WO2019198215A1

WO2019198215A1 - Laser device and laser processing device

Info

Publication number: WO2019198215A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/015449
Authority: WO
Inventors: 京藤　友博; 平荻田; 森本　猛; 秀康町井; 裕章黒川
Original assignee: 三菱電機株式会社
Priority date: 2018-04-12
Filing date: 2018-04-12
Publication date: 2019-10-17
Also published as: JPWO2019198215A1

Abstract

This laser device (1) is characterized by being provided with laser modules (20-1, 20-2, 20-3) that can oscillate laser beams; a housing (10) in which the laser modules (20-1, 20-2, 20-3) are embedded; and an expansion unit that is provided inside the housing (10) and is capable of storing an expansion laser module (20-4) which is connected in parallel with the laser modules (20-1, 20-2, 20-3).

Description

Laser apparatus and laser processing apparatus

The present invention relates to a laser apparatus and a laser processing apparatus that can be expanded to enhance the output of laser light.

After the introduction of the laser device, there may be a need to expand the laser output of the laser device. For example, in a laser processing apparatus that processes an object to be processed using laser light output from the laser apparatus, the required intensity of the laser output varies depending on the material of the object to be processed, the processing speed, and the like. For this reason, if it is necessary to increase the laser output by changing the material of the workpiece after the introduction of the laser device, or if it is necessary to increase the processing speed by increasing the number of processing, the laser of the laser device Expansion that enhances output is required.

Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for expanding an optical fiber amplifying apparatus that amplifies an optical signal by increasing the intensity of light by adding an optical amplifier in series.

JP 2011-243803 A

However, according to the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, since additional optical amplifiers are connected in series, light of different intensities before and after the expansion is incident on the optical components arranged after the optical amplifier. To do. For this reason, it is necessary to use optical components with a light resistance higher than the light resistance required before expansion in accordance with the light intensity after expansion. There is a problem in that the use of various optical components is required. Conventionally, as a method of adjusting the laser output of the laser device, a method of increasing or decreasing the amount of power supplied to the laser device is generally used, and the laser output is adjusted by increasing or decreasing the number of laser modules mounted on the laser device. The method to do was not disclosed.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is not necessary to use an excessively high performance optical component even in a state before the expansion for enhancing the intensity of the laser beam. It is an object of the present invention to obtain a laser device capable of using an optical component.

In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a laser apparatus according to the present invention includes a laser module capable of oscillating laser light, a housing containing the laser module, a laser module provided in the housing, And an expansion unit capable of storing an additional laser module connected in parallel with the module.

The laser apparatus according to the present invention does not need to use an excessively high performance optical component even before the expansion to increase the intensity of the laser beam, and can use an optical component that matches the required performance. There is an effect that it is possible.

The figure which shows the structure of the laser apparatus concerning Embodiment 1 of this invention. The figure which shows the connection relation of the component which the laser apparatus shown in FIG. 1 has. The figure which shows an example of a detailed structure of the laser unit shown in FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the laser processing apparatus concerning Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Hereinafter, a laser apparatus and a laser processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a laser apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The laser device 1 includes a housing 10, laser modules 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3, drive power supplies 30-1, 30-2, and 30-3, a coupling unit 40, a transmission fiber 41, The control unit 50, the water cooling manifold 60, the first fixing portion 70, and the second fixing portion 71 are included. Further, it is possible to add a laser module 20-4 to the first fixed unit 70, and it is possible to add a drive power supply 30-4 to the second fixed unit 71.

The housing 10 includes laser modules 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, drive power supplies 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, a coupling unit 40, a transmission fiber 41, a control unit 50, A water cooling manifold 60, a first fixing portion 70, and a second fixing portion 71 are incorporated.

The laser modules 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4 can oscillate laser light by supplying power and have a function of outputting the oscillated laser light. The laser modules 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 are arranged inside the housing 10 when the laser device 1 is shipped. The laser module 20-4 is added after product shipment. The laser modules 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4 are connected in parallel. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish each of the laser modules 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, and 20-4, they are simply referred to as a laser module 20.

The drive power supplies 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4 are provided in one-to-one correspondence with the laser modules 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, respectively. Power for driving the laser module 20 is supplied. The drive power supplies 30-1, 30-2, and 30-3 are arranged inside the housing 10 at the product shipment stage of the laser device 1. The drive power supply 30-4 is added after product shipment. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish each of the drive power supplies 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, and 30-4, they are simply referred to as the drive power supply 30.

The coupling unit 40 combines the laser beams output from each of the plurality of laser modules 20 connected in parallel into one beam. The coupling unit 40 outputs the coupled laser light to the transmission fiber 41. There is no limitation on the method in which the combining unit 40 combines a plurality of laser beams. For example, the combining unit 40 spatially combines a plurality of light paths to form one light beam, a polarization combination that superimposes two lights whose polarization directions differ from each other by 90 degrees, and a plurality of lights that have different wavelengths from each other. A plurality of laser beams are coupled using a method such as wavelength coupling or fiber coupling that couples a plurality of optical fibers to one optical component. The coupling unit 40 can couple a plurality of laser beams using one or more of the above-described coupling methods. For example, when four laser beams are coupled, the coupling unit 40 couples two lights using polarization coupling, obtains two coupled lights, and then couples two beams using another coupling method, for example, fiber coupling. The combined light can be further combined to obtain one light beam. The coupling unit 40 includes three connection interfaces connected to the laser modules 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 and an empty interface for expansion for connection to the additional laser module 20-4. Have.

The coupling method used by the coupling unit 40 is not particularly limited, and various coupling methods can be selected and used according to the required performance. For example, when it is desired to expand the wavelength band to be used, it is conceivable to combine laser beams of a plurality of wavelengths using wavelength coupling. On the other hand, since there are many cases where expensive components are required for wavelength coupling, when there is no need to expand the wavelength band, spatial coupling may be used for cost reduction.

The control unit 50 is connected to each of the plurality of drive power supplies 30, and can control the power supplied to the laser module 20 by controlling each of the plurality of drive power supplies 30. The control unit 50 can also perform various interlock controls. The control unit 50 has a plurality of connection interfaces with the drive power supply 30. The control unit 50 has three connection interfaces connected to the drive power supplies 30-1, 30-2, and 30-3, and an additional empty interface for connection to the drive power supply 30-4.

The water cooling manifold 60 is a joint portion of a cooling pipe for cooling a heat generating portion in the laser device 1. The cooling pipe connected to the water cooling manifold 60 is provided around the laser module 20, the drive power supply 30, and the like, for example. The water cooling manifold 60 can switch a path through which cooling water flows through a cooling pipe provided in the laser device 1.

The cooling pipe is provided not only around the laser modules 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 previously arranged in the laser apparatus 1, but also around the laser module 20-4 to be added. The water cooling manifold 60 has an opening / closing part capable of individually switching the opening / closing of the cooling pipe for each laser module 20. Therefore, before installing the laser module 20-4, the open / close portion is closed so that the cooling water does not flow into the cooling pipe provided around the laser module 20-4, and the laser module 20-4 is installed. In this case, the opening / closing part may be opened so that the cooling water flows to the cooling pipe provided around the laser module 20-4. .

The arrangement of the cooling pipe is the same as that of the laser module 20 around the drive power supply 30. The cooling pipe is provided not only around the drive power supplies 30-1, 30-2, 30-3 that are arranged in advance in the laser apparatus 1, but also around the drive power supply 30-4 to be added. The water cooling manifold 60 has an open / close section that can individually switch the open / close of the cooling pipe for each drive power supply 30. For this reason, before the drive power supply 30-4 is added, the open / close portion is closed so that the cooling water does not flow into the cooling pipe provided around the drive power supply 30-4, and the drive power supply 30-4 is turned off. When expanding, the opening / closing part may be opened so that the cooling water flows to the cooling pipe provided around the drive power source 30-4.

The first fixing unit 70 fixes the plurality of laser modules 20 in the housing 10. The first fixing unit 70 is provided with a space for storing the additional laser module 20-4 inside the housing 10. The shape of the first fixing unit 70 may be any shape as long as it can fix the additional laser module 20-4, such as a frame, a fastener, a shelf, or the like. The second fixing unit 71 fixes the plurality of driving power supplies 30 in the housing 10. The second fixing portion 71 is provided with a space for storing the additional drive power supply 30-4 inside the housing 10. The shape of the second fixing portion 71 is only required to be able to fix the additional drive power supply 30-4, and is, for example, a frame, a fastener, a shelf or the like.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the connection relationship of the constituent elements of the laser device 1 shown in FIG. The drive power supply 30 and the laser module 20 constitute a laser unit 80. The laser device 1 includes a laser unit 80-1 including a driving power source 30-1 and a laser module 20-1, a laser unit 80-2 including a driving power source 30-2 and a laser module 20-2, A laser unit 80-3 including a power supply 30-3 and a laser module 20-3.

Further, the laser device 1 includes an expansion unit 90 that is provided inside the housing 10 and can store an expansion drive power supply 30-4 and an expansion laser module 20-4. When the drive power supply 30-4 and the laser module 20-4 are added to the extension unit 90, a laser unit 80-4 (not shown) is configured. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish each of the laser units 80-1, 80-2, 80-3, and 80-4, they are simply referred to as a laser unit 80. In the example shown in FIG. 2, one laser unit 80 includes one laser module 20 and one drive power supply 30 for driving the laser module 20. The laser unit 80 can oscillate laser light independently.

The expansion unit 90 includes a space for storing the laser module 20-4 and the drive power source 30-4 in the housing 10, a portion of the first fixing unit 70 that fixes the laser module 20-4, a second A portion of the fixing portion 71 that fixes the drive power supply 30-4. The extension unit 90 can add the laser module 20 and the drive power supply 30 in units of the laser unit 80. The expansion unit 90 can store therein an expansion laser module 20-4 that is connected in parallel to the laser modules 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 arranged in advance. Further, the extension unit 90 can store therein a drive power source 30-4 that supplies power to the extension laser module 20-4.

The laser beams output from the laser units 80-1, 80-2, and 80-3 are combined by the combining unit 40 and output to the transmission fiber 41. In addition, the laser light output from the laser unit 80-4 configured by adding the laser module 20-4 and the drive power supply 30-4 to the expansion unit 90 is also coupled by the coupling unit 40 and output to the transmission fiber 41. The

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a detailed configuration of the laser unit 80 shown in FIG. The laser unit 80 includes a laser module 20 and a drive power supply 30 that supplies drive power to the laser module 20. The laser module 20 includes a total reflection mirror 21 and a partial reflection mirror 22, which are at least two reflection mirrors for reciprocating light, and a laser medium for stimulated emission of laser light between the total reflection mirror 21 and the partial reflection mirror 22. And an excitation unit 23 that excites.

The total reflection mirror 21 and the partial reflection mirror 22 are an example of a plurality of reflection surfaces constituting a resonator, and the present embodiment is not limited to such an example. You may comprise a resonator using three or more reflective surfaces. For example, a reflection surface that changes the traveling direction of light may be included on the optical path between two reflection surfaces constituting the resonator, and the reflection surface is not limited to a mirror, but is a reflection function formed by coating. It may be a surface having For example, in the case of a gas laser, the excitation unit 23 is a discharge unit in which power is applied to the laser gas. In the case of a YAG laser, the excitation unit 23 is a YAG rod unit that is optically excited by doping a laser medium. In the case of a semiconductor laser, the excitation unit 23 is a laser. It is an active layer doped with a medium and applied with electric power.

As described above, the laser apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes the additional laser module 20-4 connected in parallel with the laser modules 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3. 10 is provided with an expansion unit 90 that can be stored inside. For this reason, it is possible to expand the laser light output intensity by increasing the number of laser modules 20-4. At this time, since the plurality of laser modules 20 are connected in parallel, the light resistance required for the optical components constituting the laser module 20 does not change before and after the expansion for increasing the intensity of the laser light. Therefore, it is not necessary to use an excessively high performance optical component even in a state before the expansion for increasing the intensity of the laser beam, and it is possible to use an optical component that matches the required performance.

Further, according to the laser device 1, the laser module 20 and the drive power supply 30 can be added in units of the laser unit 80 including the laser module 20 and the drive power supply 30. This laser unit 80 can oscillate laser light independently. For this reason, when performing expansion to enhance the output of the laser light, the output of the laser light can be enhanced even if other components already incorporated in the laser device 1 have deteriorated.

In the above embodiment, the number of laser modules 20 built in the laser apparatus 1 in advance at the shipping stage is three, and the number of laser modules 20 that can be added after shipment is one. The form is not limited to such an example. The number of laser modules 20 built in the laser device 1 in advance may be an arbitrary number of 1 or more. A plurality of laser modules 20 may be added.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the laser processing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The laser processing device 100 includes a laser device 1, a processing head 2, a table 3, and a control device 4.

Since the laser device 1 is the same as that described in the first embodiment, detailed description thereof is omitted here. Laser light output from the laser device 1 is input to the machining head 2 via the transmission fiber 41. The laser processing apparatus 100 irradiates the processing target W with laser light from the processing head 2 while changing the relative position between the processing head 2 and the processing target W placed on the table 3, thereby processing the processing target. An apparatus for laser processing W.

The control device 4 controls the operations of the laser device 1, the processing head 2, and the table 3 to perform laser processing on the workpiece W. For example, the control device 4 can control the position of the machining head 2 and the position of the table 3 to change the relative position between the machining head 2 and the workpiece W on the table 3. Although both the position of the machining head 2 and the position of the table 3 are controlled here, the position of the table 3 may be fixed and only the position of the machining head 2 may be changed.

As described above, the laser processing apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the laser apparatus 1 described in the first embodiment. For this reason, by adding the laser module 20-4 to the laser apparatus 1, it becomes possible to enhance the output of the laser beam used when performing laser processing. At this time, since the plurality of laser modules 20 are connected in parallel, the light resistance required for the optical components constituting the laser module 20 does not change before and after the expansion for increasing the intensity of the laser light. Therefore, it is not necessary to use an excessively high performance optical component even in a state before the expansion for increasing the intensity of the laser beam, and it is possible to use an optical component that matches the required performance.

The configuration described in the above embodiment shows an example of the contents of the present invention, and can be combined with another known technique, and can be combined with other configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is also possible to omit or change the part.

1 laser device, 2 machining head, 3 table, 4 control device, 10 housing, 20, 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4 laser module, 21 total reflection mirror, 22 partial reflection mirror, 23 Excitation section, 30, 30-1, 30-2, 30-3, 30-4 drive power supply, 40 coupling section, 41 transmission fiber, 50 control unit, 60 water cooling manifold, 70 first fixing section, 71 second fixing section , 80, 80-1, 80-2, 80-3, 80-4 laser unit, 90 extension, 100 laser processing device, W processing object.

Claims

A laser module capable of oscillating laser light;
A housing containing the laser module;
An expansion unit provided inside the housing and capable of storing an additional laser module connected in parallel with the laser module;
A laser device comprising:
A coupling section for coupling a plurality of laser beams oscillated by each of the plurality of laser modules;
Further comprising
The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the coupling unit includes an expansion interface connectable to the laser module added to the extension unit.
3. The laser module according to claim 1, wherein the laser module includes two or more reflection mirrors and an excitation unit that excites a laser medium for stimulated emission of laser light between the reflection mirrors. Laser device.
The laser device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the extension unit includes a first fixing unit that fixes an extension laser module in the housing.
A drive power supply for supplying power to the laser module;
Further comprising
The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the extension unit is capable of storing a drive power supply for extension therein.
6. The laser device according to claim 5, wherein the laser module and the drive power source can be added to the extension unit in units of laser units including the laser module and the drive power source.
The laser device according to claim 6, wherein the laser unit can oscillate laser light independently.
The laser device according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the extension unit includes a second fixing unit that fixes the extension drive power source in the housing.
A cooling pipe through which cooling water for cooling each of the plurality of laser modules including the additional laser module flows;
A water cooling manifold having an opening / closing part that is a joint part of the cooling pipe and capable of switching between opening and closing of the cooling pipe for each laser module;
The laser apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
A laser device according to any one of claims 1 to 7;
A machining head for emitting laser light output by the laser device toward a workpiece;
A control device for changing a relative position between the processing head and the processing object;
A laser processing apparatus comprising: