Work support device and computer-readable storage medium

The work assistance device automates the optimization of laser processing parameters, reducing the burden on skilled engineers by using intelligent parameter search and program creation to enhance machining efficiency and quality.

WO2026042219A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-02-26FANUC LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/JP2024/029756
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-08-22
Publication Date
2026-02-26

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Creating machining programs for laser processing requires skilled engineers and significant man-hours, increasing the burden on engineers in optimizing the removal of surface layers from workpieces.

Method used

A work assistance device that includes a state acquisition unit, parameter search unit, instruction unit, and execution result acquisition unit to automate the search for laser processing parameters using the element ratio on the workpiece surface as a target variable, optimizing machining quality with minimal human intervention.

Benefits of technology

Reduces the burden on engineers by automating the optimization of laser processing parameters, improving machining efficiency and quality through intelligent parameter search and program creation.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

A work support device according to the present disclosure comprises: a state acquisition unit that acquires a state of a workpiece surface after laser processing; a parameter search unit that searches for a laser processing parameter using a ratio of elements on the workpiece surface as an objective variable; an instruction unit that causes the workpiece surface to be subjected to the laser processing on the basis of the retrieved parameter; and an execution result acquisition unit that acquires the ratio of elements on the workpiece surface after the laser processing. The parameter search unit searches for the parameter until the ratio of elements on the workpiece surface after the laser processing satisfies a termination condition.
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Description

Work support device and computer-readable storage medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a work assistance device and a computer-readable storage medium.

[0002] Conventionally, there are processes that use lasers to remove the surface layer of a workpiece. Examples of processes that remove the surface layer of a workpiece include removing the coating from rectangular copper wires in electric vehicles, removing zinc from electro-galvanized sheets (SECC), removing paint from painted panels, and removing rust from mild steel. For example, see Patent Document 1.

[0003] JP 2011-245496 A

[0004] To optimize machining, engineers create machining programs, input the programs into a numerical control device, perform actual machining, and check the machining quality. Engineers repeatedly create machining programs and check the machining quality until they achieve sufficient machining quality.

[0005] Creating a machining program requires skill and experience. Therefore, it is a task that depends on engineers with specific skills. Furthermore, it requires the man-hours of engineers with such skills.

[0006] In the field of laser processing, it is desirable to reduce the burden on engineers involved in processing workpiece surfaces that involves peeling.

[0007] A work assistance device according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a state acquisition unit that acquires the state of a work surface after laser processing; a parameter search unit that searches for laser processing parameters using the element ratio on the work surface as a target variable; an instruction unit that causes laser processing of the work surface based on the searched parameters; and an execution result acquisition unit that acquires the element ratio on the work surface after laser processing, and the parameter search unit searches for parameters until the element ratio on the work surface after laser processing satisfies a termination condition.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the relationship between a laser processing machine and a numerical control device when the work support device is an industrial PC. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the work support device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a status acquisition unit. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a parameter search unit. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an instruction unit. FIG. 6 is an example of a screen displaying cause analysis and recommended information. FIG. 7 is an example of a screen displaying cause analysis, recommended information, and a degree of agreement. FIG. 8 is an example of a screen displaying cause analysis and a machining program. FIG. 9 is an example of a screen displaying cause analysis, a machining program, and a quality prediction. A flowchart showing the procedure for parameter search. A diagram explaining two-stage parameter search. A diagram explaining an example of two-stage machining. FIG. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram of the work support device.

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, components having the same or similar functions will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Duplicate descriptions of those components may be omitted.

[0010] In this application, "based on XX" means "based on at least XX," and includes cases where it is based on other elements in addition to XX. Furthermore, "based on XX" is not limited to cases where XX is used directly, but also includes cases where it is based on XX that has been calculated or processed. "XX" is any element (for example, any information).

[0011] The work support device 100 of this embodiment is a numerical control device (CNC: Computer Numerical Control) or an industrial PC (Personal Computer) connected to a numerical control device. FIG. 1 shows the relationship between a laser processing machine and a numerical control device when the work support device 100 is an industrial PC. The work support device 100 may be a numerical control device or another information processing device. The laser processing machine includes a galvanometer scanner, a stage, a laser controller (not shown), and a gas nozzle. The galvanometer scanner controls the laser in any direction using a reflecting mirror and irradiates the laser light along a processing path commanded by the numerical control device. The stage fixes the workpiece. The stage may move the workpiece in two or three axis directions. The scanning speed (including direction) of the laser light can be controlled by moving the galvanometer scanner and stage. The laser controller controls the laser output, pulse frequency, focal length, etc. The gas nozzle controls the gas pressure, flow rate, etc. of the assist gas. The assist gas removes molten material that occurs on the workpiece surface. The assist gas also affects the chemical reaction on the workpiece surface. For example, if the assist gas is oxygen, the workpiece surface will oxidize. The gas nozzle controls the gas pressure, etc. A camera is attached to the laser processing machine. The camera may be a regular image camera, an elemental analysis camera, or both. The elemental analysis camera outputs the elements on the workpiece surface.

[0012] The computer numerical control device (CNC) controls the processing path of the laser beam, the scanning speed of the laser beam, the laser output, the gas pressure of the assist gas, etc. in accordance with the processing program (or input by an engineer).

[0013] 2 is a block diagram of the work support device 100. The work support device 100 includes a state acquisition unit 10, a parameter search unit 20, an instruction unit 30, an execution result acquisition unit 40, and a determination unit 50.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 3 , the state acquisition unit 10 includes at least one of an image processing unit 11 and an analysis result acquisition unit 12. The image processing unit 11 performs image processing such as image recognition and object detection. The image processing unit 11 determines the type and position of material on the workpiece surface using image processing. The image processing unit 11 further determines the presence or absence of residue on the workpiece surface, the shape of the residue, etc. using quality assessment technology. The analysis result acquisition unit 12 acquires the analysis results of the elemental analysis camera. The elemental analysis camera detects the type of elements present on the workpiece surface and the composition ratio of the elements as the analysis results. The composition ratio of the elements is expressed as a percentage, for example, "copper (Cu) 70%, carbon (C) 25%, others 5%." Furthermore, the molecular structure of the material present on the workpiece surface may be estimated from the composition ratio of the elements.

[0015] The parameter search unit 20 optimizes the parameters of the laser processing machine. A parameter search algorithm is used for the optimization. There are many parameter search algorithms, such as Bayesian optimization, Latin hypercube sampling, and neural networks. In this embodiment, Bayesian optimization will be used as an example. The parameter search algorithm is not particularly limited.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 4 , the parameter search unit 20 includes an objective variable unit 21, an explanatory variable unit 22, a range unit 23, a supplementary information unit 24, and a termination condition unit 25. The objective variable unit 21 accepts the setting of an objective variable for the parameter search. The objective variable for the parameter search is a numerical value indicating the state when ideal stripping is performed. Specifically, the objective variable is the proportion of elements (or molecules, which are a combination of elements) that appear on the workpiece surface when an unnecessary layer is stripped. For example, when removing the coating of a rectangular copper wire, the objective variable is the proportion of copper (Cu) underneath the coating, and when removing the zinc coating from a zinc-plated sheet, the objective variable is the proportion of iron (Fe) underneath the zinc layer. The objective variable for the parameter search may be specified by the user or automatically determined by AI (artificial intelligence) based on the processing content.

[0017] The explanatory variable section 22 accepts the setting of parameters (explanatory variables). The explanatory variables may be specified by the user or may be automatically determined by AI based on past laser processing data. The explanatory variables are variables (parameters) that affect the quality of laser processing. Examples of explanatory variables include laser output, scanning speed (including direction), and assist gas pressure. Other possible explanatory variables include oscillation wavelength, pulse width, pulse frequency, beam quality, and focal length.

[0018] The range section 23 accepts the setting of the search range of the explanatory variables. In parameter search, it is necessary to define the search range rather than searching an infinite range. The search range of the explanatory variables may be specified by the user, or may be automatically determined by AI based on past data of similar processing.

[0019] The supplemental information unit 24 creates supplemental information necessary for generative design. Generative design is a design method that combines generative AI and design. In generative design, execution results obtained by actually operating a machine are combined with known knowledge such as reaction formulas to create a model with high predictive accuracy, and appropriate parameters are searched for with minimal processing by repeatedly creating and searching the model.

[0020] This section explains existing knowledge in generative design. When a workpiece surface is irradiated with laser light, the workpiece surface absorbs the laser light. The absorbed laser light is instantly converted into heat. The heat is conducted from the surface to areas with lower temperatures. As a result, the workpiece surface reaches its melting point. Once the workpiece surface reaches its melting point, it evaporates at a certain speed. The material on the workpiece surface is blown away by the assist gas, and unnecessary layers on the workpiece surface are peeled off. Furthermore, depending on the condition of the workpiece surface, a chemical reaction may occur between the material on the workpiece surface and the assist gas. Physical and chemical phenomena such as the amount of laser light absorbed, heat conduction, and chemical reactions between the workpiece surface and the assist gas can be simulated using mathematical formulas.

[0021] The parameter search unit 20 creates a model that outputs a target variable based on known information (supplementary information), such as the thickness of the workpiece surface (coating) to be peeled, the melting point of the material covering the workpiece surface, the absorption rate of the laser light, and the type of assist gas, as well as known knowledge and past experimental results. The parameter search unit 20 searches for appropriate parameters with fewer machining runs by repeating modeling and search. Note that generative design is an additional process that improves prediction accuracy. Parameter optimization is possible using only parameter search algorithms such as Bayesian optimization.

[0022] The termination condition unit 25 accepts the setting of the termination condition for the parameter search. In this embodiment, processing is terminated when the chemical composition of the workpiece surface reaches a predetermined number or more. For example, in removing the coating from a rectangular copper plate, the search is terminated when the proportion of copper (Cu) beneath the coating exceeds a threshold value of 95%.

[0023] The instruction unit 30 instructs the laser processing machine to execute the search results of the parameter search unit 20. As shown in FIG. 5, the instruction unit 30 includes at least one of a program creation unit 31 and a recommended information output unit 32.

[0024] The program creation unit 31 creates a machining program based on the parameters (next search point) output from the parameter search unit 20. The program creation unit 31 creates a machining program using a generation AI. The program creation unit 31 may create a machining program each time a search point is input, or may only update the numerical values ​​of an already created machining program. The program creation unit 31 may be a CAM (Computer Aided Machining). Using CAM makes it possible to create a machining program taking into account the shape of the workpiece.

[0025] The recommendation information output unit 32 displays the prediction results on the screen of the industrial PC or on the operation screen of the numerical control device. The prediction results are recommendation information for parameter adjustment, indicating which parameters (explanatory variables) should be changed and how to change them to bring the value of the objective variable closer to the target. The prediction results are acquired from the parameter search unit 20. For example, in Bayesian optimization, if N machining operations have been performed up to now, the parameters for the N+1th operation are predicted. The parameters for the N+1st operation are compared with the parameters for the Nth operation, the cause is analyzed, and recommendation information is provided to bring the parameters closer to the N+1th operation. If the laser output for the Nth operation is lower than the laser output for the N+1st operation, the result of the cause analysis will be "laser output is insufficient," and the recommendation information will be "increase the laser output."

[0026] 6 is an example of a screen displaying a cause analysis and recommended information. In FIG. 6, the first line is a cause analysis of "insufficient laser output" and a recommended information of "increase laser output," the second line is a cause analysis of "too fast processing speed" and a recommended information of "reduce processing speed," the third line is a cause analysis of "high laser frequency" and a recommended information of "reduce laser frequency," the fourth line is a cause analysis of "incorrect processing path" and a recommended information of "try a zigzag path," and the fifth line is a cause analysis of "incorrect focal position" and a recommended information of "adjust focus."

[0027] The accuracy of the recommended information may be displayed as a degree of match. Fig. 7 is an example of a screen displaying the cause analysis, the recommended information, and the degree of match. In Fig. 7, the degree of match in the first line is "90%," the degree of match in the second line is "70%," the degree of match in the third line is "50%," the degree of match in the fourth line is "30%," and the degree of match in the fifth line is "10%."

[0028] 6 and 7, the information recommended for improving the machining program, such as cause analysis, recommendation information, and degree of agreement, is provided to the engineer. This information assists the engineer as reference information.

[0029] Next, the presentation of the machining program will be described. The instruction unit 30 may display the machining program created by the program creation unit 31 as reference information on the screen of an industrial PC or the operation screen of a numerical control device. FIG. 8 is an example of a screen displaying a cause analysis and a machining program. In FIG. 8, the first line is the cause analysis "insufficient laser output," and the correction part of the machining program is "S2000P1000Q50F20000." The second line is the cause analysis "fast machining speed," and the correction part of the machining program is "S1000P1000Q50F10000." The third line is the cause analysis "high frequency," and the correction part of the machining program is "S1000P1000Q25F20000." The fourth line is the cause analysis "incorrect machining path," and the fifth line is the cause analysis "incorrect focal position." The correction parts of the fourth and fifth lines are omitted.

[0030] Fig. 9 is an example of a screen displaying the cause analysis, machining program, and quality prediction. Fig. 9 displays the machining program and the appearance of the workpiece surface when the machining program is executed in association with each other. Fig. 9 displays the machining quality in descending order.

[0031] In the examples of Figures 8 and 9, the corrections to the machining program are provided to the engineer. The engineer can confirm the corrections to the machining program and the correction contents. In Figure 9, the predicted machining quality can also be confirmed by image. This information is used as reference information for the engineer.

[0032] The execution result acquisition unit 40 acquires the state of the workpiece surface after machining from the state acquisition unit 10. The state is expressed as the proportion of the target material (objective variable) appearing on the workpiece surface after the Nth machining execution. The parameter search unit 20 repeats the parameter search until the value of the objective variable reaches a threshold value.

[0033] 10 shows the procedure for parameter search. First, the objective variable, explanatory variables, ranges of the explanatory variables, supplementary information (if necessary), and termination conditions are set (step S1). The first parameters are set (step S2). The first parameters may be random or may be determined based on past data or experience. A machining program is created based on the first parameters (step S3). The machining program may be created by an engineer or by the program creation unit 31.

[0034] The first machining is executed (step S4). The execution result acquisition unit 40 acquires the execution result of the first machining. The parameter search unit 20 compares the value indicating the execution result with the threshold value of the objective variable. If the value indicating the execution result satisfies the termination condition (step S5; Yes), the parameter search unit 20 terminates the search. For example, in removing the coating from a rectangular copper plate, if the proportion of copper (Cu) beneath the coating is the objective variable and the threshold is 95%, the search terminates when the proportion of copper (Cu) exceeds 95%.

[0035] If the objective variable is equal to or less than the threshold value (step S5; No), the parameter searching unit 20 searches for the N+1th (N=1, 2, . . . ) parameter (step S6).

[0036] The instruction unit 30 instructs the laser processing machine to execute the search results of the parameter search unit 20 (step S7). The instruction may be given by transmitting the (N+1)th processing program, presenting recommended information for the (N+1)th processing, presenting the (N+1)th processing program, or the like.

[0037] The laser processing machine executes the (N+1)th processing (step S8). Next, the process proceeds to step S5, and the processes of steps S5 to S8 are repeated until the value of the objective variable exceeds the threshold value.

[0038] As described above, the work support device 100 of this embodiment performs parameter search using the ratio of elements on the work surface after processing as the objective variable in processing to peel off the surface layer, thereby reducing the burden on the engineer.

[0039] Parameter search can be applied to a variety of machines because it does not require sample collection and model training using the collected samples. It can be applied to both 2D and 3D scanners. It can also be applied to blue wavelengths, infrared wavelengths, CO2 laser wavelengths (9.6 μm, 10.6 μm, etc.), and hybrid scanners (hybrids of blue / green lasers and fiber lasers).

[0040] Furthermore, since parameters can be searched for if the composition below the workpiece surface is known, this method can be applied to a wide range of workpiece surface removal processes, including the removal of surface coatings, surface paints, surface plating, and rust.

[0041] Next, modified examples of the work assistance device 100 will be described. In the first modified example, a two-stage processing parameter search is performed. The description will be given taking the removal of the coating from a rectangular copper wire as an example. In this example, the coating is first oxidized, and then the oxidized film is removed. When performing such two-stage processing, a two-stage parameter search is performed, consisting of a first parameter search and a second parameter search, as shown in FIG. 11 .

[0042] An example of a two-stage process will be described with reference to Figure 12. In the first process, the coating is oxidized. A galvanometer scanner scans a laser beam to change the coating into a coating oxide. In the second process, the coating oxide is scanned to peel it off and expose the copper wire bare material. This two-stage process allows for high-quality removal of the coating from the copper wire surface.

[0043] The objective variable of the first parameter search is the proportion of elements in the oxidized coating (coating oxide), and the explanatory variables are parameters that affect the quality of laser processing. Explanatory variables include laser power, scanning speed (including direction), and assist gas pressure. The range of the explanatory variable may be specified by the user or automatically determined by AI based on data from similar past processing. The termination condition is that processing ends when the chemical composition of the workpiece surface reaches a predetermined number or more. In the case of coating oxidation, the first parameter search ends when the ratio of carbon (C) to oxygen (O) reaches a predetermined value. The objective variable of the second parameter search is the proportion of material that appears on the workpiece surface when the oxidized coating is stripped. In the case of removing the coating from a rectangular copper wire, the proportion of copper (Cu) beneath the coating is the objective variable. The explanatory variables are parameters that affect the quality of laser processing. Explanatory variables include laser power, scanning speed (including direction), and assist gas pressure. The range of the explanatory variable may be specified by the user or automatically determined by AI based on data from similar past processing. The termination condition is that the proportion of copper (Cu) beneath the oxide coating exceeds a threshold value.

[0044] It should be noted that different lasers may be used for the first and second processes. For example, the laser may be switched depending on the material to be removed, such as using a CO2 laser for the first process and a blue laser for the second process. By performing multi-stage parameter search in this way, it is possible to adjust the process to change the physical properties through a laser-induced chemical reaction (e.g., oxidation) and remove the material with the changed physical properties. It is also possible to adjust the process to combine multiple lasers.

[0045] As described above, the work support device 100 of this embodiment searches for parameters (explanatory variables) that satisfy the termination condition in laser processing to peel off the surface of a workpiece, using the proportion of material below the surface of the workpiece as the objective variable. The search can also be multi-staged. By performing the search in multiple stages, it is possible to peel off different layers in sequence, or to peel off the workpiece surface whose physical properties have changed after the workpiece surface has been subjected to a chemical reaction with a laser.

[0046] The hardware configuration of a work assistance device 100 to which the present disclosure is applied will be described below. Fig. 13 is a hardware configuration diagram of the work assistance device 100. As shown in Fig. 13, the work assistance device 100 includes a CPU 111 that controls the entire work assistance device 100, a ROM 112 that records programs and data, and a RAM 113 for temporarily expanding data, and the CPU 111 reads out a system program recorded in the ROM 112 via a bus.

[0047] The nonvolatile memory 114 is backed up by, for example, a battery (not shown), and the stored state is maintained even when the power of the work assistance device 100 is turned off. The nonvolatile memory 114 stores various data such as programs read from the external device 120 via the interfaces 115, 118, and 119 and operation inputs input via the input device 140. The nonvolatile memory 114 may store programs and data for executing the work assistance device 100 of this embodiment.

[0048] The interface 115 is an interface for connecting the work assistance device 100 to an external device 120 such as an adapter. Programs, various parameters, etc. are loaded from the external device 120. The interface 118 is an interface for connecting the work assistance device 100 to a display device 130 such as a liquid crystal display. The display device 130 displays various data loaded into memory, data obtained as a result of executing programs, etc. The interface 119 is an interface for connecting the work assistance device 100 to an input device 140 such as a keyboard or pointing device. The input device 140 passes commands, data, etc. based on operations by an operator to the CPU 111 via the interface 119.

[0049] 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 gist of the present disclosure derived from the claims and their equivalents. Furthermore, 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.

[0050] The following are supplementary notes related to embodiments of the present disclosure. (Supplementary Note 1) A work support device (100) according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a state acquisition unit (10) that acquires a state of a workpiece surface after laser processing, a parameter search unit (20) that searches for laser processing parameters using the element ratios on the workpiece surface as a target variable, an instruction unit (30) that causes the workpiece surface to be laser processed based on the searched parameters, and an execution result acquisition unit (40) that acquires the element ratios on the workpiece surface after laser processing, and the parameter search unit (20) searches for parameters until the element ratios on the workpiece surface after laser processing satisfy a termination condition.

[0051] (Supplementary Note 2) The objective variable used by the work support device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure is the ratio of elements that appear on the work surface when an unnecessary layer is peeled off from the work surface. (Supplementary Note 3) The parameters used by the work support device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure include the explanatory variables of the search, namely, laser output, scanning speed, and gas pressure of the assist gas.

[0052] (Supplementary Note 4) A work assistance device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a range unit (23) that accepts the setting of a search range for the parameters. (Supplementary Note 5) The parameter search unit (20) included in the work assistance device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure repeatedly creates a model that combines the results of processing execution with existing knowledge about laser processing, and searches for parameters.

[0053] (Supplementary Note 6) The instruction unit (30) included in a work support device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure presents recommended information regarding parameter adjustment. (Supplementary Note 7) The instruction unit (30) included in a work support device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes a program creation unit (31) that creates a machining program based on parameters output from the parameter search unit (20). (Supplementary Note 8) The instruction unit (30) included in a work support device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure presents the created machining program.

[0054] (Supplementary Note 9) The parameter search unit (20) included in a work support device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure performs parameter search for multi-stage processing. (Supplementary Note 10) The multi-stage processing for which parameters are searched by the work support device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure includes changes in the physical properties of the work surface by laser light and peeling of the work surface. (Supplementary Note 11) The change in the physical properties of the work surface handled by the work support device (100) according to another aspect of the present disclosure is oxidation, and the oxidized work surface is processed.

[0055] (Supplementary Note 12) A computer-readable storage medium according to one aspect of the present disclosure stores instructions to cause one or more processors to execute the following processes: acquire the state of a workpiece surface; search for parameters for controlling laser processing using the proportion of elements on the workpiece surface as a target variable; laser-process the workpiece surface based on the searched parameters; acquire the proportion of elements on the workpiece surface after laser processing; and search for parameters until the proportion of elements on the workpiece surface after laser processing satisfies a termination condition.

[0056] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Work support device 10 Status acquisition unit 11 Image processing unit 12 Analysis result acquisition unit 20 Parameter search unit 21 Objective variable unit 22 Explanatory variable unit 23 Range unit 24 Supplementary information unit 25 Termination condition unit 30 Instruction unit 31 Program creation unit 32 Recommended information output unit 40 Execution result acquisition unit 50 Determination unit 111 CPU 112 ROM 113 RAM 114 Non-volatile memory

Claims

1. A work support device comprising: a state acquisition unit that acquires the state of a work surface after laser processing; a parameter search unit that searches for laser processing parameters using the element ratio on the work surface as a target variable; an instruction unit that causes laser processing of the work surface based on the searched parameters; and an execution result acquisition unit that acquires the element ratio on the work surface after laser processing, wherein the parameter search unit searches for parameters until the element ratio on the work surface after laser processing satisfies a termination condition.

2. The work support device according to claim 1, wherein the objective variable is the ratio of elements that appear on the work surface when an unnecessary layer is peeled off from the work surface.

3. The work support device according to claim 1, wherein the parameters include explanatory variables for the search, such as laser output, scanning speed, and gas pressure of assist gas.

4. The work support device according to claim 1, further comprising a range unit that accepts the setting of a search range for the parameter.

5. The work support device according to claim 1, wherein the parameter search unit repeatedly creates a model that combines the results of the processing with existing knowledge about laser processing, and searches for parameters.

6. The work support device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction unit displays recommended information regarding parameter adjustment.

7. The work support device according to claim 1, wherein said instruction section comprises a program creation section that creates a machining program based on the parameters output from the parameter search section.

8. The work support device according to claim 7, wherein the instruction unit causes the created machining program to be presented.

9. The work support device according to claim 1, wherein said parameter search section searches for parameters for multi-stage machining.

10. The work support device according to claim 9, wherein the multi-stage processing includes changing the physical properties of the work surface by laser light and peeling off the work surface.

11. The work support device according to claim 10, wherein the change in the physical property of the work surface is oxidation, and the oxidized work surface is processed.

12. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions to cause one or more processors to execute the following processes: acquire the state of a workpiece surface; search for parameters to control laser processing using the element ratio of the workpiece surface as a target variable; laser process the workpiece surface based on the searched parameters; acquire the element ratio of the workpiece surface after laser processing; and search for parameters until the element ratio of the workpiece surface after laser processing satisfies a termination condition.

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