TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter described herein relates to manufacturing processes implementing, or aided by, a computer numerically controlled machine with mechanisms for detecting an interference of electromagnetic energy.

BACKGROUND

Computer controlled manufacturing systems, such as “3-D printers,” laser cutter/engravers, computer numerically controlled milling machines, and the like, can be used to create complicated items where traditional manufacturing techniques like moldings or manual assembly fail. Such automated methods operate based on instructions that specify the cuts, layers, patterns, and other actions to be performed. The instructions can be in the form of computer files transferred to the memory of a computer controller for the machine and interpreted at run-time to provide a series of steps in the manufacturing process.

SUMMARY

Systems, methods, and articles of manufacture, including apparatuses, are provided for disabling a computer numerically controlled machine in response to a misdirected electromagnetic beam. In one aspect, there is provided a method that includes: delivering, to a destination in a computer numerically controlled machine, a beam of electromagnetic energy; measuring a power of the beam of electromagnetic energy at a location between a source of the electromagnetic energy and the destination, the beam of electromagnetic energy traveling from the source to the destination being susceptible to one or more interferences, and the one or more interferences being capable of altering the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by at least diverting, away from an intended path for the beam of electromagnetic energy, at least a portion of the beam of electromagnetic energy; detecting, based at least on the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy being less than a threshold value, an interference of the beam of electromagnetic energy; and in response to detecting the interference of the beam of electromagnetic energy, performing one or more actions.

In some variations, one or more features disclosed herein including the following features can optionally be included in any feasible combination. The power of the beam of electromagnetic energy may be measured by a beam detector. The beam detector may be disposed at a head of the computer numerically controlled machine.

In some variations, the head of the computer numerically controlled machine may be configured to steer, to the destination, the beam of electromagnetic energy from the source of the electromagnetic energy.

In some variations, the beam detector may be configured to measure the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by least measuring a power of a backscatter from the beam of electromagnetic energy interacting with one or more components at the head of the computer numerically controlled machine.

In some variations, the beam detector may be configured to measure the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by at least measuring a power of one or more divergent rays scattered from the beam of electromagnetic energy.

In some variations, the beam detector may be configured to measure the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by least measuring a power of a backscatter from the beam of electromagnetic energy delivered at the destination.

In some variations, the beam detector may be configured to measure the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by least measuring a power of a portion of the beam of electromagnetic energy.

In some variations, the portion of the beam of electromagnetic energy may be diverted to the beam detector by a bypass that enables the portion of the beam of electromagnetic energy to pass through an optical element configured to steer the beam of electromagnetic energy.

In some variations, the portion of the beam of electromagnetic energy may be diverted to the beam detector by an optical element and/or an optical obstacle inserted along the intended path of the beam of electromagnetic energy.

In some variations, the method may further include: determining an expected power of the beam of electromagnetic energy at the location between the source of the electromagnetic energy and the destination; and detecting the interference of the beam of electromagnetic energy further based on a difference between the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy and the expected power of the beam of electromagnetic energy exceeding another threshold value.

In some variations, the threshold value and/or the other threshold value may be determined based at least on a maximum permissible exposure (MPE) associated with the beam of electromagnetic energy.

In some variations, the expected power of the beam of electromagnetic energy may be determined based at least on an initial power of the beam of electromagnetic energy at the source of the electromagnetic energy and/or an attenuation of the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy as the beam of electromagnetic energy propagates from the source to the destination.

In some variations, the measuring of the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy may include: generating, by a first sensor oriented towards the source of the electromagnetic energy, a first measurement; generating, by a second sensor oriented away from the source of the electromagnetic energy, a second measurement; and determining, based at least on a difference between the first measurement and the second measurement, the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy, the difference between the first measurement and the second measurement corresponding to a contribution from an ambient noise, and the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy being determined by at least removing the contribution from the ambient noise.

In some variations, the measuring the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy may include filtering a signal detected by the first sensor and/or the second sensor to remove the contribution from the ambient noise.

In some variations, the first sensor and/or the second sensor may be configured to detect electromagnetic energy in a far infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

In some variations, the first sensor and/or the second sensor may be thermopiles.

In some variations, the one or more actions may include at least one of generating an alarm, sending a notification to a user, disabling the source of the electromagnetic energy, and engaging an interlock of the computer numerically controlled machine.

In some variations, the one or more actions may include sending, to a cloud-based server, data collected by one or more sensors onboard the computer numerically controlled machine. The data may be over a time period during which the interference of the electromagnetic energy occurred at the computer numerically controlled machine.

In some variations, the one or more interferences may include an absence and/or a malfunction of an optical element configured to direct the beam of electromagnetic energy to the destination.

In some variations, the one or more interferences may include an obstacle introduced to an unprotected portion of the intended path between the source of the electromagnetic energy and the destination.

In another aspect, there is provided an apparatus that includes: a head configured to steer, to a destination, a beam of electromagnetic energy from a source of electromagnetic energy; a beam detector disposed at the head, the beam detector configured to measure a power of the beam of electromagnetic energy at a location between the source of the electromagnetic energy and the destination, the beam of electromagnetic energy traveling from the source to the destination being susceptible to one or more interferences, and the one or more interferences being capable of altering the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by at least diverting, away from an intended path for the beam of electromagnetic energy, at least a portion of the beam of electromagnetic energy; and a controller configured to detect, based at least on the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy being less than a threshold value, an interference of the beam of electromagnetic energy, and respond to detecting the interference of the beam of electromagnetic energy by performing one or more actions.

In some variations, one or more features disclosed herein including the following features can optionally be included in any feasible combination. The beam detector may be configured to measure the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by least measuring a power of a backscatter from the beam of electromagnetic energy delivered at the destination and/or the beam of electromagnetic energy interacting with one or more components at the head of the computer numerically controlled machine.

In some variations, the beam detector may be configured to measure the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by at least measuring a power of one or more divergent rays scattered from the beam of electromagnetic energy.

In some variations, the beam detector may be configured to measure the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by least measuring a power of a portion of the beam of electromagnetic energy. The portion of the beam of electromagnetic energy may be diverted to the beam detector by a bypass, an optical element, and/or an optical obstacle.

In some variations, the beam detector may include a first sensor oriented towards the source of electromagnetic energy and a second sensor oriented away from the source of electromagnetic energy. A difference between a first measurement generated by the first sensor and a second measurement generated by the second sensor may correspond to a contribution from an ambient noise. The beam detector may be configured to determine the power of the beam of electromagnetic energy by at least removing the contribution from the ambient noise.

Implementations of the current subject matter can include, but are not limited to, methods consistent with the descriptions provided herein as well as articles that comprise a tangibly embodied machine-readable medium operable to cause one or more machines (e.g., computers, etc.) to result in operations implementing one or more of the described features. Similarly, computer systems are also described that may include one or more processors and one or more memories coupled to the one or more processors. A memory, which can include a computer-readable storage medium, may include, encode, store, or the like one or more programs that cause one or more processors to perform one or more of the operations described herein. Computer implemented methods consistent with one or more implementations of the current subject matter can be implemented by one or more data processors residing in a single computing system or multiple computing systems. Such multiple computing systems can be connected and can exchange data and/or commands or other instructions or the like via one or more connections, including but not limited to a connection over a network (e.g. the Internet, a wireless wide area network, a local area network, a wide area network, a wired network, or the like), via a direct connection between one or more of the multiple computing systems, etc.

