JPH07122394A - Laser lightning inducing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an apparatus which can surely cause laser lighting inducing without moving a converging mirror at all. CONSTITUTION:Laser beam 5 oscillated from a laser oscillator 1 in a laser lightning inducing apparatus 100 is reflected by light converging mirror 2 which can be rotated in elevation direction, propagated through a hollow lightning inducing tower 3 along the center axis, reflected by reflecting mirror 6, and while being converged, the laser is propagated in the direction toward a thundercloud 8. As a result, plasma is generated in the air and lightning 9 advances from the thundercloud along the optical path of the laser beam, passes through a lightning rod 15, transmitted to the circumference of the lightning inducing tower 3, and led to the ground 12.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for performing laser lightning strike.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Artificially introducing lightning to a safe place such as a lightning rod is called a lightning strike, and using laser light to cause a lightning strike is called a laser lightning strike. In addition, a large steel tower for receiving lightning due to laser-induced lightning is called a lightning strike tower. The concept of the device for performing laser-induced lightning will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a laser-induced lightning strike device.

A laser beam 21 extracted from a laser oscillator 20 is reflected by a condenser mirror 22, travels toward a thundercloud 23, and is condensed in the atmosphere. As a result, the air causes a dielectric breakdown, and plasma is generated along the optical path of the laser light.
4 is guided to the lightning tower 25 through this plasma. Regarding laser-induced lightning, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-2
22295.

[0005]

In the case of laser-induced lightning, it is necessary to surely guide the induced lightning to the lightning tower for safety. For that purpose, as shown in FIG. 4, the laser light must be propagated so as to pass through the vicinity of the tip of the lightning strike tower. Since it is preferable for the lightning tower to be taller than the surrounding buildings, it is generally necessary to have a height of at least several tens of meters.

On the other hand, in order to propagate the laser beam toward the thundercloud 23, depending on the position of the thundercloud 23, it is necessary to properly select the installation location of the condenser mirror 22 and the lightning strike tower 25. In particular,
If the thundercloud 23 causes a lightning strike relatively far from the lightning tower 25, the elevation angle of the laser light directed to the thundercloud 23 becomes small. Therefore, the condenser mirror 22 is installed at a place far from the lightning tower 25. There must be. As a result, in order to propagate the laser light from the tip of the lightning tower 25 toward the thundercloud 23, it is necessary to change the installation location of the optical system such as the condenser mirror 22 in a wide range of a radius of several hundred meters. Therefore, it was actually extremely difficult to move the condenser mirror in a short time as the thundercloud moved.

An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus capable of reliably and safely implementing laser-induced lightning without moving an optical system such as a condenser mirror.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a reflecting mirror which can rotate at least in the azimuth direction near the tip of a lightning tower.

Further, in order to prevent the reflector from being exposed to lightning, the reflector is electrically separated from the lightning strike tower.

Further, as another means for achieving the above-mentioned object, or as a means in addition to the above-mentioned means, a reflecting mirror used for directing a laser beam to a thundercloud is rotatable in an azimuth direction and is synchronized with the rotation. It was equipped with a lightning rod that can be rotated.

The lightning rod has a hollow structure in order to reliably guide lightning to the lightning rod.

[0012]

If the laser light is propagated toward the thundercloud by the reflector provided near the tip of the lightning tower, the lightning will travel toward the reflector along the plasma generated on the optical path of the laser light. Therefore, it is possible to reliably guide the lightning to the lightning tower equipped with the reflecting mirror. If the reflecting mirror can rotate in the azimuth direction, the laser light can propagate in all directions around the lightning tower, and it is not necessary to move the optical system such as the reflecting mirror.

By electrically separating the reflector from the lightning tower, the lightning guided to the tip of the lightning tower can be guided to the ground without passing through the reflector, causing damage to the mirror. Absent.

Further, by providing a lightning rod which is rotatable in the azimuth direction and can be rotated together with the rotation of the azimuth direction in the azimuth direction, the lightning rod is provided more than the reflection mirror regardless of the position of the thundercloud. It can be set to be close to a thundercloud. Thereby, the lightning guided toward the reflecting mirror can be guided to the lightning rod before reaching the reflecting mirror.

On the other hand, it is preferable that the laser beam and the lightning rod can be rotated so as to face the direction of the thundercloud. However, when it cannot rotate in the elevation direction, the laser beam or the lightning rod can be directed toward the thundercloud by waiting until the elevation angle becomes appropriate due to the movement of the thundercloud.

If the lightning rod has a hollow structure, the lightning path can be surely guided to the lightning rod because the light path of the laser beam and the lightning rod can be sufficiently brought close to each other by passing the laser beam through the lightning rod. You can

[0017]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a laser lightning strike device 100 according to the present invention.

The laser lightning strike device 100 comprises a laser oscillator 1, a condenser mirror 2, and a lightning strike tower 3 mounted on a truck 4.

As the laser oscillator 1, a CO ₂ laser is used here. The oscillating laser light 5 is reflected by the condenser mirror 2 that can rotate in the elevation direction and propagates along the central axis 13 of the hollow lightning strike tower 3. The lightning strike tower 3 has a three-stage retractable structure, and a reflecting mirror 6 is provided in an aluminum hood 7 attached to the tip thereof. A lightning rod 15 is provided next to the reflecting mirror 6, which is attached to the hood 7 that is in contact with the lightning strike tower 3.

The laser light is reflected by the reflecting mirror 6, and the hood 7
Propagating in the direction of the thundercloud 8 through the window. As shown in FIG. 2, the structure of the hood 7 has a window in which the lightning rod 15 and the laser light pass.

The laser light is condensed in the atmosphere on the way to the thundercloud 8 to generate plasma. As a result, the thunder 9 propagates from the thunder cloud 8 toward the reflecting mirror 6 along the optical path of the laser light generated by the plasma, but when it reaches the vicinity of the tip of the lightning rod 15, the lightning rod 1 travels from the optical path of the laser light.
Go to 5.

On the other hand, since the reflecting mirror 6 is electrically separated from the lightning strike tower 3, the lightning 9 guided to the lightning rod 15 does not go through the reflecting mirror 6 but goes from the hood 7 to the lightning strike tower 3 of the lightning strike tower 3. It travels around and is guided to the ground 12 from a fixed leg 11 that supports the entire truck 4 via an arm 10 that supports the lightning tower 3.

In this embodiment, since the hood 7 to which the reflecting mirror 6 is attached can rotate about the central axis 13 of the lightning strike tower 3, laser light is emitted in all azimuth directions around 360 degrees as indicated by an arrow 14a. Can be propagated. Further, since the reflecting mirror 6 can rotate in the elevation direction as shown by the arrow 14b, the rotation of these two directions allows the laser light to propagate in virtually any direction.

Further, the lightning rod 15 rotates with the rotation of the reflecting mirror 6 in the azimuth direction indicated by the arrow 14a, so that the arrow 14
With respect to the elevation angle direction indicated by b, the lightning rod 15 turns in the same direction as the propagation direction of the laser light reflected by the reflection mirror 6 by rotating at a rotation angle about twice the rotation angle of the reflection mirror 6. It will be.

When the laser light is propagated in the direction of the extension of the central axis 13 of the lightning strike tower 3, as shown in FIG. 3, the laser light 5'is not directly passed through the reflecting mirror 6 but directly. Since it needs to propagate to the outside, the reflecting mirror 6 and the lightning rod 15 are rotated until they are parallel to the central axis 13.

Next, FIG. 5 shows a sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention in which the lightning rod has a hollow structure.

The lightning rod 13 'having a hollow structure is attached to the hood 7'which can rotate in the azimuth direction on the lightning strike tower 3'. In addition, the lightning rod 13 'itself is the hood 7'.
It can be rotated in the elevation direction above.

The laser light 21 'that has traveled from below the lightning strike tower 3'is reflected by the reflecting mirror 6', travels in the lightning rod 13 ', and then travels to the thundercloud 23'. As shown in FIG. 5, the tip of the lightning rod 13 'is obliquely cut, so that it is difficult for rain or the like to enter even when it is directed obliquely upward. Further, since the lightning rod 13 'is made of copper, it is easy to guide lightning.

As shown in this embodiment, by passing the laser light through the lightning rod having a hollow structure, the distance between the optical path of the laser light and the lightning rod can be made extremely short, and the light path of the laser light is It is now possible to reliably guide lightning traveling along the lightning rod before it reaches the reflector.

[0031]

According to the present invention, laser light can be propagated in almost any direction without moving the optical system such as a condenser mirror or the installation location of the lightning rod, and the lightning tower or the lightning rod can be placed very close to the lightning rod. Since the laser light can be propagated, the lightning can be reliably and safely caused.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a laser lightning strike device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hood.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing the operation of a reflecting mirror.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a conventional device.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a lightning rod.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Laser oscillator, 2 ... Focusing mirror, 3, 3 '... Lightning strike tower, 4
... tracks, 5,5 '... laser light, 6,6' ... reflective mirrors,
7, 7 '... Hood, 8 ... Thundercloud, 9 ... Lightning, 10 ... Arm,
11 ... Fixed leg, 12 ... Ground, 13, 13 '... Central axis, 1
4a, 14b ... Arrows indicating the direction of rotation, 15 ... Lightning rod.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A laser lightning striker comprising a reflector which is rotatable at least in the azimuth direction near the tip of the lightning strike tower. 2. The laser lightning strike device according to claim 1, wherein the reflecting mirror is electrically separated from the lightning strike tower. 3. A reflector used for directing laser light to a thundercloud is rotatable at least in the azimuth direction,
A laser lightning striker comprising a lightning rod that can rotate together with the reflecting mirror. 4. A laser lightning striker according to claim 3, wherein the lightning rod has a hollow structure.