Processing apparatus and method for manufacturing articles

Abstract

To provide a processing device advantageous for highly accurately processing a workpiece.SOLUTION: A processing device for processing a workpiece by irradiating the workpiece with laser light comprises: a rotation unit which rotates the intensity distribution of the laser light after emission with a rotational axis as the center by rotating around the rotational axis; a scan unit which scans the laser light irradiated on the workpiece; and a control unit which irradiates the workpiece with the laser light while reducing a deviation of at least one of an angle and a position of the laser light incident on the workpiece generated due to the deviation between the gravity center line of the laser light incident on the rotation unit and the rotational axis.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a processing apparatus and a method for manufacturing an article.

Background Art

[0002] A laser processing apparatus is an apparatus that uses a movable mirror such as a galvanometer scanner and a condenser lens to scan and condense laser light on a workpiece, and performs various processes (for example, hole processing) on the workpiece. In recent years, a laser processing apparatus has been proposed that can control the hole diameter and the angle of the wall surface of the processed hole with high precision by controlling the incident angle of the laser light condensed on the workpiece (see Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in a conventional laser processing apparatus, if there is distortion in the shape of the laser light condensed on the workpiece, the processed hole formed in the workpiece will be affected, making it difficult to form such a processed hole in a desired shape.

[0005] In view of such problems of the conventional technology, an exemplary object of the present invention is to provide a processing apparatus that is advantageous for processing a workpiece with high precision.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above objective, a processing apparatus as one aspect of the present invention is a processing apparatus that processes a workpiece by irradiating it with laser light, comprising: a rotating part that rotates around a rotation axis to rotate the intensity distribution of the laser light after emission around the rotation axis; a scanning part that scans the laser light irradiated onto the workpiece; and a mechanism that generates a misalignment between the centroid line of the laser light incident on the rotating part and the rotation axis. The rotation of the rotating part fluctuates in sync with the rotation of the rotating part, While reducing deviations in at least one of the angle and position of the laser beam incident on the workpiece, 、 The laser light in The workpiece The scanning unit is controlled to scan the area. It is characterized by having a control unit that performs the following.

[0007] Further objects or other aspects of the present invention will be revealed by embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide a processing apparatus that is advantageous for processing workpieces with high precision. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a processing apparatus as one aspect of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration and operation of the image rotating mechanism of the processing apparatus shown. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the trajectory of a laser beam focused onto a workpiece. [Figure 4] This diagram illustrates the trajectory of a laser beam focused onto a workpiece. [Figure 5] The configuration and operation of the sensor unit of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1 will be explained. [Figure 6] This diagram shows a situation where positional and angular errors occur between the rotation axis of the image rotator and the optical axis of the laser beam. [Figure 7] This figure shows the processing flow of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the trajectory of a laser beam focused onto a workpiece. [Figure 9] This figure shows the processing flow of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 10] This diagram illustrates the process of adjusting the image rotating mechanism of the processing apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] The embodiments will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention as defined in the claims. While the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any way. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, identical or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0011] <First Embodiment> Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a processing apparatus 1 as one aspect of the present invention. The processing apparatus 1 is a laser processing apparatus that processes a workpiece 210 by irradiating it with laser light 201 (laser beam). The processing apparatus 1 is capable of performing various types of processing on the workpiece 210, but in this embodiment, it is embodied as an apparatus that performs hole processing on the workpiece 210. As shown in Figure 1, the processing apparatus 1 has a processing head unit 200, a sensor unit 220, and a control unit 230.

[0012] The processing head unit 200 includes an image rotator 202, a first partially transmitted mirror 203, a shifter unit 204, a first magnifying lens 205, a second magnifying lens 206, a scanner unit 207, and a focusing lens 209.

[0013] The image rotator 202 rotates coaxially with the laser beam 201, and has the function of allowing the emitted laser beam 201 to rotate on its own axis. By rotating around its axis of rotation, the image rotator 202 functions as a rotating part that rotates the intensity distribution of the emitted laser beam 201 around the axis of rotation.

[0014] The first partial transmission mirror 203 branches (separates) the laser beam 201 emitted from the image rotator 202 into a laser beam incident on the sensor unit 220 and a laser beam incident on the shifter unit 204. Therefore, a part of the laser beam 201 emitted from the image rotator 202 enters the sensor unit 220 through the first partial transmission mirror 203, and the rest enters the shifter unit 204.

[0015] The shifter unit 204 is provided downstream of the image rotator 202 and includes a movable mirror or a movable transparent substrate having a plurality of rotational degrees of freedom inside. The shifter unit 204 translates (shifts) the incident laser beam 201 in the vertical and horizontal directions. In the present embodiment, the shifter unit 204 functions as a first scanning unit that changes the position of the laser beam 201 irradiated (incident) on the workpiece 210. Further, the shifter unit 204 functions as a scanning unit that scans the laser beam 201 irradiated on the workpiece 210 in cooperation with a scanner unit 207 that functions as a second scanning unit that changes the angle of the laser beam 201 irradiated (incident) on the workpiece 210.

[0016] The first magnifying lens 205 and the second magnifying lens 206 enlarge the beam diameter of the laser beam emitted from the shifter unit 204. The first magnifying lens 205 is provided so as to be movable along the traveling direction of the laser beam 201.

[0017] The laser beam 201 whose beam diameter is enlarged by the first magnifying lens 205 and the second magnifying lens 206 is reflected by the scanner unit 207 and condensed on the workpiece 210 through the condenser lens 209. The scanner unit 207 is provided downstream of the image rotator 202 and includes, for example, a reflection mirror M that reflects the laser beam 201, and a first actuator 208A and a second actuator 208B that drive the reflection mirror M. The scanner unit 207 can adjust the reflection angle of the laser beam 201 in two directions by driving the reflection mirror M with the first actuator 208A and the second actuator 208B.

[0018] The sensor unit 220 is incident on the laser beam 201 that has been reflected (branched) by the first partially transparent mirror 203. The sensor unit 220 includes a second partially transparent mirror 221, a first reflective mirror 224, a second reflective mirror 225, a third partially transparent mirror 226, and a sensor 227.

[0019] The second partially transparent mirror 221 splits (separates) the laser beam 201 incident on the sensor unit 220 into a laser beam passing through the first optical path 222 and a laser beam passing through the second optical path 223. The laser beam 201 passing through the first optical path 222 is reflected by the third partially transparent mirror 226 via the first reflecting mirror 224 and the second reflecting mirror 225, and incident on the sensor 227. The laser beam 201 passing through the second optical path 223 passes through the third partially transparent mirror 226 and incident on the sensor 227. The sensor 227 detects the position of each of the two incident laser beams 201 and transmits this position information to the control unit 230.

[0020] The control unit 230 is composed of a computer (information processing device) including a CPU and memory, and operates the processing device 1 by comprehensively controlling each part of the processing device 1 according to a program stored in the memory unit. In this embodiment, the control unit 230 controls the image rotator 202, the shifter unit 204, the actuator provided in the first magnifying lens 205, and the first actuator 208 and second actuator 208 provided in the scanner unit 207. The control unit 230 also has various calculation (arithmetic) functions and determines the fluctuation of the laser beam 201 based on position information transmitted from the sensor 227, and generates drive signals to drive each actuator. In this embodiment, the control unit 230 irradiates the workpiece 210 with the laser beam 201 and processes the workpiece 210.

[0021] Referring to Figure 2, the configuration and operation of the image rotator 202 will be described. The image rotator 202 includes an image rotation element 302 for rotating the image (light beam) of the laser beam 201, and a housing 301 that houses the image rotation element 302. For example, the image rotator 202 is constructed by inserting the image rotation element 302 inside the housing 301.

[0022] In this embodiment, the image rotation element 302 is composed of a trapezoidal rectangular prism, and is referred to as a doped prism or dove prism, for example. The image rotation element 302 has the characteristic of reversing and rotating the laser beam 201 inside itself. For example, as the image rotation element 302 rotates, the incident image 303 (intensity distribution) of the laser beam 201 becomes the exit image 304 (intensity distribution). Specifically, it is known that when the image rotation element 302 (doped prism) rotates once, the exit image 304 rotates with twice the period (i.e., rotates twice).

[0023] In this embodiment, the housing 301 is configured to rotate coaxially with the laser beam 201 and integrally with the image rotation element 302. Therefore, by rotating the housing 301, the image rotation element 302 also rotates, causing the emitted laser beam 201 to rotate (rotate). For example, an electromagnetic or pneumatic actuator is used to rotate the housing 301 (image rotator 202), and the rotation speed and rotation count are detected by a sensor provided on the actuator and transmitted to the control unit 230 as operation information.

[0024] Referring to Figure 3, the trajectory of the laser beam 201 focused on the workpiece 210 will be explained. Figure 3 shows the state in which the image rotator 202 is fixed (i.e., the image rotator 202 is not rotated) in the processing head 200 and the laser beam 201 is focused on the workpiece 210. As described above, the laser beam 201 is focused on the workpiece 210 via the focusing lens 209. An example of the shape of the laser beam 201 focused on the workpiece 210 is shown in Figure 3 as the focused shape 401 of the laser beam 201. The main reasons why the focused shape 401 is elliptical are thought to be distortion of the intensity distribution due to the characteristics of the oscillator of the laser beam 201, and the influence of aberrations in the optical system leading to the processing head 200 and the optical system of the processing head 200. Note that the shape of the laser beam 201 focused on the workpiece 210 (focused shape) is not necessarily elliptical, and a distorted shape with a central asymmetric shape may also be expected.

[0025] In the processing head unit 200, the shifter unit 204 and the scanner unit 207 are operated in conjunction to scan the laser beam 201 (its focal point) along the trajectory 402 (i.e., to trace the circular trajectory 402). This forms a processing hole 403 in the workpiece 210. However, if there is distortion in the focal shape 401 of the laser beam 201, the shape of the processing hole 403 formed in the workpiece 210 will be affected. In Figure 3, the shape of the processing hole 403 becomes elliptical relative to the perfectly circular trajectory 402, resulting in an error in the processing shape. This problem also occurs in the conventional processing apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0026] Figure 4 shows the state in which the image rotator 202 is rotated in the processing head 200 to focus the laser beam 201 onto the workpiece 210. As described above, the laser beam 201 is focused onto the workpiece 210 via the focusing lens 209. At this time, as the image rotator 202 rotates, the laser beam 201 rotates (rotates on its own axis), so the shape of the laser beam 201 focused on the workpiece 210 is a focused shape 501 in which the distortion shape is averaged to the intensity of a perfect circle. Therefore, the image rotator 202 is rotated so that it is constantly rotating while the workpiece 210 is being processed by irradiating the workpiece 210 with the laser beam 201. As a result, the shape of the laser beam 201, as the shape of the laser beam 201 incident at each position on the trajectory 502 (on the trajectory), is a perfect circle focused shape 501.

[0027] In the processing head unit 200, the shifter unit 204 and the scanner unit 207 are operated in conjunction to scan the laser beam 201 (its focal point) along the trajectory 502. As a result, a processing hole 503 is formed in the workpiece 210. However, since the focal shape 501 of the laser beam 201 is averaged to a perfect circle, the shape of the processing hole 503 formed in the workpiece 210 is similar to the shape of the trajectory 502. Therefore, even if there is distortion in the focal shape of the laser beam 201, the shape of the processing hole 503 is not affected, and no errors in the processing shape occur.

[0028] The configuration and operation of the sensor unit 220 will be explained with reference to Figures 5(a) and 5(b). Figure 5(a) is a diagram showing a portion of the sensor unit 220 shown in Figure 1, and Figure 5(b) is a diagram for explaining the measurement principle of the sensor unit 220.

[0029] Referring to Figure 5(a), the laser beam 201 reflected (branched) by the first partially transparent mirror 203 is branched (separated) via the second partially transparent mirror 221 into the laser beam passing through the first optical path 222 and the laser beam passing through the second optical path 223. The laser beam passing through the first optical path 222 is reflected by the third partially transparent mirror 226 via the first reflecting mirror 224 and the second reflecting mirror 225 and incident on the sensor 227. The laser beam 201 passing through the second optical path 223 passes through the third partially transparent mirror 226 and incident on the sensor 227.

[0030] Referring to Figure 5(b), the optical axis 620 represents the initial state of the optical axis of the laser light 201 reflected by the first partially transparent mirror 203 and incident on the sensor unit 220. The optical axis 621 represents the state of the optical axis when the position and angle of the optical axis 620 have changed due to some factor. The second partially transparent mirror surface 624 is a surface that simulates the reflective surface of the second partially transparent mirror 221 shown in Figure 5(a) along the optical axis. The angular displacement θ1 and positional displacement d1 are the components of the optical axis fluctuation on the second partially transparent mirror surface 624. The first sensor surface 625 is a surface that simulates the light-receiving surface of the sensor 227 via the second optical path 223 in Figure 5(a). The second sensor surface 626 is a surface that simulates the light-receiving surface of the sensor 227 via the first optical path 222 in Figure 5(a). D1 is the design distance from the second partially transparent mirror surface 624 to the first sensor surface 625, and corresponds to the design optical path length of the second optical path 223 shown in Figure 5(a). D2 is the design distance from the second partially transparent mirror surface 624 to the second sensor surface 626, and corresponds to the design optical path length of the first optical path 222 shown in Figure 5(a).

[0031] Optical path 622 simulates the optical path of the laser beam 201 in the second optical path 223 after variation. Optical path 623 simulates the optical path of the laser beam 201 in the first optical path 222 after variation. In Figure 5(a), the light-receiving surface of the sensor 227 is the same for both the first optical path 222 and the second optical path 223. However, in Figure 5(b), two sensor surfaces (first sensor surface 625 and second sensor surface 626) are simulated, corresponding to distances D1 and D2 from the second partially transparent mirror surface 624, respectively. Therefore, the difference in optical path length between the first optical path 222 and the second optical path 223 in Figure 5(a) is the difference between distance D2 and distance D1 in Figure 5(b).

[0032] d2 is the amount of incident point shift after optical axis shift on the first sensor surface 625, and simulates the change in the incident position of the laser beam passing through the first optical path 222 to the sensor 227 in Figure 5(a). d3 is the amount of incident point shift after optical axis shift on the second sensor surface 626, and simulates the change in the incident position of the laser beam passing through the second optical path 223 to the sensor 227 in Figure 5(a). θ2 is the angular displacement (angular shift component) of the optical axis on the first sensor surface 625, and in principle coincides with the angular displacement θ1.

[0033] The following describes a series of steps related to the calculation (calculation method) of the optical axis deviation amount in the control unit 230. First, in the first step, the angular component of the optical axis deviation is calculated from the measurement results of the sensor unit 220 (the respective positions of the two laser beams incident on the sensor 227). In Figure 5(b), the angular displacement θ2 is expressed as arctan((d3-d2) / (D2-D1)). As described above, the angular displacement θ2 is, in principle, the same as the angular displacement θ1, so the angular displacement θ1, which is the angular component of the optical axis deviation, can be calculated as arctan((d3-d2) / (D2-D1)).

[0034] Next, in the second step, the position component of the optical axis deviation is calculated from the measurement results of the sensor unit 220. In Figure 5(b), the positional deviation d1 is expressed as d2 - D1 × tan(θ2), so the positional deviation d1, which is the positional component of the optical axis deviation, can be calculated from this equation.

[0035] Through this series of steps (the first and second steps), the angular component (angular shift θ1) and the positional component (positional shift d1) of the optical axis fluctuation can be calculated from the measurement results of the sensor unit 220.

[0036] Furthermore, the relative effectiveness of the angular component and the position component may be changed by providing an optical system in the optical path of the sensor unit 220 that changes the optical magnification by a combination of lenses or the like. For example, by providing an optical system with an optical magnification of 2x in the optical path of the sensor unit 220, the angular component and position component of the emitted laser beam will change by 1 / 2 and 2 times, respectively, in response to fluctuations in the incident laser beam.

[0037] In this embodiment, as described above, the image rotator 202 rotates coaxially with the laser beam 201 incident on the image rotator 202 by an electromagnetic or pneumatic actuator. However, if the optical axis of the laser beam 201 incident on the image rotator 202 changes over time, positional and angular errors (deviations) occur between the rotation center (rotation axis) of the image rotator 202 and the optical axis (center of gravity line (the line through which the center of gravity of the laser beam 201 passes)) of the laser beam 201.

[0038] Figure 6 shows a state in which positional and angular errors occur between the rotation axis 707 of the image rotator 202 and the optical axis of the laser beam 201. When the optical axis of the laser beam 201 fluctuates relative to the rotation axis 707 of the image rotator 202, in addition to the rotation component 706, an orbital component 708 synchronized with the rotation period of the image rotator 202 is generated in the emitted image 704 of the laser beam 201 emitted from the image rotator 202, according to the fluctuation (error). As a result, an orbital component is also generated in the laser beam 201 focused on the workpiece 210 shown in Figure 4, and an error (processing error) occurs in the shape of the processed hole formed in the workpiece 210. The fluctuation of the optical axis of the laser beam 201 can be attributed to displacement due to temperature changes in the oscillator of the laser beam 201, the optical system leading to the processing head 200, and the optical system of the processing head 200, so the direction and amount of the optical axis fluctuation change over time. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously detect and correct the direction and amount of the optical axis fluctuation that changes over time.

[0039] Figure 7 shows the processing flow of the processing head unit 200, sensor unit 220, and control unit 230 for compensating for processing errors caused by the orbital component generated in the image (ejected image) of the laser beam 201 emitted from the image rotator 202.

[0040] Referring to Figure 7, first, the sensor unit 220 (sensor 227) detects the position of the laser beam 201 (laser beam passing through the first optical path 222 and laser beam passing through the second optical path 223) emitted from the image rotator 202, and transmits the detected signal (position information) to the control unit 230.

[0041] Next, the control unit 230 extracts from the detection signal transmitted from the sensor unit 220 the orbital component, which is a variation component caused by fluctuations in the optical axis of the laser beam 201 and the rotation axis of the image rotator 202, i.e., the orbital component. For example, the control unit 230 analyzes the detection signal from the sensor unit 220 in terms of frequency components and extracts the orbital component synchronized with the rotation speed of the image rotator 202. Furthermore, the control unit 230 separates the orbital component (variation component) extracted from the detection signal into an angular component and a position component by a calculation explained with reference to Figure 5(b).

[0042] Next, the control unit 230 generates an angle compensation signal (with period and amplitude) to cancel out (reduce) the separated angle component, and a position compensation signal (with period and amplitude) to cancel out (reduce) the separated position component. The control unit 230 also generates a drive signal for driving the scanner unit 207 by superimposing the angle compensation signal onto the processing signal used to control the angle of the laser beam 201 that irradiates the workpiece 210 when processing the workpiece 210. Similarly, the control unit 230 generates a drive signal for driving the shifter unit 204 by superimposing the position compensation signal onto the processing signal used to control the position of the laser beam 201 that irradiates the workpiece 210 when processing the workpiece 210. Note that the processing signal for controlling the angle or position of the laser beam 201 is a pre-prepared design signal that does not take into account the orbital component (fluctuation component) caused by the optical axis fluctuation of the laser beam 201.

[0043] A drive signal generated by superimposing an angle compensation signal onto a processing signal for controlling the angle of the laser beam 201 irradiated onto the workpiece 210 is provided from the control unit 230 to the scanner unit 207. On the other hand, a drive signal generated by superimposing a position compensation signal onto a processing signal for controlling the position of the laser beam 201 irradiated onto the workpiece 210 is provided from the control unit 230 to the shifter unit 204. As a result, the shifter unit 204 and the scanner unit 207 operate in conjunction with each other in the processing head 200. In this case, since a drive signal is used in which each compensation signal is superimposed on the processing signal, the orbital component (fluctuation component) caused by the optical axis fluctuation of the laser beam 201 is canceled out, and a processed hole can be formed in the workpiece 210 without causing processing errors.

[0044] In this embodiment, the sensor unit 220 detects fluctuations in at least one of the angle and position of the laser beam 201 incident on the workpiece 210, which are caused by the misalignment between the optical axis of the laser beam 201 and the rotation axis of the image rotator 202, in synchronization with the rotation of the image rotator 202. The control unit 230 then processes the laser beam 201 to irradiate the workpiece 210 while reducing (compensating) the fluctuations detected by the sensor unit 220 using the shifter unit 204 and the scanner unit 207. Therefore, according to the processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, even if the optical axis of the laser beam 201 fluctuates, processing with reduced effects is possible, and the workpiece 210 can be processed with high precision.

[0045] In this embodiment, the position component of the orbital component (fluctuation component) caused by the optical axis fluctuation of the laser beam 201 is reduced by the shifter unit 204, and the angular component is reduced by the scanner unit 207. However, the embodiment is not limited to this. For example, a unit combining the functions of the shifter unit 204 and the scanner unit 207 may be configured, and both the position and angular components may be reduced by such a unit.

[0046] In this embodiment, the laser beam 201, which is branched immediately after the image rotator 202, is incident on the sensor unit 220. However, the position at which the laser beam 201 incident on the sensor unit 220 is branched is not limited to immediately after the image rotator 202. For example, a part of the reflective mirror M of the scanner unit 207 may be a partially transparent mirror, and the laser beam 201 branched by the scanner unit 207 may be incident on the sensor unit 220.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the scanner unit 207 can adjust the reflection angle of the laser beam 201 in two directions by driving the reflection mirror M with the first actuator 208A and the second actuator 208B, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the laser beam 201 may be scanned by using two sets of movable mirrors, such as those used in a galvanometer scanner.

[0048] <Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, in the processing apparatus 1 shown in Figure 1, the shifter unit 204 and the scanner unit 207 are synchronized with the rotation speed of the image rotator 202 at a specific period.

[0049] Figure 8 shows the state in which the image rotator 202 is rotated in the processing head 200 to focus the laser beam 201 onto the workpiece 210. As described above, the laser beam 201 is focused onto the workpiece 210 via the focusing lens 209.

[0050] In the processing head unit 200, the shifter unit 204 and the scanner unit 207 are operated in conjunction to scan the laser beam 201 (its focusing point) along the trajectory 1202. As a result, a processing hole 1203 is formed in the workpiece 210. However, if there is distortion in the focusing shape 1201 of the laser beam 201, the shape of the processing hole 1203 formed in the workpiece 210 will be affected.

[0051] Therefore, in this embodiment, the image rotator 202 is rotated at a period of half the length of the trajectory 1202 so that the laser beam 201 rotates (rotates) in the same direction as the trajectory 1202 (orbital direction). In other words, the image rotator 202 is rotated half a turn while the laser beam 201 is scanned (revolved) once along the trajectory 1202. As a result, a focused shape 1201 having the same intensity distribution (same intensity) in the radial direction of the circle defined by the trajectory 1202 is obtained, and the shape of the processed hole 1203 formed in the workpiece 210 becomes similar to the shape of the trajectory 1202. Therefore, even if there is distortion in the focused shape of the laser beam 201, the shape of the processed hole 1203 is not affected, and no error in the processed shape occurs. Here, the shape of the processed hole formed in the workpiece 210 is assumed to be a circle (circular), but it is not limited to this, and various shapes other than circles, such as ellipses, rectangles, and triangles, can be assumed. If the machined hole formed in the workpiece 210 is a shape other than a circle, the center of each shape (for example, the midpoint between the two centers in the case of an ellipse), the centroid, the center of the inscribed circle, and the center of the circumscribed circle shall be interpreted as the center of the circle in this embodiment. Therefore, the radial direction in this embodiment can be interpreted as the direction connecting these centers (or centroids) to the machining position, making it possible to accommodate various shapes other than circles. Examples of accommodating machined holes of shapes other than circles are applicable to all descriptions of this embodiment.

[0052] Furthermore, in this embodiment as well, if the optical axis of the laser beam incident on the image rotator 202 fluctuates over time, positional and angular errors occur between the rotation center (rotation axis) of the image rotator 202 and the optical axis (centroid line) of the laser beam. When the laser beam fluctuates relative to the rotation axis of the image rotator 202 and errors occur, the laser beam emitted from the image rotator 202 generates an orbital component synchronized with the rotation period of the image rotator 202, in addition to the rotational component, in accordance with these errors. As a result, an orbital component is also generated in the laser beam focused on the workpiece 210 shown in Figure 4, causing errors in the shape of the processed hole formed in the workpiece 210. Since the fluctuation of the laser beam's optical axis can be caused by the laser beam oscillator, the optical system leading to the processing head 200, and displacement due to temperature changes in the optical system of the processing head 200, the direction and amount of the fluctuation change over time. Therefore, it is necessary to continuously detect and correct the direction and amount of the optical axis fluctuation that changes over time.

[0053] Figure 9 shows the processing flow of the processing head unit 200, sensor unit 220, and control unit 230 for compensating for processing errors caused by the orbital component generated in the image (ejected image) of the laser beam 201 emitted from the image rotator 202. In this embodiment, before performing the processing described with reference to Figure 7 in the first embodiment, better processing is achieved by adjusting the laser beam 201 so that the portion with a higher intensity than a predetermined intensity (high-intensity portion) is outside the processing hole.

[0054] Referring to Figures 9, 10(a), and 10(b), the process for adjusting (controlling) the image rotator 202 to position the high-intensity portion of the laser beam 201 outside the machining hole will be explained.

[0055] Figure 10(a) shows the laser beam 201 in the initial state of the image rotator 202. For example, if the high-intensity portion of the laser beam 201 is not at the center, the center position 1601 of the laser beam 201 and the centroid position 1602 of the light intensity will be at different positions, as shown in Figure 10(a). In such a case, first, the laser beam 201 emitted from the image rotator 202 is detected by a sensor capable of detecting the intensity distribution, such as a CCD sensor, and the detection signal (intensity distribution of the laser beam 201) is transmitted to the control unit 230.

[0056] Next, the control unit 230 calculates a first direction α from the detection signal transmitted from the sensor unit 220, which is the direction from the center position 1601 of the laser beam 201 towards the centroid position 1602 of the laser beam 201's light intensity. The control unit 230 also calculates a second direction β from the center position 1601 of the laser beam 201 at the irradiation start position (processing start position) where the laser beam 201 is irradiated onto the workpiece 210, towards the center 1611 of the trajectory 1612 (the circle defined by it), as shown in Figure 10(b). Furthermore, the control unit 230 calculates the difference (angle difference value) δ between the first direction α and the second direction β. The control unit 230 then generates an adjustment signal to adjust (set) the initial angle of the image rotator 202, which is necessary to make the difference δ zero, that is, to make the first direction α and the second direction β coincide.

[0057] The adjustment signal generated by the control unit 230 is supplied to the image rotator 202. As a result, the image rotator 202 operates (rotates) in the machining head 200, and is adjusted so that the high-intensity portion of the laser beam 201 is outside the machining hole 1613, as shown in Figure 10(b). In addition, the laser beam 201 incident at each position on the trajectory 1612 (on the trajectory) has the same shape with respect to the center 1611 of the circle defined by the trajectory 1612.

[0058] Thus, according to the processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, similar to the first embodiment, even if the optical axis of the laser beam 201 fluctuates, processing can be performed with reduced influence, and the workpiece 210 can be processed with high precision. Furthermore, in the processing apparatus 1 of this embodiment, before irradiating the workpiece 210 with the laser beam 201 for processing, the image rotator 202 can be adjusted so that the high-intensity portion of the laser beam 201 is outside the processing hole, thereby achieving even better processing.

[0059] Furthermore, while the first and second embodiments described the case where the optical axis of the laser beam 201 incident on the image rotator 202 changes over time, the invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied when, during the assembly stage (initial stage) of the processing apparatus 1, the optical axis of the laser beam 201 incident on the image rotator 202 and the rotation center (rotation axis) of the image rotator 202 are misaligned.

[0060] The processing apparatus 1 in this embodiment can be used in a method for manufacturing articles. Such a method for manufacturing articles includes the steps of processing a workpiece (object) using the processing apparatus 1, and processing the workpiece processed in the first step to manufacture an article. This processing includes, for example, at least one of the following: processing different from the processing described above, transport, inspection, sorting, assembly, and packaging. The method for manufacturing articles in this embodiment is advantageous compared to conventional methods in at least one of the following: performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article.

[0061] The disclosures herein include the following processing apparatus and methods for manufacturing articles.

[0062] (Item 1) A processing apparatus for processing a workpiece by irradiating it with laser light, A rotating part that rotates around the axis of rotation, thereby rotating the intensity distribution of the laser beam after emission around the axis of rotation, A scanning unit that scans the laser light irradiated onto the workpiece, A control unit that irradiates the workpiece with the laser beam while reducing the deviation of at least one of the angle and position of the laser beam incident on the workpiece, which is caused by the misalignment between the centroid line of the laser beam incident on the rotating part and the axis of rotation, A processing apparatus characterized by having the following features.

[0063] (Item 2) The system further includes a detection unit for detecting the position of the centroid line of the laser beam, The processing apparatus according to item 1, characterized in that the control unit determines the deviation of at least one of the angle and position of the laser beam incident on the workpiece based on the position detected by the detection unit.

[0064] (Item 3) The processing apparatus according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that the misalignment between the centroid line of the laser beam incident on the rotating part and the axis of rotation includes at least one of the positional misalignment and angular misalignment between the centroid line and the axis of rotation.

[0065] (Item 4) The processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that the control unit irradiates the workpiece with the laser beam while reducing at least one of the angle and position deviation of the laser beam incident on the workpiece using the scanning unit.

[0066] (Item 5) The scanning unit, A first scanning unit that changes the position of the laser beam incident on the workpiece, A second scanning unit that changes the angle of the laser beam incident on the workpiece, Includes, The control unit reduces the positional deviation of the laser beam incident on the workpiece using the first scanning unit, and reduces the angular deviation of the laser beam incident on the workpiece using the second scanning unit while irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam. The processing apparatus described in item 4, characterized by the features described herein.

[0067] (Item 6) The processing apparatus according to item 5, characterized in that the control unit controls the rotating part so that the rotating part rotates at all times while the laser light is irradiated onto the workpiece.

[0068] (Item 7) The control unit, The scanning unit is controlled so that the laser beam irradiated onto the workpiece traces a circular trajectory on the workpiece. While the laser beam is irradiated onto the workpiece, the rotating part is controlled so that the laser beam incident at each position on the trajectory has the same shape with respect to the center of the circle. A processing apparatus as described in any one of items 1 to 4, characterized by the above.

[0069] (Item 8) The processing apparatus according to item 7, characterized in that the control unit controls the rotating part such that, while the laser light is irradiated onto the workpiece, portions of the laser light incident at each position on the trajectory that have an intensity higher than a predetermined intensity are located outside the center of the circle.

[0070] (Item 9) The processing apparatus according to item 7, characterized in that the control unit adjusts the rotating part so that, before irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam, a first direction from the center position of the laser beam toward the centroid of the light intensity of the laser beam coincides with a second direction from the center position of the laser beam toward the center position of the circle at the irradiation start position of the laser beam on the trajectory.

[0071] (Item 10) The control unit, The scanning unit is controlled so that the laser beam irradiated onto the workpiece traces a circular trajectory on the workpiece. While the laser beam is irradiated onto the workpiece, the rotating part is controlled so that the laser beam incident at each position on the trajectory has the same intensity in the radial direction of the circle. A processing apparatus as described in any one of items 1 to 4, characterized by the above.

[0072] (Item 11) The processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that the scanning unit is provided downstream of the rotating unit.

[0073] (Item 12) The rotating part is, An image rotation element for rotating the image of the laser beam, A housing for the image rotation element, A processing apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 11, characterized by including the following:

[0074] (Item 13) A process of processing a workpiece using a processing apparatus described in any one of items 1 to 12, A step of processing the workpiece processed in the above step to manufacture an article, A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by having the following:

[0075] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0076] 1: Processing device 200: Processing head 201: Laser beam 202: Image rotator 204: Shifter unit 207: Scanner unit 210: Workpiece 220: Sensor unit 227: Sensor 230: Control unit

Claims

1. A processing apparatus for processing a workpiece by irradiating it with laser light, A rotating part that rotates around the axis of rotation, thereby rotating the intensity distribution of the laser beam after emission around the axis of rotation, A scanning unit that scans the laser light irradiated onto the workpiece, A control unit controls the scanning unit to scan the workpiece with the laser beam, while reducing the deviation of at least one of the angle and position of the laser beam incident on the workpiece, which fluctuates in synchronization with the rotation of the rotating unit, caused by the misalignment between the centroid of the laser beam incident on the rotating unit and the rotation axis. A processing apparatus characterized by having the following features.

2. The system further includes a detection unit for detecting the position of the centroid line of the laser beam, The processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the control unit determines the deviation of at least one of the angle and position of the laser beam incident on the workpiece based on the position detected by the detection unit.

3. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the misalignment between the centroid of the laser beam incident on the rotating part and the axis of rotation includes at least one of the positional misalignment and the angular misalignment between the centroid and the axis of rotation.

4. The scanning unit, A first scanning unit that changes the position of the laser beam incident on the workpiece, A second scanning unit that changes the angle of the laser beam incident on the workpiece, Includes, The control unit reduces the positional deviation of the laser beam incident on the workpiece using the first scanning unit, and reduces the angular deviation of the laser beam incident on the workpiece using the second scanning unit, while irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam. The processing apparatus according to feature 1.

5. The processing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that the control unit controls the rotating part so that it is constantly rotating while the laser light is irradiated onto the workpiece.

6. The control unit, The scanning unit is controlled so that the laser beam irradiated onto the workpiece traces a circular trajectory on the workpiece. While the laser beam is irradiated onto the workpiece, the rotating part is controlled so that the laser beam incident at each position on the trajectory has the same shape with respect to the center of the circle. The processing apparatus according to feature 1.

7. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the control unit controls the rotating part such that, while the laser light is irradiated onto the workpiece, the centroid of the amount of light of the laser light incident at each position on the trajectory is outside the center of the circle relative to the center of the laser light.

8. The processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit adjusts the rotating part so that, when the center position of the laser beam and the centroid position of the light intensity of the laser beam are different, the first direction from the center position of the laser beam toward the centroid position of the light intensity of the laser beam coincides with the second direction from the center position of the laser beam toward the center position of the circle at the laser beam irradiation start position on the trajectory.

9. The control unit, The scanning unit is controlled so that the laser beam irradiated onto the workpiece traces a circular trajectory on the workpiece. While the laser beam is irradiated onto the workpiece, the rotating part is controlled so that the laser beam incident at each position on the trajectory has the same intensity in the radial direction of the circle. The processing apparatus according to feature 1.

10. The processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the scanning unit is provided downstream of the rotating unit.

11. The rotating part is An image rotation element for rotating the image of the laser beam, A housing for the image rotation element, The processing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by including the following:

12. A step of processing a workpiece using the processing apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 11, A step of processing the workpiece processed in the above step to manufacture an article, A method for manufacturing an article, characterized by having the following:

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