JP7623217B2 - Portable Laser Cleaning Device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a portable laser cleaning device that is suitable for cleaning stone, tiles, mortar, metal, and other materials found in existing buildings.

Portable laser cleaning devices are known in the art (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Compared with high-pressure hot water cleaning and blast cleaning, portable laser cleaning devices are less likely to scrape the front of the object, and are therefore particularly suited to historic buildings and other objects that require preservation. The laser light emitted from the irradiation gun reaches its highest energy at the focal point (corresponding to the distance from the irradiation gun to the object, which can be set arbitrarily) and reacts with the dirt on the surface of the object.

As a conventional technique related to the control of a laser cleaning device, a system for moving a laser head that emits laser light is known (see, for example, Patent Document 2). The system of Patent Document 2 is equipped with a movement mechanism that moves the laser head in a direction substantially horizontal and substantially perpendicular to the opening surface inside a substantially rectangular parallelepiped carrying case with one side open, and the laser head irradiates laser light while moving in the substantially horizontal and substantially perpendicular directions to peel and remove the coating on the surface of an object placed on the opening side. The laser head has an autofocus function and can measure the distance between the laser head and the object. A distance measurement sensor is attached to the laser head, and the distance measurement sensor is used to detect when the coating is removed and the surface of the object is exposed. In addition, a surveillance camera is installed inside the carrying case, and the surveillance camera is used to image-recognize the state of the coating peeling off the surface of the object, thereby optimizing the laser irradiation conditions.

JP 2002-301439 A JP 2020-40115 A

However, in the above-mentioned conventional portable laser cleaning device, as shown in FIG. 3, the irradiation gun 3 attached to the cable 2 extending from the device main body 1 is handheld for use, which causes the problem that the distance L to the object 4 is not constant. In addition, since the worker is required to wear protective glasses, it is difficult to grasp the distance L to the object 4. Since it is difficult to grasp the distance L, there is a risk that the same spot will be irradiated multiple times, resulting in spots on the surface of the object 4. For this reason, there has been a demand for technology that can clearly show the worker the distance L (focus length) between the irradiation gun 3 and the object 4 during irradiation work.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a portable laser cleaning device that can clearly show the operator the distance between the irradiation gun and the target object during irradiation work.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, the portable laser cleaning device of the present invention is a laser cleaning device equipped with a portable irradiation gun that emits a cleaning laser light for peeling off and cleaning off the deposits adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned, and irradiates the object to be cleaned with the emitted laser light, and is characterized by further comprising a distance measurement means for measuring the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned, a determination means for determining whether the measured distance coincides with a preset distance or is within a predetermined range, and an output means for outputting the determination result in a form that can be confirmed visually or audibly.

Another portable laser cleaning device according to the present invention is characterized in that in the above-mentioned invention, the output means is configured using at least one of a glasses-type, goggles-type, earphone-type, headphone-type or head-mounted wearable device, or a projection device that projects the determination result onto the surface of the object to be cleaned.

Another portable laser cleaning device according to the present invention is a laser cleaning device equipped with a portable irradiation gun that emits cleaning laser light for peeling off and cleaning off deposits adhering to the surface of an object to be cleaned, and irradiates the object to be cleaned with the emitted laser light, and is characterized by further comprising a distance measurement means for measuring the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned, a determination means for determining whether the measured distance matches a preset distance or is within a predetermined range, and a control means for controlling the irradiation gun to stop emitting the laser light when it is determined that the measured distance is not within the predetermined range.

The portable laser cleaning device according to the present invention is a laser cleaning device equipped with a portable irradiation gun that emits a cleaning laser light for peeling off and cleaning off the deposits adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned, and irradiates the object to be cleaned with the emitted laser light, and further includes a distance measuring means for measuring the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned, a determining means for determining whether the measured distance matches a preset distance or is within a predetermined range, and an output means for outputting the determination result in a form that can be confirmed visually or audibly, thereby providing the effect of easily indicating to the worker whether the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned is appropriate during the irradiation operation.

In addition, according to another portable laser cleaning device of the present invention, the output means is configured using at least one of a glasses-type, goggles-type, earphone-type, headphone-type, or head-mounted wearable device, or a projection device that projects the determination result onto the surface of the object to be cleaned, thereby providing the effect of being able to reliably inform the operator whether the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned is appropriate or not.

In addition, another portable laser cleaning device according to the present invention is a laser cleaning device equipped with a portable irradiation gun that emits cleaning laser light for peeling off and cleaning off deposits attached to the surface of an object to be cleaned, and irradiates the emitted laser light onto the object to be cleaned, and further includes a distance measurement means for measuring the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned, a determination means for determining whether the measured distance matches a preset distance or is within a predetermined range, and a control means for controlling the irradiation gun to stop emitting laser light when it is determined that the measured distance is not within the predetermined range, thereby making it possible to prevent excessive irradiation of laser light onto the object to be cleaned, and reducing spots that occur on the surface of the object to be cleaned.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a portable laser cleaning device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing a portable laser cleaning device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a conventional portable laser cleaning device.

Below, an embodiment of the portable laser cleaning device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the portable laser cleaning device 10 according to the first embodiment includes a device main body 12, an irradiation gun 14, a distance measurement means 16, a determination means 18, an output means 20, and a control means 22.

The irradiation gun 14 is a portable device that emits a cleaning laser light B for peeling off and cleaning off any attached matter adhering to the surface of the object to be cleaned S, and irradiates the emitted laser light B onto the object to be cleaned S. The irradiation gun 14 is connected to the device main body 12 via a cable 24. The characteristics of the laser light B emitted from the irradiation gun 14, such as the output, intensity, and irradiation area, are set to predetermined values in advance.

The distance measurement means 16 is for measuring the distance L between the irradiation gun 14 and the object to be cleaned S, and can be configured, for example, with a laser range finder. When configured with a laser range finder, it is desirable to install the distance measurement means 16 in the irradiation gun 14.

The determination means 18 determines whether the distance L measured by the distance measurement means 16 matches a preset distance or is within a predetermined range. In the example shown in the figure, the determination means 18 is mounted on the device body 12, but it may also be provided on the irradiation gun 14.

The output means 20 outputs the judgment result by the judgment means 18 in a form that can be confirmed visually or audibly. The output means 20 is configured using a projection device that projects the judgment result onto the surface of the cleaning object S in a form that can be confirmed visually. This projection device can be configured using, for example, a projector projection device that projects an image. By projecting and displaying an image representing the judgment result from the projector projection device onto the surface of the cleaning object S, the judgment result can be quickly and reliably notified to the worker who is performing the irradiation work while looking at the cleaning object S. As the image representing the judgment result, for example, an image such as a circle may be used when it is determined that the distance matches a preset distance, and an image such as a cross may be used when it is determined that the distance deviates from the preset distance. It is preferable that the projection device is fixed to the irradiation gun 14 in the same orientation as the irradiation gun 14 so that the projection device can project an image onto the part irradiated with the laser light B from the irradiation gun 14, but it may be installed in a location other than the irradiation gun 14.

The output means of the present invention is not limited to the projection device described above. The output means may be configured using a wearable device such as glasses, goggles, earphones, headphones, head-mounted devices, clothing devices, or mobile terminal devices, and the determination result may be output from the wearable device as an image, sound, vibration information, or the like. In this way, the determination result can be quickly and reliably notified to the worker who performs the irradiation work while wearing the device.

The control means 22 is for controlling the operation of the irradiation gun 14, the distance measurement means 16, the determination means 18, and the output means 20. In the example shown in the figure, the control means 22 is mounted on the device body 12, but may be provided on the irradiation gun 14. In this embodiment, the control means 22 sends the distance L measured by the distance measurement means 16 to the determination means 18, while acquiring the determination result from the determination means 18. Then, the control means 22 sets an image based on the acquired determination result, and controls the output means 20 to output the set image. For example, when the determination result is that the distance matches the preset distance, the control means 20 controls the output means 20 to output an image such as a circle, and when the determination result is that the distance deviates from the preset distance, the control means 20 controls the output means 20 to output an image such as an x.

The operation and function of the above configuration will now be described.
An operator holds the irradiation gun 14 in his/her hand and irradiates the laser light B onto the surface of the object S to be cleaned to perform the cleaning work. During this work, the distance L from the irradiation gun 14 to the object S to be cleaned is measured by the distance measuring means 16 at a predetermined time interval. The measurement result is sent to the judgment means 18 via the control means 22 and is used for judgment. If it is judged that the distance L matches the preset distance as a result of the judgment, an image such as a circle is output from the output means 20, and if it is judged that it deviates from the preset distance, an image such as a cross is output from the output means 20. The output image is projected in approximately the same direction as the emission direction of the irradiation gun 14, and is projected onto the irradiated part of the surface of the object S to be cleaned with the laser light B. The projected image such as a circle or a cross can be easily visually confirmed by the operator. If the visually confirmed image is a circle, it means that the distance L (focus length) between the irradiation gun 14 and the object S to be cleaned is appropriate, and if it is a cross, it means that the distance L (focus length) between the irradiation gun 14 and the object S to be cleaned is not appropriate. Therefore, the operator can be reliably informed as to whether or not the distance L (focus length) between the irradiation gun 14 and the object to be cleaned S is appropriate.

(Embodiment 2)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in FIG. 2, a portable laser cleaning device 100 according to the second embodiment is configured such that, instead of using the output means 20 in the first embodiment, a control means 22 controls the stopping of the irradiation gun 14.

The control means 22 controls the operation of the irradiation gun 14, the distance measurement means 16, and the determination means 18. In the illustrated example, the control means 22 is mounted on the device body 12, but may be provided on the irradiation gun 14. In this embodiment, the control means 22 sends the distance L measured by the distance measurement means 16 to the determination means 18, while acquiring a determination result from the determination means 18. Then, based on the acquired determination result, the control means 22 performs stop control to stop the emission of the laser light B from the irradiation gun 14. More specifically, when the determination means 18 determines that the measured distance L is not within a predetermined range (deviations), the control means 22 transmits a stop instruction signal to the irradiation gun 14 and performs control to stop the emission of the laser light from the irradiation gun 14.

The operation and function of the above configuration will now be described.
An operator holds the irradiation gun 14 in his/her hand and irradiates the surface of the object S to be cleaned with the laser light B to perform the cleaning work. During this work, the distance L from the irradiation gun 14 to the object S to be cleaned is measured at a predetermined time interval by the distance measuring means 16. The measurement result is sent to the judgment means 18 via the control means 22 and is used for judgment. If it is judged as a result of the judgment that the distance deviates from the set distance, the control means 22 sends a stop instruction signal to the irradiation gun 14 to stop the emission of the laser light B. In this way, when the distance L from the irradiation gun 14 to the object S to be cleaned deviates from the preset distance (focus length), the irradiation of the laser light B is stopped. Through the stop of the irradiation, it is possible to reliably inform the operator whether the distance L from the irradiation gun 14 to the object S to be cleaned is appropriate or not. In addition, it is possible to prevent excessive irradiation of the laser light to the object S to be cleaned. This makes it possible to reduce spots that occur on the surface of the object S to be cleaned.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment 1 or 2, and may be a combination of the above-mentioned embodiment 1 and 2. In other words, the configuration may include both the output means 20 and the control means 22 that stops and controls the laser light B emitted from the irradiation gun 14 under predetermined conditions. In this way, the operator can be reliably informed of whether the distance L (focus length) between the irradiation gun 14 and the object to be cleaned S is appropriate. In addition, it is possible to prevent excessive irradiation of the laser light to the object to be cleaned S, and to reduce spots that occur on the surface of the object to be cleaned S.

As described above, the portable laser cleaning device according to the present invention is a laser cleaning device equipped with a portable irradiation gun that emits cleaning laser light for peeling off and cleaning off deposits adhering to the surface of an object to be cleaned, and irradiates the object to be cleaned with the emitted laser light, and further includes a distance measurement means for measuring the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned, a determination means for determining whether the measured distance matches a preset distance or is within a predetermined range, and an output means for outputting the determination result in a form that can be confirmed visually or audibly, so that it is possible to easily indicate to an operator whether the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned is appropriate during the irradiation operation.

In addition, according to another portable laser cleaning device of the present invention, the output means is configured using at least one of a glasses-type, goggles-type, earphone-type, headphone-type, or head-mounted wearable device, or a projection device that projects the determination result onto the surface of the object to be cleaned, so that the operator can be reliably informed of whether the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned is appropriate.

According to another portable laser cleaning device of the present invention, the laser cleaning device is equipped with a portable irradiation gun that emits cleaning laser light to peel off and clean off deposits attached to the surface of the object to be cleaned, and irradiates the emitted laser light onto the object to be cleaned, and further includes a distance measurement means for measuring the distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned, a determination means for determining whether the measured distance matches a preset distance or is within a predetermined range, and a control means for controlling the irradiation gun to stop emitting laser light when it is determined that the measured distance is not within the predetermined range, thereby making it possible to prevent excessive irradiation of laser light onto the object to be cleaned and reduce spots that occur on the surface of the object to be cleaned.

As described above, the portable laser cleaning device of the present invention is useful as a laser cleaning device equipped with a portable irradiation gun, and is particularly suitable for clearly indicating to the operator the distance between the irradiation gun and the target object during irradiation work.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10, 100 Portable laser cleaning device 12 Device body 14 Irradiation gun 16 Distance measurement means 18 Determination means 20 Output means 22 Control means 24 Cable B Laser light L Distance S Object to be cleaned

Claims (2)

A laser cleaning device including a portable irradiation gun that emits a cleaning laser light for peeling and cleaning off a deposit adhering to a surface of an object to be cleaned and irradiates the emitted laser light onto the object to be cleaned,
The cleaning apparatus further includes a distance measuring means for measuring a distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned, a determining means for determining whether or not the measured distance coincides with a preset distance or is within a predetermined range, and an output means for outputting a result of the determination by the determining means in a form that can be visually or audibly confirmed ,
A portable laser cleaning device , wherein the output means is a wearable device such as glasses, goggles, earphones, headphones, or a head-mounted device . A laser cleaning device including a portable irradiation gun that emits a cleaning laser light for peeling and cleaning off a deposit adhering to a surface of an object to be cleaned and irradiates the emitted laser light onto the object to be cleaned,
The cleaning apparatus further includes a distance measuring means for measuring a distance between the irradiation gun and the object to be cleaned, a determining means for determining whether or not the measured distance coincides with a preset distance or is within a predetermined range, and an output means for outputting a result of the determination by the determining means in a form that can be visually or audibly confirmed ,
A portable laser cleaning device, wherein the output means is a projector that projects an image representing the result of the determination made by the determination means onto the surface of the object to be cleaned .

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