# US 12,760,967 B2 · Laser drying device and method of use thereof

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 12,760,967 B2
- Document ID: US12760967B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/671,849
- Filed: 2024-05-22
- Published: 2025-01-02
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2023-06-30
- Assignees: KATOP Automation Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: KATOP Automation Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Gaowen Zhu; Saiqiang Yang; Xipeng Huang; Zhixing He; Weiquan Mo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12760967B2

## CPC

- F26B 3/28: by radiation, e.g. from the sun
- B23K 26/352: for surface treatment
- B23K 26/702: {Auxiliary equipment}
- F26B: DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM (drying devices for combines A01D41/133; racks for drying fruit or vegetables A01F25/12; drying foodstuffs A23; drying hair A45D20/00; body-drying implements A47K10/00; drying household articles A47L; drying gases or vapours B01D; chemical or physical processes for dewatering or like separating liquids from solids B01D43/00; centrifugal apparatus B04; drying ceramics C04B33/30; drying yarns or fabrics in association with some other form of treatment D06C; drying frames for laundry without heating or positive air circulation, domestic laundry-or spin-driers, wringing or hot pressing laundry D06F; furnaces, kilns, ovens F27)
- B23K: SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

## Abstract

Disclosed is a laser drying device and a laser drying method, and relates to the technical field of coating. The laser drying device includes a laser drying module, a position sensor, a sensor module and a control system; the laser drying module includes semiconductor laser units arranged in an array and electrically connected to the control system; the sensor module includes a sensor and a sensor driving unit, wherein the sensor is slidably connected to the sensor driving unit, the sensor driving unit is positioned on a side of the laser drying module; and the position sensor is placed at an edge of a strip to detect a position of the edge of the strip. The precision of drying is effectively ensured, and the safety of production is also ensured.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A laser drying device, comprising a laser drying module, a position sensor, a sensor module and a control system;
the laser drying module includes semiconductor laser units arranged in an array and electrically connected to the control system;
the sensor module includes a sensor and a sensor driving unit, wherein the sensor is slidably connected to the sensor driving unit, the sensor driving unit is positioned on a side of the laser drying module; the sensor of the sensor module is either a temperature sensor or a humidity sensor;
the position sensor is placed at an edge of a strip to detect a position of the edge of the strip;
wherein the sensor driving unit includes a sliding guide and a driving motor, the sliding guide is slidably connected to the sensor and placed on one side of the laser drying module, the driving motor is mounted on one end of the sliding guide and is kinetically connected to the sliding guide; and
wherein the sliding guide includes a chain, a slide groove, a first transmission gear and a second transmission gear, the chain is arranged around the slide groove, and the chain is connected to the first transmission gear at an end and connected to the second transmission gear at the other end; a T-shape slider is provided at a connection point of the sliding guide and the sensor, and an horizontal end of the T-shape slider is arranged between the slide groove and a side of the chain away from the laser drying module; and the first transmission gear is kinetically connected to an output shaft of the drive motor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The laser drying device of claim 1, wherein the laser drying module further includes a heat dissipation duct, laser cable ducts, a quartz glass plate and a housing, and wherein the heat dissipation duct is arranged on a surface of the housing distal to a coating, the quartz glass plate is arranged on a surface of the housing proximate to the coating, and the laser cable ducts are arranged around the heat dissipation duct.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The laser drying device of claim 2, wherein the semiconductor laser units are provided between the quartz glass plate and the housing.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1, 2, 3)

A laser drying method applied to the laser drying device of any of claims 1-3, wherein the laser drying method comprises:
S10: establishing a coordinate system, and numbering each semiconductor laser unit of the laser drying module;
S20: establishing mapping relationships between each area of the pole piece and each semiconductor laser unit;
S30: collecting drying performance of different areas of the pole piece by the sensor module, and transmitting them to the control system;
S40: calculating difference between the drying performance of the different areas of the pole piece and the desired drying performance, and calculating the adjustment amount of the semiconductor laser unit for each area by a closed-loop control algorithm;
S50: seeking the number of the semiconductor laser unit in each area, via the control system, based on the mapping relationships between the different areas of the pole piece and the semiconductor laser units, and introducing the adjustment amount of the semiconductor laser unit for each area to the semiconductor laser unit with the number, to adjust output power of each semiconductor laser unit;
S60, repeating S30-S50 to achieve segmented closed-loop control of the pole piece.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The laser drying method of claim 4, wherein in S10, the numbering is performed by: taking an axis of the laser drying module as a starting point in an X direction, and taking an upper edge or a lower edge of the laser drying module as a starting point in a Y direction for numbering each semiconductor laser unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 5)

The laser drying method of claim 5, wherein in S20, establishing the mapping relationships by: establishing a right-angle coordinate system with an axis of the pole piece as X-axis, and with an upper edge or a lower edge of the pole piece as Y-axis, and inputting width ranges of each area of the pole piece; in the case that the axis of the pole piece is aligned with a normal of an emitting area of the laser drying module, obtaining the mapping relationships between different areas of the pole piece and the semiconductor laser units based on dimensions of light spots of the semiconductor laser units and widths of different areas of the pole piece.

### Claim 7 (depends on 4)

The laser drying method of claim 4, further comprises a step, before S40, of correcting the mapping relationships between each area of the pole piece and each semiconductor laser unit according to the offset of the pole piece measured by the position sensor.

### Claim 8 (depends on 4)

The laser drying method of claim 4, wherein the closed-loop control algorithm is a closed-loop control algorithm of PID.