Laser processing equipment

Abstract

To suppress interference between a member for supporting a housing and a workpiece while approximating the housing and the workpiece to each other.SOLUTION: A laser processing device L includes: a laser light scanning unit 5 that deflects laser light so as to be emitted to an irradiation area R1 according to a predetermined processing setting; and a housing 10 that accommodates the laser light scanning unit 5. The housing 10 is formed with an emission window 6 that transmits laser light emitted to the irradiation area R1 via the laser light scanning unit 5 and a top surface 10u arranged so as to face the emission window 6 and attached to an attachment position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 17A

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The technology disclosed herein relates to a laser processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a laser processing apparatus. Specifically, the laser processing apparatus according to this Patent Document 1 includes a laser beam deflector (laser beam scanner) that deflects a laser beam, a housing that houses the laser beam deflector, and an emission window portion that is formed on the lower surface of the housing and transmits the laser beam deflected by the laser beam deflector.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, in the laser processing apparatus as disclosed in the above Patent Document 1, as an index indicating an installation state in which a preferable processing result can be obtained, the distance from the emission window portion to the workpiece (work distance) may be set.

[0005] And, when an emission window portion is formed on the lower surface of the housing as in the laser processing apparatus according to the above Patent Document 1, the lower surface of the housing is supported from below by a predetermined member (hereinafter referred to as "support member") for supporting the housing, and by adjusting the height of the support member, it has been conventionally known to adjust the height position of the emission window portion so that the work distance is realized.

[0006] On the other hand, in order to reduce the installation space of the laser processing machine, it is conceivable to position the workpiece, corresponding to the work distance set for the laser processing machine, closer to the bottom surface of the housing in the height direction. However, if the workpiece is positioned close to the bottom surface of the housing, there is a concern that it may interfere with the aforementioned support member.

[0007] The technology disclosed herein has been developed in view of the above, and its purpose is to suppress interference between the support members for the housing and the workpiece while keeping the housing and the workpiece in close proximity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A first aspect of this disclosure relates to a laser processing apparatus that is mounted at a mounting position and processes a workpiece by irradiating it with laser light toward an irradiation area. This laser processing apparatus comprises a laser beam deflection unit that deflects the laser light so that it is irradiated toward the irradiation area according to predetermined processing settings, and a housing that houses the laser beam deflection unit.

[0009] Furthermore, according to a first aspect of the present disclosure, the housing is formed with an emission window that transmits laser light irradiated toward the irradiation area via the laser light deflection section, and a mounting surface that is positioned opposite the emission window and attached to the mounting position.

[0010] According to the first embodiment, in the housing according to the first embodiment, a mounting surface is formed on the opposite side of the ejection window. By configuring the housing so that the mounting surface facing the opposite side of the outer surface on which the ejection window is formed is attached to the mounting position, the housing can be supported so as to be suspended from the mounting position. As a result, there is no need to interpose a support member between the housing and the workpiece, and the housing and the workpiece can be brought into close proximity.

[0011] In this case, the support members for the housing will be located on the opposite side of the injection window, similar to the mounting position, allowing them to be sufficiently spaced away from the workpiece. This makes it possible to keep the housing and workpiece close together while suppressing interference between the support members and the workpiece.

[0012] Furthermore, according to a second aspect of the present disclosure, the housing may house a solid laser crystal that generates laser light based on excitation light, and a support plate that extends along a direction toward the emission window from the mounting surface and supports the solid laser crystal, wherein the support plate is attached to the housing in a non-integral manner with respect to the mounting surface.

[0013] According to the second embodiment, the influence of distortion, vibration, and other effects on the mounting surface at the mounting position on the solid laser crystal can be suppressed. As a result, even when the housing is configured to support the laser at the mounting position, the laser beam can be generated effectively.

[0014] Furthermore, according to a third aspect of this disclosure, the mounting surface may be provided with an attachment that allows the mounting surface to be attached to the mounting position.

[0015] According to the third embodiment, instead of directly connecting the support member provided at the mounting position and the mounting surface of the housing, the connection is made via an attachment, allowing the housing to be attached to support members of various forms without requiring any modifications to the structure of the housing itself. This is effective in facilitating the replacement of various processing devices with the laser processing device according to this disclosure in a manufacturing line where the use of various processing devices is anticipated.

[0016] Furthermore, according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, the housing may have an emission surface on which the emission window is formed, and an open surface that surrounds the laser beam deflection portion together with the mounting surface and the emission surface, and is at least partially open to the emission window, wherein the open surface is provided with a cover member that can open and close the open surface.

[0017] According to the fourth embodiment, by configuring an open surface to be openable and closable, rather than an ejection surface facing the workpiece and a mounting surface attached to the mounting position, it becomes possible to access the ejection window without causing interference with the workpiece, support members, etc. This improves the maintainability of the laser processing apparatus.

[0018] Furthermore, according to a fifth aspect of this disclosure, the housing may have a connecting surface facing the opposite side of the open surface and surrounding the laser beam deflection portion together with the open surface, the mounting surface and the emission surface, and an electrical cable for supplying power to the housing may be connected to the connecting surface.

[0019] According to the fifth embodiment described above, the open surface on which the cover member is provided and the connecting surface to which the electrical cable is connected are located on opposite sides. Interference between the cover member and the electrical cable is suppressed when opening, closing, or attaching / detaching the cover member. This improves the maintainability of the laser processing apparatus.

[0020] Furthermore, according to a sixth aspect of this disclosure, the workpiece may be transported in a predetermined transport direction, the irradiation area may have a constant dimension in the transport direction, and the spot diameter of the laser beam in the workpiece may be set such that the depth of focus of the laser beam corresponds to the portion of the irradiation area where the optical path length of the laser beam is longest and the portion of the irradiation area where the optical path length is shortest.

[0021] Furthermore, according to a seventh aspect of this disclosure, the path of the workpiece that corresponds to the irradiation area may include portions that are at different distances from the emission window.

[0022] Further, according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure, the workpiece is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction, the dimension of the irradiation area in the conveyance direction is 120 mm or more, the laser light deflection unit has a first mirror that deflects laser light so as to irradiate the irradiation area, the first mirror is disposed so as to face the workpiece with the emission window interposed therebetween, the relative position of the workpiece with respect to the housing is set such that the distance from the first mirror to the workpiece is 150 mm or less, and the spot diameter of the laser light on the workpiece at the relative position is 60 μm or more.

[0023] Generally, as the dimension of the irradiation area becomes longer, the optical path length difference between the central portion and the end portion of the irradiation area becomes larger. In this case, in order to adopt a configuration that allows the optical path length difference without separately providing a mechanism for adjusting the focal point of the laser light, a laser light having a focal depth of a predetermined value or more is required.

[0024] According to the findings obtained as a result of the intensive studies by the inventors of the present application, in the layout set as in the eighth aspect, by setting the spot diameter of the laser light on the workpiece to 60 μm or more, a sufficient focal depth can be ensured.

[0025] Further, the ninth aspect of the present disclosure relates to a laser processing apparatus that is supported by a support member that can be connected to a connection surface in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped printing apparatus including a printing surface formed by exposing a printing unit that contacts a printing area on a workpiece and a connection surface different from the printing surface, and performs processing on the workpiece by irradiating laser light toward an irradiation area set corresponding to the printing area. This laser processing apparatus includes a laser light deflection unit that deflects laser light so as to irradiate the irradiation area according to a predetermined processing setting, and a housing that houses the laser light deflection unit.

[0026] And according to the ninth aspect of the present disclosure, an emission window that transmits laser light irradiated toward the irradiation area through the laser light deflection unit and an attachment surface connected to the support member are formed on the housing.

[0027] According to the ninth aspect, an emission window corresponding to a printing unit in a substantially rectangular printing apparatus and an attachment surface corresponding to a connection surface in the printing apparatus are formed on the housing according to the ninth aspect. Here, by configuring the support member to be connected to the attachment surface, the housing can be supported by the support member from the side or above. As a result, the housing and the workpiece can be brought closer to each other compared to a configuration in which the housing is supported from below.

[0028] At that time, since the support member for supporting the housing is positioned on the side or above the housing, it can be sufficiently separated from the workpiece. Thereby, it is possible to suppress interference between the support member and the workpiece while bringing the housing and the workpiece closer to each other.

[0029] Further, according to the tenth aspect of the present disclosure, the workpiece may be a workpiece conveyed in a state of being wound around a conveyance roller, and the conveyance roller may be arranged so as to overlap the irradiation area.

[0030] Further, according to the eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, the workpiece is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction, the dimension of the irradiation area in the conveyance direction is 120 mm or more, the output of the laser light transmitted through the emission window is set to 2 W or less, and the spot diameter of the laser light on the irradiation area may be set to 60 μm or more.

[0031] According to the findings obtained as a result of the earnest study by the inventors of the present application, by configuring as in the eleventh aspect, it is possible to realize miniaturization of the housing while ensuring a sufficient depth of focus.

Advantages of the Invention

[0032] As described above, according to this disclosure, it is possible to keep the housing and the workpiece in close proximity while suppressing interference between the members supporting the housing and the workpiece. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0033] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a laser processing system. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of a laser processing apparatus. [Figure 3A] Figure 3A is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the marker head. [Figure 3B] Figure 3B is a perspective view illustrating the appearance of the marker head. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a side view of the marker head. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the state in which the cover member has been removed from the marker head. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a rear view of the marker head. [Figure 7] Figure 7 illustrates the connection structure of electrical cables in a marker head. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a perspective view illustrating the marker head housing structure. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a perspective view illustrating the marker head housing structure. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the marker head. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the marker head. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a schematic side view illustrating the main parts within the substrate housing section. [Figure 13] Figure 13 is a schematic side view illustrating the main parts within the crystal housing section. [Figure 14] Figure 14 is a perspective view illustrating the main components within the mirror housing. [Figure 15]Figure 15 is a perspective view illustrating the deflection of laser light by the laser light scanning unit. [Figure 16] Figure 16 is a perspective view illustrating the deflection of laser light by the laser scanning unit. [Figure 17A] Figure 17A is a schematic diagram illustrating the replacement of the printing device and marker head. [Figure 17B] Figure 17B is a perspective view illustrating the attachment of the marker head to the support member. [Figure 18] Figure 18 is a diagram illustrating the various dimensions of the marker head and support member. [Figure 19] Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating the basic control process of a laser processing machine. [Figure 20] Figure 20 is a block diagram illustrating the circuit structure related to the power supply unit. [Figure 21] Figure 21 is a flowchart showing a specific example of a control process related to the power supply unit. [Figure 22] Figure 22 is a perspective view showing a modified mounting surface and attachment. [Figure 23] Figure 23 is a schematic diagram showing a further modification of the mounting surface. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0034] The embodiments of this disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following description is illustrative.

[0035] In other words, this specification describes a laser marker as an example of a laser processing apparatus, but the technology disclosed herein can be applied to laser application equipment in general, regardless of the names "laser processing apparatus" and "laser marker".

[0036] Furthermore, while this specification describes printing as a typical example of processing, it is not limited to printing and can be used in any processing using laser light, such as image marking.

[0037] <Overall Structure> Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of the laser processing system S, and Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the schematic configuration of the laser processing device L in the laser processing system S. Furthermore, Figure 17A is a schematic diagram illustrating the replacement of the printing device 1001 with the marker head 1, and Figure 17B is a perspective view illustrating the attachment of the marker head 1 to the support member 501.

[0038] The laser processing system S illustrated in Figure 1 comprises a laser processing device L and external equipment 400 connected thereto. Of these, the laser processing device L illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 is configured to perform processing on a workpiece W corresponding to a predetermined processing pattern Pp by irradiating laser light toward a predetermined irradiation area R1.

[0039] The irradiation area R1 referred to here is a region set on the surface of the workpiece W, and can take various forms depending on the relative positional relationship between the laser processing device L and the workpiece W, the specifications of the laser processing device L, the movement path of the workpiece W, etc. In this embodiment, the irradiation area R1 is configured as a rectangular region as shown in Figure 1.

[0040] In particular, the laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment can emit laser light having a wavelength of around 350 nm as the laser light for processing the workpiece W. This wavelength corresponds to the ultraviolet wavelength range. Therefore, in the following description, the laser light for processing the workpiece W may be referred to as "UV laser light" to distinguish it from other laser light such as near-infrared light. Note that laser light other than ultraviolet light, such as infrared light, may also be used to process the workpiece W.

[0041] The following description concerns a workpiece W composed of a sheet-like film, where the workpiece contains a UV reaction layer that chemically reacts with UV laser light.

[0042] However, in the laser processing apparatus L according to this disclosure, the workpiece W that can be used as the object to be processed is not limited to a film containing a UV-reactive layer. A film that chemically reacts with laser light having a wavelength other than ultraviolet light may be used, or a workpiece W made of various materials such as paper or synthetic resin may be used as the object to be processed.

[0043] Furthermore, although the laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment is configured to perform so-called two-dimensional printing by scanning the laser beam in two dimensions, as described later, this laser processing apparatus L is configured to have a deep depth of field, so it can also perform so-called three-dimensional printing. Therefore, as shown in Figure 18 described later, this laser processing apparatus L can even process workpieces W that are transported along a three-dimensional movement path.

[0044] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the laser processing apparatus L according to this embodiment includes a marker head 1, a marker controller 100, an electrical cable 200, and an operating terminal 300.

[0045] Of these, the marker controller 100 accepts settings related to the processing pattern, can supply power to an external source, and is configured as a controller for controlling the marker head 1.

[0046] On the other hand, the marker head 1 can emit laser light toward the irradiation area R1 by being controlled by the marker controller 100.

[0047] In this embodiment, the marker head 1 and the marker controller 100 are separate components and connected by an electrical cable 200. This electrical cable 200 includes at least electrical wiring that transmits power from inside the marker controller 100 (specifically, from the power supply unit 104 described later) to the outside. Specifically, the electrical cable 200 according to this embodiment is composed of bundled electrical wiring for transmitting power and signal wiring for sending and receiving analog signals, digital signals, etc.

[0048] The marker head 1 according to this embodiment is installed on processing equipment 500 that processes a workpiece W made of a sheet-like film. As shown in Figures 17A and 17B, the processing equipment 500 includes a support member 501 that supports the marker head 1 and a conveyor roller 502 on which the workpiece W is wrapped.

[0049] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 17B and 18, the processing equipment 500 further includes two rail members 503l and 503r that slidably support the marker head 1 via a support member 501, two fixing members 505 and 506 to which the ends of the two rail members 503l and 503r are attached, and a first driven roller 504l and a second driven roller 504r that are driven when the workpiece W is conveyed by the drive of the conveyor roller 502. In this case, it is preferable that the workpiece W is wrapped around the conveyor roller 502 such that the length of contact between the conveyor roller 502 and the workpiece W is greater than the length of contact between the first driven roller 504l and the workpiece W, and greater than the length of contact between the second driven roller 504r and the workpiece W. This makes it less likely for the workpiece W to slip on the conveyor roller 502 when the conveyor roller 502 conveys the workpiece W. In this context, "contact length" refers to the length viewed in a cross-section perpendicular to the rotation axis of each of the conveyor roller 502, the first driven roller 504l, and the second driven roller 504r.

[0050] Thus, the workpiece W according to this embodiment can be a workpiece that is transported while wrapped around the transport roller 502, and the transport roller 502 used in this case may be arranged so as to overlap with the irradiation area R1 in the vertical direction (Z direction described later), as shown in, for example, Figure 1, the lower diagram of Figure 17A, and Figure 18.

[0051] As shown in Figure 17A, the support member 501 can attach the housing 10 of the laser processing apparatus L, particularly the marker head 1, to a predetermined mounting position. Figures 1, 17A, and 17B illustrate the support member 501 configured to suspend the housing 10 from above, but as will be described later, the housing 10 may also be supported from other directions, such as the side.

[0052] On the other hand, the conveying roller 502 is configured as a cylindrical shape having a central axis extending in the short direction (front-to-back direction, as described later) of the workpiece W. In this case, the workpiece W is conveyed in the long direction (left-to-right direction, as described later) along a predetermined movement path by the rotation of the conveying roller 502.

[0053] Here, as shown in the upper and lower figures of Figure 17A, the processing equipment 500 according to this embodiment is shared between the marker head 1 according to this embodiment and the printing device 1001 that prints using a method other than laser light.

[0054] In other words, the marker head 1 according to this embodiment is configured to be attached to the support member 501 of the processing equipment 500, which is configured to mount the printing device 1001, in place of the printing device 1001.

[0055] Examples of a printing device 1001 that can replace the marker head 1 include a thermal transfer industrial thermal printer (TTO), but it can also be replaced with other printing devices 1001.

[0056] The printing device 1001 that can be replaced by the marker head 1 may, for example, include a housing 1010 configured in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, which has a printing surface 1010d that exposes a printing section 1006 that contacts the printing area on the workpiece W, and a connecting surface 1010u that is different from the printing surface 1010d and can be connected to the support member 501.

[0057] In this case, as shown in the upper and lower figures of Figure 17A, the marker head 1 is supported by a support member 501 that can be connected to the connection surface 1010u, similar to the printing device 1001. The supported marker head 1 then processes the workpiece W by irradiating a laser beam toward an irradiation area R1 that is set to correspond to the printing area (the area that comes into contact with the printing unit 1006 in the printing device 1001).

[0058] On the other hand, the operating terminal 300 has, for example, a central processing unit (CPU) and memory, and is connected to the marker controller 100 so as to be able to send and receive electrical signals via wired or wireless means.

[0059] The operating terminal 300 functions as a terminal for setting various processing conditions (also called printing conditions), such as print settings, and for displaying information related to the processing of the workpiece W to the user. This operating terminal 300 includes a display unit 301 for displaying information to the user, an operation unit 302 for receiving operation input from the user, and a storage device 303 for storing various information.

[0060] For example, the display unit 301 can be made up of a liquid crystal display or an organic EL panel. The operation unit 302 can be made up of a keyboard and a pointing device. Pointing devices include a mouse, joystick, etc. Instead of such a pointing device, the operation unit 302 may be made up of a console, for example, a touch panel type, which is directly connected to the marker controller 100.

[0061] The operating terminal 300, configured as described above, can set processing conditions for laser processing based on user input. These processing conditions include one or more of the following: the content of the string and graphic to be printed on the workpiece W (processing pattern Pp), the target output of the laser beam (laser power), and the scanning speed of the laser beam on the workpiece W (scan speed).

[0062] The machining conditions set by the operation terminal 300 are output to the marker controller 100 and stored in the storage unit 102 of the marker controller 100. If necessary, the storage device 303 of the operation terminal 300 may also store the machining conditions.

[0063] The operating terminal 300 can also be integrated into, for example, the marker controller 100.

[0064] External devices 400 are connected to the marker controller 100 as needed. In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, the external devices 400 include a transport speed sensor 401 and a programmable logic controller (PLC) 402.

[0065] The transport speed sensor 401 is configured, for example, by a rotary encoder and can detect the transport speed of the workpiece W. The transport speed sensor 401 outputs a signal (detection signal) indicating the detection result to the marker controller 100. The marker controller 100 controls the two-dimensional scanning of the laser beam, etc., based on the detection signal input from the transport speed sensor 401.

[0066] The PLC402 is configured, for example, with a microprocessor and can input control signals to the marker controller 100. The PLC402 is used to control the laser processing system S according to a predetermined sequence.

[0067] In addition to the equipment and devices described above, the laser processing apparatus L can be connected wirelessly or via wired connections to devices for operation and control, computers for various other processing tasks, storage devices, peripheral devices, etc.

[0068] The following will provide a detailed explanation of the hardware configurations of the marker head 1 and the marker controller 100, followed by an overview of how the marker controller 100 controls the marker head 1.

[0069] <Marker Controller 100> As shown in Figure 2, the marker controller 100 includes a receiving unit 101 that receives settings (processing settings) related to processing conditions including processing patterns, a storage unit 102 that stores the processing conditions, a control unit 103 that controls the marker head 1 based on the processing conditions, and a power supply unit 104 that serves as a power supply unit that supplies power to the marker head 1.

[0070] (Reception area 101) The reception unit 101 is configured to receive processing conditions input via the operation terminal 300 and to output the received processing conditions to the storage unit 102 and / or the control unit 103.

[0071] Specifically, the reception unit 101 according to this embodiment is electrically connected to the operation terminal 300, and can display a setting screen (not shown) for setting each processing condition on the aforementioned display unit 301 of the operation terminal 300. The reception unit 101 can reflect the content entered through the setting screen into each processing condition and output the reflected processing conditions to the storage unit 102 and / or control unit 103.

[0072] (Storage unit 102) The memory unit 102 is configured to temporarily or continuously store the processing conditions received by the reception unit 101, and to output the stored processing conditions to the control unit 103, display unit 301, etc., as needed.

[0073] Specifically, the storage unit 102 according to this embodiment is configured using non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD), and can temporarily or continuously store data indicating processing conditions.

[0074] (Control Unit 103) The control unit 103 is configured to perform machining on the workpiece W in accordance with the machining conditions by controlling the power supply unit 104, the laser beam output unit 4, the laser beam scanning unit 5, etc., based on the machining conditions.

[0075] Specifically, the control unit 103 according to this embodiment consists of a processor, volatile memory, and an input / output bus, etc. This control unit 103 generates control signals based on processing conditions read from the storage unit 102 or directly input from the reception unit 101, and controls the processing of the workpiece W by outputting the generated control signals to each part of the laser processing apparatus L.

[0076] For example, when starting the machining of workpiece W, the control unit 103 reads a target output that constitutes one of the machining conditions from the storage unit 102 and controls the generation of laser excitation light by inputting a control signal generated for that target output to the power supply unit 104, etc.

[0077] (Power supply section 104) The power supply unit 104 supplies a drive current to the excitation photogeneration unit 2 based on the control signal output from the control unit 103. While details are omitted here, the power supply unit 104 determines the drive current based on the target output input from the control unit 103 and supplies the determined drive current to the excitation photogeneration unit 2. The power supply unit 104 supplies power to the excitation photogeneration unit 2 and can be configured as a DC power supply 104a or the like, as illustrated in Figure 20 below. Details of the power supply unit 104 will be described later.

[0078] In this embodiment, the excitation light generation unit 2, which is composed of an excitation light source such as a laser diode, is built into the marker head 1, rather than into the marker controller 100. Power supplied from the power supply unit 104 is supplied to the excitation light generation unit 2 via the aforementioned electrical cable 200.

[0079] <Markerhead 1> Figures 3A and 3B are perspective views illustrating the external appearance of the marker head 1. Figure 4 is a side view of the marker head 1, Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the marker head 1 with the cover member 13 removed, and Figure 6 is a rear view of the marker head 1.

[0080] Figure 7 illustrates the connection structure of the electrical cable 200 in the marker head 1, and Figures 8 and 9 are perspective views illustrating the housing structure of the marker head 1. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the marker head 1, and Figure 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the marker head 1. The cross-section in Figure 10 substantially coincides with the AA section in Figure 11.

[0081] Furthermore, Figure 11 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the marker head 1, Figure 12 is a side view illustrating the main parts within the substrate housing section H13, and Figure 13 is a side view illustrating the main parts within the crystal housing section H12.

[0082] Furthermore, Figure 14 is a perspective view illustrating the main parts within the mirror housing H11, and Figures 15 and 16 are perspective views illustrating the deflection of the laser beam by the laser beam scanning unit.

[0083] (Outline of Markerhead 1 configuration) As shown in Figure 2, the marker head 1 comprises, as its main components, an excitation light generation unit 2, an excitation light guide unit 3 as an optical system, a laser light output unit 4, and a laser light scanning unit 5 as a laser light deflection unit.

[0084] As will be described in more detail later, the excitation light generation unit 2 generates excitation light to excite the laser beam based on the power supplied via the electrical cable 200. The excitation light guide unit 3 guides the excitation light generated by the excitation light generation unit 2 and inputs it to the laser beam output unit 4. The laser beam output unit 4 has a solid laser crystal 41 that generates laser beam based on the excitation light guided by the excitation light guide unit 3.

[0085] Furthermore, the laser beam scanning unit 5 includes a first scanner 51 that drives a first mirror 51a so that the laser beam generated by the solid laser crystal 41 is directed toward a desired position in the irradiation area R1, and a first control board 53 that controls the first scanner 51.

[0086] More specifically, the laser beam scanning unit 5 according to this embodiment is configured using a so-called two-axis (X-axis and Y-axis) galvanometer scanner, and in addition to a first scanner 51 as a Y scanner, it further includes a second scanner 52 as an X scanner and a second control board 54 that controls the second scanner 52.

[0087] The laser beam scanning unit 5 controls the first scanner 51 via the first control board 53 and the second scanner 52 via the second control board 54, thereby driving the first mirror 51a of the first scanner 51 and the second mirror 52a of the second scanner 52.

[0088] In this process, the laser beam scanning unit 5, acting as a laser beam deflection unit, drives the first mirror 51a and the second mirror 52a according to predetermined processing settings (settings relating to the processing pattern Pp) to deflect the laser beam generated by the laser beam output unit 4 so that it is irradiated towards a desired position in the irradiation area R1.

[0089] The marker head 1 also includes a housing 10 that houses the aforementioned components, namely the excitation light generation unit 2, the excitation light guide unit 3, the laser light output unit 4, and the laser light scanning unit 5. The housing 10 has an output window 6 that transmits the laser light deflected by the first mirror 51a of the laser light scanning unit 5 (i.e., the laser light irradiated toward the irradiation area R1 via the laser light scanning unit 5).

[0090] The following describes, in order, the external configuration of the marker head 1 (specifically, the configuration of the six sides of the housing 10) and the internal structure of the marker head 1.

[0091] (Exterior view of the housing 10) As illustrated in Figure 3A, the housing 10 of the marker head 1 is configured in a roughly rectangular shape, with the front-to-back direction (from the right and front side to the left and depth side in Figure 3A) being longer than the left-to-right direction (from the left and front side to the right and depth side when viewing the housing 10 from the front in Figure 3A). In this specification, "left and right" refers to the left and right sides as viewed from the user facing the housing 10.

[0092] Hereinafter, the front-to-back direction of the enclosure 10 will be considered the X direction, the left-to-right direction the Y direction, and the height direction the Z direction. More specifically, in the X direction, the depth side of Figure 3A will be considered the +X direction, and the front side of the same figure will be considered the -X direction. Similarly, in the Y direction, the front side of Figure 3A will be considered the +Y direction, and the depth side of the same figure will be considered the -Y direction. Similarly, in the Z direction, the top side of Figure 3A will be considered the -Z direction, and the bottom side of the same figure will be considered the +Z direction.

[0093] For convenience, a definition based on the external shape of the housing 10 has been provided as an example here. However, instead of this definition, or in conjunction with this definition, a definition based on the operating direction and positional relationship of each component housed in the housing 10 can also be used.

[0094] For example, the first direction, which is the deflection direction by the first mirror 51a, can be defined as the Y direction, and the second direction, which is the deflection direction by the second mirror 52a, can be defined as the X direction. In this embodiment, the deflection direction by the mirrors included in and driven by the laser beam scanning unit 5 refers to the direction in which the irradiation position is scanned within the irradiation area R1 as the mirror is driven. That is, as the first mirror 51a is driven and rotated, the irradiation position within the irradiation area R1 is scanned in the Y direction. Similarly, as the second mirror 52a is driven and rotated, the irradiation position within the irradiation area R1 is scanned in the X direction. Likewise, the irradiation direction, which is the direction from the marker head 1 toward the irradiation area R1, or more specifically, the direction from the output window 6 toward the irradiation area R1, can be considered as the Z direction. The irradiation direction may also be the direction from the first mirror 51a toward the irradiation area R1. In this embodiment, "the direction toward the irradiation area R1 from a certain member" refers to one of the axial directions in which a certain member and the irradiation area R1 face each other. "The direction from a certain component toward the irradiation area R1" does not refer to the direction of light propagation from a certain component toward the irradiation area R1. Therefore, although the irradiation position in the irradiation area R1, i.e., the direction of light propagation toward the irradiation area R1, changes due to the rotation of the first mirror 51a and the second mirror 52a, the irradiation direction in this embodiment does not change in accordance with the change in the direction of light propagation.

[0095] In the following description, we will proceed assuming that the definition based on the external shape of the housing 10 and the definition based on the deflection direction and illumination direction of the first mirror 51a and the second mirror 52a are the same.

[0096] As shown in Figures 3A to 7, the housing 10 has a bottom surface 10d on which an ejection window 6 is formed, and a top surface 10u facing the bottom surface 10d and, consequently, the ejection window 6. For example, the bottom surface 10d faces in the +Z direction, while the top surface 10u faces in the -Z direction, and both are composed of one or more plate-like members having thickness in the Z direction. Here, "facing" refers to a conceptual opposition when the housing 10 is considered as a conceptual rectangular parallelepiped.

[0097] The housing 10 further has a bottom surface 10d and a top surface 10u, as well as a front surface 10f, a rear surface 10b, a left side surface 10l, and a right side surface 10r that surround the excitation light generation unit 2, the excitation light guide unit 3, the laser light output unit 4, and the laser light scanning unit 5.

[0098] The front surface 10f, rear surface 10b, left side surface 10l, and right side surface 10r all face in directions perpendicular to the top surface 10u and bottom surface 10d (i.e., directions along the XY plane). For example, the front surface 10f faces in the -X direction, while the rear surface 10b faces in the +X direction, and both are composed of one or more plate-like members having thickness in the X direction. Similarly, for example, the left side surface 10l faces in the +Y direction, while the right side surface 10r faces in the -Y direction, and both are composed of one or more plate-like members having thickness in the Y direction.

[0099] The following describes the six surfaces of the housing 10 in order. Note that the term "surface" in the context of the bottom surface 10d, top surface 10u, front surface 10f, rear surface 10b, left side surface 10l, and right side surface 10r also includes plate-like members having a predetermined thickness. Furthermore, these six surfaces are merely a classification for convenience and do not need to be separate entities. For example, at least one of the left side surface 10l and the right side surface 10r may be integrally formed with at least a portion of the bottom surface 10d (in particular, the non-offset portion 18 described later).

[0100] -Top surface 10u- As shown in Figure 3A, the top surface 10u of the six surfaces constituting the housing 10 is formed as a rectangular plate that extends along the XY direction and has a longer dimension in the X direction than in the Y direction. In this embodiment, the top surface 10u is configured as a mounting surface that is connected to a support member and attached to the mounting position. In this case, the thickness of the top surface 10u is greater than the thickness of the left side surface 10l and the right side surface 10r.

[0101] An attachment 7, which can be attached to the mounting position, is provided on the top surface 10u, which serves as the mounting surface. This attachment 7 is configured as a plate-like member that extends along a direction substantially parallel to the top surface 10u (XY direction) and has thickness in a direction perpendicular to the top surface 10u (Z direction). The attachment 7 is placed on the top surface 10u and is fastened to the top surface 10u by fasteners 7b such as bolts, as shown in Figure 10, for example. As mentioned above, the plate thickness of the top surface 10u is greater than the plate thickness of the left side surface 10l, the right side surface 10r, etc. Increasing the plate thickness of the top surface 10u is advantageous in securing the insertion space for the fasteners 7b.

[0102] The upper surface of the attachment 7 is provided with fastening holes 7a corresponding to the support member 501 to be placed at the mounting position. With the support member 501 placed on the attachment 7, the support member 501 can be attached to the attachment 7 by fastening fasteners such as bolts into the fastening holes 7a. As a result, the top surface 10u is attached to the mounting position via the attachment 7, and at the same time, the housing 10 is suspended from the support member 501.

[0103] -Bottom surface 10d- As shown in Figure 4, the bottom surface 10d of the six surfaces is located on the opposite side of the top surface 10u, with the laser beam scanning unit 5 in between. As shown in Figure 5, this bottom surface 10d is formed in a curved shape that extends along the X direction and has its central part in the Y direction recessed towards the -Z side.

[0104] Specifically, as shown in Figures 5 and 10, the bottom surface 10d according to this embodiment has an offset portion 16a located in the center in the Y direction and offset toward the -Z side, and non-offset portions 18 located at both ends in the Y direction and protruding toward the +Z side compared to the offset portion 16a. Both the offset portion 16a and the non-offset portion 18 are formed to extend flat along the X direction.

[0105] In detail, the bottom surface 10d according to this embodiment has a trapezoidal groove formed thereon, with the offset portion 16a as the upper base and widening toward the +Z side. The ejection window 6 is provided in the offset portion 16a, which serves as the upper base. The bottom surface 10d according to this embodiment is configured as an ejection surface on which the ejection window 6 is formed. Details of the ejection window 6 will be described later.

[0106] On the other hand, the non-offset portion 18 constitutes the portion of the bottom surface 10d from the part corresponding to the hypotenuse of the trapezoidal shape to the +Z side end. In this embodiment, the non-offset portion 18 is composed of a first plate-like member 18l located on the +Y side of the offset portion 16a and a second plate-like member 18r located on the -Y side of the offset portion 16a.

[0107] The first plate-like member 18l is formed in a thin plate shape as shown in Figure 10 and has an inverted L-shape when viewed from the -X side. Here, "inverted L-shape" refers to a shape obtained by reversing the L-shape with respect to the axis of symmetry extending in the Z direction. The first plate-like member 18l is positioned on the opposite side of the second plate-like member 18r, with the offset portion 16a in between. The vertical side of the inverted L-shape in the first plate-like member 18l constitutes the hypotenuse on the +Y side of the trapezoid, and the horizontal side of the inverted L-shape constitutes the +Z end on the +Y side.

[0108] As shown in Figure 10, the second plate-like member 18r is formed in a thin plate shape and has an L-shape when viewed from the -X side. The second plate-like member 18r is positioned on the opposite side of the first plate-like member 18l, with the offset portion 16a in between. The vertical side of the L-shape of the second plate-like member 18r constitutes the -Y side hypotenuse of the trapezoidal shape, and the horizontal side of the L-shape constitutes the +Z end on the -Y side.

[0109] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the first plate-like member 18l, together with the lower half of the left side surface 10l, covers the ejection window 6 from the +Y side. On the other hand, the second plate-like member 18r, together with the lower half of the right side surface 10r, covers the ejection window 6 from the -Y side. In this way, the first plate-like member 18l and the second plate-like member 18r, together with the lower half of the left side surface 10l and the lower half of the right side surface 10r, form a skirt-like cover (skirt portion).

[0110] -Front 10f- As shown in Figures 3B and 5, the front surface 10f of the six surfaces extends along the YZ direction and is formed as a plate with an indicator 11, two vents 12, 12 and a notch 10c.

[0111] As shown in Figures 3B and 5, the indicator 11 is located near the upper and right edge of the front surface 10f and consists of three lamps 11a, 11b, and 11c arranged along the Y direction (shown only in Figure 5). Each of the three lamps 11a, 11b, and 11c is a light-emitting diode (LED) electrically connected to the marker controller 100. Hereinafter, the three lamps 11a, 11b, and 11c will be referred to as the first lamp 11a, the second lamp 11b, and the third lamp 11c, respectively, starting from the +Y side.

[0112] The first lamp 11a is composed of, for example, a blue LED and lights up blue in conjunction with a key switch (not shown) provided on the laser processing device L. The "key switch" referred to here is a switch that can be switched by a key managed by a safety manager or the like. By inserting the key into the laser processing device L and turning the key in a predetermined direction, the device switches between an "OFF" state, which corresponds to the power being off; a "POWER ON" state, which corresponds to the power being on and laser beam emission is not permitted; and a "LASER ON" state, which corresponds to the power being on and laser beam emission is permitted.

[0113] On the other hand, the second lamp 11b is configured to allow switching between green and orange illumination, so that the illumination color changes in response to various states in addition to the state of the key switch. Furthermore, the third lamp 11c is configured to allow switching between green, orange, and red illumination, so that the illumination color changes in response to various states in addition to the state of the key switch.

[0114] The first lamp 11a, the second lamp 11b, and the third lamp 11c are each electrically connected to the marker controller 100 and are configured to light up in response to control signals input from the control unit 103. Details of the control of the indicator 11 will be described later.

[0115] As shown in Figures 3B and 5, one of the two ventilation openings 12, 12 is located near the lower left edge of the front surface 10f, and the other ventilation opening 12, 12 is located near the lower right edge of the front surface 10f. Both ventilation openings 12, 12 penetrate the front surface 10f in the thickness direction and communicate with the second housing section H2, which will be described later.

[0116] As shown in Figures 3B and 5, the notch 10c is formed by cutting out a portion of the front surface 10f that includes the lower end, and is connected to the front end (the end on the -X side) of the offset portion 16a. The notch 10c is positioned between the two ventilation openings 12, 12 in the Y direction.

[0117] In detail, the notch 10c is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape that tapers in diameter toward the +Z direction, so that its cross-section substantially coincides with the trapezoidal cross-section with the offset portion 16a as the upper base. The front surface 10f in this embodiment is configured as a user access surface (open surface) that is at least partially open to the discharge window 6 via the offset portion 16a, by having the notch 10c provided in its lower half.

[0118] -Front view 10f details 1 (Regarding dust collector and camera)- The notch 10c according to this embodiment can be used for various purposes in addition to maintenance of the ejection window 6 (for example, cleaning performed by inserting a cleaning tool through the notch 10c).

[0119] Generally, when a UV laser is irradiated onto a workpiece W such as a film, smoke is generated. Therefore, a dust collector separate from the marker head 1 may be connected to the front 10f and configured to suck in the smoke through the notch 10c. Alternatively, instead of attaching the dust collector externally to the marker head 1, such as by connecting it to the front 10f, the dust collector may be built into the marker head 1.

[0120] Furthermore, after printing on a workpiece W such as a film using a UV laser, a camera may be built into or attached to the marker head 1 for the purpose of inspecting the printed content. Such a camera may be attached, for example, to the notch 10c or to the offset section 16a. In the former case, a reflective mirror may be provided around the output window 6 so that the irradiation area R1 can be imaged from as directly above (-Z side) as possible. In addition, illumination may be provided around the camera or output window 6 to obtain the brightest possible image.

[0121] -Details of front panel 10f 2 (Regarding cover member 13 and opening / closing sensor)- A cover member 13 is attached to the front surface 10f, which serves as an open surface, allowing the front surface 10f to be opened and closed. This cover member 13 includes a first cover portion 13a fixed to the upper half of the front surface 10f, a second cover portion 13b that can swing to open and close the lower half of the front surface 10f, particularly the open portion formed by the notch 10ca, and a hinge mechanism 13c connecting the first cover portion 13a and the second cover portion 13b (see Figures 3A and 3B).

[0122] The first cover portion 13a is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate that covers the upper half of the front surface 10f and has a through hole (reference numeral omitted) formed in approximately the same position as the indicator 11. The first cover portion 13a is fixed to the upper half of the front surface 10f by fasteners such as screws.

[0123] The second cover portion 13b is formed in the shape of a rectangular plate that can cover the lower half of the front surface 10f, particularly the notch 10c, and has through holes (reference numerals omitted) formed in approximately the same positions as the two ventilation openings 12, 12. The second cover portion 13b is supported by the first cover portion 13a via a hinge mechanism 13c.

[0124] The hinge mechanism 13c is located in the center of the front surface 10f in the Z direction and pivotably connects the upper edge of the second cover portion 13b to the lower edge of the first cover portion 13a.

[0125] The hinge mechanism 13c allows the second cover portion 13b to swing around a rotation axis extending in the Y direction while the first cover portion 13a is fixed to the front surface 10f (see Figures 3A and 3B). By swinging the second cover portion 13b in the opening direction, the notch 10c on the front surface 10f can be exposed. By exposing the notch 10c, various maintenance tasks, such as cleaning the ejection window 6, can be performed through the offset portion 16a connected to the notch 10c.

[0126] Note that the cover member 13 is not essential. The front surface 10f may be exposed without providing the cover member 13.

[0127] Furthermore, although not shown in the diagram, an opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the cover member 13 may be provided on at least one of the cover member 13 (particularly the second cover portion 13b) and the front surface 10f (particularly the area around the notch 10c on the front surface 10f).

[0128] As such an opening / closing sensor, for example, a magnetic sensor can be used, which consists of a magnet provided on one of the second cover portion 13b and the front surface 10f, and a magnetic sensor (e.g., a Hall element) provided on the other of the second cover portion 13b and the front surface 10f. Note that the magnetic sensor is merely an example, and optical sensors, mechanical sensors, etc., may also be used.

[0129] This magnetic sensor is electrically connected to the marker controller 100 and / or the circuit board in the marker head 1, and can output a detection signal to the marker controller 100 and / or the circuit board indicating the open / closed state of the cover member 13, particularly the second cover portion 13b.

[0130] By providing such an opening / closing sensor, it becomes possible to detect the open / closed state of the cover member 13 and to perform various controls based on that state. As an example, in this embodiment, if the cover member 13 is opened while the laser beam is being emitted, the marker controller 100 will emergency stop the emission of the laser beam. Subsequently, by closing the cover member 13 and performing an emergency stop release operation via the operation unit 302, the emission of the laser beam can be resumed.

[0131] Furthermore, if the cover member 13 is considered as one of the outer surfaces of the housing 10, this cover member 13 will be visible to the user when attaching the marker head 1, etc. In this case, for example, the second cover portion 13b of the cover member 13 can be marked with the first mark M1 as a mark, as shown in Figure 3A.

[0132] The first mark M1 is composed of a first center line M11 indicating the center of the illumination area R1 (the intersection point where the diagonals of the illumination area R1 intersect), a +Y edge M12 indicating the +Y side edge of the illumination area R1, and a -Y edge M13 indicating the -Y side center of the illumination area R1.

[0133] Note that the cover member 13 is not mandatory. If the front 10f is considered the outer surface of the housing 10 without the cover member 13, the first mark M1 can be attached to the front 10f.

[0134] -Back 10b- As shown in Figures 3B and 5, the rear surface 10b of the six surfaces is located on the opposite side of the front surface 10f, with the laser beam scanning unit 5 in between, and is formed in a plate shape extending along the YZ direction. In this embodiment, the rear surface 10b can be considered as one of the outer surfaces of the housing 10 (an outer surface different from the cover member 13), and forms a connection surface to which the electrical cable 200 that supplies power to the housing 10 is connected. The rear surface 10b as a connection surface, together with the front surface 10f as an open surface, the top surface 10u as a mounting surface, and the bottom surface 10d as an emission surface, surrounds the laser beam scanning unit 5 as a laser beam deflection unit.

[0135] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7, a connection cover 14 is provided on the back surface 10b, which serves as the connection surface, to cover the connection portion between the back surface 10b and the electrical cable 200. This connection cover 14 restricts the extension direction Ae of the electrical cable 200 so that the electrical cable 200 is extended in the in-plane direction (YZ direction) of the back surface 10b, or more specifically, in the direction (Y direction) that intersects the irradiation direction (Z direction) within the in-plane direction (YZ direction).

[0136] In other words, the connection cover 14 is configured to allow the electrical cable 200 to be fed out along a direction (Y direction or Z direction) perpendicular to the X direction, which is the direction connecting the front 10f and the back 10b.

[0137] Specifically, the connection cover 14 according to this embodiment includes an enclosure portion 14a surrounding the connection terminal for the marker head 1 with the electrical cable 200, a lid portion 14b that closes the enclosure portion 14a, a sealing member 14c that liquid-tightly seals the space between the enclosure portion 14a and the lid portion 14b, and a wire diameter conversion connector 14d that adjusts the wire diameter of the electrical cable 200.

[0138] Of these, the enclosure portion 14a is formed to surround the connector opening on the rear surface 10b from the side (YZ direction). Specifically, the enclosure portion a in this embodiment is formed in the shape of a thin rectangular box opening toward the +X direction.

[0139] Furthermore, when the enclosure 14a is considered as a thin box, the bottom surface 14e has two openings (not shown) that lead to different connection terminals. In addition, of the multiple side walls constituting the enclosure 14a, the left side wall 14f facing the +Y side is provided with a first through-hole 14g that penetrates the left side wall 14f along the Y direction, which is the extension direction Ae. The electrical cable 200 is inserted through this first through-hole 14g, thereby restricting its extension direction Ae.

[0140] The wire diameter conversion connector 14d is located inside the enclosure 14a and is housed in a housing space partitioned by the enclosure 14a and the cover 14b. In this embodiment, the electrical cable 200 consists of a first cable section 201 extending from the marker controller 100 and connected to the wire diameter conversion connector 14d, and a second cable section 202 extending from the wire diameter conversion connector 14d and connected to the connection terminal of the marker head 1. The wire diameter of the second cable section 202 is set to be smaller than that of the first cable section 201 in order to fit the connection terminal of the marker head 1.

[0141] In other words, in this embodiment, the electrical cable 200 is connected to the marker head 1 after its diameter has been converted by the diameter conversion connector 14d.

[0142] Generally, there is a need to change the cable length of the electrical cable 200 depending on the installation environment of the marker head 1. In this case, if a longer-than-usual electrical cable 200 is used, there is a concern about voltage drop compared to a relatively shorter electrical cable. As a countermeasure, it is conceivable to use an electrical cable 200 with a larger wire diameter.

[0143] Thus, since the wire diameter of the electrical cable 200 may change depending on the installation environment of the marker head 1, it is conceivable to use the wire diameter conversion connector 14d as described above. However, simply using the wire diameter conversion connector 14d raises concerns about water exposure at the connection points between the first cable section 201 and the wire diameter conversion connector 14d, and between the second cable section 202 and the wire diameter conversion connector 14d.

[0144] In contrast, as shown in Figure 7, by housing the wire diameter conversion connector 14d inside the connection cover 14, water exposure to each of the aforementioned connection parts can be suppressed. This makes it possible to adapt the marker head 1 to a wider range of installation environments.

[0145] -Left side 10l- As shown in Figures 3A, 3B, and 10, the left side 10l of the six surfaces is positioned on the +Y side with respect to the laser beam scanning unit 5 and is formed in a plate shape extending along the ZX direction.

[0146] Furthermore, if the left side surface 10l is considered as one of the outer surfaces of the housing 10, this left side surface 10l will be visible to the user when attaching the marker head 1, etc. A second mark M2 can also be attached to this left side surface 10l as a mark, as shown in Figure 3A.

[0147] The second mark M2 is composed of a second center line M21 indicating the center of the irradiation area R1 (the intersection point where the diagonals of the irradiation area R1 intersect), a +X edge M22 indicating the +X side edge of the irradiation area R1, and a -X edge M23 indicating the -X side edge of the irradiation area R1.

[0148] -Right side 10r- As shown in Figures 4, 5, and 10, the right side surface 10r of the six surfaces is positioned on the -Y side with respect to the laser beam scanning unit 5 and is formed as a plate extending along the ZX direction. The right side surface 10r is positioned on the opposite side of the left side surface 10l, with the laser beam scanning unit 5 in between.

[0149] Furthermore, if the right side surface 10r is considered as one of the outer surfaces of the housing 10, a third mark M3, configured in the same way as the second mark M2, can be attached to this right side surface 10r.

[0150] The third mark M3 is composed of a third center line M31 indicating the center of the irradiation area R1 (the intersection point where the diagonals of the irradiation area R1 intersect), a +X edge M32 indicating the +X side edge of the irradiation area R1, and a -X edge M33 indicating the -X side edge of the irradiation area R1.

[0151] It should be noted that a configuration including both the second mark M2 and the third mark M3 is not mandatory; a configuration including either the second mark M2 or the third mark M3 is also acceptable.

[0152] (Internal space of enclosure 10) The enclosure 10 partitions the internal space enclosed by six surfaces: the bottom surface 10d, the top surface 10u, the front surface 10f, the rear surface 10b, the left side surface 10l, and the right side surface 10r. This internal space is divided into multiple storage compartments by plate-like members placed inside the enclosure 10.

[0153] As such plate-like members, the marker head 1 according to this embodiment has a first base plate 15, a second base plate 16, and a third base plate 17. In this embodiment, the first base plate 15, the second base plate 16, and the third base plate 17 are separate from each other. Of these plate-like members, the first base plate 15 is configured as a support plate capable of supporting a solid laser crystal 41.

[0154] The following describes the configuration of each plate-like member in order.

[0155] -First base plate 15- As shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, the first base plate 15 is configured as a metal plate-like member extending in the X direction and is housed in the housing 10 (in other words, surrounded by the six sides of the housing 10). The thickness of the first base plate 15 is set to be greater than the thickness of at least the left side 10l and the right side 10r of the six sides of the housing 10.

[0156] In particular, the first base plate 15 according to this embodiment has an inverted L-shape when viewed from the -X side. Here, "inverted L-shape" refers to a shape obtained by reversing an L-shape with respect to the axis of symmetry extending in the Z direction. Hereinafter, the portion of the first base plate 15 corresponding to the vertical side of the inverted L-shape may be referred to as the vertical side portion 15a, and the portion corresponding to the horizontal side of the inverted L-shape may be referred to as the horizontal side portion 15b.

[0157] The first base plate 15 is positioned between the left side 10l and the right side 10r in the Y direction, and is positioned on the +Y side of the second base plate 16. The first base plate 15 is positioned on the +Y side of the third base plate 17, with the second base plate 16 in between.

[0158] Here, a sealing member (not shown) is provided between the left end (+Y side end) of the horizontal edge 15b and the left side surface 10l of the housing 10, which liquid-tightly seals the gap between the first base plate 15 and the left side surface 10l.

[0159] The first base plate 15 is positioned below the top surface 10u in the Z direction.

[0160] Here, as shown in the enclosed area C1 in Figure 10, the upper end (the -Z side end) of the vertical side 15a faces the top surface 10u with a predetermined gap between them. As a result, the first base plate 15 is in a non-integrated state with respect to the top surface 10u of the housing 10 (a state that allows relative displacement of the first base plate 15 with respect to the top surface 10u).

[0161] Furthermore, if any of the six surfaces of the housing 10 other than the top surface 10u is used as a mounting surface, instead of providing a gap between the top surface 10u and the vertical edge portion 15a, a gap may be provided between the mounting surface and the first base plate 15. For example, if the left side surface 10l of the housing 10 is used as a mounting surface, a gap can be provided between the left end of the horizontal edge portion 15b and the left side surface 10l.

[0162] The first base plate 15 is positioned between the front surface 10f and the back surface 10b in the X direction. As shown in Figure 11, the first base plate 15 is fixed to the front surface 10f by a front-side fastener 15c and to the back surface 10b by a rear-side fastener 15d.

[0163] In other words, the first base plate 15, which serves as a support plate, is not integrated with the top surface 10u, which serves as a mounting surface, but is attached to the housing 10 via the front surface 10f and the rear surface 10b.

[0164] Next, regarding the vertical side portion 15a, in this embodiment, the vertical side portion 15a is formed in a thick plate shape that extends along the Z direction and the X direction as the irradiation direction. As shown in Figure 11, at least two through holes 15e and 15f are formed in the vertical side portion 15a.

[0165] Of the two through-holes 15e and 15f, the second through-hole 15e, located on the +X side, is used to optically couple the excitation light guide unit 3 and the laser light output unit 4. The second through-hole 15e constitutes the first incident window 91 through which excitation light is incident from the excitation light guide unit 3 to the laser light output unit 4.

[0166] Of the two through-holes 15e and 15f, the third through-hole 15f, located on the -X side, is used to optically couple the laser light output unit 4 and the laser light scanning unit 5. An optical member 15h, such as glass that transmits laser light, is fitted into the third through-hole 15f. The third through-hole 15f and the optical member 15h, together with the fifth through-hole 50b described later, constitute a second incident window 92 that allows laser light to be incident from the laser light output unit 4 to the laser light scanning unit 5.

[0167] Furthermore, of the left and right sides of the vertical edge portion 15a, the left side facing the +Y side forms a partition surface 15g that demarcates the crystal housing portion H12, which will be described later. Various optical components, including the solid laser crystal 41, are fastened to this partition surface 15g.

[0168] Furthermore, of the left and right sides of the vertical side portion 15a, the right side facing the -Y side supports the first casing 50, which partitions the mirror housing portion H11 described later, from the left. Instead of supporting the first casing 50 with the right side of the vertical side portion 15a, the right side may partition a part of the mirror housing portion H11.

[0169] Next, regarding the lateral portion 15b, in this embodiment, the lateral portion 15b is formed in a thick plate shape that extends along the X direction and the Y direction. As shown in Figure 10, a first heat sink 81, which serves as a heat sink in this embodiment, is provided on the lower surface of the lateral portion 15b.

[0170] The first heat sink 81 is composed of multiple fins protruding in the +Z direction. These fins are aligned in the Y direction. Each fin is formed to extend in the X direction. The first heat sink 81 will be thermally coupled to the components of the laser light output unit 4 (e.g., solid laser crystal 41) via the first base plate 15.

[0171] In the example shown in Figure 10, the lateral portion 15b and the first heat sink 81 are integrally formed, but the design is not limited to this, and the lateral portion 15b and the first heat sink 81 may be formed as separate parts.

[0172] -Second base plate 16- As shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, the second base plate 16 is configured as a metal plate-like member extending in the X direction, and it demarcates a portion of the six surfaces of the housing 10, particularly the offset portion 16a of the bottom surface 10d.

[0173] In particular, the second base plate 16 in this embodiment is formed in a Z shape when viewed from the -Y side. The upper edge of the second base plate 16 when considered as a Z shape corresponds to the offset portion 16a in this embodiment. In the X direction, the length of the offset portion 16a as the upper edge is set to be longer than the length of the bottom edge when the second base plate 16 is considered as a Z shape.

[0174] The second base plate 16 is positioned between the left side surface 10l and the right side surface 10r in the Y direction, more specifically between the first base plate 15 and the third base plate 17. The second base plate 16 is supported by the first base plate 15 and the third base plate 17 via fasteners such as screws (not shown).

[0175] The second base plate 16 is positioned below the top surface 10u in the Z direction. The second base plate 16 is positioned on the -Z side of the horizontal side portion 15b of the first base plate 15. Specifically, in the second base plate 16, the offset portion 16a, which serves as the upper side of the Z shape, is positioned at approximately the same Z position as the +Z side portion (lower portion) when the vertical side portion 15a of the first base plate 15 is divided in the Z direction. Also, in the second base plate 16, the portion corresponding to the bottom side of the Z shape is positioned at approximately the same Z position as the +Z side end (lower end) of the left side surface 10l and the right side surface 10r.

[0176] Here, a sealing member (not shown) is provided between the +Y side end (left end) of the offset portion 16a of the second base plate 16 and the right side surface of the vertical edge portion 15a of the first base plate 15, which liquid-tightly seals the gap between the offset portion 16a and the right side surface.

[0177] Similarly, a sealing member (not shown) is provided between the -Y side end (right end) of the offset portion 16a and the left side surface of the vertical edge portion 17a of the third base plate 17, which liquid-tightly seals the gap between the offset portion 16a and the left side surface.

[0178] The second base plate 16 is positioned between the front surface 10f and the rear surface 10b in the X direction. The second base plate 16 is fixed to the front surface 10f and the rear surface 10b via the first base plate 15 and the third base plate 17. The second base plate 16 may also be directly fastened to the front surface 10f and the rear surface 10b.

[0179] Next, regarding the offset portion 16a, in this embodiment, the offset portion 16a is formed in the shape of a thick plate that extends along the X direction and the Y direction. When the offset portion 16a is divided in the X direction, the +X side portion (the rear portion in the front-to-back direction) is formed in the ejection window 6 according to this embodiment.

[0180] The ejection window 6 has an ejection hole 61 that penetrates the +X side portion of the offset portion 16a, a cover glass 62 fitted into the ejection hole 61, and a sealing member (not shown) that liquid-tightly seals the gap between the ejection hole 61 and the cover glass 62 (see Figure 10). The cover glass 62 is configured as an optical member that transmits laser light that is deflected by the laser light scanning unit 5 and directed toward the irradiation area R1. This cover glass 62 can be formed in a rectangular shape corresponding to the shape of the irradiation area R1, for example, a rectangular shape that is substantially similar to the irradiation area R1 and smaller than the irradiation area R1.

[0181] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, the upper surface of the offset portion 16a facing the -Z side supports the first casing 50 from below. More specifically, the first casing 50 can be fastened to the upper surface of the offset portion 16a, thereby fixing the first casing 50 to the second base plate 16. Instead of supporting the first casing 50 with the upper surface of the offset portion 16a, the upper surface may partition a portion of the mirror housing H11.

[0182] -3rd Base Plate 17- As shown in Figures 8, 9, and 10, the third base plate 17 is configured as a metal plate-like member extending in the X direction and is housed in the housing 10 (in other words, surrounded by the six sides of the housing 10). The thickness of the third base plate 17 is set to be greater than the thickness of at least the left side 10l and the right side 10r of the six sides of the housing 10.

[0183] In particular, the third base plate 17 according to this embodiment has an L-shape when viewed from the -X side. Hereinafter, the portion of the third base plate 17 corresponding to the vertical side of the L-shape may be referred to as the vertical side portion 17a, and the portion corresponding to the horizontal side of the L-shape may be referred to as the horizontal side portion 17b.

[0184] The third base plate 17 is positioned between the left side 10l and the right side 10r in the Y direction, and is located on the -Y side of the second base plate 16. The third base plate 17 is positioned on the -Y side of the first base plate 15, with the second base plate 16 in between.

[0185] Here, a sealing member (not shown) is provided between the right end (+Y side end) of the horizontal edge 17b of the third base plate 17 and the right side surface 10r of the housing 10, which liquid-tightly seals the gap between the third base plate 17 and the right side surface 10r.

[0186] The third base plate 17 is positioned below the top surface 10u in the Z direction.

[0187] The third base plate 17 is positioned between the front surface 10f and the rear surface 10b in the X direction. The third base plate 17 is fixed to the front surface 10f and the rear surface 10b by fasteners (not shown).

[0188] Next, regarding the vertical side portion 17a of the third base plate 17, in this embodiment, the vertical side portion 17a is formed in a thick plate shape that extends along the -Z direction and the X direction as the irradiation direction. In the Z direction, the dimension of the vertical side portion 17a of the third base plate 17 is shorter than the dimension of the vertical side portion 15a of the first base plate 15. This vertical side portion 17a supports the second base plate 16 from the -Y side.

[0189] Next, regarding the lateral portion 17b of the third base plate 17, in this embodiment, the lateral portion 17b is formed in a thick plate shape that extends along the X direction and the Y direction. Various components can be attached to this lateral portion 17b. Components that can be attached to the lateral portion 17b include the first control board 53 of the laser beam scanning unit 5. Also, as shown in Figure 10, a second heat sink 82, which serves as a heat sink in this embodiment, is provided on the lower surface of the lateral portion 15b facing the -Z side.

[0190] The second heatsink 82 is composed of multiple fins protruding in the +Z direction. These fins are aligned in the Y direction. Each fin is formed to extend in the X direction. This second heatsink 82 will be thermally coupled to the components of the excitation light generation unit 2 (e.g., the excitation light source 21) via the third base plate 17.

[0191] In other words, in this embodiment, the first heat sink 81 for cooling the laser light output unit 4 is configured separately from the second heat sink 82 for cooling the excitation light generation unit 2.

[0192] In the example shown in Figure 10, the lateral portion 17b and the second heat sink 82 are integrally formed, but the design is not limited to this, and the lateral portion 17b and the second heat sink 82 may be formed as separate components.

[0193] Furthermore, as in this embodiment, when the first base plate 15 and the third base plate 17 are separate components, the first heat sink 81 provided on the first base plate 15 and the second heat sink 82 provided on the third base plate 17 are separate components. However, this disclosure is not limited to such a configuration, and the first heat sink 81 and the second heat sink 82 can also be configured as an integral part.

[0194] (Outline of the first containment section H1 and the second containment section H2) As mentioned above, the internal space of the housing 10 is divided into multiple storage compartments by the first base plate 15, the second base plate 16, and the third base plate 17.

[0195] As such a housing section, the housing 10 according to this embodiment is formed with a first housing section H1 provided with a cover glass 62 as an optical element, and a second housing section H2 in which at least a part of the periphery of the cover glass 62 protrudes further toward the irradiation area R1 than the cover glass 62 (see dashed line Sl in Figure 10).

[0196] The first housing section H1 and the second housing section H2 are aligned along the irradiation direction (-Z direction), with the first housing section H1 located on one side of the irradiation direction (-Z side) and the second housing section H2 located on the other side (+Z side). The boundary between the first housing section H1 and the second housing section H2 is demarcated by the first base plate 15, the second base plate 16, and the third base plate 17.

[0197] The first housing section H1 houses optical components related to the generation of excitation light, the generation of laser light, and the deflection of laser light. Specifically, the first housing section H1 in this embodiment houses an excitation light generation section 2, an excitation light guide section 3, a laser light output section 4, and a laser light scanning section 5.

[0198] In the example shown in Figure 10, the first storage section H1 is configured as a space surrounded by the top surface 10u, the upper part of the front surface 10f, the lower part of the rear surface 10b, the upper part of the left side surface 10l, the upper part of the right side surface 10r, the part of the bottom surface 10d formed by the second base plate 16, the first base plate 15, and the third base plate 17.

[0199] On the other hand, the second housing section H2 houses cooling components related to the cooling of the optical components housed in the first housing section H1. Specifically, the second housing section H2 according to this embodiment houses a first heat sink 81 and a second heat sink 82 which are thermally coupled to the optical components housed in the first housing section H1, a first blower fan 83 which serves as a blower for blowing air onto the first heat sink 81, and a second blower fan 84 which also serves as a blower for blowing air onto the second heat sink 82.

[0200] In the example shown in Figure 10, the second storage section H2 is configured as a space surrounded by the lower part of the front surface 10f, the lower part of the rear surface 10b, the lower part of the left side surface 10l, the lower part of the right side surface 10r, the non-offset portion 18 of the bottom surface 10d excluding the offset portion 16a, the first base plate 15, and the third base plate 17.

[0201] Furthermore, of the first housing section H1 and the second housing section H2, at least the first housing section H1 is configured to satisfy the IP standard established by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). This allows the marker head 1 to be washed with water without exposing optical components such as the solid laser crystal 41 and the first mirror 51a to water. This contributes to improving the ease of cleaning the marker head 1.

[0202] Furthermore, the housing 10 comprising the first storage section H1 and the second storage section H2 can be given an external shape that prevents water from accumulating during washing. Such an external shape can be achieved, for example, by tilting the top surface 10d with respect to the XY plane. Such an external shape contributes to improving the sanitary properties of the marker head 1.

[0203] In this configuration, as described above, the front surface 10f is opened and closed by the cover member 13, which makes it easier to wipe after washing with water (especially around the ejection window 6). This contributes to improving the maintainability of the marker head 1.

[0204] (Details of the first containment section H1) Here, of the first housing section H1 and the second housing section H2 mentioned above, the first housing section H1 is further divided into three housing sections arranged in a direction perpendicular to the irradiation direction (XY direction), for example, the Y direction. Specifically, the housing 10 according to this embodiment has a mirror housing section H11, a crystal housing section H12, and a substrate housing section H13.

[0205] The mirror housing section H11 houses the first mirror 51a and the second mirror 52a in the laser beam scanning section 5. In this embodiment, the mirror housing section H11 is partitioned by a first casing 50 that can hermetically seal the first mirror 51a and the second mirror 52a. As described above, the first casing 50 may also be partitioned using an offset section 16a. When the first casing 50 is partitioned using an offset section 16a, it is preferable to provide a buffer between the offset section 16a and the first casing 50. Since the offset section 16a is part of the bottom surface 10d, it is susceptible to distortion, vibration, etc., and the buffer can reduce the impact of such external influences on the first casing and the components housed in the first casing. Alternatively, the crystal housing section H12 may be partitioned using a first base plate 15, similar to the crystal housing section H12 described later.

[0206] Here, the first casing 50 is formed in the shape of a bottomed box that opens toward the -Z side. The first casing 50 is held by the first base plate 15.

[0207] The dimensions of the first casing 50 in the X direction are approximately the same as the dimensions of the offset portion 16a in the X direction. Similarly, the dimensions of the first casing 50 in the Y direction are approximately the same as the dimensions of the offset portion 16a in the Y direction.

[0208] The opening on the -Z side of the first casing 50 can be closed, for example, by a cover 59 shown in Figure 10. Instead of sealing the opening with the cover 59, the opening of the first casing 50 may be sealed, for example, by the top surface 10u. When sealing the opening of the first casing 50 with the top surface 10u, it is preferable to provide a buffer material between the top surface 10u and the first casing 50. This reduces the impact of strain, vibration, etc., occurring on the top surface 10u on the first casing 50 and the members housed in the first casing.

[0209] Furthermore, at least four through holes 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d are formed in the first casing 50. Of the four through holes 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d, the fourth through hole 50a, formed in the left side wall of the first casing 50, communicates with the third through hole 15f of the first base plate 15 when the marker head 1 is assembled, and together with the third through hole 15f and the optical member 15h fitted into the third through hole 15f, constitutes the second incident window 92.

[0210] On the other hand, of the four through holes 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d, the fifth through hole 50b, which is formed at the bottom of the first casing 50, is positioned on the +X side when the first casing 50 and, consequently the offset portion 16a, are divided in the X direction. A defocus lens 57, which is an optical element, is provided in this fifth through hole 50b. This defocus lens 57 will be described later.

[0211] Furthermore, of the four through holes 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d, the sixth through hole 50c, formed in the right side wall portion (the wall portion located on the -Y side) of the first casing 50, is positioned on the +X side when the first casing 50 and, consequently the offset portion 16a, are divided in the X direction. The second motor 52b, which constitutes the second scanner 52, can be inserted and fixed into this sixth through hole 50c.

[0212] Furthermore, of the four through holes 50a, 50b, 50c, and 50d, the seventh through hole 50d, formed in the rear wall portion of the first casing 50 (the wall portion located on the +X side), is positioned on the +X side when the first casing 50 and thus the offset portion 16a are divided in the X direction. In the Z direction, the seventh through hole 50d is positioned on the +Z side than the sixth through hole 50c. Also, in the Y direction, the center of the seventh through hole 50d (the center of the circle when the seventh through hole 50d is considered to have a circular cross-section) is positioned approximately at the same location as the optical axis of the cover glass 62. The first motor 51b, which constitutes the first scanner 51, can be inserted and fixed into this seventh through hole 50d.

[0213] The crystal housing section H12 is partitioned by a support plate (first base plate 15) having a partition surface 15g that extends along the irradiation direction, and is positioned on the opposite side of the mirror housing section H11 (in the illustrated example, the +Y side) relative to the partition surface 15g to house the solid laser crystal 41. The crystal housing section H12 houses optical components that constitute the laser light output section 4, such as the solid laser crystal 41. The crystal housing section H12 is partitioned by a second casing 40 that can hermetically seal such optical components. In this embodiment, the crystal housing section H12 can house a nonlinear optical crystal 45 in a sealed state.

[0214] Here, the second casing 40 is formed in the shape of a bottomed box that opens toward the -Y side. The second casing 40 is attached to the vertical side portion 15a of the first base plate 15 and is supported from the -Y side by the partition surface 15g of the vertical side portion 15a. The opening on the -Y side of the second casing 40 can be closed by the partition surface 15g.

[0215] Furthermore, the internal space of the crystal housing section H12 can be divided into two parts: a Q-switch housing section H121 and a wavelength conversion section H122, which are aligned in the X direction. The Q-switch housing section H121 is the space for housing the Q-switch 43. The wavelength conversion section H122 is the space for housing the nonlinear optical crystal 35.

[0216] Here, the Q-switch housing H121 and the wavelength conversion unit H122 are aligned along the X direction, and both are configured as spaces surrounded by the second casing 40 and the partition surface 15g. More specifically, the second casing 40 is composed of a box-shaped body corresponding to the Q-switch housing H121 and a box-shaped body corresponding to the wavelength conversion unit H122, and the spaces surrounded by each box-shaped body and the partition surface 15g are the Q-switch housing H121 and the wavelength conversion unit H122. The Q-switch housing H121 and the wavelength conversion unit H122 are optically coupled by an optical member (not shown). By configuring the Q-switch housing H121 and the wavelength conversion unit H122 as separate spaces in this way, the risk of impurities generated in the Q-switch 43 (described later) adhering to the wavelength conversion element 45 (described later) and reducing the output of the laser light is reduced.

[0217] The substrate housing section H13 is located on the opposite side of the crystal housing section H12 from the mirror housing section H11 and houses the first control substrate 53. In this embodiment, the substrate housing section H13 is partitioned as the space within the internal space of the first housing section H1 excluding the mirror housing section H11 and the crystal housing section H12.

[0218] In other words, in this embodiment, the phrase "a predetermined member is housed in the mirror housing H11" indicates that the member is surrounded on all six sides by the first casing 50, and the phrase "a predetermined member is housed in the crystal housing H12" indicates that the member is surrounded on all six sides by the second casing 40 and the partition surface 15g.

[0219] In contrast, the phrase "a predetermined component is housed in the substrate housing section H13" simply indicates that the component is located in the space within the housing 10 excluding the mirror housing section H11 and the crystal housing section H12. Of course, the configuration is not limited to this, and a casing dedicated to the substrate housing section H13 (a so-called third casing) may be provided, similar to the first casing 50 and the second casing 40.

[0220] (Details of the second containment section H2) On the other hand, the second housing section H2 is partitioned off in the +Z direction portion of the housing 10 by a first plate-like member 18l and a second plate-like member 18r. This second housing section H2 has two spaces spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the irradiation direction, for example, in the direction in which the mirror housing section H11, crystal housing section H12, and substrate housing section H13 are aligned (Y direction).

[0221] As such two spaces, the second housing section H2 according to this embodiment has a crystal-side housing section H21 and a light source-side housing section H22. Here, since the crystal-side housing section H21 and the light source-side housing section H22 are arranged apart in the Y direction, a space that does not belong to the second housing section H2 is partitioned between the crystal-side housing section H21 and the light source-side housing section H22.

[0222] In this embodiment, the first plate-shaped member 18l and the second plate-shaped member 18r are configured to partition a space that includes the optical path of the laser light connecting the first mirror 51a, which serves as a scanner mirror, and the irradiation area R1, specifically the optical path closer to the irradiation area R1 (the optical path on the +Z side), in addition to the second housing section H2, which serves as a space for housing the members. Hereinafter, this space will be referred to as the "optical path partition section" and will be denoted by the symbol H3. In this embodiment, the optical path partition section H3 is configured as a space enclosed on three sides, the +Y side, the -Y side, and the -Z side, by the first plate-shaped member 18l, the second plate-shaped member 18r, and the cover glass 62.

[0223] In the illustrated example, the optical path section H3 is configured as a space with an open lower end on the +Z side, but the configuration is not limited to this. The +Z side end of the optical path section H3 may be covered with an optical material such as glass. The optical material covering the +Z side end of the optical path section H3 may be provided either interchangeably with the cover glass 62, or in combination with the cover glass 62.

[0224] Furthermore, of the two spaces that constitute the second housing section H2, the crystal-side housing section H21 houses the first heat sink 81 and the first blower fan 83. The first heat sink 81 and the first blower fan 83 are arranged side by side in the X direction.

[0225] Herein, although this will be repeated in the above description, the first heat sink 81 in this embodiment is thermally coupled to at least the optical components that are attached to the first base plate 15, among the optical components that constitute the laser light output unit 4.

[0226] On the other hand, the first blower fan 83 is positioned on the +X side of the first heatsink 81, as shown in Figure 13. The first blower fan 83 is a so-called axial flow fan and generates airflow that passes through the first heatsink 81 according to the control signal received from the marker controller 100. The first blower fan 83 may also be positioned on the -X side of the first heatsink 81. In this embodiment, power and signals for driving the first blower fan are supplied via an electrical cable 200 whose connection portion is covered by a connection cover 14 provided on the +X side. Therefore, if the first blower fan 83 is positioned on the +X side of the first heatsink 81, the space required for wiring is reduced, which is advantageous for miniaturizing the marker head 1.

[0227] As shown by arrow Al1 in Figure 13, the airflow generated by the first blower fan 83 flows into the crystal-side housing H21 through the vent 12 provided on the front surface 10f of the housing 10. The incoming airflow then flows along the X direction from the -X side to the +X side, passing through the first heat sink 81 and the first blower fan 83. As shown by arrow Al2 in Figure 13, the airflow that has passed through the first blower fan 83 flows out through the exhaust port provided on the rear surface 10b of the housing 10.

[0228] Here, a first rectifier plate 85 is attached to the rear surface 10b of the housing 10 to adjust the direction of airflow (see also Figure 6). As shown by arrow Al3 in Figure 13, this first rectifier plate 85 guides the airflow direction of the airflow flowing out from the rear surface 10b to the opposite side (-Z side) from the direction toward the workpiece W from the housing 10. This is advantageous in suppressing collision between the exhaust and the workpiece W, and consequently in stabilizing the posture of the workpiece W.

[0229] The light source side housing H22 houses the second heat sink 82 and the second blower fan 84. The second heat sink 82 and the second blower fan 84 are arranged side by side in the X direction.

[0230] In this embodiment, the second heat sink 82 is thermally coupled to at least the excitation light source 21, which is mounted on the third base plate 17, among the optical components housed in the substrate housing H13.

[0231] On the other hand, the second blower fan 84 is positioned on the +X side of the second heatsink 82, as shown in Figure 12. The second blower fan 84 is an axial fan, similar to the first blower fan 83, and generates airflow that passes through the second heatsink 82 according to the control signal received from the marker controller 100. The second blower fan 84 may also be positioned on the -X side of the second heatsink 82. In this embodiment, power and signals for driving the first blower fan are supplied via an electrical cable 200 whose connection portion is covered by a connection cover 14 provided on the +X side. Therefore, if the first blower fan 83 is positioned on the +X side of the second heatsink 82, the space required for wiring is reduced, which is advantageous for miniaturizing the marker head 1.

[0232] As shown by arrow Ar1 in Figure 12, the airflow generated by the second blower fan 84 flows into the light source side housing H22 through the vent 12 provided on the front surface 10f of the housing 10. The incoming airflow then flows along the X direction from the -X side to the +X side, passing through the second heat sink 82 and the second blower fan 84. As shown by arrow Ar2 in Figure 12, the airflow that has passed through the second blower fan 84 flows out through the exhaust port provided on the rear surface 10b of the housing 10.

[0233] Here, a second rectifier plate 86 is attached to the rear surface 10b of the housing 10 to adjust the direction of airflow (see also Figure 6). As shown by arrow Ar3 in Figure 12, this second rectifier plate 86 changes the direction of airflow flowing out from the rear surface 10b to the opposite side (-Z side) of the direction from the housing 10 toward the workpiece W. This suppresses collision between the exhaust and the workpiece W, and is advantageous in stabilizing the posture of the workpiece W.

[0234] The following will describe in detail the configurations of the excitation light generation unit 2, excitation light guide unit 3, laser light output unit 4, laser light scanning unit 5, etc., which are located within the first housing unit H1, as well as their relative positions within the housing 10.

[0235] (Excitation light generation unit 2) The excitation light generation unit 2 includes an excitation light source 21 that generates laser excitation light (excitation light) based on power (driving current) supplied from the power supply unit 104, a metal plate 22 that supports the excitation light source 21, a temperature control unit 23 that regulates the temperature of the excitation light source 21, and a light source control board 24 that supports the excitation light source 21 based on a control signal input from the marker controller 100.

[0236] The excitation light source 21, metal plate 22, temperature control unit 23, and light source control substrate 24, which constitute the excitation light generation unit 2, are all housed in the substrate housing unit H13. As a result, the excitation light generation unit 2, and especially the excitation light source 21, are positioned on the opposite side of the laser light output unit 4, with the mirror housing unit H11 in between. This allows the excitation light generation unit 2 and the laser light output unit 4 to be separated as much as possible.

[0237] -Metal plate 22- The metal plate 22 is made of metal and is a thin, plate-like component. As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the metal plate 22 is placed on the -X side portion when the third base plate 17 is divided into three parts in the X direction: the +X side portion, the central portion, and the -X side portion. The metal plate 22 is fastened to the upper surface of the third base plate 17 (more specifically, the upper surface of the lateral edge portion 17b of the third base plate 17), and is thermally coupled to the second heat sink 82 via the third base plate 17.

[0238] Furthermore, an excitation light source 21 is placed on the upper surface of the metal plate 22, while a plate-shaped temperature control unit 23 is sandwiched between the lower surface of the metal plate 22 and the third base plate 17.

[0239] -Excitation light source 21- The excitation light source 21 is powered by the power supply unit 104 via the electrical cable 200 and is configured to generate excitation light in proportion to the power supplied. The output of the excitation light generated by the excitation light source 21 increases as the drive current increases.

[0240] The excitation light source 21 according to this embodiment is composed of a laser diode (LD). The laser light emitted from the excitation light source 21 is focused by a focusing lens (not shown) or the like and output as laser excitation light (excitation light). The excitation light source 21 is optically coupled to a fiber cable 31 that constitutes the excitation light guide unit 3. The laser excitation light output from the excitation light source 21 is guided to the excitation light guide unit 3 via the fiber cable 31.

[0241] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 11 and 12, the excitation light source 21 is formed in the shape of a rectangular thin plate and is fixed to the upper surface of the metal plate 22 with its thickness direction aligned with the Z direction. The excitation light source 21, like the metal plate 22, is positioned in the -X side portion when the third base plate 17 is divided into three parts in the X direction. By positioning it in this way, the excitation light source 21 according to this embodiment is positioned at the upstream end of the airflow generated by the second blower fan 84 (the -X side end spaced away from the second blower fan 84) compared to the downstream end of the airflow generated by the second blower fan 84 (the +X side end adjacent to the second blower fan 84).

[0242] Furthermore, one side of the excitation light source 21 is angled toward the +X and +Y sides, and the upstream end of the fiber cable 31 is connected to this angled side.

[0243] -Temperature control section 23- The temperature control unit 23 is configured to adjust the temperature of the excitation light source 21 so that it falls within a predetermined temperature range. Here, the temperature range achieved by the temperature control unit 23 (the predetermined temperature range) is set based on the guaranteed environment of the marker head 1, preferably set to a higher temperature than the guaranteed environment of the marker head 1, and more preferably set to 40°C or higher and 60°C or lower.

[0244] Specifically, the temperature control unit 23 according to this embodiment is composed of a substantially thin plate-shaped Peltier element and is sandwiched between the upper surface of the third base plate 17 (more specifically, the upper surface of the lateral edge portion 17b) and the lower surface of the metal plate 22. The temperature control unit 23 dissipates heat from the metal plate 22. A harness (not shown) for supplying current to the temperature control unit 23 is connected to its side. The temperature control unit 23 absorbs heat on the side facing the metal plate 22 and generates heat on the side facing the third base plate 17 due to the current supplied via the harness.

[0245] -Light source control board 24- The light source control board 24 is electrically connected to the marker controller 100 and controls the power supplied from the power supply unit 104 to the excitation light source 21.

[0246] The light source control board 24 according to this embodiment is composed of a substantially rectangular thin circuit board. The light source control board 24 is positioned with both its front and back surfaces aligned along the ZX direction and is fastened to, for example, the vertical side 17a of the third base plate 17 from the -Y side (the fastening structure is not shown).

[0247] As shown in Figure 12, the light source control board 24 is also positioned on the -Z side of the excitation light source 21 in the Z direction and is electrically connected to the excitation light source 21 by wiring (not shown).

[0248] (Excitation light guide unit 3) The excitation light guide unit 3, which serves as an optical light guide system, includes a fiber cable 31 that optically couples the excitation light source 21 with the solid laser crystal 41 in the laser light output unit 4, and a fiber guide 32 configured to wind the fiber cable 31 with a predetermined bending radius. Both the fiber cable 31 and the fiber guide 32 are housed in the substrate housing unit H13 within the housing 10.

[0249] -Fiber Cable 31- The fiber cable 31 is made of a so-called optical fiber, with one end (the end viewed in the direction of light propagation) connected to the excitation light source 21, and the other end (the end located on the opposite side of the aforementioned end in the direction of light propagation) connected to the first incident window 91.

[0250] The other end of the fiber cable 31 is optically coupled to the solid laser crystal 41 via the first incident window 91 and the first deflection mirror 42, which will be described later. In addition, at least a portion of the intermediate section connecting the one end and the other end of the fiber cable 31 is wound around the fiber guide 32.

[0251] The fiber cable 31 can guide the excitation light generated in the excitation light source 21 and lead it to the solid laser crystal 41.

[0252] -Fiber Guide 32- The fiber guide 32 is configured to wind the fiber cable 31 with a predetermined bending radius. The bending radius of the fiber guide 32 is set to be greater than or equal to the minimum bending radius of the fiber cable 31.

[0253] Specifically, the fiber guide 32 according to this embodiment is formed in the shape of a substantially cylindrical reel around which the fiber cable 31 can be wound multiple times. This fiber guide 32 is positioned with its cylindrical central axis aligned with the Y direction and is attached to the vertical side portion 17a of the third base plate 17 from the -Y side.

[0254] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 12, the fiber guide 32 is positioned in the X direction from the front end of the light source control substrate 24 to the rear end of the second control substrate 54. As shown in Figure 11, the fiber guide 32 is positioned in the Y direction to the +Y side of the light source control substrate 24 and the second control substrate 54, and to the -Y side of the right side wall of the first casing 50.

[0255] (Laser light output unit 4) The laser light output unit 4 includes a first deflection mirror 42 that bends the optical path of the excitation light, a solid laser crystal 41 that generates a fundamental wave based on the excitation light, a Q switch 43 that pulses the fundamental wave based on a control signal input from the marker controller 100, and a first reflection mirror 44 for reflecting the fundamental wave. These optical components are hermetically housed in the Q switch housing unit H121, which is formed by dividing the crystal housing unit H12 into two. At least the solid laser crystal 41 of these optical components can also be housed in the wavelength conversion unit H122.

[0256] The laser light output unit 4 also includes a nonlinear optical crystal 45 that receives the laser light (fundamental wave) generated by the solid laser crystal 41 and converts the laser light to a shorter wavelength, a second reflective mirror 46 that forms a resonant optical path together with the first reflective mirror 44, a laser light separation unit 47 for separating the laser light converted to a shorter wavelength from the resonant optical path, and a second deflection mirror 48 that bends the optical path of the laser light separated by the laser light separation unit 47. These optical components are hermetically housed in the wavelength conversion unit H122, which is formed when the crystal housing unit H12 is divided into two.

[0257] In particular, the laser light output unit 4 according to this embodiment is configured as a so-called intracavity type laser oscillator. That is, between the first reflective mirror 44 and the second reflective mirror 46, a Q switch 43, a first deflection mirror 42, a solid laser crystal 41, a first separator 47a constituting the laser light separation unit 47, a second wavelength conversion element 45b as a nonlinear optical crystal 45, and a first wavelength conversion element 45a, also as a nonlinear optical crystal 45, are arranged in this order. In other words, the first reflective mirror 44, the second reflective mirror 46, and the members between the first reflective mirror 44 and the second reflective mirror 46 constitute a resonant unit, and the first wavelength conversion element 45a and the second wavelength conversion element 45b are arranged inside the resonant unit. In this embodiment, the laser light output unit 4 is configured as an intracavity type laser oscillator, but it may also be an extracavity type laser oscillator in which the nonlinear optical crystal 45 is not located between the first reflection mirror 44 and the second reflection mirror 46.

[0258] Here, the first deflection mirror 42 is positioned to merge the optical axis of the excitation light (an optical axis extending along the Y direction, as indicated by the symbol A1 in Figure 11) that is guided by the excitation light guide unit 3 and passes through the first incident window 91, with the optical axis of the resonant optical path (an optical axis extending along the X direction, as indicated by the symbol A2 in Figures 11 and 12).

[0259] Furthermore, the first separator 47a is positioned to separate, for example, laser light containing the third harmonic from the resonant optical path connecting the first reflecting mirror 44 and the second reflecting mirror 46. That is, the laser light output unit 4 amplifies the laser light, which consists of photons stimulated from the solid laser crystal 41, by multiple reflections between the first reflecting mirror 44 and the second reflecting mirror 46, and converts its wavelength to the shorter wavelength side. The amplified laser light is then separated by the laser light separation unit 47 and output from the laser light output unit 4.

[0260] Furthermore, the laser light output unit 4 has a Q-switch driver 49 that drives the Q-switch 43, as a component located outside the crystal housing unit H12. As shown in Figure 13, the Q-switch driver 49 is mounted on the +X side portion when the top surface 10u is divided in the X direction. The Q-switch driver 49 is also located on the +Y side of the vertical edge portion 15a of the first base plate 15.

[0261] The Q-switch driver 49 may also be mounted on the left side 10l, the rear 10b, or the like of the housing 10. The Q-switch driver 49 can be mounted on a plate-shaped member that makes up the outer surface of the housing 10.

[0262] -First Reflecting Mirror 44- The first reflective mirror 44 is housed in the Q-switch housing H121 and is configured to reflect at least the fundamental wave. This first reflective mirror 44, together with the second reflective mirror 46, constitutes a resonator. In this embodiment, the first reflective mirror 44 is configured as a total reflection mirror that reflects the fundamental wave.

[0263] Further, the first reflection mirror 44 according to the present embodiment is attached to the section plane 15g that partitions the crystal accommodation portion H12, and is thermally coupled to the first heat sink 81 via the first base plate 15.

[0264] -Second reflection mirror 46- The second reflection mirror 46 is housed in the wavelength conversion unit H122 and is configured to reflect at least the fundamental wave. The second reflection mirror 46 and the first reflection mirror 44 together form a resonator. Note that the second reflection mirror 46 according to the present embodiment is configured as a total reflection mirror that reflects, in addition to the fundamental wave, a second harmonic wave having a wavelength higher than the fundamental wave and a third harmonic wave having a wavelength even higher than the second harmonic wave.

[0265] Further, the second reflection mirror 46 according to the present embodiment is attached to the section plane 15g in the same manner as the first reflection mirror 44, and is thermally coupled to the first heat sink 81 via the first base plate 15. In this way, in order to form a highly accurate resonance optical path, it is preferable that the first reflection mirror 44 and the second reflection mirror 46, which are both ends of the resonance optical path, are positioned by the same first base plate 15.

[0266] -Q-switch 43- The Q-switch 43 is housed in the Q-switch accommodation portion H121 and is configured to pulse-oscillate the fundamental wave generated by the solid laser crystal 41. Specifically, the Q-switch 43 is arranged so as to be located on the optical axis of the resonance optical path (the optical path of the resonator), and is interposed between the solid laser crystal 41 and the first reflection mirror 44.

[0267] The Q-switch 43 according to the present embodiment is a so-called active Q-switch that operates based on an RF signal applied from the Q-switch driver 49. That is, if the Q-switch 43 is temporarily turned on, the laser light incident on the Q-switch 43 is deflected and separated from the resonance optical path. In this case, as a result of restricting the multiple reflection of the laser light, the generation of the inversion distribution in the solid laser crystal 41 is promoted.

[0268] Then, when the Q-switch 43 is turned on for a predetermined period of time and then switched off, the laser light undergoes multiple reflections without being separated by the Q-switch 43, and is amplified by these multiple reflections. In this case, a high-power laser beam is generated as a pulse.

[0269] Furthermore, the Q switch 43 according to this embodiment is attached to the partition surface 15g, similar to the first reflective mirror 44, and is thermally coupled to the first heat sink 81 via the first base plate 15.

[0270] -Q Switch Driver 49- The Q-switch driver 49 is housed inside the housing 10 and outside the crystal housing H12, and generates an RF signal to be applied to the Q-switch 43 based on a control signal input from the marker controller 100.

[0271] The Q-switch driver 49 is mounted on the top surface 10u via a metal support plate and is thermally coupled to the housing 10 via the support plate and the top surface 10u.

[0272] -First deflection mirror 42- The first deflection mirror 42 is housed in the Q-switch housing H121 and is positioned between the Q-switch 43 and the solid laser crystal 41 in the X direction. In this embodiment, the first deflection mirror 42 is configured as a so-called beam splitter. The first deflection mirror 42 totally reflects excitation light incident from the first incident window 91 toward the +Y side so that it propagates along the X direction. On the other hand, the first deflection mirror 42 transmits without reflecting the fundamental wave propagating along the X direction. The fundamental wave transmitted through the first deflection mirror 42 reaches the first reflection mirror 44 via the Q-switch 43.

[0273] Furthermore, the first deflection mirror 42 in this embodiment is attached to the partition surface 15g, similar to the first reflection mirror 44, and is thermally coupled to the first heat sink 81 via the first base plate 15.

[0274] -Solid-state laser crystal 41- The solid laser crystal 41 is housed in the Q-switch housing H121 and is composed of a laser medium capable of forming population inversion. The solid laser crystal 41 is configured to perform stimulated emission corresponding to the incident laser excitation light when laser excitation light is incident on its end face. The wavelength of the photons emitted by stimulated emission (the so-called fundamental wavelength) increases or decreases depending on the specific configuration of the solid laser crystal 41, but in this embodiment it is in the infrared region of around 1 μm.

[0275] In this embodiment, a rod-shaped Nd:YVO4 (yttrium vanadite) is used as the laser medium constituting the solid laser crystal 41. Laser excitation light is incident from one end face of the rod-shaped solid laser crystal 41, and laser light with a fundamental wavelength (so-called fundamental wave) is emitted from the other end face (a so-called unidirectional excitation method by end pumping). In this example, the fundamental wavelength is set to 1064 nm. On the other hand, the wavelength of the laser excitation light is set near the center wavelength of the absorption spectrum of Nd:YVO4 in order to promote stimulated emission. However, this is not limited to this example, and other laser media such as rare earth-doped YAG, YLF, GdVO4, etc. can also be used. Various solid laser media can be used depending on the application of the laser processing apparatus L.

[0276] Furthermore, the solid laser crystal 41 according to this embodiment is attached to the partition surface 15g, similar to the first reflection mirror 44, and is thermally coupled to the first heat sink 81 via the first base plate 15.

[0277] -Nonlinear Optical Crystal 45- The nonlinear optical crystal 45 is composed of a first wavelength conversion element 45a that receives a fundamental wave generated by the solid laser crystal 41 and generates a second harmonic having a higher wavelength than the fundamental wave, and a second wavelength conversion element 45b that generates a third harmonic having a higher wavelength than the second harmonic. Both the first wavelength conversion element 45a and the second wavelength conversion element 45b are housed in the wavelength conversion section H122.

[0278] The first wavelength conversion element 45a is a nonlinear optical crystal capable of generating a second harmonic, and is configured to emit a second harmonic (Second Harmonic Generation: SHG) when a fundamental wave is incident on it, with the frequency of the fundamental wave doubled. That is, the wavelength of the laser light generated when a fundamental wave is incident on the first wavelength conversion element 45a is in the visible light range of around 500 nm. In particular, in this embodiment, the wavelength of the second harmonic is set to 532 nm.

[0279] Furthermore, the conversion efficiency of the first wavelength conversion element 45a is generally less than 100%. Therefore, when a fundamental wave is incident on the first wavelength conversion element 45a, a laser beam containing a mixture of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic is emitted.

[0280] In this embodiment, LBO (LiB3O3) was used as the first wavelength conversion element 45a. However, this is not the only example; various organic nonlinear optical materials, inorganic nonlinear optical materials, etc., can be used as the first wavelength conversion element 45a.

[0281] The second wavelength conversion element 45b is a nonlinear optical crystal capable of generating the third harmonic. When the fundamental wave and the second harmonic are incident (particularly when the propagation directions of the fundamental wave and the second harmonic are the same), it is configured to convert them into a third harmonic having a frequency three times that of the fundamental wave and emit it (Third Harmonic Generation: THG). That is, when the fundamental wave and the second harmonic are incident on the second wavelength conversion element 45b, the wavelength of the laser light generated is in the ultraviolet region around 350 nm (specifically, near the boundary between the visible light region and the ultraviolet region). Particularly in this embodiment, the wavelength of the third harmonic is set to 355 nm.

[0282] Also generally, the conversion efficiency by the second wavelength conversion element 45b is less than 100%. Therefore, when the fundamental wave and the second harmonic are incident on the first wavelength conversion element 45a, laser light in which the fundamental wave, the second harmonic, and the third harmonic are mixed is emitted.

[0283] In this embodiment, LBO (LiB3O3) is used as the second wavelength conversion element 45b. However, it is not limited to this example, and various organic nonlinear optical materials, inorganic nonlinear optical materials, etc. can be used as the second wavelength conversion element 45b.

[0284] Also, the nonlinear optical crystal 45 according to this embodiment is attached to the working surface 15g in the same manner as the first reflection mirror 44 and is thermally coupled to the first heat sink 81 via the first base plate 15.

[0285] -Laser light separation unit 47- The laser light separation unit 47 is housed in the wavelength conversion unit H122 and is configured to separate the third harmonic from the resonant optical path of the laser light and generate UV laser light for laser processing.

[0286] The laser beam separation unit 47 is composed of multiple optical components. Specifically, the laser beam separation unit 47 according to this embodiment includes a first separator 47a for extracting the second and third harmonics from the laser beam, a concave lens 47b for adjusting the beam diameter of the laser beam consisting of the second and third harmonics, and a second separator 47c for extracting the third harmonic from the laser beam.

[0287] The first separator 47a is a so-called beam splitter, configured to transmit the fundamental wave while reflecting the second and third harmonics. This first separator 47a is positioned so as to intersect with the optical axis of the resonant optical path connecting the first reflective mirror 44 and the second reflective mirror 46, and is tilted at approximately 45 degrees with respect to that optical axis. The laser light reflected by the first separator 47a propagates toward the -Z side.

[0288] The concave lens 47b is configured to transmit the laser light reflected by the first separator 47a, that is, the laser light separated from the resonant optical path, thereby expanding the beam diameter of the transmitted laser light. In this embodiment, the concave lens 47b is interposed between the first separator 47a and the second separator 47c, but the configuration is not limited to this.

[0289] The second separator 47c is a beam splitter similar to the first separator 47a, configured to transmit the second harmonic while reflecting the third harmonic. This second separator 47c is positioned so as to intersect with the optical axis of the laser beam that has passed through the concave lens 47b, and is tilted at approximately 45 degrees with respect to that optical axis. The laser beam reflected by the second separator 47c propagates toward the -X side.

[0290] Furthermore, each optical component constituting the laser beam separation unit 47 is mounted on the partition surface 15g, similar to the first reflective mirror 44, and is thermally coupled to the first heat sink 81 via the first base plate 15 (see also Figure 10).

[0291] Thus, in order to generate laser light with a highly accurate optical path, it is preferable that the first reflective mirror 44, the second reflective mirror 46, the Q switch 43, the first deflection mirror 42, the solid laser crystal 41, the nonlinear optical crystal 45, and the laser light separation unit 47 are all positioned by the same first base plate 15.

[0292] -2nd Deflection Mirror 48- The second deflection mirror 48 is housed in the wavelength conversion section H122 and is positioned on the -X side more than the other optical members housed in the crystal housing section H12. In this embodiment, the second deflection mirror 48 is configured as a so-called beam splitter. The second deflection mirror 48 reflects the laser light that passes through the second separator 47c and propagates toward the -X side. The laser light reflected by the second deflection mirror 48 is deflected to propagate toward the -Y side.

[0293] Furthermore, the second deflection mirror 48 in this embodiment is attached to the partition surface 15g, similar to the first reflection mirror 44, and is thermally coupled to the first heat sink 81 via the first base plate 15. In this way, in order to improve the accuracy of the position where the generated laser light is output, it is preferable that the second deflection mirror 48, which emits laser light to the outside from the laser light output unit 4, is positioned by the first base plate 15, similar to the first reflection mirror 44, etc.

[0294] Ultimately, the laser light deflected by the second deflection mirror 48 passes through the second incident window 92 and enters the first casing 50 from the laser light output unit 4. As shown in Figure 11, the laser light that enters the first casing 50 propagates toward the -Y side and reaches the third deflection mirror 56 of the laser light scanning unit 5.

[0295] (Laser beam scanning unit 5) The laser beam scanning unit 5 includes the aforementioned first scanner 51, second scanner 52, first control board 53, and second control board 54, as well as an intermediate deflection unit 55, a third deflection mirror 56, a defocus lens 57 as an optical element, and a first casing 50 that houses at least the first mirror 51a of the first scanner 51 and the second mirror 52a of the second scanner 52.

[0296] The following describes these components in the order in which the laser light reaches them during laser oscillation.

[0297] -Third Deflection Mirror 56- As shown in Figure 11, the third deflection mirror 56 is housed within the first casing 50 and is positioned alongside the second deflection mirror 48 and the second incident window 92 along the Y direction, and is located on the -Y side of these components. The third deflection mirror 56 is positioned between the second incident window 92 and the light source control substrate 24 in the Y direction (in other words, on the -Y side of the second incident window 92 and on the +Y side of the light source control substrate 24).

[0298] The third deflection mirror 56 is, for example, a total reflection mirror, and receives the laser light incident into the first casing 50 and propagating toward the -Y side, and reflects it toward the +X side. The laser light reflected by the third deflection mirror 56 reaches the second mirror 52a of the second scanner 52. The third deflection mirror 56 may be composed of a mirror that partially transmits the laser light instead of a total reflection mirror. In that case, the output of the laser light incident from the laser light output unit 4 into the first casing 50 may be detected using the partially transmitted laser light.

[0299] -Second Scanner 52- As shown in Figures 14, 15, and 16, the second scanner 52 includes a second mirror 52a for scanning laser light in a predetermined second direction, and a second motor 52b that rotatably supports the second mirror 52a. The second mirror 52a is housed in a mirror housing H11, and most of the second motor 52b is housed in a substrate housing H13.

[0300] The second mirror 52a is configured as a so-called galvanometer mirror. The second mirror 52a receives the laser light generated by the solid laser crystal 41 via the third deflection mirror 56 shown in Figure 11. The second mirror 52a deflects the received laser light by reflecting it to the +Z side. As the second mirror 52a rotates, the irradiation position of the laser light in the irradiation area R1 is scanned in the second direction.

[0301] Here, the second direction, which is the deflection direction by the second mirror 52a, is a direction orthogonal to both the first direction, which is the deflection direction by the first mirror 51a of the first scanner 51, and the -Z direction as the irradiation direction, and in this embodiment it is set to coincide with the X direction.

[0302] Specifically, the second mirror 52a is a roughly rectangular plate-shaped total reflection mirror, supported at the tip of the rotation axis of the second motor 52b, and housed in the chamber of the mirror housing H11. The second mirror 52a rotates integrally with the shaft of the second motor 52b, and is configured to rotate around a predetermined second rotation axis Ac2 by the second motor 52b. The amount of deflection by the second mirror 52a, and consequently the irradiation position of the laser beam in the second direction, is determined based on the rotation angle of the second mirror 52a around the second rotation axis Ac2.

[0303] Here, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, the second rotation axis Ac2, which is the rotation center of the second mirror 52a, extends perpendicular to both the first rotation axis Ac1, which is the rotation center of the first mirror 51a, and the Z direction as the irradiation direction, and in this embodiment it is set to extend along the Y direction.

[0304] The second mirror 52a is also positioned along the X direction, aligned with the third deflection mirror 56, and located on the +X side of the third deflection mirror 56. The second mirror 52a is further located on the -Y side of the first mirror 51a and the defocus lens 57 in the Y direction, and on the -Z side of the first mirror 51a and the defocus lens 57 in the Z direction.

[0305] The second motor 52b is a galvanometer motor composed of a DC motor or the like, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with the second rotation axis Ac2 as its central axis. The tip (+Y side end) of the second motor 52b in the direction of the second rotation axis Ac2 (Y direction) is inserted into the sixth through hole 50c of the first casing 50. On the other hand, the other end (-Y side end of the second motor 52b) located on the opposite side of the tip in the direction of the second rotation axis Ac2 protrudes from the sixth through hole 50c and is exposed inside the substrate housing H13.

[0306] The second scanner 52 reflects the laser light via the second mirror 52a. The laser light reflected by the second mirror 52a is emitted from the emission window 6 via the intermediate deflection unit 55, the first mirror 51a, and the defocus lens 57. At this time, the second scanner 52 can scan the laser light in a second direction (X direction) within the irradiation area R1 by adjusting the reflection angle of the laser light with the second motor 52b.

[0307] -Intermediate deflection section 55- As shown in Figures 14, 15, and 16, the intermediate deflection unit 55 includes an intermediate mirror 55a that relays laser light between the second mirror 52a and the first mirror 51a, and a base unit 55b that supports the intermediate mirror 55a. Both the intermediate mirror 55a and the base unit 55b are housed in the mirror housing unit H11.

[0308] The intermediate mirror 55a is made of, for example, a total reflection mirror. The intermediate mirror 55a receives the laser light reflected by the second mirror 52a and reflects the laser light toward the first mirror 51a.

[0309] The intermediate mirror 55a is also positioned to align with the second mirror 52a along the Z direction, and is located on the +Z side of the second mirror 52a. The intermediate mirror 55a is further positioned to align with the first mirror 51a along the Y direction, and is located on the -Y side of the first mirror 51a.

[0310] The intermediate mirror 55a receives the laser light that has been reflected by the second mirror 52a and propagated toward the +Z side, and reflects it toward the +Y side. The laser light reflected by the intermediate mirror 55a reaches the first mirror 51a of the first scanner 51.

[0311] The base portion 55b is positioned at the bottom of the first casing 50 and supports the intermediate mirror 55a from the +Z side. In this embodiment, the base portion 55b supports the intermediate mirror 55a so that its mirror surface faces both the +Y and -Z sides.

[0312] -Scanner 1, No. 51- As shown in Figures 14, 15, and 16, the first scanner 51 includes a first mirror 51a for scanning laser light in a predetermined first direction, and a first motor 51b that rotatably supports the first mirror 51a. The first mirror 51a is housed in a mirror housing H11, and most of the first motor 51b is housed in a substrate housing H13.

[0313] The first mirror 51a is configured as a so-called galvanometer mirror. The first mirror 51a receives the laser light reflected by the intermediate mirror 55a. The first mirror 51a deflects the received laser light by reflecting it to the +Z side. As the first mirror 51a rotates, the irradiation position of the laser light in the irradiation area R1 is scanned in a first direction.

[0314] Here, as shown in Figures 14 and 15, the first direction, which is the deflection direction by the first mirror 51a, is a direction orthogonal to both the second direction mentioned above and the Z direction as the irradiation direction, and in this embodiment it is set to coincide with the Y direction.

[0315] Note that the first and second directions are not limited to the settings of this embodiment. The first direction may coincide with the X direction and the second direction may coincide with the Y direction, or the first and second directions may be inclined with respect to the X and Y directions, respectively.

[0316] Specifically, the first mirror 51a is a roughly rectangular plate-shaped total reflection mirror, supported at the tip of the rotation axis of the first motor 51b, and housed in the chamber of the mirror housing H11. The first mirror 51a rotates integrally with the shaft of the first motor 51b, and is configured to rotate around a predetermined first rotation axis Ac1 by the first motor 51b. The amount of deflection by the first mirror 51a, and consequently the irradiation position of the laser beam in the first direction, is determined based on the rotation angle of the first mirror 51a around the second rotation axis Ac2.

[0317] Here, the first rotation axis Ac1, which is the rotation center of the first mirror 51a, extends perpendicular to both the second rotation axis Ac2, which is the rotation center of the second mirror 52a, and the -Z direction as the irradiation direction, and in this embodiment it is set to extend along the X direction.

[0318] With this configuration, both the first rotation axis Ac1 and the second rotation axis Ac2 will extend in a direction different from the irradiation direction, for example, in a direction perpendicular to the irradiation direction (XY direction). Note that it is not mandatory to orient the first rotation axis Ac1 and the second rotation axis Ac2 perpendicular to the irradiation direction; they may also be given an inclination angle of, for example, 20 degrees or less with respect to the XY direction.

[0319] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the first rotation axis Ac1 is offset to the +Z side relative to the second rotation axis Ac2, but depending on the configuration of the intermediate mirror 55a, the first rotation axis Ac1 and the second rotation axis Ac2 can also be arranged on the same plane.

[0320] The first mirror 51a is also positioned along the Y direction, aligned with the intermediate mirror 55a, and located on the +Y side of the intermediate mirror 55a. The first mirror 51a is further positioned along the Z direction, aligned with the cover glass 62 and the defocus lens 57, and located on the -Z side of the defocus lens 57. As a result of this configuration, the first mirror 51a in this embodiment is positioned to face the workpiece W, and consequently the irradiation area R1, across the exit window 6. The first mirror 51a is located directly above the exit window 6, and there are no other reflective mirrors between the first mirror 51a and the exit window 6. In this embodiment, for the sake of explanation, the first mirror 51a is defined as having no reflective mirrors between it and the exit window 6, but this does not exclude the possibility of some kind of reflective mirror being interposed between them. When a reflective mirror is interposed between the first mirror 51a and the output window 6, the mirror that scans the irradiation position in the irradiation area R1 just before reaching the irradiation area R1 is considered to be the first mirror 51a. Note that between the first mirror 51a and the output window 6, the area through which the laser light passes expands due to the rotation of the second mirror 52a and the rotation of the first mirror 51a, so the interposed reflective mirror must be large enough to cover the area through which the laser light passes. Therefore, in order to miniaturize the marker head 1, it is preferable that no reflective mirror is interposed between the first mirror 51a and the output window 6.

[0321] The first motor 51b is a galvanometer motor composed of a DC motor or the like, and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with the first rotation axis Ac1 as its central axis. The tip (-X side end) of the first motor 51b in the direction of the first rotation axis Ac1 (X direction) is inserted into the seventh through hole 50d of the first casing 50. On the other hand, the other end (+Y side end of the first motor 51b) located on the opposite side of the tip in the direction of the first rotation axis Ac1 protrudes from the seventh through hole 50d and is exposed inside the substrate housing H13.

[0322] The first scanner 51 reflects the laser light via the first mirror 51a. The laser light reflected by the first mirror 51a passes through the defocus lens 57 and is emitted from the emission window 6. At this time, the first scanner 51 can scan the laser light in a first direction (Y direction) within the irradiation area R1 by adjusting the reflection angle of the laser light with the first motor 51b.

[0323] -Defocus Lens 57- The defocus lens 57 is configured to transmit the laser light deflected by the first mirror 51a and diffuse the laser light outward in a direction perpendicular to the irradiation direction. In this embodiment, when the Z direction is the irradiation direction, the outward direction as the diffusion direction is along the XY plane.

[0324] Specifically, the defocus lens 57 can be made up of, for example, a single biconcave lens. In this case, the defocus lens 57 is fitted into the fifth through-hole 50b with its central axis aligned along the Z direction.

[0325] The defocus lens 57 is also positioned in a straight line connecting the first mirror 51a and the central part of the cover glass 62 in the exit window 6. In the Z direction, the defocus lens 57 is positioned between the first mirror 51a and the cover glass 62 (in other words, +Z side of the first mirror 51a and -Z side of the cover glass 62).

[0326] The defocus lens 57 is further positioned so that its optical axis is coaxial with the optical axis of the cover glass 62. Hereinafter, the optical axes of the defocus lens 57 and the cover glass 62 will be collectively referred to as the "laser emission axis" and denoted by the symbol Al (see also Figure 4). This laser emission axis Al extends along the Z direction and is offset to the +Y side with respect to the second mirror 52a and the intermediate mirror 55a, while intersecting the mirror surface of the first mirror 51a.

[0327] Furthermore, the configuration of the defocus lens 57 as an optical element is not limited to using a single biconcave lens. Multiple lenses may be used to form the optical element, or lenses other than biconcave lenses may be used. Moreover, the laser beam scanning unit 5 may be constructed without using a defocus lens 57 at all.

[0328] -Second control board 54- The second control board 54 is electrically connected to the marker controller 100 and the second scanner 52, and is configured to control the second scanner 52. More specifically, the second control board 54 can control the rotation angle of the second mirror 52a by driving the second motor 52b according to the control signal input from the marker controller 100.

[0329] The second control board 54 in this embodiment is composed of a substantially rectangular thin circuit board. The second control board 54 is housed in the board housing H13 with both its front and back surfaces aligned along the Z and X directions, and is fastened to, for example, the vertical side 17a of the third base plate 17 from the -Y side.

[0330] As shown in Figure 12, the second control board 54 is positioned on the +X side of the light source control board 24 in the X direction, and on the -Y side of the first casing 50 and light source control board 24 in the Y direction. The second control board 54 is also electrically connected to the second motor 52b by wiring (not shown).

[0331] -First control board 53- The first control board 53 is electrically connected to the marker controller 100 and the first scanner 51, and is configured to control the first scanner 51. More specifically, the first control board 53 can control the rotation angle of the first mirror 51a by driving the first motor 51b according to the control signal input from the marker controller 100.

[0332] The first control board 53 in this embodiment is composed of a substantially rectangular thin circuit board. The first control board 53 is housed in the board housing H13 with both its front and back surfaces aligned along the Z and X directions, and is fastened to, for example, the vertical side 17a of the third base plate 17 from the -Y side.

[0333] The first control board 53 is also positioned alongside the second control board 54 along the X direction, as shown in Figure 12, and is located on the +X side of the light source control board 24 and the second control board 54. The first control board 53 is also electrically connected to the first motor 51b by wiring (not shown).

[0334] <About the main operations and processes of the laser processing machine S> Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating the basic control process of the laser processing device L. The main operations and processes of the laser processing device L will be explained below with reference to Figure 19.

[0335] First, in step S1 of Figure 19, the processing pattern Pp to be printed is input on the setting plane R2 displayed on the display unit 303. This input is received by the reception unit 103 and read by the control unit 103. The control unit 103 generates print data based on the input processing pattern Pp. This print data consists of the trajectory of the laser beam on the workpiece W (so-called scan lines), etc., which is set in accordance with the processing pattern Pp.

[0336] In the following step S2, the control unit 103 sets the voltage to be supplied to the excitation light source 21 (supply voltage). Details of this setting will be described later with reference to Figures 20 and 21.

[0337] In the subsequent step S3, the control unit 103 inputs a control signal to the light source control board 24, etc., thereby supplying power to the excitation light source 21. As a result, excitation light is generated in the excitation light generation unit 2, and this excitation light is input to the laser light output unit 4.

[0338] In the following step S4, the control unit 103 inputs a control signal to the Q switch driver 49, etc., which controls the Q switch 43 to turn on and off, causing the UV laser light to pulse. This laser light is output from the laser light output unit 4 and input to the laser light scanning unit 5.

[0339] In the subsequent step S5, the control unit 103 inputs control signals to the first control board 53 and the second control board 54, etc., causing the UV laser beam to be scanned in two dimensions. Two-dimensional scanning here means moving the irradiation position of the laser beam in a two-dimensional direction, that is, in this embodiment, in a direction along the XY plane. Note that the shape of the workpiece W irradiated with the laser beam is not limited to a two-dimensional shape along the XY plane, but may be a three-dimensional shape having different positions in the Z direction (a shape in which the height in the Z direction changes).

[0340] In this process, in the laser beam scanning unit 5, the UV laser beam deflected by the second mirror 52a is reflected by the intermediate mirror 55a and then deflected again by the first mirror 51a. As shown in Figures 10 and 18, the UV laser beam deflected by the first mirror 51a passes sequentially through the defocus lens 57 and the cover glass 62, and then passes through the aforementioned optical path section H3 before being emitted outside the housing 10. The UV laser beam emitted outside the housing 10 is then irradiated onto the irradiation area R1 set on the workpiece W. The UV laser beam irradiated onto the workpiece W is scanned two-dimensionally within the irradiation area R1, following the scan lines according to the printing data.

[0341] <Heat generation countermeasures in the excitation light source 21> Figure 20 is a block diagram illustrating the circuit structure related to the power supply unit 104, and Figure 21 is a flowchart illustrating the control process related to the power supply unit 104. As explained above, the excitation light source 21 is configured to receive power from the power supply unit 104, which acts as a power source.

[0342] More specifically, as shown in Figure 20, the power supply unit 104 according to this embodiment includes a DC power supply 104a that converts AC power supplied from an external source into DC power and outputs it, and a DC / DC converter 104b that performs DC / DC conversion on the power output from the DC power supply 104a. The power (particularly DC power) converted by the DC / DC converter 104b is input to the excitation light source 21, which is composed of an LD.

[0343] Here, a relay 25 is interposed between the DC / DC converter 104b and the excitation light source 21. This relay 25 opens and closes the electrical contacts between the DC / DC converter 104b and the excitation light source 21.

[0344] The relay 25 can be configured, for example, by a field-effect transistor (FET). The relay 25 according to this embodiment is configured by such an FET and opens and closes the electrical contacts based on control signals input from the PLC 902, control unit 103, etc., via the light source control board 24.

[0345] Conventionally, the output voltage input from the DC / DC converter 104b to the excitation light source 21 via a relay was a fixed value. Variations in the forward voltage (so-called Vf) of the excitation light source 21 were compensated for by the heat generated by the relay 25. The cause of Vf variation is, for example, variations in the quality of the excitation light source 21 itself, resulting in different Vf requirements for different laser beam outputs. Therefore, to ensure a minimum laser beam output even in the worst-case scenario, it is necessary to provide a margin in the output of the DC / DC converter 104b (in other words, to set the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 104b higher).

[0346] However, using such a conventional configuration tends to result in a large amount of heat being generated in the relay 25. This leads to the need for larger heat-generating structures such as heat sinks, which could cause problems when attempting to integrate the excitation light source 21 into the marker head 1.

[0347] Therefore, the control unit 103 in this embodiment controls the output voltage that is output from the power supply unit 104, which acts as a power supply unit, and input to the excitation light source 21. To this end, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 20, the control unit 103 and the DC / DC converter 104b are electrically connected, and the output from the DC / DC converter 104b (the output voltage) is adjusted based on the control signal output from the control unit 103.

[0348] Furthermore, the control unit 103 according to this embodiment detects the voltage drop occurring in the relay 25 and controls the output voltage based on the detected voltage drop. Specifically, the control unit 103 controls the output voltage so that the detected voltage drop reaches a predetermined value. To this end, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 20, a first monitor circuit 26 that monitors the voltage upstream of the relay 25 and a second monitor circuit 27 that monitors the voltage downstream of the relay 25 are provided. The control unit 103 can estimate the voltage drop occurring in the relay 25 by calculating the difference between the voltage monitored by the first monitor circuit 26 and the voltage monitored by the second monitor circuit 27.

[0349] Furthermore, the "predetermined value" that serves as the criterion for determining the voltage drop can be set, for example, to 2.5V when 1 ampere is flowing through the excitation light source 21. The predetermined value is pre-stored in the memory unit 102 and is configured to be read by the control unit 103 as needed.

[0350] As mentioned above, when the predetermined value is set to 2.5V, the control unit 103 adjusts the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 104b so that the voltage drop at the relay 25 becomes 2.5V. With this configuration, it becomes unnecessary to provide a margin in the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 104b, thereby suppressing the output voltage and reducing the heat generated at the relay 25.

[0351] Figure 21 is a flowchart illustrating the control process related to the power supply unit 104. This control process can be executed, for example, in step S2 of the control process shown in Figure 19.

[0352] First, in step S101 of Figure 21, the control unit 103 inputs a control signal to the relay 25 via the light source control board 24, electrically connecting the DC / DC converter 104b and the excitation light source 21. Then, the control unit 103 inputs a control signal to the power supply unit 104, supplying the output voltage of the DC / DC converter 104b to the excitation light source 21 via the relay 25.

[0353] In the following step S102, the control unit 103 detects the voltage drop that occurred in the relay 25 based on the detection signals from the first monitor circuit 26 and the second monitor circuit 27.

[0354] In the subsequent step S103, the control unit 103 determines whether the voltage drop detected in step S102 matches the predetermined value set as described above. If this determination is NO, the control unit 103 proceeds to step S105, adjusts the output voltage from the DC / DC converter 104, and returns to step S101. In other words, the control unit 103 is configured to repeat the processes related to steps S101 to S103 and step S105 until the voltage drop matches the predetermined value. In this embodiment, the control unit 103 determines whether the voltage drop generated at the relay 25 matches the predetermined value (step S103 in Figure 21), but the disclosure is not limited to this. For example, it may determine whether the voltage drop falls within a constant range above or below the predetermined value. In short, the control unit 103 may control the output voltage based on the detected voltage drop.

[0355] On the other hand, if the determination in step S103 is YES, the control unit 103 proceeds to step S104 of the control process and finishes adjusting the output of the DC / DC converter 104 (output determination). In this case, the control unit 103 finishes the process shown in Figure 21 and proceeds to step S2 to step S3 of Figure 19 of the control process. The subsequent processing is as described above.

[0356] <Control of indicator light illumination for indicator 11> As described above, the first lamp 11a, the second lamp 11b, and the third lamp 11c, which constitute the indicator 11, light up in accordance with control signals input from the marker controller 100. For example, the first lamp 11a lights up when power is supplied to the marker head 1. On the other hand, the second lamp 11b lights up in accordance with the UV laser light standard requirements, and the third lamp 11c lights up in accordance with the status of the laser processing device L, such as the UV laser light irradiation state and whether or not an error has occurred in the marker head 1. Details of the lighting states are shown in Table 1.

[0357] Specifically, when the key switch is in the "OFF" state (KSW:OFF), the marker controller 100 turns off all three lamps: the first lamp 11a, the second lamp 11b, and the third lamp 11c.

[0358] When the key switch is in the "POWER ON" state (KSW:POWER ON), the marker controller 100 illuminates only the first lamp 11a in blue, and turns off both the second lamp 11b and the third lamp 11c.

[0359] When the key switch is in the "LASER ON" state (KSW:LASER ON), the marker controller 100 illuminates the first lamp 11a in blue and the second lamp 11b in green, while keeping the third lamp 11c off.

[0360] When the marker head 1 is ready to emit UV laser light (ready state), the marker controller 100 illuminates the first lamp 11a in blue light, and both the second lamp 11b and the third lamp 11c in green light.

[0361] While the marker head 1 is emitting UV laser light (during laser irradiation), the marker controller 100 causes the first lamp 11a to emit blue light, the second lamp 11b to emit yellow light, and the third lamp 11c to emit green light.

[0362] When a warning that should be notified to the user occurs in the laser processing device L (warning error occurs), the marker controller 100 illuminates the first lamp 11a in blue, the second lamp 11b in green, and the third lamp 11c in orange.

[0363] If any abnormality occurs in the laser processing device L (an abnormality error occurs), the marker controller 100 will cause the first lamp 11a to emit blue light, the second lamp 11b to emit green light, and the third lamp 11c to emit red light.

[0364] When the laser processing device L is in an interlock state (for example, when the safety terminal block is in the off state), the marker controller 100 illuminates the first lamp 11a in blue, turns off the second lamp 11b, and illuminates the third lamp 11c in red.

[0365] In this way, by controlling the illumination state of the indicator 11 provided on the front surface 10f of the housing 10, the status of the laser processing device L can be intuitively visualized by the user.

[0366] [Table 1]

[0367] <Settings for processing equipment 500 and marker head 1> Figure 18 is a diagram illustrating the various dimensions of the marker head 1 and the support member 501. As shown in Figures 17A and 17B, the marker head 1 is attached to the support member 501 of the processing equipment 500 by replacing a printing device 1001 such as a TTO. The marker head 1 attached to the support member 501 irradiates UV laser light onto a workpiece W made of a sheet-like film, causing a chemical reaction in the UV reaction layer contained in the workpiece W, thereby performing printing on the workpiece W.

[0368] The processing equipment 500 and marker head 1 according to this embodiment are configured to suit such usage. The settings for the processing equipment 500 and marker head 1, as well as the relative positional relationship between the processing equipment 500 and marker head 1, will be described in order below.

[0369] First, the processing equipment 500 according to this embodiment includes, in addition to a conveyor roller 502 that is driven to transport the workpiece W, a first driven roller 504l positioned on the +Y side of the conveyor roller 502 and around which the workpiece W is wrapped from the +Z side, and a second driven roller 504r positioned on the -Y side of the conveyor roller 502 and around which the workpiece W is wrapped from the -Z side.

[0370] The conveying roller 504, acting as a drive roller, conveys the workpiece W along the Y direction, which is the conveying direction At, at a speed of 1500 mm / s to 2000 mm / s. The workpiece W conveyed by the conveying roller 504 moves along a path defined by the conveying roller 502, the first driven roller 504l, and the second driven roller 504r.

[0371] Here, the movement path of the workpiece W that corresponds to the irradiation area R1 includes a portion that is at a different distance from the emission window 6. In other words, as shown in Figure 18, the movement path of the workpiece W is configured to have different heights within the range of the irradiation area R1.

[0372] Furthermore, in the movement path of the workpiece W, the first driven roller 504l, which is the roller directly above the conveyor roller 502 and is the closest to the conveyor roller 502 among the rollers that contact the workpiece W upstream of the conveyor roller 502, and the second driven roller 504r, which is the roller directly below the conveyor roller 502 and is the closest to the conveyor roller 502 among the rollers that contact the workpiece W downstream of the conveyor roller 502, are both driven rollers that rotate in conjunction with the conveyance of the workpiece W. The roller directly above and the roller directly below the conveyor roller 502 are not limited to driven rollers, but even if they are driven by a separately provided drive source, it is preferable that they are rollers that allow for a large amount of sliding of the workpiece W relative to the conveyor roller 502. For example, if the material has a high frictional force against the workpiece W, the amount of sliding will be small. Also, if the surface material of each roller is the same, the greater the contact with the workpiece W, the smaller the amount of sliding. When the roller directly above and the roller directly below are composed of driven rollers or rollers that allow for a large amount of sliding relative to the conveyor roller 502, errors are less likely to occur in the amount of movement of the workpiece W with respect to the rotation of the conveyor roller 502. Therefore, print quality can be improved by controlling the printing based on the rotation of the transport roller W. In particular, compared to TTO, the marker head 1 of this embodiment prints on the workpiece W without contact, so the print position is prone to shifting when slippage occurs in the transport roller 502. Therefore, it is preferable to arrange the marker head 1 so that the transport rollers with small amounts of slippage relative to the rollers immediately before and after it are located in the irradiation area R1.

[0373] Here, in the movement path of the workpiece W, the region to which UV laser light is irradiated corresponding to the irradiation area R1 is positioned such that, in the protruding direction of the second housing H2, it is spaced further away from the cover glass 62, which is an optical element, than from the end of the second housing H2 in the protruding direction.

[0374] Here, the protruding direction of the second housing H2 coincides with the irradiation direction of the UV laser light (i.e., the +Z direction) in this embodiment. Furthermore, the end of the second housing H2 in the protruding direction corresponds to the +Z side end of the housing 10 in this embodiment.

[0375] In other words, the area of ​​the workpiece W irradiated with UV laser light is positioned to the +Z side of the +Z end of the housing 10. To put it another way, the area of ​​the workpiece W irradiated with UV laser light does not enter the optical path partition H3 (it is positioned to the +Z side of the optical path partition H3). This configuration makes it easy to insert the workpiece W into the movement path from the front. Therefore, it becomes easy to set the workpiece W into the movement path.

[0376] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 18, the top portion 502a of the transport roller 502 on the cover glass 62 side (-Z side) is offset either upstream (+Y side) or downstream (-Y side) of the transport direction At, which is approximately coincident in the Y direction with respect to the center line (laser emission axis Al) that penetrates the center of the cover glass 62 (in the example shown, it is offset to the +Y side).

[0377] In other words, the center line Ar, which passes through the rotation axis of the transport roller 502 and extends in the Z direction, is offset either upstream or downstream with respect to the laser emission axis Al. To put it another way, the laser emission axis Al, which extends in the Z direction, and the rotation axis of the transport roller 502, which extends in the X direction, are laid out so that they do not intersect with each other.

[0378] To further rephrase the above relationship, the laser emission axis Al is offset to the upstream (+Y side) or downstream (-Y side) side of the transport direction At with respect to the top portion 502a (in the example shown, it is offset to the -Y side). Specifically, as shown in Figure 18, of the workpiece W on the upstream side of the top portion 502a and the workpiece W on the downstream side, the latter workpiece W has a smaller inclination with respect to the plane perpendicular to the laser emission axis Al (XY plane). In other words, the workpiece W on the downstream side of the top portion 502a has a gentler inclination than the workpiece W on the upstream side. In this embodiment, the laser emission axis Al is offset to the side where the inclination of the workpiece W with respect to the plane perpendicular to the laser emission axis Al is smaller, as is the case with the downstream workpiece W.

[0379] The size of the irradiation area R1 is set to be larger than the printable area (printing area) of the printing device 1001 before replacement, which is configured as a TTO. The TTO prints on the workpiece W by bringing the printing unit 1006, which extends in the short direction of the workpiece W, into contact with the workpiece W. Therefore, even if the printing area on the workpiece W is an area with a certain length in the long direction of the workpiece W, if the printable range of the printing unit 1006 in the short direction of the workpiece W is in a positional relationship that includes the printing area on the workpiece W, printing on the entire printing area on the workpiece W is possible by passing the printing unit 1006 over the workpiece W. In contrast, the part of the marker head 1 that is irradiated with laser light at a given moment has a certain area, but it is point-like. Therefore, if the printing area on the workpiece W is an area with a certain length in the long direction of the workpiece W, it is preferable that the irradiation area R1 to which the laser light is irradiated has a certain length (dimension) in the direction corresponding to the long direction of the workpiece W. Specifically, the dimensions of the irradiation area R1 in the transport direction At (see reference numeral L5 in Figure 17A) are set to be 120 mm or more when the workpiece W is parallel to the XY plane. In this embodiment, the irradiation area R1 refers to the area on the surface of the workpiece W that can be irradiated with laser light by the first scanner 51 and the second scanner 52.

[0380] Furthermore, when the workpiece W is parallel to the XY plane, the size of the irradiation area R1 is set so that, when viewed in the XY plane, the irradiation area R1 is covered by the bottom surface 10d of the housing 10. That is, when viewed in the Z direction perpendicular to the XY plane, the entire irradiation area R1 overlaps the bottom surface 10d, the dimension L5 of the irradiation area R1 in the Y direction is smaller than the dimension of the bottom surface 10d of the housing 10 in the Y direction, and the dimension L6 of the irradiation area R1 in the X direction is smaller than the dimension of the housing 10d in the X direction. With this configuration, the laser light irradiated onto the workpiece W is less likely to leak into the surroundings. In particular, when the distance from the +Z side end of the housing 10 to the workpiece W (see distance L2 in Figure 18) is set to 0 mm or more and 20 mm or less, the leakage of laser light is reduced. Moreover, when the workpiece W is a sheet-like workpiece W that is wrapped around multiple transport rollers for transport, the user can easily set the workpiece W in the movement path of the workpiece W by inserting the workpiece W from the front of the transport rollers. Therefore, since the front of the workpiece W's movement path is open, the work of setting the workpiece W in the movement path becomes easier. For this reason, with a configuration in which the entire length of the irradiation area R1 in the X direction fits within the bottom surface 10d, it is possible to reduce laser light leakage while maintaining the ease of setting the workpiece W by leaving the front of the movement path open. In the case of a configuration in which a member covering the front side of the workpiece W is used to reduce laser light leakage, there is a risk that the workpiece W may be contaminated if it comes into contact with the member when the workpiece W moves at an angle. Therefore, with a configuration in which the front of the workpiece W is open, the risk of contamination of the workpiece W is reduced.

[0381] These settings are particularly effective when printing 8 characters on a workpiece W by irradiating it with UV laser light for 10ms per character in a 3mm x 2mm square area. Here, the parameters related to the UV laser light are suitable for cases where a line width of 0.2 to 0.35 mm (corresponding to a target line width of 100 to 150 μm per scan line) is achieved by printing thick lines with three scan lines.

[0382] By setting the irradiation area R1 to be larger than the printable area in TTO, it becomes possible to perform printing within the irradiation area R1 while the irradiation position of the UV laser light follows the transport of the workpiece W. This makes it possible to secure a printable area similar to that of TTO.

[0383] On the other hand, the output of the laser light generated in the marker head 1 and passing through the emission window 6 is set to be between 1W and 2W. This setting was determined in order to achieve miniaturization of the marker head 1. The color of the printed mark when the laser light is irradiated for a certain period of time varies depending on the power density of the irradiated laser light. When the output of the laser light is between 1W and 2W, it is preferable that the spot diameter of the laser light be 160 μm or less in order to obtain sufficient color.

[0384] More preferably, the spot diameter of the laser beam in the irradiation area R1 is set to 60 μm or more and 80 μm or less. This spot diameter can be set so that the depth of focus of the laser beam corresponds to the portion of the irradiation area R1 where the optical path length of the laser beam is longest (the edge of the irradiation area R1) and the portion of the irradiation area R1 where the optical path length is shortest (the central part of the irradiation area R1).

[0385] For example, the lower limit of the spot diameter is a setting that corresponds to the number of scan lines and line width mentioned above. This setting is effective in suppressing the effect of the difference in optical path length between the center and the edges of the irradiation area R1 without adjusting the focus along the Z direction, when the distance from the +Z side end of the housing 10 to the workpiece W (see distance L2 in Figure 18) is set to 0 mm or more and 20 mm or less, and the dimensions of the irradiation area R1 are set to 120 mm or more.

[0386] On the other hand, the upper limit of the spot diameter is effective when printing thick lines with a thickness of 200 μm (0.2 mm) or more, as mentioned above for line widths of 0.2 to 0.35 mm. In this case, there is a concern that the processing time required for thick line processing will be relatively long. However, by setting the upper limit of the spot diameter as described above, the irradiation area R1 of the UV laser light can be enlarged, and the irradiation time can be extended.

[0387] Note that the upper limit of the spot diameter (=80μm) is the optimal value when UV laser light is irradiated parallel to the irradiation direction and the distance L2 is set to 10mm. When the distance L2 is varied within the range of 0mm to 20mm, the upper limit of the spot diameter becomes 120μm.

[0388] Furthermore, if there are concerns about differences in optical path length within the illumination area R1, the depth of focus can be increased by equipping the aforementioned defocus lens 57. Increasing the depth of focus is effective in suppressing the effects of differences in optical path length.

[0389] Furthermore, among the relative positions of the workpiece W with respect to the housing 10, the relative positions on which printing is possible with respect to the workpiece W are set such that the distance from the first mirror 51a to the surface of the workpiece W (in particular, the distance viewed along the direction of illumination, which corresponds to the sum of distances L2 and L3 in Figure 19) is 150 mm or less.

[0390] In addition to the above, in this embodiment, the distance from the top surface 10u of the housing 10 to the workpiece W is set to 195 mm or less. The TTO, as the printing device 1001 before replacement, is often used in environments where the distance from the top surface to the workpiece W is around 200 mm, and this embodiment can be used in an environment similar to the printing device 1001 before replacement. Specifically, in this embodiment, the distance L1 from the top surface 10u of the housing 10 to the +Z side end of the bottom surface 10d is set to 165 mm. The distance L2 from the +Z side end of the bottom surface 10d to the workpiece W is preferably set to 30 mm or less, and more preferably to 20 mm or less.

[0391] Here, by setting the distance L2 to 30 mm or less, the specularly reflected light from the workpiece W of the laser beam irradiated into the irradiation area R1 can be guided to the region between the first plate-shaped member 18l and the second plate-shaped member 18r, i.e., the optical path partition H3. This is effective in suppressing leakage of specularly reflected light to the outside of the housing 10.

[0392] In this embodiment, the distance L3 from the first mirror 51a to the +Z side end of the bottom surface 10d is set to 123 mm. The distance L4 from the bottom surface of the defocus lens 57 to the +Z side end of the bottom surface 10d is set to 100 mm. Considering that the thickness of the defocus lens 57 is 2 mm, the distance (not shown) from the top surface of the defocus lens 57 to the +Z side end of the bottom surface 10d is set to 102 mm.

[0393] Here, the distance from the top surface 10u to the first mirror 51a (=L1-L3) is 42 mm, and the distance from the top surface 10u to the defocus lens 57 (=L1-L4) is 65 mm. On the other hand, the central part of the housing 10 in the Z direction corresponds to a point approximately 82 mm (=L1 / 2) from the top surface 10u. Therefore, in this embodiment, both the first mirror 51a and the defocus lens 57 are located on the -Z side of the central part of the housing 10 in the Z direction.

[0394] <Regarding the positional relationship between the housing 10, the support member 501, and the workpiece W> As described above, according to this embodiment, the mounting surface of the housing 10 is formed on the opposite side of the ejection window 6 (see the lower diagram in Figure 17A). In the housing 10, by configuring the top surface 10u, which faces the opposite side of the bottom surface 10d where the ejection window 6 is formed, as the mounting surface for attachment to the attachment position, the housing 10 can be supported so as to be suspended from the attachment position. As a result, there is no need to interpose a support member 501 between the housing 10 and the workpiece W, and the housing 10 and the workpiece W can be brought into close proximity.

[0395] In this case, the support member 501 for supporting the housing 10 will be located on the opposite side of the ejection window 6, similar to the mounting position, so that it can be sufficiently spaced away from the workpiece W. This makes it possible to suppress interference between the support member 501 and the workpiece W while keeping the housing 10 and the workpiece W close to each other.

[0396] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 10 and 13, by providing a gap between the first base plate 15 and the top surface 10u which serves as the mounting surface, the influence of distortion, vibration, and other effects on the mounting surface at the mounting position on the solid laser crystal 41 can be suppressed. As a result, even when the housing 10 is configured to be supported at the mounting position, laser light can be generated effectively.

[0397] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 17A and other figures, by configuring the connection to be made via the attachment 7 instead of directly connecting the support member 501 to the mounting surface, the housing 10 can be attached to the support member 501, which can take on various forms, without requiring any modifications to the structure of the housing 10 itself. This is effective in facilitating the replacement of various processing devices with the laser processing device L according to this disclosure.

[0398] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3A and 3B, by configuring the front surface 10f, which is an open surface, to be openable and closable, rather than the exit surface (i.e., the bottom surface 10d) that faces the workpiece W and the mounting surface (i.e., the top surface 10u) that is attached to the mounting position, it becomes possible to access the exit window 6 without causing interference with the workpiece W, support member 501, etc. This improves the maintainability of the laser processing apparatus L.

[0399] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, the front surface 10f, which is the open surface on which the cover member 13 is provided, and the back surface 10b, which is the connecting surface to which the electrical cable 200 is connected, are located on opposite sides. Therefore, interference between the cover member 13 and the electrical cable 200 is suppressed when opening, closing, or attaching / detaching the cover member 13. This improves the maintainability of the laser processing apparatus L.

[0400] <<Other Embodiments>> In the above embodiment, a second housing section H2 was configured within the housing 10, but this second housing section H2 is not essential. The first heat sink 81 and the second heat sink 82 may be housed, for example, within the first housing section H1. The optical path section H3 can also be omitted as appropriate.

[0401] Furthermore, although the excitation light source 21 was housed within the housing 10 of the marker head 1 in the above embodiment, this disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the excitation light source 21 may be provided within the marker controller 100.

[0402] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the crystal housing section H12, mirror housing section H11, and substrate housing section H13, which are formed by dividing the first housing section H1 within the housing 10 into three parts, were arranged in this order along the Y direction perpendicular to the irradiation direction. However, the present disclosure is not limited to such a configuration. For example, the order of the crystal housing section H12, mirror housing section H11, and substrate housing section H13 may be changed, or any two of the crystal housing section H12, mirror housing section H11, and substrate housing section H13 may be arranged side by side along the irradiation direction.

[0403] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the top surface 10u of the housing 10, which is opposite the bottom surface 10d on which the ejection window 6 is formed, was set as the mounting surface. However, this disclosure is not limited to such a setting. Any one of the six surfaces, excluding the bottom surface 10d on which the ejection window 6 is formed, can be considered as the mounting surface. For example, if the right side surface 10r is set as the mounting surface, the support member 501 will support the housing 10 from the left side.

[0404] Furthermore, of the six surfaces of the housing 10, two or more surfaces excluding the bottom surface 10d can be considered as mounting surfaces. For example, if the left side surface 10l and the top surface 10u are designated as mounting surfaces, the attachment 7 may be attached to either the left side surface 10l or the top surface 10u, or it may be attached to both the left side surface 10l and the top surface 10u, as shown in the marker head 1' in Figure 22.

[0405] For example, the attachment 2007 shown in Figure 22 has a first part 2007a that is attached to the top surface 10u and a second part 2007b that is attached to the left side surface 10l, and the support member 501' is also shaped to fit the attachment 2007. In this way, the mounting surface can be set according to the shape of the support member 501', and an attachment 2007 corresponding to that setting can be used.

[0406] Furthermore, attachment 7 is not essential. As shown in the housing 10" of the marker head 1" in Figure 23, the support member 501 can be directly attached to the mounting surface (top surface 10u) in the example without using attachment 7. In this case, a portion of the mounting surface may be considered as the attachment. Alternatively, a portion of the mounting surface may be made to protrude in the opposite direction from the ejection window 6, and this protruding portion may be used as the attachment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0407] S Laser Processing System L Laser Processing Equipment 1 Marker head 2. Excitation light generation unit 21 Excitation light source 23 Temperature control section 25 Relay 3. Excitation light guide section (light guide optical system) 31 Fiber optic cable 32 Fiber guides 4. Laser light output section 41 Solid-state laser crystals 43 Q-Switch 45 Nonlinear Optical Crystals 49 Q-switch drivers 5. Laser beam scanning unit (laser beam deflection unit) 51 First Scanner 51a First Mirror 52 Second Scanner 52a Second Mirror 53. First control board 55 Intermediate deflection section 55a Intermediate mirror 57 Defocus lens (optical element) 6. Outlet window 62 Cover glass (optical component) 7 Attachments 81. First heatsink (heatsink) 82. Second heatsink (heatsink) 83. First blower fan (blower section) 84. Second blower fan (blower section) 10 cabinets 10u Top surface (mounting surface) 10d base 10f front (open side) 10b Rear (connection side) 13 Cover component 14 Connection cover 15. First base plate (support plate) 15g Divider 18l First plate-shaped member (plate-shaped member) 18r Second plate-shaped member (plate-shaped member) 100 Marker Controllers 101 Reception Department 103 Control Unit 104 Power supply section (power supply section) 200 electrical cables 500 Processing equipment 501 Support Member 502 Conveyor Roller 502a Top of the conveyor roller Ac1 First rotation axis Ac2 Second rotation axis Ae Extension direction At Conveying Direction H1 1st Detention Unit H11 Mirror housing H12 Crystal housing section H13 Circuit board housing section H2 Second Detention Area H21 Crystal side housing section H22 Light source side housing H3 Optical Path Section M1 1st Mark (Mark) M2 2nd Mark (Mark) M3 Third Mark (Mark) PP processing pattern R1 Irradiation Area Double job

Claims

1. A laser processing device that is mounted at a mounting position and processes a workpiece by irradiating it with laser light towards the irradiation area, A laser beam deflection unit that deflects the laser beam so that it is irradiated toward the irradiation area according to predetermined processing settings, The device comprises an emission window through which laser light irradiated toward the irradiation area via the laser light deflection section is transmitted, and a mounting surface positioned opposite the emission window and attached to the mounting position, and a housing that houses the laser light deflection section. The aforementioned enclosure is A solid-state laser crystal that generates laser light based on excitation light, A support plate extending along the direction toward the emission window from the mounting surface and supporting the solid laser crystal, and a casing, The support plate is attached to the housing in a manner that is not integral with the mounting surface. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

2. In the laser processing apparatus described in claim 1, The mounting surface is provided with an attachment that allows the mounting surface to be attached to the mounting position. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

3. In the laser processing apparatus described in claim 1 or 2, The aforementioned enclosure is The ejection surface on which the ejection window is formed, The mounting surface and the emission surface together surround the laser beam deflection portion, and the laser beam deflection portion has an open surface that is at least partially open to the emission window, The open surface is provided with a cover member that can open and close the open surface. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

4. In the laser processing apparatus described in claim 3, The housing has a connecting surface that faces the opposite side of the open surface and, together with the open surface, the mounting surface and the emission surface, surrounds the laser beam deflection section. An electrical cable that supplies power to the housing is connected to the aforementioned connection surface. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

5. In a laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The workpiece is transported in a predetermined transport direction. The irradiation area has a constant dimension in the transport direction. The spot diameter of the laser beam in the workpiece is set such that the depth of focus of the laser beam corresponds to the portion of the irradiation area where the optical path length of the laser beam is longest and the portion of the irradiation area where the optical path length is shortest. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

6. In the laser processing apparatus described in claim 5, The movement path of the workpiece, specifically the path corresponding to the irradiation area, includes portions that are at different distances from the emission window. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

7. In a laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The workpiece is transported in a predetermined transport direction. The dimensions of the irradiation area in the aforementioned transport direction are 120 mm or more. The laser beam deflection unit has a first mirror that deflects the laser beam so that it is irradiated onto the irradiation area. The first mirror is positioned so as to face the workpiece across the ejection window, The relative position of the workpiece with respect to the housing is set such that the distance from the first mirror to the workpiece is 150 mm or less. The spot diameter of the laser beam on the workpiece at the aforementioned relative position is 60 μm or larger. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

8. A laser processing apparatus that performs processing on a workpiece by irradiating a laser beam toward an irradiation area set corresponding to the printing area, the apparatus being supported by a support member that can be connected to the connection surface in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped-shaped printing apparatus having a printing surface that exposes a printing portion that contacts a printing area on a workpiece, and a connection surface that is different from the printing surface, wherein the laser processing apparatus performs processing on the workpiece by irradiating a laser beam toward an irradiation area set corresponding to the printing area, A laser beam deflection unit that deflects the laser beam so that it is irradiated toward the irradiation area according to predetermined processing settings, The device comprises an emission window through which laser light irradiated toward the irradiation area via the laser light deflection section is transmitted, and a mounting surface connected to the support member, and a housing that houses the laser light deflection section. The aforementioned enclosure is A solid-state laser crystal that generates laser light based on excitation light, A support plate extending along the direction toward the emission window from the mounting surface and supporting the solid laser crystal, and a casing, The support plate is attached to the housing in a manner that is not integral with the mounting surface. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

9. In the laser processing apparatus described in claim 8, The aforementioned workpiece is a workpiece that is transported while wrapped around a transport roller. The transport roller is positioned so as to overlap with the irradiation area. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

10. In the laser processing apparatus described in claim 8 or 9, The workpiece is transported in a predetermined transport direction. The dimensions of the irradiation area in the aforementioned transport direction are 120 mm or more. The output of the laser light passing through the aforementioned emission window is set to 2W or less. The spot diameter of the laser beam on the irradiation area is set to 60 μm or larger. A laser processing apparatus characterized by the following features.

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