JP2015044231A - System and method for controlling laser head - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten a processing time with a decrease in wasteful operations by detecting a rise of a component when laser-processed on a frog pallet while being processed to judge the necessity of a relief action and to optimize a relief amount.SOLUTION: This invention is a laser head control system S for a laser beam machine M that processes by cutting a component Pa and a component Pb from a material W. This system comprises first means to detect rise heights of the component Pa, the component Pb, and cut lees and produce mechanical coordinate positions of the component Pa, the component Pb, and the cut lees, second means to accumulate data acquired by this first means, and third means to produce a projection of the material W from data accumulated by this second means. Before the laser head is raised on completion of cutting of a single-path to transfer to a next pierce position, an operation of a laser processing head 3 is determined in accordance with the projection on the material W.

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser head control system and method, and more particularly to a laser head control system and method for grasping unevenness of a material using a spatial depth sensor.

  In an optical movement type laser processing machine, it is common to place a material on a table such as Kenzan and process it. Kenyama will support the material at a fixed pitch. If a small part is machined or a hole is drilled in this state, the part or hole may be dropped from the table depending on the positional relationship of the sword mountain, or may not be dropped supported by the sword mountain. Depending on the case, it may be supported unstablely, tilted obliquely and raised above the material surface, or blown up by an assist gas.

  Since tilted parts and chips may interfere with the laser head that moves in the horizontal direction, the laser head is raised to a sufficient position each time a part or hole is machined, and then it is moved horizontally after waiting for it. Take such a workaround. There is also a method of shortening the rise / fall time while avoiding interference by raising and lowering the height of the laser head in a parabolic manner at the same time as moving to the next moving point in the horizontal direction.

JP 2001-249710 A

  In the case of the operation in which the laser head is raised to a sufficient height, it becomes a useless operation in a region where there is no rise of parts or chips, and the processing time becomes long.

  When moving up and down in a parabola while moving in the horizontal direction, the vertical movement is hidden in the horizontal movement time, so the effect on machining time is less, but the movement distance in the horizontal direction is short Conversely, it takes time. Further, it is a wasteful operation in a region where there is no rise.

  The operator predicts the state of machining in advance, or actually looks to switch whether the laser head escapes in the vertical direction, or adjusts the escape amount. .

  Thus, in the conventional method, since it is simply instructed whether or not to escape and the amount of relief to the machining, the operation becomes useless in an area where it is not necessary to escape. Further, it is necessary to keep the amount of escape constant or to change it every time by visually checking the processing state.

  The present invention reduces the machining time by detecting the rise of parts when machining on the Kenzan pallet while machining, judging the necessity of vertical escape operation, and optimizing the escape amount or path The purpose is to reduce unnecessary operations.

  The present invention is for solving the above-mentioned problems. The invention according to claim 1 is a laser head control system of a laser beam machine for cutting a part from a material, and a rising height of a cut object by a specific sensor. A first means for detecting the machine coordinate position of the cut object, a second means for accumulating data obtained by the first means, and a convex portion on the material from the data accumulated by the second means And a third means for generating a laser head, wherein the operation of the laser head is determined in accordance with the convex portion on the material before the cutting of one path is completed and the movement to the next piercing position. .

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the maximum rising height of the laser head is determined according to the moving path before the laser head is lifted and moved to the next piercing position after cutting of one path is completed. And

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the moving path is determined according to the convex portion before the cutting of one path is completed and the laser head is lifted and moved to the next piercing position.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the specific sensor is a spatial depth sensor and is provided on both sides of the laser head.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the laser head control method of a laser beam machine for cutting a part from a material, the rising height of the cut object is detected by a specific sensor and the machine coordinate position of the cut object is generated. Including a first step, a second step for accumulating data obtained in the first step, and a third step for generating a convex portion on the material from the data accumulated in the second step, Before the movement to the next piercing position is completed, the operation of the laser head is determined according to the convex portion on the material.

  The spatial depth (distance) information obtained from the spatial depth sensor is converted into the height from the reference position of the laser processing machine and the plane coordinates of the laser processing machine, accumulated and held for a certain period on the moving path The maximum part height is obtained, and the height of the laser head necessary to avoid it is obtained. Further, the amount of escape in the height direction of the laser head can be optimized each time depending on the machined parts and chip rising conditions and the movement path, so that the machining time can be shortened safely. Further, since it is possible to generate a route that avoids the convex portion, the processing time can be shortened.

  Since the laser beam machine automatically detects the convex portion and determines the escape amount or path, it is possible to prevent accidents caused by forgetting to set or setting value errors.

It is explanatory drawing which shows the laser head part of a laser head control system. It is explanatory drawing explaining the state of the cut | disconnected components. It is explanatory drawing explaining the cross-sectional state of the cut | disconnected components. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a laser head control system. It is a block diagram which shows the control structure of a laser head control system. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a laser head control system. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a laser head control system. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a laser head control system. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a laser head control system. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of a laser head control system. It is explanatory drawing which shows operation | movement of a laser head control system. It is explanatory drawing explaining a commercially available space depth sensor.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  The configuration of the laser head control system S will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a portion of the laser head 3 of the laser head control system S. FIG. 2 shows the state of the cut part. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional state of the cut part.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the laser head control system S detects a rising height such as a part Pb (part Pa does not rise), a cutting object, or the like by a spatial depth sensor 1 or 2. At the same time, the position of the machine such as the part Pb or the cutting is converted. Then, the processing is performed in parallel and the detection operation is performed every time one path is cut, and the height and position of the material W are grasped by accumulating the detection data, and from the current value before moving to the next piercing position. The maximum height on the path moving to the target position is obtained, and the laser head 3 is operated with an appropriate escape amount.

  The spatial depth sensor 1 and the spatial depth sensor 2 detect a distance by irradiating countless infrared rays with an infrared projector and reading the reflection with an infrared camera. At this time, instead of measuring the distance of one place, the distance of a point corresponding to the resolution of the infrared camera (usually 300,000 or more) can be obtained, so that the depth of the entire space photographed by the camera can be grasped. it can. The depth information is composed of XY coordinates and a depth (distance) Z thereof. The wide angle range in the X-axis direction is 57 degrees, and the wide angle range in the Y-axis direction is 43 degrees. In this example, the XYZ axes are defined according to the coordinate axes Dim.

  The spatial depth sensor 1 and the spatial depth sensor 2 are attached to the laser head 3 on the Y-axis carriage 4 of the laser processing machine M. Then, while detecting the peripheral area ER of the laser head 3, it is attached to the left and right (Y + side and Y− side) so as not to detect the laser head 3 itself.

  A plurality of parts Pa and Pb are produced from the material W by a machining program. Although the material W is placed on the sword mountain table 5, there is a part Pb which is inclined by cutting, and there is a normal state which is not inclined like the part Pa.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the depth (distance from the sensor) differs when the part Pb rises. For example, the depth indicated by the arrow AR is shallower than the depth of the material W (the distance to the spatial depth sensors 1 and 2 is short).

  Please refer to FIG. The control structure of the laser head control system S is shown. The laser processing machine M includes a control device 6. The control device 6 is composed of a computer and has a CPU to which a ROM and a RAM are connected.

  The laser head 3 is controlled by the control device 6 so that the laser head 3 can be positioned on the Y-axis carriage 4 in the Y-axis direction. Further, the laser head 3 can be controlled to move and position on the X-axis, and the height in the Z-axis direction can also be moved and positioned. The material W is cut under control.

  The control device 6 executes a machining program and performs machining control, and the spatial depth sensor 1, the spatial depth sensor 2, and the control device 6 are configured to be communicable. And the process which reads the material W put on the sword mountain table 5 with the spatial depth sensor 1 and the spatial depth sensor 2 is performed. The control device 6 is connected to a database 7 such as a memory, a display device 8 such as a display, and an input device 9 such as a mouse and a keyboard.

  The database 7 holds, as parameters 16, the height from the nozzle tip to the spatial depth sensor 1 and the spatial depth sensor 2, the nozzle width, the nozzle width margin, the height margin, and the like.

  The control device 6 will be described in detail. The control device 6 uses the spatial depth sensor 1 and the spatial depth sensor 2 to detect the rising height of the cut object (part, chip, etc.) and generate the machine coordinate position of the cut object, A second means for accumulating data obtained by one means, and a third means for generating a convex portion on the material (including a height of a part, a chip, etc.) from the data accumulated by the second means. Before the movement of one path (one unit of the cutting path) is completed and the movement to the next piercing position, the operation of the laser head 3 is determined according to the convex portion on the material W.

  Here, the convex portion is, for example, a portion that protrudes from the flat surface of the material W with respect to the flat surface of the surface of the material W in the tilted component Pb. That is, in this example, the convex portion includes information on the component height. In addition, you may produce | generate the state which has fallen below the flat surface of the material W as a recessed part.

  The controller 6 can determine the maximum elevation height of the laser head 3 in accordance with the movement path before the laser head 3 is lifted after cutting of one path is completed and moved to the next piercing position. Further, it is possible to determine a movement path (such as a path that avoids the convex part) according to the convex part before the laser head 3 is lifted after the cutting of one path is completed and moved to the next piercing position. is there. That is, since not only the height of the part Pb but also its position can be captured, the laser head 3 is not only escaped in the height direction, but also the horizontal linear movement is divided into a plurality of parts, or a circular arc on the plane. It is also possible to avoid the part Pb that has stood up using the movement.

  The control device 6 includes a depth information input unit 10, a current position input unit 11, a component height information generation unit 12, a G code analysis unit 13, a laser head relief height generation unit 14, and a positioning shown in FIG. 5. A software processing unit such as the command unit 15 is included. It is integrated with the laser processing machine M or separately.

  The depth information input unit 10 is connected to the spatial depth sensor 1 and the spatial depth sensor 2 and inputs depth information corresponding to the resolution.

  The current position input unit 11 acquires current positions from the pulse encoders of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis servomotors S1, S2, and S3.

  The component height information generation unit 12 offsets the XY coordinates acquired from the spatial depth sensor 1 and the spatial depth sensor 2 with the XY axis coordinates acquired from the current position input unit 11, and the depth information is obtained from the tip of the nozzle. Replace with the part height from the Z reference position by the heights up to 1 and 2. Then, the part height information is replaced with coordinates on the processing range.

  The G code analysis unit 13 derives a path before and after fast-forwarding from a machining program. In this example, fast feed refers to a portion that is not cut.

  The laser head relief height generation unit 14 obtains the laser head relief height from the path before and after fast-forwarding by the G code analysis unit 13, the part height information holding memory 17, and the height margin.

  The positioning command unit 15 outputs a command for positioning.

  As the parameter 16, the height from the nozzle tip to the spatial depth sensors 1, 2, the nozzle width, the nozzle width margin, the height margin, and the like are stored in the database 7 as the parameter 16.

  The component height information holding memory 17 holds the information converted by the component height information generating unit 12 for a certain period. Usually, it is discarded at the same time as the end of the processing program, but when the same material W is processed by a plurality of processing programs, the holding is continued.

  The G code program 18 is an example of a machining program, and is a program for controlling machining.

  The operation of the laser head control system S configured as described above will be described. As a premise, normal laser processing is a repetition of the following commands a1 to a4.

[A1] Fast forward (G00).

[A2] Shutter opening and lowering of the laser head 3 (M103).

[A3] Cutting feed (G01, G02, G03).

[A4] Shutter closing and raising of the laser head 3 (M104).

  In the present invention, the height of the laser head 3 is appropriately changed in the process of a4 in order to prevent the collision between the laser head 3 and the cut object rising during the operation of [a1].

  Use cases of the laser head control system S are shown in [b1] to [b12].

[B1] An operator places the material W on the sword mountain table 5.

[B2] The operator sets a machining program in the control device 6.

[B3] The operator executes the machining program.

[B4] The control device 6 acquires values such as the height from the nozzle tip to the space depth sensors 1 and 2, the nozzle width, the nozzle width margin, and the height margin from the parameter 16.

[B5] The control device 6 reads the information of the spatial depth sensors 1 and 2 from the depth information input unit 10 when the Z-axis is raised in M104 (shutter closed and head raised).

[B6] The control device 6 reads the X, Y, and Z axis coordinates from the current position input unit 11.

[B7] The component height information generation unit 12 converts the spatial depth sensor information into X, Y, and Z reference coordinates, and generates component height information.

[B8] The component height information generation unit 12 stores the converted information in the component height information holding memory 17. At this time, if the previous information and XY coordinates overlap, the higher one is stored.

[B9] The G code analysis unit 13 acquires the position of the next M103 (shutter opening and head lowering).

[B10] The laser head clearance height generation unit 14 selects a component that has risen from the movement path that connects the current position and the position of the next M103 with a straight line and the component height stored in the component height information holding memory 17. The height of the laser head 3 to avoid is obtained.

[B11] The positioning command unit 15 issues a command to the Z axis so that the laser head 3 moves up to the determined height.

[B12] [b5] to [b11] are processed by closing the shutter and raising the laser head 3 (M104).

  With reference to FIGS. 6 to 11, the operation of the control device 6 and the like of the laser head control system S will be described in detail.

  Please refer to FIG. First, in step SA01, values such as the height from the nozzle tip to the space depth sensors 1 and 2, the nozzle width, the nozzle width margin, and the height margin are acquired from the parameter 16.

  In step SA02, execution of the machining program is started. In step SA03, fast forward (G00) is performed. In step SA04, the shutter opening and the lowering of the laser head 3 (M103) are performed. In step SA05, cutting feed (G01, G02, G03) is performed.

  In step SA06, the operation of closing the shutter and raising the laser head 3 (M104) is executed. In step SA07, it is determined whether or not the program ends (M02, M30). If it is determined that the program has ended, the process ends. If it is determined that the program has not ended, the process returns to step SA03 to execute the above process.

Please refer to FIG. This is an internal flow of closing the shutter and raising the laser head 3 (M104). (Corresponding to step SA06 in FIG. 6)
First, in step SB01, a shutter closing operation is executed. In step SB02, the laser head 3 is raised. In step SB03, component height information (information for creating a convex portion on the material W) is generated. Hereinafter, the component height is information for creating a convex portion on the material.

  In step SB04, the clearance height of the laser head 3 is generated. In step SB05, it is determined whether or not the current height of the laser head 3 is lower than the clearance height. If it is determined that the value is low, the process proceeds to step SB06. If it is determined that the value is not low, the process ends. In step SB06, the laser head 3 is raised to the clearance height.

  Please refer to FIG. The part height generation processing flow is shown. In step SC01 (corresponding to step SB03 in FIG. 7), an M104 (shutter close and laser head 3 ascending) command is fetched (of the CPU operation, the command is fetched from the memory).

  In step SC02, depth information is acquired. Reference is made to FIG. The depth information is acquired by the spatial depth sensors 1 and 2 provided on both sides of the laser head 3.

  In step SC03, the current position (X, Y, Z) is acquired.

  In step SC04, the X and Y coordinate information of the depth information is offset at the current X and Y positions of the machine.

  In step SC05, the distance information of the depth information is converted into a height from the Z-axis reference using a parameter. Reference is made to FIG. The rising height of the component is a value calculated by the expression “H1 + H2−H3”. Here, H1 is the length from the spatial depth sensors 1 and 2 to the nozzle tip. H2 is the length from the nozzle tip to the Z-axis reference (for example, the tip of Kenzan). H3 is the length from the spatial depth sensors 1 and 2 to the upper end of the part.

  In step SC06, when the X and Y coordinates written in the component height information holding memory 17 overlap, the higher one is written. Then, the process ends.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, in the machining range (axis movement range) E1, for example, the resolution of the detection range E2 is (Example 960 × 640), and the height of the component rising is detected.

Please refer to FIG. The relief height generation processing flow of the laser head 3 is shown. (Corresponding to step SB04 in FIG. 7)
First, in step SD01, the G code is pre-read to extract a fast-forward command, and the positions before and after fast-forward are obtained.

  In step SD02, all the component heights in the region where the nozzle width and the margin are added to the movement path connecting the coordinates before and after the rapid traverse are obtained, and the maximum value of the component heights is obtained.

  In step SD03, the amount of ascent of the laser head 3 for the fast-forward command is set to a height obtained by adding a margin to the maximum component height on the movement path.

  Please refer to FIG. The laser head 3 moves along a path K from the position P1 to the position P2 by fast-forwarding. The maximum height (included in the convex portion) of the component within this range is obtained, and a margin is given to the height. The width of the path K is a width with a margin for the nozzle width.

  Since not only the height of the part but also its position can be grasped, not only the laser head 3 escapes in the height direction, but also the horizontal linear movement is divided into a plurality of parts, or the circular movement on the plane is used. It is also possible to avoid the parts that stand up.

  Please refer to FIG. The spatial depth sensors 1 and 2 are configured by a combination of an infrared projector and an infrared camera. A commercially available spatial depth sensor Sr having a structure applicable to this example is shown. A distance sensor infrared light Sr1, a video sensor Sr2, a power lamp Sr3, a distance sensor Sr4, and a base Sr5 are provided.

  The distance sensor Sr4 detects the distance by irradiating countless infrared rays with the distance sensor infrared light Sr1 and reading the reflection by the image sensor Sr2.

  At this time, the distance of a point corresponding to the resolution (usually 300,000 points or more) of the image sensor Sr2 can be obtained instead of measuring the distance of one place, so that the depth of the entire space reflected on the image sensor Sr2 is grasped. be able to.

  In addition, since infrared rays are used, no auxiliary light is required and measurement is possible even in the dark. Depth information can be output as image data.

  Other than the infrared ray, a method that can detect the depth of the space with a laser or an ultrasonic wave can be applied. Even when the laser head 3 moves up to a sufficient height, or moves up and down in a parabolic shape while moving in the horizontal direction, either fast-forwarding operation can be handled.

  The depth information is an actual image of an example detection target range that is input as an image color-coded according to a depth (distance) that can be acquired with a resolution of 640 × 480.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments of the invention described above, and can be implemented in other modes by making appropriate modifications.

S Laser Head Control System 1 Spatial Depth Sensor 2 Spatial Depth Sensor 3 Laser Head 4 Y-axis Carriage 5 Kenyama Table ER Peripheral Area Pa Part Pb Part W Material M Laser Machine

Claims (5)

In the laser head control system of a laser processing machine that cuts parts from materials,
First means for detecting the rising height of the cut object by a specific sensor and generating the machine coordinate position of the cut object, second means for storing data obtained by the first means, and the second means And a third means for generating convex portions on the material from the data accumulated in
A laser head control system that determines the operation of a laser head in accordance with a convex portion on the material before cutting of one path is completed and moving to the next piercing position.   The maximum rising height of the laser head is determined according to the moving path before the laser head is lifted and moved to the next piercing position after cutting of one path is completed. Laser head control system.   2. The laser head control system according to claim 1, wherein the moving path is determined according to the convex portion before the cutting of one path is completed and the laser head is raised and moved to the next piercing position.   4. The laser head control system according to claim 1, wherein the specific sensor is a spatial depth sensor and is provided on both sides of the laser head. In a laser head control method of a laser processing machine for cutting a part from a material,
A first step of detecting a rising height of the cut object by a specific sensor and generating a machine coordinate position of the cut object, a second step of storing data obtained in the first step, and the second step Including a third step of generating convex portions on the material from the data accumulated in
A laser head control method, comprising: determining the operation of a laser head in accordance with a convex portion on the material before cutting of one path is completed and moving to a next piercing position.

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