IP Library › Granted Patent US 12673385
Granted Patent B2
US 12673385 · App. 18/876,301 · Granted Jul 7, 2026

Laser machining head and laser machine

Inventors: Yoko Inoue (Tokyo, JP); Masaki Seguchi (Tokyo, JP); Tomohiro Kyoto (Tokyo, JP); Yukiatsu Kato (Tokyo, JP); Akinori Nishio (Tokyo, JP); Mototoshi Kumaoka (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
B23K26/0648B23K26/0734B23K26/36
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12673385
App. No.
18/876,301
Granted
Jul 7, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A laser machining head includes: a first lens group in which laser light diverging from a light emitter enters and is concentrated; a second lens group to which the laser light having passed through the first lens group propagates; a third lens group that constitutes a lens group in which the laser light having passed through the second lens group propagates and forms an image of the light emitter; a fourth lens group in which the laser light having passed through the third lens group enters and is concentrated; a light flux conversion optical element that is disposed on an optical axis between the first lens group and the second lens unit and converts a beam mode of the laser light; a first mover that moves the first lens group in an optical axis direction; and a second mover that moves the third lens group in an optical axis direction.

Claims (29)

1 . A laser machining head comprising:

a first lens group to which laser light diverging from a light emitter enters and configured to concentrate the laser light, wherein the first lens group is a lens group having positive power;

a second lens group to which the laser light having passed through the first lens group propagates, wherein the second lens group is a lens group having positive power;

a third lens group, wherein the laser light having passed through the second lens group propagates to the third lens group, and wherein the third lens group is a lens group having negative power;

a fourth lens group to which the laser light having passed through the third lens group enters and configured to concentrate the laser light, wherein the fourth lens group is a lens group having positive power;

a light flux conversion optical element removably disposed on an optical axis between the first lens group and the second lens group and configured to convert a beam mode of the laser light into a ring-shaped beam mode at a transfer position, the light flux conversion optical element being a single axicon lens;

a first mover configured to move the first lens group in an optical axis direction; and

a second mover configured to move the third lens group in the optical axis direction,

wherein the first lens group, the second lens group, the third lens group, and the fourth lens group constitute a transfer optical system which forms an image of the light emitter at the transfer position, and

wherein, when the light flux conversion optical element exists on the optical axis, the light flux conversion optical element is also included in the components of the transfer optical system.

2 . The laser machining head according to claim 1 , comprising

a third mover configured to move the light flux conversion optical element to a position on the optical axis between the first lens group and the second lens group and a position off the optical axis.

3 . The laser machining head according to claim 2 , wherein

the first mover is configured to move the first lens group when the third mover moves the light flux conversion optical element.

4 . The laser machining head according to claim 1 , comprising

a third mover configured to move the light flux conversion optical element to a position on the optical axis between the first lens group and the second lens group and a position off the optical axis by rotating the light flux conversion optical element about an axis parallel to the optical axis.

5 . The laser machining head according to claim 4 , wherein

the first mover is configured to move the first lens group when the third mover moves the light flux conversion optical element.

6 . A laser machine comprising:

a light source configured to output laser light; and

the laser machining head according to claim 1 .

7 . The laser machining head according to claim 1 , comprising:

a third mover configured to move the light flux conversion optical element to a position on the optical axis between the first lens group and the second lens group and a position off the optical axis by inserting the light flux conversion optical element into the optical axis and retracting the light flux conversion optical element from the optical axis.

8 . The laser machining head according to claim 1 , wherein

the laser machining head is configured to change the distance from the light emitter to the transfer position while maintaining a transfer magnification, by moving the first lens group and the third lens group.

9 . The laser machining head according to claim 1 , comprising:

a third mover configured to move the light flux conversion optical element to a position on the optical axis between the first lens group and the second lens group and a position off the optical axis by rotating the light flux conversion optical element about an axis perpendicular to the optical axis to the optical axis.

10 . The laser machining head according to claim 1 , wherein

the laser machining head is configured to change a transfer magnification of the transfer optical system by moving the first lens group and the third lens group.