WO2021176800A1

WO2021176800A1 - Laser machining device and method for controlling laser machining device

Info

Publication number: WO2021176800A1
Application number: PCT/JP2020/047230
Authority: WO
Inventors: 和美土道; 達典阪本; 克充芦原; 忠正横井; 直毅吉武
Original assignee: オムロン株式会社
Priority date: 2020-03-02
Filing date: 2020-12-17
Publication date: 2021-09-10
Also published as: DE112020006836T5; JP7380333B2; CN115135443A; JP2021137823A

Abstract

A laser machining device (2) comprises an irradiation unit (240), an acceptance unit (216) which accepts machining patterns and irradiation conditions of laser light (W), and a control unit (211) which controls irradiation of the laser light (W) on the basis of the machining patterns and irradiation conditions accepted by the acceptance unit (216). The control unit (211) carries out a first process which machines at least a portion of a first machining region (P) of an object to be machined (8) to a reversed pattern in which an irradiation region of the laser light (W) and a non-irradiation region of the laser light (W) in a machining pattern have been reversed.

Description

Laser processing equipment and control method of laser processing equipment

The present disclosure relates to a laser processing apparatus and a control method for the laser processing apparatus.

Conventionally, a laser processing device for processing an object (work) to be processed by using a laser beam is known. Further, as a kind of laser processing apparatus, there is known a laser marker that uses laser light to mark the surface of a marking object (work) such as characters and figures (hereinafter, also referred to as "printing").

For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2016-36839 (Patent Document 1) discloses a laser marker capable of printing a desired print pattern at a desired position by arbitrarily setting the user.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-36839

Generally, in the field of such a laser processing apparatus, when processing fails, the processed object that has failed to be processed is discarded and reprocessed into another processed object. In particular, in the case of a laser marker, if a processing pattern (for example, a two-dimensional code) that has failed in processing remains, the marker reading device may mistakenly read it. Further, since the processing object to be discarded due to the processing failure includes parts having a high manufacturing cost, there is a desire to reduce the disposal of the processing object itself.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a laser processing apparatus capable of reducing the number of objects to be processed that are discarded due to processing failure.

The laser processing apparatus according to this disclosure includes an irradiation unit that irradiates the object to be processed with a laser beam, a processing pattern of the object to be processed, a reception unit that receives irradiation conditions of the laser light, and a processing pattern received by the reception unit. It also includes a control unit that controls irradiation of laser light based on irradiation conditions. After processing the object to be processed into a processing pattern under the irradiation conditions, the control unit reverses at least a part of the first processing area of the object to be processed between the laser light irradiation area and the laser light non-irradiation area of the processing pattern. The first process of processing the inverted pattern is performed.

According to the above disclosure, the processing pattern formed on the processing object can be made unreadable by the reading device.

In the above disclosure, the control unit makes the irradiation conditions for processing the inverted pattern the same as the irradiation conditions for processing the processed pattern.

In the above disclosure, the control unit executes the second process after the first process, and the second process processes the entire first processed area into a fill pattern composed of only the laser beam irradiation area.

According to the above disclosure, the processing pattern formed on the object to be processed can be made unreadable by the reading device, and the processing marks can be made invisible.

In the above disclosure, the control unit executes the third process after the first process, and the third process processes the first processing area into a processing pattern.

According to the above disclosure, the processing pattern formed on the processing object can be made unreadable by the reading device, and can be reprocessed into the same processing object as the initial one.

In the above disclosure, a determination unit for determining the processing accuracy of the processing pattern is further provided, the control unit corrects the irradiation condition based on the result of the determination by the determination unit, and the third process is the irradiation condition after the correction. 1 Process the processing area into a processing pattern.

According to the above disclosure, the processing pattern formed on the processing object can be made unreadable by the reading device, and can be reprocessed into the same processing object as the initial one. Further, since the processing is performed again under the corrected irradiation conditions, the processing accuracy is improved.

In the above disclosure, the processing target includes a first processing region and a second processing region different from the first processing region, and the control unit executes the third processing after the first processing and performs the third processing. Processes the second processing region into a processing pattern.

In the above disclosure, the laser processing device is used to process the processing object into a processing pattern that can be read by the reading device.

According to the above disclosure, the processing pattern formed on the processing object can be read by a reading device.

The control method of the laser processing apparatus according to this disclosure is received by an irradiation unit that irradiates the object to be processed with a laser beam, a processing pattern of the object to be processed, a reception unit that receives irradiation conditions of the laser light, and a reception unit. This is a method of controlling a laser processing apparatus including a control unit that controls irradiation of laser light based on a processing pattern and irradiation conditions. The control unit inverts at least a part of the processing area of the processing object to be processed into the processing pattern under the irradiation conditions, the irradiation area of the laser light of the processing pattern and the non-irradiation area of the laser light. The process of processing the inverted pattern is performed.

According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a laser processing apparatus capable of reducing the number of objects to be processed that are discarded due to processing failure.

It is a block diagram which shows the schematic structure of the laser processing system. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a laser processing system in more detail. It is a block diagram which showed the hardware included in the control board. It is a block diagram which showed the hardware included in an image processing apparatus. It is a figure which showed the user interface which is displayed on the display device by a controller. It is a figure which shows the 1st example of the cancellation / reworking process. It is a figure which shows the 2nd example of the cancellation / reworking process. It is a figure which shows the 3rd example of the cancellation / reworking process. It is a figure which shows another example of the 1st process. It is a figure which shows the lap processing.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are designated by the same reference numerals and the description thereof will not be repeated.

<A. Application example>
First, an example of a situation in which the present invention is applied will be described. The scene to which the present invention is applied is a scene in which the machined object 8 (see FIG. 1) that has failed to be machined is reworked when the machining fails. Specifically, it is a case where it is necessary to reprocess because the processing accuracy of the processing pattern formed on the processing object 8 does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value. In such a situation, first, it is necessary to process the processing pattern formed on the processing object 8 by the initial processing into an unreadable state by a marker reading device (hereinafter, simply referred to as “reading device”). .. This eliminates the risk of the reader reading the failed machining pattern. After that, the laser marker 2 (see FIG. 1) can be used to reprocess the processing pattern on the same processing object 8 as the original. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of objects to be processed 8 that are discarded due to processing failure. The present invention is also applied when it is necessary to reprocess because the processing pattern itself is incorrect, such as when the user selects another processing pattern.

Hereinafter, a more specific application example of this embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, a laser marker will be described as an example of the laser processing apparatus. The laser marker according to the present embodiment may have a function of performing processing other than marking such as drilling, peeling, and cutting, in addition to the function of marking characters and symbols.

<B. Outline configuration of marking system>
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of a laser processing system 1. With reference to FIG. 1, the laser processing system 1 includes a laser marker 2 and an image processing device 3. The laser marker 2 has a controller 21 and a marker head 26.

The controller 21 controls the operation of the marker head 26. Although the details will be described later, the controller 21 has a laser oscillator that oscillates the laser beam W.

Under the control of the controller 21, the marker head 26 refers to the laser beam W with respect to the machining object 8 (the machining object 8 on the left side of FIG. 1) placed on the member 9 on which the machining object 8 is placed. Irradiate. Specifically, the marker head 26 scans the laser beam W on the machined surface of the object 8 to be machined. In the example of FIG. 1, when the processing (a series of processing such as scanning) for the processing object 8 is completed, the member 9 moves in the left direction (direction of the arrow in FIG. 1), and the next processing object 8 is processed. The laser beam W is applied to (the object to be processed 8 on the right side of FIG. 1).

The marker head 26 has a camera unit 261. The camera unit 261 includes an image pickup device (specifically, a camera) and a communication device. The image pickup apparatus of the camera unit 261 is configured to be able to take a picture of a predetermined area, and takes a picture of the object 8 to be processed. The communication device of the camera unit 261 transmits the image data obtained by imaging to the image processing device 3 by the communication cable 12.

The marker head 26 is connected to the oscillator in the controller 21 by the optical fiber 28. Further, the marker head 26 is connected to the controller 21 by a control cable 29. Specifically, the marker head 26 is connected to the control board in the controller 21 by the control cable 29. Since the connection mode between the controller 21 and the marker head 26 is the same as the conventional configuration, it will not be described in detail here.

The image processing device 3 functions as a determination device for determining the processing accuracy of the processing pattern formed on the processing object 8. The machining accuracy of the machining pattern indicates whether the machining pattern formed on the machining object 8 is formed to such an extent that information can be read by a reading device, and the machining accuracy of the machining pattern is a predetermined threshold value. If the above conditions are not satisfied, the information cannot be read even if the machining pattern is read by the reading device. The image processing device 3 photographs the processing object 8 with the camera unit 261 and determines the processing accuracy of the processing pattern formed on the processing object 8 by using the image data of the photographed processing object 8. The image processing device 3 scores the processing pattern for each predetermined item (for example, contrast of the processing pattern), and determines the processing accuracy of the processing pattern based on the total score. The image processing device 3 is connected to the laser marker 2 (specifically, the controller 21) by a LAN (for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable 11). The image processing device 3 notifies the laser marker 2 of the determination result. The laser marker 2 (specifically, the control unit 211 of the controller 21) corrects the irradiation conditions of the laser beam W based on the received determination result.

In the laser processing system 1, a camera unit 261 and an image processing device 3 are separately provided as a reading device for reading a processing pattern, but a reading device (for example, a code reader or the like) in which these are integrated is provided. ) May be provided on the marker head 26, or may be provided separately from the marker head 26. Further, in the laser processing system 1, the image processing device 3 is provided separately from the controller 21, but may be integrated with the controller 21. Further, in the laser processing system 1, the controller 21, the marker head 26, the camera unit 261 and the image processing device 3 may be integrated.

<C. Detailed configuration of laser processing system 1>
FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the laser processing system 1 in more detail. With reference to FIG. 2, the laser processing system 1 includes a controller 21, a marker head 26, and an image processing device 3 as described above.

The controller 21 includes a laser oscillator 240, a control board 210, a driver 220, and a driver power supply 230. A display device 6 and an input device 7 can be connected to the controller 21. The display device 6 and the input device 7 are used in a situation where the user changes the setting contents in the controller 21.

(C1. Controller 21)
(1) Laser oscillator 240
The laser oscillator 240 will be described below. The laser oscillator 240 includes an optical fiber 241,

semiconductor lasers

242, 243, 249A to 249D,

isolators

244 and 246,

couplers

245 and 248, and a bandpass filter 247.

The semiconductor laser 242 is a seed light source that emits seed light. The semiconductor laser 242 is driven by the driver 220 to emit a pulsed seed light.

The isolator 244 transmits light in only one direction and blocks light incident in the opposite direction to the light. Specifically, the isolator 244 passes the seed light emitted from the semiconductor laser 242 and blocks the return light from the optical fiber 241. As a result, damage to the semiconductor laser 242 can be prevented.

The semiconductor laser 243 is an excitation light source that emits excitation light for exciting rare earth elements added to the core of the optical fiber 241.

The coupler 245 combines the seed light from the semiconductor laser 242 and the excitation light from the semiconductor laser 243 and causes them to enter the optical fiber 241.

The excitation light incident on the optical fiber 241 from the semiconductor laser 243 via the coupler 245 is absorbed by the rare earth element contained in the core of the optical fiber 241. As a result, rare earth elements are excited and a population inversion state is obtained. In this state, when the seed light from the semiconductor laser 242 enters the core of the optical fiber 241, stimulated emission occurs. Seed light (pulse light) is amplified by this stimulated emission. That is, the seed light is amplified by injecting the seed light and the excitation light into the fiber amplifier configured by the optical fiber 241.

The isolator 246 passes the pulsed light output from the optical fiber 241 and blocks the light returning to the optical fiber 241.

The bandpass filter 247 is configured to pass light in a predetermined wavelength band. Specifically, the “predetermined wavelength band” is a wavelength band including the peak wavelength of the pulsed light output from the optical fiber 241. When the naturally emitted light is emitted from the optical fiber 241, the naturally emitted light is removed by the bandpass filter 247.

The laser light that has passed through the bandpass filter 247 enters the optical fiber 28 provided for transmitting the laser light via the coupler 248. The semiconductor lasers 249A to 249D emit excitation light in order to amplify the laser light that has passed through the bandpass filter 247 in the optical fiber 28. That is, the optical fiber 28 constitutes a fiber amplifier by combining the coupler 248 and the isolator 262 described later in the same manner as the fiber amplifier composed of the coupler 245, the optical fiber 241 and the isolator 246.

The coupler 248 combines the pulsed light that has passed through the bandpass filter 247 with the light from the semiconductor lasers 249A to 249D and causes them to enter the optical fiber 28.

The configuration of the laser oscillator 240 shown in FIG. 2 is an example, and is not limited to this. For example, the laser oscillator 240 may not include a bandpass filter 247 as long as it can obtain laser light in a predetermined wavelength band.

(2) Control board 210
The control board 210 includes a control unit 211, a pulse generation unit 212, a storage unit 213, and a

communication processing unit

214, 215, 216, 217.

The control unit 211 controls the overall operation of the controller 21 by controlling the pulse generation unit 212 and the driver 220. Specifically, the control unit 211 controls the overall operation of the controller 21 by executing the operating system and the application program stored in the storage unit 213.

The pulse generation unit 212 generates an electric signal having a predetermined repetition frequency and a predetermined pulse width. The pulse generation unit 212 outputs an electric signal or stops the output of the electric signal under the control of the control unit 211. The electric signal from the pulse generating unit 212 is supplied to the semiconductor laser 242.

The storage unit 213 stores various data in addition to the operating system and the application program.

The communication processing unit 214 is an interface for communicating with the marker head 26. The control unit 211 transmits a control signal to the marker head 26 via the communication processing unit 214 and the control cable 29.

The communication processing unit 215 is an interface for communicating with the image processing device 3. The control unit 211 transmits various commands to the image processing device 3 via the communication processing unit 215 and the Ethernet cable 11. Further, the control unit 211 receives a response to the above command sent from the image processing device 3 via the Ethernet cable 11 and the communication processing unit 215. For example, when the control unit 211 transmits a command instructing the notification of the determination result to the image processing device 3, the image processing device 3 determines the processing accuracy of the processing pattern and transmits the determination result to the control unit 211.

The communication processing unit 216 receives the input from the input device 7. The input device 7 is various pointing devices (for example, a mouse, a touch pad, etc.), a keyboard, and the like. The communication processing unit 216 notifies the control unit 211 of the received input.

The communication processing unit 217 transmits the image data generated by the control unit 211 to the display device 6. In this case, the display device 6 displays an image (user interface) based on the image data. An example of the user interface displayed on the display device 6 will be described later with reference to FIG.

(3) Driver 220 and driver power supply 230
The driver power supply 230 supplies power to the driver 220. As a result, the driver 220 supplies the drive current to the

semiconductor lasers

242, 243, 249A to 249D. Each of the

semiconductor lasers

242, 243, 249A to 249D oscillates when a driving current is supplied. The drive current supplied to the semiconductor laser 242 is modulated by an electric signal from the pulse generating unit 212. As a result, the semiconductor laser 242 oscillates in pulses and outputs pulsed light having a predetermined repeating frequency and a predetermined pulse width as seed light. On the other hand, a continuous drive current is supplied to each of the

semiconductor lasers

243, 249A to 249D by the driver 220. As a result, each of the

semiconductor lasers

243, 249A to 249D oscillates continuously, and the continuous light is output as the excitation light.

(C2. Marker head 26)
The marker head 26 includes a camera unit 261, an isolator 262, a collimator lens 263, a galvano mirror unit 264 (galvano mirror 264a in the X direction, galvano mirror 264b in the Y direction), and a condenser lens 265. The isolator 262 passes the pulsed light output from the optical fiber 28 and blocks the light returning to the optical fiber 28. The pulsed light that has passed through the isolator 262 is output to the atmosphere from the collimator lens 263 attached to the isolator 262 and is incident on the galvanometer mirror unit 264. The condenser lens 265 collects the laser beam W incident on the galvano mirror unit 264. The galvanometer mirror unit 264 scans the laser beam W in at least one direction of the first axis (specifically, the axis parallel to the arrow in FIG. 1) and the second axial direction orthogonal to the first axis. .. The scanning of the laser beam W may be one-way scanning or reciprocating scanning.

(C3. Image processing device 3)
The image processing device 3 includes a control unit 31, a storage unit 32, and

communication processing units

33 and 34.

The control unit 31 controls the overall operation of the image processing device 3 by executing the operating system and the application program stored in the storage unit 32.

The storage unit 32 stores various data in addition to the operating system and the application program.

The communication processing unit 33 is an interface for communicating with the controller 21. The control unit 31 receives a command sent from the controller 21 via the Ethernet cable 11 and the communication processing unit 33. Further, the control unit 31 transmits a response to the above command to the controller 21 via the communication processing unit 33 and the Ethernet cable 11.

The communication processing unit 34 is an interface for communicating with the camera unit 261 of the marker head 26. The control unit 31 receives the image data sent from the camera unit 261 via the communication cable 12 and the communication processing unit 34.

(C4. Hardware configuration of control board 210 and image processing device 3)
FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing the hardware included in the control board 210. With reference to FIG. 3, the control board 210 includes a processor 110, a memory 120, a communication interface 130, and a pulse generation circuit 140.

The memory 120 includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 121, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 122, and a flash memory 123. The flash memory 123 stores the above-mentioned operating system, application program, and various types of data. The memory 120 corresponds to the storage unit 213 shown in FIG.

The processor 110 controls the overall operation of the controller 21. The control unit 211 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by the processor 110 executing an operating system and an application program stored in the memory 120. When executing the application program, various data stored in the memory 120 are referred to.

The communication interface 130 is for communicating with an external device (for example, an image processing device 3, a marker head 26, a display device 6, and an input device 7). The communication interface 130 corresponds to the communication processing units 214,215,216,217 of FIG.

The pulse generation circuit 140 corresponds to the pulse generation unit 212 in FIG. That is, the pulse generation circuit 140 generates an electric signal having a predetermined repetition frequency and a predetermined pulse width based on a command from the processor 110.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing the hardware included in the image processing device 3. With reference to FIG. 4, the image processing apparatus 3 includes an arithmetic processing circuit 150, a memory 160, and a communication interface 170. The arithmetic processing circuit 150 includes a main processor 151 and an image processing dedicated processor 152.

The memory 160 includes, for example, a ROM 161, a RAM 162, and a flash memory 163. The flash memory 163 stores the above-mentioned operating system, application program, and various types of data. The memory 160 corresponds to the storage unit 32 shown in FIG. The memory 160 may be configured to include an HDD (Hard Disk Drive).

The control unit 31 shown in FIG. 2 is realized by the arithmetic processing circuit 150 executing the operating system and the application program stored in the memory 160. When executing the application program, various data stored in the memory 160 (for example, image data of the processing object 8 sent from the camera unit 261) are referred to.

The main processor 151 controls the overall operation of the image processing device 3. The image processing dedicated processor 152 executes predetermined processing on the image data sent from the camera unit 261 of the marker head 26. In addition, instead of the image processing dedicated processor 152, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) for performing image processing may be provided.

The communication interface 170 is for communicating with an external device (for example, the controller 21, the camera unit 261 of the marker head 26). The communication interface corresponds to the

communication processing units

33 and 34 of FIG.

Note that the hardware configurations shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are examples, and are not limited thereto.

<D. Pre-registration>
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a user interface 700 displayed on the display device 6 by the controller 21. The user interface 700 is realized by the control unit 211 (see FIG. 2) executing the application program stored in the storage unit 213 (see FIG. 2). The input operation by the user in the input device 7 performed on the user interface 700 is accepted by the communication processing unit 216, and the accepted input is notified to the control unit 211.

The control unit 211 can switch the screen mode according to the user's operation. FIG. 5 shows a screen of an edit mode used for creating and editing marking data. When the control unit 211 receives the user operation of clicking the button 703, the control unit 211 switches the screen from the edit mode screen to the operation mode screen used when actually performing marking (processing). The control unit 211 switches the operation mode screen to the edit mode screen by accepting the user operation of clicking the button displayed on the operation mode screen.

When the control unit 211 receives the user operation of clicking the button 702, the control unit 211 displays the test marking screen on the display device 6. As a result, the user can confirm the created and edited marking data on the display device 6.

The control unit 211 accepts the input of the reference position of the object to be machined. The reference position is a position (ideal position) that the user assumes that the object to be machined 8 will be located. The reference position is specified by a coordinate system consisting of an X-axis and a Y-axis.

The control unit 211 accepts input of marking patterns (hereinafter referred to as "machining patterns") such as characters, figures, and symbols to be marked. The processing pattern is a pattern that can be read by a reading device. The processing pattern is drawn by the user using the drawing area 701. Since the above coordinate system is set in the drawing area 701, the control unit 211 specifies the processing pattern input by the user in the coordinate system. That is, the control unit 211 receives the processing pattern drawn (input) on the drawing area 701 by the user as position information.

With the laser / scanning tab 710 selected, the control unit 211 accepts settings for laser beam irradiation conditions, scanning conditions, and various processes.

The setting column 720 is a column for setting the irradiation conditions of the laser beam. The setting field 720 includes a field for inputting the output power of the laser light, the frequency of the laser light, the pulse shape of the laser light, and the processing speed. When a numerical value is input to each of the "power", "frequency", and "machining speed" fields, the control unit 211 sets the input numerical value as the output power of the laser beam, the frequency of the laser beam, and the machining speed. do. Further, when a pattern is selected in the "pulse shape" field, the control unit 211 sets the selected pattern as the pulse shape of the laser beam.

In the laser marker 2 (see FIG. 1), the objects to be processed (mainly aluminum, iron, nickel, titanium, brass, etc.) are processed by changing the irradiation conditions of the laser beam (particularly, “power” and / or “processing speed”). Zinc, etc.) can be processed into different colors. This is because the thermal energy applied per unit area of the object to be processed changes depending on the irradiation conditions of the laser beam. For example, by irradiating laser light under irradiation conditions that increase the thermal energy applied per unit area of the object to be processed, the object to be processed can be processed into the first color (for example, black), and the object to be processed can be processed. By irradiating the laser beam under irradiation conditions such that the thermal energy applied per unit area of the above is small, the object to be processed can be processed into a second color (for example, white). As a method of increasing the thermal energy applied per unit area of the object to be processed, for example, there are a method of increasing the power, a method of decreasing the processing speed, a method of increasing the power and decreasing the processing speed, and the like. As a method of reducing the thermal energy applied per unit area of the object to be processed, for example, there are a method of reducing the power, a method of increasing the processing speed, a method of reducing the power and increasing the processing speed, and the like.

The setting field 730 is a field for setting scanning conditions. The setting field 730 includes a field for inputting the scanning speed. When a numerical value is input in the "moving speed" field, the control unit 211 sets the input numerical value as the scanning speed.

The setting column 741 is a column for setting the cancellation process. The canceling process is a process of making a processing pattern formed on an object to be processed unreadable by a reading device. The canceling process is a process of processing at least a part of the processing pattern into an inverted pattern in which the laser beam irradiation region and the laser light non-irradiation region of the processing pattern are inverted (hereinafter, also referred to as "first processing"). , The process of processing the entire area where the processing pattern is formed into a fill pattern composed of only the irradiation area of the laser beam (hereinafter, also referred to as “second processing”) is included.

The setting column 742 is a column for setting the reworking process. The reprocessing process is a process for reprocessing an object to be processed (hereinafter, also referred to as a “third process”).

Setting column 743 is a column for setting lap processing. The lap processing is to perform the same processing as the initial processing on top of the initial processing (hereinafter, also referred to as "fourth processing").

When the control unit 211 accepts a user operation for clicking the check boxes provided in the setting fields 741 to 743, the control unit 211 enables the processing corresponding to the clicked item.

The user interface 700 includes a button 750 for saving the input content (setting content) as a default value, and a button 760 for returning the input content (setting content) to the default value.

The control unit 211 can also write the contents set by using the user interface 700 to an external memory or transmit it to an external device, for example, in a file format. According to this, these setting contents can be transferred to a laser marker (not shown) other than the laser marker 2.

<E. Cancellation / reworking>
With reference to FIGS. 6 to 9, the canceling / reworking process by the laser marker 2 (see FIG. 1), particularly the control unit 211 (see FIG. 2) will be described. The canceling / reworking process is a general term for the canceling process and the reworking process. The canceling / reprocessing process is performed when the initial processing fails and the processing is reprocessed. 6 to 9 will be described on the assumption that the machining accuracy does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value in the initial machining, and therefore the machining object is reworked to the same as the initial machining object.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a first example of the cancellation / reworking process. In the first example, the control unit 211 (see FIG. 2) executes a first process as a canceling process on the machined object 8 that has failed to be machined, and then executes a rework process (third process).

As shown in "Initial processing" in the figure, the first processing area P of the processing object 8 is processed into the processing pattern X under the irradiation condition A. The initial processing may be performed by the laser marker 2 or by another laser marker. The irradiation condition A is an irradiation condition of the laser beam input by the user on the user interface 700 and received by the control unit 211. The object to be processed 8 changes to various colors (for example, black, white, gray, etc.) depending on the irradiation conditions of the laser beam. In FIG. 6, the irradiation condition A is an irradiation condition such that the irradiation region of the laser beam is processed into black. The machining pattern X is a machining pattern input by the user on the user interface 700 and received by the control unit 211.

When the control unit 211 receives an instruction to process the entire surface of the first processing area P into the inversion pattern Y1 (when "inversion" and "entire surface" are selected on the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 5), the control unit 211 receives. Under the irradiation condition A, all of the first processed region P is processed into an inverted pattern Y1 in which the irradiated region of the laser beam of the processed pattern X and the non-irradiated region of the laser beam are inverted (first process). As a result, although some traces of the initial processing (dotted line portion shown in "after the first processing" in the figure) remain, all of the first processing area P is processed in black (after the first processing in the figure). The processing pattern X formed in the first processing region P becomes unreadable by the reading device.

When the control unit 211 receives an instruction to process the second processing area Q into the processing pattern X (when "reprocessing" and "other position" are selected on the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 5), the control unit 211 receives the instruction to process the second processing area Q into the processing pattern X. The second processing region Q is processed into the processing pattern X under the corrected irradiation condition B (third processing). The second processing area Q is an area on the processing object 8 and is different from the first processing area P. As a result, the object to be processed 8 is processed into the processing pattern X under the corrected irradiation condition B (see “after the third processing” in the figure). The corrected irradiation condition B is set by the control unit 211. The control unit 211 sets the irradiation conditions based on the determination result for the initial processing (determination result for the processing accuracy of the processing pattern X formed in the first processing area P by the initial processing) sent from the image processing device 3. It is calculated and set as the corrected irradiation condition B. Even if the processing accuracy does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value in the initial processing, the irradiation condition is corrected in the third processing, so that the processing accuracy is improved. The user may set the corrected irradiation condition B on the user interface 700.

As shown in FIG. 6, even if the machining object 8 that has failed in machining is reworked, the machining pattern X formed by the initial machining is in an unreadable state by the reading device, so that the reading device can read the pattern X. There is no risk of misreading. Therefore, even if it is necessary to reprocess because the processing accuracy does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value, it is possible to reprocess the object 8 to be processed as the original. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of objects to be processed 8 that are discarded due to processing failure.

Note that the control unit 211 may perform processing in the order of the first processing and the third processing, or may perform the processing in the order of the third processing and the first processing.

Further, the cancellation / reprocessing process shown in FIG. 6 can be applied even when the object to be processed 8 is processed into an erroneous processing pattern. In such a case, the control unit 211 makes the erroneous processing pattern unreadable by the reader by the first processing, and in the third processing, the second processing region Q is set to the correct processing pattern under the correct irradiation conditions. To process. The correct irradiation conditions and the correct processing pattern are set by the user on the user interface 700. As a result, even if it is necessary to reprocess because the processing pattern is incorrect, it is possible to reprocess the object 8 to be processed as the original. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of objects to be processed 8 that are discarded due to processing failure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a second example of the cancellation / reworking process. In the first example, only the first process is performed as the cancellation process, but in the second example, the second process is performed in addition to the first process as the cancellation process. Hereinafter, the points different from the first example will be described.

When the control unit 211 (see FIG. 2) receives an instruction to fill under the same irradiation conditions as the initial one (when "filling" and "do not change the irradiation conditions" are selected on the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 5). Is processed into a fill pattern Z1 composed of only the irradiation region of the laser beam under the same irradiation conditions as the initial one, that is, the irradiation condition A, after the first treatment (second treatment). As a result, the trace of the initial processing (dotted line portion shown in "after the first processing" in the figure) that was visible after the first processing becomes invisible (see "after the second processing" in the figure). ), The aesthetic appearance of the object to be processed 8 is improved.

Note that the control unit 211 may perform processing in the order of the first processing, the second processing, and the third processing, or may perform the processing in the order of the third processing, the first processing, and the second processing.

Further, as the cancellation process, only the second process may be performed. As described above, the second process is a process of processing the first processing area P into a fill pattern Z1 composed of only the irradiation area of the laser beam under the same irradiation conditions as the initial process. The pattern X can be made unreadable by the reader. Depending on the material of the object to be processed 8, the color of the object to be processed 8 may not change easily even if the irradiation conditions of the laser beam (particularly, “power” and / or “processing speed”) are changed. In such a case, the processing pattern X may be made unreadable by the reader by executing the second process.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a third example of the cancellation / reworking process. In the second example, the irradiation conditions in the second treatment were the same as the initial irradiation conditions, but in the third example, the irradiation conditions in the second treatment are different from the initial irradiation conditions. Further, in the second example, the processing region in the third treatment was a region different from the initial region, but in the third example, the processing region in the third treatment may be the same region as the initial region, and is different from the initial region. It may be in different areas. Hereinafter, the points different from the second example will be described.

When the control unit 211 (see FIG. 2) receives an instruction to fill with irradiation conditions different from the initial one (when "filling" and "changing irradiation conditions" are selected on the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 5). After the first treatment, the first processing region P is processed into a fill pattern Z2 composed of only the irradiation region of the laser beam under irradiation conditions (irradiation condition C) different from the initial treatment (second treatment). Here, it is assumed that the irradiation condition C is an irradiation condition such that the irradiation region of the laser beam is processed into a color (for example, white) close to that of the object to be processed 8 before processing. As a result, the entire first processing region P is processed white, and the trace of the initial processing (dotted line portion shown in "after the first processing" in the figure) that was visible after the first processing becomes invisible. (Refer to "after the second treatment" in the figure). As a result, the aesthetic appearance of the object to be processed 8 is improved. Further, since the first processing region P is processed to have a color close to that of the object to be processed 8 before processing, the processing region in the third processing can be set as the first processing region P.

When the control unit 211 receives an instruction to process the first processing area P into the processing pattern X (when "reprocessing" and "initial position" are selected on the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 5), the control unit 211 receives the instruction to process the first processing area P into the processing pattern X. The first processing region P is processed into the processing pattern X under the corrected irradiation condition B (third processing). When the control unit 211 receives an instruction to process the second processing area Q into the processing pattern X (when "reprocessing" and "other position" are selected on the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 5), the control unit 211 receives the instruction to process the second processing area Q into the processing pattern X. The second processing region Q is processed into the processing pattern X under the corrected irradiation condition B (third processing).

Regardless of whether the processing area in the third processing is the first processing area P or the second processing area Q, the processing object 8 is processed into the processing pattern X under the corrected irradiation condition B (“No. 1” in the figure). 3 After processing ”). The corrected irradiation condition B may be set by the control unit 211 or may be set by the user as described in FIG.

When the first processing area P is set as the processing area in the third processing, the control unit 211 performs the processing in the order of the first processing, the second processing, and the third processing. On the other hand, when the second processing area Q is set as the processing area in the third processing, the control unit 211 may perform the processing in the order of the first processing, the second processing, and the third processing. Then, the processing may be performed in the order of the third processing, the first processing, and the second processing.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another example of the first process. In the first processing shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the entire surface of the first processing region P was processed into an inverted pattern. However, as shown in FIG. 9, only a part R of the first processed region P may be processed into an inverted pattern. However, the area R is required to include a pattern portion that is a key when reading with a reading device.

When the control unit 211 receives an instruction to process a part of the first processing area P into the inversion pattern Y2 (when "inversion" and "part" are selected on the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 5). Is processed under the irradiation condition A into an inversion pattern Y2 in which a part R of the first processing region P is inverted between the irradiation region of the laser light of the processing pattern X and the non-irradiation region of the laser light (first). process). As a result, a part of the region R of the first processing region P is processed black (see "after the first processing" in the figure). Since the area R includes a pattern portion that is a key for reading by the reading device, the processing pattern X formed in the first processing area P becomes unreadable by the reading device.

The method of processing only a part of the region R of the first processing region P into the inversion pattern Y2 can be applied to the above-mentioned first to third examples.

<F. Lap processing ＞
FIG. 10 is a diagram showing lap processing. Lap processing is to perform the same processing as the initial processing on top of the initial processing.

When the control unit 211 (see FIG. 2) receives an instruction for lap processing (when "layer processing" is selected on the user interface 700 shown in FIG. 5), the irradiation conditions are the same as those of the initial processing, that is, Under the irradiation condition A, the first processing region P is processed into the processing pattern X. As a result, the first processing region P of the object to be processed 8 is processed again into the processing pattern X under the irradiation condition A (see “after layering” in the figure). As a result, the machining accuracy of the machining pattern X may be improved.

Even if the control unit 211 does not receive the lap processing instruction, if the processing accuracy of the processing pattern X formed by the initial processing does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 211 executes the lap processing. It may be. Further, the control unit 211 may correct the irradiation conditions based on the processing accuracy of the processing pattern X formed by the initial processing during the overlapping processing.

Further, when the control unit 211 receives the instruction of the canceling / reworking process and the machining accuracy of the machining pattern X formed by the initial machining does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value, the control unit 211 cancels / cancels / reworking. Overlapping may be performed before the reworking. In such a case, when the machining accuracy of the machining pattern X satisfies a predetermined threshold value due to the overlapping machining, the control unit 211 cancels the set cancellation / reworking process setting. Even in the lap processing, if the processing accuracy of the processing pattern X does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value, the set cancellation / reprocessing process is executed.

<G. Summary ＞
The laser processing system 1 in the present embodiment has been described above. In the laser processing system 1 of the present embodiment, when the processing object 8 that has failed to be processed is reprocessed, the processing pattern formed on the processing object 8 by the initial processing cannot be read by the reading device. Process into a state. As a result, since there is no possibility that the reading device reads the failed processing pattern, the processing pattern can be reprocessed on the same processing object 8 as the original. As a result, it is possible to reduce the number of objects to be processed 8 that are discarded due to processing failure.

Further, the laser marker 2 in the present embodiment may be able to improve the processing accuracy by performing laminating processing when the processing accuracy does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value. When the machining accuracy satisfies a predetermined threshold value due to the lap machining, the canceling / reworking process becomes unnecessary, so that the work efficiency is improved. Further, even in the lap processing, if the processing accuracy does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value, the processing target 8 that is discarded due to the processing failure can be reduced by the canceling / reprocessing process.

In the present embodiment, the laser processing system 1 is provided with the image processing device 3, but the image processing device 3 may not be provided. When the laser processing system 1 does not include the image processing device 3, the processing accuracy is visually determined. Further, when a reading device (for example, a code reader) in which the camera unit 261 and the image processing device 3 are integrated is provided separately from the laser marker 2, the reading device is read in a post-process of laser processing by the laser marker 2. The device reads the machining pattern and determines the machining accuracy. When the result read by the reading device is unreadable or the quality evaluation value is determined to be low, the laser marker 2 sends the product (processed object 8) to the laser processing process again, and described above. Perform cancellation / reprocessing (re-do laser processing).

<H. Addendum>
The above-described embodiment includes the following technical ideas.

[Structure 1]
An irradiation unit (240) that irradiates the object to be processed (8) with a laser beam (W),
The processing pattern of the object to be processed (8) and the reception unit (216) that receives the irradiation conditions of the laser beam (W), and
A control unit (211) that controls irradiation of the laser beam (W) based on the processing pattern received by the reception unit (216) and the irradiation conditions is provided.
After the processing target object (8) is processed into the processing pattern under the irradiation conditions, the control unit (211) covers at least a part of the first processing region (P) of the processing target object (8). A laser processing apparatus that performs a first process of processing an irradiation region of the laser beam (W) and a non-irradiation region of the laser light (W) of the processing pattern into an inverted pattern.

[Structure 2]
The laser processing apparatus according to configuration 1, wherein the control unit (211) has the same irradiation conditions for processing the inversion pattern and the irradiation conditions for processing the processing pattern.

[Structure 3]
The control unit (211) executes a second process after the first process,
The laser processing apparatus according to

configuration

1 or 2, wherein the second processing processes the entire first processing region (P) into a fill pattern composed of only the irradiation region of the laser beam (W).

[Structure 4]
The control unit (211) executes a third process after the first process,
The laser processing apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 3, wherein the third processing processes the first processing region (P) into the processing pattern.

[Structure 5]
A determination unit (3) for determining the processing accuracy of the processing pattern is further provided.
The control unit (211) corrects the irradiation condition based on the result of the determination by the determination unit (3).
The laser processing apparatus according to configuration 4, wherein the third processing processes the first processing region (P) into the processing pattern under the corrected irradiation conditions.

[Structure 6]
The processing target (8) includes the first processing region (P) and a second processing region (Q) different from the first processing region (P).
The control unit (211) executes a third process after the first process,
The laser processing apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 3, wherein the third processing processes the second processing region into the processing pattern.

[Structure 7]
A determination unit (3) for determining the processing accuracy of the processing pattern is further provided.
The control unit (211) corrects the irradiation condition based on the result of the determination by the determination unit (3).
The laser processing apparatus according to configuration 6, wherein the third processing processes the second processing region (Q) into the processing pattern under the corrected irradiation conditions.

[Structure 8]
The control unit (211)
When the machining accuracy of the machining pattern does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value, the fourth process of re-machining the first machining region into the machining pattern is executed before the first process is executed.
The laser processing apparatus according to any one of Configurations 1 to 7, which executes the first processing when the processing accuracy of the processing pattern by the fourth processing does not satisfy a predetermined threshold value.

[Structure 9]
The laser processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, wherein the laser processing apparatus (2) is used for processing the processing object (8) into the processing pattern that can be read by a reading device. ..

[Structure 10]
An irradiation unit (240) that irradiates the object to be processed (8) with a laser beam (W), a processing pattern of the object to be processed (8), and a reception unit (216) that receives irradiation conditions of the laser beam (W). ), The processing pattern received by the reception unit (216), and the control unit (211) for controlling the irradiation of the laser beam (W) based on the irradiation conditions. How to do
The control unit (211) sets at least a part of the processing region of the processing target object (8) to the processing target object (8) processed into the processing pattern under the irradiation conditions. A control method for a laser processing apparatus, which performs a process of processing an irradiation region of the laser beam (W) and a non-irradiation region of the laser beam (W) into an inverted pattern.

The embodiments disclosed this time should be considered to be exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is shown by the claims rather than the above description, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

1 laser processing system, 2 laser markers, 3 image processing devices, 6 display devices, 7 input devices, 8 processing objects, 9 members, 11 cables, 12 communication cables, 21 controllers, 26 marker heads, 28, 241 optical fibers, 29 Control cable, 31,211 control unit, 32,213 storage unit, 33,34,214,215,216,217 communication processing unit, 110 processor, 120,160 memory, 121,161 ROM, 122,162 RAM, 123, 163 Flash memory, 130, 170 communication interface, 140 pulse generation circuit, 150 arithmetic processing circuit, 151 main processor, 152 image processing dedicated processor, 210 control board, 212 pulse generator, 220 driver, 230 driver power supply, 240 laser oscillator , 242,243,249A, 249B, 249C, 249D semiconductor laser, 244,246,262 isolator, 245,248 coupler, 247 bandpass filter, 261 camera unit, 263 collimator lens, 264 galvano mirror part, 264a, 264b galvano Mirror, 265 condenser lens, 700 user interface, 701 drawing area, 702,703,750,760 buttons, 710 laser / scanning tab, 720,730,741,742,743 setting fields, A, B, C irradiation conditions, P 1st processing area, Q 2nd processing area, R area, W laser beam, X processing pattern, Y1, Y2 inversion pattern, Z1, Z2 fill pattern.

Claims

An irradiation part that irradiates the object to be processed with laser light,
The processing pattern of the object to be processed, the reception unit that receives the irradiation conditions of the laser beam, and the reception unit.
A control unit that controls irradiation of the laser beam based on the processing pattern received by the reception unit and the irradiation conditions is provided.
After processing the processing object into the processing pattern under the irradiation conditions, the control unit may apply at least a part of the first processing region of the processing object to the laser beam irradiation region of the processing pattern and the laser. A laser processing apparatus that performs the first processing of processing into an inverted pattern in which the non-irradiated region of light is inverted.
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit makes the irradiation conditions for processing the inversion pattern the same as the irradiation conditions for processing the processing pattern.
The control unit executes a second process after the first process,
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second processing processes the entire first processing region into a fill pattern composed of only the irradiation region of the laser beam.
The control unit executes a third process after the first process,
The laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the third processing processes the first processing region into the processing pattern.
Further provided with a determination unit for determining the processing accuracy of the processing pattern,
The control unit corrects the irradiation condition based on the result of the determination by the determination unit.
The laser processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the third processing processes the first processing region into the processing pattern under the corrected irradiation conditions.
The processed object includes the first processed region and a second processed region different from the first processed region.
The control unit executes a third process after the first process,
The laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the third processing processes the second processing region into the processing pattern.
The laser processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the laser processing device is used for processing the processing object into the processing pattern that can be read by a reading device.
An irradiation unit that irradiates the object to be processed with laser light, a processing pattern of the object to be processed, a reception unit that receives irradiation conditions of the laser light, the processing pattern received by the reception unit, and the irradiation conditions. A method of controlling a laser processing apparatus including a control unit for controlling irradiation of the laser beam based on the above.
The control unit applies at least a part of the processing region of the processing target to the processing target processed into the processing pattern under the irradiation conditions, the irradiation region of the laser beam of the processing pattern and the laser. A control method for a laser processing device that performs processing to process an inverted pattern in which the non-irradiated region of light is inverted.