JPS5917992B2 - Laser device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a laser device used particularly for medical purposes.

BACKGROUND ART Recently, in the field of peritherapy, laser light has been used for treatments such as force incision of coagulated living tissue.

When using laser light to treat living tissue, the living tissue is often irradiated with this laser light repeatedly at intervals of several seconds. When performing such treatment, if the power of the laser device that outputs laser light is turned on and off each time, it will take time to obtain laser light with a predetermined output energy after the power is turned on. A problem arises in that light therapy cannot be carried out efficiently and smoothly. Therefore, in order to instantly obtain a laser beam with a predetermined output energy, the laser device is kept on at all times and a shutter is installed in the optical path of the laser beam. Progress is being made. However, keeping the laser device on all the time means that the excitation lamp of the laser resonator can output a large '0' current that allows the excitation lamp of the laser resonator to output laser light with the energy necessary for treatment, regardless of whether the laser light is output or not. The problem was that the electrodes of the excitation lamp would deteriorate prematurely due to the heat generated by this large current. This invention was made based on the above circumstances, and its purpose is to control the current value applied to the excitation lamp according to the opening and closing of the shutter, thereby instantaneously producing a laser beam with a desired output energy. It is an object of the present invention to provide a laser device which can output a large amount of light and which can extend the life of an excitation lamp.

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the figure, 1 is a laser power source. This laser power source 1 is provided with a hood switch 2 and a laser resonator 3.
is connected, and 35 laser beams L outputted from the laser resonator 3 as described later are guided to the light guide 4 and irradiated onto the living tissue 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the laser resonator 3 includes a total reflection mirror 8 and a partial transmission mirror 9 arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other in a housing 6, and a laser rod 10 is provided between them. In addition, an excitation lamp 11 is built in parallel to the laser rod 10.

When the laser rod 10 is optically excited by the excitation lamp 11, the laser beam L is output from the side of the partially transmitting mirror 9 and enters the light guide 4. A shutter 13 is provided between the two and is driven by a solenoid 12 to move forward and backward relative to the optical path of the laser beam L. Therefore, the laser beam L enters the light guide 4 only when the shutter 13 is withdrawn from the optical path of the laser beam L. On the other hand, the laser power source 1 is connected to the hood switch 2 and is provided with a shutter drive circuit 14 .

This shutter 5 drive circuit 14 is connected to the solenoid 12 of the laser resonator 3 and also to the switching circuit 15, and a signal output from the shutter drive circuit 14 when the hood switch 2 is operated is used to connect the solenoid 12 and the switching circuit. 15 is designed to be driven 5 times. In this switching circuit 15, an output adjustment circuit 17 is connected to one of a pair of switching contacts 16a and 16b that are switched by a signal from the food switch 2, and a holding circuit 18 is connected to the other. A current control circuit 20 having a power supply circuit 19 connected to the input side is connected to the contact 16c.
The output side of this current control circuit 20 is connected to the excitation lamp 11. The current value supplied to the excitation lamp 11 is controlled depending on whether the current control circuit 20 is connected to the output adjustment circuit 17 or the holding circuit 18 via the switching circuit 15. That is, when the current control circuit 20 is connected to the output adjustment circuit 17, a sufficiently large current is supplied to the excitation lamp 11, and when the current control circuit 20 is connected to the holding circuit 18, the minimum current necessary to light the excitation lamp 11 is supplied to the excitation lamp 11. It is adapted to be supplied to an excitation lamp 11. Note that the switching circuit 15 usually
That is, when the hood switch 2 is not stepped on, the holding circuit 18 is connected to the current control circuit 20, and when the hood switch 2 is stepped on, the output adjustment circuit 17 is connected to the current control circuit 20. Next, the operation of the above configuration will be explained. First, when a turn switch (not shown) of the laser power supply 1 is turned on, the power supply circuit 19 is activated, and the current control circuit 20 connected to the holding circuit 18 via the 1 switching circuit 15 lights up the excitation lamp 11. The minimum necessary current is supplied. and,
When the laser rod 10 is optically excited by the excitation lamp 11, a weak laser beam L corresponding to the above-mentioned current value is oscillated. There is no incident. and,
When the food switch 2 is stepped on to treat the living tissue 5, the shutter drive circuit 14 is activated, and the solenoid 12 is driven by a signal from the shutter drive circuit 14, so that the shutter 1 is activated.
3 retreats from the optical path of the laser beam L, the switching circuit 15 is driven, and the current control circuit 20 changes to the output adjustment circuit 17.
connected to.

Therefore, a sufficiently larger current is supplied to the excitation lamp 11 than before, and the living tissue 5 is removed from the laser rod 10 that is optically excited by this large current value.
A laser beam L having sufficient energy to treat the body tissue 5 is oscillated, and the living tissue 5 is irradiated and treated through the light guide 4. Also, if you take your foot off the food switch 2 to interrupt or end the treatment, the excitation lamp 11
is supplied with the minimum amount of current necessary to turn it on. That is, according to the laser device having the above configuration, the minimum current necessary to normally light the excitation lamp 11 is supplied, and a large current is supplied only when the food switch 2 is stepped on for treatment. Ru.

Therefore, the excitation lamp 11 will not be constantly heated by a large current and will not suffer premature heat loss. Furthermore, since the excitation lamp 11 is constantly heated to a predetermined temperature by the minimum amount of current necessary to turn it on, it is not necessary to step on the hood switch 2 when performing treatments repeatedly at intervals of several seconds. As a result, high-power laser light L can be output instantaneously. Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and may have a configuration as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4.

That is, in FIG. 3, a photocoupler 22 driven by a photocoupler power supply 21 detects whether or not the shutter 13 is blocking the optical path of the laser beam L, and this detection signal is amplified by an amplifier 23 for switching. It was made to be input to circuit 15. Note that the solenoid 12 is driven by the hood switch 2 and that the common contact 16c of the switching circuit 15
Although not shown in the drawings, the current control circuit 20 is connected to the current control circuit 20 as in the above embodiment. According to such a configuration,
Since the switching circuit 15 does not operate unless the photocoupler 22 detects whether or not the shutter 13 is in the optical path of the laser beam L, the high-power laser beam L is output while the shutter 13 is in the optical path. It never happens. Also,
In FIG. 4, the position of the shutter 13 is detected by a photocoupler 22, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, but the shutter 13 is provided between the total reflection mirror 8 and the end face of the laser rod 10.

It is clear that the same effects as in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained also in such a configuration. As described above, in the present invention, the switching circuit is operated by the opening/closing signal of the shutter, and the current value applied to the excitation lamp of the laser resonator is controlled by the signal from the switching circuit.

That is, the excitation lamp is normally supplied with the minimum current necessary to turn it on, and a large current is provided to obtain the laser beam with the energy required for treatment only when the shutter is removed from the laser beam path. I tried to supply it. Therefore, since the excitation lamp is not constantly heated to a high temperature by a large current, the excitation lamp is less susceptible to heat loss and has a longer lifespan. In addition, since the excitation lamp is heated by the minimum current required to light it, the switching circuit can instantly output the desired high-energy laser beam. When the treatment is repeated at intervals of several seconds, this treatment can be carried out efficiently and smoothly. Further, since the excitation lamp is not constantly heated to a high temperature, there is an advantage that the amount of cooling water used to cool the excitation lamp can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is an overall perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention;
This figure is a block diagram showing the same control circuit, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are partially omitted block diagrams showing other embodiments of the present invention. 2... Food switch, 3--laser resonator,
11... Excitation lamp, 12... Solenoid, 13... Shutter, 14... Shutter 1 drive circuit, 15... Switching circuit, 17.
...Output adjustment circuit, 18...Holding circuit. 20...Current control circuit, L...Laser light.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A shutter is provided in the optical path of a laser beam output from a laser resonator, and the output of the laser beam is controlled by opening and closing the shutter, wherein the shutter opening/closing signal is used to control the output of the laser beam. A holding circuit causes a minimum current to flow through the excitation lamp of the laser resonator, and an output adjustment circuit causes a large current to flow through the excitation lamp compared to the holding circuit. A laser device characterized by switching control between and. 2. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the shutter opening/closing signal is output by detecting the operating position of the shutter. 3. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the shutter is installed between a total reflection mirror and a partial transmission mirror that constitute a laser resonator.