Laser processing device and laser processing method

Abstract

A laser processing device (1) performs laser processing on a workpiece (W) conveyed along a predetermined conveyance direction (D) by irradiating the workpiece (W) with a laser beam (L). When the device causes movement for positioning a target irradiation position (KT) of the laser beam (L) at a processing start position (S), in a case where one processing line among processing lines included in a processing line group (GM) is defined as a k-th processing line, the coordinates of the processing start position (S) of a (k+1)-th processing line adjacent to the k-th processing line in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction (D) are set to a downstream side in the conveyance direction (D) relative to the coordinates of the processing start position (S) of the k-th processing line.

Description

Laser processing apparatus and laser processing method

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

[0002] In recent years, perovskite solar cells using an organic-inorganic perovskite compound having a perovskite structure with lead, tin or the like as the central metal in a photoelectric conversion layer have attracted attention. In general, in the manufacture of solar cells, there is a step of cutting a part of the electrode and the photoelectric conversion layer provided on a base material to pattern the base material. Patent Document 1 discloses a method of patterning a solar cell with a laser.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2019-067914 of Japan

[0004] In order to manufacture a perovskite solar cell, it is necessary to perform hundreds of consecutive patterning processes in the longitudinal direction on a long workpiece. However, the laser light irradiation range of the laser processing apparatus is limited. Therefore, a method of irradiating the conveyed workpiece with a laser a plurality of times to process interconnected processing patterns has sometimes been adopted.

[0005] However, when adopting the above method, it is necessary to confirm that the processing patterns are connected to each other, and sufficient studies have not been made on the confirmation method. Making it easier to confirm the joints between processing patterns leads to improvement in the processing accuracy of the processing patterns.

[0006] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method capable of achieving favorable processing accuracy.

[0007] A laser processing apparatus according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a laser processing apparatus that performs laser processing on a workpiece by irradiating the workpiece, which is being transported along a predetermined transport direction, and comprises: a transport device that transports the workpiece along the transport direction; a laser device including a laser light source that emits the laser light and a scanning unit that scans the laser light; and a control device that controls the transport of the transport device and the laser device, wherein the control device controls the transport device and the laser device to perform scanning in an emission state in which the laser light is emitted from the laser light source, scanning the irradiation position of the laser light on the workpiece being transported from the processing start position in a direction along the transport direction of the workpiece, thereby forming a processing line of a predetermined length on the workpiece; and moving in a non-emission state in which the laser light is not emitted from the laser light source, moving the target irradiation position of the laser light on the workpiece being transported in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the workpiece, thereby positioning the target irradiation position of the laser light at the processing start position of the next scan. The process is repeated alternately to form a group of processing lines of a predetermined length, in which a predetermined number of processing lines are arranged in a parallel positional relationship in a direction intersecting the transport direction. The formation of the processing line groups is repeated so that each processing line in the processing line group formed downstream in the transport direction is connected to each other, and a predetermined number of processing line groups are formed along the transport direction. Furthermore, the control device controls the transport device and the laser device in a coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit to perform the movement to position the target irradiation position of the laser beam at the processing start position of the next scan. When one of the processing lines included in the processing line group is designated as the kth processing line, the control device sets the coordinates of the processing start position of the k+1th processing line adjacent to the kth processing line in a direction intersecting the transport direction to be set downstream in the transport direction than the coordinates of the processing start position of the kth processing line.

[0008] Furthermore, a laser processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is a laser processing apparatus that performs laser processing on a workpiece transported along a predetermined transport direction, by repeatedly performing the laser beam irradiation operation, which involves scanning the laser beam along the transport direction, so that a plurality of processing lines parallel to the transport direction are formed on the workpiece in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and the laser processing apparatus comprises: a transport device that transports the workpiece along a predetermined transport direction; a laser apparatus including a laser light source that emits laser light and a scanning unit that scans the laser light; a setting unit that sets and inputs the scanning trajectory of the laser beam for the workpiece being transported along the transport direction; and a control device that controls the transport of the transport device and the laser apparatus, wherein the scanning trajectory of the laser beam is set in the setting unit such that, according to the transport speed of the workpiece by the transport device, the positions of the downstream ends in the transport direction of each of the plurality of processing lines coincide in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the positions of the upstream ends in the transport direction of each of the plurality of processing lines coincide in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

[0009] Furthermore, a laser processing method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is a laser processing method that performs laser processing on a workpiece being transported along a predetermined transport direction by scanning a laser beam emitted from a laser light source with a scanning unit and irradiating the workpiece with the laser beam, comprising: a laser scanning step in which, in an emission state in which the laser beam is emitted from the laser light source, the irradiation position of the laser beam on the workpiece being transported is scanned from the processing start position in a direction along the transport direction of the workpiece, thereby forming a processing line of a predetermined length on the workpiece; a target irradiation position moving step in which, in a non-emission state in which the laser beam is not emitted from the laser light source, the target irradiation position of the laser beam on the workpiece being transported is moved in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the workpiece, and the target irradiation position of the laser beam is positioned at the processing start position of the next scan, and the two steps are repeated alternately to form a processing line group formation step in which a predetermined number of processing lines of a predetermined length are arranged in a positional relationship parallel to each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction, The process includes a process line group formation repetition step in which, after executing the process line group formation step, the process line group formation step is repeated a predetermined number of times, and a predetermined number of process line groups are formed along the transport direction in such a state that each process line in the process line group formed downstream in the transport direction is connected to each process line in the process line group formed upstream in the transport direction of the process line group. The process also includes a coordinate setting step in which, in the coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit, if one of the process lines included in the process line group is designated as the kth process line, the coordinate of the start position of the process of the k+1 process line adjacent to the kth process line in a direction intersecting the transport direction is set to be downstream in the transport direction from the coordinate of the start position of the kth process line.

[0010] According to this disclosure, it is possible to provide a laser processing apparatus and a laser processing method that can easily check the state of the joints between each processing line in a group of processing lines formed on the downstream side in the conveying direction of the workpiece and each processing line in a group of processing lines formed on the upstream side in the conveying direction.

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to this embodiment. Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example of a scanning unit according to this embodiment. Figure 3 is a block diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to this embodiment. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a workpiece W processed by the laser processing apparatus according to this embodiment. Figure 5A is a diagram showing the irradiation trajectory of laser light in this embodiment. Figure 5B is a diagram showing a processing pattern processed on a workpiece in this embodiment. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a laser processing method using the laser processing apparatus according to this embodiment. Figure 7A is a diagram showing the irradiation trajectory of laser light by a conventional laser processing apparatus. Figure 7B is a diagram showing a processing pattern processed on a workpiece by a conventional laser processing apparatus. Figure 8A is a diagram showing another laser irradiation mode by the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 8B is a diagram showing another laser irradiation mode by the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the disclosure. Figure 10 is a block diagram of a laser processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the disclosure.

[0012] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the dimensions of the components shown in these drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of the components for the sake of explanation. Furthermore, for the sake of explanation, the description of components having the same reference number as components already described in the description of the embodiments will be omitted. Also, for the sake of explanation, the dimensions of the components shown in these drawings may differ from the actual dimensions of the components.

[0013] A laser processing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of this disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, a laser processing apparatus 1 that performs laser processing on a long, strip-shaped workpiece W will be described. The workpiece W is composed of a plurality of functional layers sequentially laminated on a substrate. The substrate is a transparent material that plays a role in mechanically supporting the overall structure of the solar cell, and various functional layers are formed thereon.

[0014] The laser processing apparatus 1 according to this disclosure can be used, for example, in the manufacturing process for perovskite solar cells, specifically in the step of forming long processing lines on a long strip-shaped substrate used for perovskite solar cells.

[0015] As shown in Figure 1, the laser processing apparatus 1 includes a transport device 2 and a laser device 3.

[0016] The conveying device 2 has a pair of rollers 11. As the rollers 11 rotate, the workpiece W is continuously fed from one roller 11 to the other roller 11 along the conveying direction D shown in Figure 1.

[0017] The laser device 3 includes a laser light source 20 and a scanning unit 30. The laser light source 20 can emit laser light L. The laser light source 20 can emit at least one of a nanosecond laser, a picosecond laser, or a femtosecond laser. The scanning unit 30 can scan the laser light L emitted from the laser light source 20 in any direction on the surface of the workpiece W.

[0018] Figure 2 shows an example of the scanning unit 30 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the scanning unit 30 is a galvanometer optical system. The scanning unit 30 can scan the laser light L emitted from the laser light source 20 in any direction. As shown in Figure 2, the scanning unit 30 includes an X-axis galvanometer scanner 31, a Y-axis galvanometer scanner 32, and a focusing lens 33.

[0019] The X-axis galvanometer scanner 31 includes an X-axis galvanometer mirror 31a and an X-axis galvanometer motor 31b. The X-axis galvanometer mirror 31a is fixed to the output shaft of the X-axis galvanometer motor 31b. By driving the X-axis galvanometer motor 31b, the orientation of the X-axis galvanometer mirror 31a changes.

[0020] The Y-axis galvanometer scanner 32 includes a Y-axis galvanometer mirror 32a and a Y-axis galvanometer motor 32b. The Y-axis galvanometer mirror 32a is fixed to the output shaft of the Y-axis galvanometer motor 32b. By driving the Y-axis galvanometer motor 32b, the orientation of the Y-axis galvanometer mirror 32a changes.

[0021] The laser light L emitted from the laser light source 20 is reflected by the Y-axis galvanometer mirror 32a and the X-axis galvanometer mirror 31a, then focused by the focusing lens 33 and guided to the workpiece W.

[0022] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 3, the laser processing apparatus 1 includes a control device 40, a setting unit 50, a storage unit 60, and a display unit 90.

[0023] The control device 40 is electrically connected to the setting unit 50, the storage unit 60, and the display unit 90 via the communication unit 80. The control device 40 includes a processor such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit). Although not shown in the figures, the laser processing apparatus 1 also includes, for example, a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which various control programs are stored, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) in which various control data is temporarily stored. The processor of the control device 40 loads data specified from the various control programs stored in the ROM onto the RAM and controls various operations of the laser processing apparatus 1 in cooperation with the RAM. The ROM contains a program that, when executed by the processor, performs the laser processing method detailed below.

[0024] As shown in Figure 3, the control device 40 includes a transport control unit 41 capable of controlling the transport device 2, an oscillation control unit 42 capable of controlling the laser light source 20, a scanning control unit 43 capable of controlling the scanning unit 30, a coordinate setting unit 45 (described later), a processing line counting unit 46, and a processing line group counting unit 47. The transport control unit 41 can control the rotational speed of the rollers 11 in the transport device 2. By controlling the rotational speed of the rollers 11, the transport control unit 41 can control the transport speed V of the workpiece W. In this embodiment, when performing laser processing, the transport control unit 41 controls the transport speed of the workpiece W to be kept constant. The oscillation control unit 42 can control the on and off of the emission of laser light L emitted from the laser light source 20. The scanning control unit 43 controls the X-axis galvanometer motor 31b and the Y-axis galvanometer motor 32b, and by changing the angles of the X-axis galvanometer mirror 31a and the Y-axis galvanometer mirror 32a, the irradiation position of the laser light L can be changed.

[0025] The setting unit 50 includes input devices that accept user operations, such as a keyboard, mouse, and various switches, as well as a device that inputs data by connecting a removable recording medium such as a USB memory or SD memory card. The user can set and input information necessary for the laser processing apparatus 1 to perform laser processing through the setting unit 50 while referring to the display screen displayed on the display unit 90, which will be described later. The setting unit 50 can accept input of various laser parameters such as laser output, timing for turning the laser light source 20 on and off, and laser irradiation time, parameters such as scanning width and scanning speed of the scanning unit 30, line width of the processing lines to be formed, number of processing lines, number of processing line groups to be formed, transport speed of the workpiece W, and width of the workpiece W. The setting unit 50 may have a user interface that allows the user to input information. The setting unit 50 may also be integrated with the control device 40. The storage unit 60 is a so-called auxiliary storage device and is composed of non-volatile memory such as an HDD, SSD, ROM, or flash memory. The memory unit 60 stores various data, including a computer program for controlling the laser processing device 1, laser output input via the setting unit 50, various laser parameters such as the timing for turning the laser light source 20 on and off and the laser irradiation time, parameters of the scanning unit 30 such as the scanning width and scanning speed, and data input by the user from the setting unit 50, such as the line width of the processing lines, the number of processing lines, the number of processing line groups to be formed, the transport speed of the workpiece W, and the width of the workpiece W. The display unit 90 includes a display unit, video codec, GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), and memory for screen data, and generates a UI screen and displays it on the display unit. The user may input the various parameters mentioned above via the setting unit 50 while the UI screen is displayed on the display unit 90.

[0026] The control device 40 can control the transport device 2 and the laser device 3 based on parameters set in the setting unit 50 and stored in the storage unit 60. In this embodiment, the control device 40 controls the transport device 2 so that the transport speed of the workpiece W remains constant.

[0027] Using Figures 4, 5A, and 5B, the processing lines that can be formed by the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be explained. Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a workpiece W processed by the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. In the following explanation, the direction intersecting the transport direction D of the workpiece W will be referred to as the width direction H.

[0028] As shown in Figure 4, a predetermined number of long processing lines G are formed on the workpiece W, extending along the transport direction D. These long processing lines G are arranged parallel to each other with predetermined intervals in the width direction H. Note that "parallel" here includes cases where they are not strictly parallel. The long processing lines G are formed by connecting each processing line included in a plurality of processing line groups G1, G2...Gn, which are divided in the transport direction D, along the transport direction D. The long processing line group GN is formed by arranging a predetermined number of long processing lines G parallel to each other with predetermined intervals in the width direction H. The laser processing apparatus 1 can form the long processing line group GN by sequentially forming the processing line groups G1, G2...Gn from downstream to upstream in the transport direction D.

[0029] Figures 5A and 5B show the irradiation trajectory of the laser beam L and the processing pattern processed on the workpiece W in this embodiment. Figure 5A shows the irradiation trajectory of the laser beam L in a coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit 30. Figure 5B shows the downstream end of the workpiece W in the transport direction D shown in Figure 4, and shows the processing pattern processed on the workpiece W. When describing a group of processing lines in general terms below, it will be referred to as "processing line group GM," and when describing each processing line group in detail, it will be referred to as "processing line group G1, G2...Gn," etc.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5B, the processing line group GM is composed of multiple processing lines. For example, the processing line group G1 shown in Figure 5B has six processing lines 101 to 106. Similarly, the processing line group G2 has six processing lines 201 to 206. Hereafter, when describing the processing lines that make up the processing line group G1 in general terms, they will be referred to as "processing line 100," and when describing them individually and specifically, they will be referred to as "processing lines 101 to 106," etc. Similarly, when describing the processing lines that make up the processing line group G2 in general terms, they will be referred to as "processing line 200," and when describing them individually and specifically, they will be referred to as "processing lines 201 to 206," etc. The processing line 100 belonging to the processing line group G1 is connected at the upstream end in the transport direction D to the downstream end in the transport direction D of the processing line 200 belonging to the processing line group G2. For example, the upstream end in the transport direction D of a processing line 101 belonging to processing line group G1 is connected to the downstream end in the transport direction D of a processing line 201 belonging to processing line group G2. Note that the processing lines 100 and 200 shown in Figures 5A and 5B represent the minimum number necessary for explanation, but this disclosure is not limited to this, and for example, several hundred to several thousand processing lines 100 and 200 may be processed on the workpiece W.

[0031] The length of the transport direction D of the processing line group GM is determined according to the scanning range of the laser scanning unit 30. In other words, the length of the processing lines 100 that make up the processing line group GM is determined according to the scanning range of the scanning unit 30.

[0032] Next, the laser processing method using the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 5A, 5B, and 6. The following laser processing method is realized when the processor of the control device 40 reads various data stored in the memory unit 60, such as the timing for turning the laser light source 20 on and off and the laser irradiation time, parameters of the scanning unit 30 such as the line width of the processing line and the number of processing lines, the transport speed of the workpiece W and the width of the workpiece W, and executes a control program. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the laser processing method using the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment. The laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment can, for example, process multiple processing lines 100 along the width direction and form a processing line group GM by having the control device 40 control the transport device 2 and the laser device 3.

[0033] The control device 40 controls the transport device 2 and the laser device 3 to move the irradiation position K and target irradiation position KT of the laser beam L on the workpiece W to perform laser processing. Irradiation position K is the position on the workpiece W where the laser beam L is irradiated. Target irradiation position KT is the position on the workpiece W where the laser beam L would be irradiated if the laser light source 20 were to emit the laser beam L. The control device 40 can form a processing line 100 by moving the irradiation position of the laser beam L from the processing start position S to the processing end position E. In the following description, the process of forming a processing line group G1 by the control device 40 forming multiple processing lines 100 will be described.

[0034] (Initial Machining Start Position Setting Process) First, the coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40 executes the machining start position coordinate setting process (STEP 1). That is, when machining the first machining line 101 belonging to the machining line group G1, the machining start position S11 of the machining line 101, which has been set through the setting unit 50 and stored in the storage unit 60, is set in the coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit 30. (Machining Start Position Movement Process) Once the machining start position coordinate setting process has been executed and the machining start position S11 of the machining line 101 has been set, the scanning control unit 43 of the control device 40 executes the machining start position movement process (STEP 2). Specifically, the scanning control unit 43 controls the X-axis galvanometer motor 31b and Y-axis galvanometer motor 32b that constitute the scanning unit 30, and changes the angles of the X-axis galvanometer mirror 31a and Y-axis galvanometer mirror 32a to move the target irradiation position of the laser beam L to the processing start position S11 of the processing line 101 while keeping the laser beam L in a non-emission state where it is not emitted from the laser light source 20. (First laser scanning step) Next, the control device 40 performs the first laser scanning step (STEP 3) in which the irradiation position K of the laser beam L on the workpiece W being transported is scanned from the processing start position S11 of the processing line 101 in a direction along the transport direction D of the workpiece W, with the laser beam L being emitted. Specifically, the oscillation control unit 42 of the control device 40 controls the timing of the emission of laser light L from the laser light source 20, the scanning control unit 43 of the control device 40 controls the scanning mode of the laser light L by the scanning unit 30, and the transport control unit 41 of the control device 40 controls the transport speed of the transport device 2, thereby scanning the laser light L. In the first laser scanning step, the scanning control unit 43 of the control device 40 controls the scanning unit 30 to move the irradiation position K of the laser light L from the processing start position S11 to the processing end position E11, thereby forming a processing line 101 on the workpiece W. The processing start position S11 and the processing end position E11 are arbitrarily set within the irradiation range of the irradiation position K of the laser light L by the scanning unit 30.

[0035] (Coordinate Setting Process) The coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40 performs a coordinate setting process after the first laser scanning process (STEP 4). The coordinate setting process is a process in which, when one of the processing lines 100 included in the processing line group G1 is designated as the kth processing line (k is a natural number), the coordinates of the processing start position of the k+1th processing line 100 adjacent to the kth processing line 100 in a direction intersecting the transport direction are set in the coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit 30. After the first laser scanning process for processing the processing line 101 is completed, the control device 40 needs to move the target irradiation position KT of the laser beam L in order to process the processing line 102. As shown in Figure 5A, in the coordinate setting process, the coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40 sets the coordinates of the processing start position S12 of the processing line 102 based on the information set for the setting unit 50 and stored in the storage unit 60. The coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40 performs a coordinate setting process after laser processing from the processing start position S11 to the processing end position E11, and sets the coordinate of the processing start position S12 of the processing line 102 in the coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit 30. At this time, the coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40 sets the processing start position S12 downstream of the processing start position S11 in the transport direction D. The coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40 sets the coordinate of the processing start position S12 of the processing line 102 based on the width dimensions between the processing lines 100 and the dimensions in the width direction H of the workpiece W, which are set in the setting unit 50 and stored in the storage unit 60. The coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40 may also set the coordinate of the processing end position E of the processing line 100 in addition to the processing start position S of the processing line 100 in the coordinate setting process. The control device 40 may have another coordinate setting process to set the processing end position E of the processing line 100 in addition to the coordinate setting process to set the processing start position S of the processing line 100.

[0036] (Target Irradiation Position Movement Process) The scanning control unit 43 of the control device 40 controls the scanning unit 30 and performs a target irradiation position movement process (STEP 5) to move the target irradiation position KT in a direction intersecting the transport direction D of the workpiece W after the laser scanning process and the coordinate setting process. Specifically, the scanning control unit 43 of the control device 40 controls the X-axis galvanometer motor 31b and the Y-axis galvanometer motor 32b and changes the angles of the X-axis galvanometer mirror 31a and the Y-axis galvanometer mirror 32a to move the target irradiation position KT from the machining end position E11 of the machining line 101 to the machining start position S12 of the machining line 102 set in the coordinate setting process, while keeping the laser light source 20 in a non-emitting state where the laser light L is not emitted.

[0037] (Second and subsequent laser scanning process) Once movement to the target irradiation position KT is complete, the oscillation control unit 42 controls the laser light source 20 to emit laser light L, and the scanning control unit 43 controls the scanning unit 30 to execute the second and subsequent laser scanning process (STEP 6) to process the processing line 102.

[0038] The processing line counting unit 46 of the control device 40 checks whether the number of processing lines 100 formed after processing the processing line 102 has reached a predetermined number (STEP 7). The processing line counting unit 46 of the control device 40 may, for example, count the number of processed processing lines 100 using an inspection device such as a sensor (not shown), or it may count the number of processed processing lines 100 by referring to past processing history. If the number of processing lines 100 formed after the laser processing process has not reached a predetermined number (NO in STEP 7), the control device 40 executes a processing line group formation process that repeats the coordinate setting process (STEP 4), the target irradiation position movement process (STEP 5), and the second and subsequent laser scanning process (STEP 6) until the number of processing lines 100 reaches a predetermined number.

[0039] After processing the processing lines 100, the control device 40 confirms that the number of processing lines formed has reached a predetermined number (YES in STEP 7), and recognizes that the processing of the processing line group G1 is complete. The control device 40 can form the processing line group G1 by executing the processing line group formation process described above.

[0040] In the example shown in Figures 5A and 5B, after the processing of the processing line 106 is completed, the processing line group counting unit 47 of the control device 40 determines whether the number of processing line groups to be formed, which was set via the setting unit 50 and stored in the storage unit 60, has been formed (STEP 8). If the number of formed processing line groups has not reached the number stored in the storage unit 60 (NO in STEP 8), the device returns to just before STEP 4 and executes a processing line group formation repeating step, which repeatedly executes the processing line group formation step described above, thereby forming a predetermined number of processing line groups and creating a long processing line group GN. In other words, after the processing of processing line group G1 is completed, the control device 40 executes another processing line group formation step related to the formation of processing line group G2. The coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40 sets the processing start position S21 of the processing line 201 in the coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit 30 (initial processing start position setting step). Next, the scanning control unit 43 of the control device 40 controls the scanning unit 30 to move the target irradiation position of the laser beam L to the processing start position S21 of the processing line 201 while keeping the laser beam L in a non-emission state where it is not emitted from the laser light source 20 (processing start position movement step). Then, under the control of the transport control unit 41, oscillation control unit 42, and scanning control unit 43 of the control device 40, with the laser beam L emitted, the irradiation position K of the laser beam L on the workpiece W being transported is scanned from the processing start position S21 of the processing line 201 in a direction along the transport direction D of the workpiece W (first laser scanning step). Furthermore, under the control of the coordinate setting unit 45 of the control device 40, the coordinates of the processing start position S22 of the processing line 202 belonging to the processing line group G2 are set (coordinate setting step), the target irradiation position KT is moved to the processing start position S22 (target irradiation position movement step), and laser processing is performed (second and subsequent laser scanning steps). After that, the control device 40 can form the processing line group G2 by executing the processing line group formation step again. In the repeated process of forming a processing line group, the laser processing apparatus 1 processes the laser processing line group G2 such that the processing line 200 belonging to the processing line group G2 connects with the processing line 100 belonging to the laser processing line group G1. For example, in Figures 5A and 5B, the laser processing apparatus 1 processes the processing lines such that the processing line 101 belonging to the processing line group G1 connects with the processing line 201 belonging to the laser processing line group G2.At this time, the processing start position S11 of the processing line 101 and the processing end position E21 of the processing line 201 are formed to overlap.

[0041] The control device 40 repeatedly executes the process of forming processing line groups G1 and G2, and by connecting the processing line groups together, it can process the long processing line group GN.

[0042] Figures 7A and 7B show the laser beam irradiation trajectory and the shape of the processed line 100 on the workpiece when a long processing line is processed using a conventionally known laser processing device. Figure 7A shows the laser beam irradiation trajectory in a coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit in a conventional laser processing device. Figure 7B shows the processing pattern formed on the workpiece W by a conventional laser processing device.

[0043] As shown in Figure 7A, in conventional laser processing equipment, the irradiation trajectory of the laser beam in the coordinate system as viewed from the scanning unit was rectangular in shape. In other words, the control device of conventional laser processing equipment controlled the laser device and the transport device so that the processing start positions set in the coordinate setting process were aligned perpendicular to the transport direction in the coordinate system as viewed from the scanning unit (see Figure 7A). However, in the above configuration, the joints between processing lines that are actually formed on the workpiece are aligned with a shift in the transport direction. More specifically, in the example shown in Figure 7B, the distance CA2 in the transport direction D between the processing start position S11 of the first processing line 101 formed in the processing of processing line group G1 and the processing start position S16 of the last processing line 106 formed becomes large. As a result, the range for checking the joints in the transport direction D becomes wider. In the above conventional configuration, it becomes difficult to check the joints between processing lines. Also, for example, if the joints between processing lines are checked with a camera, it is necessary to use an expensive camera with a wide field of view in order to check multiple joints at once, which increases the cost of the equipment.

[0044] According to the configuration of the present disclosure, in the machining of a machining line group, the control device 40 sets the coordinates of the machining start position S of the (k+1)-th machining line 100 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction D relative to the coordinates of the machining start position S of the k-th machining line 100. According to the above configuration, on the workpiece W, the direction in which the plurality of joints between the machining lines 1000 are arranged can be brought close to the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. More specifically, the extending direction of the virtual line c (see FIG. 7B) formed by virtually connecting the joints of the machining line group GM formed on the workpiece can be brought close to the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction D. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 5B, the distance CA1 in the conveyance direction D between the machining start position S11 of the first machining line 101 formed in the machining of the machining line group G1 and the machining start position S16 of the last formed machining line 106 can be made shorter than the distance CA2 shown in FIG. 7B. Thereby, the range for checking the joints in the conveyance direction D can be narrowed. According to the configuration of the present disclosure, the joints between the machining lines 1000 can be easily checked, so that overlooking of defective joints can be suppressed.

[0045] According to the configuration of the present disclosure, for example, when a camera for checking the joints between the machining lines 1000 is introduced, since the extending direction of the joints between the machining lines 1000 is brought close to the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction D, an inexpensive camera such as an area camera with a small detection range can be adopted. Thereby, an inexpensive laser machining apparatus can be provided.

[0046] In the configuration of the present disclosure, the control device 40 may be configured to set the machining start position of the machining line 100 based on the conveyance speed V at which the conveyance device 2 conveys the workpiece W. According to the above configuration, since the machining start position can be set according to the conveyance speed V of the workpiece W, the machining start positions of the machining lines 100 on the workpiece W can be easily aligned in the conveyance direction D.

[0047] When checking the connections between processing lines 1000 processed by the laser processing device 1, it is preferable that the virtual line c, which is formed by virtually connecting the connections of the processing lines 1000, be perpendicular to the transport direction D. An example in which the virtual line c can be perpendicular to the transport direction D is shown in Figures 8A and 8B. Figures 8A and 8B are diagrams showing another laser irradiation mode by the laser processing device 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 8A is the irradiation trajectory of the laser beam L in the coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit 30. Figure 8B shows the downstream end of the workpiece W shown in Figure 4 in the transport direction D, and is a diagram showing the processing pattern processed on the workpiece W. When the transport speed of the workpiece W by the transport device 2 is V and the time required for the target irradiation position movement process is T, in the example shown in Figure 8A, the control device 40 sets the processing start position S12 downstream of the processing start position S11 by a length VT in the transport direction D. According to the above configuration, during the target irradiation position movement process, while the target irradiation position KT is being moved, the machining start position can be shifted upstream by the distance the workpiece W has moved, thereby forming the next machining line 100. In this way, since the position of the end of the machining line 100 on the workpiece W can be set based on the transport speed V of the workpiece W, the virtual line c, which is formed by virtually connecting the joints between the machining lines 1000, can be made perpendicular to the transport direction D. This makes it easier to check the joints.

[0048] The laser processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiments has been described above, but the laser processing apparatus 1 according to the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described aspects. For example, the configuration may be such that a user of the laser processing apparatus 1 can input an irradiation trajectory by the laser beam L to the setting unit 50 in advance. In the laser processing apparatus 1 according to the present disclosure, a user may input data of a parallelogram-shaped irradiation trajectory as shown in FIG. 5A or FIG. 8A and a set value of the conveyance speed V by the conveyance device 2 to the setting unit 50, and the control device 40 may control the conveyance device 2 and the laser device 3 based on the data input to the setting unit 50. The "parallelogram-shaped irradiation trajectory" referred to herein means an irradiation trajectory in a parallelogram shape whose vertices are the downstream end in the conveyance direction and the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the first processing line 100 formed on the workpiece W among the plurality of processing lines 100, and the downstream end in the conveyance direction and the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the last processing line 100 formed on the workpiece W. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5A, it refers to a parallelogram-shaped irradiation trajectory formed by connecting the processing start position S11, the processing end position E11, the processing start position S16, and the processing end position E16.

[0049] Furthermore, in the laser processing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, if the processing line group GM has a configuration in which N processing lines 100 are in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, the control device 40 may be configured to control the laser device 3 such that the processing start position S of the Nth processing line 100 of the processing line group GM and the processing start position S of the first processing line 100 of the processing line group GM formed one transport direction upstream of the processing line group GM are included in the irradiable area, which is the maximum movement range of the irradiation position of the laser device 3. For example, in the example shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the laser processing apparatus 1 processes the processing line group G1 and then performs the processing line group formation process again to form the processing line group G2. In this case, it is preferable that the processing end position E of processing line group G1 (i.e., the processing end position E16 of the processing line 106 that is processed last in processing line group G1) and the processing start position S of processing line group G2 (i.e., the processing start position S21 of the processing line 201 that is processed first in processing line group G2) are included in the irradiable area, which is the maximum movement range of the scanning unit 30. With the above configuration, for example, in the example shown in Figures 5A and 5B, processing of processing line group G2 can be started immediately after processing processing line group G1, thus making laser processing more efficient.

[0050] Figure 9 shows a laser processing apparatus 1A according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 9, the laser processing apparatus 1A according to this embodiment has an imaging unit 70 capable of imaging processing lines 100 formed on a workpiece W. The imaging unit 70 is a camera or the like capable of photographing the surface of the workpiece W. The imaging unit 70 can image the joints between each processing line 100 in a processing line group GM formed downstream in the transport direction D and each processing line 100 in a processing line group GM formed upstream of the processing line group GM in the transport direction. The imaging unit 70 can transmit the image data of the processed lines 100 and joints that it has captured to a control device 40.

[0051] Figure 10 shows a block diagram of a laser processing apparatus 1A according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 10, the control device 40 of the laser processing apparatus 1A according to this embodiment has a determination unit 44. The determination unit 44 can determine the quality of the connections between processing lines 1000 based on imaging data received from the imaging unit 70. For example, if the processing lines 1000 of adjacent processing line groups GM are connected, the connection is determined to be good. If the processing lines 1000 of adjacent processing line groups GM are not connected, the connection is determined to be poor. The control device 40 may have a storage unit capable of storing the locations of connections that have been determined to be poor.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, since the joints between the processing lines 100 and 1000 can be imaged and determined, it becomes easy to identify the location of the processing defect even if a processing defect occurs. This improves the yield of the product. Furthermore, in the laser processing apparatus 1 of this disclosure, the joints can be positioned in a location that makes them easy to image, thus further enhancing the effects of providing the imaging unit 70 and the determination unit 44.

[0053] While embodiments of this disclosure have been described above, it goes without saying that the technical scope of this disclosure should not be interpreted restrictively by the description of these embodiments. These embodiments are merely examples, and it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications to the embodiments are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims. The technical scope of this disclosure should be determined based on the scope of the invention described in the claims and the scope of its equivalents.

[0054] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2025-068883, filed on 18 April 2025, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Claims

1. A laser processing apparatus that performs laser processing on a workpiece by irradiating the workpiece, which is being transported along a predetermined transport direction, comprising: a transport device that transports the workpiece along the transport direction; a laser device including a laser light source that emits the laser light and a scanning unit that scans the laser light; and a control device that controls the transport of the transport device and the laser device, wherein the control device controls the transport device and the laser device to perform scanning, in an emission state where the laser light is emitted from the laser light source, scanning the irradiation position of the laser light on the workpiece being transported from the processing start position in a direction along the transport direction of the workpiece, thereby forming a processing line of a predetermined length on the workpiece; and moving, in a non-emission state where the laser light is not emitted from the laser light source, moving the target irradiation position of the laser light on the workpiece being transported in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the workpiece, thereby positioning the target irradiation position of the laser light at the processing start position of the next scan. The process is repeated alternately to form a group of processing lines of a predetermined length, in which a predetermined number of processing lines are arranged in a parallel positional relationship in a direction intersecting the transport direction, and the formation of the processing line groups is repeated so that each processing line in the processing line group formed downstream in the transport direction is connected to each other, and a predetermined number of processing line groups are formed along the transport direction, and furthermore, the control device controls the transport device and the laser device in a coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit to perform the movement to position the target irradiation position of the laser beam at the processing start position of the next scan, and when one of the processing lines included in the processing line group is designated as the kth processing line, the coordinates of the processing start position of the k+1th processing line adjacent to the kth processing line in a direction intersecting the transport direction are set downstream in the transport direction from the coordinates of the processing start position of the kth processing line.

2. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control device sets the processing start position based on the transport speed at which the transport device transports the workpiece.

3. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when T is the time required for scanning and moving, and V is the transport speed at which the transport device transports the workpiece, the control device sets the coordinates of the starting position of the (k+1)th processing line in the laser processing line group to be downstream by VT in the transport direction from the coordinates of the starting position of the kth processing line.

4. The laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an imaging unit for imaging the connection between each processing line in a processing group formed downstream in the transport direction and each processing line in a processing line group formed upstream of one of the processing line groups in the transport direction.

5. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a determination unit that determines the quality of the joint based on the imaging data from the imaging unit.

6. The laser processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the processing line group has N processing lines in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the control device controls the laser device such that the processing start point of the Nth processing line of the processing line group and the processing start point of the first processing line of the processing line group formed one upstream in the transport direction of the processing line group are included in the irradiable area which is the maximum movement range of the irradiation position of the laser device.

7. A laser processing apparatus that performs laser processing on a workpiece being transported along a predetermined transport direction, by repeatedly performing the laser beam irradiation operation, which involves scanning the laser beam along the transport direction, so that a plurality of processing lines parallel to the transport direction are formed on the workpiece in a direction intersecting the transport direction, the apparatus comprising: a transport device that transports the workpiece along a predetermined transport direction; a laser device including a laser light source that emits laser light and a scanning unit that scans the laser light; a setting unit that sets and inputs the scanning trajectory of the laser beam for the workpiece being transported along the transport direction; and a control device that controls the transport of the transport device and the laser device, wherein the scanning trajectory of the laser beam is set in the setting unit such that, according to the transport speed of the workpiece by the transport device, the positions of the downstream ends in the transport direction of each of the plurality of processing lines coincide in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the positions of the upstream ends in the transport direction of each of the plurality of processing lines coincide in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction.

8. The laser processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the scanning trajectory of the laser beam set in the setting unit is a parallelogram whose vertices are the downstream end and upstream end in the transport direction of the processing line that is first formed on the workpiece among the plurality of processing lines, and the downstream end and upstream end in the transport direction of the processing line that is last formed on the workpiece.

9. A laser processing method for performing laser processing on a workpiece being transported along a predetermined transport direction, wherein the laser beam emitted from a laser light source is scanned by a scanning unit and the laser beam is irradiated onto the workpiece, the method comprising: a laser scanning step in which, in an emission state in which the laser beam is emitted from the laser light source, the irradiation position of the laser beam onto the workpiece being transported is scanned from the processing start position in a direction along the transport direction of the workpiece, thereby forming a processing line of a predetermined length on the workpiece; a target irradiation position moving step in which, in a non-emission state in which the laser beam is not emitted from the laser light source, the target irradiation position of the laser beam onto the workpiece being transported is moved in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the workpiece, and the target irradiation position of the laser beam is positioned at the processing start position of the next scan, and the two steps are repeated alternately to form a processing line group formation step in which a predetermined number of processing lines of a predetermined length are arranged in a positional relationship parallel to each other in a direction intersecting the transport direction, A laser processing method comprising a process line group formation repetition step, in which the process line group formation step is repeated a predetermined number of times after the process line group formation step is performed, so that each of the process lines in the process group formed downstream in the transport direction is connected to each of the process lines in the process group formed upstream in the transport direction of the process line group, and the process line group formed upstream in the transport direction of the process line group is connected to each other, and a coordinate setting step, in which, in the coordinate system as seen from the scanning unit, when one of the process lines included in the process line group is designated as the kth process line, the coordinate of the start position of the process of the k+1 process line adjacent to the kth process line in a direction intersecting the transport direction is set downstream in the transport direction from the coordinate of the start position of the kth process line.

10. A laser processing method comprising: repeatedly performing the laser beam irradiation operation, which involves scanning a workpiece along a predetermined transport direction, with respect to a workpiece transported along the transport direction, such that a plurality of processing lines parallel to the transport direction are formed on the workpiece in a direction intersecting the transport direction, the method comprising: a scanning trajectory setting step of setting the scanning trajectory of the laser beam such that, according to the transport speed of the workpiece, the positions of the downstream ends in the transport direction of each of the plurality of processing lines coincide in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the positions of the upstream ends in the transport direction of each of the plurality of processing lines coincide in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction; and a processing line forming step of scanning the laser beam along the scanning trajectory set in the scanning trajectory setting step to form a plurality of processing lines on the workpiece.

11. The laser processing method according to claim 10, wherein the scanning trajectory of the laser beam set in the scanning trajectory setting step is a parallelogram whose vertices are the downstream end and the upstream end in the transport direction of the processing line that is first formed on the workpiece among the plurality of processing lines, and the downstream end and the upstream end in the transport direction of the processing line that is last formed on the workpiece.

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