TWI777322B - Power supply device and laser device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a power supply device capable of stably operating a load from the start of operation of the load. [Solution] The charging power supply is synchronized with the operation of the load that performs intermittent operation, and performs the charging operation to bring the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor close to the voltage target value. The charging power supply has a function of switching between the following modes: a first operation mode for performing an auxiliary charging and discharging operation to make the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor close to the voltage target value if the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from the first voltage allowable range; and the first operation mode In the 2-operation mode, when the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from a second voltage allowable range that is narrower than the first voltage allowable range, auxiliary charge and discharge operations are performed.

Description

Power supply device and laser device

The present invention relates to a power supply device and a laser device.

As an industrial processing tool, a laser processing apparatus is widely used (for example, Patent Document 1). The laser processing apparatus includes, for example, a pulse laser oscillator such as a carbon dioxide laser oscillator, a high-frequency power supply, and a power supply device. The power supply device supplies the DC power to the high-frequency power supply, and the high-frequency power supply converts the DC power into the AC power and supplies it to the discharge electrode of the laser oscillator.

The power supply device has a capacitor, and a load such as a high-frequency power supply is connected to the capacitor. The DC power is stored in the capacitor, and the DC power is supplied from the capacitor to the load. When power is consumed by the load, the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor decreases. The power supply device performs feedback control to bring the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor (the output voltage of the power supply device) close to the target value. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-254186

[The problem to be solved by the invention]

When the load is in a standby state, that is, a state in which power is hardly consumed by the load, the output voltage gradually decreases due to natural discharge or a small amount of power consumption during standby. If the output voltage decreases and deviates from the voltage tolerance range, feedback control is performed to bring the output voltage close to the target value.

If the load starts to operate when the output voltage approaches the lower limit of the voltage tolerance range, the output voltage of the power supply device may drop due to the operation of the load and deviate significantly from the voltage tolerance range. If the output voltage deviates greatly from the voltage tolerance range, the power supplied to the load will be reduced, and the operation stability of the load will be degraded.

An object of the present invention is to provide a power supply device capable of stably operating a load from the start of operation of the load. Another object of the present invention is to provide a laser device equipped with the power supply device. [Means of Solving Problems]

According to an aspect of the present invention, a power supply device is provided, which has: Capacitors connected to loads that operate intermittently; and A charging power supply, which is synchronized with the operation of the load that performs intermittent operation, to perform the charging operation in which the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor is close to the voltage target value; The aforementioned charging power source has the function of switching the following modes: a first operation mode in which, if the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from a first allowable voltage range, an auxiliary charge and discharge operation is performed to make the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor approach the target voltage value; and In the second operation mode, when the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from a second allowable voltage range that is narrower than the first allowable voltage range, the auxiliary charging/discharging operation is performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a power supply device having: Capacitors connected to loads that operate intermittently; and a charging power supply, which is synchronized with the operation of the load, and performs the charging operation in which the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor is close to the voltage target value; The charging power source includes a switching converter with a low-side switching element, the charging operation is performed by switching the low-side switching element, and a current corresponding to the on-time of the low-side switching element is supplied to the capacitor; The charging power supply has a function of determining the on-time of the low-side switching element according to the deviation of the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor and the target voltage value and the actual value of the on-time of the low-side switching element when the load operates.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a laser device is provided, which has: A laser oscillator, which is provided with a discharge electrode and performs pulse oscillation; a high-frequency power source, which converts DC power into AC power in synchronization with the trigger signal, and supplies it to the discharge electrode in a pulsed manner; and a power supply device that supplies DC power to the aforementioned high-frequency power supply; The aforementioned power supply device has: a capacitor that stores the DC power supplied to the aforementioned high-frequency power source; and a charging power supply, which is synchronized with the trigger signal, and performs the charging action in which the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor is close to the voltage target value; The aforementioned charging power source has the function of switching the following modes: a first operation mode in which, if the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from a first allowable voltage range, an auxiliary charge and discharge operation is performed to make the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor approach the target voltage value; and In the second operation mode, when the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from a second allowable voltage range that is narrower than the first allowable voltage range, the auxiliary charging/discharging operation is performed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a laser device is provided, which has: A laser oscillator, which is provided with a discharge electrode and performs pulse oscillation; a high-frequency power supply that supplies alternating current power to the aforementioned discharge electrodes in a pulsed manner in synchronization with a trigger signal; and a power supply device that supplies DC power to the aforementioned high-frequency power supply; The aforementioned power supply device has: a capacitor that stores the DC power supplied to the aforementioned high-frequency power source; and a charging power supply, which is synchronized with the trigger signal to perform the charging action in which the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor is close to the voltage target value; The charging power source includes a switching converter with a low-side switching element, the charging operation is performed by switching the low-side switching element, and a current corresponding to the on-time of the low-side switching element is supplied to the capacitor; The charging power supply has a function of determining the on-time of the low-side switching element according to the deviation of the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor and the target voltage value and the actual value of the on-time of the low-side switching element during the charging operation. . [Inventive effect]

When the second operation mode is switched to the first operation mode, the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor falls within the relatively narrow second allowable range. Compared with the case where the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor fluctuates within the wider first voltage allowable range, the load can be stably operated from the start of the first operation mode.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 6B , the power supply device according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a power supply device showing a part of the power supply device according to the embodiment and a block diagram of a load of the power supply device by an equivalent circuit. The power supply device 10 includes a charging power supply 20 and a capacitor 40 . The DC power of the voltage Vin is supplied from the external power source 70 to the charging power source 20 . The charging power supply 20 boosts the voltage Vin to charge the capacitor 40 . The voltage between the terminals of the capacitor 40 becomes the output voltage VC of the power supply device 10 .

A load 50 is connected to the capacitor 40 . The load 50 operates intermittently according to the trigger signal Trg from the host controller 60 . The load 50 includes a high frequency power supply 51 and a laser oscillator 52 . The laser oscillator 52 is, for example, a gas laser oscillator such as a carbon dioxide laser oscillator, and includes a pair of discharge electrodes 53 . The high-frequency power supply 51 converts the DC power supplied from the power supply device 10 into AC power according to the trigger signal Trg from the host controller 60 , and supplies it to the discharge electrode 53 of the laser oscillator 52 . As the high-frequency power supply 51, for example, an inverter is used. The capacitor 40 can be understood as a DC power source, such as a power storage device which itself supplies power to the load 50 . Such capacitors are sometimes called capacitor banks.

The charging power source 20 includes a switching converter 25 and a converter controller 30 . Even in the discharge process of one operation cycle of the load 50, the capacitor 40 has such a large electrostatic capacitance that the output voltage VC is not lower than the lower limit value of the allowable range. The charging power source 20 performs a charging operation of charging the capacitor 40 in synchronization with the trigger signal Trg.

The switching converter 25 has the topology of a boost converter. Specifically, the switching converter 25 includes a low-side switching element Q1 , a high-side switching element Q2 , flywheel diodes D1 , D2 , and a reactor L. As the low-side switching element Q1 and the high-side switching element Q2, a field effect transistor (FET), a bipolar transistor, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), or the like can be used. The converter controller 30 controls on/off of the low-side switching element Q1 and the high-side switching element Q2.

A closed circuit is formed by the external power supply 70, the reactor L and the low-side switching element Q1. A flywheel diode D1 is connected to the low-side switching element Q1. Furthermore, another closed circuit is constituted by the external power supply 70 , the reactor L, the high-side switching element Q2 and the capacitor 40 . A flywheel diode D2 is connected to the high-side switching element Q2.

When the low-side switching element Q1 is turned on and then returned to the off state, the voltage Vin is boosted, the capacitor 40 is charged, and the output voltage VC increases. The control that will put the switching element in the on state and then return it to the off state is called switching. When the switching of the high-side switching element Q2 is performed, the electric power is returned from the capacitor 40 to the external power supply 70, and the output voltage VC of the capacitor 40 decreases.

The host controller 60 applies the trigger signal Trg to the converter controller 30 and the high-frequency power supply 51 . The high-frequency power supply 51 performs intermittent operation at a repetition frequency of about several kHz and a duty ratio of about 5% in synchronization with the trigger signal Trg. By the operation of the high-frequency power supply 51 , the capacitor 40 is discharged and AC power is supplied to the discharge electrode 53 . Thereby, a discharge is generated in the space between the discharge electrodes 53, and a one-shot pulsed laser beam is output. For example, the trigger signal Trg has two values of a high level and a low level, and the high-frequency power supply 51 supplies the AC power to the discharge electrode 53 while the trigger signal Trg is at a high level.

The converter controller 30 operates the switching converter 25 in synchronization with the trigger signal Trg, and charges the capacitor 40 . The charged electric power at this time is set to the discharged electric power of the capacitor 40 corresponding to the amount of the one-time trigger signal Trg.

Next, referring to FIG. 2 , the operation of the switching converter 25 when switching the low-side switching element Q1 by an amount corresponding to one trigger signal Trg will be described.

2 is a graph showing time-dependent changes of the trigger signal Trg, the on/off state of the low-side switching element Q1, the current IL flowing through the reactor L, the current IC flowing through the capacitor 40, and the output voltage VC. The trigger signal Trg rises at time t0 and falls at the time point (time t1 ) when the excitation period Pex passes. At the rising time of the trigger signal Trg (time t0 ), the output voltage VC falls within the voltage tolerance range Var.

When the trigger signal Trg rises, the load 50 operates during the excitation period Pex. By the operation of the load 50, the electric charge of the capacitor 40 is discharged, and the output voltage VC is lowered by the reduction width ΔV. Since the capacity of the capacitor 40 is sufficiently larger than the discharge amount, the output voltage VC does not fall below the lower limit value of the voltage allowable range Var.

The converter controller 30 switches the low-side switching element Q1 in synchronization with the trigger signal Trg. For example, when the trigger signal Trg rises, the converter controller 30 makes the low-side switching element Q1 in an on state. Then, the converter controller 30 returns the low-side switching element Q1 to the OFF state at the time point (time t2 ) when the ON time Ton1 elapses from the time point of the ON state. The on-time Ton1 is longer than the excitation period Pex.

During the period in which the low-side switching element Q1 is in an on state, the current IL flowing through the reactor L increases. Furthermore, since the current IL flows to the low-side switching element Q1, the current IC flowing into the capacitor 40 is zero. Therefore, the output voltage VC of the capacitor 40 is substantially constant during the period from the time (time t1) when the trigger signal Trg falls to the time (time t2) when the low-side switching element Q1 is turned off.

At time t2, if the low-side switching element Q1 is turned off, the current IL flowing through the reactor L starts to flow to the capacitor 40 through the flywheel diode D2. Thereby, the current IC flowing through the capacitor 40 increases, and the output voltage VC starts to increase. The current IL flowing through the reactor L and the current IC flowing through the capacitor 40 decrease with time, and become substantially zero at time t3.

The rising width of the output voltage VC from the time t2 to the time t3 depends on the on-time Ton1. The ON time Ton1 is set so that the rise width of the output voltage VC is substantially equal to the fall width ΔV of the output voltage of the capacitor 40 due to one operation cycle of the load 50 . Therefore, the output voltage VC returns to substantially the original voltage level at time t3.

If the on-time Ton1 is set to a fixed value, the increase in the output voltage VC may not be equal to the decrease in the width ΔV due to load fluctuations, input voltage fluctuations, or the like. If the rising width of the output voltage VC is not equal to the falling width ΔV, the output voltage VC deviates from the voltage tolerance range Var. In this embodiment, the converter controller 30 performs feedback control to make the output voltage VC close to the voltage target value Vref.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the function of the feedback control of the converter controller 30 . The main part of the feedback control function of the converter controller 30 can be realized by a combination of a software program and a processor executing the software program, or it can be realized by hardware.

The converter controller 30 includes a feedback control unit 31 and a pulse width modulator 32 . The feedback control unit 31 includes a main charge control unit 313 , an auxiliary charge and discharge control unit 314 , an operation mode switching unit 318 , and an activation control unit selection unit 317 . The activation control unit selection unit 317 activates one of the main charge control unit 313 and the auxiliary charge and discharge control unit 314 . The conditions for switching from the enabled state of the main charge control unit 313 to the enabled state of the auxiliary charge/discharge control unit 314 are different depending on the operation mode set in the operation mode switching unit 318 . Feedback control is performed by the enabled control unit.

First, the control when the main charging control unit 313 is activated will be described. The output voltage VC after charging for a certain action cycle is converted into a digital value by the AD converter 35 . The subtractor 311 generates the deviation Verr between the output voltage VC and the voltage target value Vref by subtracting the output voltage VC from the voltage target value Vref. The main charging control unit 313 generates the on-time correction value ΔTon1 for the next operation cycle so that the deviation Verr is close to zero. PID control or PI control is employed in the main charging control unit 313 .

The on-time fixed value TonF and the on-time correction value ΔTon1 are added by the adder 315 to determine the on-time Ton1 of the next operation cycle. The pulse width modulator 32 controls the switching converter 25 according to the determined on-time Ton1. Thereby, the feedback control is performed so that the output voltage VC is brought close to the voltage target value Vref.

Next, the control when the auxiliary charge/discharge control unit 314 is activated will be described. When the output voltage VC deviates from the voltage allowable range Var ( FIG. 2 ), the auxiliary charge and discharge control section 314 is activated by the activation control section selection section 317 . P control, PI control, or PID control is employed in the auxiliary charge and discharge control unit 314 . The auxiliary charge-discharge control unit 314 generates the on-time Ton2 so that the deviation Verr is close to zero. The pulse width modulator 32 controls the switching converter 25 according to the on-time Ton2. When the output voltage VC deviates from the voltage allowable range Var ( FIG. 2 ), the auxiliary charge/discharge control unit 314 is activated, and the operation of controlling the switching converter 25 is referred to as an auxiliary charge/discharge operation.

The operation mode switching unit 318 switches the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 ( FIG. 1 ) according to whether or not the trigger signal Trg is intermittently output from the host controller 60 . The operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is set to the first operation mode while the upper controller 60 intermittently operates the load 50 (hereinafter, referred to as "in operation."). When the upper controller 60 does not operate the load 50 and the load 50 is on standby, the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is set to the second operation mode. In this way, the operation mode switching unit 318 switches between the first operation mode and the second operation mode.

When the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is the first operation mode and the second operation mode, the voltage allowable range Var ( FIG. 2 ) is different. The allowable voltage range in the first operation mode is referred to as a first allowable voltage range Var1, and the allowable voltage range in the second operation mode is referred to as a second allowable voltage range Var2. Information for determining the magnitudes of the first voltage tolerance range Var1 and the second voltage tolerance range Var2 is stored in the operation mode switching unit 318 .

Next, referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the control when the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is the first operation mode will be described. When the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is the first operation mode, the upper controller 60 intermittently supplies the trigger signal Trg to the high frequency power supply 51 ( FIG. 1 ) and the converter controller 30 ( FIG. 1 ), thereby operating the load 50 .

4 shows the trigger signal Trg, the output voltage VC, and the conduction of the low-side switching element Q1 when the output voltage VC after charging is lower than the lower limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1 under the control of the main charging control unit 313 A graph of the time-dependent change in the /off state and the current IC flowing through the capacitor 40 . At time t0, when the trigger signal Trg rises, the low-side switching element Q1 is turned on. At time t1, the trigger signal Trg falls, and at time t2, the low-side switching element Q1 is turned off. The on-time Ton1 of the low-side switching element Q1 is determined by adding the on-time correction value ΔTon1 generated by the main charge control unit 313 ( FIG. 1 ) and the on-time fixed value TonF.

If the low-side switching element Q1 is turned off, the current IC for charging the capacitor 40 increases, and the output voltage VC starts to increase. At time t3 when the current IC charging the capacitor 40 becomes substantially zero, the output voltage VC does not reach the lower limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1. Such a situation may occur, for example, when the output voltage VC of the trigger signal Trg at the rising time t0 is close to the lower limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1, and the load 50 ( FIG. 1 ) operates based on one operation The power consumption of the cycle is greater than the assumed value.

When the enable control unit selection unit 317 ( FIG. 3 ) detects that the output voltage VC is lower than the lower limit value of the first voltage allowable range Var1 , the auxiliary charge/discharge control unit 314 is enabled. The information for determining the lower limit value and the upper limit value of the first voltage allowable range Var1 is given from the operation mode switching unit 318 to the activation control unit selection unit 317 . The auxiliary charge-discharge control unit 314 generates the on-time Ton2 so that the output voltage VC is close to the voltage target value Vref.

The pulse width modulator 32 keeps the low-side switching element Q1 in an on state only during the on time Ton2. After the time t4 when the low-side switching element Q1 is switched from the ON state to the OFF state, the current IC for charging the capacitor 40 flows, and the output voltage VC rises. The rise width of the output voltage VC depends on the on-time Ton2. Since the on-time Ton2 is determined so that the deviation Verr between the output voltage VC and the voltage target value Vref is close to zero, the output voltage VC is close to the voltage target value Vref. Thereby, the output voltage VC falls within the first allowable voltage range Var1.

FIG. 5 shows the trigger signal Trg, the output voltage VC, and the on/off of the low-side switching element Q1 when the output voltage VC after charging is controlled by the main charging control unit 313 and exceeds the upper limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1. Graphs of the off state, the on/off state of the high-side switching element Q2, and the current IC flowing through the capacitor 40 over time. After one operation cycle, the output voltage VC exceeds the upper limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1 at time t3 when the current IC charging the capacitor 40 becomes substantially zero. This situation may occur, for example, when the output voltage VC of the trigger signal Trg at the rising time t0 is close to the upper limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1, and the load 50 ( FIG. 1 ) is operated based on one operation The power consumption of the cycle is less than the assumed value.

When the enable control unit selection unit 317 ( FIG. 3 ) detects that the output voltage VC exceeds the upper limit value of the first voltage allowable range Var1 , the auxiliary charge/discharge control unit 314 is enabled. The auxiliary charge-discharge control unit 314 generates the on-time Ton2 so that the output voltage VC is close to the voltage target value Vref. When the output voltage VC at the current time is higher than the voltage target value Vref, a negative value is generated as the on-time Ton2.

When the on-time Ton2 is negative, the pulse width modulator 32 makes the high-side switching element Q2 in the on-state only for a time corresponding to the absolute value of the on-time Ton2. During the on-state of the high-side switching element Q2, the current IC for discharging the capacitor 40 flows, and the output voltage VC decreases. The magnitude of the reduction of the output voltage VC depends on the absolute value of the on-time Ton2. Since the on-time Ton2 is determined so that the deviation Verr between the output voltage VC and the voltage target value Vref is close to zero, the output voltage VC is close to the voltage target value Vref. Thereby, the output voltage VC falls within the first allowable voltage range Var1.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , when the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is the first operation mode, if the output voltage VC deviates from the first voltage tolerance range Var1 , it is feedback controlled to fall within the first voltage tolerance range Var1 .

Next, referring to FIG. 6A , the feedback control when the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is the second operation mode will be described.

6A is a graph showing changes in the output voltage VC in the period before and after the time when the load 50 is switched from the standby state to the running state (intermittent operation state). The second allowable voltage range Var2 is narrower than the first allowable voltage range Var1, and is included in the first allowable voltage range Var1.

When the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is the second operation mode, the intermittent operation of the load 50 is not performed, but the output voltage VC of the capacitor 40 gradually decreases due to various reasons. For example, the output voltage VC is lowered by the natural discharge of the capacitor 40 . In addition, when a pulsed laser beam is not output from the laser oscillator 52 ( FIG. 1 ) on standby, a high frequency may be supplied to the discharge electrode 53 ( FIG. 1 ) for a short period of time to the extent that laser oscillation does not occur. electricity. A pulse of high-frequency power supplied in such a short time that laser oscillation does not occur is called a flash pulse. By supplying a flash pulse to the discharge electrode 53, the output voltage VC decreases.

While the operation mode of the charging power supply 20 is the second operation mode, if the output voltage VC is less than the lower limit value of the second voltage tolerance range Var2, the enable control unit selection unit 317 (FIG. 3) enables the auxiliary charge/discharge control unit 314. Thereby, the capacitor 40 is charged according to the on-time Ton2 ( FIG. 3 ), and the output voltage VC rises and approaches the voltage target value Vref. As a result, while the load 50 is in standby, the output voltage VC is controlled so as to fall within substantially the second voltage tolerance range Var2.

When the load 50 is operating, the charging power supply 20 is switched from the second operation mode to the first operation mode. Thereby, the output voltage VC is controlled to be within the first allowable voltage range Var1.

Next, the excellent effects of the present embodiment will be described in comparison with the comparative example shown in FIG. 6B . FIG. 6B is a graph showing the change of the output voltage VC before and after the time when the load 50 is switched from standby to operation when the feedback control method based on the comparative example is applied. In the comparative example, the allowable voltage range during standby is the same as the allowable voltage range during operation. For example, the allowable voltage range in the comparative example is set to be the same as the first allowable voltage range Var1 in FIG. 6A .

When the load 50 is in standby, the output voltage VC is feedback-controlled so that it falls within the first voltage tolerance range Var1. When the output voltage VC is in the vicinity of the lower limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1, if the load 50 is in operation, the output voltage VC greatly deviates from the first voltage tolerance range Var1 in the first operation cycle. When the output voltage VC deviates significantly from the first voltage allowable range Var1, the AC power supplied to the load 50 decreases. Therefore, the energy (hereinafter, referred to as pulse energy.) of each pulse of the pulsed laser beam output from the laser oscillator 52 (FIG. 1) is caused to be lower than the target value. As a result, the laser processing quality deteriorates.

On the other hand, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6A , the output voltage VC during standby is feedback-controlled so as to fall within the second allowable voltage range Var2 that is narrower than the first allowable voltage range Var1 . Therefore, the deviation of the output voltage VC at the time of the first operation cycle during operation becomes small. As a result, stable AC power can be supplied to the load 50 from the first operation cycle. Thereby, the fall of the laser processing quality can be suppressed.

In order to obtain a sufficient effect of suppressing the variation of the output voltage VC in the first operation cycle after the load 50 is in operation, the size of the second voltage tolerance range Var2 is set to 1/5 of the size of the first voltage tolerance range Var1 The following are preferred. Furthermore, it is preferable to set the lower limit value of the second allowable voltage range Var2 to be equal to or greater than the median value of the first allowable voltage range Var1, so that the output voltage VC reduced in the first operation cycle falls within the first allowable voltage range. inside Var1.

The charging power source 20 based on the above-described embodiment can also be used as a charging power source for charging capacitors other than the capacitor 40 that supplies power to the high-frequency power source 51 shown in FIG. 1 . For example, the charging power source 20 based on the above-described embodiment can be applied to a charging power source for charging a capacitor connected to a load that performs intermittent operation to supply power to the load.

Next, referring to FIGS. 7-9B , a power supply device based on another embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the description of the same structure as that of the power supply device based on the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 6A is omitted.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the function of feedback control of the converter controller 30 mounted on the power supply device according to the present embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the input parameter to the adder 315 is a constant on-time fixed value TonF. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the on-time setting value TonS is input from the on-time setting unit 316 to the adder 315 .

Next, the function of the on-time setting unit 316 will be described. The operating condition identification information ID and the trigger signal Trg are input from the host controller 60 to the on-time setting unit 316 . The operating condition identification information ID is information for determining the operating condition of the load 50 . For example, the laser oscillator 52 ( FIG. 1 ) outputs a pulsed laser beam according to various operating conditions such as pulse energy and pulse width. These operation conditions are determined based on the operation condition identification information ID. When the operating conditions of the load 50 are different, the power consumption for one operation cycle is usually different. Therefore, if the operating conditions are different, the reduction width ΔV ( FIG. 2 ) of the output voltage VC in one operating cycle is also different.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing a table in which the final value of the on-time TonL memorized in the on-time setting unit 316 is memorized. The on-time final value TonL is memorized for each operating condition of the load 50 . For each operating cycle of the load 50, the on-time setting unit 316 acquires the on-time Ton1 generated in the adder 315 in synchronization with the trigger signal Trg, and stores it as the on-time in a corresponding relationship with the operating condition identification information ID at the current time point Final value TonL. That is, the on-time setting unit 316 rewrites the final on-time value TonL of the table shown in FIG. 8 to the latest on-time Ton1 value.

When the load 50 is switched from standby to running, the on-time setting unit 316 reads the on-time final value TonL corresponding to the operation condition identification information ID at the current time point from the table shown in FIG. 8 , and sets the on-time setting value TonS Set to the final value of the on-time TonL value. During operation under the same operating conditions, the on-time setting value TonS is given to the adder 315 . When the operating condition is changed, or when switching from standby to running, the on-time setting value TonS is reset to the on-time final value TonL value corresponding to the operating condition.

FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example of changes over time in the operating conditions of the load 50 and the on-time setting value TonS applied to the adder 315 . FIG. 9A shows an example in which the operating condition of the load 50 is ID00 and does not change. When the power supply of the load 50 ( FIG. 1 ) connected to the power supply device 10 according to the present embodiment is turned on, first, the warm-up operation is performed under the operating condition ID00. Then, the load 50 operates under the operation condition ID00 while shortening the period of the standby state.

In the warm-up operation, for each operation cycle, that is, each time the trigger signal Trg is output, the value of the on-time Ton1 is set as the final value of the on-time TonL. In addition, as the on-time setting value TonS during the warm-up operation, for example, the on-time fixed value TonF shown in FIG. 3 is used. When the warm-up operation ends, the final on-time Ton1 value is set as the on-time final value TonL.

After the standby state, when the load 50 is operated under the operating condition ID00, the on-time final value TonL at the current time is set as the on-time setting value TonS. During the period when the load 50 operates under the operating condition ID00, the set on-time setting value TonS is used. In addition, during the period of operating under the operating condition ID00, the on-time Ton1 value is set to the on-time final value TonL for each operating cycle, that is, each time the trigger signal Trg is output.

9B is a diagram showing an example of time-dependent changes in the operating conditions of the load 50 and the on-time setting value TonS given to the adder 315 when the operating conditions are switched between ID00 and ID01. After the operation is performed under the operation condition ID00, the operation is performed under the operation condition ID01, and then the operation is performed under the operation condition ID00. When switching from the operating condition ID01 to the operating condition ID00, the on-time final value TonL of the operating condition ID00 is set to the on-time setting value TonS.

When the operation is started under the operating condition ID01, the on-time final value TonL, which is the on-time Ton1 applied last when operating under the same operating condition ID01, is set as the on-time setting value TonS.

In this way, when transitioning from standby to running, the on-time Ton1 value applied in the final operating cycle during operation under the same operating conditions as the current operating conditions is set as on-time set value TonS.

Next, the excellent effects of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 to 9B will be described. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , when the on-time fixed value TonF is used as a parameter input to the adder 315 , the on-time fixed value TonF is based on the reduction range ΔV of the output voltage VC in one operation cycle of the load 50 . (Fig. 2) assumed values. The mode in which the on-time fixed value TonF is used as the parameter input to the adder 315 is called the on-time fixed mode. On the other hand, the mode in which the on-time setting value TonS is used as the parameter input to the adder 315 is called the on-time variable mode.

The reduction width ΔV of the output voltage VC in one operation cycle may deviate significantly from the assumed value due to various factors. Various factors that cause the reduction width ΔV of the output voltage VC to deviate significantly from the assumed value include, for example, fluctuations in the voltage Vin supplied from the external power source 70 ( FIG. 1 ), fluctuations in the excitation conditions of the laser oscillator 52 , and the like.

When the reduction width ΔV of the output voltage VC in one operation cycle of the load 50 deviates greatly from the assumed value, the on-time Ton1 can be set to an appropriate value by performing the feedback control of changing the on-time correction value ΔTon1 shown in FIG. 3 . value. However, the operation cycle of the load 50 must be repeated several times until the on-time Ton1 converges to an appropriate value. Until the on-time Ton1 converges to an appropriate value and the output voltage VC stabilizes, the pulse energy of the pulsed laser beam output from the laser oscillator 52 (FIG. 1) is unstable. Pulsed laser beams during periods of unstable pulse energy cannot be used for laser processing. Therefore, it is necessary to wait for the actual laser processing from the start of the operation of the power supply device 10 and the load 50 until the pulse energy is stabilized.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, during the warm-up operation shown in FIG. 9A , the actual on-time Ton1 value at the current time is set as the final on-time value TonL. When the load 50 is operated for actual laser processing, the value of the on-time Ton1 applied in the last operation cycle in the warm-up operation is set as the on-time setting value TonS. Therefore, the load 50 can be operated using an appropriate value as the on-time setting value TonS from the first operation cycle.

When the operating conditions are switched, the on-time Ton1 value applied in the final operating cycle when operating under the same operating conditions as the operating conditions after the switching is set as the on-time setting value TonS. Therefore, after the operating conditions are changed, the load 50 can be operated using an appropriate value as the on-time setting value TonS.

Therefore, the pulse energy can be stabilized from the first operation cycle immediately after the warm-up operation and immediately after the operation condition is switched. Thereby, the laser processing can be performed immediately, and an excellent effect of improving the processing capability of the laser processing apparatus can be obtained.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, each time the on-time Ton1 is determined while the load 50 is being operated, the final on-time value TonL is updated with a new value of the on-time Ton1. Therefore, when the operation of the load 50 ends, the latest on-time Ton1 value is always set in the on-time final value TonL. Thereby, when the operation of the load 50 is resumed under the same operating conditions, the load 50 can be operated using an appropriate value as the on-time setting value TonS.

Next, a modification of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7 to 9B will be described. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 7-9B , when the load 50 starts to operate, the final value of the on-time Ton1 applied when the load 50 is operated under the same operating conditions is used as the on-time setting value TonS. The value used as the on-time setting value TonS is not necessarily the final value of the on-time Ton1, and the guide on-time Ton1 value applied during operation under the same operating conditions in the past can also be used as the on-time setting value TonS. Furthermore, a statistical representative value of a plurality of on-time Ton1 values, such as an average value, a mode value, a median value, etc., may be used as the on-time setting value TonS.

In FIG. 9A, the standby state period is inserted between the warm-up operation period and the operation period under the operating condition ID00, and the standby state period is inserted between two operation periods with different operating conditions, and the standby state period may be eliminated.

Next, referring to FIGS. 10 to 12 , a laser device according to another embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, descriptions of the same structures as those of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 6B and the embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 to 9B will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of the laser device according to this embodiment. Drilling is performed on the object 58 to be processed, such as a printed circuit board, by the laser apparatus of this embodiment. The structures of the power supply device 10 , the high-frequency power supply 51 , the laser oscillator 52 and the host controller 60 are the same as those shown in FIG. 1 . From the input device 61 , various kinds of information, operation commands, and the like necessary to operate the power supply device 10 are input to the host controller 60 . As the input device 61, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device, a reader for removable media, or the like is used. The host controller 60 outputs various information to the output device 62 . As the output device 62, for example, a display is used. As the input device 61 and the output device 62, a touch panel having both can be used.

An object to be processed 58 such as a printed circuit board is held on the movable table 56 . The pulsed laser beam output from the laser oscillator 52 is incident on the object to be processed 58 through the optical system 55 . The optical system 55 includes a beam expander, an aperture, a beam scanner, a lens lens, and the like.

The host controller 60 supplies the power supply device 10 with the trigger signal Trg and the operation condition identification information ID, and supplies the high-frequency power supply 51 with the trigger signal Trg. The host controller 60 moves the incident position of the pulsed laser beam on the surface of the object 58 by further controlling the beam scanner of the optical system 55 . In addition, the upper controller 60 controls the movable table 56 to move the object to be processed 58 in two directions parallel to the surface thereof and orthogonal to each other.

Drilling is performed by making the pulsed laser beam incident on the object 58 to be processed. In order to form high quality holes, the pulse width, peak intensity, etc. of the pulsed laser beam are controlled. For example, the adjustment of the pulse width is performed by changing the time Pex ( FIG. 2 ) when the trigger signal Trg becomes a high level. The adjustment of the peak intensity is performed by changing the duty ratio of the inverter of the high-frequency power supply 51 .

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on the output device 62 . An input window is displayed on the output device 62, and the input window is used for the user to input information for determining the first voltage tolerance range Var1 (FIG. 4, FIG. 6, FIG. 6A) and information for determining the second voltage tolerance range Var2 (FIG. 6A). . Furthermore, a radio button is included in the input window, and the radio button is used to enable the user to select whether to use the on-time setting value TonS (Fig. 7) or the on-time fixed value TonF (Fig. 3) as the determining on-time Ton1. basic information. As information for determining the first allowable voltage range Var1 and the second allowable voltage range Var2, for example, the upper limit value and the lower limit value of the voltage allowable range are used.

The user can operate the input device 61 such as a keyboard and a pointing device to input information for determining the first voltage tolerance range Var1 and information for determining the second voltage tolerance range Var2. Furthermore, as basic information for determining the on-time Ton1, it can be selected whether to use the on-time setting value TonS (FIG. 7) or the on-time fixed value TonF (FIG. 3).

When the on-time setting value TonS is selected as the basic information for determining the on-time Ton1, the converter controller 30 causes the charging power supply 20 to operate in the on-time variable mode. When the on-time fixed value TonF is selected as the basic information for determining the on-time Ton1, the converter controller 30 causes the charging power supply 20 to operate in the on-time fixed mode.

The converter controller 30 has a function of outputting to the output device 62 the final on-time value TonL at the current time in association with the operating conditions.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an image in a state in which the final value of the on-time TonL at the current time is displayed on the output device 62 . The on-time final value TonL value is displayed in association with the operation condition identification information ID.

Next, the excellent effects of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 will be described. By using the converter controller 30 shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 7 in the power supply device 10 of the laser device, it is possible to reduce the instability of the pulse energy of the laser oscillator 52 at the start point of the output of the pulsed laser beam. Thereby, laser processing can be performed from the time when the output of the pulsed laser beam is started.

Since the user can set the first allowable voltage range Var1 and the second allowable voltage range Var2, it is possible to evaluate the operating state or processing quality of the laser device to optimize the first allowable voltage range Var1 and the second allowable voltage range Var2. Furthermore, the user can estimate the state of the laser device by confirming the value TonL, the final value of the on-time output to the output device 62 .

The above-mentioned embodiments are only examples, and of course, partial replacement or combination of the structures shown in different embodiments can also be performed. For each embodiment, the same functions and effects based on the same structure of the plurality of embodiments will not be described one by one. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited by the above-mentioned embodiments. For example, it is a matter of course for those having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains to be capable of various changes, improvements, combinations, and the like.

10: Power supply unit 20: Charging power supply 25: Switch Converter 30: Converter Controller 31: Feedback Control Department 311: Subtractor 313: Main charging control part 314: Auxiliary charge and discharge control unit 315: Adder 316: On-time setting section 317: Enable control part selection 318: Operation Mode Switching Section 32: Pulse Width Modulator 35: AD converter 40: Capacitor 50: load 51: High frequency power supply 52: Laser oscillator 53: Discharge electrode 55: Optical system 56: Movable workbench 58: Processing object 60: host controller 61: Input device 62: Output device 70: External power supply D1, D2: Flywheel diodes L: Reactor Q1: Low-side switching element Q2: High-side switching element

[ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a power supply device which is a part of the power supply device according to the embodiment and a block diagram showing a load of the power supply device by an equivalent circuit. [FIG. 2] FIG. 2 is a graph showing the temporal changes of the trigger signal, the on/off state of the low-side switching element, the current flowing through the reactor, the current flowing through the capacitor, and the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor. [FIG. 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the function of feedback control of the converter controller. 4] FIG. 4 shows the trigger signal Trg, the output voltage VC, and the low-side switching element when the output voltage VC after charging under the control of the main charging control unit is lower than the lower limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1 A graph of the ON/OFF state of Q1 and the time-dependent change of the current IC flowing through the capacitor. 5] FIG. 5 shows the trigger signal Trg, the output voltage VC, and the low-side switching element Q1 when the output voltage VC after being charged under the control of the main charging control unit exceeds the upper limit value of the first voltage tolerance range Var1 A graph of the ON/OFF state of , the ON/OFF state of the high-side switching element Q2, and the time-dependent change of the current IC flowing through the capacitor. [FIG. 6] FIG. 6A is a graph showing the change of the output voltage VC before and after the time when the load is switched from standby to operation, and FIG. 6B is a graph showing when the feedback control method based on the comparative example is applied, A graph showing the change of the output voltage VC in the period before and after the time when the load is switched from standby to operation. [ Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a function of feedback control of a converter controller mounted on a power supply device according to another embodiment. [FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is a graph showing a table in which the final value of the on-time TonL memorized in the on-time setting unit is memorized. [FIG. [Fig. 9] Fig. 9A is a diagram showing an example of changes over time between the operating conditions of the load and the on-time setting value TonS given to the adder, and Fig. 9B is a diagram showing when the operating conditions are switched between ID00 and ID01 , The operating conditions of the load and an example of the time-dependent change of the on-time setting value TonS applied to the adder. [FIG. 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a laser device according to still another embodiment. [ Fig. 11] Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of an image displayed on an output device. [ Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an image in a state in which the final value of the on-time TonL at the current time is displayed on the output device.

25: Switch Converter

30: Converter Controller

31: Feedback Control Department

32: Pulse Width Modulator

35: AD converter

40: Capacitor

50: load

60: host controller

311: Subtractor

313: Main charging control part

314: Auxiliary charge and discharge control unit

315: Adder

317: Enable control part selection

318: Operation Mode Switching Section

△Ton1: On-time correction value

Ton1, Ton2: On-time

TonF: On-time fixed value

Trg: trigger signal

VC: output voltage

Vref: Voltage target value

Verr: Bias

Claims (7)

A power supply device comprising: a capacitor connected to a load that performs intermittent operation; and a charging power source that is synchronized with the operation of the load performing intermittent operation to perform a charging operation in which the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor is close to a voltage target value; The charging power supply has a function of switching between modes: a first operation mode in which, if the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from the first voltage allowable range, the auxiliary charging is performed to make the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor approach the target voltage value. A discharge operation; and a second operation mode in which the auxiliary charge-discharge operation is performed when the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from a second voltage allowable range narrower than the first voltage allowable range. The power supply device of claim 1, further comprising an input device for inputting information for determining the first allowable voltage range and the second allowable voltage range; the charging power source determines the first voltage based on the input from the input device The information of the voltage tolerance range and the second voltage tolerance range is used to perform the auxiliary charging/discharging operation in one of the first operation mode and the second operation mode. The power supply device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the charging power source includes a switching converter with a low-side switching element, by performing the aforementioned The charging operation is performed by switching of the low-side switching element, and a current corresponding to the on-time of the low-side switching element is supplied to the capacitor; and the capacitor has a deviation between the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor and the voltage target value, and the The on-time setting value of the low-side switching element determines the on-time of the low-side switching element, so as to perform the function of the charging action; according to the actual value of the on-time of the low-side switching element when the load is operating, the Set the aforementioned on-time setting value. The power supply device of claim 3, wherein the load operates under a plurality of operating conditions with different power consumption in one operation cycle; and the charging power supply memorizes the on-time setting value for each operating condition of the load. The power supply device of claim 3, wherein the charging power supply has a function of switching the following modes: an on-time fixed mode, which is fixed according to the deviation of the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor and the voltage target value and a predetermined on-time The on-time value of the low-side switching element is used to determine the on-time of the low-side switching element, so as to perform the charging operation; and the on-time variable mode, which determines the on-time of the low-side switching element according to the on-time setting value of the low-side switching element, Thus, the aforementioned charging operation is performed. The power supply device of claim 5, wherein the charging power supply has the following function: enabling the user to input which mode of the on-time variable mode and the on-time fixed mode to perform Action command. A laser device includes: a laser oscillator, which is provided with discharge electrodes and performs pulse oscillation; a high-frequency power source, which converts DC power into AC power in synchronization with a trigger signal, and supplies the discharge to the aforementioned discharge in a pulsed manner an electrode; and a power supply device that supplies DC power to the high-frequency power supply; the power supply device has: a capacitor that stores the DC power supplied to the high-frequency power supply; and a charging power supply that is synchronized with the trigger signal, The charging operation in which the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor is close to the voltage target value is performed; the charging power supply has a function of switching the mode of the first operation mode, which is to make the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviate from the first allowable voltage range. an auxiliary charging and discharging operation in which the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor is close to the target voltage value; and a second operation mode in which if the voltage between the terminals of the capacitor deviates from a second voltage tolerance range narrower than the first voltage tolerance range, The aforementioned auxiliary charging and discharging operations are performed.

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