LASER PROCESSING APPARATUS AND LASER PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20100288740A1
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sato, Akio, Okuno, Tomoya, Komiya, Tomoki, Hisano, Hirohiko
• Application Number:
  US12/810,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20100288740A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 219/121.67
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/064 by means of optical elements, e.g. lenses, mirrors or prisms
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/082 Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/389 of fluid openings, e.g. nozzles, jets laser machining of inkjet nozzles B41J2/1634
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 26/101 with both horizontal and vertical deflecting means, e.g. raster or XY scanners colour television using laser beams scanning a display screen H04N9/3129

Abstract

A laser processing apparatus comprises a first shift mechanism including a first transparent member having a first incident face and a first output face that are parallel to each other; and a first motor that rotates the first transparent member around a first rotational axis. The first shift mechanism shifts the laser beam exiting from the first output face in a state parallel with the incident light on the first incident face in a first direction. The laser processing apparatus also comprises a second shift mechanism including a second transparent member including a second incident face and a second output face that are parallel to each other; and a second motor that rotates the second transparent member around the second rotational axis. The second rotating mechanism rotates the laser beam exiting from the second output face in a state parallel with the laser beam incident on the second incident face in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A light collecting lens collects the laser beam shifted with the second shift section to process a work. This configuration allows control of a taper angle of a hole formed by laser processing.

Claims

1. An apparatus for laser processing comprising:

a laser source for emitting a laser beam, wherein the laser beam includes an optical axis;

a first shift section including;

a first transparent member including a first incident face and a first output face that are parallel to each other, in which the laser beam, when being emitted, enters the first transparent member by being incident on the first incident face at an incident angle, passes through the first transparent member, and exits from the first output face; and

a first rotating mechanism that supports the first transparent member so that the laser beam passes through the first incident face and the first output face, wherein the first rotating mechanism rotates the first transparent member around a first rotational axis perpendicular to the optical axis to change the incident angle of the laser beam incident on the first incident face;

wherein the first shift section shifts the laser beam exiting from the first output face in a state parallel with the laser beam incident on the first incident face in a first direction;

a second shift section including;

a second transparent member including a second incident face and a second output face that are parallel to each other, wherein the laser beam exiting from the first shift section enters the second incident face by being incident on the second incident face at another incident angle; and

a second rotating mechanism that supports the second transparent member so that the laser beam passes through the second incident face with the laser beam exiting from the second output face, wherein the second rotating mechanism rotates the second transparent member around a second rotational axis perpendicular to the optical axis and the first rotational axis to change the another incident angle of the laser beam incident on the second incident face;

wherein the second shift section shifts the laser beam exiting from the second output face in a state parallel with the laser beam incident on the second incident face in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and

a light collector for collecting the laser beam emitted from the second shift section.

2. The laser processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a laser shaping device disposed between the laser source and the first shift section on a light path of the laser beam, wherein the laser shaping device reflects or refracts the entire laser beam to shape the laser beam into a generally circular shape around the optical axis of the laser beam.

3. The laser processing apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a first galvano mirror and a second galvano mirror both disposed either at the position between the laser shaping device and the first shift section on the light path of the laser beam or at the position between the second shift section and the light collector on the light path of the laser beam to reflect the laser beam to change the direction of the laser beam and each galvano mirror including an axis; and

a galvano drive mechanism for rotating the first galvano mirror and the second galvano mirror around their axes, wherein the axis of the first galvano mirror and the axis of the second galvano mirror are perpendicular to each other.

4. The laser processing apparatus of claim 2 wherein the laser shaping device includes a first Axicon lens and a second Axicon lens that are arranged so that conical portions of the two lenses face each other or oppose each other.

5. The laser processing apparatus of claim 4 further comprising a distant controller for controlling a distance between the first Axicon lens and the second Axicon lens.

6. The laser processing apparatus of claim 2 further comprising a beam radius varying device for varying a beam radius of the laser beam emitted from the laser source.

7. A method for laser processing comprising:

emitting a laser beam from a laser source and passing the laser beam through a first transparent member, including a first incident face and a first output face that are parallel to each other by directing the laser beam to be incident on the first incident face with the laser beam exiting from the first output face in a state parallel with the laser beam incident on the first incident face and shifted in a first direction, wherein the laser beam includes an optical axis, wherein the first transparent member is rotated around a first rotational axis perpendicular to the optical axis;

passing the laser beam through a second transparent member, including a second incident face and a second output face that are parallel to each other, by directing the laser beam exiting from the first output face to be incident on the second incident face with the laser beam exiting from the second output face in a state parallel with laser beam incident on the second incident face and shifted in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, wherein the second transparent member is rotated around a second rotational axis perpendicular to the optical axis and the first rotational axis; and

collecting the laser beam shifted in the second direction at a light collector to process an object.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said emitting a laser beam from a laser source and passing the laser beam through a first transparent member includes:

rotating the first transparent member so that the laser beam incident on the first incident face is inclined with respect to the first incident face; and

passing the laser beam emitted from the laser source through the rotated first transparent member, wherein the laser beam includes an optical axis and said first direction is generally perpendicular to the optical axis of the laser beam emitted from the laser source;

wherein said passing the laser beam through a second transparent member includes;

rotating the second transparent member so that the laser beam incident on the second incident face is inclined with respect to the second incident face; and

passing the laser beam emitted from the laser source through the rotated second transparent member, wherein the second direction is generally perpendicular to the optical axis and the first direction.