Laser processing apparatus and laser processing method

Abstract

The present invention provides a laser processing apparatus that can process workpieces without damaging them and achieve good uniformity, regardless of fluctuations in the relative displacement per unit time between the workpiece and the laser beam irradiation position. [Solution] A laser processing apparatus 1 that processes a workpiece W by repeatedly irradiating and not irradiating with laser light L, thereby displacing the irradiation position of the laser light L relative to the workpiece W, wherein when the displacement speed of the irradiation position changes during processing, the non-irradiation interval of the laser light L is set based on the amount of relative displacement of the target irradiation position in the non-irradiation state of the laser light L relative to the workpiece W.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present disclosure relates to a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a laser processing machine that performs laser processing by a control device of a laser instructing a laser transmitter of the frequency of the laser and the pulse ratio (duty ratio) of the laser.

Prior Art Document

Patent Document

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the laser processing machine described in Patent Document 1, the amount of heat input to the workpiece is controlled by controlling the output parameters of the laser beam when the processing head is decelerated or accelerated. However, in the above control method, since the interval of the output pulses of the laser is constant, for example, when the moving speed of the processing head becomes slow, there is a possibility of damaging the workpiece, and the uniformity of the processing on the workpiece may also be impaired.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a laser processing apparatus that can prevent damage to a workpiece and improve the uniformity of processing regardless of the presence or absence of fluctuations in the relative displacement amount per unit time between the workpiece and the irradiation position of the laser beam.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] <​​A laser processing apparatus that processes a workpiece while repeatedly alternating between laser beam irradiation and non-irradiation states, thereby displacing the laser beam irradiation position relative to the workpiece, When the displacement velocity of the relative displacement changes during processing, the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam is set based on the amount of relative displacement of the target irradiation position when the laser beam is not irradiating the workpiece.

[0007] Furthermore, a laser processing method according to one embodiment of this disclosure is A laser processing method in which a workpiece is processed while repeatedly irradiating and not irradiating it with laser light, thereby displacing the laser light irradiation position relative to the workpiece, When the displacement velocity of the relative displacement changes during processing, the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam is set based on the amount of relative displacement of the target irradiation position when the laser beam is not irradiating the workpiece. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a laser processing apparatus that can process workpieces without damaging them and achieve good uniformity, regardless of whether or not there are fluctuations in the relative displacement per unit time between the workpiece and the laser beam irradiation position. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows a laser processing apparatus according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows the galvanometer optical system according to this embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a control block diagram of the laser processing apparatus related to this embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of a laser processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows a workpiece processed by a conventional laser processing device. [Figure 6]Figure 6 shows a workpiece processed by the laser processing apparatus according to this disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] Hereinafter, a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that U, D, R, and L shown in Figure 1, etc., indicate directions in the laser processing apparatus 1, where U is upward, D is downward, R is to the right, and L is to the left.

[0011] The laser processing apparatus 1 according to this disclosure will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a diagram showing the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. In the following description, the laser processing apparatus 1 capable of forming a processing pattern on a workpiece W by repeatedly irradiating and not irradiating with laser light L will be described.

[0012] As shown in Figure 1, the laser processing apparatus 1 includes a laser device 10, a laser scanning unit 20, a moving unit 50, a laser scanning distance measuring unit 61, a moving distance measuring unit 62, an input unit 70, a laser controller 12 (described later), a galvanometer controller 40, a stage controller 52, and a control unit 100 which acts as an overall controller that controls the entire laser processing apparatus 1 in cooperation with each of these controllers.

[0013] The laser device 10 is a device capable of emitting laser light L. The laser device 10 has a laser light source 11 and a laser controller 12 which has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Access Memory) inside and acts as an emission control unit that controls the laser light source 11. The laser light source 11 is capable of emitting laser light L. The laser controller 12 receives a signal from the control unit 100, which will be described later, and can switch the laser light source 11 between an emission state in which laser light L is emitted and a non-emission state in which laser light L is not emitted.

[0014] The laser controller 12 controls the emission state and non-emission state of the laser beam L from the laser light source 11 in a first mode. In the first mode, the first module 12 controls the laser light source 11 such that the emission state and non-emission state of the laser beam L alternate at regular time intervals. In addition, the laser controller 12 controls the emission state and non-emission state of the laser beam L from the laser light source 11 in a second mode. In the second mode, the laser light source 11 is controlled to emit the laser beam L only while receiving a command from a control unit 100 described later. In the following description, the control of the laser light source 11 is performed in the second mode. Note that the laser processing apparatus 1 according to the present disclosure may control the laser light source 11 in the first mode.

[0015] The laser scanning unit 20 can scan the laser beam L emitted from the laser device 10 in an arbitrary direction. The laser scanning unit 20 can move the irradiation position of the laser beam L in an arbitrary direction in the irradiation state where the laser beam L is irradiated by the laser device 10. Further, the laser scanning unit 20 can move the target irradiation position of the laser beam L in an arbitrary direction in the non-irradiation state where the laser beam L is not irradiated by the laser device 10. The target irradiation position of the laser beam L refers to the position where the laser beam L is irradiated as a spot area on the workpiece W when the laser beam L is emitted in a state where the laser beam L is not emitted by the laser device 10.

[0016] The laser scanning unit 20 includes a galvanometric optical system 30 and a galvanometer controller 40 as a galvanometer control unit. The galvanometric optical system 30 according to the present embodiment is shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the galvanometric optical system 30 includes an X-axis galvanometric optical system 31, a Y-axis galvanometric optical system 32, and a mirror 33.

[0017] The X-axis galvanometric optical system 31 includes an X-axis galvanometric mirror 31a and an X-axis galvanometric motor 31b. The X-axis galvanometric mirror 31a is fixed to the output shaft of the X-axis galvanometric motor 31b. By driving the X-axis galvanometric motor 31b, the orientation of the X-axis galvanometric mirror 31a changes.

[0018] The Y-axis galvanometric optical system 32 includes a Y-axis galvanometric mirror 32a and a Y-axis galvanometric motor 32b. The Y-axis galvanometric mirror 32a is fixed to the output shaft of the Y-axis galvanometric motor 32b. By driving the Y-axis galvanometric motor 32b, the orientation of the Y-axis galvanometric mirror 32a changes.

[0019] The laser beam L emitted from the laser device 10 is reflected by the X-axis galvanometric mirror 31a and the Y-axis galvanometric mirror 32a, then reflected by the mirror 33, and guided to the workpiece W.

[0020] The galvanometer controller 40 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. inside. Based on the commands from the control unit 100, the galvanometer controller 40 controls the X-axis galvanometric motor 31b and the Y-axis galvanometric motor 32b to control the rotation angles of the X-axis galvanometric optical system 31 and the Y-axis galvanometric optical system 32. Thereby, the irradiation position of the laser beam L can be moved to an arbitrary location. Also, even when the laser beam L is in a non-emission state, the target irradiation position of the laser beam L can be moved to an arbitrary location. The galvanometer controller 40 transmits the rotation angles of the X-axis galvanometric optical system 31 and the Y-axis galvanometric optical system 32 as command values to the X-axis galvanometric motor 31b and the Y-axis galvanometric motor 32b of the galvanometric optical system 30 and performs control. In this embodiment, the CPU of the galvanometer controller 40 is configured to determine the position of the laser beam based on the command values ​​(command pulses) transmitted from the galvanometer controller 40 to the X-axis galvanometer motor 31b and the Y-axis galvanometer motor 32b, and to measure the distance the laser beam L has scanned. That is, the CPU of the galvanometer controller 40 also functions as a "laser scanning distance measuring unit 61" capable of acquiring the scanning distance of the laser beam L from the command values ​​sent to the X-axis galvanometer motor 31b and the Y-axis galvanometer motor 32b. The laser scanning distance measuring unit 61 can output the measured scanning distance of the laser beam L as scanning distance information to the control unit 100.

[0021] The moving unit 50 consists of a movable workbench on which a workpiece W can be placed, for example, an XY stage 51 that can move in the forward, backward, left, and right directions as shown in Figure 1, and a stage controller 52 that controls the movement of the XY stage. The stage controller 52 is equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and RAM (Random Access Memory), etc. The stage controller 51 controls the XY stage 51 so that the workpiece W placed on the XY stage 51 can be moved on a predetermined plane in any direction and at any speed.

[0022] The travel distance measuring unit 62 is capable of measuring the distance the workpiece W is moved by the moving unit 50. In this embodiment, the travel distance measuring unit 62 is a linear scale capable of measuring the travel distance of the workpiece W. However, the travel distance measuring unit 62 is not limited to the above configuration; for example, it may measure the travel distance of the moving unit 50 itself and consider that as the travel distance of the workpiece W. The travel distance measuring unit 62 can output the measured travel distance of the workpiece W as travel distance information.

[0023] The input unit 70 includes input devices that accept user operations, such as keyboards, mice, and various switches, as well as devices that input data by connecting removable recording media such as USB memory sticks and SD memory cards. The user can arbitrarily input the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam L as the target emission interval to the input unit 70. The data input via the input unit 70 is stored in the storage unit 202, which will be described later. The "non-irradiation interval" referred to here is the distance from the end point of irradiation of the intermittently irradiated laser beam L to the start point of the next irradiation. In other words, the non-irradiation interval is the distance the target irradiation position moves when the laser beam L is not irradiating. Note that the laser beam L may or may not be irradiated between the end point of irradiation of the laser beam L and the start point of the next irradiation. For example, the diameter of the spot area (beam diameter) of the laser beam L may be larger than the non-irradiation interval. In this case, the workpiece W will be in a laser-processed state even between the end point of irradiation of the laser beam L and the start point of the next irradiation.

[0024] The user can set the irradiation density of the laser beam L irradiated onto the workpiece W by appropriately specifying the target emission interval of the laser beam L irradiated onto the workpiece W to the input unit 70. For example, the user can increase the irradiation density of the laser beam L irradiated onto the workpiece W by setting a shorter target emission interval. Conversely, the user can decrease the irradiation density of the laser beam L by setting a longer target emission interval. The input unit 70 can output the target emission interval entered by the user as target emission interval information.

[0025] The input unit 70 may also allow the user to input laser processing conditions other than the target emission interval of the laser beam L. For example, it may allow the user to input coordinate information indicating the processing pattern to be formed on the workpiece W, or information regarding the scanning speed of the laser beam L.

[0026] The control unit 100 is a central controller that provides overall control of the laser processing apparatus 1 in cooperation with the laser controller 12, galvanometer controller 40, and stage controller 52. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 100 consists of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 111, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 112 which is working memory, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 113 which is read-only memory, and the like. As shown in Figure 3, the control unit 100 is electrically connected to the laser controller 12, the galvanometer controller 40, the stage controller 52, and the distance measurement unit 62. The control unit 100 is also electrically connected to the input unit 70, the storage unit 102, and the display unit 105 via the communication unit 104. The CPU 111 of the control unit 100 loads a computer program stored in the ROM 113 into the working memory, RAM 112, and executes it to control the laser controller 12, galvanometer controller 40, stage controller 52, etc., and performs machining processing on the workpiece W. The memory unit 102 is a so-called auxiliary storage device and is composed of non-volatile memory such as an HDD, SSD, ROM (Read Only Memory), or flash memory. The memory unit 102 stores various data, including a computer program for controlling the laser processing device 1, various laser parameters such as the laser output and processing rate (laser irradiation time) input via the input unit 70, and various laser processing conditions such as processing shape data used in laser processing. The memory unit 102 also stores data where the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam L input by the user via the input unit 70 is set as the target emission interval. The communication unit 104 communicates information with the laser controller 12, galvanometer controller 40, stage controller 52, etc., which are connected wirelessly or via wire. The display unit 105 includes a display unit, a video codec, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), memory for screen data, etc., and generates a UI screen and displays it on the display unit. While the UI screen is displayed on the display unit 105, the user may input various parameters to instruct the laser controller 12 via the input unit 70. The control unit 100 can control the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam L. The control unit 100 can acquire scanning distance information from the laser scanning distance measuring unit 61 in the galvanometer controller 40. The control unit 100 can also acquire movement distance information from the movement distance measuring unit 62. Furthermore, the control unit 100 can acquire target emission interval information input from the input unit 70 and stored in the storage unit 102. The control unit 100 changes the scanning mode of the laser beam L based on the acquired scanning distance information, movement distance information, and target emission interval information. The control unit 100 may also have a determination unit that determines the relative displacement amount of the workpiece W based on the acquired scanning distance information, movement distance information, and target emission interval information.

[0027] The control unit 100 of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this disclosure determines the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam L based on the relative displacement of the irradiation position of the laser beam L with respect to the workpiece W. That is, the CPU constituting the control unit 100 functions as a laser beam non-irradiation interval determination unit. In other words, the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam L can be determined based on the movement distance of the workpiece W and the scanning distance of the laser beam L by the galvanometer optical system 30.

[0028] In this embodiment, the control unit 100 can control the laser device 10 so that it starts irradiating with laser light L when the relative displacement amount (composite movement amount) of the movement distance of the workpiece W and the scanning distance of the laser light L, when the laser device 10 is not emitting laser light L, matches the target irradiation interval of the laser light L set by the user. This makes it possible to keep the non-irradiation interval of the laser light L irradiated onto the workpiece W constant, and to keep the irradiation density of the laser light L on the workpiece W constant.

[0029] Next, the operation of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this disclosure will be described using Figure 4. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0030] As shown in Figure 4, when performing laser processing with the laser processing apparatus 1, the user first inputs the laser processing conditions from the input unit 70 and stores them in the storage unit 102 to set the laser processing conditions (STEP 1). The laser processing conditions set by the user include, for example, coordinate information that defines the processing pattern formed on the workpiece W, and the scanning speed of the laser beam L. During laser processing, the control unit 100 reads the set laser processing conditions stored in the storage unit 102 via the communication unit and sends control commands to the galvanometer controller 40 and the laser controller 12 based on the read data. The galvanometer controller 40, which receives the control commands, controls the galvanometer optical system, and the laser controller 12 controls the laser light source 11. The stage controller 52, which is the control unit of the moving unit 50, controls the moving unit 50.

[0031] In this embodiment, the control mode of the control unit 100 is determined by whether or not the workpiece W is moved by the moving unit 50 during processing and whether or not the laser beam L is scanned by the galvanometer optical system 30. Whether or not the workpiece W is moved by the moving unit 50 and whether or not the laser beam L is scanned by the galvanometer optical system 30 are determined by the set processing conditions. For example, if the coordinate position of the processing pattern to be processed exceeds the irradiation range of the laser beam L by the galvanometer optical system 30, both the movement of the moving unit 50 and the scanning of the laser beam L by the galvanometer optical system 30 are performed.

[0032] In the following explanation, we will describe the case where the moving unit 50 moves the workpiece W (YES in STEP 2) and the galvanometer optical system 30 scans the laser beam L (YES in STEP 3) to process the workpiece W.

[0033] After setting the processing conditions, the user inputs the non-irradiation interval through the input unit 70 and stores the non-irradiation interval in the storage unit 102 (STEP 4). The user can arbitrarily set the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam L when forming a processing pattern on the workpiece W as the target emission interval. For example, when the processing pattern is complex, the user can reduce the irradiation density of the laser beam L by setting a longer non-irradiation interval, thereby suppressing damage to the workpiece W. Once the non-irradiation interval is input by the user, the laser processing device 1 starts laser processing (STEP 5).

[0034] The laser device 10 performs processing while switching between irradiating and not irradiating with laser light L. The control unit 100 acquires scanning distance information from the laser scanning distance measuring unit 61, movement distance information from the movement distance measuring unit 62, and target emission interval information from the input unit 70. In the non-irradiation state of the laser light L, the control unit 100 constantly calculates the relative displacement amount from the scanning distance of the galvanometer optical system 30 and the movement distance of the moving unit (STEP 6A). For example, if the moving unit 50 moves the workpiece W 5 μm to the right, and the galvanometer optical system 30 scans the target irradiation position of the laser light L 3 μm to the right, the relative displacement amount is calculated to be 2 μm to the right. This relative displacement amount matches the amount of movement of the target irradiation position of the laser light L on the workpiece W.

[0035] If the calculated relative displacement reaches the target emission interval set by the user (YES in STEP 7), the control unit 100 sends a control signal to the laser controller 12. Upon receiving the control signal from the control unit 100, the laser controller 12 controls the laser device 10 to emit laser light L (STEP 8). If the relative displacement does not reach the target emission interval (NO in STEP 7), the control unit 100 continues to calculate the relative displacement. When the scheduled laser processing is completed (YES in STEP 9), the control unit 100 sends a control signal indicating the end of laser processing to the laser controller 12 and the galvanometer controller 40, and the laser processing device 1 terminates the laser processing.

[0036] Up to this point, the operation of the laser processing apparatus 1 has been described in the case where the moving unit 50 moves the workpiece W (YES in STEP 2) and the galvanometer optical system 30 scans the laser beam L (YES in STEP 3). However, the operation of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this disclosure is not limited to this. For example, if the moving unit 50 moves and the galvanometer optical system 30 does not scan the laser beam L (YES in STEP 2, NO in STEP 3), the control unit 100 calculates the relative displacement of the workpiece W based on the movement distance information obtained from the movement distance measuring unit 62 (STEP 6B). Also, if the moving unit 50 does not move and the galvanometer optical system 30 scans the laser beam L (NO in STEP 2), the control unit 100 calculates the relative displacement of the workpiece W based on the scanning distance information obtained from the laser scanning distance measuring unit 61 (STEP 6C).

[0037] In conventional laser processing devices that irradiate a workpiece with pulsed laser light, it was known that the laser light L was irradiated onto the workpiece at a constant pulse interval (time interval). However, in this configuration, even if the relative displacement per unit time between the workpiece W and the irradiation position of the laser light L changes, the pulse interval (time interval) of the laser light L emitted by the laser light source remains constant. Therefore, the number of laser pulses irradiated per unit area on the workpiece differs depending on whether the relative displacement per unit time between the workpiece W and the irradiation position of the laser light L is large or small. This impairs the uniformity of laser processing on the workpiece.

[0038] According to the configuration of this disclosure, the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam L is determined based on the relative displacement of the laser beam irradiation position relative to the workpiece. Therefore, even if the relative displacement per unit time between the workpiece and the laser beam irradiation position changes, the number of laser beam irradiations received per unit area on the workpiece does not change. This makes it possible to provide a laser processing apparatus that can maintain the uniformity of laser processing on the workpiece regardless of whether or not there are fluctuations in the relative displacement per unit time between the workpiece and the laser beam irradiation position.

[0039] Figure 5 shows a workpiece W on which a processing pattern has been formed by a conventional laser processing device. Figure 6 shows a workpiece W on which a processing pattern has been formed by the laser processing device 1 according to this disclosure. Existing laser processing devices are configured to irradiate laser light L at regular time intervals.

[0040] In the examples shown in Figures 5 and 6, the areas processed by the laser beam L are hatched as the processed area D. The laser processing device forms a linear processing pattern extending to the right on the workpiece W, and the processed pattern on the workpiece W is divided into area A and area B. In area A, the relative speed between the movement speed of the workpiece W and the scanning speed of the laser beam L is V1 (V1>0, with rightward direction being positive), and in area B, the relative speed between the movement speed of the workpiece W and the scanning speed of the laser beam L is V2 (V2>0, with rightward direction being positive). In both the examples shown in Figures 5 and 6, V1>V2 is set. Since the relative speed is set to V1>V2, the processed area D in area B is larger than the processed area D in area A.

[0041] Conventional laser processing devices are controlled to emit laser light L at regular intervals. As a result, in region B in Figure 5, where the relative speed between the moving speed of the workpiece W and the scanning speed of the laser light L is small, the distance between the processed regions D becomes shorter compared to region A. In other words, the non-irradiated region SB in region B becomes shorter than the non-irradiated interval SA in region A. Thus, in the configuration of conventional laser processing devices, when the relative speed between the moving speed of the workpiece W and the scanning speed of the laser light L is slow, the laser light L is densely irradiated onto the workpiece W, which can impair the uniformity of laser processing on the workpiece W (region B in Figure 5).

[0042] In the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this disclosure, the emission and non-emission states of the laser beam L are controlled so as to be at a non-irradiation interval set by the user. Therefore, in Figure 6, the length of the non-irradiated area SA between workpiece areas D in area A in the rightward direction is equal to the length of the non-irradiated area SB between workpiece areas D in area B in the rightward direction. Thus, the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this disclosure can maintain uniformity of laser processing on the workpiece W.

[0043] The laser processing apparatus 1 according to this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, the laser processing apparatus 1 may be capable of emitting laser light L at regular intervals, as is the case with conventionally known laser processing apparatuses. When the laser light L is capable of emitting at regular intervals, the laser controller 12 controls the laser light source 11 to emit laser light L at regular intervals. In other words, the laser processing apparatus 1 may be switchable between a first mode in which the laser light L is controlled to be emitted at equal intervals in time, and a second mode in which the laser light L is controlled to be emitted at equal intervals in distance. The laser processing apparatus 1 may also have a mode switching unit that can switch between the first mode and the second mode. With the above configuration, the emission pattern of the laser light L can be changed as needed, so that optimal processing can be performed according to the workpiece W and processing pattern.

[0044] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of this disclosure should not be interpreted restrictively by the description of these embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications to the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of this disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of its equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 1. Laser processing device 10 Laser device 11 Laser light source 12 Laser Controllers 20 Laser scanning unit 30 Galvanometer Optical System 31 X-axis galvanometer optical system 31a X-axis galvanometer mirror 31b X-axis galvanometer motor 32 Y-axis galvanometer optical system 32a Y-axis galvanometer mirror 32b Y-axis galvanometer motor 33 Mirror 40 Galvano Controller 50 Mobile Unit 61 Laser scanning distance measurement unit 62 Distance measurement unit 70 Input section 100 Control Unit

Claims

1. A laser processing apparatus that processes a workpiece while repeatedly alternating between laser beam irradiation and non-irradiation states, thereby displacing the laser beam irradiation position relative to the workpiece, A laser processing apparatus in which, when the displacement velocity of relative displacement changes during processing, the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam is set based on the amount of relative displacement of the target irradiation position on the workpiece when the laser beam is not irradiating it.

2. A laser light source capable of switching between the laser light irradiation state and the non-irradiation state, A laser scanning unit that scans the laser light emitted from the laser light source, A laser scanning distance measuring unit that acquires the scanning distance of the laser beam by the laser scanning unit, A moving part for moving the workpiece, A movement distance measuring unit that acquires the movement distance of the workpiece by the moving unit, The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control device for controlling the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam based on the relative displacement amount corresponding to at least one of the scanning distance and the movement distance.

3. An input section that allows setting the target launch interval, A determination unit that determines whether the relative displacement amount has reached the target emission interval, The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an output control unit that switches between the irradiation state and the non-irradiation state of the laser beam according to the output of the determination unit.

4. The laser processing apparatus has a galvanometer optical system for scanning the laser light, The control device has a galvanometer control unit that controls the galvanometer optical system, The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the laser scanning distance measuring unit obtains the scanning distance of the laser beam from a command value transmitted from the galvanometer control unit to the galvanometer optical system.

5. The laser processing apparatus has a movement distance measuring unit for measuring the movement distance of the workpiece, The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the laser scanning distance measuring unit obtains the scanning distance of the laser beam from the output result of the movement distance measuring unit.

6. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the non-irradiation interval of the laser light is at least shorter than the beam diameter of the laser light.

7. A first mode controls the laser light source so that the non-irradiation time of the laser light is at equal intervals, A second mode controls the laser light source so that the non-irradiation intervals of the laser beam are not equal, The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, having a mode switching unit that can be switched between modes.

8. A laser processing method in which a workpiece is processed while repeatedly irradiating and not irradiating it with laser light, thereby displacing the laser light irradiation position relative to the workpiece, A laser processing method in which, when the displacement velocity of the relative displacement changes during processing, the non-irradiation interval of the laser beam is set based on the amount of relative displacement of the target irradiation position when the laser beam is not irradiating the workpiece.

9. The laser processing method according to claim 8, wherein the relative displacement is calculated based on the distance traveled by the laser scanning unit that scans the laser beam to the target irradiation position of the laser beam and the distance traveled by the moving unit that moves the workpiece.

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