Control apparatus and laser oscillator equipped with the same

Abstract

To make it possible to downsize a backup capacitor.SOLUTION: An external communication IF unit 10 is provided with: a diode 18 provided in a power transmission path from an external power source 400 to a CPU 22 for flowing a current to the CPU 22 when power is supplied from the external power source 400 and for suppressing current flow from a backup capacitor 16 to the external power source 400 when power supply from the external power source 400 is stopped; a second FET 17 connected between the backup capacitor 16 and the CPU 22; and a second FET controller unit 25 for controlling on / off of the second FET 17.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a control device that saves data in a nonvolatile memory using power stored in a backup capacitor when power supply from a main power source is stopped, and a laser oscillator equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a control device that includes a nonvolatile memory, a backup capacitor, and a main control unit that saves data in the nonvolatile memory using the power stored in the backup capacitor when the power supply from the main power supply is stopped. In this control device, the output of the main power supply and the output of the backup capacitor are connected to the main control unit via an OR circuit made of diodes. This allows the power supply source to the main control unit to switch from the main power supply to the backup capacitor when the power supply from the main power supply is stopped. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-86448 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In Patent Document 1, when the power supply source to the main control unit is switched to the backup capacitor, a voltage drop occurs in the diode of the OR circuit, so the capacity of the backup capacitor must be set to be larger accordingly. This means that the backup capacitor becomes larger, which puts stricter restrictions on the installation space for other components within the control device.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and an object thereof is to make it possible to reduce the size of a backup capacitor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a first embodiment of the present disclosure is a control device comprising a non-volatile memory, a backup capacitor, and a main control unit that saves data in the non-volatile memory using the power stored in the backup capacitor when power supply from a main power source is stopped, and further comprising: a rectifier unit that is provided in a power transmission path from the main power source to the main control unit and allows current to flow toward the main control unit when power is being supplied from the main power source, but suppresses current from flowing from the backup capacitor toward the main power source when power supply from the main power source is stopped; a switch element connected between the backup capacitor and the main control unit; and a switch control unit that controls the on / off of the switch element.

[0007] As a result, when the power supply from the main power supply is stopped, power can be supplied to the main control unit from the backup capacitor by turning on the switch element in the switch control unit, so no voltage drop occurs due to the diode. Therefore, compared to when the output of the backup capacitor is connected to the main control unit via an OR circuit made up of diodes, the capacity of the backup capacitor can be set smaller, allowing the backup capacitor to be made smaller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, the backup capacitor can be made smaller. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a laser oscillator equipped with an external communication IF unit as a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of an external communication IF unit serving as a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The following description of preferred embodiments of the present invention is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its applications, or uses.

[0011] 1 shows a laser oscillator 100. The laser oscillator 100 includes an external communication IF (interface) unit 10 as a control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a system control unit 30, a laser power supply unit 40, a light emitting circuit 50, and a monitoring unit 60.

[0012] The external communication IF unit 10 transmits and receives information such as operation log data to and from the outside. The detailed configuration of the external communication IF unit 10 will be described later.

[0013] The system control unit 30 controls the operation of the laser oscillator based on a control signal from an external processing control device 200. For example, the system control unit 30 controls the start and stop of laser output. The system control unit 30 also controls the laser power supply unit 40 based on measurement values ​​output by a monitoring unit 60, which will be described later.

[0014] The laser power supply unit 40 uses AC from an external power supply 400 to supply current to the light-emitting circuit 50. The laser power supply unit 40 includes an inverter circuit having multiple switching elements. This inverter circuit starts operating under the control of the system control unit 30 and supplies current to the light-emitting circuit 50.

[0015] The light emitting circuit 50 includes a plurality of laser diodes through which the supply current flows. The laser light emitted by the light emitting circuit 50 passes through an optical fiber (not shown) and is emitted by the processing head 300.

[0016] The monitoring unit 60 measures the laser output of the light emitting circuit 50 and outputs the measured value.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the external communication IF unit 10 includes a switch 11, a first power supply (PS (Power Supply) 1) 12, a second power supply (PS2) 13, a first FET (Field Effect Transistor) 14, a resistor 15, a backup capacitor 16, a second FET 17 as a switch element, a diode 18 as a rectifier, a third power supply (PS3) 19, a voltage detection unit 20, a power outage detection unit 21, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 22 as a main control unit, a nonvolatile memory 23, a first FET control unit 24 as a transistor control unit, a second FET control unit 25 as a switch control unit, a communication circuit 26, and a fourth power supply (PS4) 27.

[0018] The first power supply 12 is connected to an external power supply 400 as a main power supply via a switch 11. The first power supply 12 is a power conversion device that outputs first DC power using AC power from the external power supply 400. The output voltage of the first power supply 12 is set to 12V.

[0019] The second power supply 13 outputs second DC power using the first DC power output by the first power supply 12. More specifically, the second power supply 13 is a step-down converter that outputs second DC power using the first DC power output by the first power supply 12. The output voltage of the second power supply 13 is set to 5V.

[0020] The first FET 14 is a semiconductor element, specifically a P-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). The drain of the first FET 14 is connected to the output of the second power supply 13. The first FET 14 is connected between the external power supply 400 and the backup capacitor 16.

[0021] One end of the resistor 15 is connected to the source of the first FET 14 .

[0022] One end of the backup capacitor 16 is connected to the other end of the resistor 15, and the other end of the backup capacitor 16 is grounded. A second power source 13 is connected to the backup capacitor 16 so that the backup capacitor 16 is charged using the second DC power.

[0023] The second FET 17 is also a semiconductor element, specifically a P-channel MOSFET. The source of the second FET 17 is connected to the one end of the backup capacitor 16. The second FET 17 is connected between the backup capacitor 16 and the CPU 22.

[0024] The diode 18 is provided in the power transmission path from the external power supply 400 to the CPU 22. The diode 18 allows current to flow toward the CPU 22 when power is being supplied from the external power supply 400, but suppresses current from flowing from the backup capacitor 16 to the external power supply 400 (second power supply 13) when power supply from the external power supply 400 is stopped. Specifically, the anode of the diode 18 is connected to the output of the second power supply 13, and the cathode of the diode 18 is connected to the drain of the second FET 17.

[0025] The third power supply 19 supplies power to the CPU 22 using the second DC power output by the second power supply 13. The third power supply 19 is a step-down converter that steps down the drain voltage of the second FET 17 and supplies the resulting voltage to the CPU 22. The output voltage of the third power supply 19 is set to 3.3V.

[0026] The voltage detection unit 20 detects the drain voltage of the second FET 17. When the second FET 17 is turned on, the drain voltage of the second FET 17 changes according to the voltage of the backup capacitor 16.

[0027] The power failure detection unit 21 detects an interruption in the power supply from the external power supply 400. The power failure detection unit 21 detects an interruption in the power supply from the external power supply 400 based on the input voltage of the first power supply 12.

[0028] When the power supply from the external power source 400 is stopped, the CPU 22 saves data in the nonvolatile memory 23 using the power stored in the backup capacitor 16 in response to the detection of the stoppage of the power supply by the power failure detection unit 21.

[0029] Furthermore, in response to detection of the stop of the power supply by the power failure detection unit 21, the CPU 22 stops the power supply operation from the fourth power supply 27 (described in detail later) to the communication circuit 26. Specifically, the CPU 22 stops the power supply operation from the fourth power supply 27 by turning off a switching element included in the fourth power supply 27.

[0030] Furthermore, the CPU 22 refers to the detection value of the voltage detection unit 20, and when the voltage of the backup capacitor 16 is less than a predetermined threshold voltage, stores predetermined stored information in the nonvolatile memory 23, and at the next startup, outputs predetermined output information to the output device 500 based on the stored information. In response, the output device 500 outputs a warning indicating deterioration of the backup capacitor 16.

[0031] Furthermore, during normal operation when the power supply from the external power source 400 is not stopped, the CPU 22 outputs information such as operation log data to the output device 500.

[0032] The first FET control unit 24 controls the on / off of the first FET 14 using the output voltage of the first power supply 12. The first FET control unit 24 turns on the first FET 14 when the output voltage of the first power supply 12 is equal to or higher than a predetermined reference value, and turns off the first FET 14 when the output voltage of the first power supply 12 is less than the predetermined reference value. The predetermined reference value is set to 7 to 10V.

[0033] The second FET control unit 25 controls the on / off of the second FET 17 by referring to the output voltage of the first power supply 12. The second FET control unit 25 turns off the second FET 17 when the output voltage of the first power supply 12 exceeds a predetermined value, and turns on the second FET 17 when the output voltage of the first power supply 12 is equal to or lower than the predetermined value. Therefore, when the power supply from the external power supply 400 is stopped, the second FET control unit 25 turns on the second FET 17 in response to the output voltage of the first power supply 12 becoming equal to or lower than the predetermined value. The predetermined value is set to 5 to 10 V.

[0034] The communication circuit 26 communicates with the outside of the external communication IF unit 10 using power supplied by a fourth power supply 27. The communication circuit 26 transmits data output from the CPU 22 to the outside of the external communication IF unit 10, and outputs data received from the outside of the external communication IF unit 10 to the CPU 22.

[0035] The fourth power supply 27 is a step-down converter that supplies power to the communication circuit 26 using the second DC power output by the second power supply 13. During normal operation when the power supply from the external power supply 400 is not stopped, the second DC power output by the second power supply 13 is sent to the fourth power supply 27 via the diode 18. At this time, the fourth power supply 27 steps down the cathode voltage of the diode 18 to 3.3 V and supplies it to the communication circuit 26.

[0036] The communication circuit 26 and the fourth power supply 27 constitute a power consumption circuit 28 that operates using the second DC power. When the CPU 22 stops the power supply operation of the fourth power supply 27 to the communication circuit 26, the operation of the power consumption circuit 28 stops.

[0037] In the external communication IF unit 10 configured as described above, when the switch 11 is turned on while there is no power outage, AC power is input from the external power source 400 to the first power source 12 via the switch 11. The first power source 12 uses this AC power to output first DC power. At this time, the output voltage of the first power source 12 is approximately 12 V. Then, the second power source 13 uses the first DC power output by the first power source 12 to output second DC power. The output voltage of the second power source 13 is approximately 5 V. At this time, the output voltage of the first power source 12 exceeds a predetermined reference value, so the first FET control unit 24 turns on the first FET 14. Also, because the output voltage of the first power source 12 exceeds a predetermined value, the second FET control unit 25 turns off the second FET 17. Therefore, current flows from the second power source 13 to the backup capacitor 16 via the first FET 14, and the backup capacitor 16 is charged to a predetermined voltage. Furthermore, power is supplied from the second power supply 13 to the third and fourth power supplies 19 and 27 via the diode 18. The third power supply 19 uses the power supplied from the second power supply 13 to supply power to the CPU 22. Furthermore, the fourth power supply 27 uses the power supplied from the second power supply 13 to supply power to the communication circuit 26.

[0038] In this state, if the power supply from the external power supply 400 is stopped, the power failure detection unit 21 detects the stop of the power supply from the external power supply 400. In response to the power failure detection unit 21 detecting the stop of the power supply from the external power supply 400, the CPU 22 stops the operation of the power consumption circuit 28. Specifically, the CPU 22 turns off the switching element included in the fourth power supply 27. As a result, the CPU 22 stops the operation of the power consumption circuit 28 before the output voltage of the first power supply 12 begins to decrease in response to the stop of the power supply from the external power supply 400. Therefore, the timing at which the CPU 22 stops the operation of the power consumption circuit 28 is before the output voltage of the second power supply 13 begins to decrease in response to the stop of the power supply from the external power supply 400.

[0039] Thereafter, the output voltage of the first power supply 12 falls below a predetermined reference value, and the first FET control unit 24 turns off the first FET 14. Furthermore, because the output voltage of the first power supply 12 falls below the predetermined value, the second FET control unit 25 turns on the second FET 17. This causes power to be supplied from the backup capacitor 16 to the third power supply 19 via the second FET 17. The third power supply 19 uses the power supplied from the backup capacitor 16 to supply power to the CPU 22. In response to the power outage detection unit 21 detecting the interruption of power supply from the external power supply 400, the CPU 22 saves data in the nonvolatile memory 23. At this time, the CPU 22 uses the power supplied by the third power supply 19, i.e., the power stored in the backup capacitor 16, to save the data in the nonvolatile memory 23. After the power supply from the external power supply 400 is stopped, the output voltage of the first power supply 12 drops, but the diode 18 prevents current from flowing from the backup capacitor 16 to the first power supply 12, i.e., the external power supply 400 side.

[0040] Thereafter, when data storage in the nonvolatile memory 23 is complete, the CPU 22 operates the second FET control unit 25 to turn off the second FET 17 and stop operation. If the voltage of the backup capacitor 16 has dropped below a predetermined threshold voltage at the time when data storage in the nonvolatile memory 23 is complete, the CPU 22 references the detection value of the voltage detection unit 20 and detects that the voltage of the backup capacitor 16 has dropped below the predetermined threshold voltage. The CPU 22 then stores predetermined storage information in the nonvolatile memory 23 and stops operation. Then, at the next startup, the CPU 22 outputs predetermined output information to the output device 500 based on this stored information. In response, the output device 500 outputs a warning indicating deterioration of the backup capacitor 16.

[0041] Therefore, according to this embodiment, when the power supply from the external power supply 400 is stopped, power can be supplied to the CPU 22 from the backup capacitor 16 by having the second FET control unit 25 turn on the second FET 17, so no voltage drop occurs due to a diode between the CPU 22 and the backup capacitor 16. Therefore, compared to the case in which the output of the backup capacitor 16 is connected to the CPU 22 via an OR circuit made up of a diode as in Patent Document 1, the capacitance of the backup capacitor 16 can be set smaller, and the backup capacitor 16 can be made smaller.

[0042] Furthermore, when the output voltage of the first power supply 12 is less than a predetermined reference value, the first FET control unit 24 turns off the first FET 14, thereby restricting current from flowing from the backup capacitor 16 to the first FET 14 when the CPU 22 is operated using power from the backup capacitor 16.

[0043] Furthermore, since the second FET control unit 25 controls the on / off of the second FET 14 by referring to the output voltage of the first power supply 12, it is possible to switch the power supply source to the CPU 22 from the external power supply 400 to the backup capacitor 16 immediately before the output voltage of the second power supply 13 drops. In this way, by referring to the output voltage of the first power supply 12, the capacity of the backup capacitor 16 can be set smaller than when the on / off of the second FET 14 is controlled by referring to the voltage on the external power supply 400 side.

[0044] Furthermore, the connection between the backup capacitor 16 and the CPU 22 is turned on and off by the second FET 17, so that it can be turned on and off more quickly than when a mechanical switch is used.

[0045] Furthermore, since the first FET 17 is provided between the second power supply 13 and the backup capacitor 16 instead of a diode, the voltage drop between the second power supply 13 and the backup capacitor 16 can be reduced.

[0046] Furthermore, since the timing at which the CPU 22 stops the operation of the power consumption circuit 28 when the power supply from the external power supply 400 is stopped is set to before the output voltages of the first and second power supplies 12, 13 start to decrease in response to the stop of the power supply from the external power supply 400, it is possible to reduce the power consumption from the stop of the power supply from the external power supply 400 until the output voltages of the first and second power supplies 12, 13 start to decrease. This makes it possible to lengthen the time from the stop of the power supply from the external power supply 400 until the output voltages of the first and second power supplies 12, 13 start to decrease. Therefore, the capacity of the backup capacitor 16 can be set small.

[0047] In the above embodiment, the diode 18 is provided as a rectifier in the power transmission path from the external power supply 400 to the CPU 22. However, a switch and a control unit may be provided as the rectifier. The control unit may control the switch so as to allow current to flow toward the CPU 22 when power is being supplied from the external power supply 400, and to suppress current from flowing from the backup capacitor 16 to the external power supply 400 (second power supply 13) when power supply from the external power supply 400 is stopped.

[0048] The functions of the first and second FETs 14 and 17 may also be realized by bipolar transistors.

[0049] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the communication circuit 26 and the fourth power supply 27 are the power consumption circuits 28, but any circuit having other functions may be used as the power consumption circuit as long as it consumes power.

[0050] In the above embodiment, the present invention is applied to the external communication IF unit 10 that communicates with the outside. However, the present invention can also be applied to control devices having other functions, as long as the control device stores data in a non-volatile memory using power stored in a backup capacitor when the power supply from the main power source is stopped. [Industrial Applicability]

[0051] The control device and laser oscillator equipped with the control device of the present disclosure are useful as a control device and a laser oscillator equipped with the control device that can reduce the size of the backup capacitor and that uses the power stored in the backup capacitor to save data in non-volatile memory when the power supply from the main power source is stopped. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 100 Laser Oscillator 12 First power supply 13 Second Power Source 14 First FET (Field Effect Transistor) 16 Backup capacitor 17 Second FET (switch element) 18 Diode (rectifier) 20 Voltage detection section 22 CPU (main control unit) 23 Non-volatile memory 24 First FET control section (transistor control section) 25 Second FET control section (switch control section) 28 Power consumption circuit 400 External power supply (main power supply) 500 output devices

Claims

1. a non-volatile memory; A backup capacitor; a main control unit that stores data in the nonvolatile memory using power stored in the backup capacitor when power supply from a main power source is stopped, a rectifier unit that is provided in a power transmission path from the main power supply to the main control unit, and that allows current to flow toward the main control unit when power is being supplied from the main power supply, and that suppresses current from flowing from the backup capacitor toward the main power supply when power supply from the main power supply is stopped; a switch element connected between the backup capacitor and the main control unit; The control device further comprises a switch control unit that controls the on / off of the switch element.

2. 2. The control device according to claim 1, a first power supply that outputs a first power using power from the main power supply; a second power supply that outputs second power using the first power and is connected to the backup capacitor so that the backup capacitor is charged using the second power; The control device is characterized in that the switch control unit turns on the switch element in response to the output voltage of the first power supply becoming equal to or lower than a predetermined value when the power supply from the main power supply is stopped.

3. 2. The control device according to claim 1, The control device is characterized in that the switch element is a semiconductor element.

4. 2. The control device according to claim 1, a field effect transistor connected between the main power supply and the backup capacitor; a transistor control unit that controls the on / off of the field effect transistor.

5. 5. The control device according to claim 4, a first power supply that outputs a first power using power from the main power supply; a second power supply that outputs second power using the first power and is connected to the backup capacitor so that the backup capacitor is charged using the second power; The control device is characterized in that the transistor control unit refers to the output voltage of the first power supply, and turns off the field effect transistor when the output voltage is less than a predetermined reference value.

6. 2. The control device according to claim 1, a power outage detection unit that detects an interruption of power supply from the main power source; a first power supply that outputs a first power using power from the main power supply; a second power supply that outputs second power using the first power and is connected to the backup capacitor so that the backup capacitor is charged using the second power; a power consumption circuit that operates using the second power, The control device, wherein the main control unit stops operation of the power consumption circuit in response to detection of an interruption in the power supply by the power failure detection unit.

7. 7. The control device according to claim 6, The control device according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit stops the operation of the power consumption circuit before the output voltage of the second power supply starts to decrease in response to the stop of the power supply.

8. 8. The control device according to claim 7, The control device according to claim 1, wherein the main control unit stops the operation of the power consumption circuit before the output voltage of the first power supply starts to decrease in response to the stop of the power supply.

9. 2. The control device according to claim 1, a voltage detection unit that detects a voltage that varies depending on the voltage of the backup capacitor; The control device is characterized in that the main control unit refers to the detection value of the voltage detection unit, and when the voltage of the backup capacitor is less than a predetermined threshold voltage, stores predetermined storage information in the nonvolatile memory, and outputs predetermined output information to an output device based on the stored information.

10. A laser oscillator comprising the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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