to movement fluctuations of the horizontal arm of a horizontally articulated robot and improve the positioning accuracy of the laser beam. The purpose is to provide a laser processing machine using

[Means to solve the problem]

In the present invention, in order to solve the above problems, a first laser beam is moved in a predetermined direction with respect to the traveling direction of the first laser beam, and a second laser beam is moved along the traveling direction of the first laser beam. A laser beam transmission device that converts the first laser beam into a second laser beam that travels in a predetermined direction, and a beam direction conversion device that converts the first laser beam into a second laser beam that travels in a predetermined direction; an emitting means, a first moving means configured such that the emitting means is fixed and moves along the traveling direction, and the beam direction changing means is fixed and coupled to the first moving means; a second moving means configured to move along the traveling direction, and a connecting portion between the first moving means and the second moving means is the same as the emitting means in the traveling direction. A laser beam transmission device is provided, characterized in that the device is provided at a location.

Further, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a laser processing machine comprising a combination of a horizontally articulated robot used as a drive device and a laser beam guide path provided outside the horizontal arm of the horizontally articulated robot. , there is provided a laser processing machine, wherein the laser beam guide path is constituted by the laser beam transmission device.

[Effect]

A connecting portion between the first moving means in which the laser beam emitting means is fixed and the second moving means in which the beam direction changing means is fixed is provided at the same position as the emitting means in the traveling direction of the laser beam. Therefore, even if the first and second moving means move, parallelism between them is maintained, and no angular error occurs.

In addition, by providing such a laser beam transmission device on the horizontal arm as a laser beam guide path of a horizontally articulated robot, it is possible to prevent the laser beam transmission device from expanding and contracting when the horizontal arm pivots. Since the first and second moving means move while maintaining the parallelism of the total reflection mirror, the deviation of the optical axis is reduced and the positioning accuracy of the laser beam in the laser processing machine is improved.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the laser processing machine of the present invention. The horizontally articulated robot consists of a robot main axis 1 standing on a stand 14, a first arm 2, and a second arm 3. The robot main shaft 1 is configured to rotate around a zero-rotation shaft 11, and causes the first arm 2 to pivot. 1st
The arm 2 and the second arm 3 are connected by a central axis (U rotation axis) 23 of the first joint. A wrist 4 that moves in the Z-axis 34 (in the vertical direction) is coupled to the tip of the second arm 3. The wrist 4 is provided with a processing nozzle section, and a condensing lens is installed inside.

The processing nozzle section is equipped with an auxiliary gas injection device and a Z-axis tracing mechanism using a hide sensor, but their explanation will be omitted here.

In the robot of the present invention, a DD motor is used to control the 0 rotation axis 11 and the U rotation axis 23, and an AC servo motor is used to control the Z axis. This simplifies the mechanism and completely eliminates backlash and hysteresis. In addition, combined with the adoption of a high-resolution pulse coder with a rate of 800,000 S/rotation, a repeatable position accuracy of ±10 μm has been achieved. The operating speed of the θ rotation axis and the U rotation axis is 720 degrees, and the operating speed of the ZSeCSZ axis is 650 mm/
sec, which is sufficient speed compared to conventional robots. Examples of such robots include the widely commercially available FANUC robot A-MODEL60.
0 etc. can be used ("FANUC robot"
is a registered trademark of FANUC Corporation).

The laser beam emitted from the laser oscillation device is guided to the laser beam exit port of the wrist 4 by a laser beam transmission device 5 that is extendable and retractable in the R direction and is provided on the upper part of the horizontal arm of the horizontally articulated robot.

The laser beam transmission device 5 is configured to be expandable and retractable in a straight line with respect to the bending of the horizontal arm, so even when installed in a commercially available robot mechanism, the position of the laser beam can be easily controlled without interfering with the movement of the robot. It can be carried out.

The optical axis of the laser beam 6 and the zero rotation axis 11 of the horizontally articulated robot are adjusted to coincide with each other. The laser beam 6 is bent by a total reflection mirror 8 attached to a beam bender 7 in the same horizontal direction as the horizontal arm, and converted into a laser beam 9. At the top of the list 4, the laser beam 9 is converted again into a vertical laser beam 13 by a total reflection mirror 12 attached to a beam bender 10.

In a horizontally articulated robot, the first arm 2 and the second arm 3
Scanning on the horizontal plane is performed by bending the .

The laser beam 9 propagates through a single straight laser beam transmission device 5 that expands and contracts in the R direction, and connects between the zero rotation axis 11 and the two axes of the wrist 4. The laser beam 13 is focused by a condensing lens provided on the beam striker 4, and is irradiated onto a processing point on the workpiece.

The laser beam transmission device 5 is fixed to the horizontally articulated robot by a support member 15 and a workpiece 6 provided on the zero rotation axis 11, and support members 17 and 18 provided on the Z axis 34 of the second arm 3. be done.

The rotation axes of the support members 15 and 16 and the zero rotation axis 11 coincide, and the rotation axes of the support members 17 and 18 coincide with the Z axis 34.

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are overall configuration diagrams showing details of a laser beam transmission device 5 which is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1(a) shows a top view, and FIG. 1(b) shows a side view.

The laser beam transmission device 5 includes a pseudo arm unit 51 made of aluminum cast iron and designed with rigidity in mind.
Consisted of. The pseudo arm unit 51 is a beam bender mounting plate 52 in the shape of a rectangle with corners taken from the four corners.
and a side wall plate 53 provided so as to surround the beam bender attachment plate 52.

A lede beam 6 is attached to one end of the beam bender mounting plate 52.
A beam bender 7 is provided for converting the laser beam 9 into a horizontal laser beam 9. The beam bender 7 is fixed to a moving table 54. The moving platform 54 is coupled to the support member 16. On both sides of the movable table 54, guides 55a and 55b are provided as endless linear track type bearings fixed to the side wall plate 53.

This endless linear track type bearing is mounted on the moving table 54 as a guide 55a.
The guide D-ra that moves in conjunction with and 55b is attached. Thereby, the movable range between the total reflection mirrors 8 and 12 can be widened in a narrow range. And ゛,
The beam bender attachment plate 53 is provided with an opening 56 for allowing movement of the support member 16 to escape. Therefore, the beam bender 7 can freely move on the pseudo arm unit 51 along the traveling direction of the laser beam 9.

On the other hand, a beam bender 10 for converting the laser beam 9 into a vertical laser beam I3 is fixed to the other end of the beam bender attachment plate 52. The beam bender 7 is on the zero rotation axis 11 in FIG. 2, and the beam bender 10 is on the Z
It's on NJ. The beam benders 7 and 10 are equipped with micrometers 7 for finely adjusting the total reflection mirrors 8 and 12, respectively.
a and 10a are provided.

The beam guide path 58 is attached to the beam bender 7, which prevents vignetting.
A beam guide path 59 is attached to the beam bender 10. Beam guides 58 and 59 are connected by an intermediate beam guide 57 .

The intermediate beam guide path 57 is fixed to the pseudo beam unit 51 by a mounting member 60. In this embodiment, the intermediate beam guide path 57 and the beam guide path 59 are separated, but they may be formed integrally.

On the other hand, since the support member 16 is fixed to the support member 15 on the robot side, it rotates in accordance with the rotation of the first arm 2. The moving table 54 of the beam bender 7 is coupled to the support member 16 via a rotation mechanism such as a bearing. Further, the support member 18 is fixed to the support member 17 on the robot side, and like the support member 16, is connected to the pseudo arm unit 51 via a rotation mechanism such as a bearing.

Therefore, even if the distance between the beam benders 7 and 10 changes due to the rotation of the 0 rotation axis 11 and the U rotation axis 23, that is, the turning movement of the first arm 2 and the second arm 3, each beam bender 7 and 10 total reflection mirrors 8 and 1 attached to
The parallelism of the two remains maintained and the distance between the beam benders 7 and 10 is absorbed by the linear track bearing unit. Then, the beam guide path 58 only enters the inside of the intermediate beam guide path 57.

FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) show the state of the laser beam transmission device 5 when the distance between the beam benders 7 and 10 is shortened. As is clear from the figure, the beam bender 7 only moves on the pseudo arm unit 51 in the traveling direction of the laser beam 9, and the parallelism of the beam penters 7 and 10 remains unchanged. That is, the first arm 2 and the second arm 3
Even if the support member 18 approaches the support member 16 due to the pivoting movement of the support member 16 and the distance between them becomes shorter, the laser beam 6
．． The optical axes of 9 and 13 are kept constant.

In addition, if the relative positional relationship of the total reflection mirrors 8 and 12 between the beam bender 7 and the beam bender 10 is adjusted in advance, the optical axis of the laser beam 9 will be parallel regardless of the movement of the robot. will be maintained.

Furthermore, the endless linear track bearing has guides 55a and 55b.
By using a guide roller that moves in conjunction with the laser beam transmission device, a thin and short laser beam transmission device can be realized at low cost.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are overall and configuration diagrams showing details of a laser beam transmission device 5 which is another embodiment of the present invention. Components that are the same as those in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals, so their explanation will be omitted. The difference between this embodiment and the one shown in FIG. 1 is as follows.
The pseudo arm unit 51 is connected to the carriage 63 and the guide bar 6
1a and 61b, and a guide bar holding member 62.

The guide bar holding member 62 includes a guide bar 6 made of a round bar.
1a and 61b are fixed. The carriage 63 incorporates ball bushings that fit on the outside of the guide bars 61a and 61b.

The ball bushes and guide bars 61a and 61b function in the same way as a unit in the endless linear track type bearing shown in FIG. In this embodiment, a case has been described in which there are two guide bars, but the number of guide bars may be one. However, if there is one guide bar, there is a drawback that the deviation of the optical axis caused by the rotational movement of the horizontally articulated robot will be greater than if there are two guide bars.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the laser beam transmission device of the present invention, a laser beam can be accurately irradiated to a processing point in accordance with highly accurate positioning in a horizontally articulated robot. Furthermore, there is an effect that the deviation of the optical axis due to movement fluctuations of the horizontal arm of the horizontally articulated robot is reduced, and the positioning accuracy of the laser beam can be improved.

Further, according to the laser processing machine of the present invention, a simple and inexpensive processing machine is constructed, and moreover, it has high-speed performance and high positional accuracy that was previously possible only with large and expensive N'C-controlled portal laser processing machines. This has the effect of making it possible.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1(a) and (b) are overall configuration diagrams showing the details of a laser beam transmission device which is an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a laser processing machine of the present invention; 3. Figures (a) and (b) are diagrams showing the state of the laser beam transmission device when the distance between the beam benders is shortened, and Figures 4 (a) and (b) are other embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing details of a laser beam transmission device. 2 1st arm 3 2nd arm 4 List 6.9.1 7.10 8.12 5as5 ・・−・−Laser beam transmission device 0・−・−・・Laser beam−・ −Beam bender ° Total reflection mirror θ rotation axis... U rotation axis 2-axis pseudo arm unit bender mounting plate ° ・ Side wall plate - - moving table b ° Endless linear track type bearing has a guide opening Patent applicant Fanuc Co., Ltd. agent Patent attorney Takemitaka Hattori Figure 2

Claims (7)

[Claims] (1) A laser beam that converts a first laser beam into a second laser beam that travels in a predetermined direction relative to the traveling direction of the first laser beam and that moves along the traveling direction of the first laser beam. In the transmission device, a beam direction converting means for converting the first laser beam into a second laser beam traveling in a predetermined direction, an emitting means for emitting the first laser beam, and the emitting means are fixed. and a first moving means configured to move along the traveling direction, and the beam direction converting means are fixed and coupled to the first moving means so as to move along the traveling direction. and a second moving means configured to, and a connecting portion between the first moving means and the second moving means is provided at the same position as the emitting means in the traveling direction. Laser beam transmission equipment. (2) The emitting means is constituted by a total reflection mirror that emits the first laser beam by inputting and reflecting the laser beam.
The laser beam transmission device described in Section 1. (3) The second moving means includes a mounting plate having an opening for allowing the movement of the first moving means to escape, a side wall plate provided so as to surround the mounting plate, and a side wall plate provided to surround the mounting plate; The first moving means includes a pseudo arm unit consisting of endless linear track type bearing guides fixed to the side wall plates on both sides of the means, and the first moving means has a guide roller that moves in conjunction with the endless linear track type bearing guides. A laser beam transmission device according to claim 1, characterized in that the laser beam transmission device has: (4) The second moving means is composed of a pseudo arm unit consisting of a guide bar made of a round bar and a guide bar holding member for fixing the guide bar, and the first moving means is arranged outside the guide bar. 2. The laser beam transmission device according to claim 1, further comprising a ball bush that is fitted into the ball bush. (5) In a laser processing machine comprising a combination of a horizontally articulated robot used as a drive device and a laser beam guide provided outside the horizontal arm of the horizontally articulated robot, the laser beam guide is provided in a patent claim. A laser processing machine comprising the laser beam transmission device according to any one of items 1 to 4. (6) A laser beam is configured to enter the laser beam transmission device from the vertically upper part of the horizontally articulated robot, pass through the laser beam transmitter, and be emitted to the vertically lower part of the horizontally articulated robot. A laser processing machine according to claim 5, characterized in that: (7) The laser processing machine according to claim 5, wherein the horizontally articulated robot has at least one DD (direct drive) motor as a drive source.