Gas Laser Reactivation Control During Power Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas laser systems face damage and inefficiency during power interruptions, such as blackouts, due to the inability to safely resume operation without completing the laser gas exchange process, leading to potential device damage from excessive current or voltage fluctuations when power is quickly restored.
Innovation Solution
A gas laser system with a power source unit, a laser oscillator, a controller, a power reduction detection unit, and a nonvolatile storage unit that calculates the operation stop time and inhibits or permits system reactivation based on a predetermined standby time to prevent device damage during power recovery, ensuring safe reactivation by controlling the blower and laser power source operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the laser oscillator is re-activated immediately after power restoration following a blackout, then the re-activation time is shortened, but the devices may be damaged due to excessive current or voltage fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs preliminary assessment of the operation stop time before permitting re-activation. It calculates whether the stop duration exceeds a predetermined standby time threshold, and only allows re-activation if the condition is satisfied, preventing premature re-start that could damage devices
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the operation stop time and provides feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit dynamically determines whether to permit or inhibit re-activation, ensuring device safety while enabling efficient re-activation when conditions are appropriate
2Productivity
If the laser gas exchanging process is skipped to shorten activation time, then the productivity is improved, but the device may be damaged when power is cut off due to blackout
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the re-activation process based on the actual operation stop time. When the stop time exceeds the standby time threshold, the system permits re-activation with skipped gas exchanging for improved productivity. When the threshold is not met, the system inhibits re-activation to protect devices, making the process adaptive rather than fixed
Data Source
AI summary
A gas laser system including a laser oscillator including a device which needs a predetermined standby time until normally starting an operation after stopping an operation due to reduction of a power supplied from a power source unit, a controller, a power reduction detection unit, and a nonvolatile storage unit storing time data of a first time point when the reduction of the supplied power is detected by the power reduction detection unit. The controller calculates an operation stop time of the device, based on time from the first time point to a second point time when a next system activation command is output, and inhibits operation resumption of the device when the operation stop time is within a predetermined standby time.