LASER DEVICE PROVIDED WITH FUNCTION OF PREDICTING OCCURRENCE OF CONDENSATION

• US 20160336707A1
• Filed: 05/11/2016
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
• Original Assignee: Fanuc Corporation
• Inventors: Nishio, Akihiko, Nishikawa, Yuji, Yoshida, Hiroyuki, Machida, Hisatada
• Granted Patent: US 10,461,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/00 Thermometers specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0014 Monitoring arrangements not otherwise provided for photometry G01J1/00, e.g. G01J1/4257; radiation pyrometry G01J5/00; measuring coherence of light G01J9/00; measuring wavelength of light G01J9/00, e.g. G01J9/0246; measuring optical pulses G01J11/00; calorimetrically measuring power of laser beams G01K17/003
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/0407 Liquid cooling, e.g. by water
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 3/1317 by controlling the temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0014 Measuring characteristics or properties thereof measuring techniques per se G01J, G01K, G01N, G01R
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/02423 Liquid cooling, e.g. a liquid cools a mount of the laser

Abstract

A laser device provided with the function of predicting occurrence of condensation and preventing occurrence of condensation in advance. The laser device is provided with a controlling part calculating a reference temperature for judging whether a cooling water feed device may feed cooling water based on a temperature measured by a thermometer and a humidity measured by a hygrometer, and a comparing part comparing a reference temperature and a cooling water temperature. The cooling water feed device is configured to stop the feed of cooling water after a command for starting up the laser oscillator has been output and the cooling water temperature is lower than the reference temperature and to start or continue the feed of cooling water when the cooling water temperature is the reference temperature or more.

Claims

1. A laser device comprising:

a laser resonator generating laser light,

a cooling water feed device feeding cooling water to the laser resonator for cooling the laser resonator,

a water temperature gauge measuring a temperature of cooling water fed to the laser resonator,

a temperature/humidity adjusting device adjusting at least one of a temperature and humidity of a space in which the laser resonator is set,

a thermometer measuring a temperature of air adjusted by the temperature/humidity adjusting device,

a hygrometer measuring a humidity of air adjusted by the temperature/humidity adjusting device,

a controlling part calculating a reference temperature or reference humidity judging if the cooling water feed device may feed cooling water based on the temperature measured by the thermometer and the humidity measured by the hygrometer, and

a comparing part comparing the reference temperature and the cooling water temperature or comparing the reference humidity and the humidity measured by the hygrometer,

wherein the cooling water feed device configured to stop the feed of cooling water after a command for starting up the laser resonator has been output and the cooling water temperature is lower than the reference temperature or when the humidity measured by the hygrometer is higher than the reference humidity and to start or continue the feed of cooling water when the cooling water temperature is the reference temperature or more or when the humidity measured by the hygrometer is the reference humidity or less.

2. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the reference temperature is a dew point of a space in which the laser resonator is placed or said dew point plus a predetermined margin, and the reference humidity is a condensation humidity of a space in which the laser resonator is placed or said condensation humidity minus a predetermined margin.

3. A laser device comprising:

a laser resonator generating laser light,

a cooling water feed device feeding cooling water to the laser resonator for cooling the laser resonator,

a water temperature gauge measuring a temperature of cooling water fed to the laser resonator,

a temperature/humidity adjusting device adjusting at least one of a temperature and humidity of a space in which the laser resonator is set,

a thermometer measuring a temperature of air adjusted by the temperature/humidity adjusting device,

a hygrometer measuring a humidity of air adjusted by the temperature/humidity adjusting device,

a controlling part determining a control target temperature of cooling water which is fed to the laser resonator and calculating a reference temperature for judging if the cooling water feed device may feed cooling water based on the temperature measured by the thermometer and the humidity measured by the hygrometer,

a water temperature adjusting device adjusting a temperature of cooling water fed to the laser resonator based on the control target temperature, and

a comparing part comparing the reference temperature and the control target temperature,

wherein the cooling water feed device configured to stop the feed of cooling water after a command for starting up the laser resonator has been output and the control target temperature is lower than the reference temperature and to start or continue the feed of cooling water when the control target temperature is the reference temperature or more.

4. The laser device according to claim 3, wherein the control target temperature is calculated and set so as to be held at the reference temperature or more and as such gradually fall in accordance with the fall in reference temperature.

5. A laser device according to claim 3, wherein the reference temperature is the dew point of a space in which the laser resonator is placed or said dew point plus a predetermined margin.