JPH10242549A - Lamp lighting circuit for solid-state laser oscillator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a device which has a simple constitution and can surely turn on a lamp by providing a circuit which supplies the voltage of a main circuit to the lamp through a diode. SOLUTION: When power supply is made, a high-voltage generating circuit 6 generates a high voltage. When the voltage of a capacitor C1 rises as the capacitor C1 is charged, another capacitor C2 is charged through resistors R2 and R4. When the both-terminal voltage of the capacitor C2 rises to a prescribed value, a gap switch GAP1 itself turns on and a voltage is applied across the primary-side winding N1 of a transformer T1. As a result, a trigger voltage which is sufficient to break down the insulation of a lamp LP is generated across the secondary-side winding N2 the transformer T1. Therefore, the charges accumulated in the capacitor C1 becomes a boosted voltage and power supply to the lamp LP is triggered by the dielectric breakdown of the lamp LP and made through a diode D1 and the secondary-side winding N2 of the transfer T1. When the discharge from the capacitor C1 ends, the lamp LP is turned on by means of a main circuit 8.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lamp lighting circuit used in a solid-state laser oscillator.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a conventional laser oscillator. In the drawing, a current is applied to a lamp LP connected to a lighting circuit 1 to emit light, a laser medium 2 is excited to cause laser resonance between the total reflection mirror 3 and the partial reflection mirror 4, and a laser output is obtained.

[0003] Conventionally, to turn on a lamp LP, FIG.
As shown in (1), a high voltage of several tens of KV (hereinafter referred to as a trigger voltage) is applied to both ends to break the insulation. Later, an attempt is made to maintain the lighting of the lamp LP at a voltage of several hundreds of volts (hereinafter referred to as a lighting maintaining voltage), but a sufficient current for immediately reducing the voltage between both ends of the lamp LP to several hundred volts with only the trigger voltage. Since it cannot be obtained, the lamp LP cannot be maintained and is turned off. Therefore, after dielectric breakdown by the trigger voltage, the lamp L
In order to maintain the lighting of P, it is necessary to supply a current to the lamp LP at a voltage of several thousand volts (hereinafter referred to as a boost voltage) and then reduce the voltage to the lighting maintenance voltage. As mentioned above,
Trigger voltage, boost voltage,
The lamp is kept lit by gradually lowering the lighting maintenance voltage.

FIG. 9 shows a conventional lamp lighting circuit. In the figure, first, a current flows through a resistor R2 to charge a capacitor C2. When the voltage at both ends of the capacitor C2 is detected and becomes a constant voltage, the control circuit 9 turns on the switch SW1. Next, at the same time as the current flows on the primary side of the transformer T1, a high voltage is generated on the secondary side of the transformer T1. Next, the boost voltage is charged in the capacitor C1 via the resistor R1, and after the breakdown of the lamp LP,
The power is supplied to the lamp LP through the diode D1 to help the transition to the sustaining operation. The current required to maintain lighting is the main circuit 8
Is supplied via a diode D2.

FIG. 10 shows, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-167987.
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a conventional lamp lighting circuit disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H10-15095. In the figure, two capacitors are connected in parallel to the output of the high voltage generator 10 and the capacitor C1 is connected to 3
The capacitor C2 is connected to the main gap G1-G0 of the terminal discharge gap G and the trigger gap Gt-G0.
The high voltage is applied to the capacitor C1 and the resistor R1 via the resistor R1.
, The capacitor C2 is charged through the capacitor C2
Is the trigger gap G of the three-terminal discharge gap G
When the discharge voltage rises to t-G0, the trigger gap Gt
Discharge occurs at -G0, and then discharge occurs at the main gap G1-G0. Due to the discharge of the main gap G1-G0, a current flows in the primary winding of the transformer T1, and a high voltage is generated in the secondary winding, causing breakdown of the lamp LP.

[0006]

In the circuit shown in FIG. 9, after detecting the voltage between both ends of the capacitor C1 and detecting that the voltage required for lighting the lamp LP has been reached, the control circuit 9 switches the switch SW1. Since the lamp LP is turned on to perform the lighting operation, the voltage detection circuit is required, the control circuit 9 becomes complicated, and there is a disadvantage that the cost is high. Further, in the circuit of FIG. 10, even when the voltage is not sufficiently supplied to the capacitor C1, the voltage across the capacitor C2 may rise to the discharge voltage of the trigger gap of the three-terminal discharge gap, and discharge occurs at the trigger gap. However, a phenomenon occurs in which no discharge occurs between the main gaps. Therefore, useless discharge occurs in the trigger gap, which causes the electrodes of the trigger gap to be consumed, thereby shortening the life of the three-terminal discharge gap. As described above, frequent lighting operations due to useless trigger voltage application, etc., cause an extra high voltage to be applied to the electrodes of the lamp, which causes electrode wear and shortens the life of the lamp itself. . Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the failure of the lighting operation as much as possible, and it is necessary not to repeat the application of the trigger voltage, that is, the voltage applying operation for dielectric breakdown even after the lamp is lit. The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks,
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device that has a simple configuration and that reliably turns on a lamp.

[0007]

A lamp lighting circuit according to the present invention comprises: a solid-state laser oscillator that performs laser oscillation by exciting a solid-state laser medium with a lamp;
A high voltage generating circuit for supplying a high voltage when the lamp is turned on, a resistor, a diode, a secondary winding of a transformer, a series connection of the lamp, and a resistor connected to the high voltage generating circuit; , A second charging circuit connected in parallel to the first charging circuit, and charged through the resistor, and a second charging circuit connected in parallel to the second charging circuit. A series connection of a gap switch that operates at a predetermined voltage and a primary winding of the transformer, a main circuit that supplies a lower voltage than the high voltage generation circuit,
A circuit for supplying a voltage of a main circuit to the lamp via a diode.

Further, a lamp lighting circuit according to the present invention comprises:
A solid-state laser oscillator that performs laser oscillation by exciting a solid-state laser medium with a lamp, a high-voltage generating circuit that supplies a high voltage when the lamp is turned on, a resistor, a diode, and a lamp that are connected to the high-voltage generating circuit. , A first charging circuit charged from the high voltage generating circuit via a resistor, and a second charging connected in parallel to the first charging circuit and charged via the resistor A series connection of a circuit, a gap switch that is connected in parallel to the second charging circuit and operates at a predetermined voltage, and a primary winding of a transformer, and one end of a secondary winding of the transformer is placed near the lamp. The circuit comprises: a disposed circuit; a main circuit for supplying a voltage lower than that of the high-voltage generating circuit; and a circuit for supplying a voltage of the main circuit to the lamp via a diode.

[0009] Further, a charging resistor is connected in series to the second charging circuit, and a voltage dividing resistor for dividing a voltage applied to the second charging circuit is provided.

Further, a plurality of sets of second charging circuits are connected in series, a voltage dividing resistor is connected in parallel to each of the second charging circuits, and a charging resistor is provided in series with the second charging circuit. It is.

A second charging circuit connected in parallel to the first charging circuit and connected in series with a plurality of capacitors charged via a charging resistor, wherein each of the capacitors operates at a predetermined voltage; And a series connection of a primary switch of a transformer and a gap switch to be connected, and an excitation circuit for exciting a lamp is provided on each of the secondary windings of the transformer.

Further, the charging time of the charging circuit is changed by adjusting a resistor provided in series with the capacitor.

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 shows a circuit diagram according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, the circuit configuration will be described. Reference numeral 6 denotes a high voltage generation circuit for supplying the lamp LP, and reference numeral 5 denotes a power supply thereof. The high voltage generating circuit 6 may use a cockcroft circuit or the like if the power supply is AC, or may use a chopper booster circuit or the like if the power supply is DC. The output of the high voltage generating circuit 6 is connected via a resistor R1 to a charging capacitor C1 for supplying a boost voltage. This capacitor C
1 stores a DC charge, a diode D1, a transformer T1
Is connected to the lamp LP via the secondary winding N2. At the same time, a trigger capacitor C2 is connected between the resistor R1 and the diode D1 via the resistors R2 and R4. The resistor R3 is connected in parallel with the resistor R4 and the capacitor C2. A gap switch GA that is automatically turned on when the voltage reaches a predetermined value is provided at both ends of the capacitor C2.
A series body of P1 and the primary winding N1 of the transformer T1 is connected in parallel. Reference numeral 8 denotes a main circuit which supplies a current for maintaining the lighting of the lamp LP, and is operated by receiving the power supply of 7. The main circuit 8 includes a diode D2 and a transformer T1.
Is connected to the lamp LP through the secondary winding N2.

The operation of this circuit will be described below. Power supply 5
Is input, the high voltage generation circuit 6 generates a high voltage. This high voltage charges the capacitor C1 via the resistor R1. The charging time at this time is determined by the resistor R1. When the capacitor C1 is charged and the voltage rises,
The capacitor C2 is charged via the resistors R2 and R4. Similarly, the charging time is determined by the resistors R2, R3, and R4. Further, the charging voltage is determined by the voltage division ratio between the resistors R2 and R3. When the voltage between both ends of the capacitor C2 reaches a predetermined voltage, the gap switch GAP1 itself is turned on, and the primary winding N1 of the transformer T1 is turned on.
Voltage is applied. As a result, a trigger voltage sufficient to break the insulation of the lamp LP is generated in the secondary winding N2 of the transformer T1. After that, the electric charge charged in the capacitor C1 becomes a boost voltage, and is supplied to the lamp LP via the diode D1 and the secondary winding N2 of the transformer T1, triggered by the dielectric breakdown of the lamp LP. Thereafter, when the discharge of the capacitor C1 is completed, the lighting maintenance voltage is supplied by the main circuit 8, and the lamp LP is turned on. The main circuit 8 may use any known circuit, and the connection between the main circuit 8 and the lamp LP may be directly connected from the diode D1 without passing through the transformer T1. . Of course, the power supply 7 of the main circuit 8 may be shared with the power supply 5.

FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 show changes in the voltage across the capacitors C1 and C2 during the above operation. Since the voltage rise of the capacitor C1 is determined by the resistor R1, and the voltage rise of the capacitor C2 is determined by the resistors R2, R3, and R4, the charging time of the capacitors C1 and C2 may be changed by adjusting these resistance values. Can be. That is, in the capacitor C1,
When the boost voltage necessary for lighting the lamp is charged, the gap switch GAP connected to the capacitor C2
By adjusting the resistance so that 1 is turned on, an appropriate circuit can be formed. Therefore, when the voltage of the capacitor C1 and the capacitor C2 becomes a certain voltage, the circuit can be configured so that the gap switch GAP1 is automatically turned on. Lamp lighting operation.

After the lamp LP is turned on in the circuit of FIG. 1, the voltage across the lamp LP drops to several hundred volts, so that the current from the high voltage generating circuit 6 by the resistor R1 flows through the lamp LP. The charging voltage of the capacitor C1 by the high voltage generating circuit 6 is several hundred volts applied to the lamp LP. The capacitor C2 is the capacitor C1
, The voltage sufficient to turn on the gap switch GAP1 is not applied to the capacitor C2, and the gap switch GAP1 is not turned on. Therefore, the trigger operation is automatically stopped after the lighting. This is because even if the capacitor C1 is not charged with a voltage for some reason and a boost voltage sufficient for lighting the lamp LP is not applied to the lamp LP, a voltage that can turn on the gap switch GAP1 is not applied. This automatically prevents the necessary application of the trigger voltage to the lamp LP.

A feature of the circuit of FIG.
A resistor R4 for adjusting the charging time of the capacitor C2
And that they are connected in series. To ensure that the lamp is turned on, the voltage of the capacitor C2 is set to the value of the gap switch GA.
When the voltage of P1 is turned on, the voltage of the capacitor C1 needs to be a boost voltage sufficient to light the lamp LP. By changing the charging time of the charging voltage of the capacitor C2 with respect to the charging voltage of the capacitor C1 by adjusting the resistor R4, the boost voltage, in other words, maintaining the lighting of the lamp, as shown by curves a and b in FIG. Voltage required for the transition can be changed. As a result, even when the characteristics of the lamp LP change, the boost voltage can be set in accordance with the characteristics of the lamp, so that the reliability of lamp lighting is improved. When changing the charging time of the capacitor C2, for example, the resistance R
2, it is necessary to adjust the resistor R3 at the same time because the voltage division ratio between the resistors R2 and R3 changes. On the other hand, in the first embodiment, by adjusting only the resistor R4, the charging time can be easily changed without changing the voltage division ratio by the resistors R2 and R3. In the example of FIG. 6, by increasing the resistance value of the resistor R4 and increasing the charging time to the capacitor C2 from the curve a to the curve b, the charging voltage of the capacitor C1 is increased, that is, the boost voltage is adjusted to be high. I have. in this way,
It is possible to easily respond to a change in the characteristics of the lamp only by adjusting the resistance R4.

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 2 shows a circuit diagram of the second embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment is that the capacitor C2
1, C22 is connected in series. When adjusting the charging time, if there is no resistor R4, the resistors R2 and R3
1 and the resistor R32 must be adjusted, but if there is the resistor R4, the charging time can be adjusted only by adjusting the resistor R4. Similarly, when three or more capacitors are connected in series, the charging time can be adjusted by adjusting the resistor R4.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 3 shows a configuration in which the trigger voltage of the first embodiment is not directly applied to the lamp LP but a trigger voltage is indirectly applied to the lamp LP to cause insulation breakdown. The circuit operation is the same as that of the first embodiment. It is.

Embodiment 4 FIG. 4 shows that the gap switches GAP1, GAP2 and the primary windings of the transformers T1, T2 are connected to the series-connected capacitors C21, C22 of the second embodiment, respectively, so that a trigger voltage is applied to the lamps LP1, LP2. It is composed. The charging time of the capacitor C21 and the capacitor C22 can be adjusted by adjusting the capacitances of the capacitors.
P1 and the gap switch GAP2 can be turned on at the same time. Therefore, a trigger voltage is simultaneously applied to the lamps LP1 and LP2, and the two lamps LP1 and L
After the simultaneous breakdown of P2, a boost voltage is supplied from capacitors C21 and C22 to ramp LP1,
LP2 lights up. In the first and second embodiments, the adjustment of the charging time is only adjustment of the resistance R4.
Is the same as FIG. 4 shows an example in which capacitors are connected in two stages, but the same operation and effect can be obtained by connecting three or more capacitors.

[0021]

According to the present invention, the voltage required for lighting the lamp can be reliably generated without a complicated control circuit, and the boost voltage can be easily adjusted. Is possible. In addition, since the trigger voltage is not applied to the lamp unless the boost voltage sufficient for lighting the lamp is charged, it is possible to prevent the electrodes of the lamp from being consumed and to shorten the life of the lamp.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention. .

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating a general laser oscillator.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a lamp voltage during a lamp lighting operation.

FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram of a conventional lamp lighting circuit.

FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram of a conventional lamp lighting circuit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 C1 Capacitor C2 Capacitor R2 Voltage divider R3 Voltage divider R4 Charging resistor LP Lamp 6 High voltage generator 8 Main circuit T1 Transformer N1 Primary winding N2 Secondary winding GAP1 Gap switch

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A solid-state laser oscillator that performs laser oscillation by exciting a solid-state laser medium by a lamp, a high-voltage generating circuit that supplies a high voltage when the lamp is turned on, and is connected to the high-voltage generating circuit. A series connection of a resistor, a diode, a secondary winding of a transformer, and a lamp; a first charging circuit charged from the high voltage generation circuit via a resistor; and a parallel connection to the first charging circuit; A second charging circuit charged via the resistor, a series connection of a gap switch connected in parallel to the second charging circuit and operating at a predetermined voltage, and a primary winding of the transformer;
A lamp lighting circuit for a laser oscillator, comprising: a main circuit that supplies a voltage lower than the high voltage generation circuit; and a circuit that supplies a voltage of the main circuit to the lamp via a diode. 2. A solid-state laser oscillator that performs laser oscillation by exciting a solid-state laser medium by a lamp, a high-voltage generating circuit that supplies a high voltage when the lamp is turned on, and is connected to the high-voltage generating circuit. A series connection of a resistor, a diode, and a lamp, a first charging circuit charged from the high-voltage generating circuit via a resistor, and a parallel connection to the first charging circuit, and charging via the resistor A second connection circuit, a series connection of a gap switch, which is connected in parallel to the second charge circuit and operates at a predetermined voltage, and a primary winding of a transformer, and one end of a secondary winding of the transformer. A circuit arranged near the lamp, a main circuit for supplying a voltage lower than that of the high voltage generating circuit, and a circuit for supplying the lamp with a voltage of the main circuit via a diode. Lamp lighting circuit of laser oscillator. 3. A charging device according to claim 1, further comprising a charging resistor connected in series to the second charging circuit, and a voltage dividing resistor for dividing a voltage applied to the second charging circuit. Item 3. A lamp lighting circuit according to Item 2. 4. A plurality of sets of second charging circuits are connected in series,
The lamp lighting circuit according to claim 1, wherein a voltage dividing resistor is connected to each of the second charging circuits in parallel, and a charging resistor is provided in series with the second charging circuit. 5. A second charging circuit connected in parallel to the first charging circuit and connected in series with a plurality of capacitors charged via a charging resistor, wherein each of the capacitors operates at a predetermined voltage. And a series connection of a gap switch and a primary winding of a transformer, and an excitation circuit for exciting a lamp is provided on each of the secondary windings of the transformer. Claim 2
The lamp lighting circuit according to 1.