KR20010081429A - Apparatus for controlling output power of electric device, apparatus for controlling output power of laser and method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An apparatus for controlling output power of an electronic device and laser and a method thereof is provided to control the output of various electronic device and regularly maintain a laser output on expected level. CONSTITUTION: A power detecting unit(14) detects the output power of an oscillated laser. A power difference report unit(16) compares the power detecting change to a rated power of a laser output, and outputs a value of power difference corresponding to the difference. A power supply unit(18) controls the power provided to laser ramp(10) so that the value of power difference practically become zero by inputting the value of the power difference(18), finally makes the output power of the laser and the rated power of the laser output same.

Description

Apparatus for controlling output power of electric device, apparatus for controlling output power of laser and method

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to controlling an electrical device, and more particularly, to an apparatus for controlling the output power of an electrical device and an apparatus and a method for controlling the output power of a laser for automatically compensating the output of the electrical device.

As time goes by, the output power of the electrical equipment drops. This happens due to the deterioration of the performance of the electric device or the shortening of the life of the electric device. At this time, depending on the field of using the electrical equipment, there may be a variety of inconveniences due to such a decrease in the output. This often occurs in the field using a laser, and side effects may occur in the field of post-working using a laser output.

In the case of laser marking systems that write characters or figures on the surface of semiconductor packaging or keypads, the ability of the lamp to oscillate is reduced over time, so the lamp output for oscillating the laser is also reduced. Will decrease. This reduces the output of the laser that is oscillated, so that the quality of the result of laser marking is also reduced. For this reason, laser marking equipment regulates the power input to the lamp at regular intervals until the end of its life. Conventionally, the input power is arbitrarily adjusted according to the judgment of the user. In this case, when several people use the same equipment, there is a problem that the marking quality is different by using different power for each user.

In the case of working on the marking material, the input power applied to the lamp should be set to different values for each marking material. In this case, the power value may vary according to the judgment of the user working on the marking material. There is an inconsistent problem for this.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in an effort to provide an apparatus for controlling output power of an electric device in order to solve the above problems.

Another technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for controlling the output power of a laser in order to solve the above problems.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an apparatus for controlling the output power of a laser according to the present invention.

2 shows in block form the configuration of one embodiment of the apparatus of FIG.

3 shows the flow of a method for controlling the output power of a laser according to the invention.

According to the present invention for solving the technical problem, the apparatus for controlling the output power of the electrical device power sensing unit for detecting the output power of the electrical device; A power difference reporting unit for comparing the power at which the change is detected with the output rated power of the electric device and outputting a power difference value corresponding to the difference; And a power supply unit configured to adjust the power supplied to the electric device so that the power difference value becomes substantially zero by inputting the power difference value.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for controlling an output power of a laser oscillated in accordance with an output power of a laser lamp includes: a power sensing unit configured to sense an output power of the oscillated laser; A power difference notification unit for comparing the power of which the change is detected with the rated power of the laser output and outputting a power difference value corresponding to the difference; And a power supply unit configured to adjust the power supplied to the laser lamp so that the power difference value becomes substantially zero by inputting the power difference value so that the output power of the laser is equal to the rated power of the laser output. do.

At this time, the power detection unit preferably includes a thermocouple device for converting the thermal energy of the output of the laser to a corresponding voltage.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling an output power of a laser oscillated according to an output power of a laser lamp, the method comprising: detecting output power of the oscillated laser; (b) comparing the detected power with the rated power of the laser output and outputting a power difference value corresponding to the difference; And (c) adjusting the power supplied to the laser lamp by a magnitude corresponding to the power difference value, repeating steps (a) to (c) until the power difference value becomes substantially zero. Characterized in that.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an apparatus for controlling the output power of a laser according to the present invention. In the apparatus for controlling the output power of the laser 12 oscillated according to the output power of the laser lamp 10, the power detector 14 detects the output power of the oscillated laser, the power difference notification unit 16 is The power detected by the change is compared with the rated power of the laser output, and a power difference value corresponding to the difference is output. The power supply unit 18 adjusts the power supplied to the laser lamp 10 so that the power difference value becomes substantially zero by inputting the power difference value, and as a result, the output power of the laser is equal to the rated power of the laser output. Let it go.

The power sensing unit 14 preferably includes a thermocouple element for converting the thermal energy of the output of the laser 12 into a corresponding voltage. The thermocouple element senses the output beam of the laser 12 and converts the thermal energy of the laser output into a voltage. When the voltage is measured, the output power of the laser 12 can be known through calculation according to a predetermined formula determined according to the specifications of the thermocouple element.

2 shows in block form the configuration of one embodiment of the apparatus of FIG.

In this apparatus, the power difference reporting unit 16 includes a memory unit 16a for storing data on the output power value of the laser 12 corresponding to the output voltage of the thermocouple element determined by the thermocouple element, and the voltage of the thermocouple element. The output power value of the laser corresponding to the value is determined from the data stored in the memory unit 16a, and the power value determined by the determination unit 16b and the determination unit 16b is compared with the rated power of the laser output. It is preferable to include a comparing unit 16c for determining the power difference value.

At this time, the power difference notification unit 16 preferably further includes an analog-to-digital converter 16d for converting the voltage value generated from the thermocouple element, which is an input voltage value, into digital data and outputting the digital data.

The apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that it further comprises an amplifier 15 for amplifying the value of the amount of power detected by the power detector 14 and outputs to the power difference reporting unit 16.

At this time, the amplifier 15 includes an OP-AMP device, the gain value of the OP-AMP device is preferably adjustable.

The power supply unit 18 receives a power difference value that is an output of the comparison unit 16c and calculates a control value for adjusting the power supplied to the laser lamp 10 so that the power difference value becomes substantially zero ( 18a and power supply means 18b for adjusting the power supplied to the laser lamp 10 by the power corresponding to the control value as a control value generated by the computer means 18a. The power supply means 18b may use a commercial power supply.

3 shows the flow of a method for controlling the output power of a laser according to the invention. This method of controlling the output power of the oscillated laser according to the output power of the laser lamp detects the output power of the oscillated laser (step 30), compares the detected power with the rated power of the laser output, A corresponding power difference value is output (step 32), and the power supplied to the laser lamp is adjusted by a size corresponding to the power difference value (step 34). Steps 30 to 34 are repeated until the power difference value becomes substantially 0 (step 36).

The operation of one embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the configuration and method shown in FIGS.

The thermocouple element of the power detector 14 senses the laser output oscillated by the laser 12, and converts the thermal energy of the laser beam into a voltage (step 30). The voltage output from the thermocouple device is transferred to the OP-AMP which is the amplifier 15. The BNC connector and corresponding cable may be used to transfer voltage from the thermocouple device to the amplifier.

When the voltage output from the thermocouple device is low, the voltage value is amplified and output from the OP-AMP. At this time, a variable resistor is installed at the input terminal of the OP-AMP, and the resistance value of the variable resistor is externally adjusted to adjust the gain of the OP-AMP. Through this, the level of the input voltage value can be changed. The voltage value amplified by the OP-AMP is converted into digital data by the A / D converter 16d and input to the comparator 16c.

The memory unit 16a stores data relating to the output power value of the laser 12 corresponding to the output voltage of the thermocouple element determined by the specification of the thermocouple element. Since the data stored in advance in the memory unit 16a are used for reference only, the memory unit 16a may be implemented as a memory device such as a ROM.

The determination unit 16b determines the output power value of the laser 12 corresponding to the voltage value of the thermocouple element from the data stored in the memory unit 16a. In this case, if the voltage value amplified by the amplifier 15 is used, the power value should be determined in consideration of the gain value determined in the OP-AMP.

The comparison unit 16c compares the power value determined by the determination unit 16b with the rated power of the laser output to determine and output the power difference value that is the difference (step 32). The rated power of the laser output is a preset laser output suitable for marking using a laser marking apparatus. The value of this rated power depends on the material, marking area or depth of the object to be marked. When the character or figure to be marked is determined and the material to be marked is determined, the rated power of the laser output is determined accordingly. The value of this rated output may be stored in the memory 16a, or may be stored in a memory register (not shown) inside the comparator 16c.

The power difference value output by the comparator 16c may be a positive value or a negative value depending on the power value determined by the determination unit 16b and the rated power of the laser output.

When the power difference value is input to the calculation means such as the computer means 18a of the power supply unit 18, the power input to the laser lamp 10 is adjusted by a magnitude corresponding to the power difference value (step 34). The data transfer between the comparator 16c and the computer means 18a may utilize serial transmission such as RS-232C. In this case, the comparator 16c and the computer means 18a should each be further equipped with control means for serial transmission.

The computer means 18a calculates a control value for adjusting the power supplied to the laser lamp 10. The power supply 18b, which is a power supply means, inputs the control value to the laser lamp. Supply to (10). Thus, the power difference value is made substantially equal to zero, so that the output power of the laser 12 is equal to the rated power of the laser output.

At this time, step 34 is to determine the maximum power value and the minimum power value and the intermediate value, the power difference value between the first interval between the maximum power value and the intermediate value or between the intermediate value and the minimum power value Determining which section of the second section belongs to, wherein the intermediate value is set to a minimum power value if the power difference value belongs to the first section, and the intermediate value is set if the power difference value belongs to the second section. And setting the maximum power value and adjusting the power supplied to the laser lamp by a value corresponding to the difference between the intermediate value and the power difference value. This method will be described in detail.

Due to the physical characteristics of the laser, it is not theoretically determined how much the output of the laser lamp 10 or the input power should be used to set the output of the laser 12 to 1 [W]. This can be obtained experimentally. In other words, it can be experimentally obtained to what extent the input voltage should be applied to the laser lamp 10 to mark the material.

The control value output from the computer means 18a is, for example, 10, and the output power of the power supply 18b which is the power supply means according to the control value, that is, the power input to the laser lamp 10 For example, if the output power of the laser 12 is 5 [W] when it is 10 [W], the control value output from the computer means 18a is set to 20, and the power supply means according to this control value is 20. Even if the power input to the laser lamp 10 that is the output power of the in-power supply 18b becomes 20 [W], the output of the laser 12 does not become 10 [W]. This is because the output of the laser lamp 10 and the output of the laser 12 are not in a linear relationship.

Further, even if the output power of the laser is now 5 [W], if it is measured again under the same conditions after sufficient time, for example, a week later, the output power is measured to be less than 5 [W].

For this reason, even if the power difference value is obtained in step 32, the power difference value cannot be directly applied to the control value. To this end, a program for obtaining a control value executed by the computer means 18a uses a kind of binary search method as follows.

The maximum power value and the minimum power value according to the type of the laser 12 and the type of the laser lamp 10 are set in advance, and the intermediate value thereof is determined. The first interval is set between the maximum power value and the intermediate value and the second interval is set between the intermediate value and the minimum power value. In addition, it determines which section the power difference value transmitted from the comparator 16c belongs to. At this time, if the power difference value belongs to the first section, the intermediate value is set to the minimum power value, and if the power difference value belongs to the second section, the middle value is set to the maximum power value. Then, a value corresponding to the difference between the intermediate value and the power difference value is set as a control value to complete a binary search, and the control value is transmitted to the power supply 18b. The power supply 18b adjusts the power supplied to the laser lamp 10 by the power corresponding to this control value.

The computer means 18a may be implemented by a computer operating a predetermined program, and the power supply means 18b may use a power supply that receives a lamp current from a control value input from the computer. In this case, the control value can be transmitted through the parallel port.

Steps 30, 32, and 34 are repeated until the power difference value becomes substantially zero (step 36). In practice, the predetermined error range is set in advance, and the above steps are repeatedly executed until the power difference value is within this range. Alternatively, you can repeat until the control value is substantially zero.

In the case of starting the binary search again, the value previously used as the intermediate value will be set to the maximum power value or the minimum power value, and accordingly, the intermediate value will be determined again. It falls within the error range, and the power difference value becomes substantially zero. In the configuration of FIG. 2, the adjusted laser output is again sensed and fed back to control the laser output.

Referring to the above operation, it is possible to further extend the field of use of the present invention. For example, the comparator 16c uses a processor having a plurality of I / O ports, and the memory 16a stores data that may be different for each power detection unit, and the determination unit 16b stores each data. By comparing the values corresponding to the I / O ports and judging as described above, the comparator 16c processes the values input from the power detector 14 for each I / O port and for each I / O port. If the power difference value is transmitted to the computer means 18a, and thus power is supplied by installing a plurality of power supplies 18b as power supply means, it will be possible to simultaneously control several laser processing apparatuses.

If the program for determining the operation of the power supply unit 18 is modified, it is possible to connect and use the electric device having the nonlinear characteristic. In addition, when the power difference report unit 16 or the power supply unit 18 outputs the power difference value to a means such as an external display device, the state of the electric device can be easily known from the outside. The level of the input voltage can be changed as necessary by changing the gain value of the OP-AMP of the amplifier 15 and the reference voltage of a commercial A / D converter to be used in the A / D converter 16d. It may be flexible in applying the device accordingly.

Further, although the above examples have been described by taking an example of an electric device using a laser, the present invention using the same configuration is also within the scope of maintaining the scope of the present invention in the field of controlling the output power of a general electric device. Can be used through

Examples included in the above description are introduced for the understanding of the present invention, and these examples do not limit the spirit and scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various embodiments in accordance with the present invention in addition to the above examples are possible.

Some steps of the invention may also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of computer-readable recording media include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, CD-RW, magnetic tape, floppy disk, HDD, optical disk, magneto-optical storage, and the like. The computer readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

According to the present invention, in the apparatus for controlling the output power of the laser oscillated in accordance with the output power of the laser lamp, the output power of the oscillated laser is sensed, and the change is detected and the rated power of the laser output The power difference value corresponding to the difference is obtained, and the power difference value is input, and the power supplied to the laser lamp is adjusted so that the power difference value is substantially 0 so that the output power of the laser is equal to the rated power of the laser output, so that the time It is possible to keep the output of the laser deteriorating with the desired level at a constant level, and it can be applied to control the output even in the case of an electric device having a nonlinear input-to-output characteristic, and to control the output of various electric devices. It becomes possible.

Claims (10)

An apparatus for controlling the output power of an electrical device, A power detector for sensing output power of the electric device; A power difference reporting unit for comparing the power at which the change is detected with the output rated power of the electric device and outputting a power difference value corresponding to the difference; And And a power supply unit configured to adjust the power supplied to the electric device such that the power difference value becomes substantially zero by inputting the power difference value. In the device for controlling the output power of the laser oscillated in accordance with the output power of the laser lamp, A power detector for sensing output power of the oscillated laser; A power difference notification unit for comparing the power of which the change is detected with the rated power of the laser output and outputting a power difference value corresponding to the difference; And And a power supply unit configured to adjust the power supplied to the laser lamp so that the power difference value becomes substantially zero by inputting the power difference value so that the output power of the laser is equal to the rated power of the laser output. Device for controlling the output power of the laser. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the power sensing unit comprises a thermocouple device for converting thermal energy of the output of the laser into a corresponding voltage. The method of claim 3, wherein the power difference reporting unit A memory unit for storing data relating to an output power value of the laser corresponding to an output voltage of the thermocouple element determined by the thermocouple element; A determination unit for determining an output power value of the laser corresponding to the voltage value of the thermocouple element from data stored in the memory unit; And And a comparison unit comparing the power value determined by the determination unit with the rated power of the laser output and determining a power difference value which is a difference thereof. The method of claim 4, wherein the power difference notification unit And an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the input voltage value into digital data and output the digital data to the determination unit. The method of claim 2, And an amplifying unit for amplifying the sensed power amount and outputting the amplified value to the power difference reporting unit. The method of claim 6, wherein the amplifier comprises an OP-AMP device, And a gain value of the OP-AMP element is adjustable. The method of claim 2, wherein the power supply unit Computer means for receiving the power difference value and calculating a control value for adjusting the power supplied to the laser lamp such that the power difference value is substantially zero; And And power supply means for adjusting the power supplied to the laser lamp by the power corresponding to the control value generated by the computer means. In the method for controlling the output power of the laser oscillated in accordance with the output power of the laser lamp, (a) sensing the output power of the oscillated laser; (b) comparing the detected power with the rated power of the laser output and outputting a power difference value corresponding to the difference; And (c) adjusting the power supplied to the laser lamp by a magnitude corresponding to the power difference value, Repeating steps (a) to (c) until the power difference value becomes substantially zero. The method of claim 9, wherein step (c) (c1) determining a maximum power value, a minimum power value, and an intermediate value thereof; (c2) determining whether the power difference value belongs to a first section between the maximum power value and the median value or a second section between the median value and the minimum power value; (c3) setting the intermediate value to a minimum power value if the power difference value belongs to the first period, and setting the intermediate value to a maximum power value if the power difference value belongs to the second period; And and (c4) controlling the power supplied to the laser lamp by a value corresponding to the difference between the intermediate value and the power difference value.