JP7316210B2 - Laser processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The technology disclosed herein relates to a laser processing apparatus, such as a laser marking apparatus, that performs processing by irradiating a laser beam onto a workpiece.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a laser processing apparatus equipped with an imaging unit such as a camera is known.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a laser processing apparatus (laser marking device) is disclosed.

The imaging means according to Patent Document 1 is configured such that its imaging optical axis is coaxial with the laser beam for processing. Specifically, the laser processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes optical path branching means for branching the optical path between the laser light source and the scanning means. The optical axis directed to the scanning means through is aligned with the optical axis of the laser beam.

Patent Document 2 discloses a laser processing apparatus including a laser head that emits laser light for processing a workpiece (work) and an observation optical system that captures an image of a processed surface of the workpiece. ing.

The laser head according to Patent Document 2 accommodates a scanning means for scanning a laser beam on the processing surface, and the observation optical system according to the same document is located between the scanning means and the processing surface in the height direction. is provided in Specifically, the observation optical system disclosed in Patent Document 2 is arranged outside the laser head and attached to the bottom surface of the laser head from below. This observation optical system is non-coaxial with respect to the optical axis of the laser beam, and captures an image of the processing surface from obliquely above.

JP-A-2004-148379 JP 2015-44212 A

By the way, as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2, by using imaging means coaxial or non-coaxial with the laser beam for processing, on the image acquired by each imaging means , the machining patterns to be formed on the surface of the workpiece can be superimposed and displayed.

In this case, by superimposing the processing pattern on the image, the position and size of the processing pattern can be confirmed at the time of setting before processing.

However, for example, when forming a processing pattern on a workpiece having a predetermined height, the position and size of the processing pattern displayed at the time of setting before processing may differ from the actual size due to the spread of the angle of view of the imaging means. There is a possibility that there will be a deviation between the position and size of the pattern to be machined. Such a deviation is inconvenient for maintaining high machining accuracy.

The technology disclosed herein has been made in view of this point, and its purpose is to reduce the deviation between the display mode of the machining pattern at the time of setting and the machining pattern to be actually machined, As a result, it is to keep the machining accuracy high.

A first aspect of the present disclosure includes an excitation light generation unit that generates excitation light, a laser light output that generates laser light based on the excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit, and emits the laser light and a laser beam scanning unit that irradiates a workpiece with the laser beam emitted from the laser beam output unit and performs two-dimensional scanning within a processing area set on the surface of the workpiece. and a laser processing apparatus for forming a predetermined processing pattern in the processing area by controlling the laser beam scanning unit.

According to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the laser processing apparatus includes an imaging unit configured to generate a captured image including at least part of the processing region by capturing an image of the workpiece; a display unit for superimposing and displaying the captured image on the associated setting surface; and a processing block setting unit for setting a processing block indicating the position of the processing pattern on the setting surface so as to be superimposed on the captured image. a distance measuring light emitting unit for emitting distance measuring light for measuring the distance from the laser processing device to the surface of the workpiece toward the laser beam scanning unit; and from the distance measuring light emitting unit a scanning control unit that controls the laser beam scanning unit so that the emitted distance measuring light is irradiated to an arbitrary point within the processing area associated with the processing block; A distance measuring light receiving unit that receives the distance measuring light returned via the laser beam scanning unit, and based on the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving unit, the laser beam processing device outputs the laser beam to the laser processing apparatus by a triangular distance measuring method. a distance measuring unit that measures a distance to an arbitrary point; and at least one of relative position and size of the processing block with respect to the captured image on the display unit based on the measurement result of the distance measuring unit. and a correspondence correction unit that corrects the correspondence consisting of:

In general, the size of the captured image will change according to the distance to the surface of the workpiece.

For example, when the distance to the surface of the object to be processed is long, the field of view of the imaging unit becomes wider than when the distance is short. In this case, the size of the imaging field of view expands according to the size of the angle of view as the distance to the surface of the workpiece increases.

Therefore, as the imaging field of view widens, the object to be processed that enters inside the angle of view is relatively reduced. A captured image generated by capturing an image of such a workpiece is relatively zoomed down around the center of the captured image.

In addition, as the size of the workpiece reflected in the field of view changes, the position of the arbitrary point set on the workpiece also changes. In this case, the workpiece, and thus the arbitrary point set on the captured image, apparently approaches the center of the captured image as the workpiece is relatively zoomed down.

On the other hand, the coordinate system defined on the setting plane is a coordinate system defined regardless of the distance to the surface of the workpiece, and is generally constant regardless of the distance. Therefore, the size and position of the machining block placed on the setting plane are constant regardless of the distance to the surface of the workpiece.

However, while the size and position of the setting block are constant according to the distance to the surface of the workpiece, if the size and position of the captured image change, the user cannot process the captured image while viewing the captured image. When the blocks are set, there is a possibility that the position and size of the machining pattern displayed on the display unit and the position and size of the machining pattern that is actually formed are inconsistent.

Therefore, according to the first aspect of the present disclosure, the correspondence correcting unit provides a correspondence consisting of at least one of the relative position and size of the processing block with respect to the captured image based on the measurement result by the distance measuring unit. Relationships can be corrected.

By correcting such a correspondence relationship, when forming a machining pattern on a workpiece having a predetermined height, that is, even when the distance to the surface of the workpiece is not necessarily constant, the display unit It is possible to reduce the deviation between the display mode of the machining pattern above and the actually formed machining pattern, and thus to maintain high machining accuracy.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the laser beam scanning unit performs the processing based on position information with reference to a processing reference plane set at a predetermined distance from the laser beam scanning unit. A laser beam is scanned along a plane parallel to the reference plane, and the correspondence correction unit determines the size relationship between the distance to the arbitrary point measured by the distance measurement unit and the distance to the machining reference plane. , the correspondence relationship may be corrected.

According to this configuration, the correspondence correction unit corrects the correspondence according to the magnitude relationship between the distance to the arbitrary point and the distance to the machining reference plane. This configuration is effective in correcting the correspondence relationship more appropriately, and by extension, in maintaining high machining accuracy.

Further, according to the third aspect of the present disclosure, when the distance to the arbitrary point is longer than the distance to the processing reference plane, the correspondence correction unit displays the processing block on the display unit. and the central portion of the setting plane are close to each other, and the machining block is relatively small, and the distance to the arbitrary point is larger than the distance to the machining reference plane. If it is short, the correspondence relationship may be corrected so that the processing block and the central portion of the setting surface are separated from each other on the display unit and the processing block becomes relatively large.

According to this configuration, the correspondence correcting section corrects the correspondence using the aforementioned widening of the angle of view. This configuration is effective in correcting the correspondence relationship more appropriately, and by extension, in maintaining high machining accuracy.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the correspondence correction unit corrects the correspondence by performing at least one of moving and resizing the processing block on the display unit. , may be

According to this configuration, the correspondence correcting section corrects the correspondence by executing movement of the processing block or the like. By configuring in this way, even when a plurality of machining blocks are set on the setting surface, it is possible to correct the correspondence relationship for each machining block. This is effective in correcting the correspondence more appropriately, and by extension, in maintaining high machining accuracy.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the present disclosure, the correspondence correction unit corrects the correspondence by performing at least one of moving and resizing the captured image on the display unit. , may be

According to this configuration, the correspondence correction unit corrects the correspondence by moving the captured image. This configuration is effective in correcting the correspondence relationship more appropriately, and by extension, in maintaining high machining accuracy.

As described above, according to the laser processing apparatus, it is possible to reduce the deviation between the display mode of the processing pattern at the time of setting and the processing pattern to be actually processed, thereby maintaining high processing accuracy.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a laser processing system. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the laser processing apparatus. FIG. 3A is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a marker head; FIG. 3B is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the marker head; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the marker head. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a laser beam scanning unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the configurations of the laser light guide section, the laser light scanning section, and the distance measuring unit. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an optical path connecting a laser beam guiding section, a laser beam scanning section, and a distance measuring unit. FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an optical path connecting a laser beam guide section, a laser beam scanning section, and a distance measuring unit. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the triangulation method. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing how to use the laser processing system. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for creating print settings, search settings, and distance measurement settings. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the machining area and the setting surface. 13A and 13B are diagrams exemplifying display contents on the display unit. FIG. FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating an operating procedure of the laser processing apparatus. FIG. 15A is a diagram showing the display size of a captured image in the camera coordinate system. FIG. 15B is a diagram showing the display size of the captured image in the print coordinate system. FIG. 15C is a diagram showing a comparison of the display size of the captured image between the camera coordinate system and the print coordinate system. FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the field angle correction process. FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing a specific example of the angle-of-view correction process. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a calculation procedure in the field angle correction process. 19A and 19B are diagrams illustrating display contents after the field angle correction processing is performed. FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a work having multiple print blocks. FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining keystone correction. FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining another example of the angle-of-view correction process. FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing another example of the angle-of-view correction process.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described based on the drawings. Note that the following description is an example.

That is, in this specification, a laser marker will be described as an example of a laser processing apparatus, but the technology disclosed herein can be applied to general laser application equipment regardless of the names of laser processing apparatus and laser marker.

In this specification, printing processing will be described as a representative example of processing, but the present invention is not limited to printing processing, and can be used in any processing processing using laser light, such as image marking.

<Overall composition>
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a laser processing system S, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser processing device L in the laser processing system S. As shown in FIG. A laser processing system S illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a laser processing device L, an operation terminal 800 and an external device 900 connected thereto.

1 and 2 irradiates a laser beam emitted from the marker head 1 onto a workpiece W as an object to be processed, and three-dimensionally scans the surface of the workpiece W. Processing is performed by The term "three-dimensional scanning" as used herein refers to a two-dimensional operation (so-called "two-dimensional scanning") of scanning the irradiation position of the laser beam on the surface of the workpiece W, and adjusting the focal position of the laser beam. It refers to the general concept of a combination of one-dimensional motion and

In particular, the laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment can emit a laser beam having a wavelength of around 1064 nm as a laser beam for processing the workpiece W. This wavelength corresponds to the near infrared (Near-InfraRed: NIR) wavelength range. Therefore, in the following description, the laser beam for processing the workpiece W may be referred to as "near-infrared laser beam" to distinguish it from other laser beams. Of course, laser light having other wavelengths may be used for processing the workpiece W.

Further, the laser processing apparatus L according to the present embodiment measures the distance to the workpiece W (the height of the workpiece W) via the distance measuring unit 5 incorporated in the marker head 1, and uses the measurement result. can be used to adjust the focal position of the near-infrared laser beam.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the laser processing apparatus L includes a marker head 1 for emitting laser light and a marker controller 100 for controlling the marker head 1 .

The marker head 1 and the marker controller 100 are separated in this embodiment, electrically connected via electrical wiring, and optically coupled via an optical fiber cable.

More generally, one of the marker head 1 and the marker controller 100 can be integrated into the other. In this case, the optical fiber cable or the like can be omitted as appropriate.

The operation terminal 800 has, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) and memory, and is connected to the marker controller 100 . This operation terminal 800 functions as a terminal for setting various processing conditions (also referred to as printing conditions) such as print settings, and for displaying information related to laser processing to the user. This operation terminal 800 includes a display unit 801 for displaying information to the user, an operation unit 802 for receiving operation input by the user, and a storage device 803 for storing various information.

Specifically, the display unit 801 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL panel. The display unit 801 displays the operation status of the laser processing apparatus L, processing conditions, and the like as information related to laser processing. On the other hand, the operation unit 802 is composed of, for example, a keyboard and/or pointing device. Here, the pointing device includes a mouse and/or a joystick. The operation unit 802 is configured to receive an operation input by the user, and is used to operate the marker head 1 via the marker controller 100 .

The operation terminal 800 configured as described above can set processing conditions in laser processing based on user's operation input. The processing conditions include, for example, a character string to be printed on the workpiece W, the content of graphics such as bar codes and QR codes (registered trademark) (marking pattern), and the desired output of the laser beam (target output). , the scanning speed (scan speed) of the laser beam on the workpiece W, and one or more of the above.

The processing conditions according to the present embodiment also include the conditions and parameters related to the distance measurement unit 5 (hereinafter also referred to as "distance measurement conditions"). Such distance measurement conditions include, for example, data that associates a signal indicating the detection result by the distance measurement unit 5 with the distance to the surface of the workpiece W, and the like.

The processing conditions set by the operating terminal 800 are output to the marker controller 100 and stored in the condition setting storage section 102 thereof. If necessary, the storage device 803 in the operation terminal 800 may store the processing conditions.

Note that the operation terminal 800 can be integrated into the marker controller 100, for example. In this case, the term "control unit" is used instead of "operation terminal", but at least in the present embodiment, the operation terminal 800 and the marker controller 100 are separated from each other.

The external device 900 is connected to the marker controller 100 of the laser processing apparatus L as required. In the example shown in FIG. 1, an image recognition device 901 and a programmable logic controller (PLC) 902 are provided as the external device 900 .

Specifically, the image recognition device 901 determines the type and position of the work W conveyed on the manufacturing line, for example. For example, an image sensor can be used as the image recognition device 901 . PLC 902 is used to control laser processing system S according to a predetermined sequence.

In addition to the devices and devices described above, the laser processing device L can also be connected to a device for operation and control, a computer for performing various other processes, a storage device, peripheral devices, and the like. The connections in this case may be serial connections such as IEEE1394, RS-232, RS-422 and USB, or parallel connections. Alternatively, electrical, magnetic, or optical connections can be employed through networks such as 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, and the like. In addition to the wired connection, a wireless LAN such as IEEE802, or a wireless connection using radio waves such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), infrared rays, optical communication, or the like may be used. Furthermore, various memory cards, magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, semiconductor memories, hard disks, etc., can be used as storage media used in storage devices for exchanging data and storing various settings.

The hardware configurations of the marker controller 100 and the marker head 1 and the configuration of the marker head 1 controlled by the marker controller 100 will be sequentially described below.

<Marker controller 100>
As shown in FIG. 2, the marker controller 100 includes a condition setting storage unit 102 for storing the processing conditions described above, a control unit 101 for controlling the marker head 1 based on the processing conditions stored therein, a laser excitation and an excitation light generator 110 that generates light (excitation light).

(Condition setting storage unit 102)
The condition setting storage unit 102 is configured to store processing conditions set via the operation terminal 800 and to output the stored processing conditions to the control unit 101 as necessary.

Specifically, the condition setting storage unit 102 is configured using a volatile memory, a nonvolatile memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (Solid State Drive: SSD), or the like. can be stored temporarily or continuously. Note that when the operation terminal 800 is incorporated in the marker controller 100, the storage device 803 can be configured to also serve as the condition setting storage section 102. FIG.

(control unit 101)
Based on the processing conditions stored in the condition setting storage unit 102, the control unit 101 controls at least the excitation light generation unit 110 in the marker controller 100, the laser light output unit 2 in the marker head 1, the laser light guide unit 3, By controlling the laser beam scanning unit 4, the distance measuring unit 5, the coaxial camera 6, and the wide area camera (non-coaxial camera) 7, the work W is printed and processed.

Specifically, the control unit 101 has a CPU, a memory, and an input/output bus, and receives signals indicating information input via the operation terminal 800 and processing conditions read from the condition setting storage unit 102. A control signal is generated based on the indicated signal. The control unit 101 outputs the control signal thus generated to each unit of the laser processing apparatus L, thereby controlling the printing processing on the work W and the measurement of the distance to the work W. FIG.

For example, when starting to process the workpiece W, the control unit 101 reads the target output stored in the condition setting storage unit 102 and outputs a control signal generated based on the target output to the excitation light source driving unit 112. , controls the generation of the laser excitation light.

When the work W is actually processed, the control unit 101 reads, for example, a processing pattern (marking pattern) stored in the condition setting storage unit 102, and outputs a control signal generated based on the processing pattern to the laser. It is output to the optical scanning unit 4 and two-dimensionally scanned with near-infrared laser light.

In this manner, the control unit 101 can control the laser beam scanning unit 4 so as to realize two-dimensional scanning of the near-infrared laser beam. The control unit 101 is an example of the “scanning control unit” in this embodiment.

(Excitation light generator 110)
The excitation light generation unit 110 is optically coupled to the excitation light source 111 that generates laser light according to the drive current, the excitation light source drive unit 112 that supplies the drive current to the excitation light source 111 , and the excitation light source 111 . and an excitation light condensing unit 113 . The excitation light source 111 and the excitation light collector 113 are fixed in an excitation casing (not shown). Although details are omitted, the excitation casing is made of a metal such as copper having excellent thermal conductivity, and can efficiently dissipate heat from the excitation light source 111 .

Each part of the excitation light generator 110 will be described in order below.

The excitation light source drive section 112 supplies drive current to the excitation light source 111 based on the control signal output from the control section 101 . Although details are omitted, the excitation light source driving section 112 determines the drive current based on the target output determined by the control section 101 and supplies the determined drive current to the excitation light source 111 .

The excitation light source 111 is supplied with a driving current from the excitation light source driving section 112 and oscillates laser light according to the driving current. For example, the excitation light source 111 is composed of a laser diode (LD) or the like, and an LD array or LD bar in which a plurality of LD elements are arranged in a straight line can be used. When an LD array or an LD bar is used as the excitation light source 111 , laser light emitted from each element is linearly output and enters the excitation light collecting section 113 .

The excitation light collector 113 collects the laser light output from the excitation light source 111 and outputs it as laser excitation light (excitation light). For example, the excitation light condensing unit 113 is configured by a focusing lens or the like, and has an incident surface on which laser light is incident and an emission surface from which the laser excitation light is output. The excitation light condensing section 113 is optically coupled to the marker head 1 via the aforementioned optical fiber cable. Therefore, the laser excitation light output from the excitation light focusing section 113 is guided to the marker head 1 via the optical fiber cable.

The excitation light generator 110 can be an LD unit or an LD module in which the excitation light source driver 112, the excitation light source 111 and the excitation light collector 113 are incorporated in advance. In addition, the excitation light emitted from the excitation light generator 110 (specifically, the laser excitation light emitted from the excitation light collector 113) can be unpolarized. There is no need to consider this, which is advantageous in terms of design. In particular, regarding the configuration around the excitation light source 111, the LD unit itself, which bundles and outputs the light obtained from each LD array in which several tens of LD elements are arranged, with an optical fiber, has a mechanism for making the output light unpolarized. It is preferable to have

(other components)
The marker controller 100 also has a distance measuring section 103 that measures the distance to the work W via the distance measuring unit 5 . The distance measurement unit 103 is electrically connected to the distance measurement unit 5, and is a signal related to the measurement result by the distance measurement unit 5 (at least a signal indicating the light receiving position of the distance measurement light in the distance measurement light receiving unit 5B). can be received.

Further, as will be described later, the laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment includes a coaxial camera 6 and a wide area camera 7 as a non-coaxial camera. This laser processing apparatus L can image the surface of the workpiece W by operating at least one of the coaxial camera 6 and the wide-area camera 7 .

The marker controller 100 includes a correspondence correction unit 108 and a display control unit 109 to perform processing based on images captured by at least one of the coaxial camera 6 and the wide area camera 7 .

The marker controller 100 also includes a setting section 107 for setting information related to the marking pattern. The setting contents of the setting unit 107 are read and used by the control unit 101 as a scanning control unit.

Note that the distance measurement unit 103 , the correspondence correction unit 108 and the display control unit 109 may be configured by the control unit 101 . For example, the control unit 101 may also serve as the correspondence correction unit 108 .

Details of the distance measurement unit 103, the correspondence correction unit 108, and the display control unit 109 will be described later.

<Marker head 1>
As described above, the laser excitation light generated by the excitation light generator 110 is guided to the marker head 1 via the optical fiber cable. The marker head 1 includes a laser light output unit 2 that amplifies, generates and outputs laser light based on laser excitation light, and a laser light output unit 2 that irradiates the surface of the workpiece W with the laser light output 2 . A laser light scanning unit 4 that performs dimensional scanning, a laser light guide unit 3 that forms an optical path from the laser light output unit 2 to the laser light scanning unit 4, and distance measurement that emits light and receives light through the laser light scanning unit 4. A distance measuring unit 5 for measuring the distance to the surface of the work W based on light, and a coaxial camera 6 and a wide area camera 7 for imaging the surface of the work W are provided.

Here, the laser light guide unit 3 according to the present embodiment not only configures an optical path, but also includes a Z scanner (focus adjustment unit) 33 that adjusts the focal position of the laser light, a guide light source 36 that emits guide light, Also, a plurality of members such as a coaxial camera 6 for imaging the surface of the work W are combined.

In addition, the laser light guide section 3 further includes an upstream merging mechanism 31 for merging the near-infrared laser light output from the laser light output section 2 and the guide light output from the guide light source 36, and the laser light scanning section 4. It has a downstream merging mechanism 35 for merging the guided laser light and the distance measuring light projected from the distance measuring unit 5 .

3A and 3B are block diagrams illustrating the schematic configuration of the marker head 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the marker head 1. FIG. 3A to 3B, FIG. 3A illustrates the case of processing the work W using a near-infrared laser beam, and FIG. 3B illustrates the case of measuring the distance to the surface of the work W using the distance measuring unit 5. is exemplified.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3A to 4, the marker head 1 includes a housing 10 in which at least a laser light output section 2, a laser light guide section 3, a laser light scanning section 4, and a distance measuring unit 5 are provided. ing. The housing 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as shown in FIG. The lower surface of the housing 10 is defined by a plate-shaped bottom plate 10a. The bottom plate 10a is provided with a transmission window 19 for emitting laser light from the marker head 1 to the outside of the marker head 1. As shown in FIG. The transmission window 19 is configured by fitting a plate-shaped transparent member that can transmit the near-infrared laser light, the guide light, and the range-finding light into a through-hole extending through the bottom plate 10a in the plate thickness direction.

In the description below, the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 in FIG. It may be called "left and right direction". Similarly, the height direction of the housing 10 in FIG. 4 may be simply referred to as "height direction" or "vertical direction".

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the laser beam scanning unit 4. As shown in FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4 and the distance measuring unit 5, and FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an optical path connecting the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4, and the distance measuring unit 5. FIG.

As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, a partition 11 is provided inside the housing 10 . The internal space of the housing 10 is partitioned into one side and the other side in the longitudinal direction by the partition portion 11 .

Specifically, the partition part 11 is formed in a flat plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 . In addition, in the longitudinal direction of the housing 10, the partition section 11 is arranged closer to one side in the longitudinal direction (the front side in FIG. 4) than the central portion of the housing 10 in the same direction.

Therefore, the space partitioned on one longitudinal side in the housing 10 has a smaller longitudinal dimension than the space partitioned on the other longitudinal side (rear side in FIG. 4). Hereinafter, the space partitioned on the other longitudinal side in the housing 10 will be referred to as a first space S1, and the space partitioned on the one longitudinal side will be referred to as a second space S2.

In this embodiment, the laser light output section 2, some components of the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4, and the distance measuring unit 5 are arranged inside the first space S1. On the other hand, main components of the laser beam guide section 3 are arranged inside the second space S2.

Specifically, the first space S1 is partitioned into a space on one side in the short direction (left side in FIG. 4) and a space on the other side (right side in FIG. 4) by a substantially flat base plate 12. . In the former space, mainly parts constituting the laser light output section 2 are arranged.

More specifically, among the parts that make up the laser light output unit 2, the optical parts 21, such as optical lenses and optical crystals, which are required to be hermetically sealed as much as possible, are arranged in the first space S1 in the transverse direction. In the side space, it is arranged inside a receiving space surrounded by a base plate 12 or the like.

On the other hand, among the parts that make up the laser light output unit 2, parts that do not necessarily need to be sealed, such as electrical wiring and a heat sink 22 shown in FIG. It is arranged on the opposite side (the other side in the short direction of the first space S1).

Further, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6, the laser beam scanning unit 4 can be arranged on one side in the short direction across the base plate 12, similarly to the optical component 21 in the laser beam output unit 2. . Specifically, the laser beam scanning section 4 according to this embodiment is arranged adjacent to the partition section 11 in the longitudinal direction and along the inner bottom surface of the housing 10 in the vertical direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the distance measuring unit 5 is arranged in the space on the other side in the short direction of the first space S1, like the heat sink 22 in the laser light output section 2. As shown in FIG.

Also, the components that make up the laser beam guide section 3 are mainly arranged in the second space S2. In this embodiment, most of the components that make up the laser beam guide section 3 are housed in a space surrounded by a partition section 11 and a cover member 17 that partitions the front surface of the housing 10 .

Note that, among the components that configure the laser beam guide section 3, the downstream merging mechanism 35 is arranged in the vicinity of the partition section 11 in the first space S1 (see FIG. 5). That is, in this embodiment, the downstream confluence mechanism 35 is positioned near the boundary between the first space S1 and the second space S2.

A through hole (not shown) is formed in the base plate 12 so as to penetrate the base plate 12 in the plate thickness direction. Through this through-hole, the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4, and the distance measuring unit 5 are optically coupled.

The configurations of the laser light output section 2, the laser light guide section 3, the laser light scanning section 4, and the distance measuring unit 5 will be described in order below.

(Laser light output unit 2)
The laser light output unit 2 generates near-infrared laser light for print processing based on the laser excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit 110, and directs the near-infrared laser light to the laser light guide unit 3. configured to output.

Specifically, the laser light output unit 2 generates a laser light having a predetermined wavelength based on the laser excitation light, and a laser oscillator 21a that amplifies the laser light and emits a near-infrared laser light. A beam sampler 21b for separating part of the oscillated near-infrared laser light and a power monitor 21c into which the near-infrared laser light separated by the beam sampler 21b is incident are provided.

Although the details are omitted, the laser oscillator 21a according to the present embodiment includes a laser medium for emitting laser light by performing stimulated emission corresponding to laser excitation light, and a laser medium for pulsating the laser light emitted from the laser medium. It has a Q switch and a mirror that resonates the laser light pulse-oscillated by the Q switch.

Particularly in this embodiment, rod-shaped Nd:YVO ₄ (yttrium vanadate) is used as the laser medium. As a result, the laser oscillator 21a can emit laser light having a wavelength of around 1064 nm (near-infrared laser light described above) as laser light. However, it is not limited to this example, and other laser media such as YAG, YLF, and GdVO ₄ doped with rare earth elements can also be used. Various solid-state laser media can be used according to the application of the laser processing apparatus L.

Also, a wavelength conversion element can be combined with the solid-state laser medium to convert the wavelength of the output laser light to an arbitrary wavelength. A so-called fiber laser, which uses a fiber as an oscillator instead of a bulk as a solid-state laser medium, may also be used.

Further, the laser oscillator 21a may be configured by combining a solid laser medium such as Nd: _YVO4 and a fiber. In that case, as in the case of using a solid-state laser medium, a laser with a short pulse width is emitted to suppress thermal damage to the workpiece W, while high output can be achieved as in the case of using a fiber. This makes it possible to achieve faster print processing.

The power monitor 21c detects the output of near-infrared laser light. The power monitor 21c is electrically connected to the marker controller 100, and can output its detection signal to the control section 101 or the like.

(Laser beam guide part 3)
The laser light guide section 3 forms at least part of a laser light path P that guides the near-infrared laser light emitted from the laser light output section 2 to the laser light scanning section 4 . The laser light guide section 3 includes a bend mirror 34 for forming such a laser light path P, a Z scanner (focus adjustment section) 33, a guide light source (guide light emission section) 36, and the like. All of these parts are provided inside the housing 10 (mainly in the second space S2).

The near-infrared laser light incident from the laser light output section 2 is reflected by the bend mirror 34 and passes through the laser light guide section 3 . A Z scanner 33 for adjusting the focal position of the near-infrared laser beam is arranged on the way to the bend mirror 34 . A near-infrared laser beam that passes through the Z scanner 33 and is reflected by the bend mirror 34 enters the laser beam scanning unit 4 .

A laser light path P formed by the laser light guide section 3 can be divided into two with a Z scanner 33 as a focus adjustment section as a boundary. Specifically, the laser light path P formed by the laser light guide section 3 includes an upstream optical path Pu from the laser light output section 2 to the Z scanner 33 and a downstream optical path Pd from the Z scanner 33 to the laser light scanning section 4. , can be divided into.

More specifically, the upstream optical path Pu is provided inside the housing 10 and extends from the laser light output unit 2 to the Z scanner 33 via the above-described upstream joining mechanism 31 .

On the other hand, the downstream optical path Pd is provided inside the housing 10, and passes from the Z scanner 33, the bend mirror 34, and the downstream merging mechanism 35 in order, and then in the laser beam scanning unit 4. It reaches the first scanner 41 .

As described above, inside the housing 10, the upstream joining mechanism 31 is provided in the middle of the upstream optical path Pu, and the downstream joining mechanism 35 is provided in the middle of the downstream optical path Pd.

Hereinafter, configurations related to the laser beam guide section 3 will be described in order.

- Guide light source 36 -
The guide light source 36 is provided in the second space S<b>2 inside the housing 10 and emits guide light for projecting a predetermined machining pattern onto the surface of the work W. The wavelength of the guide light is set within the visible light range. As an example, the guide light source 36 according to the present embodiment emits red laser light having a wavelength of around 655 nm as guide light. Therefore, when the guide light is emitted from the marker head 1, the user can visually recognize the guide light.

In addition, in this embodiment, the wavelength of the guide light is set so as to be at least different from the wavelength of the near-infrared laser light. Further, as will be described later, the distance measuring light emitting section 5A in the distance measuring unit 5 emits distance measuring light having a wavelength different from that of the guide light and the near-infrared laser light. Therefore, the distance measuring light, the guide light, and the laser light have different wavelengths.

Specifically, the guide light source 36 is arranged at substantially the same height as the upstream merging mechanism 31 in the second space S2, and emits a visible light laser (guide light) toward the inner side of the housing 10 in the short direction. can be emitted. The guide light source 36 is also oriented such that the optical axis of the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 intersects with the upstream joining mechanism 31 .

The term “substantially the same height” as used herein means that the height positions are substantially equal when viewed from the bottom plate 10a forming the lower surface of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. Also in other descriptions, it refers to the height seen from the bottom plate 10a.

Therefore, when guide light is emitted from the guide light source 36 in order to allow the user to visually recognize the pattern processed by the near-infrared laser light, the guide light reaches the upstream merging mechanism 31 . The upstream merging mechanism 31 has a dichroic mirror (not shown) as an optical component. As will be described later, this dichroic mirror reflects near-infrared laser light while transmitting guide light. As a result, the guide light that has passed through the dichroic mirror and the near-infrared laser light that has been reflected by the mirror merge and become coaxial.

The guide light source 36 according to this embodiment is configured to emit guide light based on a control signal output from the control section 101 .

-Upstream merging mechanism 31-
The upstream merging mechanism 31 merges the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 as a guide light emitting part into the upstream optical path Pu. By providing the upstream merging mechanism 31, the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 and the near-infrared laser light in the upstream optical path Pu can be made coaxial.

As described above, the wavelength of the guide light is set to be at least different from the wavelength of the near-infrared laser light. Therefore, the upstream merging mechanism 31 can be configured using, for example, a dichroic mirror as described above. The near-infrared laser light and guide light coaxialized by this dichroic mirror propagate downward, pass through the Z scanner 33 and reach the bend mirror 34 .

-Z Scanner 33-
A Z scanner 33 as a focus adjustment section is arranged in the middle of the optical path formed by the laser light guide section 3, and can adjust the focal position of the near-infrared laser light emitted from the laser light output section 2. .

Specifically, the Z scanner 33 is provided in the laser light path P in the middle of the optical path from the upstream joining mechanism 31 as a guide light joining mechanism to the laser beam scanning unit 4 inside the housing 10 .

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the Z scanner 33 according to the present embodiment includes an incident lens 33a through which the near-infrared laser light emitted from the laser light output unit 2 is transmitted, and an incident lens 33a. a collimating lens 33b for passing the near-infrared laser light that has passed therethrough; an output lens 33c for passing the near-infrared laser light that has passed through the incident lens 33a and the collimating lens 33b; a lens driving unit 33d for moving the incident lens 33a; It has a casing 33e that accommodates the lens 33a, the collimator lens 33b, and the exit lens 33c.

The incident lens 33a is a plano-concave lens, and the collimating lens 33b and the exit lens 33c are plano-convex lenses. The incident lens 33a, the collimator lens 33b, and the exit lens 33c are arranged such that their optical axes are coaxial with each other.

In the Z scanner 33, the lens driving section 33d moves the incident lens 33a along the optical axis. As a result, the optical axes of the incident lens 33a, the collimator lens 33b, and the exit lens 33c are kept coaxial with respect to the near-infrared laser beam passing through the Z scanner 33, and the relative distance between the entrance lens 33a and the exit lens 33c is changed. can do. As a result, the focal position of the near-infrared laser light with which the workpiece W is irradiated changes.

Each part constituting the Z scanner 33 will be described in more detail below.

The casing 33e has a substantially cylindrical shape. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, openings 33f are formed at both ends of the casing 33e for passing near-infrared laser light. Inside the casing 33e, the entrance lens 33a, the collimator lens 33b, and the exit lens 33c are vertically arranged in this order.

Of the incident lens 33a, the collimator lens 33b, and the exit lens 33c, the collimator lens 33b and the exit lens 33c are fixed inside the casing 33e. On the other hand, the incident lens 33a is provided so as to be vertically movable. The lens driving section 33d has, for example, a motor, and moves the incident lens 33a vertically. This changes the relative distance between the entrance lens 33a and the exit lens 33c.

For example, it is assumed that the distance between the entrance lens 33a and the exit lens 33c is adjusted to be relatively short by the lens driving section 33d. In this case, the focal position of the near-infrared laser light passing through the output lens 33 c becomes relatively small, so the focal position of the near-infrared laser light moves away from the transmission window 19 of the marker head 1 .

On the other hand, it is assumed that the distance between the entrance lens 33a and the exit lens 33c is adjusted to be relatively long by the lens driving section 33d. In this case, the near-infrared laser beam passing through the exit lens 33 c has a relatively large condensing angle, so that the focal position of the near-infrared laser beam approaches the transmission window 19 of the marker head 1 .

In the Z scanner 33, among the incident lens 33a, the collimator lens 33b, and the exit lens 33c, the incident lens 33a may be fixed inside the casing 33e, and the collimate lens 33b and the exit lens 33c may be vertically moved. good. Alternatively, the entrance lens 33a, the collimator lens 33b, and the exit lens 33c may all be vertically movable.

Thus, the Z scanner 33 as a focus adjustment unit functions as a means for vertically scanning the near-infrared laser beam. Hereinafter, the scanning direction by the Z scanner 33 may be referred to as "Z direction".

The near-infrared laser light passing through the Z scanner 33 is coaxial with the guide light emitted from the guide light source 36 as described above. Therefore, by operating the Z scanner 33, not only the near-infrared laser light but also the focal position of the guide light can be adjusted.

Note that the Z scanner 33 according to the present embodiment, particularly the lens driving section 33 d in the Z scanner 33 is configured to operate based on the control signal output from the control section 101 .

-Bend mirror 34-
The bend mirror 34 is provided in the middle of the downstream optical path Pd, and is arranged to bend the optical path Pd and direct it backward. As shown in FIG. 6, the bend mirror 34 is arranged at substantially the same height as the optical member 35a in the downstream joining mechanism 35, and reflects the near-infrared laser light and the guide light that have passed through the Z scanner 33. can be done.

The near-infrared laser light and the guide light reflected by the bend mirror 34 propagate backward, pass through the downstream joining mechanism 35, and reach the laser light scanning section (specifically, the first scanner 41) 4. .

- Downstream merging mechanism 35 -
The downstream merging mechanism 35 guides the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A in the distance measuring unit 5 to the work W via the laser beam scanning portion 4 by joining the above described downstream optical path Pd. . In addition, the downstream junction mechanism 35 guides the distance measuring light reflected by the workpiece W and returning to the laser beam scanning unit 4 and the downstream optical path Pd in that order to the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B in the distance measuring unit 5 .

By providing the downstream merging mechanism 35, the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A can be coaxial with the near-infrared laser light and the guide light in the downstream optical path Pd. At the same time, by providing the downstream merging mechanism 35, of the ranging light emitted from the marker head 1 and reflected by the workpiece W, the ranging light incident on the marker head 1 is led to the ranging light receiving section 5B. be able to.

As described above, the wavelength of the ranging light is set to be different from the wavelengths of the near-infrared laser light and guide light. Therefore, the downstream merging mechanism 35 can be configured using, for example, a dichroic mirror, like the upstream merging mechanism 31 .

Specifically, the downstream joining mechanism 35 according to the present embodiment has a dichroic mirror 35a that transmits one of the distance measuring light and the guide light and reflects the other (see FIGS. 6 and 7). More specifically, the dichroic mirror 35a is arranged at substantially the same height as the bend mirror 34 and behind the bend mirror 34, and is arranged in the space on the left side of the housing 10 in the short direction.

The dichroic mirror 35a is also fixed in such a position that one mirror surface faces the bend mirror 34 and the other mirror surface faces the base plate 12, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the near-infrared laser light and the guide light are incident on one mirror surface of the dichroic mirror 35a, while the distance measuring light is incident on the other mirror surface.

The dichroic mirror 35a according to the present embodiment can reflect the distance measuring light and transmit the near-infrared laser light and the guide light. As a result, for example, when the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring unit 5 is incident on the dichroic mirror 35a, the distance measuring light is merged into the downstream optical path Pd and made coaxial with the near-infrared laser light and the guide light. can be done. The near-infrared laser light, guide light, and distance measuring light thus coaxialized reach the first scanner 41 as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

On the other hand, the distance measuring light reflected by the workpiece W returns to the laser light scanning unit 4 and reaches the downstream optical path Pd. The distance measuring light returning to the downstream optical path Pd is reflected by the dichroic mirror 35 a in the downstream merging mechanism 35 and reaches the distance measuring unit 5 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the distance measuring light incident on the dichroic mirror 35a from the distance measuring unit 5 and the distance measuring light reflected by the dichroic mirror 35a and incident on the distance measuring unit 5 both The light propagates along the horizontal direction (the lateral direction of the housing 10) when the housing 10 is viewed from above.

(Laser beam scanning unit 4)
As shown in FIG. 3A, the laser light scanning unit 4 irradiates the workpiece W with laser light (near-infrared laser light) emitted from the laser light output unit 2 and guided by the laser light guide unit 3. It is configured to perform two-dimensional scanning on the surface of the work W.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the laser beam scanning unit 4 is configured as a so-called two-axis galvanometer scanner. That is, the laser beam scanning unit 4 includes a first scanner 41 for scanning the near-infrared laser beam incident from the laser beam guide unit 3 in a first direction, and a near-infrared laser beam scanned by the first scanner 41 . and a second scanner 42 for scanning light in a second direction.

Here, the second direction refers to a direction substantially orthogonal to the first direction. Therefore, the second scanner 42 can scan the near-infrared laser light in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first scanner 41 . In this embodiment, the first direction is equal to the front-rear direction (the longitudinal direction of the housing 10), and the second direction is equal to the left-right direction (the lateral direction of the housing 10). Hereinafter, the first direction will be referred to as the "X direction", and the second direction orthogonal thereto will be referred to as the "Y direction". Both the X direction and the Y direction are orthogonal to the aforementioned Z direction.

The first scanner 41 has a first mirror 41a at its tip. The first mirror 41a is positioned at substantially the same height as the bend mirror 34 and the optical member 35a and behind the optical member 35a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the bend mirror 34, the optical member 35a, and the first mirror 41a are arranged in a line along the front-rear direction (longitudinal direction of the housing 10).

The first mirror 41 a is also rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) incorporated in the first scanner 41 . This motor can rotate the first mirror 41a around a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction. By adjusting the rotational posture of the first mirror 41a, the angle of reflection of the near-infrared laser beam by the first mirror 41a can be adjusted.

Similarly, the second scanner 42 has a second mirror 42a at its tip. The second mirror 42a is positioned at substantially the same height as the first mirror 41a in the first scanner 41 and to the right of the first mirror 41a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, the first mirror 41a and the second mirror 42a are arranged side by side along the left-right direction (the lateral direction of the housing 10).

The second mirror 42a is also rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) incorporated in the second scanner 42. As shown in FIG. This motor can rotate the second mirror 42a around a rotation axis extending in the front-rear direction. By adjusting the rotational posture of the second mirror 42a, the angle of reflection of the near-infrared laser light by the second mirror 42a can be adjusted.

Therefore, when the near-infrared laser light is incident on the laser light scanning unit 4 from the downstream joining mechanism 35, the near-infrared laser light is reflected by the first mirror 41a of the first scanner 41 and the second mirror of the second scanner 42. 42 a in order, and exits the marker head 1 through the transmission window 19 .

At this time, by operating the motor of the first scanner 41 to adjust the rotational attitude of the first mirror 41a, the surface of the work W can be scanned with the near-infrared laser light in the first direction. . At the same time, by actuating the motor of the second scanner 42 to adjust the rotational posture of the second mirror 42a, the surface of the work W can be scanned with the near-infrared laser light in the second direction.

As described above, the laser beam scanning unit 4 receives not only near-infrared laser beams, but also guide light that has passed through the optical member 35a of the downstream merging mechanism 35, or distance measuring light that has been reflected by the same member 35a. will also enter. By operating the first scanner 41 and the second scanner 42 respectively, the laser beam scanning unit 4 according to the present embodiment can two-dimensionally scan the incident guide light or distance measuring light.

In addition, basically, the rotational postures that the first mirror 41a and the second mirror 42a can take are such that when the near-infrared laser light is reflected by the second mirror 42a, the reflected light passes through the transmission window 19. (see also FIGS. 7 and 8).

In this way, the laser beam scanning unit 4 according to the present embodiment is electrically controlled by the control unit 101 as a scanning control unit so that the near-infrared laser beam is emitted to the processing region R1 set on the surface of the workpiece W. can be irradiated to form a predetermined processing pattern (marking pattern) in the processing region R1.

(Coaxial camera 6)
The coaxial camera 6 has an imaging optical axis A1 branched from the laser light path P from the laser light output unit 2 to the laser light scanning unit 4 (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). The coaxial camera 6 can generate a captured image Pw including at least part of the processing region R1 by capturing an image of the workpiece W via the laser beam scanning unit 4 . The coaxial camera 6 is an example of the "imaging unit" in this embodiment.

The coaxial camera 6 is configured as imaging means coaxial with the near-infrared laser beam for processing. The coaxial camera 6 has a narrower field of view than the wide-area camera 7, but generates a coaxial image obtained by enlarging the processing region R1 at a relatively high magnification as the captured image Pw. can be two-dimensionally scanned. The coaxial camera 6 is used, for example, for locally enlarging and imaging a part of the processing region R1.

The captured image Pw generated by the coaxial camera 6 can be displayed on the display unit 801 in a state in which at least a part thereof is enlarged or reduced.

A coaxial camera 6 according to this embodiment is built in a housing 10 . Specifically, the coaxial camera 6 is arranged at substantially the same height as the bend mirror 34 in the laser light guide section 3 . The coaxial camera 6 receives the reflected light that has entered the laser light guide section 3 from the laser light scanning section 4 . The coaxial camera 6 is configured such that the reflected light reflected at the printing point of the work W enters through the bend mirror 34 . The coaxial camera 6 can image the surface of the workpiece W by forming an image of the incident reflected light. Note that the layout of the coaxial camera 6 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the coaxial camera 6 and the bend mirror 34 may have different heights.

The reflected light used for image formation by the coaxial camera 6 branches from the aforementioned downstream optical path Pd and propagates. Therefore, by appropriately operating the laser beam scanning unit 4, the processing region R1 illustrated in FIG. 12 can be scanned two-dimensionally.

The coaxial camera 6 according to this embodiment is configured to operate based on the control signal output from the control section 101, like the guide light source 36 and the like.

(Wide area camera 7)
The wide-area camera 7 has an imaging optical axis A2 branched from the laser optical path P (see FIG. 12). The wide-area camera 7 can generate a captured image Pw having a wider field of view than the image generated by the coaxial camera 6 by capturing an image of the work W without the laser beam scanning unit 4 intervening.

The wide-area camera 7 is configured as imaging means that is non-coaxial with the near-infrared laser beam for processing. Although the wide-area camera 7 cannot perform two-dimensional scanning via the laser beam scanning unit 4, it has a wider field of view than the coaxial camera 6, and as the imaged image Pw, a wide-area image obtained by imaging the processing region R1 with a relatively wide field of view is taken. can be generated. The wide-area camera 7 can generate a captured image Pw including at least part of the processing region R1, and, like the coaxial camera 6, exemplifies the "image capturing section" in the present embodiment. The wide-area camera 7 is used, for example, to capture an image of the entire processing region R1 at once.

The captured image Pw generated by the wide-area camera 7 can be displayed on the display unit 801 in a state in which at least a part thereof is enlarged or reduced. The display unit 801 displays the captured image Pw generated by the wide-area camera 7 and the captured image Pw generated by the coaxial camera 6 side by side, or alternatively displays one of the two types of captured images Pw. can be displayed or

The wide-area camera 7 according to the present embodiment is arranged directly above the transmissive window 19, and is fixed with its imaging lens directed downward. As described above, the imaging optical axis A2 of the wide-area camera 7 is not coaxial with the optical axis Az of the near-infrared laser light described above (see FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 12).

(Range measurement unit 5)
As shown in FIG. 3B, the distance measurement unit 5 projects distance measurement light through the laser beam scanning section 4 and irradiates the surface of the work W with the light. The distance measurement unit 5 also receives the distance measurement light reflected by the surface of the work W via the laser beam scanning section 4 .

The distance measuring unit 5 is mainly divided into a module for projecting distance measuring light and a module for receiving distance measuring light. Specifically, the distance measuring unit 5 includes a distance measuring light emitting section 5A constructed as a module for projecting the distance measuring light and a distance measuring light receiving section constructed as a module for receiving the distance measuring light. 5B and.

Among these, the distance measuring light emitting part 5A is provided inside the housing 10, and emits the distance measuring light for measuring the distance from the marker head 1 in the laser processing apparatus L to the surface of the work W. It is emitted toward the scanning unit 4 .

On the other hand, the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B is provided inside the housing 10 similarly to the distance measuring light emitting unit 5A, and is reflected on the surface of the work W to be reflected by the laser beam scanning unit 4 and the downstream junction mechanism 35. Receives the distance measuring light returned via the

Further, the distance measuring unit 5 includes a support base 50 that supports the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A and the distance measuring light receiving portion 5B from below. there is

As described above, the distance measuring unit 5 is provided in the space on the other side in the short direction of the first space S1. As shown in FIG. 7, the distance measuring unit 5 emits distance measuring light forward along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and receives distance measuring light propagating substantially backward along the longitudinal direction.

Further, the distance measuring unit 5 is optically coupled to the laser light guide section 3 via the optical member 35a described above. As described above, the distance measuring unit 5 projects distance measuring light along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 . On the other hand, the optical member 35a reflects the range-finding light propagated along the lateral direction of the housing 10, not the longitudinal direction.

Therefore, a bend mirror 59 is provided inside the housing 10 to form an optical path connecting the distance measuring unit 5 and the optical member 35a (see FIGS. 6 and 7).

Therefore, the distance measuring light incident on the bend mirror 59 from the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A is reflected by the same mirror 59 and enters the optical member 35a. On the other hand, the distance measuring light returned to the laser beam scanning section 4 and reflected by the optical member 35a is incident on the bend mirror 59 and is reflected by the same mirror 59 to be incident on the distance measuring light receiving section 5B.

The configuration of each part forming the distance measuring unit 5 will be described in order below.

-Ranging light output unit 5A-
The distance measuring light emitting unit 5A is provided inside the housing 10 and is configured to emit distance measuring light for measuring the distance from the marker head 1 in the laser processing apparatus L to the surface of the work W. ing.

Specifically, the distance measuring light emitting unit 5A includes the above-described distance measuring light source 51 and the projection lens 52, a casing 53 that accommodates these, and a pair of It has guide plates 54L and 54R. The distance measuring light source 51 , the projection lens 52 , and the guide plates 54 L and 54 R are arranged in order from the rear side of the housing 10 , and their arrangement direction is substantially the same as the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 .

The casing 53 is formed in a tubular shape extending along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and the support base 50 , and one side in the same direction, that is, one end corresponding to the rear side of the housing 10 is provided with a distance measuring light source 51 . is attached, while a projection lens 52 is attached to the other end corresponding to the front side of the housing 10 . The space between the distance measuring light source 51 and the projection lens 52 is substantially airtightly closed.

The distance measuring light source 51 emits distance measuring light toward the front side of the housing 10 according to the control signal input from the control unit 101 . Specifically, the distance measuring light source 51 can emit laser light in the visible light range as the distance measuring light. In particular, the distance measuring light source 51 according to this embodiment emits a red laser beam having a wavelength of around 690 nm as distance measuring light.

The distance measuring light source 51 is also fixed in such a posture that the optical axis Ao of the red laser light emitted as the distance measuring light is along the longitudinal direction of the casing 53 . Therefore, the optical axis Ao of the distance measuring light extends along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and the support base 50 , passes through the central portion of the projection lens 52 and reaches the outside of the casing 53 .

The projection lens 52 is positioned between the pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R and the light receiving lens 57 in the distance measuring light receiving section 5B in the longitudinal direction of the support base 50 . The projection lens 52 is oriented so that the optical axis Ao of the distance measuring light passes through it.

The projection lens 52 can be, for example, a plano-convex lens, and can be fixed with a spherical convex surface facing the outside of the casing 53 . The projection lens 52 collects the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light source 51 and emits it to the outside of the casing 53 . The distance measuring light emitted outside the casing 53 reaches between the guide plates 54L and 54R.

The guide plates 54L and 54R are configured as a pair of members aligned in the lateral direction of the support base 50, and each can be a plate-like body extending in the longitudinal direction of the support base 50. As shown in FIG. A space for emitting the distance measuring light is defined between one guide plate 54L and the other guide plate 54R. The distance measuring light emitted to the outside of the casing 53 passes through the space thus partitioned and is output.

Therefore, the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light source 51 passes through the space inside the casing 53, the central portion of the projection lens 52, the space between the guide plates 54L and 54R, and reaches the outside of the distance measuring unit 5. output. The distance measuring light thus output is reflected by the bend mirror 59 and the optical member 35 a in the downstream merging mechanism 35 and enters the laser beam scanning section 4 .

The distance measuring light incident on the laser beam scanning unit 4 is sequentially reflected by the first mirror 41a of the first scanner 41 and the second mirror 42a of the second scanner 42, and passes through the transmission window 19 to the outside of the marker head 1. will be emitted to

As described when describing the laser beam scanning unit 4, the surface of the workpiece W can be scanned with the distance measuring light in the first direction by adjusting the rotational posture of the first mirror 41a of the first scanner 41. . At the same time, the motor of the second scanner 42 is actuated to adjust the rotational attitude of the second mirror 42a, so that the surface of the workpiece W can be scanned with the distance measuring light in the second direction.

The distance measuring light thus scanned is reflected on the surface of the work W. As shown in FIG. A portion of the reflected distance measuring light (hereinafter also referred to as “reflected light”) enters the inside of the marker head 1 through the transmission window 19 . The reflected light that has entered the inside of the marker head 1 returns to the laser light guide section 3 via the laser light scanning section 4 . Since the reflected light has the same wavelength as the distance measuring light, it is reflected by the optical member 35 a of the downstream merging mechanism 35 in the laser beam guide section 3 and enters the distance measuring unit 5 via the bend mirror 59 .

-Ranging light receiving part 5B-
The distance measuring light receiving section 5B is provided inside the housing 10, and receives the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting section 5A and reflected by the workpiece W (equivalent to the aforementioned "reflected light"). is configured to

Specifically, the distance measuring light receiving section 5B has a pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R and a light receiving lens 57. As shown in FIG. The pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged at the rear end of the support base 50, respectively, while the light-receiving lenses 57 are arranged at the front end of the support base 50, respectively. Therefore, the pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R and the light receiving lens 57 are arranged substantially along the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 and the support base 50. As shown in FIG.

The pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged inside the housing 10 so as to sandwich the optical axis Ao of the distance measuring light from the distance measuring light emitting section 5A. A pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R receive the reflected light that has returned to the laser beam scanning section 4, respectively.

Specifically, the pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis Ao of the distance measuring light emitting section 5A. In this embodiment, the direction in which the pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R are arranged is the same as the lateral direction of the housing 10 and the support base 50, that is, the horizontal direction. In the same direction, one light receiving element 56L is arranged on the left side of the distance measuring light source 51, and the other light receiving element 56R is arranged on the right side of the distance measuring light source 51. As shown in FIG.

The pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R each have a light-receiving surface directed obliquely forward, detects the light-receiving position of the reflected light on each light-receiving surface, and provides a signal (detection signal) indicating the detection result. to output Detection signals output from the light receiving elements 56L and 56R are input to the marker controller 100 and reach the distance measuring section 103 .

Elements that can be used as the light receiving elements 56L and 56R include, for example, a CMOS image sensor composed of complementary MOS (CMOS), a CCD image sensor composed of a charge-coupled device (CCD), and an optical position sensor. A sensor (Position Sensitive Detector: PSD) and the like are included.

In this embodiment, each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R is constructed using a CMOS image sensor. In this case, each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R can detect not only the light receiving position of the reflected light but also the light receiving amount distribution (light receiving waveform). That is, when each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R is configured using a CMOS image sensor, pixels are arranged at least in the horizontal direction on each light receiving surface. In this case, each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R can read a signal for each pixel, amplify it, and output it to the outside. The intensity of the signal at each pixel is determined based on the intensity of the reflected light at the spot when the reflected light forms a spot on the light receiving surface.

Note that when each light receiving element 56L, 56R is configured using an element capable of detecting the light receiving amount distribution (light receiving waveform) like a CMOS image sensor, the magnitude of the light receiving amount in each light receiving element 56L, 56R can be measured. The intensity of the distance light, that is, the intensity of the distance measurement light emitted from the distance measurement light emitting portion 5A (hereinafter also referred to as "projection light amount"), and the gain for amplifying the signal for each pixel (hereinafter referred to as (also referred to as "light receiving gain"). In addition to the gain, it can be adjusted using the exposure time in each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R.

The pair of light receiving elements 56L and 56R according to the present embodiment can detect at least the peak position indicating the light receiving position of the reflected light and the amount of received light of the reflected light. As an index indicating the amount of received light, for example, the height of the peak in the distribution of the amount of reflected light can be used. Alternatively, the total value, average value, or integrated value of the received light amount distribution may be used.

In the present embodiment, the peak position of the distribution of the amount of received light (the peak position of the spot) is used as an index indicating the position of receiving the reflected light. good.

The light-receiving lens 57 is arranged inside the housing 10 so that the optical axes of the pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R pass through. The light-receiving lens 57 is also provided in the middle of the optical path connecting the downstream-side junction mechanism 35 and the pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R, and receives the reflected light that has passed through the downstream-side junction mechanism 35 into the pair of light-receiving elements 56L and 56R. Light can be collected on each light receiving surface.

The light-receiving lens 57 collects the reflected light that has returned to the laser beam scanning unit 4 and forms spots of the reflected light on the light-receiving surfaces of the light-receiving elements 56L and 56R. Each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R outputs to the distance measuring section 103 a signal indicating the peak position of the spot thus formed and the amount of received light.

The laser processing apparatus L basically measures the distance to the surface of the work W based on the light receiving position of the reflected light on the light receiving surface of each of the light receiving elements 56L and 56R (in this embodiment, the position of the peak of the spot). can do. A so-called triangulation method is used as a distance measurement method.

－About distance measurement method－
FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the triangulation method. Although only the distance measuring unit 5 is shown in FIG. 9, the following description also applies to the case where the distance measuring light is emitted via the laser beam scanning section 4 as described above.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, when the distance measuring light is emitted from the distance measuring light source 51 in the distance measuring light emitting portion 5A, the surface of the workpiece W is irradiated with the distance measuring light. When the distance measuring light is reflected by the work W, the reflected light (particularly diffusely reflected light) propagates substantially isotropically if the influence of specular reflection is eliminated.

Although the reflected light thus propagated includes a component incident on the light receiving element 56L via the light receiving lens 57, the incident light to the light receiving element 56L depends on the distance between the marker head 1 and the work W. The incident angle will increase or decrease. When the angle of incidence on the light receiving element 56L increases or decreases, the light receiving position on the light receiving surface 56a is displaced.

Thus, the distance between the marker head 1 and the work W and the light receiving position on the light receiving surface 56a are associated with a predetermined relationship. Therefore, by grasping the relationship in advance and storing it in the marker controller 100, for example, the distance between the marker head 1 and the workpiece W can be calculated from the light receiving position on the light receiving surface 56a. Such a calculation method is nothing but a method using a so-called triangulation method.

That is, the distance measuring unit 103 described above measures the distance from the laser processing apparatus L to the surface of the work W by the triangulation method based on the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B.

Specifically, the relationship between the light-receiving position on the light-receiving surface 56a and the distance from the marker head 1 to the surface of the work W is stored in advance in the condition setting storage unit 102 described above. On the other hand, the distance measuring unit 103 receives a signal indicating the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B, more specifically, the peak position of the spot formed on the light receiving surface 56a by the reflected light of the distance measuring light. be done.

The distance measurement unit 103 measures the distance to the surface of the workpiece W based on the signal thus input and the relationship stored in the condition setting storage unit 102 . The measured values thus obtained are input to, for example, the control unit 101 and used by the control unit 101 to control the Z scanner 33 and the like.

For example, the laser processing apparatus L automatically or manually determines a portion (printing point) of the surface of the work W to be processed by the marker head 1 . Subsequently, the laser processing device L measures the distance to each printing point (more precisely, the distance measurement points set around the printing point) before executing the printing process, and The control parameters of the Z scanner 33 are determined so as to achieve the focal position. After operating the Z scanner 33 based on the control parameters determined in this manner, the laser processing apparatus L performs print processing on the work W with a near-infrared laser beam.

－Regarding the machining reference surface－
Both the distance measuring light and the near-infrared laser light reach the workpiece W through the transmission window 19 . Here, a printing point to be irradiated with the near-infrared laser light is provided within a processing region R1 set on the surface of the work W. As shown in FIG. The marker controller 100 executes the setting of the processing region R1. By setting the machining region R1, it is possible to specify the part of each workpiece W to be machined. However, when printing is performed on a plurality of works W, depending on the surface condition such as unevenness, there is a possibility that the print points, and thus the location of the processing region R1, may shift for each work W.

Therefore, in order to precisely scan the distance measuring light and the near-infrared laser light, an index irrelevant to the surface state of the workpiece W is required. Therefore, the laser processing apparatus L (particularly, the control unit 101 as a scanning control unit) according to the present embodiment uses the processing reference plane Rb provided outside the housing 10 as a reference, as illustrated in FIG. 15A and the like. Based on the positional information, it is configured to scan the distance measuring light and the near-infrared laser light.

The processing reference plane Rb is located on the opposite side of the laser beam scanning unit 4 with the transmission window 19 interposed therebetween, and is set apart from the laser beam scanning unit 4 by a predetermined distance. Specifically, the processing reference plane Rb is provided below the transmissive window 19 and arranged at a position where the distance from the transmissive window 19 is a predetermined value. As a result of this arrangement, the laser beam scanning unit 4 faces the processing reference surface Rb through the transmission window 19. Then, the laser beam irradiated into the processing region R1 is directed with the processing reference surface Rb as a reference. The control is performed based on the position information obtained, for example, the irradiation position of the near-infrared laser light and the distance measuring light on the processing reference plane Rb. Specifically, the control unit 101 according to the present embodiment emits the near-infrared laser light and the distance measuring light along the direction parallel to the processing reference plane Rb based on the position information with reference to the processing reference plane Rb. Two-dimensional scanning. By using the machining reference plane Rb, for example, a common machining pattern can be easily formed for a plurality of works W having different heights. As a result, variations in printing accuracy, printing quality, etc. among the works W can be suppressed.

A specific method of using the laser processing system S will be described below.

<How to use the laser processing system S>
FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing how the laser processing system S is used. FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure for creating print settings, search settings, and distance measurement settings; FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the processing region R1 and the setting surface R4; 8 is a diagram exemplifying display contents in a unit 801; FIG.

Moreover, FIG. 14 is a flowchart which illustrates the operating procedure of the laser processing apparatus L. As shown in FIG.

A laser processing system S including a laser processing device L configured as a laser marker can be installed and operated on a production line in a factory, for example. In its operation, first, prior to the operation of the production line, the installation position of the work W that will flow through the line, and the conditions such as the output of the near-infrared laser light and the distance measuring light to irradiate the work W (step S1).

The setting contents created in step S1 are transferred to and stored in the marker controller 100 and/or the operation terminal 800, or read by the marker controller 100 immediately after creation (step S2).

When the production line is operated, the marker controller 100 refers to setting contents that are stored in advance or that are read immediately after creation. The laser processing apparatus L is operated based on the referred setting contents, and performs printing processing on each work W flowing on the line (step S3).

FIG. 11 illustrates specific processing in step S1 of FIG.

First, in step S11, the coaxial camera 6 or the wide-area camera 7 built in the laser processing device L generates a captured image Pw including at least part of the processing region R1. A captured image Pw generated by the coaxial camera 6 or the wide area camera 7 is output to the operation terminal 800 .

The display unit 801 of the operation terminal 800 displays the setting surface R4 associated with the processing region R1, and displays the captured image Pw overlaid on the setting surface R4 (see FIGS. 12 and 13). Thereby, the coordinate system (printing coordinate system) defined on the setting surface R4 of the display unit 801 can be associated with the coordinate system (camera coordinate system) defined on the captured image Pw. For example, the user can print on the processing region R1 via the setting surface R4 by designating a print point while viewing the captured image Pw. The captured image Pw functions as a background image when performing various settings through the setting surface R4.

In subsequent step S12, the setting unit 107 sets the processing conditions. The setting unit 107 sets the processing conditions by reading out the contents stored in the condition setting storage unit 102 or the like, or by reading the operation input or the like via the operation terminal 800 .

The processing conditions include a print pattern (marking pattern) Pm indicating print content and the like, and a print block B indicating the position of this print pattern Pm. It can be used to adjust the layout, size, rotational posture, etc. of the print block B and the print pattern Pm. Also, the print block B is used in association with a distance measurement position I, which will be described later.

The display unit 801 can display the print pattern Pm and the print block B superimposed on the captured image Pw. For example, in FIG. 13, a print pattern Pm consisting of the number “123” and a rectangular print block B surrounding it are arranged on the setting surface R4 on the surface of the work W. displays the print pattern Pm and the print block B arranged in such a manner so as to be superimposed on the captured image Pw.

The print pattern Pm is an example of a "processed pattern", and the print block B is an example of a "processed block". The designations "print pattern" and "print block" are for convenience only and are not intended to limit their use.

Although not shown, a plurality of works W may be displayed on the setting surface R4, or only one work W may be displayed as shown in FIG. Also, a plurality of print blocks B may be arranged on one work W. FIG. A pattern other than a character string, such as a QR code (registered trademark), can also be used for the print pattern Pm.

Returning to step S12 in FIG. 11, in this step, for example, the user manually creates print block B and places print block B on setting surface R4. Since the setting surface R4 and the captured image Pw are associated as described above, the user can arrange the print blocks B while viewing the captured image Pw.

Then, when one or more print blocks B are arranged, the user determines the print pattern Pm for each print block B. FIG. The print pattern Pm is determined, for example, by the user operating the operation unit 802 and the operation unit 802 inputting the print pattern Pm to the marker controller 100 based on the operation input at that time.

The setting unit 107 reads the print blocks B thus arranged and the print pattern Pm determined for each print block B, and sets them as processing conditions. The setting unit 107 according to the present embodiment temporarily or continuously stores the coordinates of the print block B on the setting surface R4 (coordinates in the print coordinate system) in the condition setting storage unit 102 or the like.

As described above, the setting plane R4 is displayed so as to be superimposed on the captured image Pw. Therefore, the setting unit 107 according to the present embodiment displays the print blocks on the setting plane R4 so as to be superimposed on the captured image Pw. B will be set. The setting unit 107 is an example of the “processing block setting unit” in this embodiment.

The processing conditions also include conditions related to near-infrared laser light (hereinafter referred to as "laser conditions"). The laser conditions include the emission position of the near-infrared laser light, the target output of the near-infrared laser light (laser power), the scanning speed of the near-infrared laser light by the laser light scanning unit 4 (scan speed), the near-infrared laser light Of the repetition frequency (pulse frequency) of the laser light, whether or not the laser spot of the near-infrared laser light is variable (variable spot), and the number of times the near-infrared laser light traces the print pattern Pm (number of prints) at least one of Such processing conditions can be set for each print block B, as illustrated in the menu D1 displayed in the lower right of FIG.

Further, in general, each workpiece W that is to be processed in sequence when the production line is operated has a positional deviation in the X direction and the Y direction (XY direction). The laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment can correct such positional deviation by using various techniques.

Therefore, in step S13 following step S12, the setting unit 107 creates condition settings (search settings) for correcting the positional deviation in the XY directions. The laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment can use pattern search, for example, as a technique for correcting positional deviation in the XY directions.

When pattern search is used, the setting unit 107 defines a pattern area (not shown) for specifying the position of the workpiece W and a moving range of the pattern area (not shown) as conditions (search conditions) related to the pattern search. and a search area (not shown) are set on the captured image Pw.

The search conditions set by the setting unit 107 are stored in the condition setting storage unit 102 or the like as search settings. When the creation of the search setting is completed, the setting unit 107 proceeds from step S13 to step S14.

Further, in general, each work W that is to be processed in sequence when the production line is operated has a positional deviation in the Z direction. Such a positional deviation is undesirable because it causes a deviation of the focal position of the near-infrared laser beam. Since the laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment includes the distance measuring unit 5, it is possible to detect positional deviation in the Z direction based on the distance to the surface of the work W. FIG. This makes it possible to correct the positional deviation in the Z direction and, in turn, the deviation of the focal position. Therefore, in step S14 following step S13, condition settings (distance measurement settings) for correcting the positional deviation in the Z direction are created.

Specifically, in this step S14, conditions (distance measurement conditions) related to the distance measurement unit 5 are determined. The setting unit 107 according to the present embodiment sets at least the distance measurement position I for measuring the distance from the marker head 1 to the surface of the work W as a distance measurement condition on the captured image Pw (see FIG. 13). (see asterisk). This distance measuring position I is basically set so as to overlap the surface of the work W, and indicates the coordinates to which the distance measuring light should be irradiated.

Note that the setting unit 107 can set the distance measurement condition for each print block B when a plurality of print blocks B are set. In this case, the setting unit 107 can set the ranging position I within each print block B (see the star in FIG. 13). Alternatively, the setting unit 107 may set the distance measurement position I outside each print block B. FIG.

The distance measurement conditions set by the setting unit 107 are stored in the condition setting storage unit 102 or the like as distance measurement settings. When the creation of the distance measurement setting is completed, the setting unit 107 proceeds from step S14 to step S15. The setting unit 107 returns from step S15 assuming that all settings have been created.

(Execution of print processing)
FIG. 14 illustrates specific processing in step S3 of FIG. That is, the processing shown in FIG. 14 is sequentially executed for each workpiece W that flows when the manufacturing line is operated.

First, prior to each step shown in FIG. 14, as described using step S1 in FIG. 10 and steps S11 to S15 in FIG. Also, settings such as the print block B (print settings), settings such as the pattern image (search settings), and settings such as the distance measurement position I (distance measurement settings) are created in advance.

By completing the creation of each setting, the marker controller 100 is ready to execute the control process illustrated in FIG. 14 . This control process includes, as main processes, a control process for executing XY tracking (pattern search in the XY directions) and a control process for executing Z tracking (height measurement in the Z direction). It is configured.

First, in step S31 of FIG. 14, a trigger is input to the marker controller 100 from the PLC 902 or the like. A work W of the same kind as the work W used for various settings including distance measurement setting is conveyed.

In step S32 subsequent to step S31, the marker controller 100 generates a captured image (camera image) Pw via the coaxial camera 6 or the wide-area camera 7, and displays the generated captured image Pw by superimposing it on the setting plane R4. .

Then, in step S33 following step S32, the marker controller 100 reads search settings (search conditions) for each of the print blocks B to be searched.

Then, in step S34 following step S33, the marker controller 100 executes pattern search. By executing the pattern search, the positional deviation in the XY direction between the work W used for creating the print settings, search settings, and distance measurement settings and the work W newly transported during operation is detected. .

Subsequently, in step S35, the marker controller 100 reads distance measurement settings (distance measurement conditions) for each print block B targeted for distance measurement.

Then, in step S36 following step S35, the distance measuring section 103 operates the distance measuring unit 5 to measure the distance from the marker head 1 to the distance measuring position I, and thus the height of the workpiece W at that distance measuring position I. measure the thickness.

Subsequently, in step S37, the marker controller 100 corrects the positional deviation of the workpiece W in the XY directions based on the detection result of step S34. Specifically, in this step S37, the position of the print block B on the setting surface R4 is corrected so as to reduce the positional deviation of the work W in the XY directions.

Subsequently, in step S38, the marker controller 100 corrects the positional deviation of the workpiece W in the Z direction based on the detection result of step S36. Specifically, in this step S38, the focal position of the near-infrared laser beam is corrected based on the positional deviation of the workpiece W in the Z direction.

Subsequently, in step S39, the marker controller 100 executes print processing on the workpiece W via the marker head 1 and returns.

<Regarding angle of view correction processing>
FIG. 15A is a diagram showing the display size of the captured image Pw in the camera coordinate system. 15B is a diagram showing the display size of the captured image Pw in the print coordinate system, and FIG. 15C is a diagram showing a comparison of the display size of the captured image Pw between the camera coordinate system and the print coordinate system. .

Further, FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the field angle correction processing.

In the following description, the term "far plane" refers to a plane spaced apart from the marker head 1 as compared with the aforementioned machining reference plane Rb. Also, the "near plane" refers to a plane closer to the marker head 1 than the machining reference plane Rb. Further, the "center plane" refers to a plane set at substantially the same distance as the machining reference plane Rb (see FIGS. 15A and 15B).

As illustrated in FIG. 13, by displaying the print pattern Pm superimposed on the captured image Pw, the position and size of the print pattern Pm can be confirmed at the time of setting before processing.

However, for example, when forming a print pattern Pm on a workpiece W having a predetermined height, the angle of view θv of the coaxial camera 6 or the wide-area camera 7 as an image capturing means spreads, resulting in the display at the time of setting before processing. There is a possibility that the position and size of the print pattern Pm to be processed and the position and size of the print pattern Pm to be actually processed may be deviated from each other. Such deviation is inconvenient for maintaining high machining accuracy.

Specifically, as exemplified in FIG. 15A, the size of the captured image Pw changes according to the distance to the surface of the work W. As shown in FIG. For example, in the case of the "far plane" where the distance to the surface of the work W is relatively long, compared to the "center plane" and "near plane" where the distance is relatively short, the coaxial camera 6 or the wide area The imaging field of view of the camera 7 is widened. In this case, as the distance to the surface of the workpiece W increases, the size of the imaging field of view expands according to the angle of view θv.

Therefore, the size of the workpiece W that enters inside the angle of view θv is relatively reduced by the amount that the imaging field of view is widened. A captured image Pw generated by capturing an image of such a workpiece W is relatively zoomed down around the central portion of the captured image Pw.

Further, as the size of the work W reflected in the imaging field changes, the position of the arbitrary point set on the work W also changes. In this case, an arbitrary point (for example, the corner of the star in FIG. 15A) set on the workpiece W and thus on the captured image Pw appears to appear in the captured image Pw as the workpiece W is relatively zoomed down. We are approaching the center.

Thus, the camera coordinate system defined on the captured image Pw changes according to the distance to the surface of the workpiece W. For example, in a two-dimensional XY coordinate system, the length of the unit vector in the X direction and the length of the unit vector in the Y direction increase as the zoom increases, and decrease as the zoom decreases.

On the other hand, the printing coordinate system defined on the setting plane R4 is a coordinate system defined regardless of the distance to the surface of the work W, and is generally constant regardless of the distance. Therefore, the size and position of the print block B arranged on the setting surface R4 are constant regardless of the distance to the surface of the work W, as illustrated in FIG. 15B.

That is, as illustrated in FIG. 15C, assuming that the size of the center plane Xc in the camera coordinate system and the size of the center plane Xc′ in the print coordinate system match, the size of the far plane Xf in the camera coordinate system is , becomes smaller than the size of the far surface Xf′ in the print coordinate system due to the zoomed-down of the captured image Pw. Also, in this case, the size of the near plane Xn in the camera coordinate system becomes larger than the size of the near plane Xn' in the print coordinate system due to the zoomed-in image Pw.

However, while the size and position of the print block B on the setting surface R4 in the print coordinate system are constant according to the distance to the surface of the work W, the size and position of the captured image Pw in the camera coordinate system change. In other words, when the user sets the print block B while viewing the captured image Pw, the position and size of the print pattern Pm displayed on the display unit 801 and the position and size of the print pattern Pm actually formed are different. This is inconvenient because there is a possibility of creating a gap between

On the other hand, the marker controller 100 according to the present embodiment can use the measurement result of the distance measuring unit 5 to correct the deviation caused by the angle of view θv. Hereinafter, the process for correcting such deviation will be referred to as "field angle correction process", and the field angle correction process will be described in detail.

The execution timing of the angle-of-view correction processing may be at the time of print setting (for example, the timing at which step S12 is executed in FIG. 11), or at the time of operation of the laser processing apparatus L (for example, the timing at which S39 is executed in FIG. 13). timing immediately before). When the former execution timing is employed, the setting of the print block B by the user can be assisted. If the latter execution timing is assisted, it can be executed in the background without making the user aware of it.

When the angle-of-view correction process is started, first, the control unit 101 as the scanning control unit causes the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting unit 5A to be positioned within the processing region R1 associated with the print block B. The laser beam scanning unit 4 is controlled so as to irradiate an arbitrary point Ic. Here, the arbitrary point Ic may be set inside the print block B (for example, at the center of the print block B), or may be set outside the print block B. FIG. When a plurality of print blocks B are set, an arbitrary point Ic may be set for each print block B, or an arbitrary point Ic common to the plurality of print blocks B may be set.

Next, the distance measuring light receiving section 5B receives the distance measuring light reflected at the arbitrary point Ic and returned via the laser beam scanning section 4. FIG. Then, the distance measuring unit 103 measures the distance from the laser processing device L to the arbitrary point Ic by triangulation based on the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving unit 5B. By this measurement, it is possible to determine whether the height of the workpiece W corresponds to the far surface Xf, the near surface Xn, or the center surface Xc.

Then, based on the result of measurement by the distance measuring unit 103, the correspondence correcting unit 108 determines the correspondence including at least one of the relative position and size of the print block B with respect to the captured image Pw on the display unit 801. correct. More specifically, the correspondence correction unit 108 corrects the correspondence according to the size relationship between the distance to the arbitrary point Ic measured by the distance measurement unit 103 and the distance to the machining reference plane Rb. The correspondence corrected by the correspondence correction unit 108 is input to the display control unit 109 . The display control unit 109 controls the display mode on the display unit 801 so as to reflect the corrected correspondence.

Here, in order to correct the correspondence relationship, the position and size of the captured image Pw may be changed, or the relative position and size of the print block B may be changed. Either configuration may be adopted as appropriate.

A case where the latter configuration is employed will be described below. In this case, the correspondence correction unit 108 can correct the correspondence by executing at least one of moving and resizing the print block B on the display unit 801 (see FIG. 16).

For example, if the distance to the arbitrary point Ic is longer than the distance to the machining reference plane Rb, the arbitrary point Ic exists on the far plane Xf. Here, as illustrated in the lower part of FIG. 16, consider the case where the print block B is arranged inside the upper left corner of the captured image Pw in the print coordinate system.

When the arbitrary point Ic exists on the far plane Xf, in the camera coordinate system, the captured image Pw is zoomed down relative to the print coordinate system, and the print block B itself is neither resized nor moved. As a result, the print block B protrudes from the corner of the captured image Pw, and the print block B becomes relatively larger than the captured image Pw.

When the arbitrary point Ic exists on the far surface Xf, the correspondence correction unit 108 causes the print block B and the central portion Pc of the setting surface R4 to approach each other on the display unit 801, as illustrated in the lower part of FIG. , and the correspondence relationship is corrected so that the print block B becomes relatively small.

In this case, the correspondence is corrected by moving and resizing the print block B on the display unit 801 (the position and size of the print block B are changed on display). Specifically, the print block B is moved closer to the central portion Pc of the setting surface R4 and changed to a smaller size. Along with the movement and size change of the print block B, the print pattern Pm associated with the print block B is also moved and changed in size. The print block B' corrected in the camera coordinate system is arranged without protruding from the upper left corner of the captured image Pw, similarly to the print coordinate system.

On the other hand, when the distance to the arbitrary point Ic is shorter than the distance to the machining reference plane Rb, the arbitrary point Ic exists on the near plane Xn. As in the case of the far surface Xf, consider the case where the print block B is arranged inside the upper left corner of the captured image Pw in the print coordinate system (see the upper part of FIG. 16).

When the arbitrary point Ic exists on the near plane Xn, in the camera coordinate system, the picked-up image Pw is zoomed up relative to the print coordinate system, and the print block B itself is neither resized nor moved. As a result, the print block B relatively moves away from the corners of the captured image Pw and approaches the central portion Pc of the setting surface R4, and the print block B moves relative to the captured image Pw. significantly smaller.

When the arbitrary point Ic exists on the near plane Xn, the correspondence correcting unit 108 causes the print block B and the central portion Pc of the setting plane R4 to separate from each other on the display unit 801, as illustrated in the upper part of FIG. , and the correspondence relationship is corrected so that the print block B becomes relatively large.

In this case, the correspondence is corrected by moving and resizing the print block B on the display unit 801 . Specifically, the print block B is moved away from the central portion Pc of the setting surface R4 and changed to a larger size. Along with the movement and size change of the print block B, the print pattern Pm associated with the print block B is also moved and changed in size. The print block B' corrected in the camera coordinate system is arranged near the upper left corner of the captured image Pw, similarly to the print coordinate system.

On the other hand, when the distance to the arbitrary point Ic matches the distance to the machining reference plane Rb, the arbitrary point Ic exists on the center plane Xc. In this case, the correction as described above is unnecessary. Therefore, when the arbitrary point Ic exists on the center plane Xc, the correspondence correction unit 108 does not correct the correspondence (does not correct the correspondence).

-Specific example of angle of view correction process-
Next, a specific example of the field angle correction process will be described in detail. FIG. 17 is a flow chart showing a specific example of the angle of view correction process, FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining a calculation procedure in the angle of view correction process, and FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the display content. 20 is a diagram illustrating a work W having a plurality of print blocks B, and FIG. 21 is a diagram for explaining keystone correction.

The control process illustrated in FIG. 17 is executed, for example, during print setting. First, in step S101, the correspondence correction unit 108 selects a print block B to be corrected by the field angle correction process. In subsequent step S102, the correspondence correction unit 108 measures the distance to an arbitrary point Ic (in the example of FIG. 17, the center point of the print block B) in the print block B selected in step S101 through the distance measurement unit 103. The distance is measured, and the height of the workpiece W at that arbitrary point Ic is measured.

In subsequent step S103, the correspondence correction unit 108 calculates the amount of movement of the print block B based on the measured value (the measured value of the height of the workpiece W) obtained in step S102 and the height of the processing reference plane Rb. and its enlargement rate or reduction rate.

In this step S103, for example, the following processes can be executed.

First, the display size (the size displayed on the display unit 801) of the captured image Pw on the processing reference plane Rb (center plane Xc) is assumed to be _S0 , and the distance from the coaxial camera 6 or the wide-area camera 7 to the processing reference plane Rb is is d, and the amount of displacement from the machining reference plane Rb in the Z direction (height direction) is z (the height when the machining reference plane Rb is taken as the origin), the correspondence correction unit 108 can, for example, obtain the following formula ( Based on 1), the display size S(z) of the captured image Pw on a plane displaced by z in the height direction with respect to the processing reference plane Rb is calculated.

S(z)=S ₀ ×d/(d−z) (1)

For example, the display magnification is d/(d−Δz), which exceeds 1, on the near surface that is closer to the marker head 1 by +Δz (>0) than the machining reference surface Rb. In this case, the captured image Pw is enlarged on the display unit 801 .

On the other hand, the display magnification becomes d/(d+Δz), which is less than 1, on the far surface separated from the marker head 1 by −Δz (<0) compared to the processing reference surface Rb. In this case, the captured image Pw is reduced on the display unit 801 .

Next, assuming that the display position in the XY direction (horizontal direction) on the processing reference plane Rb is xy ₀ (the amount of displacement from the central portion Pc of the captured image Pw), the correspondence correction unit 108 can be expressed by, for example, the following formula (2) , the display position xy(z) in consideration of the spread of the angle of view on the plane displaced by z in the height direction with respect to the processing reference plane Rb is calculated.

xy(z)= _xy0 ×d/(d−z) (2)

For example, on the near surface that is closer to the marker head 1 by +Δz (>0) than the machining reference surface Rb, the display position difference Δxy can be given by the following equation (3).

Δxy=xy(+Δz)−xy(0)
= xy ₀ ×Δz/(d−Δz)
>0 (3)

As indicated by the sign of Δxy, the display position moves away from the central portion Pc of the captured image Pw on the near plane Xn.

Further, on the far surface spaced apart from the marker head 1 by -Δz (<0) compared to the machining reference surface Rb, the difference Δxy in the coordinate position can be given by the following equation (4).

Δxy=xy(−Δz)−xy(0)
= xy ₀ × (−Δz)/(d+Δz)
<0 (4)

As indicated by the sign of Δxy, on the far plane Xf, the display position moves closer to the central portion Pc of the captured image Pw.

In step S104 following step S103, the correspondence correction unit 108 corrects the correspondence on the display unit 801 using the movement amount calculated in step S103 and the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio, and controls the display. Through the unit 109 , the corrected correspondence is reflected in the display mode of the print block B on the display unit 801 . When the display mode of the print block B is corrected, the display mode of the corresponding print pattern Pm is also corrected.

By performing the field angle correction process, at least the corrected print block B' and the corrected print pattern Pm' are displayed on the display unit 801 as illustrated in FIG. The user can adjust the size, arrangement, etc. of the print block B' after correction while visually recognizing it.

In step S105 subsequent to step S104, the marker controller 100 determines whether or not the correspondence relating to all print blocks B has been corrected. return.

The content of correction of the correspondence relationship can be made different for each print block B. FIG. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 20, four print blocks B1, B2, B3, and B4 on one work W, and four print patterns Pm1, Pm2, Pm3, and Pm4 associated with each of the print blocks B1 to B4. , and are set. Note that FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a state after the field angle correction processing is performed.

In this case, the print block B2 is located closer to the near surface than the print block B1, the print block B3 is located closer to the near surface than the print block B2, and the print block B4 is located closer to the near surface. is positioned closer to the near surface than the print block B3.

Therefore, by performing the angle-of-view correction process, as illustrated in FIG. In the order of the print pattern Pm4), the print block B1 (print pattern Pm1), the print block B2 (print pattern Pm1), and the print block B2 (print Each print block B is gradually enlarged in the order of pattern Pm2), print block B3 (print pattern Pm3), and print block B4 (print pattern Pm4).

Further, for example, when the surface of the work W is inclined, trapezoidal correction may be performed for each print block B. FIG. In this case, for example, as shown in FIG. 21, the heights of the distance measurement positions I1, I2, I3, and I4 forming the four corners of the print block B are measured, and based on the measurement results, the distance measurement positions I1 to I4 are measured at the four corners. Keystone correction should be performed as follows. In this case, the distance measurement positions I1, I2, I3, and I4 are converted to correction positions I1', I2', I3', and I4', respectively.

As described above, the correspondence correction unit 108 according to the present disclosure determines at least one of the position and size of the print block B relative to the captured image Pw based on the measurement result of the distance measurement unit 103. Correct the correspondence.

By correcting such a correspondence relationship, when the print pattern Pm is formed on the work W having a predetermined height, that is, when the distance to the surface of the work W is not necessarily constant as illustrated in FIG. Even so, it is possible to reduce the deviation between the display mode of the print pattern Pm at the time of setting and the print pattern Pm to be actually processed, and thus to maintain high processing accuracy.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 16 and the like, the correspondence correction unit 108 corrects the correspondence according to the size relationship between the distance to the arbitrary point Ic and the distance to the machining reference plane Rb. This configuration is effective in correcting the correspondence relationship more appropriately, and by extension, in maintaining high machining accuracy.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 18 and the like, the correspondence correction unit 108 corrects the correspondence using the spread of the angle of view θv. This configuration is effective in correcting the correspondence relationship more appropriately, and by extension, in maintaining high machining accuracy.

Further, as illustrated in FIG. 16 and the like, the correspondence correction unit 108 corrects the correspondence by moving and resizing the print block B. FIG. With this configuration, even when a plurality of print blocks B are set on the setting surface R4, the correspondence relationship can be corrected for each print block B. FIG. This is effective in correcting the correspondence more appropriately, and by extension, in maintaining high machining accuracy.

<Another example of angle-of-view correction processing>
FIG. 22 is a diagram for explaining another example of the field angle correction process, and FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing another example of the field angle correction process.

In the above embodiment, the correspondence correction unit 108 is configured to correct the correspondence by executing at least one of moving and resizing the print block B on the display unit 801. The disclosure is not limited to this configuration. Instead of the print block B, the position and size of the captured image Pw may be changed.

That is, the correspondence correction unit 108 can also correct the above-described correspondence by executing at least one of moving and resizing the captured image Pw on the display unit 801 .

Here, consider an example in which the print block B is arranged inside the upper left corner of the captured image Pw in the print coordinate system. As illustrated in the lower part of FIG. 22, when the arbitrary point Ic exists on the far plane Xf, in the camera coordinate system, not only does the print block B protrude from the corner of the captured image Pw, As a result, the print block B becomes relatively large.

When the arbitrary point Ic exists on the far surface Xf, the correspondence correction unit 108 causes the print block B and the central portion Pc of the setting surface R4 to approach each other on the display unit 801, and the printing Correspondence is corrected so that block B is relatively small.

In this case, the correspondence is corrected by moving and resizing the captured image Pw on the display unit 801 . Specifically, the captured image Pw is stretched away from the central portion Pc of the setting plane R4. By extending the captured image Pw, the print block B is arranged without protruding from the upper left corner of the captured image Pw, as in the print coordinate system.

On the other hand, as exemplified in the upper part of FIG. 22, when the arbitrary point Ic exists on the far plane Xf, in the camera coordinate system, it is separated from the corner of the captured image Pw and approaches the center Pc of the setting plane R4. As shown, not only does the print block B move, but the print block B becomes relatively smaller than the captured image Pw.

When the arbitrary point Ic exists on the near plane Xn, the correspondence correction unit 108 separates the print block B from the central portion Pc of the setting plane R4 on the display unit 801 and performs printing, as in the above-described embodiment. Correspondence is corrected so that block B is relatively large.

In this case, the correspondence is corrected by moving and resizing the captured image Pw on the display unit 801 . Specifically, the captured image Pw is reduced toward the central portion Pc of the setting plane R4. By reducing the captured image Pw, the print block B is arranged near the upper left corner of the captured image Pw in the same manner as in the print coordinate system.

On the other hand, when the distance to the arbitrary point Ic matches the distance to the machining reference plane Rb, the arbitrary point Ic exists on the center plane Xc. In this case, the correspondence correction unit 108 does not correct the correspondence (does not correct the correspondence).

The control process illustrated in FIG. 22 is executed, for example, during print setting. First, in step S101', the correspondence correction unit 108 selects a print block B to be corrected by the view angle correction process, and sets the center of the selected print block B to an arbitrary point Ic. Correspondence correction section 108 then measures the height of arbitrary point Ic via distance measurement section 103 .

In subsequent step S102', the correspondence correction unit 108 corrects the captured image Pw based on the measured value (the measured value of the height of the workpiece W) obtained in step S101' and the height of the processing reference plane Rb. A movement amount and its enlargement rate or reduction rate are calculated.

In subsequent step S103′, the correspondence correction unit 108 corrects the correspondence on the display unit 801 using the movement amount calculated in step S102′ and the enlargement ratio or reduction ratio. 109, the corrected correspondence relationship is reflected in the display mode of the captured image Pw.

Here, when the coaxial camera 6 is used to generate the captured image Pw, the display control unit 109 scans the imaging optical axis A1 via the control unit 101 as a scanning control unit, and the coaxial camera 6 after scanning The generated captured image Pw is appropriately enlarged or reduced. On the other hand, when the wide-area camera 7 is used to generate the captured image Pw, the display control unit 109 appropriately enlarges or reduces the captured image Pw generated by the wide-area camera 7 .

Further, for example, when the surface of the work W is inclined, the captured image Pw as the background image may be subjected to trapezoidal correction.

As described above, in the example shown in FIG. 21 and the like, the correspondence correction unit 108 corrects the correspondence by moving and resizing the captured image Pw. Such a configuration is effective in correcting the correspondence relationship more appropriately and, by extension, in maintaining high machining accuracy.

In this embodiment, based on the result of measurement by the distance measurement unit 103, the correspondence relationship consisting of at least one of the relative position and size of the processing block (printing block B) with respect to the captured image Pw is corrected. However, in addition to preparing a first mode for performing such correction, a second mode for designating an actual size of a predetermined length (for example, 2 mm or 3 mm) is prepared, and these first mode and second mode are prepared. It may be configured to be user selectable. That is, the laser processing apparatus L may include a mode selection section that selects at least one of the first mode and the second mode based on the user's operation on the operation terminal 800 . When the second mode is selected by the mode selection section, the relative position and size of the processing block (printing block B) do not change according to the measurement result of the distance measurement section 103 . It should be noted that the processed blocks to be processed in the second mode may be limited to "character string" and "logo" only. Also, as a way to specify the actual size, in addition to directly entering the block size, you can specify various size parameters that lead to the specification of the actual size, such as the module width of the barcode, the cell size of the two-dimensional code, and the pixel resolution of the photo. be able to.

In other words, the second mode can also be called an appearance priority mode. The appearance priority mode satisfies the needs of users who want to determine the print size according to the margin size of the workpiece W, such as printing within a specific area or printing with the largest character string within a predetermined range. It is a thing. In the appearance priority mode, when the height of the work W is changed, the size of the processing block (printing block B) is also changed. That is, by reducing the size of the processing block (printing block B) by the amount corresponding to the increased height of the work W, the change in appearance is offset. More specifically, if the Z coordinate of a 5 mm wide working block is increased and appears 10% larger, the apparent size will change to 5 mm×1.1=5.5 mm. In order to return this to 5 mm, the size of the processing block is changed to 4.55 mm. As a result, the apparent size is 4.55 mm×1.1=5 mm. In this way, even if the height is changed after the alignment is performed, the visually aligned adjustment result is maintained.

1 marker head 2 laser light output section 3 laser light guide section 4 laser light scanning section 5 ranging unit 5A ranging light emitting section 5B ranging light receiving section 6 coaxial camera (imaging section)
7 Wide-area camera (imaging unit)
100 marker controller 101 control unit (scanning control unit)
102 condition setting storage unit (storage unit)
103 distance measuring unit 107 setting unit (processing block setting unit)
108 Correspondence correction unit 110 Excitation light generation unit 801 Display unit Pm Print pattern (processing pattern)
B Printing block (processing block)
Pw Captured image R1 Processing region R4 Setting plane Pc Center part Rb of setting plane Processing reference plane Ic Arbitrary point L Laser processing device S Laser processing system W Work (workpiece)

Claims (5)

an excitation light generator that generates excitation light;
a laser light output unit that generates laser light based on the excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit and that emits the laser light;
a laser beam scanning unit that irradiates a workpiece with a laser beam emitted from the laser beam output unit and performs two-dimensional scanning within a processing area set on the surface of the workpiece,
A laser processing apparatus that forms a predetermined processing pattern in the processing area by controlling the laser beam scanning unit,
an imaging unit configured to generate a captured image including at least part of the processing region by capturing an image of the workpiece;
a display unit that superimposes and displays the captured image on a setting surface associated with the processing area;
a processing block setting unit that sets a processing block indicating the position of the processing pattern on the setting surface so as to be superimposed on the captured image;
a distance measuring light emitting unit that emits distance measuring light for measuring the distance from the laser processing device to the surface of the workpiece toward the laser beam scanning unit;
a scanning control unit that controls the laser beam scanning unit so that the distance measuring light emitted from the distance measuring light emitting unit is irradiated to an arbitrary point within the processing area associated with the processing block;
a distance measuring light receiving unit that receives the distance measuring light that has been reflected at the arbitrary point and returned via the laser beam scanning unit;
a distance measuring unit that measures the distance from the laser processing device to the arbitrary point by a triangulation method based on the light receiving position of the distance measuring light in the distance measuring light receiving unit;
a correspondence relation correction unit that corrects a correspondence relation including at least one of relative position and size of the processing block with respect to the captured image on the display unit based on the measurement result of the distance measurement unit; A laser processing device comprising: In the laser processing apparatus according to claim 1,
The laser beam scanning unit scans a laser beam along a plane parallel to the processing reference plane based on position information based on the processing reference plane set at a predetermined distance from the laser light scanning unit. death,
The correspondence correction unit corrects the correspondence according to the magnitude relationship between the distance to the arbitrary point measured by the distance measurement unit and the distance to the machining reference plane. Laser processing equipment. In the laser processing apparatus according to claim 2,
The correspondence correction unit is
When the distance to the arbitrary point is longer than the distance to the machining reference plane, the machining block and the central portion of the setting plane are close to each other on the display unit, and the machining block is relatively Correcting the correspondence relationship so that it becomes smaller,
When the distance to the arbitrary point is shorter than the distance to the machining reference plane, the machining block is separated from the central portion of the setting plane on the display section, and the machining block is relatively A laser processing apparatus, wherein the correspondence relationship is corrected so as to increase. In the laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The laser processing apparatus, wherein the correspondence correction unit corrects the correspondence by executing at least one of movement and size change of the processing block on the display unit. In the laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The laser processing apparatus, wherein the correspondence correction unit corrects the correspondence by executing at least one of movement and size change of the captured image on the display unit.

Images