Sealed container and laser processing head

Abstract

A sealed container according to the present disclosure is provided to an emission unit in which laser light is emitted from a laser oscillator that oscillates a laser beam for laser processing a workpiece, the sealed container comprising a body portion having an opening, a wall portion that can open and close the opening, and a seal member that seals a gap between the body portion and the wall portion in a state in which the opening is closed by the wall portion, the wall portion having: a seal member attachment portion which has a groove shape surrounding the opening in a state where the opening is closed by the wall portion, and in which the seal member is provided; and a fluid supply path which has a supply port that is connected to a fluid supply source provided outside the sealed container and a discharge port that opens inside the seal member attachment portion, and via which fluid from the fluid supply source can be supplied to the inside of the seal member attachment portion.

Description

Sealed container and laser processing head

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a sealed container provided in an emission unit that emits laser light from a laser oscillator, and a laser processing head that is an emission unit that includes this sealed container.

[0002] Conventionally, laser processing devices that perform laser processing on workpieces may be equipped with a galvanometer scanner. Typically, the galvanometer scanner includes a laser beam deflection mechanism that deflects incident laser beams and a sealed container that houses the laser beam deflection mechanism. In a galvanometer scanner with such a configuration, if contaminants such as dust or oil mist enter the sealed container, this may cause malfunctions or performance degradation of the optical and electronic components arranged inside the sealed container.

[0003] To prevent such problems, conventional sealed containers have a rectangular parallelepiped frame, multiple panels attached to the frame to cover the laser beam deflection mechanism, and sealing members such as O-rings that seal the gaps between the frame and the panels. This configuration allows the interior of the sealed container to be sealed, making it difficult for gas to move from the outside to the inside of the sealed container. Therefore, the sealed container is configured to be less susceptible to the intrusion of contaminants.

[0004] Furthermore, in conventional sealed containers, in order to prevent the above-mentioned problems from occurring, clean air is constantly supplied to the inside of the sealed container, which increases the pressure inside the sealed container and makes it difficult for contaminants to enter the inside of the sealed container.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-257498

[0006] However, when a sealing member such as an O-ring is used, if the sealing ability of the sealed container is reduced due to deterioration of the sealing member, there is a problem that contaminants can easily enter the inside of the sealed container. When clean air is supplied to the inside of the sealed container, it is necessary to constantly supply clean air to the inside of the sealed container in an amount sufficient to pressurize the inside of the sealed container, which causes problems such as high energy consumption for compressing the air and high costs for an air purification device.

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, there is a need for a sealed container and a laser processing head that can reduce air consumption and the probability of contaminants entering the interior due to deterioration of the sealing member.

[0008] The sealed container of the present disclosure is a sealed container provided at an emission section that emits laser light from a laser oscillator that oscillates laser light for laser processing a workpiece, and comprises: a main body section having an opening; a wall section that can open and close the opening; and a sealing member that seals the gap between the main body section and the wall section when the opening is closed by the wall section, wherein the wall section is groove-shaped and surrounds the opening when the opening is closed by the wall section, and comprises a sealing member mounting section on which the sealing member is provided, a supply port connected to a fluid supply source provided outside the sealed container, and a discharge port that opens into the interior of the sealing member mounting section, and a fluid supply path that can supply fluid from the fluid supply source to the interior of the sealing member mounting section.

[0009] The laser processing head of the present disclosure is a laser processing head that is an emission unit that includes the sealed container of the present disclosure described above, and is provided with a reflection mechanism that is provided within the sealed container and reflects laser light from the laser oscillator, and the sealed container has a laser emission port that emits laser light reflected by the reflection mechanism and a protective window that protects the laser emission port, and an exhaust path that discharges fluid supplied inside the seal member mounting portion to the outside of the sealed container has an exhaust port that discharges the fluid discharged from the seal member mounting portion to the outside of the sealed container along the outer surface of the protective window.

[0010] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a sealed container according to a first embodiment of the present invention, with a portion omitted; FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the sealed container according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the inner surface of a wall portion located on the front side of the sealed container according to the first embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wall portion located on the front side of the sealed container according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with a portion enlarged; FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wall portion located on the side of the sealed container according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with a portion enlarged; FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a sealed container according to the first embodiment of the present invention, with a portion cross-sectional; FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a main body of the sealed container according to the second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a main body of the sealed container according to the second embodiment of the present invention, with a portion cross-sectional; FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sealed container according to a third embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wall portion located on the front side of the sealed container according to the third embodiment of the present invention, with a portion enlarged; FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wall portion located on the side of the sealed container according to the third embodiment of the present invention, with a portion enlarged; FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wall portion located on the side of the sealed container according to the third embodiment of the present invention, with a portion enlarged; and FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a sealed container according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a wall portion located on the front side of a sealed container according to embodiment 4 of the present invention, with a portion enlarged; Fig. 2 is a schematic front view showing a laser processing head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, with a reflection mechanism provided on a wall portion located on the bottom side of the sealed container; Fig. 3 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a wall portion located on the bottom side of the sealed container of the laser processing head according to embodiment 1 of the present invention, with a portion enlarged; Fig. 4 is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a wall portion located on the bottom side of the sealed container of the laser processing head according to embodiment 2 of the present invention, with a portion enlarged;

[0011] An aspect of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. A sealed container 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. The sealed container 1 of the first embodiment is provided in an emission section that emits laser light from a laser oscillator that oscillates laser light for laser processing a workpiece. Typically, the sealed container 1 is provided in a laser processing device that laser processes a workpiece. For example, the laser processing device includes a laser oscillator that oscillates laser light, an emission section that emits laser light from the laser oscillator, and an articulated robot on which the emission section is provided. The emission section is provided at the tip of an arm of the articulated robot. The sealed container 1 includes a main body section 2, wall sections 3 to 8, and a sealing member 9.

[0012] The main body 2 is, for example, in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped frame. Therefore, the main body 2 has a plurality of substantially rectangular openings 10 to 15. Specifically, the main body 2 has an opening 10 that opens on the front surface, an opening 11 that opens on the back surface, an opening 12 that opens on the left side surface, an opening 13 that opens on the right side surface, an opening 14 that opens on the top surface, and an opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface.

[0013] In the illustrated example, the main body 2 has a plurality of openings 10 to 15, and the sealed container 1 has a plurality of wall portions 3 to 8 that can open and close the plurality of openings 10 to 15. Specifically, the sealed container 1 has a wall portion 3 that can open and close the opening 10 that opens on the front surface, a wall portion 4 that can open and close the opening 11 that opens on the back surface, a wall portion 5 that can open and close the opening 12 that opens on the left side surface, a wall portion 6 that can open and close the opening 13 that opens on the right side surface, a wall portion 7 that can open and close the opening 14 that opens on the top surface, and a wall portion 8 that can open and close the opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface. With this configuration, the sealed container 1 can open and close the plurality of openings 10 to 15 individually.

[0014] The wall portion 3 is a substantially rectangular plate-like member with a plurality of through holes 16 formed on its outer edge. The through holes 16 penetrate the wall portion 3 in the thickness direction. As shown in FIG. 1 , with the inner surface of the wall portion 3 in contact with the main body portion 2 so as to close the opening 10, bolts are screwed into the main body portion 2 through the through holes 16, thereby attaching the wall portion 3 to the front side of the main body portion 2. The walls 4 to 8 are attached to the corresponding positions of the main body portion 2 in the same manner as the wall portion 3.

[0015] 3 and 4 , the wall 3 located on the front side of the sealed container 1 is a generally rectangular plate with the longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction. As described above, the wall 3 has a plurality of through holes 16. The wall 3 has a seal member mounting portion 17 for a seal member 9 (described later) and a fluid supply path 18 for supplying a fluid to the inside of the seal member mounting portion 17.

[0016] The seal member mounting portion 17 is provided on the inner surface of the wall portion 3. The seal member mounting portion 17 is continuous so as to surround the opening 10 of the main body portion 2 when the opening 10 is closed by the wall portion 3. That is, as shown in FIG. 3 , the seal member mounting portion 17 has a generally rectangular, endless shape with the longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 4 , the seal member mounting portion 17 has a groove shape that is recessed forward. The seal member mounting portion 17 has a generally rectangular cross section and has an inner surface 19 located on the inside and an outer surface 20 located on the outside.

[0017] A seal member 9 is provided in the seal member mounting portion 17. The seal member 9 is, for example, an O-ring. When the seal member 9 is an O-ring, the cross-sectional shape of the seal member 9 is circular. The diameter of this circular cross-sectional portion is smaller than the width of the groove-shaped seal member mounting portion 17. The seal member 9 having this configuration is provided inside the seal member mounting portion 17 in contact with the inner surface 19 of the seal member mounting portion 17. When the seal member 9 is attached to the seal member mounting portion 17, an endless space 21 is formed between the seal member 9 and the outer surface 20 inside the seal member mounting portion 17. As described above, when the wall portion 3 is attached to the main body portion 2, the opening 10 of the main body portion 2 is closed by the wall portion 3. When the opening 10 of the main body portion 2 is closed by the wall portion 3, the gap between the main body portion 2 and the wall portion 3 is sealed by the seal member 9 provided in the seal member mounting portion 17.

[0018] The fluid supply path 18 is linear and extends in the left-right direction, which is the plate surface direction of the wall portion 3, and is provided inside the wall portion 3. The fluid supply path 18 has a supply port 22 that opens to the outside of the wall portion 3 and a discharge port 23 that opens to the inside of the seal member mounting portion 17. In the illustrated example, the supply port 22 opens to a side surface of the wall portion 3. As shown in FIG. 2 , a fluid supply source 25 that can supply fluid is connected to the supply port 22 via a fluid path 24. The fluid supply source 25 is provided outside the sealed container 1. In the illustrated example, the discharge port 23 opens to the outer surface 20 of the groove-shaped seal member mounting portion 17. Therefore, the fluid supply path 18 communicates with the interior of the seal member mounting portion 17 via the discharge port 23. Specifically, the fluid supply path 18 communicates with a space 21 formed in the seal member mounting portion 17.

[0019] With this configuration, the fluid supply path 18 can supply fluid from the fluid supply source 25 to the space 21 inside the seal member mounting portion 17. In the first embodiment, the fluid supplied to the inside of the seal member mounting portion 17 is, for example, compressed air. When the fluid is compressed air, the fluid supply source 25 is an air compressor.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2 , a drying device 26 capable of drying the fluid is provided in the middle of the fluid path 24. Therefore, the fluid from the fluid supply source 25 is supplied to the supply port 22 via the drying device 26. Specifically, the fluid from the fluid supply source 25 passes through the fluid path 24 and is supplied to the supply port 22. At this time, the fluid is dried by the drying device 26 provided in the middle of the fluid path 24. Therefore, a dried fluid is supplied to the supply port 22. The fluid supplied to the supply port 22 is supplied into the fluid supply path 18 via the supply port 22. The fluid inside the fluid supply path 18 is supplied into the space 21 of the seal member mounting portion 17 via the discharge port 23. In the first embodiment, since the fluid is compressed air as described above, the drying device 26 is an air dryer.

[0021] In the illustrated example, the wall 4 that closes the opening 11 that opens on the back surface of the main body 2 has the same configuration as the wall 3, except that it does not have a fluid supply path 18. In the illustrated example, the wall 7 that closes the opening 14 that opens on the top surface of the main body 2 and the wall 8 that closes the opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface of the main body 2 have the same configuration as the wall 3, except that it does not have a fluid supply path 18. However, the lateral dimension of the wall 7 that closes the opening 14 that opens on the top surface of the main body 2 and the lateral dimension of the wall 8 that closes the opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface of the main body 2 are smaller than the lateral dimension of the wall 3.

[0022] 5 and 6 , the wall 6 located on the right side of the sealed container 1 is a generally rectangular plate with its longitudinal direction extending vertically. As described above, the wall 6 has a plurality of through holes 16. The wall 6 has a seal member attachment portion 17 and a discharge path 27 for discharging fluid supplied to the inside of the seal member attachment portion 17 to the outside.

[0023] The seal member mounting portion 17 is provided on the inner surface of the wall portion 6. The seal member mounting portion 17 is continuous so as to surround the opening 13 of the main body portion 2 when the opening 13 is closed by the wall portion 6. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, the seal member mounting portion 17 has an endless, generally rectangular shape with the longitudinal direction extending in the up-down direction. As shown in Fig. 6, the seal member mounting portion 17 has a groove shape recessed to the right. The seal member mounting portion 17 has a generally rectangular cross section and has an inner surface 19 located on the inside and an outer surface 20 located on the outside.

[0024] A seal member 9 is provided in the seal member mounting portion 17. The seal member 9 is, for example, an O-ring. When the seal member 9 is an O-ring, the cross-sectional shape of the seal member 9 is circular. The diameter of this circular cross-sectional portion is smaller than the width of the groove-shaped seal member mounting portion 17. The seal member 9 having this configuration is provided inside the seal member mounting portion 17 in contact with the inner surface 19 of the seal member mounting portion 17. When the seal member 9 is attached to the seal member mounting portion 17, an endless space 21 is formed between the seal member 9 and the outer surface 20 inside the seal member mounting portion 17. As described above, when the wall portion 6 is attached to the main body portion 2, the opening 13 of the main body portion 2 is closed by the wall portion 6. When the opening 13 of the main body portion 2 is closed by the wall portion 6, the gap between the main body portion 2 and the wall portion 6 is sealed by the seal member 9 provided in the seal member mounting portion 17.

[0025] The discharge path 27 is linear and extends in the left-right direction, which is the thickness direction of the wall portion 6, and is provided inside the wall portion 6. The discharge path 27 has a discharge port 28 that opens to the outside of the wall portion 6 and an inlet port 29 that opens to the inside of the seal member attachment portion 17. In the illustrated example, the discharge port 28 opens to the outer surface of the wall portion 6. Therefore, the discharge path 27 communicates with the outside of the sealed container 1 via the discharge port 28. In the illustrated example, the inlet port 29 opens to the bottom surface of the groove-shaped seal member attachment portion 17. Specifically, the inlet port 29 opens to the bottom surface of the space 21 formed in the seal member attachment portion 17. Therefore, the discharge path 27 communicates with the interior of the seal member attachment portion 17 via the inlet port 29. Specifically, the discharge path 27 communicates with the space 21 formed in the seal member attachment portion 17.

[0026] With this configuration, the discharge path 27 can discharge the fluid supplied to the inside of the seal member mounting portion 17 to the outside of the sealed container 1. Specifically, the fluid inside the seal member mounting portion 17 is taken into the discharge path 27 via the inlet 29. The fluid taken into the discharge path 27 flows through the discharge path 27 toward the outside. The fluid flowing through the discharge path 27 is discharged to the outside of the sealed container 1 via the discharge port 28. The wall 5 that closes the opening 12 that opens on the left side surface of the main body 2 has the same configuration as the wall 6, except that it does not have the discharge path 27.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 7 , the main body 2 has a connection path 30 connecting the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall 3 located on the front side of the sealed container 1 with the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall 6 located on the right side of the sealed container 1. The connection path 30 has a linear first path 31 extending along the front-rear direction and a linear second path 32 extending along the left-right direction. Note that FIG. 7 shows a cross section obtained by dividing the first path 31 and the second path 32 into two halves, one above the other. The first path 31 is concave and has an opening 33 that opens to the front of the main body 2. The opening 33 of the first path 31 opens into the interior of the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall 3. The second path 32 is concave and has an opening 34 that opens to the right side of the main body 2. The opening 34 of the second path 32 opens into the interior of the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall 6. The first path 31 and the second path 32 intersect and are therefore in communication with each other.

[0028] With this configuration, the fluid supplied to the inside of the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 3 is supplied to the inside of the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 6 via the connection path 30. Specifically, the fluid inside the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 3 is supplied to the inside of the first path 31 via the opening 33 of the first path 31. The fluid supplied to the inside of the first path 31 flows to the back side of the first path 31. The fluid inside the first path 31 is supplied to the inside of the second path 32 that communicates with the first path 31, and then flows to the front side of the second path 32. The fluid inside the second path 32 is supplied to the inside of the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 6 via the opening 34 of the second path 32.

[0029] The sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 3 that closes the opening 10 that opens to the front of the main body portion 2 and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 7 that closes the opening 14 that opens to the top surface of the main body portion 2, the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 3 that closes the opening 10 that opens to the front of the main body portion 2 and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 5 that closes the opening 12 that opens to the left side surface of the main body portion 2, and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 3 that closes the opening 10 that opens to the front of the main body portion 2 and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 8 that closes the opening 15 that opens to the bottom surface of the main body portion 2 are connected in the same manner as described above. The sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 4 that closes the opening 11 that opens on the back surface of the main body portion 2 and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 5 that closes the opening 12 that opens on the left side surface of the main body portion 2, the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 4 that closes the opening 11 that opens on the back surface of the main body portion 2 and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 7 that closes the opening 14 that opens on the top surface of the main body portion 2, the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 4 that closes the opening 11 that opens on the back surface of the main body portion 2 and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 6 that closes the opening 13 that opens on the right side surface of the main body portion 2, and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 4 that closes the opening 11 that opens on the back surface of the main body portion 2 and the sealing member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 8 that closes the opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface of the main body portion 2 are connected in the same manner as described above. With this configuration, the sealed container 1 can supply fluid supplied to the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 3 that closes the opening 10 that opens to the front of the main body portion 2 to the seal member mounting portions 17 of the other wall portions 4 to 8.

[0030] In the case of the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, a fluid is supplied to the space 21 between the outer surface 20 of the seal member attachment portion 17 and the seal member 9. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, the space 21 is pressurized by the fluid, and the fluid in the space 21 leaks out from between the inner surfaces of the wall portions 3 to 8 and the main body portion 2, thereby preventing contaminants from entering the inside of the sealed container 1.

[0031] In the case of the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, the sealed container 1 has a plurality of wall portions 3 to 8. A seal member mounting portion 17 of one of the plurality of wall portions 3 to 8 and a seal member mounting portion 17 of another of the plurality of wall portions 3 to 8 are connected by a connection path 30 provided in the main body 2. One of the one wall portion and the other wall portion has a fluid supply path 18. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, even if the number of fluid supply paths 18 is reduced, it is possible to supply fluid to each of the seal member mounting portions 17 of the plurality of wall portions 3 to 8.

[0032] Typically, in the case of the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, the seal member attachment portion 17 of the wall portion 3 that closes the opening 10 that opens to the front of the main body portion 2 is in communication with the seal member attachment portions 17 of all the other wall portions 4 to 8. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, even if there is only one fluid supply path 18, fluid can be supplied to the seal member attachment portions 17 of all the wall portions 3 to 8.

[0033] In the case of the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, dry compressed air is supplied to the seal member attachment portion 17. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, it is possible to prevent moisture from entering the inside of the sealed container 1, and it is possible to maintain or lower the dew point inside the sealed container 1.

[0034] The sealed container 1 of the first embodiment has a drain path 27 that drains the fluid inside the seal member attachment portion 17 to the outside. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, the pressure inside the seal member attachment portion 17 can be increased by blocking the drain path 27 with a finger, thereby easily removing the wall portion 6 from the main body 2. The drain path 27 may be blocked by closing a valve installed in the drain path 27. The sealed container 1 of the first embodiment uses the seal member 9, which is an O-ring. Therefore, in the case of the sealed container 1 of the first embodiment, the wall portion 6 cannot be easily removed from the main body 2 by simply removing the bolts without blocking the drain path 27 due to the adhesiveness of the seal member 9. Therefore, if the drain path 27 is blocked and the pressure inside the sealed container 1 is increased, the wall portion 6 will float off the main body 2.

[0035] Next, a sealed container 1a according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 8 and 9. Note that components having the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment have the same functions, and therefore their description may be omitted below. The sealed container 1a according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the main body 2.

[0036] The main body 2 has a rectangular frame shape, similar to the first embodiment. Specifically, support columns 35, 35, 36, 36 are arranged at the four corners of the main body 2, extending vertically. The distance between the front and rear support columns 35, 35 and the distance between the rear and rear support columns 36, 36 are longer than the distance between the front and rear support columns 35, 36. The upper ends of the front and rear support columns 35, 35, the lower ends of the front and rear support columns 35, 35, the upper ends of the rear and rear support columns 36, 36, and the lower ends of the rear and rear support columns 36, 36 are connected by first connecting members 37. The upper ends of the front and rear support columns 35, 36 and the lower ends of the front and rear support columns 35, 36 are connected by second connecting members 38.

[0037] In addition to the above configuration, the main body 2 of the second embodiment has a first connecting member 37 connecting the upper ends of the front left and right support columns 35, 35 to each other and a third connecting member 39 connecting the first connecting member 37 connecting the upper ends of the rear left and right support columns 36, 36 to each other. Because of this configuration, the main body 2 has two openings 14 on the top surface. These two openings 14, 14 are each closed by a different wall portion. Each of the two wall portions has a seal member mounting portion 17, as in the first embodiment.

[0038] The seal member mounting portion 17 of one wall portion and the seal member mounting portion 17 of the other wall portion are connected by a connection path 42 provided in the third connecting member 39 of the main body 2. The connection path 42 has a first path 43 that is linear along the vertical direction, a second path 44 that is linear along the vertical direction, and a third path 45 that is linear along the horizontal direction. Note that FIG. 9 shows a cross section of the third path 45 cut in two, vertically. The first path 43 is concave and opens into the interior of the seal member mounting portion 17 of one wall portion. The second path 44 is concave and opens into the interior of the seal member mounting portion 17 of the other wall portion. The third path 45 connects the rear end of the first path 43 to the rear end of the second path 44. In the case of the sealed container 1a of the second embodiment, the seal member mounting portion 17 of one wall portion is connected to the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 3 located on the front side of the sealed container 1a via the connection path described above.

[0039] With this configuration, fluid is supplied to seal member mounting portion 17 of one wall portion from seal member mounting portion 17 of wall portion 3. The fluid supplied to the inside of seal member mounting portion 17 of one wall portion is supplied to the inside of seal member mounting portion 17 of the other wall portion via connection path 42. Specifically, the fluid supplied to the inside of seal member mounting portion 17 of one wall portion passes through first path 43, third path 45, and second path 44 in this order, and is supplied to the inside of seal member mounting portion 17 of the other wall portion.

[0040] Next, a sealed container 1b according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 12. Note that components having the same reference numerals as those in the previous embodiment have the same functions, and therefore, their description may be omitted below.

[0041] The seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall 3 in this embodiment 3 is separated into an endless inner portion 46 and an endless outer portion 47 provided outside the inner portion 46. As shown in FIG. 11 , the inner portion 46 is groove-shaped and recessed forward and is provided on the inner surface of the wall 3. The inner portion 46 is continuous so as to surround the opening 10 of the main body 2 when the opening 10 is closed by the wall 3. That is, the inner portion 46 is an endless, generally rectangular portion whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction. The outer portion 47 is groove-shaped and recessed forward and is provided on the inner surface of the wall 3. The outer portion 47 is continuous so as to surround the aforementioned inner portion 46. That is, the outer portion 47 is an endless, generally rectangular portion whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction.

[0042] A seal member 9 is provided in the inner portion 46. Fluid is supplied to the outer portion 47 from a fluid supply source 25. Therefore, the discharge port 23 of the fluid supply path 18 opens into the interior of the outer portion 47 of the seal member attachment portion 17. Specifically, the discharge port 23 of the fluid supply path 18 opens into the outermost one of both side surfaces 48, 49 of the outer portion 47. The fluid supply path 18 is linear and extends in the left-right direction, which is the plate surface direction of the wall portion 3, and is provided inside the wall portion 3. The fluid supply path 18 has a supply port 22 that opens to the exterior of the wall portion 3 and a discharge port 23 that opens into the interior of the outer portion 47.

[0043] As described above, the seal member attachment portion 17 has an inner portion 46 and an outer portion 47. Therefore, a partition wall 50 is provided between the inner portion 46 and the outer portion 47 to separate the inner portion 46 from the outer portion 47. The partition wall 50 may be recessed forward from the inner surface of the wall portion 3. In other words, the distance between the partition wall 50 and the main body portion 2 may be greater than the distance between the inner surface of the wall portion 3 and the main body portion 2.

[0044] In the illustrated example, the wall 4 that closes the opening 11 that opens on the back surface of the main body 2 has the same configuration as the wall 3, except that it does not have a fluid supply path 18. In the illustrated example, the wall 7 that closes the opening 14 that opens on the top surface of the main body 2 and the wall 8 that closes the opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface of the main body 2 have the same configuration as the wall 3, except that it does not have a fluid supply path 18. However, the lateral dimension of the wall 7 that closes the opening 14 that opens on the top surface of the main body 2 and the lateral dimension of the wall 8 that closes the opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface of the main body 2 are smaller than the lateral dimension of the wall 3.

[0045] In this embodiment, the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall 6 is separated into an endless inner portion 46 and an endless outer portion 47 provided outside the inner portion 46. As shown in FIG. 12 , the inner portion 46 is a groove-like portion recessed to the right and provided on the inner surface of the wall 6. The inner portion 46 is continuous so as to surround the opening 13 of the main body 2 when the opening 13 is closed by the wall 6. That is, the inner portion 46 is a generally rectangular, endless portion with its longitudinal direction extending in the up-down direction. The outer portion 47 is a groove-like portion recessed to the right and provided on the inner surface of the wall 6. The outer portion 47 is continuous so as to surround the aforementioned inner portion 46. That is, the outer portion 47 is a generally rectangular, endless portion with its longitudinal direction extending in the up-down direction. A partition wall 50 is provided between the inner portion 46 and the outer portion 47, separating the inner portion 46 from the outer portion 47. The partition wall 50 may be recessed to the right from the inner surface of the wall portion 6 .

[0046] A seal member 9 is provided on the inner portion 46. A fluid is supplied to the interior of the outer portion 47. Therefore, the outer portion 47 of the wall portion 6 is connected to the outer portion 47 of the wall portion 3 via a connection path 30. The fluid inside the outer portion 47 of the wall portion 6 is discharged to the outside of the sealed container 1b via a discharge path 27. The discharge path 27 is linear and extends along the left-right direction, which is the thickness direction of the wall portion 6, and is provided inside the wall portion 6. The discharge path 27 has a discharge port 28 that opens on the outer surface of the wall portion 6 and an inlet 29 that opens on the bottom surface of the outer portion 47. The wall portion 5 that closes the opening 12 that opens on the left side surface of the main body 2 has the same configuration as the wall portion 6, except that it does not have a discharge path 27.

[0047] In the case of the sealed container 1b of the third embodiment, a fluid is supplied to the inside of the outer part 47 of the seal member attachment part 17. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1b of the third embodiment, the inside of the outer part 47 is pressurized by the fluid, and the fluid inside the outer part 47 leaks out from between the inner surface of the wall part 3 and the main body part 2, thereby preventing contaminants from entering the inside of the sealed container 1b.

[0048] In the case of the sealed container 1b of the third embodiment, the seal member attachment portion 17 is separated into an inner portion 46 where the seal member 9 is provided and an outer portion 47 to which the fluid is supplied. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1b of the third embodiment, the inner portion 46 can be made to an appropriate size to match the seal member 9, and the sealability of the sealed container 1b can be improved while maintaining the effect of preventing the intrusion of contaminants by the fluid.

[0049] In the case of the sealed container 1b of the third embodiment, a partition wall 50 is provided between the inner portion 46 and the outer portion 47 to separate the inner portion 46 from the outer portion 47. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1b of the third embodiment, when the partition wall 50 is recessed relative to the inner surface of the wall portion 3, the fluid in the outer portion 47 flows over the partition wall 50 into the inner portion 46, thereby providing a double-sealed structure.

[0050] Next, a sealed container 1c according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 13 and 14. Note that components having the same reference numerals as those in the previous embodiment have the same functions, and therefore, the description thereof may be omitted below.

[0051] In the sealed container 1c of the fourth embodiment, similarly to the third embodiment, the seal member mounting portion 17 of the wall portion 3 is separated into an inner portion 46 and an outer portion 47. In the sealed container 1c of the fourth embodiment, in addition to the seal member mounting portion 17 being separated into the inner portion 46 and the outer portion 47, the wall portion 3 has another seal member mounting portion 51. The another seal member mounting portion 51 has a groove shape recessed forward and is provided on the inner surface of the wall portion 3. The another seal member mounting portion 51 is continuous so as to surround the outer portion 47. That is, the another seal member mounting portion 51 has an endless, substantially rectangular shape with the longitudinal direction extending in the left-right direction. A seal member 9 is provided on the another seal member mounting portion 51. A partition wall 50 is provided between the inner portion 46 and the outer portion 47, separating the inner portion 46 from the outer portion 47. A partition wall 52 is provided between the outer portion 47 and the separate seal member mounting portion 51 to separate the outer portion 47 from the separate seal member mounting portion 51. The partition walls 50, 52 may be recessed forward of the inner surface of the wall portion 3.

[0052] Fluid is supplied to the outer portion 47 from the fluid supply source 25 via a fluid supply path 18. The fluid supply path 18 is linear and extends in the front-to-rear direction, which is the thickness direction of the wall portion 3, and is provided inside the wall portion 3. The fluid supply path 18 has a supply port 22 that opens to the outer surface of the wall portion 3 and a discharge port 23 that opens to the bottom surface of the outer portion 47.

[0053] In the illustrated example, the wall 4 that closes the opening 11 that opens on the back surface of the main body 2 has the same configuration as the wall 3, except that it does not have a fluid supply path 18. In the illustrated example, the wall 7 that closes the opening 14 that opens on the top surface of the main body 2 and the wall 8 that closes the opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface of the main body 2 have the same configuration as the wall 3, except that it does not have a fluid supply path 18. However, the lateral dimension of the wall 7 that closes the opening 14 that opens on the top surface of the main body 2 and the lateral dimension of the wall 8 that closes the opening 15 that opens on the bottom surface of the main body 2 are smaller than the lateral dimension of the wall 3.

[0054] Although not shown, the wall 6 has a seal member mounting portion 17 separated into an inner portion 46 and an outer portion 47, and another seal member mounting portion 51, similar to the wall 3 described above. A partition wall 50 is provided between the inner portion 46 and the outer portion 47, separating the inner portion 46 from the outer portion 47. A partition wall 52 is provided between the outer portion 47 and the other seal member mounting portion 51, separating the outer portion 47 from the other seal member mounting portion 51. The partition walls 50 and 52 may be recessed to the right of the inner surface of the wall 6. A fluid is supplied to the interior of the outer portion 47. Therefore, the outer portion 47 of the wall 6 is connected to the outer portion 47 of the wall 3 via the connection path 30. The fluid inside the outer portion 47 of the wall 6 is discharged to the outside of the sealed container 1c via the discharge path 27. The discharge path 27 is linearly shaped along the left-right direction, which is the thickness direction of the wall 6, and is provided inside the wall 6. The discharge path 27 has a discharge port 28 that opens on the outer surface of the wall 6 and an intake port 29 that opens on the bottom surface of the outer portion 47. The wall 5 that closes the opening 12 that opens on the left side surface of the main body 2 has the same configuration as the wall 6, except that it does not have the discharge path 27.

[0055] In the case of the sealed container 1c of the fourth embodiment, a fluid is supplied to the inside of the outer part 47 of the seal member attachment part 17. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1c of the fourth embodiment, the inside of the outer part 47 is pressurized by the fluid, and it is possible to prevent contaminants from entering the inside of the sealed container 1c.

[0056] In the case of the sealed container 1c of the fourth embodiment, partition walls 50, 52 are provided between the inner portion 46 and the outer portion 47, and between the outer portion 47 and another seal member attachment portion 51. Therefore, according to the sealed container 1c of the fourth embodiment, when the partition walls 50, 52 are recessed relative to the inner surface of the wall portion 3, the fluid in the outer portion 47 flows over the partition wall 50 into the inner portion 46, and the fluid in the outer portion 47 flows over the partition wall 52 into another seal member attachment portion 51, so that a multiplexed seal structure can be achieved.

[0057] Next, a laser processing head 53 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 15 and 16. Note that components having the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment have the same functions, and therefore, their description may be omitted below.

[0058] The laser processing head 53 of the first embodiment is an emission unit including the sealed container 1, and is provided inside the arm of an articulated robot of a laser processing device or inside a laser processing machine. The laser processing head 53 includes the sealed container 1 and a reflecting mechanism 54 provided inside the sealed container 1. The reflecting mechanism 54 reflects the laser light emitted from the laser oscillator.

[0059] In addition to the above-described configuration, the sealed container 1 has a laser emission port 55 that emits laser light reflected by the reflection mechanism 54, and a protective window 56 that protects the laser emission port 55. In the illustrated example, the wall 8 located on the bottom side of the sealed container 1 has the laser emission port 55 and the protective window 56. The laser emission port 55 penetrates the wall 8 in the thickness direction of the wall 8. The protective window 56 is plate-shaped and is provided on the inner surface of the laser emission port 55 with the plate surface facing the thickness direction of the wall 8. The protective window 56 is provided at the laser emission port 55 so as to cover the laser emission port 55. When the protective window 56 is provided at the laser emission port 55, the laser emission port 55 has an upper space 57 that is concave and opens to the inside of the sealed container 1 and is located above the protective window 56, and a lower space 58 that is concave and opens to the outside of the sealed container 1 and is located below the protective window 56. The laser emission port 55 is, for example, a circular through-hole. When the laser emission port 55 is circular, the protective window 56 is disk-shaped.

[0060] As in the first embodiment, the wall 8 located on the bottom side of the sealed container 1 has an endless seal member mounting portion 17 on which a seal member 9 is provided. The seal member mounting portion 17 is located outside the laser emission port 55. The wall 8 located on the bottom side of the sealed container 1 has a discharge path 27 that discharges fluid inside the seal member mounting portion 17 to the outside. The discharge path 27 is provided inside the wall 8. The discharge path 27 has a discharge port 28 that opens to the outside of the wall 8 and an inlet 29 that opens to the inside of the seal member mounting portion 17. In the illustrated example, the discharge port 28 opens to the inner surface of the space 58 below the laser emission port 55. The inlet 29 opens to the bottom surface of the space 21 formed in the groove-shaped seal member mounting portion 17. With this configuration, the discharge port 28 of the discharge path 27 can discharge the fluid discharged from the seal member mounting portion 17 to the outside of the sealed container 1 along the outer surface of the protective window 56.

[0061] The reflection mechanism 54 of the laser processing head 53 of the first embodiment has, for example, a mirror 59 that reflects laser light from the laser oscillator, and a drive unit 60 that drives the mirror 59. The mirror 59 is provided on a rotation shaft 61 of the drive unit 60. The angle of the mirror 59 can be changed by rotating the rotation shaft 61 about its axis using the drive unit 60. Therefore, by driving the mirror 59, the laser light can be deflected in the direction of the protective window 56 while scanning. When the laser processing head 53 has a reflection mechanism 54 that can drive the mirror 59, the laser processing head 53 has a built-in galvanometer scanner.

[0062] In the case of the laser processing head 53 of the first embodiment, the fluid discharged from the discharge path 27 flows along the outer surface of the protective window 56. Therefore, the laser processing head 53 of the first embodiment can prevent spatter and fumes generated during processing of the workpiece from adhering to the protective window 56, thereby protecting the protective window 56.

[0063] In the case of the laser processing head 53 of the first embodiment, dry compressed air is supplied to the seal member attachment portion 17. Therefore, the laser processing head 53 of the first embodiment can prevent moisture from entering the inside of the sealed container 1, and can maintain or lower the dew point inside the sealed container 1. This can prevent damage to optical components and electronic components inside the sealed container 1 due to condensation.

[0064] Next, a laser processing head 53a according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Note that components having the same reference numerals as those in the previous embodiment have the same functions, and therefore, their description may be omitted below.

[0065] In the laser processing head 53a of the second embodiment, the wall portion 8 located on the bottom side of the sealed container 1 has a seal member attachment portion 17 separated into an inner portion 46 and an outer portion 47, similar to the case of the sealed container 1b of the third embodiment. The wall portion 8 located on the bottom side of the sealed container 1 has a discharge path 27 that discharges the fluid inside the seal member attachment portion 17 to the outside. The discharge path 27 is provided inside the wall portion 8. The discharge path 27 has a discharge port 28 that opens to the inner surface of the space 58 below the laser emission port 55, and an inlet port 29 that opens to the bottom surface of the outer portion 47.

[0066] According to at least one of the embodiments described above, the seal member 9 is provided in the seal member attachment portion 17, and a fluid is supplied to the seal member attachment portion 17. Therefore, it is possible to provide a sealed container 1 and a laser processing head 53 that can reduce the amount of air consumed and reduce the probability of contaminants entering the interior due to deterioration of the seal member 9.

[0067] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail, the present disclosure is not limited to the individual embodiments described above. Various additions, substitutions, modifications, partial deletions, etc. are possible in these embodiments without departing from the gist of the present disclosure or the spirit of the present disclosure derived from the content of the claims and their equivalents. These embodiments can also be implemented in combination. For example, in the above-described embodiments, the order of each operation and the order of each process are shown as examples and are not limited to these. The same applies when numerical values ​​or mathematical expressions are used in the description of the above-described embodiments.

[0068] For example, the wall portion in which the fluid supply path 18 is provided is not limited to that in the above embodiment. Specifically, the fluid supply path 18 may be provided in one or more appropriate wall portions. Accordingly, the connection path 30 connecting the seal member mounting portions 17, 17 of adjacent wall portions is appropriately provided in the main body 2.

[0069] The wall portion in which the discharge path 27 is provided is not limited to that in the above embodiment. Specifically, the discharge path 27 may be provided in at least one of the plurality of wall portions 3 to 8.

[0070] The following supplementary notes are further disclosed regarding the above embodiment. (Supplementary Note 1) The sealed container (1) is provided in an emission section that emits laser light from a laser oscillator that oscillates laser light for laser processing a workpiece, and includes a main body (2) having openings (10-15), wall sections (3-8) that can open and close the openings (10-15), and a seal member (9) that seals a gap between the main body (2) and the wall sections (3-8) when the openings (10-15) are closed by the wall sections (3-8). The sealing member mounting portion (17) is groove-shaped and surrounds the opening (10) when the opening (10) is closed by the wall portion (3), and has the sealing member (9) mounted thereon, a supply port (22) connected to a fluid supply source (25) provided outside the sealed container (1), and a discharge port (23) opening into the inside of the sealing member mounting portion (17), and a fluid supply path (18) capable of supplying fluid from the fluid supply source (25) to the inside of the sealing member mounting portion (17).

[0071] (Supplementary Note 2) In the sealed container (1) of Supplementary Note 1, the main body (2) has a plurality of the openings (10 to 15), the wall portions (3 to 8) have a plurality of the openings (10 to 15) that can be opened and closed individually, the seal member mounting portion (17) of one of the wall portions and the seal member mounting portion (17) of the other of the wall portions are connected by a connection path (30) provided in the main body (2), and one of the one of the wall portions and the other of the wall portions may have the fluid supply path (18).

[0072] (Supplementary Note 3) In the sealed container (1) of Supplementary Note 1 or 2, the sealing member attachment portion (17) may be separated into a groove-shaped inner portion (46) that surrounds the openings (10-15) when the openings (10-15) are closed by the wall portions (3-8) and a groove-shaped outer portion (47) that surrounds the inner portion (46), the sealing member (9) may be provided in the inner portion (46), and the discharge port (23) of the fluid supply path (18) may open into the outer portion (47).

[0073] (Supplementary Note 4) In the sealed container (1) according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, the fluid from the fluid supply source (25) may be supplied to the supply port (22) via a drying device (26) that dries the fluid.

[0074] (Supplementary Note 5) In any of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, the sealed container (1) may have a discharge path (27) that discharges the fluid supplied to the inside of the seal member mounting portion (17) to the outside of the sealed container (1).

[0075] (Appendix 6) The laser processing head (53) is a laser processing head (53) that is an emission part that includes the sealed container (1) described in Appendix 5, and includes a reflection mechanism (54) that is provided inside the sealed container (1) and reflects laser light from the laser oscillator, the sealed container (1) has a laser emission port (55) that emits the laser light reflected by the reflection mechanism (54) and a protective window (56) that protects the laser emission port (55), and the discharge path (27) has a discharge port (28) that discharges the fluid discharged from the seal member mounting portion (17) to the outside of the sealed container (1) along the outer surface of the protective window (56).

[0076] (Supplementary Note 7) In the laser processing head (53) in Supplementary Note 6, the reflection mechanism (54) may have a mirror (59) that reflects the laser light from the laser oscillator, and a drive unit (60) that drives the mirror (59).

[0077] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 sealed container 2 main body 3 wall 4 wall 5 wall 6 wall 7 wall 8 wall 9 seal member 10 opening 11 opening 12 opening 13 opening 14 opening 15 opening 17 seal member mounting portion 18 fluid supply path 22 supply port 23 discharge port 25 fluid supply source 26 drying device 27 discharge path 28 discharge port 30 connection path 46 inner portion 47 outer portion 53 laser processing head 54 reflection mechanism 55 laser emission port 56 protective window 59 mirror 60 driving portion

Claims

1. A sealed container provided in an emission section that emits laser light from a laser oscillator that oscillates laser light for laser processing a workpiece, the sealed container comprising: a main body section having an opening; a wall section that can open and close the opening; and a sealing member that seals a gap between the main body section and the wall section when the opening is closed by the wall section, wherein the wall section has a groove shape that surrounds the opening when the opening is closed by the wall section, and the sealing member mounting section is provided with the sealing member; and a fluid supply path that has a supply port connected to a fluid supply source provided outside the sealed container and a discharge port that opens into the seal member mounting section, and can supply fluid from the fluid supply source to the inside of the seal member mounting section.

2. The sealed container according to claim 1, wherein the main body has a plurality of openings, the wall has a plurality of openings that can be opened and closed individually, the seal member mounting portion of one of the wall portions and the seal member mounting portion of the other of the wall portions are connected by a connection path provided in the main body, and one of the one of the wall portions and the other of the wall portions has the fluid supply path.

3. A sealed container as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the sealing member mounting portion is separated into a groove-shaped inner portion that surrounds the opening when the opening is closed by the wall portion, and a groove-shaped outer portion that surrounds the inner portion, the sealing member is provided in the inner portion, and the discharge port of the fluid supply path opens into the interior of the outer portion.

4. The sealed container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fluid from the fluid supply source is supplied to the supply port via a drying device that dries the fluid.

5. A sealed container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a discharge path for discharging the fluid supplied to the inside of the seal member mounting portion to the outside of the sealed container.

6. A laser processing head as an emission unit having the sealed container according to claim 5, comprising a reflection mechanism provided within the sealed container for reflecting laser light from the laser oscillator, the sealed container having a laser emission port for emitting the laser light reflected by the reflection mechanism and a protective window for protecting the laser emission port, and the discharge path having a discharge port for discharging fluid discharged from the sealing member mounting portion to the outside of the sealed container along the outer surface of the protective window.

7. A laser processing head according to claim 6, wherein the reflecting mechanism comprises a mirror that reflects the laser light from the laser oscillator, and a drive unit that drives the mirror.

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