A light shutter and laser welding machine

Abstract

This application discloses an optical shutter and a laser welding machine. The optical shutter includes: a body having a mounting hole, an annular groove, and a drain outlet, wherein the annular groove is located on the wall of the mounting hole and communicates with the drain outlet; a heat dissipation pipe including an inner pipe and an outer pipe, wherein the inner pipe is located inside the outer pipe, the inner pipe and the outer pipe have a first gap for coolant flow, the lower end of the inner pipe extends out of the outer pipe, the outer circumferential surface of the inner pipe has an annular protrusion, the annular protrusion is sealed in the annular groove, and the lower end of the outer pipe is in contact with the outside of the body; wherein, the portion of the wall of the mounting hole above the annular groove has a second gap with the inner pipe, the second gap communicates with the first gap, and the protruding top of the annular protrusion is spaced apart from the bottom of the annular groove to form a drainage channel communicating with the drain outlet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of optical shutter technology, specifically relating to an optical shutter and a laser welding machine. Background Technology

[0002] In some continuous production lines, such as continuous annealing lines, the ends of the strip steel need to be welded before production can begin. Therefore, many production lines are equipped with laser welding machines to weld the ends of the strip steel using lasers. The laser welding machine has an internal shutter mechanism that controls the emission and cutoff of the laser.

[0003] The reflector in the shutter mechanism can rotate within the laser channel. When the reflector is parallel to the laser channel, the laser can be emitted within the laser channel. When the reflector is angled to the laser channel, it reflects the laser into the heat dissipation channel of the heat sink perpendicular to the laser channel, thus interrupting the laser emission. However, the laser reflection into the heat sink generates heat, so a circulating cooling water path is installed on the inner wall of the heat sink to cool it.

[0004] However, since the circulating cooling water path of the optical shutter is separated from the laser channel by only an ordinary sealing ring, when the sealing ring ages and leaks, the cooling water vapor will enter the laser channel. This water vapor will contaminate the deflection lens and focusing lens in the laser channel, causing the lens to break during operation and the laser power to be unstable when the equipment is welding strip steel. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problem of water leakage due to aging of the sealed cavity, which contaminates the deflection and focusing lenses in the laser channel, this application provides an optical shutter and a laser welding machine.

[0006] In a first aspect of this application, a light shutter is provided, comprising:

[0007] The body has a mounting hole, an annular groove and a drain outlet. The annular groove is located on the wall of the mounting hole and communicates with the drain outlet.

[0008] A heat dissipation pipe includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe. The inner pipe is located inside the outer pipe. The inner pipe and the outer pipe have a first gap for coolant to flow through. The lower end of the inner pipe extends out of the outer pipe. The outer circumferential surface of the inner pipe is provided with an annular protrusion. The annular protrusion is sealed in the annular groove. The lower end of the outer pipe is in contact with the outside of the body.

[0009] The portion of the mounting hole wall above the annular groove has a second gap with the inner tube, the second gap being connected to the first gap, and the convex top of the annular protrusion being spaced apart from the bottom of the annular groove to form a drainage channel connected to the drain outlet.

[0010] In some embodiments, the lower sidewall of the annular groove has a protrusion, and the lower sidewall of the protrusion has a groove, with the protrusion and the groove engaging.

[0011] In some embodiments, both the protrusion and the groove extend circumferentially along the inner tube.

[0012] In some embodiments, a sealing ring in a compressed state is provided between the upper sidewall of the annular groove and the upper sidewall of the annular protrusion.

[0013] In some embodiments, the upper sidewall of the annular groove is provided with a sealing groove, and the sealing ring is located in the sealing groove.

[0014] In some embodiments, the body includes a housing and a mounting component, the mounting component and the housing are respectively provided with through holes, the two through holes are coaxially connected to form the mounting hole, and the mounting component is connected to the housing;

[0015] The mounting component has an annular notch, and the inner wall of the notch and the housing together form the annular groove.

[0016] In some embodiments, the notch is formed on one side of the mounting member perpendicular to the axial direction of the laser channel, and the edge of the notch near the side of the mounting member perpendicular to the axial direction of the laser channel, the edge of the housing near the side of the mounting member perpendicular to the axial direction of the laser channel, and the annular protrusion together form the drain outlet.

[0017] The mounting component is provided with a connection part for connecting to the outer pipe, and the connection part is located above the drain outlet.

[0018] In some embodiments, two drain outlets are provided, and the two drain outlets are arranged opposite each other along the axial direction perpendicular to the laser channel of the body.

[0019] In some embodiments, the mounting hole is a two-stage stepped hole structure, and the two shoulders of the two-stage stepped hole structure abut against the lower end face of the inner tube and the lower side face of the annular protrusion, respectively.

[0020] The lower sidewall of the annular groove is coplanar with the lower shoulder of the two-stage stepped hole.

[0021] In a second aspect of this application, a laser welding machine is provided, including an optical shutter according to any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0022] The optical shutter provided according to the embodiments of this application includes a body and a heat dissipation pipe. The body is provided with a mounting hole, an annular groove, and a drain outlet. The annular groove is located in the wall of the mounting hole and communicates with the drain outlet. The heat dissipation pipe includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe. The inner pipe is located inside the outer pipe. The inner pipe and the outer pipe have a first gap for coolant to flow through. The lower end of the inner pipe extends out of the outer pipe. The outer circumferential surface of the inner pipe is provided with an annular protrusion. The annular protrusion is sealed in the annular groove. The lower end of the outer pipe is in contact with the outside of the body. The portion of the mounting hole wall located above the annular groove has a second gap with the inner pipe. The second gap communicates with the first gap. The protruding top of the annular protrusion and the bottom of the annular groove are distributed at intervals to form a drainage channel communicating with the drain outlet.

[0023] The inner and outer tubes have a first gap for coolant flow. The portion of the mounting hole wall above the annular groove has a second gap with the inner tube. The first and second gaps are connected, so the coolant moves downward from the first gap to the second gap and flows to the upper sidewall of the annular protrusion. When the seal between the annular protrusion and the annular groove ages, the coolant seeps between the upper sidewall of the annular groove and the upper sidewall of the annular protrusion and enters the gap between the top of the annular protrusion and the bottom of the annular groove, which is the drainage channel. Since the drainage channel and the drain outlet are connected, the coolant that seeps into the drainage channel can be discharged through the drain outlet and will not enter the laser channel, reducing the risk of contamination of the deflecting lens and the focusing lens. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure in which the inner tube of the heat dissipation pipe mates with the body is shown in the related technology.

[0025] Figure 2 An overall diagram of the shutter of this application is shown.

[0026] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 A top view of the shutter.

[0027] Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 CC section view.

[0028] Figure 5 It shows Figure 4 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0029] Figure 6 It shows Figure 2 The front view of the shutter.

[0030] Figure 7 It shows Figure 6 EE sectional view.

[0031] Figure 8 It shows Figure 7 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0032] Figure 9 It shows Figure 2 A magnified view of a portion of the image.

[0033] Figure 10 It shows Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of the main body.

[0034] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0035] 10-Body, 11-Housing, 111-Laser Channel, 12-Mounting Part, 121-Connecting Part, 13-Reflector, 14-Annular Groove, 15-Drainage Port, 16-Mounting Hole, 17-Protrusion, 18-First Shoulder, 19-Second Shoulder, 20-Heat Dissipation Pipe, 21-Inner Tube, 211-Annular Protrusion, 212-Protrusion, 22-Outer Tube, 301-Drainage Channel, 302-Drainage Port, 303-First Spacing, 304-Second Spacing, 305-Sealing Ring. Detailed Implementation

[0036] To enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] For related technologies, please refer to Figure 1 The shutter includes a body 10 and a heat sink 20. The body 10 is provided with a mounting hole 16. The heat sink 20 includes an inner tube 21 and an outer tube 22 spaced outside the inner tube 21. The outer periphery of the inner tube 21 is sealed to the mounting hole 16 of the body 10 only through a sealing ring 305. In the event of aging of the sealing ring 305, the coolant will also seep downward through the sealing ring 305 and enter the laser channel 111, contaminating the deflecting lens and the focusing lens.

[0038] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the first aspect of this application provides an optical shutter that can discharge the seeping cooling water outside the optical shutter and prevent it from entering the laser channel 111, thereby avoiding contamination of the deflection lens and the focusing lens.

[0039] This application is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments:

[0040] Please see Figures 2 to 10 The optical shutter provided in this application embodiment includes a body 10 and a heat dissipation pipe 20.

[0041] The main body 10 is provided with a mounting hole 16, an annular groove 14 and a drain outlet 15. The annular groove 14 is located on the wall of the mounting hole 16 and is connected to the drain outlet 15. The heat dissipation pipe 20 includes an inner pipe 21 and an outer pipe 22. The inner pipe 21 is located inside the outer pipe 22. The inner pipe 21 and the outer pipe 22 have a first gap 303 for coolant to flow through. The lower end of the inner pipe 21 extends out of the outer pipe 22. The outer circumferential surface of the inner pipe 21 is provided with an annular protrusion 211. The annular protrusion 211 is sealed in the annular groove 14. The lower end of the outer pipe 22 is in contact with the outside of the main body 10. The portion of the wall of the mounting hole 16 above the annular groove 14 has a second gap 304 with the inner pipe 21. The second gap 304 is connected to the first gap 303. The protruding top of the annular protrusion 211 is spaced apart from the bottom of the annular groove 14 to form a drainage channel 301 connected to the drain outlet 15.

[0042] Please see Figure 2 as well as Figure 4 The main body 10 is the main structure of the optical shutter. It has a laser channel 111 inside and a reflector 13 located in the laser channel 111 to realize the reflection and cutting of the laser. The main body 10 has a mounting hole 16, so that the heat sink 20 can be installed in the main body 10. When it is necessary to cut off the laser in the laser channel 111, the laser is reflected into the heat sink 20.

[0043] Please see Figure 5 The heat dissipation pipe 20 includes an inner pipe 21 and an outer pipe 22. The two pipes are arranged such that the space between the inner pipe 21 and the outer pipe 22 forms a space for cooling and airflow, thus dissipating heat from the heat dissipation pipe 20. The lower end of the outer pipe 22 is fitted against the outside of the body 10, and the lower end of the inner pipe 21 extends into the mounting hole 16, with its lower end annular protrusion 211 positioned within the annular groove 14 of the body 10. This allows for the installation of the heat dissipation pipe 20 with the body 10.

[0044] Please see Figure 5 The inner tube 21 and the outer tube 22 have a first gap 303 for coolant flow. The portion of the mounting hole 16 above the annular groove 14 has a second gap 304 with the inner tube 21. The first gap 303 and the second gap 304 are connected, so the coolant will move downward from the first gap 303 to the second gap 304 and flow to the upper side wall of the annular protrusion 211. When the annular protrusion 211 and the annular groove 14 are sealed and aged, the coolant will seep through the space between the upper side wall of the annular groove 14 and the upper side wall of the annular protrusion 211 and enter the gap between the top of the annular protrusion 211 and the bottom of the annular groove 14, that is, the drainage channel 301. Since the drainage channel 301 is connected to the drain outlet 15, the coolant that seeps into the drainage channel 301 can be discharged through the drain outlet 15 and will not enter the laser channel 111, reducing the risk of contamination of the deflecting lens and the focusing lens.

[0045] In some embodiments, the lower sidewall of the annular groove 14 is provided with a protrusion 17, and the lower sidewall of the protrusion 17 is provided with a groove. The protrusion 17 and the groove cooperate to prevent water in the drainage channel 301 from seeping along the lower sidewall of the annular groove 14, and also to prevent it from being irradiated by laser. In other embodiments, the lower sidewall of the annular groove 14 is provided with a groove, and the lower sidewall of the protrusion 17 is provided with a protrusion 17. The protrusion 17 and the groove cooperate to prevent it from being irradiated by laser.

[0046] In some embodiments, both the protrusion 17 and the groove extend circumferentially along the inner tube 21, which can more comprehensively reduce the seepage of water in the drainage channel 301 along the lower sidewall of the annular groove 14, and can further avoid the risk of the sealing ring 305 aging due to laser irradiation.

[0047] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 5 as well as Figure 8 A sealing ring 305 in a compressed state is provided between the upper sidewall of the annular groove 14 and the upper sidewall of the annular protrusion 211, thereby achieving a sealed connection between the annular groove 14 and the annular protrusion 211. In some embodiments, the upper sidewall of the annular groove 14 may be provided with a sealing groove, and the sealing ring 305 is located in the sealing groove to limit the sealing ring 305, improve sealing stability, and simplify installation. In other embodiments, the upper sidewall of the annular protrusion 211 may also be provided with a sealing groove, and the sealing ring 305 is located in the sealing groove, which can also limit the sealing ring 305 and improve sealing stability.

[0048] In practical implementation, the position of the sealing ring 305 corresponds to the position of the protrusion 17 along the radial direction of the heat dissipation pipe 20, with the sealing ring 305 positioned directly above the protrusion 17. This facilitates the arrangement of the protrusion 17 and the sealing ring 305, resulting in a more compact structure. In other implementations, the sealing ring 305 and the protrusion 17 can be staggered along the radial direction of the heat dissipation pipe 20, while still achieving the desired arrangement of the protrusion 17 and the sealing ring 305.

[0049] The main body 10 serves as the primary structure of the optical shutter. In some embodiments, please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 5 The main body 10 may include a housing 11 and a mounting member 12. The mounting member 12 and the housing 11 each have through holes, which are coaxially connected to form a mounting hole 16. The mounting member 12 is connected to the housing 11 and to the outer tube 22. The mounting member 12 has an annular notch, the inner wall of which, together with the housing 11, forms an annular groove 14 and a drain outlet 15. The main body 10 is configured as a split structure. The bottom and upper sidewall of the annular groove 14 are located on the mounting member 12, and the lower sidewall of the annular groove 14 is located on the housing 11. During installation, the annular protrusion 211 of the inner tube 21 can be placed on the housing 11 first, and then the housing 11 can be connected to the main body 10, thereby achieving the installation of the inner tube 21 and the main body 10.

[0050] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 8as well as Figure 9 A notch is formed on one side of the mounting member 12 perpendicular to the axial direction of the laser channel 111. The notch, the edge of the housing 11 near the mounting member 12 perpendicular to the axial direction of the laser channel 111, and the annular protrusion 211 together form a drain outlet 15. The drain outlet 15 is located on one radial side of the laser channel 111. The drain channel 301 is relatively short, making it easy to drain water. Furthermore, after the annular groove 14 and the annular protrusion 211 have been sealed and aged, it is convenient to observe the drainage situation. In some other embodiments, the drain outlet 15 communicating with the drain channel 301 can also be directly provided on the housing 11, which can also achieve the drainage function.

[0051] In some embodiments, two drain outlets 15 are provided, and the two drain outlets 15 are arranged opposite each other along the axial direction perpendicular to the laser channel 111 of the body 10. That is, the housing 11 is provided with two semi-annular grooves 14, and the two semi-annular grooves 14 are arranged opposite each other along the axial direction of the laser channel 111. The two ends of each semi-annular groove 14 are respectively opened to both sides of the body 10 along the axial direction perpendicular to the laser channel 111. This can further shorten the drainage channel 301 and observe the drainage situation earlier.

[0052] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 9 The mounting component 12 is provided with a connecting part 121 for connecting with the outer pipe 22. The connecting part 121 is located above the drain outlet 15. This achieves both the arrangement of the drain outlet 15 and the connection between the mounting component 12 and the outer pipe 22 without interference, resulting in a compact structure.

[0053] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 10 The mounting hole 16 can be a two-stage stepped hole structure. The two shoulders of the two-stage stepped hole structure abut against the lower end face of the inner tube 21 and the lower side of the annular protrusion 211, respectively. The lower side wall of the annular groove 14 is coplanar with the lower shoulder of the two-stage stepped hole.

[0054] Please continue reading. Figure 10 The two shoulders of the stepped hole are the first shoulder 18 and the second shoulder 19. The first shoulder 18 is higher than the second shoulder 19. The first shoulder 18 abuts against the lower side of the annular protrusion 211, and the second shoulder 19 abuts against the lower end face of the inner tube 21. In other words, the axial positioning and support of the inner tube 21 can be achieved through the two shoulders. The lower sidewall of the annular groove 14 is coplanar with the second shoulder 19, which reduces the machining difficulty.

[0055] Of course, in other embodiments, the liquid level on the lower side of the annular groove 14 can be higher than that on the second shoulder 19, which can also achieve the cooperation between the annular groove 14 and the annular protrusion 211 and guide the cooling water to seep into the drainage channel 301.

[0056] Other structures of the optical shutter are existing technologies, and more details can be found in existing technology disclosures. This application will not elaborate further.

[0057] Based on the same technical concept as the first aspect, the second aspect of this application provides a laser welding machine.

[0058] The laser welding machine provided in this application includes an optical shutter according to any embodiment of the first aspect. The laser welding machine can weld the tail of a previous coil of strip steel to the head of a subsequent coil of strip steel.

[0059] The optical shutter provided in this application embodiment has at least the following advantages:

[0060] (1) The structure of the annular protrusion 211 and the annular groove 14 is set, the annular protrusion 211 and the annular groove 14 are sealed and connected, and a drainage channel 301 with a width of 4mm and a drainage port 15 are set. In this way, water can be quickly discharged in the event of aging and water seepage in the sealing structure of the annular protrusion 211 and the annular groove 14, reducing the risk of cooling water entering the laser channel 111 and contaminating the deflecting lens and the focusing lens; and the inspector can more easily find equipment abnormalities in the daily equipment inspection work, so as to take handling measures.

[0061] (2) A groove and a protrusion 17 mechanical fit structure is designed between the laser channel 111 and the cooling water channel. This mechanical fit structure completely separates the water channel and the optical channel, reducing the risk of the sealing ring 305 set directly above being aged by laser irradiation.

[0062] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature being directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature being directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0063] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", and "counterclockwise" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0064] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "connection," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0065] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this application is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0066] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A light shutter, characterized in that, include: The body has a mounting hole, an annular groove and a drain outlet. The annular groove is located on the wall of the mounting hole and communicates with the drain outlet. A heat dissipation pipe includes an inner pipe and an outer pipe. The inner pipe is located inside the outer pipe. The inner pipe and the outer pipe have a first gap for coolant to flow through. The lower end of the inner pipe extends out of the outer pipe. The outer circumferential surface of the inner pipe is provided with an annular protrusion. The annular protrusion is sealed in the annular groove. The lower end of the outer pipe is in contact with the outside of the body. The portion of the mounting hole wall above the annular groove has a second gap with the inner tube, and the second gap communicates with the first gap. The convex top of the annular protrusion is spaced apart from the bottom of the annular groove to form a drainage channel communicating with the drain outlet.

2. The optical shutter according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower sidewall of the annular groove has a protrusion, and the lower sidewall of the protrusion has a groove, with the protrusion and the groove engaging.

3. The optical shutter according to claim 2, characterized in that, Both the protrusion and the groove extend circumferentially along the inner tube.

4. The optical shutter according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, A sealing ring in a compressed state is provided between the upper sidewall of the annular groove and the upper sidewall of the annular protrusion.

5. The optical shutter according to claim 4, characterized in that, The upper sidewall of the annular groove is provided with a sealing groove, and the sealing ring is located in the sealing groove.

6. The optical shutter according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The main body includes a housing and a mounting component. The mounting component and the housing are respectively provided with through holes. The two through holes are coaxially connected to form the mounting hole. The mounting component is connected to the housing. The mounting component has an annular notch, and the inner wall of the notch and the housing together form the annular groove.

7. The optical shutter according to claim 6, characterized in that, The notch is opened to the side of the mounting member perpendicular to the axial direction of the laser channel. The edge of the notch near the side of the mounting member perpendicular to the axial direction of the laser channel, the edge of the housing near the side of the mounting member perpendicular to the axial direction of the laser channel, and the annular protrusion together form the drain outlet. The mounting component is provided with a connection part for connecting to the outer pipe, and the connection part is located above the drain outlet.

8. The optical shutter according to claim 7, characterized in that, The drain outlet is provided in two parts, and the two drain outlets are arranged opposite each other along the axial direction of the laser channel perpendicular to the body.

9. The optical shutter according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The mounting hole is a two-stage stepped hole structure, and the two shoulders of the two-stage stepped hole structure abut against the lower end face of the inner tube and the lower side face of the annular protrusion, respectively. The lower sidewall of the annular groove is coplanar with the lower shoulder of the two-stage stepped hole.

10. A laser welding machine, characterized in that, The optical shutter includes any one of claims 1-9.

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