Electron beam current control device, control method and electron beam additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses an electron beam current control device, a control method and electron beam additive manufacturing equipment. A data processing module performs interpolation or nonlinear discrete processing on original coordinate data and original process parameters and then generates a digital control signal; the controller converts a digital control signal into an analog control signal to drive the high-voltage power supply to enable the electron gun to generate an electron beam and drive the magnetic field excitation module to generate a magnetic field, and the feedback module collects a first feedback signal from the magnetic field excitation module and generates a second feedback signal based on a temperature diagram of a machining area. The data processing module calibrates the digital control signal based on the feedback signal, so that the whole process of data processing, control and feedback adjustment is free of human intervention, the feedback calibration control signal can be quickly responded, and the control signal can be automatically calibrated according to the feedback of the magnetic field excitation module and the feedback of a temperature diagram of an electron beam processing area. The control precision of the electron beam is improved, and the additive manufacturing quality is further improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and in particular to an electron beam control device, control method, and electron beam additive manufacturing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Additive manufacturing technology, commonly known as 3D printing, is based on digital three-dimensional CAD models. It achieves rapid overall forming of parts by melting and stacking powder or filaments layer by layer.

[0003] In electron beam additive manufacturing equipment, electron beam control directly affects the melting, solidification, and microstructure transformation processes of materials, thereby affecting the performance and precision of the final product. Precise control of the electron beam is the key to achieving high-quality additive manufacturing.

[0004] Currently, in the operation of electron beam additive manufacturing equipment, technicians mainly rely on visual observation of the processing area to make judgments and analyses, and then manually adjust the signals used to control the electron beam. On the one hand, the electron beam is subject to manual adjustment and control, resulting in a delayed response; on the other hand, due to the influence of subjective human factors, the control precision of the electron beam is low, making it difficult to achieve high-quality additive manufacturing. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides an electron beam control device, control method, and electron beam additive manufacturing equipment to solve the problems of response lag and low control accuracy in manual electron beam control.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide an electron beam control device applied to an electron beam additive manufacturing equipment, comprising a data processing module, a controller, a high-voltage power supply, a magnetic field excitation module, and a feedback module, wherein the controller is connected to the data processing module, the high-voltage power supply, and the magnetic field excitation module respectively, and the feedback module is connected to the data processing module;

[0007] The data processing module is used to receive raw coordinate data and raw process parameters, and to generate digital control signals after interpolating or nonlinearly discretizing the raw coordinate data and raw process parameters and sending them to the controller.

[0008] The controller is used to convert the digital control signal into an analog control signal and then send it to the high-voltage power supply and the magnetic field excitation module;

[0009] The high-voltage power supply is used to drive the electron gun on the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment to generate an electron beam current according to the analog control signal.

[0010] The magnetic field excitation module is used to generate a magnetic field for controlling the electron beam based on the analog control signal;

[0011] The feedback module includes a magnetic field excitation feedback unit and a high-voltage power supply feedback unit. The magnetic field excitation feedback unit is used to acquire a first feedback signal from the magnetic field excitation module. The high-voltage power supply feedback unit specifically includes:

[0012] Industrial cameras or simulation applications are used to acquire initial images of the processing area using industrial cameras or to obtain simulation data by simulating the processing area using simulation applications.

[0013] A temperature map generation subunit is used to generate a temperature map based on the initial image or the simulation data;

[0014] The temperature map parsing subunit is used to extract pixel values ​​from the pixels in the temperature map;

[0015] A pixel mapping subunit is used to map the pixel value to a correction factor to obtain a second feedback signal;

[0016] The data processing module is used to calibrate the digital control signal based on the target feedback signal, which includes the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal.

[0017] Optionally, the feedback module further includes a feedback signal processing module:

[0018] An initial feedback signal table is generated using the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal;

[0019] The data in the initial feedback signal table are discretized to obtain the target feedback signal table;

[0020] The target feedback signal table is sent to the data processing module.

[0021] Optionally, the data processing module includes:

[0022] The raw data processing unit is used to perform interpolation or nonlinear discretization processing on the received raw coordinate data and raw process parameters to obtain the processed target coordinate data and target process parameters.

[0023] A digital signal conversion unit is used to convert the target coordinate data and target process parameters into voltage signals based on a preset data-to-signal conversion table;

[0024] The signal sorting unit is used to sort the converted voltage signals according to their time sequence to obtain digital control signals.

[0025] Optionally, the raw data processing unit is specifically used for:

[0026] The coordinate data is processed by interpolation according to a preset precision, or by nonlinear discretization according to dynamic precision, to obtain the processed target coordinate data.

[0027] Optionally, the digital signal conversion unit is specifically used for:

[0028] Determine the target value range of the coordinate values ​​in the target coordinate data and the process values ​​in the target process parameters in the data-signal conversion table;

[0029] Determine the target voltage value corresponding to the target value range in the data-to-signal conversion table;

[0030] The coordinate values ​​and process values ​​are converted into their respective target voltage values ​​to obtain voltage signals.

[0031] Optionally, the data processing module further includes a digital signal calibration unit for calibrating the digital control signal based on the target feedback signal table.

[0032] Optionally, the magnetic field excitation module includes a power amplifier and an inductive load;

[0033] The power amplifier is used to amplify the analog control signal output by the controller and then drive the inductive load;

[0034] The inductive load is used to generate a magnetic field under the drive of the amplified analog control signal.

[0035] Optionally, the inductive load includes multiple electromagnetic coils, and the magnetic field excitation feedback unit is specifically used to collect the current of the multiple electromagnetic coils as a first feedback signal through a current sensor.

[0036] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide an electron beam additive manufacturing apparatus, including an electron gun and an electron beam control device as described in any of the first aspects, wherein a high-voltage power supply in the electron beam control device is electrically connected to the electron gun.

[0037] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide an electron beam control method, applied to the electron beam control device described in any one of the first aspects, comprising:

[0038] Receive initial processing data, and generate digital control signals after preprocessing the initial processing data;

[0039] Convert the digital control signal into an analog control signal;

[0040] The electron gun on the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment is driven to generate an electron beam current according to the analog control signal, and the magnetic field excitation module is controlled to generate a magnetic field for controlling the electron beam current according to the analog control signal.

[0041] An initial image of the processing area is acquired by an industrial camera or simulation data is obtained by simulating the processing area using a simulation application. A temperature map is generated based on the initial image or the simulation data. Pixel values ​​are extracted from the pixels in the temperature map and mapped to a correction magnification to obtain a second feedback signal.

[0042] The digital control signal is calibrated based on the target feedback signal, which includes the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal.

[0043] The electron beam control device of this invention includes a data processing module, a controller, a high-voltage power supply, a magnetic field excitation module, and a feedback module. The data processing module interpolates or nonlinearly discretizes the original coordinate data and original process parameters to generate digital control signals. The controller converts the digital control signals into analog control signals. The high-voltage power supply drives the electron gun on the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment to generate an electron beam based on the analog control signals. The magnetic field excitation module generates a magnetic field to control the electron beam based on the analog control signals. The magnetic field excitation feedback unit in the feedback module acquires first feedback signals from the high-voltage power supply and the magnetic field excitation module. The high-voltage power supply feedback unit acquires an initial image of the processing area using an industrial camera or a simulation application. The system simulates the domain to obtain simulated data and generates a temperature map. The pixel values ​​are then mapped to a correction factor using the temperature map to obtain a second feedback signal. The data processing module calibrates the digital control signal based on the target feedback signal, which includes both the first and second feedback signals. When applied to electron beam additive manufacturing equipment, this device enables unmanned data processing, control, and feedback adjustment throughout the entire process. This avoids the problems of response lag and low control accuracy caused by manual observation and adjustment during the processing. It can quickly respond to feedback and rapidly calibrate the control signal. Furthermore, it can automatically calibrate the control signal based on feedback from the magnetic field excitation module and the temperature map of the electron beam processing area, thereby improving the control accuracy of the electron beam and ultimately enhancing the quality of additive manufacturing. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of an electron beam control device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2 A structural block diagram of an electron beam control device provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 3 A structural block diagram of an electron beam control device provided in another embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the electron beam control process of the electron beam control device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 5 This is a flowchart of an electron beam control method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0049] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present invention, and not all of the structures.

[0050] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of an electron beam control device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The electron beam control device in this embodiment is applied to an electron beam additive manufacturing equipment. The electron beam additive manufacturing equipment is an additive manufacturing equipment that uses a high-energy electron beam as a heat source to realize the construction of a three-dimensional solid by melting metal powder or wire layer by layer. In the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment, an electron beam is generated by supplying power to the electron gun through a high-voltage power supply and the electron beam is confined by a magnetic field.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the electron beam control device of this embodiment includes a data processing module, a controller, a high-voltage power supply, a magnetic field excitation module, and a feedback module. The controller is connected to the data processing module, the high-voltage power supply, and the magnetic field excitation module, respectively, and the feedback module is connected to the data processing module.

[0052] The data processing module receives raw coordinate data and raw process parameters, and performs interpolation or nonlinear discretization on the raw coordinate data and raw process parameters to generate digital control signals which are then sent to the controller. The raw coordinate data can be coordinate values ​​obtained after sampling the processing path, and the process parameters can include parameters such as electron beam switch status, processing speed, and power. After interpolation or nonlinear discretization on the raw coordinate data and raw process parameters, target coordinate data and target process parameters are obtained, making the coordinate values ​​and target process parameters in the target coordinate data smoother and more continuous. The target coordinate data and target process parameters are then compared with a preset table, and the coordinate values ​​and process parameters are converted into voltage values ​​to obtain voltage signals. These voltage signals are sorted according to the processing sequence to obtain digital control signals that the controller can process, which are then sent to the controller.

[0053] After receiving the digital control signal, the controller converts the digital control signal into an analog control signal through its internal digital-to-analog conversion logic and then sends it to the high-voltage power supply and magnetic field excitation module.

[0054] The high-voltage power supply provides high voltage to the electron gun in the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment. After receiving the analog control signal, the high-voltage power supply drives the electron gun in the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment to generate an electron beam current according to the analog control signal.

[0055] The magnetic field excitation module can be a module used to generate a magnetic field on an electron beam additive manufacturing equipment. For example, the magnetic field excitation module can include an electromagnetic coil that generates a magnetic field as an inductive load. After receiving an analog control signal, the magnetic field excitation module generates a magnetic field to control the electron beam, so that the electron beam can be deflected and focused under the action of the magnetic field.

[0056] The feedback module includes a magnetic field excitation feedback unit and a high-voltage power supply feedback unit. The magnetic field excitation feedback unit is used to acquire a first feedback signal from the magnetic field excitation module. For example, the magnetic field excitation feedback unit may include sensors for acquiring data such as current and voltage from the magnetic field excitation module; that is, the first feedback signal may be the acquired voltage or current signal. The high-voltage power supply feedback unit may include an industrial camera or simulation application, a temperature map generation subunit, a temperature map parsing subunit, and a pixel mapping subunit. The industrial camera or simulation application is used to acquire an initial image of the processing area using the industrial camera or to simulate the processing area using the simulation application to obtain simulated data. The temperature map generation subunit is used to generate a temperature map based on the initial image or simulated data. The temperature map parsing subunit is used to extract pixel values ​​from the pixels in the temperature map. The pixel mapping subunit is used to map the pixel values ​​to a correction factor to obtain a second feedback signal.

[0057] Specifically, an industrial-grade infrared camera can be used to acquire infrared images of the electron beam processing area in real time online as the initial image. After denoising and other processing, a temperature map is obtained from the initial image. In another embodiment, ambient temperature, humidity, and other data, high-voltage power supply power and other parameters, as well as the additive material and melting point parameters can be input into a simulation application. The simulation application can then simulate the temperature map at the current moment. Different pixel values ​​in the temperature map represent different temperature values. After obtaining the temperature map, pixel values ​​can be extracted from the pixels in the temperature map and mapped to a correction factor. This correction factor is used to correct the output voltage and current of the high-voltage power supply. For example, a mapping table of pixel value ranges to correction factors can be pre-configured, and the correction factor corresponding to different pixel values ​​can be determined through this mapping table as a second feedback signal.

[0058] The feedback module of this invention includes a magnetic field excitation feedback unit and a high-voltage power supply feedback unit. The magnetic field excitation feedback unit collects a first feedback signal from the magnetic field excitation module, and the high-voltage power supply feedback unit collects a second feedback signal from the high-voltage power supply. This enables feedback on both the generation and control processes of the electron beam, thereby improving the control accuracy of the electron beam.

[0059] After receiving a target feedback signal that includes a first feedback signal and a second feedback signal, the data processing module can calibrate the digital control signal based on the target feedback signal. For example, the data processing module can calculate the difference between the target feedback signal and the digital control signal output to the controller, and use the difference as input to perform PID control to calibrate the digital control signal through a PID control algorithm.

[0060] In the electron beam control device of this invention, the data processing module performs interpolation or nonlinear discretization processing on the original coordinate data and original process parameters to generate a digital control signal. The controller converts the digital control signal into an analog control signal. The high-voltage power supply drives the electron gun on the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment to generate an electron beam according to the analog control signal. The magnetic field excitation module generates a magnetic field to control the electron beam according to the analog control signal. The magnetic field excitation feedback unit in the feedback module collects the first feedback signal from the high-voltage power supply and the magnetic field excitation module. The high-voltage power supply feedback unit acquires an initial image of the processing area through an industrial camera or simulates the processing area through a simulation application to obtain simulation data and generate... The temperature map is further used to map pixel values ​​to a correction factor to obtain a second feedback signal. The data processing module calibrates the digital control signal based on the target feedback signal, which includes the first and second feedback signals. When this device is applied to electron beam additive manufacturing equipment, it can achieve unmanned data processing, control, and feedback adjustment throughout the entire process. This avoids the problems of response lag and low control accuracy caused by manual observation and adjustment of the processing process. It can quickly respond to feedback and calibrate the control signal rapidly. Furthermore, it can automatically calibrate the control signal based on the feedback from the magnetic field excitation module and the temperature map of the electron beam processing area, which can improve the control accuracy of the electron beam and thus improve the quality of additive manufacturing.

[0061] like Figure 2As shown, in an optional embodiment, the data processing module may include a raw data processing unit, a digital signal conversion unit, and a signal sorting unit. The raw data processing unit is used to perform interpolation processing on the coordinate data according to a preset precision, or to perform nonlinear discretization processing on the coordinate data according to dynamic precision, to obtain the processed target coordinate data. Specifically, the raw data processing unit is used to perform interpolation or nonlinear discretization processing on the received raw coordinate data and raw process parameters to obtain the processed target coordinate data and target process parameters. Taking coordinate data as an example, in one example, interpolation can be performed with a preset precision (e.g., 0.01 mm) to fill the gaps between data, making the coordinate data smoother and more continuous. For example, if two adjacent coordinate values ​​are received as [0, 1] and [1, 1], it means that a straight line segment is taken from position [0, 1] to position [1, 1]. After interpolation with a precision of 0.01 mm, multiple coordinate points are obtained as follows: [0, 1] [0.01, 1] [0.02, 1] [0.03, 1]... [0.99, 1] [1, 1]. In another example, the target coordinate data can be obtained by nonlinear discretization of the coordinate data with dynamically varying precision (e.g., within the range of 0.01-0.05 mm). For electron beam switching states, speed, and power, if the speed and power are variable, they can be processed using interpolation or nonlinear discretization methods; if the speed and power are constant, no processing is required.

[0062] The digital signal conversion unit (DSP) is used to convert target coordinate data and target process parameters into voltage signals based on a preset data-to-signal conversion table. Specifically, the DSP determines the target numerical range of the coordinate values ​​in the target coordinate data and the process values ​​in the target process parameters within the data-to-signal conversion table. It then determines the target voltage value corresponding to the target numerical range in the data-to-signal conversion table and converts the coordinate values ​​and process values ​​into their respective target voltage values ​​to obtain a voltage signal. The data-to-signal conversion table can include voltage values ​​corresponding to different coordinate values ​​and process parameters. Taking coordinate values ​​as an example, different coordinate ranges correspond to different voltage values. The DSP can determine the coordinate value range in which each coordinate value lies and convert it into the voltage value corresponding to that range to obtain a voltage signal. For example, the processed target coordinate data and target process parameters can be converted into a 0-10V digital voltage signal.

[0063] For example, for an electron beam additive manufacturing equipment, the processing range on its x, y, and z coordinates can be mapped to a voltage range of 0-10V, so that each coordinate value corresponds to a voltage value. Similarly, various processing parameters can also be mapped to a voltage range of 0-10V. Each coordinate value, processing parameter, and its corresponding voltage value can be written into a table to form a data-to-signal conversion table. Through this conversion table, different coordinates and processing parameters can be converted into voltage digital signals with different voltage values.

[0064] The signal sorting unit is used to sort the converted voltage signals according to the chronological order to obtain digital control signals. Specifically, the voltage digital signals can be sorted according to the processing order to obtain digital control signals that are output to the controller.

[0065] The data processing module of this embodiment may include a raw data processing unit, a digital signal conversion unit, and a signal sorting unit. The raw data processing unit can interpolate or discretize the initial processing data according to a preset precision to obtain smoother and more continuous target processing data, and convert the target processing data into digital control signals to ensure the accuracy of the control signals, thereby improving the precise control of the electron beam and improving the quality of additive manufacturing.

[0066] like Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment, the feedback module further includes a feedback signal processing module. This module generates an initial feedback signal table using a first feedback signal and a second feedback signal, discretizes the data in the initial feedback signal table to obtain a target feedback signal table, and sends the target feedback signal table to the data processing module. The data processing module also includes a digital signal calibration unit, which calibrates the digital control signal based on the target feedback signal table. The discretization process can refer to the discretization process of the initial processing data. When calibrating the digital control signal, the difference between the feedback signal and the digital control signal output to the controller can be calculated. A PID control algorithm is then used to apply this difference as input for PID control to calibrate the digital control signal.

[0067] like Figure 3As shown, in one optional embodiment, the magnetic field excitation module may include a power amplifier and an inductive load. The power amplifier amplifies the analog control signal output by the controller to drive the inductive load, which in turn generates a magnetic field under the amplified analog control signal. For example, the inductive load may include multiple electromagnetic coils for generating the magnetic field. For instance, to control the deflection of the electron beam in six degrees of freedom, the inductive load may include six electromagnetic coils. The power amplifier amplifies the analog signal output by the controller and outputs an excitation current (2A current) to each electromagnetic coil, causing the electromagnetic coils to generate a magnetic field to control the deflection and focusing of the electron beam generated by the electron gun.

[0068] The magnetic field excitation module in this embodiment includes a power amplifier and an inductive load. The power amplifier amplifies the analog control signal output by the controller, thereby reducing the output power of the controller.

[0069] In this embodiment, the inductive load may include multiple electromagnetic coils. The magnetic field excitation feedback unit is specifically used to collect the current of the multiple electromagnetic coils as a first feedback signal through a current sensor. For example, the magnetic field excitation feedback unit may include a current sensor for collecting the current of the electromagnetic coils, and the current is collected by the current sensor as the first feedback signal.

[0070] like Figure 4 The diagram illustrates the control process of the electron beam control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4In the process, coordinate values ​​and process parameters are input into a comparison table and then into data processing software. This software can be configured on the host computer or server of the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment. The software performs interpolation or nonlinear discretization on the input coordinate values ​​and process parameters. The processed data is then compared with the comparison table and converted into ordered digital control signals. These digital control signals are output to the controller, which converts them into analog control signals and outputs them to the power amplifier and high-voltage power supply. For example, the analog control signals may include analog signals used to excite the load to generate a magnetic field, and analog signals used to control the high-voltage power supply to power the electron gun to generate the electron beam current. The power amplifier amplifies the analog control signals into a 2A current to drive the load (6 electromagnetic coils) to generate a magnetic field and control the electron beam current. Sensors on the load collect the current from the 6 electromagnetic coils. The system obtains measured signals from six channels as feedback. Simultaneously, it uses simulation calculations or online monitoring by an industrial camera to obtain a temperature map of the electron beam processing area. After analyzing the temperature map and extracting pixel values, it converts the data to obtain a measured signal from one channel. The measured signals from the six channels and the measured signal from the one channel are used to generate a measured signal table with seven channels. This measured signal table includes the feedback values ​​(e.g., current) of the six electromagnetic coils in the load at each moment and the feedback value of the high-voltage power supply (e.g., correction factor). After discrete processing, the table is output to the data processing software. The data processing software uses the feedback values ​​as the actual output values ​​and compares them with the expected values ​​to calibrate the converted digital control signal. The calibrated digital control signal is then output to the controller, realizing data input, control, and feedback adjustment. This enables precise control of the electron beam current and improves the quality of additive manufacturing.

[0071] The present invention also provides an electron beam additive manufacturing apparatus, which includes an electron gun and an electron beam control device provided in any embodiment of the present invention, wherein the high-voltage power supply in the electron beam control device is electrically connected to the electron gun.

[0072] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an electron beam control method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. This electron beam control method is applicable to controlling the electron beam current in an electron beam additive manufacturing apparatus. The method can be executed by an electron beam control device, which can be configured within the electron beam additive manufacturing apparatus, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the electron beam control method of this embodiment of the invention may specifically include the following steps:

[0073] S501 receives the original coordinate data and original process parameters, and generates digital control signals after interpolating or nonlinearly discretizing the original coordinate data and original process parameters.

[0074] like Figure 1As shown, the electron beam control device of this embodiment includes a data processing module, a controller, a high-voltage power supply, a magnetic field excitation module, and a feedback module. The data processing module receives raw coordinate data and raw process parameters from a host computer or in response to user input. It then performs interpolation or nonlinear discretization on the raw coordinate data and raw process parameters to generate a digital control signal, which is sent to the controller. The raw coordinate data can be coordinate values ​​obtained by sampling the processing path. The process parameters can include parameters such as electron beam switch status, processing speed, and power. After interpolation or nonlinear discretization, target coordinate data and target process parameters are obtained, making the coordinate values ​​and target process parameters in the target coordinate data smoother and more continuous. Furthermore, the coordinate values ​​and target process parameters in the target coordinate data are compared with a preset table, and the coordinate values ​​and process parameters are converted into voltage values ​​to obtain a voltage signal. This voltage signal is sorted according to the processing sequence to obtain a digital control signal that the controller can process, which is then sent to the controller.

[0075] S502, converts digital control signals into analog control signals.

[0076] After receiving the digital control signal, the controller converts the digital control signal into an analog control signal through its internal digital-to-analog conversion logic and then sends it to the high-voltage power supply and magnetic field excitation module.

[0077] S503, drives the electron gun on the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment to generate an electron beam current according to the analog control signal, and controls the magnetic field excitation module to generate a magnetic field for controlling the electron beam current according to the analog control signal.

[0078] like Figure 1 As shown, the high-voltage power supply provides high voltage to the electron gun in the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment. After receiving the analog control signal, the high-voltage power supply drives the electron gun in the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment to generate an electron beam current according to the analog control signal.

[0079] The magnetic field excitation module can be a module used to generate a magnetic field on an electron beam additive manufacturing equipment. After receiving an analog control signal, the magnetic field excitation module is used to generate a magnetic field to control the electron beam current according to the analog control signal.

[0080] S504. Acquire the first feedback signal for the magnetic field excitation module.

[0081] like Figure 1 As shown, the feedback module includes a magnetic field excitation feedback unit, which is used to acquire a first feedback signal from the magnetic field excitation module. For example, the magnetic field excitation feedback unit may include a data sensor for acquiring current, voltage, and other data from the magnetic field excitation module, that is, the first feedback signal may be the acquired voltage or current signal.

[0082] S505: Acquire initial images of the processing area using an industrial camera or simulate the processing area using a simulation application to obtain simulation data. Generate a temperature map based on the initial image or simulation data. Extract pixel values ​​from the pixels in the temperature map and map the pixel values ​​to a correction magnification to obtain a second feedback signal.

[0083] like Figure 1 As shown, the feedback module includes a high-voltage power supply feedback unit, which may include an industrial camera or simulation application, a temperature map generation subunit, a temperature map parsing subunit, and a pixel mapping subunit. The industrial camera or simulation application is used to acquire an initial image of the processing area through the industrial camera or to simulate the processing area through the simulation application to obtain simulation data. The temperature map generation subunit is used to generate a temperature map based on the initial image or simulation data. The temperature map parsing subunit is used to extract pixel values ​​from the pixels in the temperature map. The pixel mapping subunit is used to map the pixel values ​​to a correction factor to obtain a second feedback signal.

[0084] Specifically, an industrial-grade infrared camera can be used to acquire infrared images of the electron beam processing area in real time online as the initial image. After denoising and other processing, a temperature map is obtained from the initial image. In another embodiment, ambient temperature, humidity, and other data, high-voltage power supply power and other parameters, as well as the additive material and melting point parameters can be input into a simulation application. The simulation application can then simulate the temperature map at the current moment. Different pixel values ​​in the temperature map represent different temperature values. After obtaining the temperature map, pixel values ​​can be extracted from the pixels in the temperature map and mapped to a correction factor. This correction factor is used to correct the output voltage and current of the high-voltage power supply. For example, a mapping table of pixel value ranges to correction factors can be pre-configured, and the correction factor corresponding to different pixel values ​​can be determined through this mapping table as a second feedback signal.

[0085] S506. The digital control signal is calibrated based on the target feedback signal, which includes a first feedback signal and a second feedback signal.

[0086] like Figure 2As shown, in one embodiment, the feedback module further includes a feedback signal processing module. This feedback signal processing module is used to generate an initial feedback signal table using a first feedback signal and a second feedback signal, and to discretize the data in the initial feedback signal table to obtain a target feedback signal table. The target feedback signal table is then sent to the data processing module. After receiving the target feedback signal, the data processing module can calibrate the digital control signal based on the feedback signal. For example, the data processing module can calculate the difference between the feedback signal and the digital control signal output to the controller, and use the difference as input to perform PID control through a PID control algorithm to calibrate the digital control signal.

[0087] It should be noted that, for the method embodiments, since they are basically similar to the electron beam control device embodiments, the description is relatively simple, and relevant parts can be referred to the description of the electron beam control device embodiments.

[0088] The electron beam control method provided in this embodiment of the invention is applied to the electron beam control device provided in this embodiment of the invention, so that the electron beam control method has corresponding beneficial effects.

[0089] Based on the above description of the implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present invention can be implemented using software and necessary general-purpose hardware, and of course, it can also be implemented using hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a computer floppy disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, hard disk, or optical disk, etc., including several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the electron beam control method described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0090] It is worth noting that in the embodiments of the electron beam control device described above, the various units and modules are divided according to functional logic, but are not limited to the above division, as long as the corresponding functions can be achieved; in addition, the specific names of each functional unit are only for easy differentiation and are not used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0091] Note that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and various obvious changes, readjustments, and substitutions can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present invention, the scope of which is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electron beam control device, characterized in that, An electron beam additive manufacturing equipment includes a data processing module, a controller, a high-voltage power supply, a magnetic field excitation module, and a feedback module. The controller is connected to the data processing module, the high-voltage power supply, and the magnetic field excitation module, respectively, and the feedback module is connected to the data processing module. The data processing module is used to receive raw coordinate data and raw process parameters, and to generate digital control signals after interpolating or nonlinearly discretizing the raw coordinate data and raw process parameters and sending them to the controller. The controller is used to convert the digital control signal into an analog control signal and then send it to the high-voltage power supply and the magnetic field excitation module; The high-voltage power supply is used to drive the electron gun on the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment to generate an electron beam current according to the analog control signal. The magnetic field excitation module is used to generate a magnetic field for controlling the electron beam based on the analog control signal; The feedback module includes a magnetic field excitation feedback unit and a high-voltage power supply feedback unit. The magnetic field excitation feedback unit is used to acquire a first feedback signal from the magnetic field excitation module. The high-voltage power supply feedback unit specifically includes: Industrial cameras or simulation applications are used to acquire initial images of the processing area using industrial cameras or to obtain simulation data by simulating the processing area using simulation applications. A temperature map generation subunit is used to generate a temperature map based on the initial image or the simulation data; The temperature map parsing subunit is used to extract pixel values ​​from the pixels in the temperature map; A pixel mapping subunit is used to map the pixel value to a correction factor to obtain a second feedback signal; The data processing module is used to calibrate the digital control signal based on the target feedback signal, which includes the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal.

2. The electron beam control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feedback module also includes a feedback signal processing module: An initial feedback signal table is generated using the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal; The data in the initial feedback signal table are discretized to obtain the target feedback signal table; The target feedback signal table is sent to the data processing module.

3. The electron beam control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The data processing module includes: The raw data processing unit is used to perform interpolation or nonlinear discretization processing on the received raw coordinate data and raw process parameters to obtain the processed target coordinate data and target process parameters. A digital signal conversion unit is used to convert the target coordinate data and target process parameters into voltage signals based on a preset data-to-signal conversion table; The signal sorting unit is used to sort the converted voltage signals according to their time sequence to obtain digital control signals.

4. The electron beam control device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The raw data processing unit is specifically used for: The coordinate data is processed by interpolation according to a preset precision, or by nonlinear discretization according to dynamic precision, to obtain the processed target coordinate data.

5. The electron beam control device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The digital signal conversion unit is specifically used for: Determine the target value range of the coordinate values ​​in the target coordinate data and the process values ​​in the target process parameters in the data-signal conversion table; Determine the target voltage value corresponding to the target value range in the data-to-signal conversion table; The coordinate values ​​and process values ​​are converted into their respective target voltage values ​​to obtain voltage signals.

6. The electron beam control device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The data processing module further includes a digital signal calibration unit, used to calibrate the digital control signal based on the target feedback signal table.

7. The electron beam control device according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The magnetic field excitation module includes a power amplifier and an inductive load; The power amplifier is used to amplify the analog control signal output by the controller and then drive the inductive load; The inductive load is used to generate a magnetic field under the drive of the amplified analog control signal.

8. The electron beam control device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The inductive load includes multiple electromagnetic coils, and the magnetic field excitation feedback unit is specifically used to collect the current of the multiple electromagnetic coils as a first feedback signal through a current sensor.

9. An electron beam additive manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that, It includes an electron gun and an electron beam control device as described in any one of claims 1-8, wherein a high-voltage power supply in the electron beam control device is electrically connected to the electron gun.

10. An electron beam control method, characterized in that, The electron beam control device according to any one of claims 1-8 comprises: The system receives raw coordinate data and raw process parameters, and generates digital control signals by interpolating or nonlinearly discretizing the raw coordinate data and raw process parameters. Convert the digital control signal into an analog control signal; The electron gun on the electron beam additive manufacturing equipment is driven to generate an electron beam current according to the analog control signal, and the magnetic field excitation module is controlled to generate a magnetic field for controlling the electron beam current according to the analog control signal. The first feedback signal is acquired by the magnetic field excitation module; An initial image of the processing area is acquired by an industrial camera or simulation data is obtained by simulating the processing area using a simulation application. A temperature map is generated based on the initial image or the simulation data. Pixel values ​​are extracted from the pixels in the temperature map and mapped to a correction magnification to obtain a second feedback signal. The digital control signal is calibrated based on the target feedback signal, which includes the first feedback signal and the second feedback signal.

Images