Laser apparatus in which laser oscillation part, air cooling machine and dehumidifier are cooled by common cooling water

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016365701-A1
Application number	US-201615177801-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 9, 2016
Priority date	Jun 11, 2015
Publication date	Dec 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The laser apparatus includes a laser oscillation part including a water-cooled plate, an air cooling machine including a radiator, a dehumidifier including a water-cooled plate, and a cooling water supply device including a cooling water pipe through which a cooling water is supplied. The air cooling machine and the dehumidifier are arranged in a housing. The cooling water pipe is branched so that the water-cooled plate in the laser oscillation part, the radiator, and the water-cooled plate in the dehumidifier are connected in parallel. The cooling water supply device supplies a common cooling water of the same temperature to the water-cooled plate in the laser oscillation part, the radiator, and the water-cooled plate in the dehumidifier.

First claim

1 . A laser apparatus comprising:
a laser oscillation part including a heat receiving part to which heat generated by a laser light source is transmitted; a housing in which the laser oscillation part is arranged; an air cooling machine having a heat absorption part which absorbs heat of internal air of the housing; a dehumidifier having a low temperature part and a high temperature part whose temperature is higher than the low temperature part; and a cooling water supply device including a cooling water pipe through which a cooling water is supplied to the heat receiving part, the heat absorption part and the high temperature part, wherein the air cooling machine and the dehumidifier are arranged in the housing, the housing has a sealed structure in which the internal space is substantially sealed, the cooling water pipe is branched so that the heat receiving part, the heat absorption part, and the high temperature part are connected in parallel, and the cooling water supply device supplies a common cooling water of the same temperature to the heat receiving part, the heat absorption part, and the high temperature part.

2 . The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the laser light source is made of a laser diode part including a semiconductor element and forms a light emitting source or an excitation light source.

3 . The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a heat generating part which generates heat when driven, other than the laser light source, wherein
the heat generating part is arranged in the housing, the cooling water pipe is branched so as to supply the cooling water to the heat generating part, and the cooling water supply device supplies the common cooling water of the same temperature to the heat receiving part, the heat absorption part, the high temperature part, and the heat generating part.

4 . The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the dehumidifier is an electronic cooler having a Peltier element.

5 . The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling water pipe is branched in the housing so as to supply a cooling water to the heat receiving part, the heat absorption part, and the high temperature part, and branch pipes in which the cooling water discharged from the heat receiving part, the heat absorption part, and the high temperature part respectively flows, are joined together in the housing.

6 . The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a control device for controlling the cooling water supply device, wherein
branch pipes of the cooling water pipe include a first branch pipe connected to the heat receiving part, a second branch pipe connected to the heat absorption part, and a third branch pipe connected to the high temperature part, the cooling water supply device includes a first electromagnetic valve arranged in the first branch pipe, a second electromagnetic valve arranged in the second branch pipe, and a third electromagnetic valve arranged in the third branch pipe, when the laser apparatus is started, the control device performs a control to open the third electromagnetic valve and start the dehumidifier, a control to open the first electromagnetic valve and the second electromagnetic valve simultaneously or open the first electromagnetic valve after opening the second electromagnetic valve when the dehumidifier has been operated, and a control to supply electricity to the laser light source after the first electromagnetic valve and the second electromagnetic valve are opened, and when the laser apparatus is stopped, the control device performs a control to stop the supply of electricity to the laser light source, a control to close the first electromagnetic valve and the second electromagnetic valve simultaneously or close the second electromagnetic valve after closing the first electromagnetic valve when the supply of electricity to the laser light source has been stopped, and a control to close the third electromagnetic valve after the closure of the first electromagnetic valve and the second electromagnetic valve to stop the dehumidifier.

7 . The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the air cooling machine includes a fan which blows the air into the heat absorption part, and the low temperature part is arranged on the downstream side of the heat absorption part so that the air cooled by the heat absorption part is brought into contact therewith.

8 . The laser apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising a control device for controlling the dehumidifier, wherein
the high temperature part of the dehumidifier is connected to the housing so as to transmit heat to the housing, and the control device performs a control to supply the cooling water to the high temperature part and drive the Peltier element with a first drive voltage when the laser oscillation part is driven, and a control to drive the Peltier element with a second drive voltage lower than the first drive voltage without supplying the cooling water to the high temperature part when the laser oscillation part is stopped.

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Takigawa Hiroshi

Classifications

• H01S5/02415 Primary

  by using a thermo-electric cooler [TEC], e.g. Peltier element · CPC title

• H01S5/02423 Primary

  Liquid cooling, e.g. a liquid cools a mount of the laser · CPC title

• H01S5/0222

  Gas-filled housings · CPC title

• H01S5/02469

  Passive cooling, e.g. where heat is removed by the housing as a whole or by a heat pipe without any active cooling element like a TEC · CPC title

• H01S5/02407

  Active cooling, e.g. the laser temperature is controlled by a thermo-electric cooler or water cooling · CPC title