Laser Printer

Abstract

This improves user convenience for laser printing devices. [Solution] The laser printing device L comprises a printing controller 100 that executes printing processing to form a predetermined printing pattern Pm within a printing area R1, and pre- and post-printing processing that occurs before and after the printing processing, a memory unit 303 that stores order information Io, a workflow editing unit 304c that edits a workflow Wf that defines a series of processes including the printing processing, and a reception unit 304g that accepts selection of pre- and post-printing processing to be included in the workflow Wf in accordance with user input from the pre- and post-printing processing displayed on the display unit 301, the workflow editing unit 304c adds the pre- and post-printing processing selected by the reception unit 304g to the workflow Wf in an order that corresponds to the order information Io stored in the memory unit 303, and the printing controller 100 executes the printing processing and pre- and post-printing processing in accordance with the order defined by the edited workflow Wf.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a laser printing device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a laser processing system equipped with a laser marker as a laser marking device. Specifically, the laser processing system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a camera that captures an image of a shooting area that is smaller than the processing area consisting of an area that can be irradiated with laser light. This camera has an imaging optical axis (light receiving axis) branched from the laser optical axis (laser light emission axis), and captures an image of a designated shooting position within the processing area.

[0003] The laser processing system according to Patent Document 1 is configured to calculate errors in the position and posture of the workpiece based on images taken within the processing area.

[0004] Meanwhile, Patent Document 2 discloses a laser marker as an example of a laser processing device. Specifically, the laser marker disclosed in Patent Document 2 includes a distance measurement light emitting unit that emits distance measurement light, a light receiving element that receives the distance measurement light reflected by a workpiece (item to be processed), and a distance measurement unit that measures the distance from the laser marker to the surface of the workpiece (item to be processed) based on the light receiving position of the distance measurement light on the light receiving element. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-143785 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-104156 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, as described in the above-mentioned Patent Documents 1 and 2, it is possible to calculate errors in the position and posture of a workpiece and measure the distance to the surface of the workpiece before and after irradiation of the workpiece with laser light. These calculations and measurements can be utilized in various processes before and after the printing process when various markings are performed with laser light (hereinafter referred to as "printing process").

[0007] When multiple processes are performed, it is convenient to set the execution order of each process and execute each process according to that setting. However, in the past, it was considered necessary to understand the role of each process in order to set the execution order appropriately. This requires the user to have knowledge of the role of each process, which is inconvenient from the perspective of user convenience.

[0008] Furthermore, even if a user has knowledge of each process, it is time-consuming to set the execution order while taking that knowledge into account, which is still inconvenient from the perspective of user convenience.

[0009] The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object to improve the user convenience of laser printing devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a laser marking device comprising: a laser light generating unit that generates a laser light to be irradiated onto a marking area of ​​a workpiece; a laser light scanning unit that two-dimensionally scans the laser light generated by the laser light generating unit within the marking area; an imaging unit that captures an image of the workpiece to obtain a captured image; a distance detecting unit that outputs a detection signal indicating the distance to a distance measuring position that indicates a position on the surface of the workpiece to measure the distance; and a control unit that performs pre- and post-printing processing by controlling the laser light generating unit and the laser light scanning unit to perform a printing process that forms a predetermined print pattern within the print area, and by controlling at least one of the imaging unit and the distance detecting unit to perform a pre-printing process that acquires information regarding at least one of the position and posture of the workpiece before the printing process, and a post-printing process that acquires information regarding the print pattern formed by the printing process after the printing process by controlling at least one of the imaging unit and the distance measuring unit.

[0011] and a workflow editing unit that edits a workflow that specifies a series of processes, including the printing process, that are executed by the control unit from the time the trigger signal is input to the trigger signal receiving unit until the control unit transitions to a state where it is again able to receive input of a trigger signal. A display unit that displays the pre- and post-printing processes stored in the order information storage unit and associated with the order information. A reception unit that receives selection of the pre- and post-printing processes to be included in the workflow from the pre- and post-printing processes displayed on the display unit in accordance with a user input. The workflow editing unit adds the pre- and post-printing processes selected by the reception unit to the workflow that includes the printing process in an order that corresponds to the pre- and post-printing processes and that is based on the order information stored in the order information storage unit. The control unit executes the printing process and the pre- and post-printing processes in accordance with the order specified by the workflow to which the pre- and post-printing processes have been added by the workflow editing unit.

[0012] According to the first aspect, the workflow editing unit edits a workflow that defines a series of processes including a print process based on user input. During the editing, the workflow editing unit adds the pre- and post-printing processes selected by the reception unit to the workflow in an order that corresponds to pre-stored order information.

[0013] With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately set a workflow that specifies the execution order of each process and execute each process according to that setting, without requiring knowledge of the role of each process. Furthermore, even if a user has knowledge of the role of each process, it is possible to quickly set a workflow without having to make decisions based on that knowledge one by one. Therefore, the configuration according to the first aspect can improve the user convenience of the laser printing device.

[0014] Furthermore, according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the distance detection unit may detect a receiving position of the distance measurement light emitted via the laser light scanning unit toward the distance measurement position and reflected at the distance measurement position, and output a detection signal indicating the distance to the distance measurement position based on the receiving position.

[0015] According to the second aspect, by configuring the distance measurement light to be emitted via the laser light scanning unit, the irradiation position of the distance measurement light can be changed with high precision, which is advantageous in improving the user convenience of the laser printing device.

[0016] Furthermore, according to a third aspect of the present disclosure, the display unit displays a setting screen corresponding to the printing area, and also displays the captured image generated by the imaging unit on the setting screen, and the laser printing device further includes a print setting unit that sets the position and orientation of the print pattern to be printed on the workpiece on the setting screen displayed on the display unit, a print data generation unit that generates print data corresponding to the print pattern set by the print setting unit, and a focus adjustment unit that is interposed between the laser light generation unit and the laser light scanning unit and adjusts the focal position of the laser light generated by the laser light generation unit, and the pre-printing process includes adjusting the position and orientation of the workpiece relative to the laser printing device based on the captured image acquired via the imaging unit. and, based on the determination result, correcting the print data so that the position and posture of the print pattern are corrected in accordance with the position and posture of the work; a second pre-printing process determining the position and posture of the work relative to the laser printing device based on the captured image acquired via the imaging unit and, based on the determination result, deciding whether or not to perform the printing process on the work; a third pre-printing process adjusting the focus position via the focus adjustment unit based on the distance to the ranging position acquired via the distance detection unit; and a fourth pre-printing process determining whether or not to perform the printing process on the work based on the distance to the ranging position acquired via the distance detection unit.

[0017] According to the third aspect, the pre-printing process may include multiple processes that combine the image capture unit and the distance detection unit. Forcing the user to set the execution order of such processes is inconvenient in terms of user convenience.

[0018] The third aspect contributes to improving user convenience because, even if the pre-printing process may include multiple processes, each process can be executed in the appropriate order regardless of the user's level of knowledge.

[0019] Furthermore, according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, when the reception unit receives selection of both the first and second pre-printing processes, the workflow editing unit may selectively add one of the first and second pre-printing processes to the workflow.

[0020] The first pre-printing process and the second pre-printing process have many of the same settings and processes, and it is believed that there are virtually no situations in which they are used together. The first pre-printing process performs more advanced processing, such as correcting print data, but it also has settings that require prior knowledge, so it is not necessarily easy to use for inexperienced users. The second pre-printing process does not perform as advanced processing as the first pre-printing process, but it is easy to use even for inexperienced users.

[0021] Therefore, the workflow editing section according to the fourth aspect adds only one of the processes to the workflow when it is not expected that both processes will be used together, thereby enabling the creation of a more appropriate workflow.

[0022] Furthermore, according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, when the reception unit receives selection of both the third and fourth pre-printing processes, the workflow editing unit may selectively add one of the third and fourth pre-printing processes to the workflow.

[0023] The third pre-printing process and the fourth pre-printing process overlap in many of their settings and processes, and it is believed that they are not used together in practice. The third pre-printing process performs more advanced processing, such as correcting print data, but it also has settings that require prior knowledge, so it is not necessarily easy to use for inexperienced users. The fourth pre-printing process does not perform as advanced processing as the third pre-printing process, but it can be easily used even by inexperienced users.

[0024] Therefore, the workflow editing section according to the fifth aspect adds only one of the processes to the workflow when it is not expected that both processes will be used together, thereby enabling the creation of a more appropriate workflow.

[0025] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, the order information may be configured to specify that the first or second pre-printing process is performed before the third or fourth pre-printing process.

[0026] According to the sixth aspect, the laser marking device determines the position and orientation of the workpiece through the first or second pre-printing process, and then executes the third or fourth pre-printing process after the determination result. By executing each process in this order, it becomes possible to adjust the distance measurement position according to the position and orientation of the workpiece. This makes it possible to use a more appropriate distance measurement position.

[0027] Furthermore, according to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, when the workflow specifies that the third pre-printing process is to be executed following the first pre-printing process, the control unit may correct the ranging position based on the position and posture of the work determined by the first pre-printing process, and execute the third pre-printing process based on the corrected ranging position.

[0028] According to the seventh aspect, when the third pre-printing process is performed following the first pre-printing process, the focal position can be corrected based on the measurement result for the corrected distance measurement position after the distance measurement position has been corrected using the results of the first pre-printing process. This makes it possible to adjust the focal position after correcting the measurement position in consideration of the positional deviation of the workpiece, and maintain high printing accuracy even if the workpiece is misaligned.

[0029] Setting up a workflow that reflects such a processing order is not necessarily easy, but by configuring the execution order to be automatically arranged according to the sequence information as in this embodiment, user convenience can be improved.

[0030] Furthermore, according to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, at least one of the pre-printing process and the post-printing process may further include a maintenance process in which the control unit controls the distance detection unit to obtain maintenance information for the laser printing device, and the sequence information may be specified to also include the order in which the maintenance processes are to be performed.

[0031] The maintenance process involves controlling the imaging unit and the distance detection unit. Therefore, it is considered that there is an appropriate execution order for the first to fourth pre-printing processes. However, it is not easy for an inexperienced user to set the appropriate execution order.

[0032] In contrast, according to the eighth aspect, the order information is specified to include the execution order of the maintenance processes, which makes it possible to automatically specify the execution order of the maintenance processes when editing a workflow, thereby improving user convenience.

[0033] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, the distance detection unit includes an emission unit that emits the distance measurement light toward the laser light scanning unit, and a light receiving unit that receives the distance measurement light emitted from the emission unit and reflected by the work via the laser light scanning unit, and the laser printing device includes a housing that incorporates the laser light generation unit and the laser light scanning unit, a transparent member that is provided in the housing and through which the laser light scanned two-dimensionally by the laser light scanning unit passes, and a window inspection unit that detects and outputs dirt on the transparent member as the maintenance information by identifying distance measurement light that is caused by light reflected by the transparent member among the distance measurement light received by the light receiving unit, and the pre-printing process may include the maintenance process, and the order information may be specified so that the maintenance process is performed before the first to fourth pre-printing processes.

[0034] According to the ninth aspect, when the laser marking device marks a workpiece, the laser light emitted from the laser light generating unit is irradiated onto the workpiece via the laser light scanning unit and the transparent member. By scanning the laser light irradiated onto the workpiece, it is possible to mark the workpiece.

[0035] Here, if dirt is attached to the transparent member, the light receiving unit, which should normally receive only the distance measuring light reflected by the workpiece, will receive the distance measuring light reflected by the transparent member instead of, or in addition to, the distance measuring light.

[0036] Here, the distance to the transparent member does not change regardless of the type of workpiece, so the light receiving position due to contamination on the transparent member can be estimated in advance.

[0037] Therefore, for example, by taking into consideration the location of each light receiving position, the window inspection unit can identify the distance measurement light received by the distance measurement light receiving unit that is due to light reflected by the transparent member, thereby enabling the window inspection unit to detect dirt on the transparent member.

[0038] Dirt on the transparent member is inconvenient for processes such as the first to fourth pre-printing processes, which require the passage of distance measurement light, imaging light, etc. through the transparent member. Therefore, by configuring the maintenance process to occur before the first to fourth pre-printing processes, it becomes possible to stop operation of the laser marking device early if an abnormality or signs of an abnormality are found in the maintenance information. This is advantageous for improving user convenience.

[0039] Furthermore, according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, the post-printing process may include an inspection process for inspecting the work on which the printing pattern has been printed by the printing process based on the captured image acquired via the imaging unit, and the sequence information may be specified so that the maintenance process is performed after the inspection process.

[0040] Since the maintenance process corresponds to a process for inspecting the condition of the laser marking device itself, it can be carried out smoothly even if the workpiece after marking is separated from the laser marking device. On the other hand, since the inspection process requires imaging the workpiece, it cannot be carried out once the workpiece after marking is separated from the laser marking device. Therefore, it is convenient to carry out the maintenance process after the inspection process.

[0041] On the other hand, for a user who is unfamiliar with the maintenance process, it is not necessarily easy to configure the system so that the maintenance process is performed after the inspection process.

[0042] In contrast, by defining the order information so that the maintenance process is executed after the inspection process, as in the tenth aspect, even an inexperienced user can create a more appropriate workflow, which is advantageous in improving user convenience.

[0043] Furthermore, according to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, the display unit may display a flow display area that visualizes and displays the structure of the workflow while reflecting the execution order of the pre- and post-printing processes for the printing process, and a flow selection area that is displayed independently of the flow display area, displays a list of the pre- and post-printing processes, and accepts user input for selecting the pre- and post-printing processes.

[0044] According to the eleventh aspect, the display unit displays the flow display area and the flow selection area independently, which contributes to improving user convenience.

[0045] Furthermore, according to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, the display unit may display a switching unit in the workflow displayed in the flow display area that switches whether each of the pre- and post-printing processes that make up the workflow can be executed, the reception unit may receive user input selecting whether or not to execute the processes via the switching unit, and the control unit may execute the printing process and the pre- and post-printing processes so as to reflect the user input via the switching unit.

[0046] According to the twelfth aspect, each process constituting the workflow can be individually turned on and off without changing the workflow structure itself each time, which is advantageous in improving user convenience. [Effects of the Invention]

[0047] As described above, according to the present disclosure, it is possible to improve the user convenience of a laser printing device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0048] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a laser printing system. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser printing device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the details of the setting device. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of a print head. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an example of the appearance of the print head. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the distance measurement unit and the triangulation method. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for using the laser printing system. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a table listing the breakdown of pre-printing processing, printing processing, and post-printing processing, whether each processing can be used in combination, order information, and examples of use of each processing. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process related to print settings and workflow editing. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the print area and the setting surface. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the display content on the display unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the pattern search. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining tilt correction. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a diagram for explaining height detection. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram for explaining window inspection. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining the influence of contamination on the transparent member. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a workflow editing procedure. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a workflow editing screen. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a workflow editing screen. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a workflow editing screen. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram comparing the setting procedures for XYθ correction and image discrimination. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a diagram comparing the setting procedures for height correction and height detection. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the pre-printing process. [Figure 24] FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a specific example of the pre-printing process. [Figure 25] FIG. 25 is a diagram for explaining keystone correction. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the positional deviation of the workpiece and the focal position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following description is for illustrative purposes only.

[0050] That is, although this specification describes a laser printing device, the present disclosure can be applied to laser application equipment in general, such as a "laser marker" or "laser processing device" that can perform printing using laser light (laser printing), regardless of the name "laser printing device."

[0051] Furthermore, in this specification, character markings will be described as a typical example of printing, but "printing" in this disclosure is not limited to character markings. Printing in this disclosure can also be applied to "markings other than characters," such as graphic markings.

[0052] Furthermore, "markings other than characters" includes not only markings of figures such as ":" and "x", but also two-dimensional code markings such as barcodes and QR Code (registered trademark). The term "figure" also includes any figure such as a symbol in addition to geometric figures such as "x". The shapes of the characters and various figures to be marked are hereinafter collectively referred to as "printing patterns", to which the symbol "Pm" is attached.

[0053] In the following description, instead of the term "printing", this may be referred to as "laser printing", "marking", "printing processing" or "processing".

[0054] <1. Overall structure> Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a laser printing system S, and Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the general configuration of a laser printing device L in the laser printing system S. Fig. 3 is a block diagram illustrating the details of a setting device 300. Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating the general configuration of a print head 1.

[0055] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the laser printing system S includes a laser printing device L and an external device 400 connected to the laser printing device L.

[0056] Of these, the laser printing device L illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is configured to print a predetermined printing pattern Pm within the printing area R1 by controlling the laser light generating unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4 described below.

[0057] The printing area R1 referred to here is an area set on the surface of the workpiece W as the printing target, as shown in FIG. 1, and corresponds to the setting surface R2 in the same figure. For example, in FIG. 1, the printing area R1 is configured as a rectangular area. The setting surface R2 referred to here corresponds to a virtual surface that can be displayed on the display unit 301 of the setting device 300. The setting surface R2 is used for various settings related to laser printing, as will be described later. The printing area R1 may be set to include the entire workpiece W, or may be set to include a portion of the workpiece W.

[0058] The laser printing device L prints by irradiating the workpiece W with laser light generated in its print head 1 and scanning the surface of the workpiece W in three dimensions. Note that "three-dimensional scanning" here refers to a concept that refers to a combination of a two-dimensional operation of scanning the irradiation position of the laser light on the surface of the workpiece W (so-called "two-dimensional scanning") and a one-dimensional operation of adjusting the focal position of the laser light. Note that three-dimensional scanning is not essential; the laser printing device L is sufficient as long as it is capable of at least two-dimensional scanning.

[0059] In particular, the laser marking device L according to this embodiment can emit laser light included in the ultraviolet (UV) wavelength range, for example, laser light having a wavelength around 355 nm, as laser light for marking on the workpiece W. In the following description, the laser light for marking on the workpiece W may be referred to as "UV laser light" or "printing laser light" to distinguish it from other laser light.

[0060] It should be noted that the laser light emitted by the laser marking device L is not limited to UV laser light. The laser marking device L may emit laser light within the near-infrared (NIR) wavelength range. When using laser light within the NIR wavelength range, the term "UV laser light" can be replaced with "NIR laser light."

[0061] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the laser printing device L according to this embodiment includes a print head 1, a print controller 100, a connection cable 200, and a setting device 300.

[0062] The print head 1 can emit a printing laser beam toward the print area R1 by being controlled by the print controller 100. The print head 1 can perform three-dimensional scanning with the printing laser beam within the print area R1.

[0063] In addition, in order to realize various functions related to laser printing, the print head 1 is equipped with a distance measurement unit 5 that emits and receives distance measurement light, a guide light source 61 that emits guide light for projecting the print pattern Pm onto the workpiece W, a coaxial camera 62 that receives light for imaging (hereinafter referred to as "imaging light") and takes an image, and a wide-area camera 7 that receives the imaging light and takes an image separately from the coaxial camera 62 (see Figures 2 and 4).

[0064] 4, the print head 1 can perform two-dimensional scanning using, in addition to the printing laser light, guide light emitted from the guide light source 61, distance measurement light emitted from the distance measurement unit 5 and reflected and received by the workpiece W, and imaging light received by the coaxial camera 62 to generate a captured image Pw. As will be described later, this two-dimensional scanning is achieved by the head control unit 102 operating the laser light scanning unit 4.

[0065] In other words, the optical axis of the printing laser light (laser optical axis A1) is made coaxial with the optical axis of the guide light emitted from the guide light source 61 (guide optical axis A2), the optical axis of the distance measurement light emitted from the distance measurement unit 5 and then reflected by and received by the workpiece W (distance measurement optical axis A3), and the optical axis of the visible light received by the coaxial camera 62 (imaging optical axis A4). Hereinafter, the coaxial optical axes may be collectively referred to as the "scanning axis Ax."

[0066] On the other hand, the optical axis of the visible light received by the wide area camera 7 (imaging optical axis A5) is not coaxial with the laser optical axis A1. Hereinafter, the imaging optical axis A4 related to the coaxial camera 62 may be referred to as the "first imaging optical axis A4," and the imaging optical axis A5 related to the wide area camera 7 may be referred to as the "second imaging optical axis A5."

[0067] The print controller 100 is configured as a controller for controlling the print head 1. In addition, the print controller 100 can store settings related to the print pattern Pm, such as various conditions (printing conditions) for printing the desired print pattern Pm, and can also correct those printing conditions. In this embodiment, the print controller 100 is separate from the print head 1.

[0068] The connection cable 200 electrically connects the print head 1 and the print controller 100. This connection cable 200 is configured, for example, by electrical wiring that can send and receive electrical signals between the print head 1 and the print controller 100.

[0069] When the excitation light generating unit 110 is laid out inside the print controller 100 as described below, the connection cable 200 may be configured by combining an optical fiber cable in addition to the electrical wiring.

[0070] More generally, one of the print head 1 and the print controller 100 can be incorporated into the other to form an integrated unit. In this case, unnecessary wiring can be omitted as appropriate.

[0071] The setting device 300 sets various printing conditions and functions as a terminal for displaying information related to laser printing to the user. The setting device 300 has, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) and memory, and is connected to the print controller 100 via wire or wirelessly so as to be able to send and receive electrical signals.

[0072] In this embodiment, the setting device 300 is configured by a personal computer such as a desktop computer or a laptop computer, but the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration.

[0073] The setting device 300 may be configured by a dedicated terminal, such as a touch panel console, that can be connected to the laser printing device L. The setting device 300 may also be incorporated into the printing controller 100, for example, to be integrated.

[0074] The external device 400 is connected to the print controller 100 as needed. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the external device 400 is configured by a conveyance speed sensor 401 and a programmable logic controller (PLC) 402.

[0075] The conveying speed sensor 401 is configured by, for example, a rotary encoder, and can detect the conveying speed of the workpiece W. The conveying speed sensor 401 outputs a signal (detection signal) indicating the detection result to the print controller 100. Based on the detection signal input from the conveying speed sensor 401, the print controller 100 controls two-dimensional scanning of the printing laser light, etc.

[0076] The PLC 402 is configured by, for example, a microprocessor, and is capable of inputting a trigger signal to the print controller 100. The PLC 402 is used to control the laser printing system S in accordance with a predetermined sequence.

[0077] In addition to the above-mentioned devices and equipment, devices for operation and control, computers for performing various other processes, memory devices, peripheral devices, etc. can be connected to the laser printing device L wirelessly or via wires.

[0078] Below, we will explain in order the hardware configuration of the setting device 300, the print controller 100, and the print head 1, the configuration related to the data setting sent from the setting device 300 to the print controller 100, and the configuration related to the control of the print head 1 by the print controller 100 based on that data setting.

[0079] <2. Setting device 300> 1 and 2, the setting device 300 according to this embodiment includes a display unit 301, an operation unit 302, a storage unit 303, and a processing unit 304. The setting device 300 is a terminal operated by a user, and can also be called an "operation terminal."

[0080] (Display section 301) The display unit 301 displays information to the user. More specifically, the display unit 301 displays information to the user via its display screen. The display unit 301 can be configured with a liquid crystal display or an organic EL panel.

[0081] The display screen of the display unit 301 also functions as a screen for accepting user input (hereinafter referred to as "user input") via the operation unit 302. Specifically, the display unit 301 according to this embodiment displays a setting surface R2 corresponding to the print area R1. On this setting surface R2, an input interface Iu, such as a first interface If1 described below, that accepts input of the print pattern Pm is arranged.

[0082] The input interface Iu is composed of a graphical user interface (GUI), such as a frame indicating the range of the setting surface R2, and a figure indicating the position and orientation of the print pattern Pm on the setting surface R2. The input interface Iu can accept input of the print pattern Pm based on user input, and can also display the contents of the accepted print pattern Pm on the setting surface R2.

[0083] It should be noted that it is not essential for the setting device 300 to be equipped with the display unit 301. The display unit 301 may be equipped in the print controller 100 or the print head 1. For example, if the setting device 300 is incorporated into the print controller 100 or a touch panel type console is used, a display screen provided on the print controller 100 or the console can serve as the display unit.

[0084] Furthermore, the display unit according to the present disclosure may be configured by a display separate from the setting device 300, the print controller 100, and the print head 1.

[0085] (Operation unit 302) The operation unit 302 receives the user input and inputs an electrical signal corresponding to the user input to the CPU, etc. The operation unit 302 can be configured with a keyboard and a pointing device. Pointing devices include a mouse, a joystick, etc.

[0086] It is not essential that the setting device 300 be equipped with the operation unit 302. The operation unit 302 may be equipped in the print controller 100 or the print head 1. For example, if the setting device 300 is incorporated into the print controller 100 or a touch panel type console is used, a switch, button, etc. provided on the print controller 100 or the console can be used as the scanning unit.

[0087] (Storage unit 303) The storage unit 303 stores various information. The storage unit 303 is composed of volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM), and non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) and solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 303 temporarily or continuously stores information that is input by the user via the operation unit 302, set in advance by the manufacturer, or transmitted and received each time to and from the print controller 100.

[0088] (Processing unit 304) The processing unit 304 executes various processes based on the contents stored in the storage unit 303. The processing unit 304 is configured by one or more processors (for example, CPUs).

[0089] The processing unit 304 executes processing corresponding to each function to realize each of a plurality of different functions. For example, the processing unit 304 can set the print pattern Pm to be printed on the workpiece W and the print conditions for printing the print pattern Pm based on user input. This function is realized, for example, by the print setting unit 304a of the processing unit 304.

[0090] The printing pattern Pm and printing conditions set by the processing unit 304 are stored in the memory unit 303 of the setting device 300, or are output to the printing controller 100 and stored in the memory unit 101 of the printing controller 100. Hereinafter, the combination of the printing pattern Pm and the printing conditions will be referred to as a "print setting." This print setting may be stored in the memory unit 303 of the setting device 300 as necessary.

[0091] (Other components) 3, processing unit 304 according to this embodiment also includes print setting unit 304a, print data generation unit 304b, workflow editing unit 304c, pre-print processing setting unit 304d, post-print processing setting unit 304e, GUI control unit 304f, and reception unit 304g. As will be described in detail later, some or all of these elements may be configured in print controller 100 instead of setting device 300.

[0092] <3. Print controller 100> 2, the print controller 100 includes a storage unit 101 that stores print settings transmitted from the setting device 300, a head control unit 102 that controls the print head 1 based on the print settings, an excitation light generation unit 110 that generates laser excitation light (excitation light), and a trigger signal reception unit 120. Note that it is not essential that the print controller 100 includes the excitation light generation unit 110; the print head 1 may also include the excitation light generation unit 110. Similarly, the trigger signal reception unit 120 may be provided in the setting device 300.

[0093] (Storage unit 101) The storage unit 101 is configured to store the print settings determined by the setting device 300, and to output the stored contents to the head control unit 102 as necessary.

[0094] Specifically, the storage unit 101 is composed of volatile memory such as RAM, ROM, etc., and non-volatile memory such as HDD, SSD, etc., and can temporarily or continuously store information indicating print settings. Note that if the setting device 300 is incorporated into the print controller 100, the storage unit 303 of the setting device 300 may also serve as the storage unit 101.

[0095] (Head control unit 102) The head control unit 102 executes a printing process to form a predetermined printing pattern Pm within the printing area R1 by controlling the laser light generation unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4. In detail, the head control unit 102 controls the excitation light generation unit 110, the laser light generation unit 2, the laser light scanning unit 4, etc. based on the printing settings stored in the storage unit 101. In conjunction with the printing process by the head control unit 102, laser printing (printing operation) is performed by the print head 1.

[0096] Specifically, the head control unit 102 has a CPU, memory, and input / output bus, and generates control signals based on signals indicating information input via the setting device 300 and signals indicating printing conditions (details will be described later) read from the storage unit 101. The head control unit 102 controls laser printing on the workpiece W by outputting the generated control signals to each unit of the laser printing device L.

[0097] For example, when starting laser printing of the workpiece W, the head control unit 102 reads the laser power stored in the memory unit 101, and outputs a control signal generated based on that laser power to the excitation light generation unit 110, thereby controlling the generation of laser excitation light.

[0098] Furthermore, when actually printing on the workpiece W, the head control unit 102 reads the print pattern Pm stored in the storage unit 101, for example, and outputs a control signal generated based on the print pattern Pm to the laser light scanning unit 4, thereby two-dimensionally scanning the print laser light. In this way, the head control unit 102 can control the laser light scanning unit 4 to achieve two-dimensional scanning of the print laser light.

[0099] (Excitation light generation unit 110) The excitation light generating unit 110 oscillates a laser beam according to a drive current, and collects the oscillated laser beam to output it as laser excitation light (excitation light). Specifically, the excitation light generating unit 110 according to this embodiment is configured with an excitation light source that oscillates a laser beam and a collecting unit that collects the laser. The excitation light source can be configured with, for example, a laser diode (LD). The collecting unit can be configured with, for example, a focusing lens.

[0100] The excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit 110 is input to the laser light generation unit 2.

[0101] (Trigger signal receiving unit 120) The trigger signal receiving unit 120 receives an input of a trigger signal. This trigger signal functions as a trigger for causing the head control unit 102 to execute a printing process. Specifically, the trigger signal receiving unit 120 according to this embodiment is electrically connected to the PLC 402, and receives a trigger signal output from the PLC 402. Upon receiving a trigger signal, the trigger signal receiving unit 120 inputs an electrical signal indicating this to the head control unit 102. The head control unit 102 receives the electrical signal and executes the printing process.

[0102] (Other components) As shown in FIG. 2, the print controller 100 according to this embodiment also includes a distance measurement unit 103, an XYθ processing unit 131, a Z processing unit 132, a window inspection unit 151, a log storage unit 152, a code reading unit 153, and a print confirmation unit 154. As will be described in detail later, these elements are configured with one or more CPUs and execute various processes related to laser printing. Some or all of these elements may be configured in the setting device 300 rather than in the print controller 100. The above classification is merely for convenience. For example, the Z processing unit 132 or the distance measurement unit 103 may also function as the window inspection unit 151, or the distance measurement unit 103 may also function as the Z processing unit 132.

[0103] <4. Print head 1> Fig. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the print head 1 illustrated in Fig. 2 and the optical axis related to the distance measurement light. Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the print head 1. Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the distance measurement unit 5 and the triangulation method.

[0104] The print head 1 generates laser light (printing laser light) based on the excitation light, and irradiates the laser light onto the workpiece W. The laser light irradiated onto the workpiece W is scanned three-dimensionally as described above.

[0105] Specifically, the print head 1 includes a laser light generating unit 2, a height direction scanning unit 3 having a focus adjustment unit 33, a laser light scanning unit 4, a print area inspection unit 6 having a coaxial camera 62, a wide-area camera 7, and a housing 10.

[0106] As shown in FIG. 4, the housing 10 contains a laser light generating unit 2, a height direction scanning unit 3 having a focus adjustment unit 33, a laser light scanning unit 4, a printing area inspection unit 6 having a coaxial camera 62, and a wide-area camera 7.

[0107] 5, the bottom surface of the housing 10 is defined by a plate-shaped bottom plate 10a. This bottom plate 10a is provided with an emission window 19 for emitting the printing laser light from the print head 1 to the outside of the print head 1. The emission window 19 is formed by fitting a plate-shaped transparent member 19a, which transmits the printing laser light, guide light, and distance measurement light that are scanned two-dimensionally, into a through-hole that passes through the bottom plate 10a in the plate thickness direction.

[0108] 3, a plurality of illuminators 18 are arranged around the exit window 19. In this embodiment, the plurality of illuminators 18 is configured by four illuminators 18 (only two are shown in the figure). These illuminators 18 are electrically connected to the print controller 100. These illuminators 18 emit light upon receiving control signals from the print controller 100, and irradiate the print area R1.

[0109] The exit window 19 is arranged at a reference position where the optical path length between the exit window 19 and the exit portion 51 of the distance measurement light in the distance measurement unit 5 is known. This arrangement is effective in the "window inspection" described later.

[0110] 5, the transparent member 19a of the exit window 19 is configured to allow passage of both the scanning axis Ax scanned by the laser light scanning unit 4 and the second imaging optical axis A5 not scanned by the laser light scanning unit 4. As described above, the scanning axis Ax is formed by coaxially aligning the laser optical axis A1, the guide optical axis A2, the first imaging optical axis A4, and the distance measurement optical axis A3.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 4, the height direction scanning unit 3 and the focus adjusting unit 33 are interposed between the laser light generating unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4 in the propagation direction of the laser light.

[0112] In the following description, the longitudinal direction of the housing 10 in Fig. 5 may be simply referred to as the "longitudinal direction," "front-rear direction," or "X direction," and the lateral direction of the housing 10 in Fig. 5 may be simply referred to as the "lateral direction," "left-right direction," or "Y direction." Similarly, the height direction of the housing 10 in Fig. 5 may be simply referred to as the "height direction," "up-down direction," or "Z direction."

[0113] (Laser light generating unit 2) The laser light generation unit 2 generates a printing laser light to be irradiated onto the printing region R1 of the workpiece W. Specifically, the laser light generation unit 2 generates a printing laser light based on the excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit 110, and outputs the printing laser light to the outside of the laser light generation unit 2 (for example, to the height direction scanning unit 3).

[0114] Specifically, the laser light generation unit 2 has a laser oscillator 21, a beam sampler 22, and a power monitor 23. The laser oscillator 21 generates laser light having a predetermined wavelength based on excitation light, and performs wavelength conversion and amplification of the generated laser light to oscillate printing laser light. The beam sampler 22 separates a portion of the printing laser light oscillated from the laser oscillator 21. The printing laser light separated by the beam sampler 22 is input to the power monitor 23.

[0115] The laser oscillator 21 has a laser medium 21a that generates a fundamental wave by performing stimulated emission corresponding to the excitation light, a nonlinear optical crystal 21b that generates printing laser light by modulating the fundamental wave, a Q switch (not shown) that pulses the fundamental wave emitted from the laser medium 21a, and a pair of reflecting mirrors (not shown) that resonate the laser light pulsed by the Q switch.

[0116] The nonlinear optical crystal 21b is not essential. For example, if an NIR laser is used as the printing laser, the nonlinear optical crystal 21b is not necessary. In that case, the fundamental wave is used as the printing laser light.

[0117] The laser medium 21a is a so-called solid-state laser crystal. For example, a rod-shaped Nd:YVO4 (yttrium vanadate) can be used as the solid-state laser crystal. This allows the laser oscillator 21 to emit laser light (NIR laser light) having a wavelength around 1064 nm as the fundamental wave. In this case, the fundamental wave can be generated by any method, such as a unidirectional excitation method using end pumping.

[0118] The nonlinear optical crystal 21b can be configured with multiple optical crystals, such as an optical crystal for generating a second harmonic wave and an optical crystal for generating a third harmonic wave. Various optical materials can be used for each optical crystal. The nonlinear optical crystal 21b is an optical element for increasing the wavelength of the fundamental wave, and functions as a so-called "wavelength conversion element."

[0119] For example, LBO (LiBO) can be used for the first wavelength conversion element that generates a second harmonic wave having a frequency twice that of the fundamental wave. Similarly, LBO (LiBO) can be used for the second wavelength conversion element that generates a third harmonic wave having a frequency three times that of the fundamental wave. However, this is not limiting. Various types of optical materials can be used, such as organic nonlinear optical materials and other inorganic nonlinear optical materials.

[0120] Additionally, the power monitor 23 detects the output of the printing laser light. The power monitor 23 is electrically connected to the print controller 100, and can output the detection signal to the head control unit 102 and the like.

[0121] The printing laser light generated by the laser light generation unit 2 reaches the laser light scanning unit 4 via the height direction scanning unit 3. The optical axis (laser optical axis A1) extending in the propagation direction of the printing laser light can be divided into two at the focus adjustment unit 33.

[0122] Hereinafter, the laser optical axis A1 connecting the laser light generation unit 2 and the focus adjustment unit 33 will be referred to as the upstream laser optical axis A11, and the laser optical axis A12 connecting the focus adjustment unit 33 and the laser light scanning unit 4 will be referred to as the downstream laser optical axis A12.

[0123] (Height direction scanning unit 3) As described above, the height direction scanning unit 3 is interposed between the laser light generation unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4. The height direction scanning unit 3 optically connects the laser light generation unit 2 to the laser light scanning unit 4, and also functions as a hub that optically connects the print area inspection unit 6 to the laser light scanning unit 4.

[0124] Specifically, the height direction scanning unit 3 according to this embodiment includes a first optical member 31, a second optical member 32, and the focus adjustment unit 33. As shown in Fig. 4, these elements are arranged in order from the top along the vertical direction.

[0125] The first optical member 31 is configured, for example, by a reflecting mirror that reflects the printing laser light. The first optical member 31 reflects the printing laser light emitted from the laser light generation unit 2 and guides it to the focus adjustment unit 33 by bending the upstream laser optical axis A11 downward.

[0126] The focus adjustment unit 33 adjusts the focal position of the printing laser light generated by the laser light generation unit. The printing laser light that has passed through the focus adjustment unit 33 is incident on the laser light scanning unit 4 via the second optical member 32.

[0127] Specifically, the focus adjustment unit 33 passes the printing laser light that is output from the laser light generation unit 2 and reflected by the first optical member 31, and adjusts the focus position of the printing laser light.

[0128] The focus adjustment unit 33 also emits the printing laser light that has passed through the focus adjustment unit 33 toward the second optical member 32. The printing laser light that has reached the second optical member 32 is guided to the laser light scanning unit 4 via the second optical member 32.

[0129] Although details are omitted, the focus adjustment unit 33 has, for example, an incident lens that transmits the printing laser light output from the laser light generation unit 2, a collimator lens that transmits the printing laser light that has passed through the incident lens, an exit lens that transmits the printing laser light that has passed through the incident lens and the collimator lens, and a lens drive unit that moves the incident lens.

[0130] When adjusting the focal position, for example, the lens driving unit is operated based on a control signal from the head control unit 102. This operation changes the relative distance between the incident lens and the exit lens while keeping the optical axes of the incident lens, collimator lens, and exit lens coaxial with respect to the printing laser light. This change displaces the focal position of the printing laser light irradiated onto the workpiece W.

[0131] The focal position of the printing laser light is displaced so as to approach or move away from the emission window 19 of the print head 1. In other words, the focus adjustment unit 33 functions as a focus adjustment unit to scan the printing laser light in the vertical direction. Hereinafter, the scanning direction by the focus adjustment unit 33 may be referred to as the "Z direction."

[0132] The second optical member 32 is configured, for example, by a mirror that reflects the printing laser light. The second optical member 32 reflects the printing laser light emitted from the focus adjustment unit 33 and guides it to the laser light scanning unit 4 by bending the downstream laser optical axis A12 backward.

[0133] More specifically, the second optical member 32 according to this embodiment is configured with a dichroic mirror that reflects the printing laser light and transmits the guide light, distance measurement light, and imaging light. As a result, the second optical member 32 functions as a confluence portion that makes the downstream laser optical axis A12, guide optical axis A2, distance measurement optical axis A3, and first imaging optical axis A4 coaxial.

[0134] In other words, the guide optical axis A2, the distance measurement optical axis A3, and the first imaging optical axis A4 can be considered to branch off from the laser optical axis A1 between the laser light generation unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4.

[0135] (Printing area inspection unit 6) The print area inspection unit 6 has a guide light source 61 , a distance measurement unit 5 , a coaxial camera 62 , a first optical member 63 , and a second optical member 64 .

[0136] -Guide Light Source 61- The guide light source 61 emits a guide light toward the workpiece W. By emitting the guide light, the irradiation position of the printing laser light can be visually confirmed. Specifically, the guide light source 61 is configured to project the printing pattern Pm onto the workpiece W by the guide light. Therefore, the wavelength of the guide light is set to fall within the visible light range. As described above, the guide light source 61 has a guide light axis A2 branched from the laser light axis A1 between the laser light generation unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4.

[0137] As an example, the guide light source 61 according to this embodiment emits a red laser beam having a wavelength of about 655 nm as the guide light. The wavelength of the guide light is set to be different from the wavelengths of the printing laser beam, the distance measurement beam, and the imaging beam.

[0138] The guide light source 61 is coaxial with the printing laser light. More specifically, the guide light emitted from the guide light source 61 propagates along the guide light axis A2, which, as described above, branches off from the downstream laser light axis A12. Therefore, by appropriately operating the laser light scanning unit 4, the guide light can be two-dimensionally scanned within the printing region R1 illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0139] The guide light source 61 is electrically connected to the head control unit 102, similar to the laser light generation unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4. The guide light source 61 emits guide light based on a control signal output from the head control unit 102.

[0140] -First optical member 63- The first optical member 63 functions as a branching section that branches the guide optical axis A2 from the other optical axes A3, A4 among the guide optical axis A2, the ranging optical axis A3, and the first imaging optical axis A4. The first optical member 63 can be formed, for example, by a dichroic mirror that transmits the guide light and reflects the ranging light and the imaging light.

[0141] -Second optical member 64- The second optical member 64 functions as a branching section that branches the distance measurement optical axis A3 and the first imaging optical axis A4 from each other. The second optical member 64 can be formed, for example, by a dichroic mirror that passes one of the distance measurement light and the imaging light and reflects the other.

[0142] -Range measurement unit 5- The distance measuring unit 5 has an emission unit 51 that emits distance measuring light onto the surface of the workpiece W via the laser light scanning unit 4, and a light receiving unit 52 that receives the distance measuring light reflected by the workpiece W via the laser light scanning unit 4. The distance measuring unit 5 is an example of the "distance detection unit" in this embodiment.

[0143] As indicated by the stars in Figures 6 and 10, the emission section 51 of the distance measuring unit 5 emits distance measuring light via the laser light scanning section 4 toward a distance measuring position I indicating the position on the surface of the workpiece W where the distance is to be measured. The light receiving section of the distance measuring unit 5 receives the distance measuring light reflected at the distance measuring position I. Specifically, the emission section 51 has a distance measuring light source 51a which serves as a light source for the distance measuring light, and an optical lens 51b.

[0144] The light receiving section 52 of the distance measuring unit 5 is composed of, for example, light receiving elements 52a, detects the light receiving position of each light receiving element 52a, and outputs a signal (detection signal) indicating the detection result. The detection signal output from each light receiving element is input to the print controller 100 and reaches the distance measurement section 103. Specifically, the light receiving section 52 has a light receiving element 52a and a light receiving lens 52b.

[0145] The laser printing device L can basically measure the distance to the workpiece W (for example, the distance from the print head 1 to the distance measurement position I on the workpiece W) based on the light receiving position (in this embodiment, the position of the peak of the spot) of the reflected light on the light receiving surface of the light receiving unit 52. The so-called triangulation method is used as the distance measurement method.

[0146] Specifically, when distance measurement light is emitted from the distance measurement light source 51a of the emission unit 51, the distance measurement light is irradiated onto the surface of the workpiece W. When the distance measurement light is reflected by the workpiece W, the reflected light (particularly, diffuse reflected light) propagates approximately isotropically, assuming that the influence of specular reflection is removed.

[0147] The propagating reflected light includes a component that is incident on the light receiving element 52a via the light receiving lens 52b, but the angle of incidence of that incident light on the light receiving element 52a increases or decreases depending on the distance between the print head 1 and the workpiece W. When the angle of incidence on the light receiving element 52a increases or decreases, the light receiving position on the light receiving surface is displaced.

[0148] In this way, the distance between the print head 1 and the workpiece W and the light receiving position on the light receiving surface are related by a predetermined relationship. Therefore, by understanding this relationship in advance and storing it, for example, in the print controller 100, it is possible to calculate the distance between the print head 1 and the workpiece W from the light receiving position on the light receiving surface. This calculation method is nothing other than a technique using the so-called triangulation method.

[0149] That is, the distance measurement unit 103 measures the distance from the laser printing device L to the distance measurement position I by triangulation based on the light receiving position of the distance measurement light in the light receiving unit 52.

[0150] Specifically, the aforementioned memory unit 101 stores in advance the relationship between the light receiving position on the light receiving surface of the light receiving unit 52 and the distance from the print head 1 to the surface of the workpiece W. Meanwhile, the distance measurement unit 103 receives a signal indicating the light receiving position of the distance measuring light on the light receiving unit 52, more specifically, the peak position of the spot formed on the light receiving surface by the reflected light of the distance measuring light.

[0151] The distance measurement unit 103 measures the distance to the surface of the workpiece W based on the signal thus input and the relationship stored in the memory unit 101. The measurement value thus obtained is input, for example, to the head control unit 102 and used by the head control unit 102 to control the focus adjustment unit 33 and the like, input to the Z processing unit 132 and used by the Z processing unit 132 for tilt correction and lift detection, or input to the setting device 300 and used for various settings by the setting device 300.

[0152] For example, the laser printing device L automatically or manually determines the areas (printing points) on the surface of the workpiece W that are to be printed by the print head 1. Next, prior to executing the printing process, the laser printing device L measures the distance to each printing point (more precisely, distance measurement points set around the printing points) and determines the control parameters of the focus adjustment unit 33 so that the focal position corresponds to the measured distance. The laser printing device L operates the focus adjustment unit 33 based on the control parameters thus determined, and then performs printing on the workpiece W with the printing laser light.

[0153] -Coaxial Camera 62- The coaxial camera 62 captures an image Pw by capturing an image of the workpiece W. Specifically, the coaxial camera 62 has a first imaging optical axis A4 branching from the laser optical axis A1 between the laser light generation unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4, and captures an image of at least a portion of the printing area R1 via the laser light scanning unit 4. By capturing this image, the coaxial camera 62 captures an image Pw that includes at least a portion of the printing area R1. The coaxial camera 62 is an example of an "imaging unit" in this embodiment.

[0154] Although the coaxial camera 62 has a narrower field of view than the wide-area camera 7 described below, it can generate a coaxial image of the print area R1 enlarged at a relatively high magnification as the captured image Pw, or can perform two-dimensional scanning of the captured image area via the laser light scanning unit 4. The coaxial camera 62 is used, for example, to locally enlarge and capture a portion of the print area R1. The captured image Pw generated by the coaxial camera 62 can be displayed on the display unit 301 with at least a portion of it enlarged or reduced.

[0155] The coaxial camera 62 is coaxial with the printing laser light. More specifically, the reflected light (imaging light) used by the coaxial camera 62 for imaging propagates along the first imaging optical axis A4 and enters the coaxial camera 62, and as described above, the first imaging optical axis A4 branches off from the downstream laser optical axis A12. Therefore, by appropriately operating the laser light scanning unit 4, it is possible to two-dimensionally scan the printing area R1 illustrated in FIG. 9.

[0156] Furthermore, the coaxial camera 62 is electrically connected to the head control unit 102, similar to the laser light generation unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4. The coaxial camera 62 generates a captured image Pw based on a control signal output from the head control unit 102.

[0157] (Laser light scanning unit 4) The laser light scanning unit 4 performs two-dimensional scanning within the printing region R1 with the printing laser light generated by the laser light generating unit 2. Specifically, the laser light scanning unit 4 is configured to irradiate the workpiece W with the laser light (printing laser light) that has been emitted from the laser light generating unit 2 and passed through the focus adjusting unit 33, and to perform two-dimensional scanning on the surface of the workpiece W (particularly within the printing region R1).

[0158] More specifically, the laser light scanning unit 4 is configured by a so-called two-axis (X-axis and Y-axis) galvanometer scanner. That is, the laser light scanning unit 4 has a first scanner 41 for scanning the printing laser light incident from the focus adjustment unit 33 in a first direction, and a second scanner 42 for scanning the printing laser light scanned by the first scanner 41 in a second direction.

[0159] Here, the second direction refers to a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the first direction. Therefore, the second scanner 42 can scan the printing laser light in a direction that is approximately perpendicular to the first scanner 41.

[0160] In this embodiment, the first direction is equal to the front-to-rear direction (the longitudinal direction of the housing 10), and the second direction is equal to the left-to-right direction (the lateral direction of the housing 10). Hereinafter, the first direction will be referred to as the "X direction," and the second direction perpendicular to the first direction will be referred to as the "Y direction." Both the X direction and the Y direction are perpendicular to the Z direction described above.

[0161] The first scanner 41 and the second scanner 42 each have a mirror located at the tip thereof and a motor that rotates the mirror. Each mirror reflects the printing laser light. Each motor adjusts the rotational posture of the corresponding mirror. By adjusting the rotational posture of the mirror, it is possible to adjust the reflection angle of the printing laser light by each of the first scanner 41 and the second scanner 42. By adjusting the reflection angle of the printing laser light, it is possible to change the irradiation position of the printing laser light.

[0162] The laser beam scanning unit 4 deflects the printing laser beam toward the printing area R1 by operating the first scanner 41 and the second scanner 42 in accordance with a printing setting created in advance. The printing laser beam thus deflected passes through an exit window 19 provided in the housing of the print head 1 and is irradiated into the printing area R1. The desired printing pattern Pm can be printed in the printing area R1 by the printing laser beam.

[0163] As described above, not only the printing laser light but also the guide light and distance measurement light that have passed through the second optical member 32 of the height direction scanning unit 3 are incident on the laser light scanning unit 4. The laser light scanning unit 4 according to this embodiment can perform two-dimensional scanning of the guide light or distance measurement light that has thus entered by operating the first scanner 41 and the second scanner 42, respectively.

[0164] As also described above, the laser optical axis A1 of the printing laser light is also coaxial with the first imaging optical axis A4 of the coaxial camera 62. The laser light scanning unit 4 according to this embodiment can also perform two-dimensional scanning of the intersection of the first imaging optical axis A4 and the workpiece W, i.e., the imaging position by the coaxial camera 62, by operating the first scanner 41 and the second scanner 42, respectively.

[0165] (Wide-area camera 7) The wide-area camera 7 captures an image of the workpiece W without the intervention of the laser light scanning unit 4, thereby generating a captured image Pw having a wider field of view than the image generated by the coaxial camera 62. The wide-area camera 7 is another example of the "imaging unit" in this embodiment.

[0166] In the present disclosure, it is not essential to provide both the coaxial camera 62 and the wide-area camera 7 as an imaging unit. Various processes described below may be realized using either the coaxial camera 62 or the wide-area camera.

[0167] The wide-area camera 7 is configured as imaging means that is not coaxial with the printing laser light. Although the wide-area camera 7 cannot perform two-dimensional scanning via the laser light scanning unit 4, it has a wider field of view than the coaxial camera 62 and can generate a wide-area image, as the captured image Pw, that captures the printing area R1 with a relatively wide field of view. The wide-area camera 7 is used, for example, to capture the entire printing area R1 at once.

[0168] The captured image Pw generated by the wide area camera 7 can be displayed, with at least a portion thereof being enlarged or reduced, on the display unit 301. The display unit 301 can display the captured image Pw generated by the wide area camera 7 and the captured image Pw generated by the coaxial camera 62 side by side, or can alternatively display one of the two types of captured images Pw.

[0169] The wide-area camera 7 according to this embodiment is disposed directly above the exit window 19 and is fixed with its imaging lens facing downward. As described above, the second imaging optical axis A5 of the wide-area camera 7 is not coaxial with the optical axis A1 of the printing laser light (see FIGS. 4 and 9).

[0170] Hereinafter, when there is no need to distinguish between the wide-area camera 7 and the coaxial camera 62, they may be referred to as "imaging units 62, 7."

[0171] <5. How to use the laser marking system> FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure for using the laser printing system S. FIG. 8 is a table listing the details of pre-printing processing, printing processing, and post-printing processing, whether each processing can be used together, order information, and example uses of each processing. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating processing related to print settings and workflow editing. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the printing area R1 and the setting surface R2. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the display content on the display unit 301.

[0172] (Outline of usage) A laser marking system S equipped with a laser marking device L can be installed and operated on a conveying line, such as a factory production line, along which a plurality of workpieces W are conveyed in sequence. In operation, first, prior to starting operation of the conveying line, condition settings are created, such as the installation positions of the workpieces W that will flow along the conveying line, and the output of the printing laser light and distance measurement light to be irradiated onto the workpieces W (step S1 in FIG. 7).

[0173] The setting contents created in step S1 are stored in the print controller 100 after being created in advance, or are read by the print controller 100 immediately after being created (step S2 in FIG. 7).

[0174] When the conveyance line is in operation, the print controller 100 refers to the settings that have been stored in advance or that have been read immediately after they have been created. The laser marking device L operates based on the settings that have been referred to, and sequentially performs laser marking on each workpiece W supplied via the conveyance line (step S3 in FIG. 7).

[0175] Hereinafter, the work W used for various settings such as the above condition settings will be referred to as the "preparatory work W" or "setting target W", and each work W that is sequentially transported as a printing target as a result of moving the conveying line will be referred to as the "new work W'" or "printing target W'". When there is no need to distinguish between the setting target W and the printing target W', they may simply be referred to as the "work W".

[0176] Furthermore, the captured image generated by capturing an image of the preparation work W by the imaging units 62, 7 may be given the symbol "Pw", and the captured image generated by capturing an image of the "printing target W'" may be given the symbol "Pw'". When it is not necessary to distinguish between the setting target W and the printing target W', they may simply be referred to as "captured image Pw".

[0177] (About workflow) Here, as exemplified by sub-steps S31 to S33 that make up step S3, the print controller 100 of the laser printer L executes a series of processes including a print process and other processes that are added as necessary when operating the device L. The print controller 100 is an example of a "control unit" in this embodiment. Hereinafter, "sub-steps" will be simply referred to as "steps."

[0178] Details will be described later, but the series of processes described above are processes executed by the print controller 100 as a control unit from the time a trigger signal is input to the trigger signal receiving unit 120 until the state in which the trigger signal receiving unit 120 can again receive input of a trigger signal, as shown in steps S31 and S36.

[0179] The "other processes" referred to here are divided into "pre-printing processes (step S32)" that are performed before the printing process (step S33) and "post-printing processes (step S34)" that are performed after the printing process, based on the context of the process. It is not necessary to perform both pre-printing processes and post-printing processes. Both pre-printing processes and post-printing processes may be omitted, or only one of them may be performed.

[0180] As shown in Figure 8, pre-printing and post-printing processes each consist of multiple processes. Until now, workflows that define a series of processes (operations) including printing operations have been manually configured by users. However, such configuration requires knowledge of the role of each process, which is inconvenient from the perspective of user convenience.

[0181] In contrast, the laser printing device L according to this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, has a workflow Wf editing function for creating the condition settings in step S1 (see, for example, FIGS. 19 to 21, which will be described later). This editing function automatically reflects the execution order of each process, making it highly convenient for the user. The laser printing device L is configured to execute each process in steps S31 to S33, which are executed during operation, in the order defined in the workflow Wf.

[0182] The basic concepts and specific examples of "print settings for laser printing," "pre-print processing," "pre-print operations," and "workflow editing" will be explained below in order based on step S1 of the flow in FIG.

[0183] (Steps for creating each setting) Fig. 9 illustrates a specific example of processing in step S1 in Fig. 7. As illustrated in Fig. 9, in this embodiment, a control process related to print settings and a control process related to editing the workflow Wf are executed in sequence. Each control process is configured as an independent process without overlapping with each other.

[0184] First, in step S11, the imaging units 62 and 7 built into the laser printing device L generate a captured image Pw including at least a portion of the printing area R1. The captured image Pw generated by the imaging units 62 and 7 is output to the setting device 300.

[0185] The display unit 301 of the setting device 300 displays a setting surface R2 associated with the print area R1, and also displays the captured image Pw on the setting surface R2 (see FIG. 11). The captured image Pw is displayed superimposed on the setting surface R2.

[0186] This allows the coordinate system (virtual coordinate system) defined on the setting surface R2 of the display unit 301 to correspond to the coordinate system (camera coordinate system) defined on the captured image Pw (see the XYZ directions in Figure 10).

[0187] -Creating print settings- In the next step S12, the print setting unit 304a determines the print settings by reading out the contents stored in the memory unit 303 or the like, or by reading operation inputs via the setting device 300.

[0188] The print settings include a print pattern Pm that indicates the print content (marking shape) and print conditions that indicate various settings and conditions related to the print pattern Pm. The print conditions include at least settings related to the print block Pb.

[0189] In this embodiment, the print setting unit 304a shown in Figure 2 sets the position and orientation of the print pattern Pm to be printed on the workpiece W on the setting surface R2 displayed on the display unit 301. The position and orientation of the print pattern Pm can be set via the print block Pb. The term "orientation of the print pattern Pm" includes the rotation angle (θ) of the print pattern Pm on the XY plane.

[0190] The print block Pb can be used to adjust the layout (position), size, rotational attitude, etc. of the print pattern Pm. The print block Pb is also used in association with the distance measurement position I described above.

[0191] The display unit 301 can display the print pattern Pm and print blocks Pb superimposed on the captured image Pw. For example, in Fig. 11, a print pattern Pm consisting of the numbers "123" and rectangular print blocks Pb surrounding it are arranged on the setting surface R2 on the surface of the workpiece W. As shown in the figure, the display unit 301 displays the print pattern Pm and print blocks Pb arranged in this manner superimposed on the captured image Pw.

[0192] The shape of the print block Pb is not limited to the example shown in the figure. Any shape can be used as long as it indicates the position and size of the print pattern Pm. Furthermore, the terms "print pattern" and "print block" are merely introduced for convenience and are not intended to limit their use.

[0193] Although not shown in the figures, multiple workpieces W may be displayed on the setting surface R2, or only one workpiece W may be displayed as shown in Fig. 10. Multiple print blocks Pb may be arranged on one workpiece W, or one or multiple print blocks Pb may be arranged on some or all of multiple workpieces W.

[0194] 9, in this step, for example, the user manually creates a print block Pb and places the print block Pb on the setting surface R2. As described above, the setting surface R2 and the captured image Pw are associated with each other, so the user can place the print block Pb while visually checking the captured image Pw.

[0195] Once one or more print blocks Pb have been placed, the user determines a print pattern Pm for each print block Pb. The print pattern Pm is determined, for example, by the user operating operation unit 302, and the print setting unit 304a receives the operation input at that time via reception unit 304g.

[0196] The printing conditions constituting the printing settings may include conditions relating to the printing laser light (hereinafter referred to as "laser conditions") in addition to the settings relating to the printing block Pb.

[0197] The laser conditions include one or more of the irradiation position of the printing laser light, the target output (laser power) of the printing laser light, and the scanning speed (scan speed) of the printing laser light by the laser light scanning unit 4. As exemplified in the menu D1 displayed in the lower right of Fig. 10, these printing conditions (laser conditions) can be set for each print block Pb.

[0198] Alternatively, the laser conditions may be a combination of one or more of the Q-switch frequency, the defocus amount (spot variable value), and the scanning line spacing. Here, the defocus amount indicates the magnitude of deviation in the height direction between the focal position of the marking laser light and the surface of the workpiece W. By setting the defocus amount to a non-zero value, the spot diameter of the marking laser light can be changed. The number of printings indicates the number of times each line element is repeatedly scanned when the print pattern Pm is decomposed into multiple line elements. The scanning line spacing indicates the spacing between the scanning lines that make up each line element (particularly the spacing in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction).

[0199] The laser conditions are determined, for example, by the user inputting values ​​or the like into each item in the menu D1 via the operation unit 302, and the input contents are received by the print setting unit 304a via the receiving unit 304g. The print setting unit 304a reads the print blocks Pb arranged in this way, as well as the print patterns Pm and laser conditions determined for each print block Pb, and defines the combination of these as print settings.

[0200] In this embodiment, print data corresponding to the print pattern Pm, print block Pb, and laser conditions set by the print setting unit 304a is created by the print data generation unit 304b.

[0201] The print data according to this embodiment includes at least data relating to the position and orientation of the print pattern Pm, that is, data relating to the print block Pb.

[0202] When the print data is generated, the setting device 300 advances the control process from step S12 to step S13. In step S13, the setting device 300 executes the editing of the workflow Wf described above.

[0203] Below, we will briefly explain the pre-printing process and post-printing process that can constitute the workflow Wf, and then return to step S13 in FIG. 9 to explain the editing procedure for the workflow Wf.

[0204] -Basic concept of pre-printing- Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining pattern search. Fig. 13 is a diagram for explaining tilt correction. Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining height detection. Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining window inspection. Fig. 16 is a diagram for explaining the influence of dirt on transparent member 19a.

[0205] The pre-printing process is a process that is performed before the printing process by the print controller 100. The operations that the print head 1 performs during the pre-printing process can be called "pre-printing operations."

[0206] The difference between "pre-printing processing" and "pre-printing operations" is simply whether the entity that performs each processing or operation is the "print controller 100" or the "print head 1." The same applies to the difference between "post-printing processing" and "post-printing operations" described below. The terms "first pre-printing processing" to "fourth pre-printing processing" described below may also be replaced with the terms "first pre-printing operation" to "fourth pre-printing operation," depending on the entity that performs each processing or operation.

[0207] In the pre-printing process, the print controller 100 controls at least one of the imaging units 62, 7 and the distance measurement unit 5, as exemplified by "XYθ correction," "image discrimination," "height correction," and "height detection" in Figure 8, and acquires information regarding at least one of the position and posture of the workpiece W by performing processing via the distance measurement unit 103, the XYθ processing unit 131, the Z processing unit 132, etc.

[0208] Here, the pre-printing process includes at least one of a first pre-printing process, a second pre-printing process, a third pre-printing process, and a fourth pre-printing process. In this embodiment, the first pre-printing process, the second pre-printing process, the third pre-printing process, and the fourth pre-printing process are exemplified by "XYθ correction," "image discrimination," "height correction," and "height detection" in Figure 8, respectively.

[0209] [XYθ correction and image discrimination] In the XYθ correction, the XYθ processing unit 131 determines the position and orientation of the printing target W' relative to the laser printing device L based on the captured images Pw, Pw' acquired via the imaging units 6, 72. Based on the determination results, the XYθ processing unit 131 also corrects the printing data so that the position and orientation of the printing pattern Pm are corrected according to the position and orientation of the printing target W'. In the XYθ correction, instead of or in addition to correcting the printing data, the XYθ processing unit 131 can also determine whether or not printing processing is possible for the printing target W'.

[0210] In the image discrimination, the XYθ processing unit 131 determines the position and posture of the printing object W' relative to the laser printing device L based on the captured images Pw, Pw' acquired via the imaging units 6, 72. The XYθ processing unit 131 also determines whether or not printing processing can be performed on the printing object W' based on the result of this discrimination.

[0211] 12, the XYθ processing unit 131 can determine the position and orientation of the printing target W' by using various methods and execute processing based on the determination results. Such processing includes, for example, determining the deviation of the position and orientation of the printing target W' with respect to the setting target W, and executing processing based on the determination results.

[0212] Hereinafter, to distinguish from deviation in the Z direction described below, deviations in the position of the printing target W' in the XY directions and deviations in the posture of the printing target W' due to rotation on the XY plane will be collectively referred to as "XY deviation" or "XYθ deviation." This XY deviation can vary for each printing target W' transported on the transport line, and can also be referred to as an error in the position and posture of each printing target W' (workpiece error).

[0213] The term "XY deviation" is used in a broad sense. In other words, "determining XY deviation" here includes not only the process of calculating the deviation of the position and orientation of the print target W' relative to the setting target W, as described above, but also the determination of the presence or absence of the print target W', that is, the determination of whether the position and orientation of the print target W' can be identified.

[0214] In this embodiment, in both XYθ correction and image discrimination, the XYθ processing unit 131 of the print controller 100 calculates the deviations in the position and orientation of the print target W′ by pattern search.

[0215] Except in cases where the position of the print target W' cannot be identified, the effect of XY misalignment on the print process can be reduced or eliminated by correcting the position and orientation misalignment of the print pattern Pm for each print target W'.

[0216] In other words, due to XY misalignment of the workpiece W, the print pattern Pm printed on the workpiece W will have a misalignment in position and posture relative to the workpiece W (a misalignment from the desired position and posture). The laser printing device L according to this embodiment can correct the position of the print pattern in the XY directions and the posture on the XY plane (i.e., correct the print pattern Pm related to the XY misalignment) so as to reduce or eliminate the latter misalignment.

[0217] As an example, in the case of XYθ correction as the first pre-printing process, the position and posture of the print pattern Pm are adjusted via the position and posture of the print block Pb. The laser printing device L adjusts the print block Pb by correcting the print data, and through this adjustment, the aforementioned "correction of the print pattern Pm related to XY misalignment" can be performed. As a result, the misalignment of the relative position and posture of the print pattern Pm with respect to the workpiece W, caused by the XY misalignment of the workpiece W, is corrected via the print block Pb corresponding to that print pattern Pb. Note that correction via the print block Pb is not essential.

[0218] On the other hand, in the case of image discrimination as the second pre-printing process, if the position and posture of the print object W' cannot be determined, the laser printing device L, for example, stops laser printing on the print object W'. This allows appropriate action to be taken even if the print object W' is not actually being transported.

[0219] Specifically, when setting up the XYθ correction before operation, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d of the setting device 300 sets the pattern area Rp to be used in the pattern search based on user input (see FIG. 12). The position, orientation, and size of the pattern area Rp are determined, for example, with respect to the captured image Pw. This captured image Pw is an image generated by capturing an image of the setting target W.

[0220] Then, the XYθ processing unit 131 sets a search region Rs to be used in the pattern search based on the user input (see FIG. 12). The search region Rs may be set to include at least the pattern region Rp. The position, orientation, and size of the search region Rs are determined with respect to, for example, the setting plane R2.

[0221] Note that it is not essential to set a search region Rs. Instead of setting a search region Rs, a pattern search can be performed on the entire captured image Pw. Even in such a configuration, the same processing as below can be performed by treating the entire captured image Pw in the same way as the search region Rs.

[0222] 12, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d extracts image information within the pattern region Rp. The image information may be a pattern image Pp extracted from a captured image Pw within the pattern region Rp, or edge information of the captured image Pw within the pattern region Rp.

[0223] 12, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d associates the relative position and orientation relationship between the pattern area Rp and the print block Pb (hereinafter referred to as the "relative positional relationship") with the image information and stores it in the storage unit 303. This completes the settings related to the XYθ correction.

[0224] Thereafter, when the laser printing device L is in operation, the XYθ processing unit 131 captures an image of the printing target W' to generate a captured image Pw'. The XYθ processing unit 131 determines the position and orientation of the pattern area Rp on the captured image Pw' by performing a pattern search within the same search area Rs as when it was set. This determination can be made, for example, based on the position and orientation (see the virtual line Sr) of the image information (pattern image Pp).

[0225] In detail, the XYθ processing unit 131 compares image information (pattern image Pp) previously extracted on the first workpiece W with image information (image within the search region Rs) newly extracted on a different new workpiece W', and finds an area within the search region Rs where the two pieces of image information match more highly than other areas, as shown by the virtual line Sr. This search can be performed based on the level of the correlation value. This correlation value is a parameter that serves as an index in the pattern search.

[0226] Thereafter, the XYθ processing unit 131 corrects the position and orientation of the print block Pb by correcting the print data based on the relative positional relationship between the pattern region Rp and the print block Pb.

[0227] As a result of this correction, the print pattern Pm associated with that print block Pb is also corrected. As shown in Figure 12, a print block Pb' can be created that takes into account the XY offset, and the corrected print pattern Pm' can be printed together with the print block Pb'.

[0228] On the other hand, in image discrimination, the XYθ processing unit 131 searches for the position and orientation of the pattern region Rp on the captured image Pw′ by pattern search based on image information (pattern image Pp), similar to XYθ correction.

[0229] Image discrimination is the same as XYθ correction, except that during pattern search, it is determined only whether or not the pre-set "pattern area Rp" and therefore the printing target W' has been found, and no correction of the printing pattern Pm based on the determination result (what is called "position correction" in the application example in Figure 8) is made.

[0230] XYθ correction and image discrimination can be considered similar processes in that they both use pattern searches. XYθ correction can provide the same functionality as image discrimination depending on the settings, such as turning off the correction function.

[0231] In other words, when editing the workflow Wf before moving on to setting the XYθ correction, image discrimination processes that can provide the same function depending on the XYθ correction settings are presented to the user as additional options. This configuration presents functions that can be realized depending on the settings, makes them possible to add directly to the workflow Wf, and presents setting items corresponding to the added functions. This improves convenience for users who are unfamiliar with using the imaging units 6 and 72 in the laser printing device L.

[0232] XYθ correction and image discrimination can be used for various purposes related to the print target W' through the setting of the pattern area Rp. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the type and front / back of the print target W' may be determined by XYθ correction and image discrimination. The type determination here includes determining whether the workpiece W and the print target W' are of different types. In addition, by setting the print material, pattern, etc. on the workpiece W as image information in the pattern area Rp, it is also possible to determine whether the print pattern Pm has already been printed on the print target W' (preventing double printing).

[0233] [Height correction and height detection] In height correction as the third pre-printing process, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d adjusts the focal position via the focus adjustment unit 33 based on the distance to the distance measurement position I acquired via the distance measurement unit 5. In height correction, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d converts the light-receiving position detected by the distance measurement unit 5 into the distance to the distance measurement position I via the distance measurement unit 103, and executes various processes. Instead of or in addition to correcting the print data, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d can also determine whether or not to perform printing process on the print target W'.

[0234] In the height determination as the fourth pre-printing process, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d determines whether or not to perform printing on the printing target W′ based on the distance to the distance measurement position I acquired via the imaging units 6 and 72.

[0235] 6, the print controller 100 can identify the height of the print target W' based on the distance to the distance measurement position I, and execute processing based on the determination results. Such processing includes, for example, determining the deviation of the position and orientation of the print target W' from the setting target W, and executing processing based on the determination results.

[0236] Hereinafter, the height of the printing target W' in the Z direction and the deviation (also called tilt) of the printing target W' due to rotation around a central axis parallel to the XY plane will be collectively referred to as "Z deviation." This Z deviation can vary for each printing target W' transported on the transport line, and can be considered one element of the position and posture error (workpiece error) for each printing target W'.

[0237] The term "Z-shift" is used in a broad sense. In other words, "determining Z-shift" here includes not only the process of calculating the shift in the position and orientation of the print target W' relative to the setting target W, as described above, but also the determination of the presence or absence of the print target W', that is, the determination of whether the position and orientation of the print target W' can be identified.

[0238] Except in cases where the position of the print target W' cannot be determined, the effect of Z-shift on the printing process can be reduced or eliminated by adjusting the focal position (Z-coordinate correction) according to the height position (Z-coordinate) of each print target W', and, if necessary, further adjusting the focal position (tilt correction) according to the orientation of the print target W'.

[0239] For example, as shown by the distances Dx1 and Dx2 in Fig. 13, if the printing target W' is tilted, the distance measurement results will differ for each distance measurement position I. In this case, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d can detect the tilt of the printing target W' based on the positional relationship between the distance measurement positions I and the relationship between the distance measurement results.

[0240] In this case, when correcting the height, the Z processing unit 132 changes the focal position for each printing point individually according to the inclination of the printing target W' (tilt correction). This makes it possible to correct the effects of deviations in the posture of the printing target W'. Note that tilt correction is not essential for height correction. In the application example of FIG. 8, the correction of the Z coordinate of the printing target W' and tilt correction are collectively referred to as "height correction."

[0241] 14, if the printing target W' has not been transported to the desired position, the light receiving unit 52 will not be able to receive the distance measurement light, or even if it can receive the light, it will be received at a position significantly different from the setting. Based on this information, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d can detect the presence or absence of the printing target W'.

[0242] Height detection is the same as height correction, except that Z coordinate correction and tilt correction are not performed. Height correction and height detection can be considered to be the same type of processing in that both are processes that use the distance measurement results from the distance measurement unit 5. Height correction can provide the same function as height detection depending on the settings, for example, by turning off the correction function.

[0243] In other words, when editing the workflow Wf before moving on to setting the height correction, height detection, which can provide the same function depending on the height correction setting, is presented to the user as an additional option. By adopting this configuration, functions that can be realized depending on the setting are presented, and they can be added directly to the workflow Wf, and setting items corresponding to the added function can be presented. Therefore, convenience is improved for users who are unfamiliar with using the distance measurement unit 5 in the laser printing device L.

[0244] Height correction and height detection can be used for various purposes related to the printing target W' through prior settings. As shown in Figure 8, in addition to detecting the presence or absence of the printing target W', height correction and height detection can also be used to detect whether the printing target W' is floating. "Floating" here refers to a case where the printing target W' is partially separated from the conveyance line, resulting in the tilt described above.

[0245] [Maintenance process (window inspection)] The pre-printing process may further include a maintenance process (see "window inspection" in FIG. 8). This maintenance process is configured so that the print controller 100 controls the distance measuring unit 5 to acquire maintenance information for the laser printing device L.

[0246] The maintenance process is performed by the window inspection unit 151. The window inspection unit 151 identifies the distance measurement light resulting from the light reflected by the transparent member 19a among the distance measurement light received by the light receiving unit 52 of the distance measurement unit 5, and thereby detects dirt on the transparent member 19a.

[0247] As the laser printing device L continues to be used, dirt may accumulate on the transparent member 19a. If dirt accumulates on the corners, it may affect the measurement by the distance measuring unit 5 or the quality of printing by the printing laser light.

[0248] That is, if there is not much dirt attached, the distance measurement light will pass through the transparent member 19a without being reflected by the dirt attached to the transparent member 19a, as shown in the left diagram of Figure 15. In this case, if the effect of specular reflection light is ignored, the light receiving element 52a will detect only the reflected light that is reflected by the surface of the workpiece W and peaks at the predetermined position X1, as shown in Figure 16(a).

[0249] However, if the transparent member 19a becomes excessively dirty, at least a portion of the distance measurement light will be reflected by the dirt adhering to the transparent member 19a, as shown in the right diagram of Fig. 15. In this case, as shown in Figs. 16(b) and 16(c), the light receiving element 52a will detect reflected light that is reflected by the surface of the transparent member 19a and has a peak at a predetermined position X2 (≠X1). The amount of this reflected light received increases as the transparent member 19a becomes more dirty.

[0250] In particular, as shown in Figures 16(b) and (c), depending on the degree of dirt on the transparent member 19a, the light receiving element 52a may detect both the distance measuring light reflected by the surface of the workpiece W and the distance measuring light reflected by the transparent member 19a.

[0251] In contrast, the print controller 100 according to this embodiment can detect stains on the transparent member 19a and execute processing that takes the detection results into consideration.

[0252] Specifically, the window inspection unit 151 detects dirt on the transparent member 19a by identifying the distance measurement light resulting from the light reflected by the transparent member 19a among the distance measurement light received by the light receiving unit 52. The window inspection unit 151 then outputs the detection result and displays it on the display unit 301 or the like, or stores it together with other data in the storage unit 303 as an operation log. The detection result by the window inspection unit 151 is an example of "maintenance information" in this embodiment.

[0253] As described above, transparent member 19a is disposed at a reference position where the optical path length between transparent member 19a and emission unit 51 is known. Because the optical path length is known, the position where the distance measurement light reflected by the surface of transparent member 19a reaches its peak can be estimated in advance.

[0254] Therefore, the window inspection unit 151 can detect dirt on the transparent member 19a based on the light receiving state at the light receiving position corresponding to the above-mentioned reference position among the light receiving positions of the distance measurement light at the light receiving unit 52.

[0255] For example, if the position where the reflected light peaks on the light receiving surface of the light receiving element 52a falls within a predetermined range, the window inspection unit 151 can determine that the reflected light is caused by dirt on the transparent member 19a. The predetermined range used for this determination may be a numerical range that includes the light receiving position corresponding to the reference position.

[0256] In this way, the window inspection unit 151 can identify the reflected light reflected by the transparent member 19a based on the position at which the reflected light is received. In addition, the window inspection unit 151 can also determine the degree of dirt on the transparent member 19a based on the amount of reflected light received.

[0257] Specifically, the window inspection unit 151 can determine the degree of contamination on the transparent member 19a based on the amount of light received at the reference light-receiving position X2. More specifically, the window inspection unit 151 compares the amount of light received at the reference light-receiving position X2 with a preset threshold value T, and can determine that the transparent member 19a is contaminated if the amount of light received exceeds the threshold value T (see FIG. 16(c)).

[0258] 8, the maintenance process can be used to create an operation log as maintenance information together with other data related to the operation of the laser printing system S. The maintenance process contributes to the collection of maintenance information.

[0259] [Other pre-printing processes] Additionally, the pre-printing process may include one or more of a photographing process executed by the log storage unit 152 and a code reading process executed by the code reading unit 153.

[0260] In the photographing process, the log storage unit 152 generates a captured image Pw' of the print target W' before the printing process by controlling the imaging units 62 and 7. The log storage unit 152 stores the generated captured image Pw' in the memory unit 101 of the print controller 100, the memory unit 303 of the setting device 300, or the like.

[0261] In the code reading process, the code reading unit 153 generates a captured image Pw' of the print target W' before the printing process by controlling the imaging units 62 and 7. Based on the generated captured image Pw', the code reading unit 153 determines whether or not the captured image Pw' includes a two-dimensional code.

[0262] If the captured image Pw' contains a two-dimensional code, the code reader 153 reads the two-dimensional code and acquires the information encoded by the two-dimensional code. The code reader 153 uses the acquired information for various other processes, or stores the acquired information together with the captured image Pw' obtained by the photographing process in the memory 101 of the print controller 100, the memory 303 of the setting device 300, or the like.

[0263] As shown in the application example of FIG. 8, the photographing process and the code reading process can be used, for example, to create an operation log for the laser printing system L. The code reading process can read, as a 2D code, for example, a lot number, serial number, etc. that has been previously assigned to the printing object W'. Reading such a 2D code can be used for the operation of the laser printing system L. Note that it is not essential to use the code reading process for the operation of the laser printing system L.

[0264] Furthermore, when a two-dimensional code is used for the print pattern Pm, by performing the code reading process, it can be used to prevent double printing, just like other pre-printing processes.

[0265] -Basic concept of post-printing processing- Post-printing processing is processing that is performed after the printing processing by the print controller 100. The operations that the print head 1 performs during the post-printing processing can be called "post-printing operations."

[0266] In post-printing processing, the print controller 100 controls at least one of the imaging units 62, 7 and the ranging unit 5, as illustrated in "Print confirmation" and "Window inspection" in Figure 8, and acquires information about the print pattern Pm formed by the printing process that executes processing via the window inspection unit 151, log storage unit 152, code reading unit 153, print confirmation unit 154, etc.

[0267] Here, the post-printing process includes a print confirmation process, a window inspection as a maintenance process, an output monitoring process, a photography process, and a code reading process, as exemplified in Fig. 8. As shown in Figs. 18 to 20, the output monitoring process may be called or illustrated as "marking energy," the photography process may be called or illustrated simply as "photography," and the print confirmation process may be called or illustrated simply as "print confirmation."

[0268] Here, both the print confirmation process and the photographing process correspond to processes for inspecting the workpiece W, particularly the print target W', on which the print pattern Pm has been printed by the printing process, based on the captured image Pw' acquired via the imaging units 62 and 7. These processes are examples of the "inspection process" in this embodiment.

[0269] The detailed settings of post-print processing are determined by the post-print processing setting unit 304e before and after editing the workflow Wf. The determined contents are one element of the print settings, and are transferred from the setting device 300 to the print controller 100, and then stored in the memory unit 101 of the print controller 100.

[0270] In the print confirmation process, the print confirmation unit 154 controls the imaging units 62, 7 to generate a captured image Pw' of the print target W' after the printing process. The print confirmation unit 154 also determines, based on the generated captured image Pw', whether the pre-set print pattern Pm has actually been marked on the print target W'. This determination may be made automatically by the print controller 100 or the setting device 300, or may be made by the user by displaying the captured image Pw' on the display unit 301. As shown in the application example of FIG. 8, the print confirmation process can be used to determine print quality.

[0271] In the former case, an image (model image) showing the desired print pattern Pm may be stored in advance in the print controller 100. In this case, the print controller 100 may determine the processing quality of the print pattern Pm' by comparing the model image with the captured image Pw'. The model image may also be an image generated from the setting surface R2 on which the print pattern Pm is arranged.

[0272] The details of the window inspection are the same as those of the pre-printing process, that is, the window inspection in this embodiment can be included in at least one of the pre-printing process and the post-printing process.

[0273] In the output monitoring process, the print controller 100 monitors the transition of the marking energy based on the detection signal of the power monitor 23. The monitoring results, together with other data related to the operation of the laser printing system L, can be used to create an operation log as maintenance information. The output monitoring process contributes to the collection of maintenance information.

[0274] In the photographing process, the log storage unit 152 generates a captured image Pw' of the print target W' after the print process by controlling the imaging units 62 and 7. The log storage unit 152 stores the generated captured image Pw' in the memory unit 101 of the print controller 100, the memory unit 303 of the setting device 300, or the like.

[0275] In the code reading process, the code reading unit 153 generates a captured image Pw' of the print target W' before the printing process by controlling the imaging units 62 and 7. Based on the generated captured image Pw', the code reading unit 153 determines whether or not the captured image Pw' includes a two-dimensional code.

[0276] If a two-dimensional code is included in the captured image Pw', the code reading unit 153 judges the quality (grade) of the two-dimensional code. The grade of the two-dimensional code can be determined based on print quality evaluation standards for two-dimensional codes established based on ISO / IEC, etc. The code reading process in the post-printing process is particularly effective when a two-dimensional code is used for the print pattern Pm. As shown in the application example in FIG. 8, the code reading process in the post-printing process can be used to judge print quality and monitor print content.

[0277] -Workflow editing configuration- For simplicity of explanation, the process consisting of at least one of the pre-printing process and the post-printing process will be referred to as the “pre- or post-printing process.” Each process that constitutes the pre- or post-printing process has been described with reference to FIG. 8, etc.

[0278] The laser printing device L according to this embodiment is configured to include a storage unit 303 as a sequence information storage unit and a workflow editing unit 304c in order to improve user convenience regarding the workflow Wf. The storage unit 303 stores sequence information Io associated with each of the pre- and post-printing processes. The workflow editing unit 304c edits the workflow Wf that defines a series of processes including the printing process. These elements will be described with reference to specific examples.

[0279] Fig. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a procedure for editing a workflow Wf. Figs. 18 to 20 are diagrams each illustrating an example of an editing screen for a workflow Wf. When the control process proceeds to step S13 in Fig. 9, setting device 300 executes the processing shown in Fig. 17, starting from step S131.

[0280] First, in step S131, the processing unit 304 reads the sequence information I0 from the storage unit 303. This sequence information I0 defines the execution order of each process that constitutes the pre- and post-printing processes.

[0281] 8, the order information Io for the pre-printing processes specifies that the processes are executed in the following order from earliest to latest: photography process, window inspection, XYθ correction or image discrimination, height correction or height detection, and code reading process. If window inspection is not selected as the pre-printing process, XYθ correction or image discrimination will start after photography process is executed.

[0282] As is clear from the above-mentioned definition, the XYθ correction and the image discrimination are defined so that they are performed in the same order. That is, the XYθ correction and the image discrimination are set as processes that can be selected alternatively.

[0283] Similarly, the height correction and height detection are defined so that their execution orders are the same, i.e., the height correction and height detection are set as processes that can be selected alternatively.

[0284] As described above, the order information Io is defined to include the order in which window inspection is performed as a maintenance process. Specifically, the order information Io according to this embodiment is defined so that window inspection is performed before the first to fourth pre-printing processes, as shown in Fig. 8. As an example, in this embodiment, window inspection is performed before all of the first, second, third, and fourth pre-printing processes.

[0285] 8, the order information Io for post-printing processes specifies that the processes are executed in the following order from earliest to latest: photography process, print confirmation process, code reading process, window inspection, and output monitoring process. If code reading process is not selected as the post-printing process, window inspection will start after the print confirmation process.

[0286] As shown in FIG. 8, the window inspection and output monitoring processes as maintenance processes are specified to be executed after the photographing process and print confirmation process as inspection processes, and the code reading process.

[0287] The order information I0 can be configured by associating each of the pre- and post-printing processes with an execution order, priority, etc. The order information I0 is information that is stored in advance by the manufacturer, for example, at the time of shipping from the factory.

[0288] In the following step S132, processing unit 304 causes display unit 301 to display the pre- and post-printing processing that is stored in storage unit 303 and associated with sequence information Io. Processing unit 304 causes display unit 301 to display, in addition to the pre- and post-printing processing, the workflow Wf that is being edited by workflow editing unit 304c.

[0289] Here, Fig. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of display screen Sc1 when pre- or post-print processing is not selected, Fig. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of display screen Sc2 when all pre- or post-print processing except height correction, image discrimination, and height detection have been selected, and Fig. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of display screen Sc3 when all pre- or post-print processing except image discrimination and height detection have been selected. All of these screens can be displayed on the display unit 301. The various GUIs displayed on these screens are controlled by a GUI control unit 304f of the processing unit 304.

[0290] 18, 19, and 20, the display unit 301 displays a flow display area Rf1 and a flow selection area Rf2. The flow display area Rf1 visualizes and displays the structure of the workflow Wf, reflecting the execution order of pre- and post-printing processes for the print process (that is, the execution order defined by the sequence information Io). The flow selection area Rf2 is displayed independently of the flow display area Rf1, and displays a list of pre- and post-printing processes, as well as accepting user input for selecting pre- and post-printing processes.

[0291] The workflow Wf displayed in the flow display area Rf1 is a workflow that includes the currently selected pre- and post-print processing. As can be seen by comparing FIG. 8 with FIGS. 19 and 20, the displayed workflows are arranged in the order of execution defined by the sequence information Io, including the pre- and post-printing relationships with the printing process (laser printing). As shown in the figure, the flow display area Rf1 displays the names of a series of processes, including the printing process, in the order of execution of each process.

[0292] The flow selection area Rf2 is composed of a first selection area Rf21 that displays a list of pre-printing processes, and a second selection area Rf22 that is displayed independently of the first selection area Rf21 and displays a list of post-printing processes.

[0293] In the first selection area Rf21, first interfaces If1 corresponding to each process constituting the pre-printing process are arranged. Each of the multiple first interfaces If1 is configured as a GUI that accepts user input via the operation unit 302, such as mouse operation.

[0294] In the second selection area Rf22, second interfaces If2 corresponding to each process constituting the post-printing process are arranged. Each of the second interfaces If2 is configured as a GUI that accepts user input via the operation unit 302, such as mouse operation.

[0295] 18, 19, and 20, GUIs corresponding to pre- and post-printing processes incorporated into a workflow Wf are visualized in a different display mode than GUIs corresponding to other pre- and post-printing processes not incorporated into the workflow Wf. The display modes that can be made different include the display color of the GUIs as shown in the figures, as well as whether or not each GUI blinks and the display size.

[0296] 18, 19, and 20, the display unit 301 displays an application example display area Rf3 that is independent of the flow display area Rf1 and the flow selection area Rf2. The application example display area Rf3 is an area for displaying application examples of each process.

[0297] For example, suppose the mouse pointer Mp is moved onto the first interface If1 corresponding to "height correction," as shown in Fig. 19. In this case, images showing "height correction," "presence detection," and "floating detection," which were described with reference to Fig. 8, are displayed in the application example display area Rf3.

[0298] The user selects the required pre- or post-printing processes by referring to various display contents on the display unit 301. Specifically, in step S133 following step S132, the accepting unit 304g accepts a selection of pre- or post-printing processes to be included in the workflow Wf in accordance with a user input from the pre- or post-printing processes (for example, the first and second interfaces If1 and If2) displayed on the display unit 301.

[0299] In the example shown in the figure, when the user moves the mouse pointer Mp over the first interface If1 corresponding to "height correction" as shown in Figure 19 and performs a user input such as a click operation, the reception unit 304g will accept the selection of "height correction" as a pre- or post-printing process to be included in the workflow Wf.

[0300] Here, as illustrated in steps S134 and S135, the workflow editing unit 304c according to this embodiment is configured to selectively add one of XYθ correction and image discrimination to the workflow Wf when the reception unit 304g receives a selection of both XYθ correction and image discrimination.

[0301] The determination is made, for example, when one of XYθ correction and image discrimination is incorporated into the workflow Wf and the other of XYθ correction and image discrimination is further selected.

[0302] Similarly, as illustrated in steps S134 and S135, the workflow editing unit 304c according to this embodiment is configured to selectively add one of height correction and height detection to the workflow Wf when the reception unit 304g receives a selection of both height correction and height detection.

[0303] The determination is made, for example, when one of height correction and height detection is incorporated into the workflow Wf and the other of height correction and height detection is further selected.

[0304] Specifically, in step S134 following step S133, the workflow editing unit 304c determines whether or not a process of the same type as the process selected in step S133 is in an unselected state (a state in which it is not incorporated into the workflow Wf).

[0305] In this embodiment, XYθ correction and image discrimination are related to the first type of similar processing, and height correction and height detection are related to the second type of similar processing. In other words, if pre- or post-printing processing other than these four processes is selected, the determination in step S134 will necessarily be YES in this embodiment.

[0306] If the determination in step S134 is YES, the processing unit 304 advances the control process to step S136. If the determination in step S134 is NO, the processing unit 304 advances the control process to step S135.

[0307] 19, in step S134, the workflow editing unit 304c determines whether or not the same type of processing as the "height correction" selected in step S133, i.e., "height detection," is in an unselected state. Since "height detection" is in an unselected state, the determination in step S134 is YES, and the control process proceeds to step S136.

[0308] In step S135, the workflow editing unit 304c confirms with the user whether or not to delete from the workflow Wf a process of the same type as the process selected in step S133 (a process already selected in the workflow Wf) in order to add the process to the workflow Wf. This confirmation can be made through a dialog on the display unit 301. If the receiving unit 304g receives a user input indicating that the process should be deleted (step S135: YES), the workflow editing unit 304c deletes the process of the same type from the workflow Wf.

[0309] On the other hand, if the receiving unit 304g receives a user input denying the deletion (step S135: NO), the workflow editing unit 304c returns the control process to step S132 and cancels the selection received in step S133.

[0310] In step S136, the workflow editing unit 304c adds the pre- and post-printing processes selected by the accepting unit 304g to the workflow Wf including the printing processes in the order according to the order information Io corresponding to the pre- and post-printing processes.

[0311] In the following step S137, the workflow editing unit 304c updates the display content of the workflow Wf in the flow display area Rf1 and the display content of the pre- and post-print processing in the flow selection area Rf2 (in particular, the display mode of the GUI corresponding to the selected processing).

[0312] In the example of Fig. 19, by executing the processes of step S136 and step S137, the screen on the display unit 301 transitions from display screen Sc2 in Fig. 19 to display screen Sc3 illustrated in Fig. 20. As can be seen from the comparison between the workflow Wf in Fig. 19 and the workflow Wf in Fig. 20, it can be seen that height correction has been added between XYθ correction and code reading processing without the user having to make any special settings.

[0313] 19 and 20, a GUI (fourth interface If4) marked with "ON" or "OFF" is displayed to the side of the screen for each process incorporated into the workflow Wf. By providing a user input to these, it is possible to switch whether or not to execute the pre- and post-printing processes corresponding to the fourth interface If4.

[0314] The fourth interface If is a GUI for switching whether or not each of the pre- and post-printing processes that make up the workflow Wf can be executed during the workflow Wf displayed in the flow display area Rf1, and is an example of a "switching unit" in this embodiment.

[0315] The reception unit 304g receives a user input via the fourth interface If4 to select whether or not to execute each process. The print controller 100 executes the print process and the pre- and post-print processes in accordance with the user input via the fourth interface If4.

[0316] Then, in step S138 following step S137, the workflow editing unit 304c determines whether the selection of pre- and post-printing processes (editing of the workflow Wf) is complete. This determination may be configured to be YES when the receiving unit 304g receives a user input to a specific GUI, such as the third interface If3 as a GUI exemplified in Figures 18 to 20. The configuration of step S138 is not particularly limited.

[0317] If the determination in step S138 is YES, the processing unit 304 advances the control process to step S139. In this case, the processing unit 304 executes the settings for each selected pre- and post-printing process. If the determination in step S138 is NO, the processing unit 304 returns the control process to step S132.

[0318] The main part of the process performed in step S139 will be described below.

[0319] -Pre- and post-print processing settings- Fig. 21 is a diagram comparing the setting procedures for XYθ correction and image discrimination. Fig. 22 is a diagram comparing the setting procedures for height correction and height detection. Both Fig. 21 and Fig. 22 are configured as flows focusing on the setting items in each process.

[0320] Specifically, the left diagram in FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a setting procedure performed regarding XYθ correction, and the right diagram in FIG. 21 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a setting procedure performed regarding image discrimination.

[0321] On the other hand, the left diagram of FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a setting procedure performed regarding height correction, and the right diagram of FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a setting procedure performed regarding height detection.

[0322] Here, the double-headed arrows in Figures 21 and 22 indicate common setting items in the processes illustrated on the left and right. Also, the steps illustrated in Figures 21 and 22 are determined with the aim of making it easy to compare setting items, and are not limited to the steps in the figures.

[0323] Although not shown in the drawings, various settings are made via various GUIs displayed on the display unit 301. When the user selects and inputs a specific item, the corresponding user input is received by the receiving unit 304g, and the pre-printing process setting unit 304d executes the setting corresponding to the user input.

[0324] [XYθ correction and image discrimination] In step S211 of the process related to setting the XYθ correction, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d selects the print pattern Pm to be corrected by the XYθ correction, specifically, the print block Pb corresponding to that print pattern Pm. The print block Pb selected here corresponds to the print block Pb that is the target of the "correction of the print pattern Pm related to the XY misalignment" described above.

[0325] In the same step S211, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d sets the lighting conditions (selection of the lighting 18) used to generate the captured images Pw and Pw' for pattern search.

[0326] In the same step S211, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d selects one of multiple correction modes. The multiple correction modes are set so that the number of pattern areas Rp used for one print block Pb differs from one another. For example, if two pattern areas Rp are used for one print block Pb, correction accuracy in the rotational direction can be improved.

[0327] In the following step S212, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d sets the pattern area Rp, adjusts the brightness and magnification, sets the search area Rs, and sets the angle search range.

[0328] Here, brightness and magnification adjustment refers to settings that determine the brightness and magnification when capturing images using the imaging units 62 and 7. The angle search range refers to the range of rotation angles of the pattern area Rp (upper and lower limits of the rotation angle on the XY plane) when searching for a pattern.

[0329] In the following step S213, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d sets a mask area, a correlation value threshold, the height of the pattern image Pp, a shooting delay, and a post-search operation.

[0330] The mask area is an area for masking information that may hinder a pattern search, such as a pattern (for example, a serial number) that has been pre-processed on each workpiece W. Masking such information makes it possible to achieve a more accurate pattern search.

[0331] The correlation value threshold is the lower limit of the correlation value that serves as an index for the pattern search. For example, if the correlation value obtained during an actual pattern search is equal to or higher than the lower limit, it can be determined that the pattern search was successful (a region identical to the pattern region Rp was found). On the other hand, if the correlation value obtained during the pattern search is less than the lower limit, it can be determined that the pattern search was unsuccessful (a region identical to the pattern region was not found).

[0332] The height setting of the pattern image Pp is a setting item for presetting the height of the pattern image Pp. This setting item may be input by the user himself or may be set to be acquired via the distance measuring unit 5 and the distance measurement unit 103.

[0333] The imaging delay indicates the waiting time from when the workpiece W to be printed is transported (for example, from when the trigger signal receiving unit 120 receives the trigger signal) until the imaging required for pattern search begins when the laser printing system S is in operation.

[0334] The post-search operation is an operation to be performed when the predetermined pattern area Rp is not found or when the workpiece W itself is not found. The setting items related to the post-search operation include the setting of one of a plurality of NG conditions.

[0335] The multiple NG conditions include a failure of the pattern search (search failure) and a success of the pattern search (search success). As mentioned above, the former condition is used to set the action to be taken when the specified pattern area Rp is not found or the workpiece W itself is not found. The latter condition is useful for setting the action to be taken when the surface condition of the workpiece W' or the pattern image Pp that should not exist is found, such as to prevent double impacts.

[0336] The setting items for post-search actions also include settings for the process to be performed when an NG condition is met. Such processes include multiple processes. The multiple processes include not outputting either an error or a warning (not outputting an error or warning), outputting a warning (outputting a warning), and outputting an error and halting laser printing (outputting an error).

[0337] The setting items for post-search operations further include the setting of another process to be performed when an NG condition is met. Such processes include multiple processes. The multiple processes include continuing laser printing (continue printing) and interrupting laser printing (interrupt printing). In this embodiment, if "error output" is selected, "interrupt printing" is automatically selected. The determination of an NG condition, such as a determination of "interrupt printing," is an example of a "determination of whether printing processing is possible" in this disclosure.

[0338] On the other hand, all setting items related to image discrimination are included in XYθ, as exemplified in steps S221, S222, and S223 in the right diagram of Fig. 21. "Correction mode setting," "Search area setting," "Angle search range setting," "Pattern image Pp height setting," and "Shooting delay setting" are setting items specific to XYθ, and are excluded from the setting items for image discrimination.

[0339] The setting items determined through the steps in FIG. 21 constitute one element of the print setting, and are transferred from the setting device 300 to the print controller 100, and then stored in the memory unit 101 of the print controller 100.

[0340] [Height correction and height detection] In step S231 of the process related to setting height correction, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d selects the print pattern Pm to be corrected by height correction, specifically, the print block Pb corresponding to that print pattern Pm.

[0341] In the same step S231, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d sets the origin (reference position) of the height of the workpiece W. When there are multiple print blocks Pb, this reference position may be the height of a specific print block Pb, or the height of each print block Pb may be set individually as the reference position, or specific arbitrary coordinates set by the user may be set as the reference position.

[0342] In the same step S231, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d selects one of the multiple correction modes (setting whether tilt correction is required). The multiple correction modes are configured as a first correction mode that performs only Z-coordinate correction in height correction, and a second correction mode that performs Z-coordinate correction and tilt correction.

[0343] In the following step S232, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d sets the judgment index, whether a stability check is required, and whether correction of the print block is required.

[0344] Here, the judgment index refers to either the upper or lower limit of the distance (height) measurement value. The stability check is a process for verifying the reliability of the measurement. More specifically, it is a process for verifying the reliability of the measurement based on how many of the distance (height) measurements performed are successful (the number of successful measurements or the frequency of success within those measurements). For example, the stability check according to this embodiment can be configured to determine that "measurement reliability is ensured" and permit correction of the print block if the number of successful measurements or the frequency of successful measurements exceeds a predetermined threshold. Furthermore, by setting whether or not correction of the print block is required, it is possible to set whether only distance measurement is performed for the print block Pb selected in step S231, or whether correction of the print pattern Pp is performed based on the measurement results.

[0345] In the next step S233, the pre-printing process setting unit 304d sets the operation to be performed when the distance measurement result is outside the range of the determination index set in step S232 (when the NG determination is established).

[0346] The setting items for the action to be taken when an NG judgment is made include the setting of the action to be taken when an NG judgment is made. Such actions include multiple actions. The multiple actions include not outputting either an error or a warning (not outputting an error or warning), outputting a warning (outputting a warning), and outputting an error and halting laser printing (outputting an error).

[0347] The setting items for the operation to be performed when an NG condition is met further include the setting of another process to be performed when the NG condition is met. Such processes include multiple processes. The multiple processes include continuing laser printing (continue printing), continuing laser printing after correcting the height (correct and continue printing), and interrupting laser printing (interrupt printing). In this embodiment, if "error output" is selected, "interrupt printing" is automatically selected. The determination of an NG condition, such as a determination of "interrupt printing," is an example of a "determination of whether printing processing is possible" in this disclosure.

[0348] On the other hand, all setting items related to height detection are included in height correction, as exemplified in steps S241, S242, and S243 in the right diagram of Fig. 22. "Setting the correction mode," "Setting the correction reference position," and "Setting whether tilt correction is required" are setting items specific to height correction, and are excluded from setting items for height detection.

[0349] The setting items determined through each step in FIG. 22 constitute another element of the print setting, and are transferred from the setting device 300 to the print controller 100, and then stored in the memory unit 101 of the print controller 100.

[0350] <6. Operation of laser printing equipment> The operation procedure of the laser printing device L based on the processing by the workflow editing unit 304c will be described with reference again to step S3 in Fig. 7. First, in step S31 in Fig. 7, when a trigger signal is input from the PLC 402 or the like to the printing controller 100 in step S301, a new workpiece (target for correction) W' different from the workpiece (target for setting) W used for various settings including the pattern area Rp is conveyed.

[0351] In the following step S32, the print controller 100 executes pre-printing processing via the print head 1. In the following step S33, the print controller 100 executes printing processing via the print head 1. In the following step S34, the print controller 100 executes post-printing processing via the print head 1. In steps S32 to S34, the print controller 100 executes a series of processes including the printing processing.

[0352] Here, in steps S32 to S34, the print controller 100 executes the print process and the pre- and post-print processes added to the workflow Wf in accordance with the order defined by the workflow Wf to which the pre- and post-print processes have been added by the workflow editing unit. In the case of the workflow Wf in Fig. 21, XYθ correction and height correction are executed in the pre-print process, and code reading process and window inspection are executed in the post-print process.

[0353] If pre-printing processing is not selected, the processing in step S32 is omitted, and if post-printing processing is not selected, the processing in step S34 is omitted.

[0354] When the series of processes illustrated in steps S32 to S34 are completed, the print controller 100 advances the control process to step S35. In step S35, the print controller 100 determines whether or not operation of the laser printer L has been completed based on the condition settings transferred from the setting device 300, the input signal from the PLC 402, etc. If the determination is YES, the print controller 100 ends the flow of FIG.

[0355] On the other hand, if the determination in step S35 is NO, the print controller 100 waits until it is again in a state where it can accept a trigger signal (step S36). When it is in a state where it can accept a trigger signal, the print controller 100 returns the control process to step S31.

[0356] A specific example of pre-printing processing based on the workflow Wf will be described below with reference to Figures 23 and 24. Figures 23 and 24 illustrate pre-printing processing that is performed when multiple pre-printing processing steps are added to the workflow Wf, but only XYθ correction and height correction are turned "ON" (as in Figure 21).

[0357] First, in step S301 of Fig. 23, the print controller 100 activates the laser light scanning unit 4. The print controller 100 directs the imaging optical axis A4 of the coaxial camera 62 toward the location where the workpiece W is expected to be transported when the conveyance line is put into operation. Note that if the wide-area camera 7 is used instead of the coaxial camera 62, step S301 is unnecessary.

[0358] Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 1, a new work W' different from the work W used for various settings including the pattern area Rp is transported below the print head 1 in response to the input of a trigger signal.

[0359] Here, the print block Pb corresponding to the print pattern Pm is set using a coordinate system defined on the setting surface R2. Therefore, if the print target W' is misaligned in the X and Y directions relative to the setting target W, it may not be possible to form the print pattern Pm at the desired position on the print target W'.

[0360] Therefore, the print controller 100 executes a pattern search for the print target W', which is the new work W' described above, and performs XYθ correction based on the search results.

[0361] Specifically, in step S302 following step S301, the print controller 100 generates a captured image Pw' via the coaxial camera 62, and displays the generated captured image Pw' by superimposing it on the setting plane R2 (see FIG. 12).

[0362] Then, in step S303 following step S302, the print controller 100 reads the condition settings (search conditions) defined as shown in FIG. 21 for each of the print blocks Pb selected in step S211 of the same figure.

[0363] In the following step S304, the print controller 100 executes the pattern search configured as described above. By executing the pattern search, the XY deviation of the pattern area Rp is detected between the initial workpiece W that was set as the setting target W and a new workpiece W' that is the same type or shape as the original workpiece W but is newly transported during operation of the device and is set as the printing target W'.

[0364] In the next step S305, the print controller 100 determines whether the NG condition described with reference to Fig. 21 is met. If the NG condition is met, the print controller 100 executes a process set in advance.

[0365] Although not shown in Figure 21, the setting information for pattern search includes the relative positional relationship V1 between the pattern area Pr and the print block Pb to be corrected (see Figure 12). Therefore, by identifying the position Sr of the pattern area Pr on the print target W', it becomes possible to determine the print block Pb' and print pattern Pm' that correspond to the position Sr based on the relative positional relationship V1.

[0366] However, at this point, the deviation in position and posture in the Z direction (Z deviation) between the workpieces W and W' has not been resolved. If Z deviation occurs (if the height and tilt of the workpiece W have changed), further XY deviation will occur due to factors such as the widening of the angle of view of the coaxial camera 62.

[0367] Therefore, simply correcting the position of the print block Pb based on the detection result obtained in step S304 will result in positional deviations in the X and Y directions caused by the height of the print target W' remaining.

[0368] Therefore, in step S306 following step S305, the XYθ processing unit 131 provisionally corrects the XY deviation of the printing target W′ based on the detection result of step S304.

[0369] Specifically, the XYθ processing unit 131 shifts the print coordinate system defined on the setting surface R2 in a direction that offsets the XY deviation detected by the XYθ processing unit 131. This allows conversion from the initially set XY coordinates to provisional XY coordinates (provisional coordinates) in which the XY deviation is at least partially offset.

[0370] Then, by converting the XY coordinates into temporary coordinates, the position of the print block Pb that was set using the XY coordinates before conversion moves in accordance with the conversion into temporary coordinates.

[0371] 22, the setting information for height correction includes coordinate information for the distance measurement position I that is set in association with each print block Pb. Therefore, when the XY coordinates are converted into virtual coordinates in step S305, the distance measurement position I also moves as the print block Pb moves.

[0372] That is, the XYθ processing unit 131 generates a distance measurement position I′ on the printing target W′ by correcting the distance measurement position I set by the pre-printing process setting unit 304d (see FIG. 12).

[0373] In this way, the XYθ processing unit 131 is configured to correct the position of the print block Pb and the distance measurement position I between the setting target W and the printing target W' based on the detection results of the XY misalignment.

[0374] Then, in step S307 following step S306, the printing controller 100 determines whether pattern search has been completed for all printing blocks Pb that have been targeted for correction of the printing pattern Pm related to XY misalignment, and if the determination is YES, proceed to step S308 in Figure 24, while if the determination is NO, return to step S302.

[0375] In the following step S308, the print controller 100 reads the condition settings (distance measurement conditions) determined as shown in FIG. 22 for each of the print blocks Pb selected in step S231 of the same figure.

[0376] In the following step S309, the head control unit 102 controls the laser light scanning unit 4 so that the distance measurement light is irradiated onto the corrected distance measurement position I'. This makes it possible to measure the distance from the print head 1 to the distance measurement position I' that reflects the transformation into the virtual coordinate system.

[0377] In the following step S310, the distance measurement section 103 activates the distance measurement unit 5. At this time, the emission section 51 measures the distance from the laser printing device L to the surface of the printing object W'. The light receiving section 52 receives the distance measurement light that is reflected on the surface of the printing object W' and returned via the laser light scanning section 4. This measures the distance from the print head 1 to the distance measurement position I' corrected by the XYθ processing section 131, and therefore the height of the printing object W' at the distance measurement position I'.

[0378] In the next step S311, the print controller 100 determines whether the NG condition described with reference to Fig. 22 is met. If the NG condition is met, the print controller 100 executes a process set in advance.

[0379] In the following step S312, the Z processing unit 132 acquires the Z coordinate of the workpiece W' at the distance measurement position I' based on the measurement result by the distance measurement unit 103, and detects the Z deviation of the printing target W'. This Z deviation can be detected based on the difference between the acquired Z coordinate and the reference height in the Z direction (coordinates of the origin).

[0380] The Z processing unit 132 acquires control parameters for the focus adjustment unit 33 based on the Z shift of the printing target W'. The control parameters acquired here correspond to parameters (Z coordinate, focal position correction value) used when the focus adjustment unit 33 corrects the focal position.

[0381] The parameters thus acquired are used by the head control unit 102 to control the focus adjustment unit 33 before laser printing is performed on the printing object W'. That is, the focus adjustment unit 33 according to this embodiment can adjust the focus position based on the measurement result by the distance measurement unit 103 in a state where the distance measurement position I has been corrected by the XYθ processing unit 131, prior to irradiating the printing object W' with the printing laser light.

[0382] In step S313 following step S312, the XYθ processing unit 131 converts the X and Y coordinates again based on the Z deviation detected in step S312. This reconversion takes into account both the X and Y deviation detected by the pattern search and the positional deviation in the X and Y directions caused by the height of the printing target W'.

[0383] This makes it possible to accurately correct XY deviations of the printing target W', and to form the desired printing pattern Pm at the desired position on the printing target W'.

[0384] Then, in step S314 following step S313, the print controller 100 determines whether height measurement has been completed for all distance measurement positions I, and if the determination is YES, proceeds to step S315, while if the determination is NO, return to step S308.

[0385] In step S315, the XYθ processing unit 131 and the Z processing unit 132 correct the emission position of the printing laser light in the X, Y, and Z directions. In this step S315, both the correction of the position and posture in the X and Y directions taking into account the influence of the height of the workpiece W, and the correction of the position and posture in the Z direction based on the height of the workpiece W (correction of the focal position) are taken into consideration.

[0386] This completes the pre-printing process based on the workflow Wf illustrated in Fig. 21. Thereafter, the process proceeds from Fig. 24 to step S33 in Fig. 7, where the print controller 100 executes the printing process.

[0387] Since the position and posture deviations in the X, Y, and Z directions have already been corrected, the head control unit 102 can perform two-dimensional scanning while taking into account the effects of the X, Y, and Z deviations. When performing tilt correction in conjunction with height correction, height measurement is performed for at least three ranging positions I. In this case, in the above-mentioned step S315, correction to reduce the tilt (tilt correction) is performed. This tilt correction can be performed, for example, using keystone correction of the captured image Pw'.

[0388] For example, as shown in Fig. 25, heights of distance measurement positions I1, I2, I3, and I4 are measured, and based on the measurement results, trapezoidal correction is performed so that the distance measurement positions I1 to I4 are the four corners. In this case, the distance measurement positions I1, I2, I3, and I4 are converted to corrected positions I1', I2', I3', and I4', respectively.

[0389] In the case of image discrimination, the processes of steps S306, S313, and S315 are unnecessary. In the case of height detection, steps S312 and S315 are unnecessary. The process of step S315 is effective in ensuring various accuracies, such as printing accuracy, when, for example, a setting is made so that both position correction and height detection are performed.

[0390] <7. Relationship between position correction and focal length> However, position correction on a two-dimensional plane, such as XYθ correction, may result in a decrease in printing accuracy when printing on a workpiece W that has height.

[0391] For example, when two-dimensional scanning is performed by the laser beam scanning unit 4, the focal position of the printing laser beam differs near the center of the printing area R1 set on the workpiece W from near the edge of the printing area R1. Specifically, the focal position moves away from the printing area R1 as it moves from the center to the edge of the printing area R1. Therefore, when correcting the position on a two-dimensional plane, there is a possibility that the focal position will shift after the correction. This is inconvenient for maintaining high printing accuracy.

[0392] For example, as illustrated in Figure 26, consider the case where printing laser light is irradiated onto a first workpiece W1 whose focal position Df is optimized and a second workpiece W2 that is misaligned in the XY direction relative to the first workpiece W1.

[0393] Here, if the irradiation position of the printing laser light moves from T1 to T2 as a result of correcting the positional deviation in the X and Y directions of the second workpiece W2, the focal position Df that was optimized for the first workpiece W1 will be shifted by ΔD from the surface of the second workpiece W2. If the focal position is shifted, it will be inconvenient to maintain high printing accuracy.

[0394] In contrast, according to this embodiment, the laser printing device L detects positional deviation in the X and Y directions of the workpiece W' via the XYθ processing unit 131, as exemplified in step S306 in Fig. 23, and can correct the distance measurement position I based on the detection results. Then, as exemplified in step S312 in Fig. 24, prior to irradiating the workpiece W' with laser light, the laser printing device L corrects the focal position based on the measurement results by the distance measurement unit 103, with the distance measurement position I corrected by the XYθ processing unit 131.

[0395] In this way, by configuring the focal position to be adjusted with the positional deviation of the workpiece W' corrected, it is possible to maintain high printing accuracy even if the position of the workpiece W' is deviated.

[0396] <8. Workflow processing> As described above, the workflow editing unit 304c according to this embodiment edits the workflow Wf that defines a series of processes including print processing based on user input, as illustrated in Figures 17, 20, and 21. During this editing, the workflow editing unit 304c adds the pre- and post-printing processes whose selections have been accepted by the accepting unit 304g to the workflow Wf in an order that corresponds to the pre-stored order information Io, as illustrated in Figures 8, 20, and 21.

[0397] With this configuration, it is possible to appropriately set up a workflow Wf that specifies the execution order of each process and execute each process according to that setting, without requiring knowledge of the role of each process. Even if a user has knowledge of the role of each process, the workflow Wf can be quickly set up without having to make decisions based on that knowledge one by one. Therefore, the configuration according to the embodiment can improve the user convenience of the laser printing device L.

[0398] 8, the pre-printing process according to the embodiment may include a number of processes that combine the imaging units 62, 7 and the distance measurement unit 5. Forcing the user to set the execution order of such processes is inconvenient in terms of user convenience.

[0399] In contrast, the laser printing device L can execute each process in the appropriate order regardless of the user's knowledge, even if the pre-printing process may include a large number of processes, thereby improving user convenience.

[0400] Furthermore, as explained with reference to Figures 8, 12, and 21, XYθ correction and image discrimination have many of the same setting items and processes, and it is believed that there are virtually no situations in which they are used together. XYθ performs more advanced processing, such as correcting print data, but as shown in Figure 21, there are setting items that require prior knowledge, so it is not necessarily easy to use for inexperienced users. Image discrimination does not perform as advanced processing as XYθ correction, but it can be easily used even by inexperienced users.

[0401] Therefore, the workflow editing unit 304c according to the embodiment adds only one of the processes to the workflow Wf when the processes are not expected to be used in combination, as illustrated in the third column of Fig. 8 and step S134 and step S135 of Fig. 17. As a result, a more appropriate workflow Wf can be created.

[0402] Furthermore, as explained with reference to Figures 8 and 22, height correction and height detection have many of the same setting items and processes, and it is believed that there are virtually no situations in which they are used together. Height correction performs more advanced processing, such as correcting print data, but as shown in Figure 22, it has setting items that require prior knowledge, so it is not necessarily easy to use for inexperienced users. Height detection does not perform as advanced processing as height correction, but it can be easily used even by inexperienced users.

[0403] Therefore, the workflow editing unit 304c according to the embodiment adds only one of the processes to the workflow Wf when the processes are not expected to be used in combination, as illustrated in the third column of Fig. 8 and step S134 and step S135 of Fig. 17. As a result, a more appropriate workflow Wf can be created.

[0404] Furthermore, as illustrated in the sequence information Io in Fig. 8 and the display examples in Fig. 19 and Fig. 20, the laser printing device L determines the position and posture of the workpiece W through XYθ correction or image discrimination, and then performs height correction or height detection after the determination result. By performing each process in this order, it becomes possible to adjust the distance measurement position I according to the position and posture of the workpiece W. This makes it possible to use a more appropriate distance measurement position I.

[0405] 12, 23, 24, and 26, when height correction is performed following XYθ correction, it becomes possible to correct the focal position based on the measurement results for the corrected distance measurement position I' after the distance measurement position I has been corrected using the results of XYθ correction. This makes it possible to adjust the focal position after correcting the distance measurement position I in consideration of the positional deviation of the printing target W', and maintain high printing accuracy even if the printing target W' is misaligned.

[0406] Setting up a workflow Wf that reflects such a processing order is not necessarily easy, but by configuring the execution order to be automatically arranged according to the order information I0, as in this embodiment, user convenience can be improved.

[0407] 8, window inspection as a maintenance process involves controlling the distance measurement unit 5. Therefore, it is believed that there is an appropriate execution order for the first to fourth pre-printing processes. However, it is not easy for an inexperienced user to set an appropriate execution order.

[0408] In contrast to this, according to this embodiment, the order information Io is defined to include the execution order of window inspections, as exemplified in Fig. 8. This makes it possible to automatically define the execution order of window inspections when editing the workflow Wf, which contributes to improving user convenience.

[0409] Furthermore, as explained using Figure 15, if dirt is attached to the transparent member 19a, the light receiving unit 52, which should normally receive only the distance measuring light reflected by the workpiece W, will receive the distance measuring light reflected by the transparent member 19a instead of or in addition to the distance measuring light.

[0410] Here, the distance to the transparent member 19a does not change regardless of the type of workpiece W. Therefore, the light receiving position caused by dirt on the transparent member 19a can be estimated in advance.

[0411] Therefore, for example, by considering the location of each light-receiving position, the window inspection unit 151 can identify the distance measurement light resulting from the light reflected by the transparent member 19a among the distance measurement light received by the light-receiving unit 52. This enables the window inspection unit 151 to detect dirt on the transparent member 19a.

[0412] Contamination of the transparent member 19a is inconvenient for processes such as the first to fourth pre-printing processes, which require the passage of distance measurement light, imaging light, and the like through the transparent member 19a. Therefore, by configuring the window inspection to be performed before the first to fourth pre-printing processes, operation of the laser marking device L can be stopped early if an abnormality or a sign of an abnormality is found in the maintenance information. This is advantageous for improving user convenience. This advantage is particularly significant when the window inspection is configured to be performed before all of the first, second, third, and fourth pre-printing processes.

[0413] The window inspection as a maintenance process corresponds to a process for inspecting the condition of the laser marking device L itself, and therefore can be carried out smoothly even if the workpiece W after printing is separated from the laser marking device L. On the other hand, the print confirmation process and photographing process as inspection processes require the workpiece W to be photographed, and therefore cannot be carried out once the workpiece W after printing has separated from the laser marking device L. For this reason, it is convenient to carry out the window inspection after the print confirmation process and photographing process.

[0414] On the other hand, for a user who is unfamiliar with window inspection, it is not necessarily easy to set the window inspection to be performed after the print confirmation process and the photographing process.

[0415] In contrast to this, by defining the order information I0 so that the window inspection is executed after the print confirmation process and the photographing process, as shown in the example of Fig. 8, even an inexperienced user can construct a more appropriate workflow Wf, which is advantageous for improving user convenience.

[0416] 18, 19, and 20, the display unit 301 displays the flow display area Rf1 and the flow selection area Rf2 independently. This configuration provides excellent visibility and contributes to improving user convenience.

[0417] 21 and 22, by using the fourth interface If4 as a switching unit, each process constituting the workflow Wf can be individually turned on and off without changing the structure of the workflow Wf itself each time, which is advantageous in improving user convenience.

[0418] Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the XYθ processing unit 131 is configured to use the captured image Pw cut out from the pattern region Rp, i.e., the pattern image Pp, as the image information within the pattern region Rp, but the present disclosure is not limited to this configuration. The region setting unit 304e can also use edge information of the captured image Pw within the pattern region Rp (e.g., edge information based on brightness values) as the image information within the pattern region Rp. In addition, shape information such as the outline of an object, color information, texture information, etc. may be used as the image information within the pattern region Rp.

[0419] 2 is merely an example. For example, with respect to the print area inspection unit 6, the guide optical axis A2 of the guide light source 61 may branch off from the upstream laser optical axis A11. The first imaging optical axis A4 of the coaxial camera 62 and the distance measurement optical axis A3 of the distance measurement unit 5 may also branch off from a location midway along the laser optical axis A1 connecting the laser light generation unit 2 and the laser light scanning unit 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0420] S Laser Printing System L Laser Printer 1 print head 10. Cabinet 19a Transparent material 2. Laser light generation unit 3 Height direction scanning section 33 Focus adjustment section 4 Laser beam scanning unit 5. Distance measurement unit (distance detection unit) 51 Exit section 52 Light receiving part 62 Coaxial camera (imaging unit) 7 Wide-area camera (imaging unit, second imaging unit) 100 Printing controller (control unit) 102 Head control unit 103 Distance measurement unit 120 Trigger signal reception unit 131 XYθ processing section 132 Z processing section 151 Window Inspection Department 153 Code reader 154 Print confirmation section 300 Setting device 301 Display section 302 Operation section 303 Storage unit (order information storage unit) 304a Print setting section 304b Print data generation unit 304c Workflow Editorial Department 304d Print pre-processing setting section 304g Reception Department I Range measurement position Iо Order information Pm Printing Pattern Pb print block R1 print area R2 setting screen Pw Captured image Pw' New image Rp Pattern Area Pp Pattern image (image information) Rs Search Area V1 relative position W work, setting target W' New work, correction target Wf Workflow Rf1 flow display area Rf2 flow selection area If4 4th interface (switching section)

Claims

1. a laser light generating unit that generates a laser light to be irradiated onto a marking area of ​​the workpiece; a laser beam scanning unit that two-dimensionally scans the laser beam generated by the laser beam generating unit within the printing area; an imaging unit that captures an image by imaging the workpiece; a distance detection unit that outputs a detection signal indicating the distance to a distance measurement position that indicates a position on the surface of the workpiece where the distance is to be measured; a control unit that executes a printing process to form a predetermined printing pattern within the printing area by controlling the laser light generating unit and the laser light scanning unit, and executes pre- and post-printing processes that are configured by at least one of a pre-printing process that acquires information regarding at least one of the position and posture of the work before executing the printing process by controlling at least one of the imaging unit and the distance detecting unit, and a post-printing process that acquires information regarding the printing pattern formed by the printing process after executing the printing process by controlling at least one of the imaging unit and the distance detecting unit; A laser printing device comprising: a sequence information storage unit that stores sequence information associated with each of the pre- and post-printing processes; a trigger signal receiving unit that receives an input of a trigger signal for causing the control unit to execute the printing process; a workflow editing unit that edits a workflow that is executed by the control unit from when the trigger signal is input to the trigger signal receiving unit until the control unit transitions to a state where it can again receive an input of a trigger signal, and that defines a series of processes including the printing process; a display unit that displays the pre- and post-printing processes stored in the sequence information storage unit and associated with the sequence information; a reception unit that receives a selection of the pre- and post-printing processes to be included in the workflow in response to a user input from the pre- and post-printing processes displayed on the display unit; Furthermore, the workflow editing unit adds the pre- or post-printing processing selected by the reception unit to the workflow including the printing processing in an order corresponding to the pre- or post-printing processing and in accordance with the order information stored in the order information storage unit; the control unit executes the printing process and the pre- and post-printing processes in accordance with an order defined by the workflow to which the pre- and post-printing processes have been added by the workflow editing unit. A laser printing device characterized by:

2. 2. The laser printing device according to claim 1, the distance detection unit detects a light-receiving position of distance measurement light that is emitted toward the distance measurement position via the laser light scanning unit and reflected at the distance measurement position, and outputs a detection signal indicating the distance to the distance measurement position based on the light-receiving position. A laser printing device characterized by:

3. 3. The laser printing device according to claim 2, the display unit displays a setting surface corresponding to the print area, and displays the captured image generated by the imaging unit on the setting surface; a print setting unit that sets the position and posture of the print pattern to be printed on the workpiece on the setting screen displayed on the display unit; a print data generation unit that generates print data corresponding to the print pattern set by the print setting unit; a focus adjustment unit that is interposed between the laser light generation unit and the laser light scanning unit and adjusts a focus position of the laser light generated by the laser light generation unit; Furthermore, The pre-printing process includes: a first pre-printing process for determining the position and orientation of the workpiece relative to the laser printing device based on the captured image acquired via the imaging unit, and correcting the printing data based on the determination result so that the position and orientation of the printing pattern are corrected according to the position and orientation of the workpiece; a second pre-printing process for determining the position and posture of the workpiece relative to the laser marking device based on the captured image acquired via the imaging unit, and determining whether or not the printing process on the workpiece can be performed based on the determination result; a third pre-printing process of adjusting the focal position via the focus adjustment unit based on the distance to the distance measurement position acquired via the distance detection unit; a fourth pre-printing process for determining whether or not to perform the printing process on the workpiece based on the distance to the distance measurement position acquired via the distance detection unit; including one or more of: A laser printing device characterized by:

4. 4. The laser printing device according to claim 3, the workflow editing unit, when the acceptance unit accepts selection of both the first and second pre-printing processes, selectively adds one of the first and second pre-printing processes to the workflow. A laser printing device characterized by:

5. 4. The laser printing device according to claim 3, the workflow editing unit, when the acceptance unit accepts selection of both the third and fourth pre-printing processes, selectively adds one of the third and fourth pre-printing processes to the workflow. A laser printing device characterized by:

6. 4. The laser printing device according to claim 3, the order information specifies that the first or second pre-printing process is executed before the third or fourth pre-printing process; A laser printing device characterized by:

7. 7. The laser printing device according to claim 6, When the workflow specifies that the third pre-printing process is to be executed following the first pre-printing process, the control unit corrects the distance measurement position based on the position and posture of the workpiece determined by the first pre-printing process, and executes the third pre-printing process based on the corrected distance measurement position. A laser printing device characterized by:

8. 4. The laser printing device according to claim 3, at least one of the pre-printing process and the post-printing process further includes a maintenance process in which the control unit controls the distance detection unit to acquire maintenance information for the laser printing device; The order information is defined to include the order in which the maintenance processes are to be performed. A laser printing device characterized by:

9. 9. The laser printing device according to claim 8, The distance detection unit an emission unit that emits the distance measurement light toward the laser light scanning unit; a light receiving unit that receives, via the laser light scanning unit, distance measuring light emitted from the emission unit and reflected by the workpiece; and The laser printing device a housing incorporating the laser light generating unit and the laser light scanning unit; a transparent member provided in the housing and transmitting the laser light scanned two-dimensionally by the laser light scanning unit; a window inspection unit that identifies distance measurement light resulting from light reflected by the transparent member among distance measurement light received by the light receiving unit, thereby detecting and outputting dirt on the transparent member as the maintenance information; and Equipped with the pre-printing process includes the maintenance process, the order information specifies that the maintenance process is performed before the first to fourth pre-printing processes; A laser printing device characterized by:

10. 10. The laser printing device according to claim 8 or 9, The post-printing process includes: The maintenance process; an inspection process for inspecting the work on which the printing pattern is printed by the printing process, based on the captured image acquired via the imaging unit, the order information specifies that the maintenance process is to be performed after the inspection process; A laser printing device characterized by:

11. 2. The laser printing device according to claim 1, The display unit a flow display area that visualizes and displays the structure of the workflow in a state that reflects the execution order of the pre- and post-printing processes for the printing process; a flow selection area that is displayed independently of the flow display area, displays a list of the pre- and post-printing processes, and receives a user input for selecting the pre- and post-printing processes; Displaying A laser printing device characterized by:

12. 12. The laser printing device according to claim 11, the display unit displays a switching unit in the workflow displayed in the flow display area, which switches whether or not each of the pre- and post-printing processes constituting the workflow can be executed; the accepting unit accepts a user input for selecting whether or not to execute the process via the switching unit; the control unit executes the printing process and the pre- and post-printing processes so as to reflect the user input via the switching unit. A laser printing device characterized by:

Images