Patent ID: 8530781

Claim:
A processing apparatus comprising: a laser oscillator configured to oscillate a laser beam; an overall control device configured to control an operation of the laser oscillator; and a plurality of processing units each comprising a holding part configured to hold a processed object, an optical system configured to guide the laser beam, oscillated from the laser oscillator, toward the processed object, a shutter configured to selectively prevent the laser beam from reaching the processed object, and an individual control device configured to control an operation of the holding part, and configured to transmit a laser request signal to the overall control device, wherein the overall control device determines laser beam application suspension periods in which the laser oscillator does not irradiate the laser beam at certain intervals to perform a first control, a second control, and a third control, wherein, in the first control, when the overall control device receives the laser request signal from all of the individual control devices of the processing units during a total period of the laser beam application suspension periods and laser beam application periods occurring before the beam application suspension periods, the overall control device controls all of the shutters of the plurality of processing units to enable the laser beam to reach the processing object and drives the laser oscillator to oscillate the laser beam after each end of the laser beam application suspension periods: wherein, in the second control, when the overall control device receives the laser request signal from at least one of the individual control devices of the processing units during a total period of the laser beam application suspension periods and laser beam application periods occurring before the beam application suspension periods, the overall control device controls the shutters of the processing units comprising the at least one individual control device which has transmitted the laser request signal to enable the laser beam to reach the processing object, controls the shutters of the processing units comprising the individual control device which has not transmitted the laser request signal to hold the laser beam from reaching the processing object, and drives the laser oscillator to oscillate the laser beam after each end of the laser beam application suspension periods; and wherein, in the third control, when the overall control device does not receive any laser request signal from the individual control device of the processing units during a total period of the laser beam application suspension periods and laser beam application periods occurring before the beam application suspension periods, the overall control device terminates the control of the laser oscillator.