Control apparatus for controlling laser oscillator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9800012-B2
Application number	US-201615367581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2016
Priority date	Dec 4, 2015
Publication date	Oct 24, 2017
Grant date	Oct 24, 2017

Abstract

A control apparatus for a laser oscillator includes an abnormality determining unit which determines an abnormality of a first assembly based on a first deviation between a first laser beam output command and a first laser beam output and which determines an abnormality of a second assembly based on a second deviation between a second laser beam output command and a second laser beam output, a command unit for issuing a predetermined current command to at least one of a first power unit and a second power unit when the abnormality determining unit determines that at least one of the first assembly and the second assembly has an abnormality, and an abnormality determination stopping unit for stopping the abnormality determining unit from determining an abnormality when the predetermined current command is issued.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control apparatus for controlling a laser oscillator including:
a first assembly comprised of a first power unit and a first optical unit having at least one light source driven by the first power unit; and
a second assembly comprised of a second power unit and a second optical unit having at least one light source driven by the second power unit, the control apparatus comprising:
a laser beam output command control unit for controlling a first laser beam output command for the first optical unit and a second laser beam output command for the second optical unit;
a monitoring unit for monitoring a first current output from the first power unit and a second current output from the second power unit, and a first laser beam output from the first optical unit and a second laser beam output from the second optical unit;
an abnormality determining unit which determines an abnormality of the first assembly based on a first deviation between the first laser beam output command and the first laser beam output and which determines an abnormality of the second assembly based on a second deviation between the second laser beam output command and the second laser beam output;
a command unit for issuing a predetermined current command to at least one of the first power unit and the second power unit when the abnormality determining unit determines that at least one of the first assembly and the second assembly has an abnormality;
an abnormality determination stopping unit for stopping the abnormality determining unit from determining an abnormality when at least one of the first power unit and the second power unit is driven based on the predetermined current command;
a storage unit for storing, when at least one of the first power unit and the second power unit is driven based on the predetermined current command, at least one of a first current relationship between the predetermined current command and the first current output monitored by the monitoring unit, a second current relationship between the predetermined current command and the second current output monitored by the monitoring unit, a first laser beam relationship between the first laser beam output command of the first optical unit, which corresponds to the predetermined current command, and the first laser beam output monitored by the monitoring unit, and a second laser beam relationship between the second laser beam output command of the second optical unit, which corresponds to the predetermined current command, and the second laser beam output monitored by the monitoring unit; and
an estimation unit for estimating an abnormality in at least one of the first power unit, the second power unit, the first optical unit, and the second optical unit, based on at least one of the first current relationship, the second current relationship, the first laser beam relationship, and the second laser beam relationship, which are stored by the storage unit.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a combine unit for combining the first laser beam output from the first optical unit and the second laser beam output from the second optical unit, to output the combined output, wherein
the monitoring unit further monitors a combined laser beam output combined by the combine unit, and
the estimation unit further estimates an abnormality in the combine unit based on the combined laser beam output.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the abnormality determining unit determines that one of the first assembly and the second assembly has an abnormality, the command unit first issues the predetermined current command to a power unit for the other of the first assembly and the second assembly, and subsequently issues the predetermined current command to a power unit for the one of the first assembly and the second assembly.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined current command is a simmer current command.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined current command is output for a predetermined period of time.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined current command is changed in a stepwise manner from a simmer current command to a maximum rated output command.

7. A control apparatus for controlling a laser oscillator including an assembly comprised of a power unit and an optical unit having at least one light source driven by the power unit, the control apparatus comprising:
a laser beam output command control unit for controlling a laser beam output command for the optical unit;
a monitoring unit for monitoring a current output from the power unit and a laser beam output from the optical unit;
an abnormality determining unit for determining that the assembly has an abnormality when a deviation between the laser beam output command and the laser beam output is larger than a predetermined threshold value;
a command unit for issuing a predetermined current command to the power unit when the abnormality determining unit determines that the assembly has an abnormality;
an abnormality determination stopping unit for stopping the abnormality determining unit from determining an abnormality when the power unit is driven based on the predetermined current command;
a storage unit for storing, when the power unit is driven based on the predetermined current command, a current relationship between the predetermined current command and the current output monitored by the monitoring unit, and a laser beam relationship between a laser beam output command of the optical unit, which corresponds to the predetermined current command and the laser beam output monitored by the monitoring unit; and
an estimation unit for estimating an abnormality in at least one of the power unit and the optical unit, based on at least one of the current relationship stored by the storage unit and the laser beam relationship.

Assignees

• Fanuc Corp

Inventors

• Tokito Hiroaki

Classifications

• H01S5/06825

  Protecting the laser, e.g. during switch-on/off, detection of malfunctioning or degradation · CPC title

• H01S3/2383

  Parallel arrangements · CPC title

• H01S3/09705 Primary

  with particular means for stabilising the discharge · CPC title

• H01S3/073

  Gas lasers comprising separate discharge sections in one cavity, e.g. hybrid lasers (tandem arrangements of separate gas lasers H01S3/2366) · CPC title

• H01S3/036

  Means for obtaining or maintaining the desired gas pressure within the tube, e.g. by gettering, replenishing; Means for circulating the gas, e.g. for equalising the pressure within the tube {(H01S3/031 takes precedence)} · CPC title