Protection barrier and laser irradiation system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9824784-B2
Application number	US-201615071126-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2016
Priority date	Mar 16, 2015
Publication date	Nov 21, 2017
Grant date	Nov 21, 2017

Abstract

To provide a protection barrier, which includes an inlet from which laser light emitted from a laser device enters; an outlet from which the laser light is output towards an irradiation target; and a unit configured to prevent a leakage, where the unit is configured to reduce an intensity of the laser light leaked from the protection barrier, wherein the protection barrier is configured to surround a light path of the laser light emitted from the laser device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser irradiation system comprising:
a transporting device configured to transport an irradiation target;
a laser device configured to irradiate the irradiation target with laser light;
a controlling device configured to control the laser device and the transporting device;
a protection barrier that surrounds a light path of the laser light irradiated by the laser device; and
a unit disposed at the protection barrier and configured to absorb or reflect regular reflection light of the laser light being deflection scanned so as to reduce an intensity of leaked laser light, leaked from a gap between the protection barrier and a side surface of the irradiation target, and
wherein when the irradiation target transported by the transporting device faces the laser device, the controlling device controls the laser device to print a visual image on the irradiation target by irradiating the laser light to the irradiation target, and
wherein the laser light is deflection scan laser light scanned by the laser device.

2. The laser irradiation system according to claim 1 , wherein a visual image is printed on a recording medium disposed at a surface of the irradiation target facing the laser device, by irradiating the laser light to the recording medium.

3. The laser irradiation system according to claim 2 , wherein the protection barrier includes an outlet from which the laser light is output towards an irradiation target and a size of the outlet of the protection barrier is larger than the recording medium and smaller than a surface of the irradiation target.

4. The laser irradiation system according to claim 1 , wherein the protection barrier includes an outlet from which the laser light is output towards an irradiation target, and the unit configured to prevent a leakage includes a laser-reflection absorbing plate deposed at the outlet of the protection barrier.

5. The laser irradiation system according to claim 1 , wherein the recording medium is a rewritable label.

6. The laser irradiation system according to claim 1 , wherein the unit satisfies the following formula:
E 2(min)=2× E 1× L 2/ L 1

wherein E 1 is a distance between laser light deflected at a maximum angle with which laser light is not incident on an inner surface of a main body of the protection barrier, and laser light parallel to the main body, E 2 is a distance between laser light deflected at the maximum angle with which laser light is not incident on the inner surface of the main body of the protection barrier, and an outer peripheral edge of the main body, a first length L 1 is from a first position of a galvanometer mirror of the laser device to a second position of an outlet of an edge of the protection barrier, and a second length L 2 is from the second position to a third position of the side surface of the irradiation target.

7. The laser irradiation system according to claim 1 , wherein the unit obstructs and absorbs primary reflection light and permits only secondary reflection light having an intensity lower than that of the primary reflection light, to be leaked outside of the system.

Assignees

• Yamamoto Kazutaka
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamamoto Kazutaka

Classifications

• B23K26/706

  Protective screens · CPC title

• B41J2/435

  characterised by selective application of radiation to a printing material or impression-transfer material · CPC title

• G21F7/00 Primary

  Shielded cells or rooms · CPC title

• B23K26/128 Primary

  Laser beam path enclosures · CPC title

• B41J2/475 Primary

  for heating selectively {by radiation or ultrasonic waves} · CPC title