GAS LASER DEVICE

• US 20110243177A1
• Filed: 03/02/2011
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
• Inventors: Nishio, Akihiko, MURAKAMI, Takafumi
• Application Number:
  US13/038,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20110243177A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 372/58
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/036 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 Class Codes: H01S 3/09702 Details of the driver electronics and electric discharge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/104 in gas lasers

Abstract

A gas laser device including a blower circulating a laser gas along a gas passage; a pressure detection section detecting a gas pressure of the laser gas in the gas passage; a gas supply and exhaust section supplying the laser gas to the gas passage and exhausting the laser gas from the gas passage; an instruction section instructing a temporary stop of a laser oscillation by a laser oscillator; and a control section controlling the blower and the gas supply and exhaust section in response to an instruction from the instruction section. The control section, before the instruction section instructs the temporary stop, controls the blower to rotate at a predetermined rotation number and controls the gas supply and exhaust section so that the gas pressure detected by the pressure detection section is a first target gas pressure and, once the instruction section instructs the temporary stop, controls the blower so as to reduce the rotation number of the blower or stop the rotation of the blower and controls the gas supply and exhaust section so that the gas pressure detected by the pressure detection section is a second target gas pressure corresponding to the first target gas pressure during the rotation of the blower.

Claims

1. A gas laser device comprising:

a passage formation section forming a gas passage through which a laser gas circulates;

a blower circulating the laser gas along the gas passage;

a laser oscillator oscillating laser light by using the laser gas flowing through the gas passage as an excitation medium;

a laser power supply supplying electric power for exciting the laser gas to the laser oscillator;

a pressure detection section detecting a gas pressure of the laser gas in the gas passage which changes depending on a rotation number of the blower;

a gas supply and exhaust section supplying the laser gas to the gas passage and exhausting the laser gas from the gas passage;

an instruction section instructing a temporary stop of oscillation of the laser light by the laser oscillator; and

a control section controlling the blower and the gas supply and exhaust section in response to an instruction from the instruction section,

wherein, before the instruction section instructs the temporary stop, the control section controls the blower so as to rotate at a predetermined rotation number, and controls the gas supply and exhaust section so that the gas pressure detected by the pressure detection section is a first target gas pressure and,

once the instruction section instructs the temporary stop, the control section controls the blower so as to reduce the rotation number of the blower or stop the rotation of the blower, and controls the gas supply and exhaust section so that the gas pressure detected by the pressure detection section is a second target gas pressure corresponding to the first target gas pressure during the rotation of the blower.

2. The gas laser device according to claim 1, wherein, once the instruction section instructs the temporary stop, the control section controls the blower so as to reduce the rotation number of the blower or stop the rotation of the blower and, after the rotation number of the blower is reduced or the rotation of the blower is stopped, controls the gas supply and exhaust section so that the gas pressure detected by the pressure detection section is the second target gas pressure.

3. The gas laser device according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply and exhaust section comprises:

an exhaust device exhausting the laser gas from the gas passage; and

a supply device supplying the laser gas to the gas passage.

4. The gas laser device according to claim 3, wherein the exhaust device has an exhaust fan for aspirating the laser gas from the gas passage, and

wherein, once the instruction section instructs the temporary stop, the control section makes an exhaust ability of the exhaust fan lower than the exhaust ability of before the temporary stop is instructed.

5. The gas laser device according to claim 3, wherein the exhaust device is disposed in an exhaust passage communicating with the gas passage, and

wherein the gas supply and exhaust section further comprises a valve device changing an aperture area of the exhaust passage.

6. The gas laser device according to claim 1, further comprising a cooling device for cooling a predetermined component by circulating coolant,

wherein, once the instruction section instructs the temporary stop, the control section further controls the cooling device so that an amount of circulation of the coolant becomes less than the amount of circulation before the temporary stop is instructed.