JPH04148577A - Laser - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To hold a flash lamp firmly but replaceably with ease by fitting one half of an elliptical cylindrical mirror into a resonator body, holding a laser medium in the body, fixing the other half to a detachable rid of the body, and providing flash lamp holders on the lid. CONSTITUTION:A hollow member having an elliptical hollow section is cut into two along its axis to provide two elliptical reflecting mirrors. One mirror 22a is fit into a resonator body 21, while the other mirror 22b is fixed to the lid 28 of the resonator. The two mirrors are combined with to form a cylindrical elliptical mirror. A laser rod 23 is fixed in the body 21, and flash lamp holders 27 are attached to the lid of the resonator. A flash lamp 26 is held in the focal point of the mirror in the resonator body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a solid-state laser device, and particularly to a laser oscillation device with an improved laser oscillator assembly structure.

(Conventional technology) Laser equipment is used for industrial applications such as laser processing, laser scalpels,
It is widely used for various purposes including medical applications such as treating bruises. Lasers include gas lasers, solid state lasers, etc.
Ruby lasers and YAG lasers are known as solid state lasers.

As shown in FIG. 4, such a solid-state laser has a laser rod 5 made of ruby or YAG in a rod shape placed at the center of an elliptical reflecting mirror 6, and a laser rod 5 at the focal point of the reflecting mirror 6. It has a configuration in which a flash lamp 4 such as a xenon lamp is disposed as an excitation lamp.The flash lamp 4 is turned on to generate a flash of light, and this flash is focused by an elliptical reflector to excite a laser rod 5 to generate a laser beam. is caused to oscillate, and a large-capacity, high-voltage capacitor is charged with the oscillation, and this energy is supplied to a flash lamp 4 through a choke coil 3. At this time, the discharge pulse time is determined by the values of the capacitor 2 and choke fill 3. The flash lamp 4 is housed together with a ruby rod 5 in a resonant cavity (resonator) composed of an elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror 6. That is, the reflecting mirrors 7a are positioned at both ends of the ruby rod 5.
, 7b are arranged, the flash light from the flash lamp 4 is focused on the ruby rod 5 by the reflecting mirror 6, and the flash light from the reflecting mirror 7 is focused on the ruby rod 5.
After being amplified by optical resonance at points a and 7b, it is emitted to the outside. One of the reflecting mirrors 7a and 7b is a half mirror, and the optically resonant light passes through this half mirror and is emitted to the outside as a laser beam.

When the flash lamp emits light in this way, this light is resonated by the ruby rod and the reflecting mirror, and a laser beam is generated.

In a solid-state laser device having such a structure, approximately 1% of the flash lamp input becomes laser output, and the rest becomes heat. That is, in order to emit 10 joules of laser light, approximately 1000 joules of energy must be given to the flash lamp.

As a result, flash lamps become extremely hot.
Great attention is paid to cooling. In many cases, this cooling utilizes a water cooling method, in which cooling water is passed through the resonant cavity.

On the other hand, a flash lamp costs 1000-2000
Since a large current of amperes flows, it is necessary to connect the power supply path to the flash lamp reliably and to make the contact resistance sufficiently small, and for this reason, it is necessary to devise ways to hold the flash lamp. In other words, the flash lamp has a structure in which it is held and powered by a terminal consisting of a pair of L-shaped metal plates attached within the elliptical mirror. This L
The terminal consists of a pair of L-shaped metal plates, which are attached back to back in an inverted T shape, and the free end side is formed into four parts, and a rod-shaped part is inserted into this recessed part. Grasp and hold the end of the flash lamp. If this clamping is not secure, heat will be generated between the flash lamp and the terminal due to contact resistance, and this heat will cause oxidation and other damage.

Once damage occurs, the damaged portion will be corroded by the cooling water, eventually leading to poor contact and the like.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic configuration of a conventionally used resonator section. In the figure, 21 is a box-shaped resonator main body, and 22a is a lower elliptical reflecting mirror, which is attached so as to be fitted into the resonator main body 21. 22b is an upper elliptical reflector, and a lower elliptical reflector 22
By combining with a, an elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror is completed. The upper elliptical reflector 22b is fitted into the resonator main body 21 at the position of the lower elliptical reflector 22a with its inner surface facing the lower elliptical reflector 22a.

23 is a laser rod, 24 is a laser rod holder provided in the resonator body 21 to hold the laser rod 23, 25 is a laser beam emission window, 26 is a flash lamp, 27 is a flash lamp holder, and 28 is a flash lamp holder. This is the top cover of the oscillator body. Laser rod 23 and flash lamp 2B
is fixed within the resonator body 21.

Since the flash lamp 2B is energized, its holder must also serve as a connection terminal to the power source. Therefore, the flash lamp holder 27 that fixes the flash lamp 26 is also used as a connection terminal to the power source. Ru.

The flash lamp holding fitting 27 is the lower elliptical reflector 22a.
This is a terminal made of a pair of L-shaped metal plates that is attached to the gap between the resonator main body 21 and the lower elliptical reflector 22a after the resonator main body 21 is attached. As shown in the figure, a pair of L-shaped metal plate contact pieces 31a and 31b are attached back to back in an inverted T shape, and the free end side is formed into a recess, and a rod-shaped member is inserted into the recess. The end portion (terminal portion) of the flash lamp 26 is held and held.

As described above, one elliptical reflector is formed by combining the lower elliptical reflector 22a and the upper elliptical reflector 22b. A laser rod 23 and a flash lamp 26 are arranged at two focal positions of this elliptical reflector.
The light emitted from the flash lamp 26 efficiently enters the laser rod 23. Cooling water is flowed inside this elliptical reflector to cool the flash lamp 26 and the laser rod 23.

Since a large current of 1,000 to 2,000 amperes flows through the flash lamp 26, it is necessary to firmly hold and connect the flash lamp 26. Therefore, the structure of the flash lamp mounting part is as shown in Fig. 6.
1a and 31b are fixed inside the resonator main body 21 with screws 32a, and the terminal 33 of the flash lamp 26 is held between the contact pieces 31a and 31b.
By tightening 1a and 31b with screws 32b, the terminal 33 of the flash lamp 26 is fixed and held and electrically connected.

In this case, since the two contact pieces 31a and 31b are installed inside the resonator body 21 using the gap between them and the lower elliptical reflector 22a, the assembly work must be done within a narrow housing, which reduces work efficiency. It is difficult to firmly tighten the screws.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) As described above, in a solid-state laser device, about 1% of the flash lamp input becomes laser output, and the rest becomes heat. That is, in order to emit 10 joules of laser light, approximately 1000 joules of energy must be given to the flash lamp.

As a result, flash lamps become extremely hot.
Great attention is paid to cooling. Normally, a water cooling method is used for this cooling, and by passing cooling water through the resonant cavity, the Fra Sauchelumb is directly cooled.

On the other hand, since a large current of 1,000 to 2,000 amperes flows through a flash lamp, the power supply line must be connected to the flash lamp securely and the contact resistance must be sufficiently small. The structure is such that the flash lamp is held by a flash lamp holding fitting made of a pair of L-shaped metal plates attached to an elliptical mirror.

This flash lamp holder is made of a pair of L-shaped metal plates that are attached back to back in an inverted T shape, and the free end side is formed into a recess, and the end of the rod-shaped flash lamp is attached to this recess. hold and hold the parts.

However, since the flash lamp holder is installed at the position of the lower elliptical reflector 22a fitted into the box-shaped resonator body, the space is narrow, and since it is mounted by screwing, the flash lamp cannot be screwed into the flash lamp holder. The work of stopping and fixing is extremely difficult. Therefore, it becomes difficult to securely fix the screws (screws), but if this fixing is uncertain, heat will be generated between the flash lamp and the terminal due to contact resistance, and this heat will cause oxidation, etc. damage caused by this.

Once damage occurs, the damaged portion will be corroded by the cooling water, eventually leading to poor contact and the like, shortening the service life. Flash lamps are consumable items, so they need to be replaced frequently, and as mentioned above, if the lamp replacement is not easy, maintenance work becomes more troublesome than necessary, and the fixing work is uncertain, resulting in a shortened lifespan. This results in a vicious cycle in which maintenance work must be performed frequently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a laser oscillation device that can firmly hold a flash lamp and also facilitates replacement of the flash lamp.

[Configuration of the Invention (Means for Solving the Problem) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is configured as follows. In other words, a laser is provided in which a laser oscillation medium and a light emitting source that generates excitation light to excite the laser oscillation medium are located in the focal position of the elliptical cylindrical reflector, respectively, in an elliptical cylindrical reflector housed in a housing. In the oscillation device, the elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror is divided into two parts in the axial direction of the cylinder, one of the two divided elliptic cylindrical reflecting mirrors is installed in the housing, and the laser oscillation medium is held in the housing. and the other of the two divided elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirrors is attached to a removable lid of the housing, and the light emitting source is held by a holding fitting attached to the lid,
The structure is such that an elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror is formed by covering the casing with the lid, and a laser oscillation medium and a light emitting source are disposed within this elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror.

(Function) In this device having such a configuration, a laser oscillation medium and a light emitting source that generates excitation light to excite this laser oscillation medium are each reflected in an elliptical cylindrical reflector housed in a housing. In the laser oscillation device located at the focal point of the mirror, the elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror is divided into two in the axial direction of the cylinder, and one of the two divided elliptic cylindrical reflecting mirrors is installed inside the housing. Further, the laser oscillation medium is held within the housing, and the other of the two divided elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirrors is attached to a removable lid of the housing,
The light emitting source is held by a holding fitting attached to the lid, and an elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror is formed by covering the lid with the casing. This is a structure in which a laser oscillation medium and a light emitting source are disposed, but by adopting such a structure, when the lid is removed from the housing, the light emitting source holding fitting (flash lamp holding fitting) is The holding fitting is exposed on the lid, and the operator can see and touch the holding fitting up close without any obstructions around it. Therefore, it is easier to manipulate than the outside, so you can reliably remove and fix the light source (flash lamp).
Therefore, the work of firmly fixing can be carried out easily.

Since the light emitting source holding fitting is also a power supply terminal, this eliminates poor contact between the light emitting source (flash lamp) and the terminal and other problems.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, in which 21 is a box-shaped resonator main body, and 22a is a lower elliptical reflector in the shape of a cylindrical elliptical reflector divided in half by a plane along its axis. It is attached so as to be fitted into the resonator main body 21. Reference numeral 22b designates an upper elliptical reflector having a shape obtained by dividing a cylindrical elliptical reflector in half along a plane along its axis, and when combined with the lower elliptical reflector 22a, an elliptical cylindrical reflector is completed. Reference numeral 28 denotes an upper cover of the oscillator main body which is approximately flat, and the upper elliptical reflecting mirror 2 is mounted on the upper cover 28 of the oscillator main body.
2b is attached.

The upper elliptical reflector 22b attached to the upper cover 28 of the oscillator body is fitted by fitting into the position of the lower elliptical reflector 22a of the resonator body 21 with its inner surface facing each other. 23 is a laser rod, 24 is a laser rod holder provided in the resonator body 21 to hold the laser rod 23, 25 is a laser beam emission window, 2B is a flash lamp, and 27 is a flash lamp holder.

Laser rod 23 is fixed within resonator body 21 . The position is on one focal position axis when the upper and lower elliptical reflectors are combined to form a cylindrical elliptical reflector.

Since the flash lamp 26 is energized, it must also serve as a connection terminal to the power source to hold it, and therefore, the flash lamp holding fitting 27 that fixes the flash lamp 26 is also used as a connection terminal to the power source.

The flash lamp holding fitting 27 is the upper elliptical reflector 22b.
It is screwed and fixed to the oscillator main body upper cover 28 to which the oscillator main body is attached. That is, the upper elliptical reflector 22b is attached to the oscillator main body upper cover 28.
2b (near both openings when combined with the lower elliptical reflector to form a cylindrical elliptical reflector), and near the axis along the other focal point of the cylindrical elliptical reflector. Then, they are each fixed by screwing with screws 32a. The flash lamp holding fitting 27 is a terminal made of a pair of L-shaped metal plates as in the conventional case. A contact piece 31a made of a metal plate of
, 31b are attached back to back in an inverted T shape, and the free end side is formed into a four-part shape, and the end (terminal part) of the rod-shaped flash lamp 26 is held in this concave part, and the screw is inserted. Contact pieces 31a and 31b by 32b
Tighten and hold.

In this way, the upper elliptical reflector 22 is attached to the upper cover 28 of the oscillator main body.
b is attached, and the flash lamp 26 is positioned and held at the other focal position of the cylindrical elliptical reflecting mirror by the two flash lamp holding fittings 27.

In this way, the upper lid 28 of the oscillator body to which the upper elliptical reflector 22b and the flash lamp 26 are attached can be placed over the oscillator body 21 so that the concave surfaces of the upper elliptical reflector 22b and the lower elliptical reflector 22a face each other. If the flash lamp 2B is fixed at the position shown in FIG.

In this device having such a configuration, when the oscillator main body upper cover 28 is removed from the oscillator main body 21, the upper elliptical reflector 22b and the flash lamp 2 are attached to the removed oscillator main body upper cover 28.
6 parts are exposed.

In particular, the flashlamp holding fitting 27 that holds the flashlamp 26 is directly exposed at the end of the oscillator main body upper cover 28, and therefore, even when the screw is tightened, the surrounding area of the flashlamp holding fitting 27 is left open. You can work freely from anywhere nearby. Therefore, the work is easy and reliable, and the flash lamp 26 can be firmly attached with the flash lamp holding fitting 27.

In this way, the present invention includes a laser oscillation medium and a light emitting source that generates excitation light for exciting the laser oscillation medium, which are located in the elliptical cylindrical reflector housed in the housing at the focal positions of the elliptical cylindrical reflector. In the laser oscillation device, the elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror is divided into two parts in the axial direction of the tube, one of the two divided elliptic cylindrical reflecting mirrors is installed in the housing, and the laser oscillating medium is The other of the two divided elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirrors is attached to a removable lid of the housing, and the light emitting source is held by a holding bracket attached to the lid. By adopting a structure in which an elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror is formed by covering the housing with the lid, and a laser oscillation medium and a light emitting source are disposed within this elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror. When the lid is removed from the housing, the light emitting source holding fitting (flash lamp holding fitting) is exposed to the lid, and the operator can see the holding fitting up close without any obstructions around it. You can touch it.

Therefore, the light source (
The work of removing and fixing the flash lamp can also be performed reliably, and therefore the work of firmly fixing it can be carried out easily. Since the light emitting source holding fitting is also a power supply terminal, this eliminates poor contact between the light emitting source (flash lamp) and the terminal and other problems.

As shown in FIG. 2, the configuration of FIG. 1 explained above has a shape in which an elliptical reflecting mirror is cut into two along the long axis of the ellipse, but as a modified example, as shown in FIG. Alternatively, the ellipse may be cut into two along the short axis of the ellipse.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and shown in the drawings, and can be implemented with appropriate modifications within the scope without changing the gist thereof. For example, the flash lamp holding fitting is not limited to the structure as in the above embodiment, but may have any structure as long as it can achieve the effect of holding the flash lamp.

[Effects of the Invention] As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the light emitting source holding fitting, which is also the terminal for power supply to the light emitting source, can be manipulated in an easy-to-operate state, so that the light emitting source can be held easily. It is now extremely easy to attach the metal fittings to securely hold it, which eliminates poor contact between the light source (flash lamp) and the terminals and other problems, reducing maintenance work. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a laser oscillation device that is more efficient.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are views showing an example of division of an elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror in the device of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the circuit configuration of a laser oscillation device. The figures for explanation, FIGS. 5 and 6, are perspective views showing the configuration of a conventional device. 21... Resonator main body, 22a... Lower elliptical reflector,
22b... Upper elliptical reflecting mirror, 28... Oscillator main body upper cover, 23... Laser rod, 24... Laser rod holder, 25... Laser light emission window, 26... Flash lamp, 27 ...Flash lamp holding bracket, 3
1a, 81b--contact piece, 32a, 32b
-...Screw.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A laser oscillation medium and a light emitting source that generates excitation light for exciting the laser oscillation medium are located in an elliptical cylindrical reflector housed in a housing at focal positions of the elliptical cylindrical reflector. In the laser oscillation device installed in
One of the divided elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirrors is attached to the housing, and the laser oscillation medium is held within the housing, and the other of the two divided elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirrors is attached to and removed from the housing. In addition to being attached to a flexible lid, the light emitting source is held by a holding fitting attached to the lid, and an elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror is formed by covering the lid with the housing. A laser oscillation device characterized by having a structure in which a laser oscillation medium and a light emitting source are disposed within an elliptical cylindrical reflecting mirror.