Patent ID: 6177648
Filing Date: 2001-01-23
Classification: B23K

Abstract:
A method for operating a steered laser beam system, the method comprising:generating a laser beam having a selectively positionable focal point;reflecting the laser beam through a plurality of galvo mirrors having controllable reflectance angles for positioning the focal point of the laser beam on the workpiece in at least two dimension;providing a workpiece on which a selected laser beam pattern is used to process the workpiece, the laser beam focal point being controlled to travel along the selected pattern at varying velocities;performing a galvo model to determine a set of actual galvo mirror angles based on a set of commanded galvo mirror angles and empirically selected model parameters;dynamically determining for the set of actual galvo mirror angles a position of the focal point on the workpiece as the focal point travels along the selected pattern;dynamically calculating a velocity of the focal point on the workpiece based on multiple determined positions of the focal point; andcontrolling an energy level of the laser beam based on the calculated velocity of the focal point.