JPS60227991A - Boresighting device for laser-beam - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a device for aiming a laser beam as defined in the preamble of claim 1.

It is possible to transmit laser beam powers in the power range below 1 kilowatt, for example from 0.1 to 100 watts, using optical fibers. In transmitting a laser beam in this manner, it is possible, for example, to aim the laser beam into an optical fiber having a diameter on the order of 50 microns by focusing it to a focal diameter of 40 microns. can. Since the diameter of the optical fiber and the focal point of the laser beam are sized to be approximately the same size, it is not easy to aim the laser beam at the optical fiber.

The collimators used to precisely focus laser light into parallel lines are relatively expensive and unstable. If you fail to aim the laser beam at the optical fiber, i.e., if the laser beam is focused outside the optical fiber (for example, so that the laser beam hits the fiber splice surface), the bonding agent will evaporate and cause damage to the end of the optical fiber. The cracks grow and the end of the optical fiber finally melts. In addition to the high price of optical fiber, maintenance work on optical fiber also requires additional costs. In addition to the high usage and material costs of optical fibers, damage to optical fibers not only makes it impossible to use optical fiber devices, such as surgical optical lasers, but also causes serious problems. , accompanied by wasteful expenditure.

It is an object of the present invention to accurately and reliably align a laser beam and to be able to aim the laser beam into an optical fiber by adjusting a very small angle with respect to the optical axis of the aiming device. The object of the present invention is to provide a new type of laser beam aiming device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a laser beam aiming device which can be easily aimed using conventional means.

The features and advantages of the present invention will be more easily understood from the following description of the embodiments, made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention provides a method in which the end of the optical fiber is fixed and an adapter with a lens focused at the end of the optical fiber is connected to an angle adjustment member attached to a frame member, and the end of the laser beam is fixed. The angle of inclination of the adapter with the optical fiber and the lens with respect to the direction of movement, and thus the focal position of the lens with respect to the end of the optical fiber, can be adjusted in two adjustment planes approximately parallel to the laser beam and thus the center of the lens. The gist of the invention is that the adjustment is made using a rotating wheel. Therefore, since the adapter with the optical fiber end and the lens focused on the optical fiber end is configured into one stable unit, the tilt adjustment member (the laser beam reaches the adapter ) Laser beam moving blade,.

By adjusting the inclination of the adapter with respect to the direction, the alignment of the lens can be adjusted.

According to the present invention, the collimator lens and adapter can be adjusted to align with the center of the laser beam. Also, a tilt adjustment member can be used to perform alignment on the end of an optical fiber.

The frame constituting the device of the present invention, which supports the adapter using the tilt adjustment member, may be attached to the laser light source. Therefore, the frame may consist of, for example, the frame of the laser light source, a portion of the laser tube, and a portion of the mirror arm. It is important that the frame be stable with respect to the direction of laser beam travel before the laser beam enters the adapter.

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, a laser beam emitted from a laser light source 2 (not shown in this drawing for simplicity of illustration of the apparatus of the invention) is directed to an optical path 9, i.e., a laser light source. The light is guided through a hole provided in a frame 8 fixed to an optical path 6, that is, an optical path of a collimator lens 7. In addition to the collimator lens 7, the adapter 5 is equipped with an optical fiber 3, at the end 4 of which the lens is focused. That is, the optical fiber (-) is fixed to the adapter (in FIG. 1, the optical fiber is shown separated from the adapter to illustrate the path of the laser beam and the method of laser beam adjustment).

Referring to FIG. 1, the adapter 5 includes a tilt adjustment member, namely an adjustment screw 11. and 112 in contact with the frame 8, the angle of inclination of the adapter with respect to the direction of movement t of the laser beam is determined by the angle of inclination of the two adjusting surfaces PI and P2 extending parallel to the laser beam. It can be adjusted inside.

By adjusting the inclination of the adapter, the adjustment surface P1
and P2, the focal point f of the lens 7 with respect to the optical fiber end 4 can be adjusted. These adjustment surfaces are represented in FIG. 1 by the coordinate axes X and Y in the vicinity of the adapter. As shown, the coordinate axes X and Y extend at right angles to each other and at right angles to the direction of movement t of the laser beam. When the adapter is tilted in the plane P, parallel to the Y-axis and the laser beam, the angle α decreases and the optical fiber 3 fixed to the adapter 5 moves along with the adapter in the same plane P, according to the dotted line 3'. Rotate to the position shown. The position of the focal point f remains stationary, and by moving the end of the optical fiber upward in the plane P, the focus can be adjusted downward in the same plane P, and the focus can be adjusted downward in the same plane P. It can be applied to the end 4 of the optical fiber. When it is necessary to adjust the focus to one side in the direction of the Y-axis, the adapter 5 is
and make the angle β larger or smaller as necessary. In this case, the inclination adjustment member 10, ie the adjustment screw 11. Adjust the adapter using the

When tilting the adapter 5 in the Y-axis and/or in a plane parallel to the Y-axis, the focus is in fact not completely stationary. As the lens 7 is rotated with the adapter in the central rotation of the lens, the thickness of the lens causes the laser beam to move in the direction indicated by the reference letter t' in the figure.
The beam moves. However, this amount of light travel is relatively small compared to the amount of fiber travel and is not critical to properly aligning the laser beam.

After adjusting the focus of the laser light to be located at the end of the optical fiber, this shift condition can be overcome by realigning the lens and adapter with respect to the laser beam.

As shown in FIG. 1, the adapter 5 is connected to the frame 8 by using three fixing screws 11, 112 and 113. For example, springs 12, 12□, and 1, such as coil springs or disc springs.
23 is mounted on the corresponding fixing screw. Fixing screws 111 and 11. and 113 are located at triangular positions in a plane extending approximately perpendicular to the direction of the laser beam. In the illustrated embodiment, the triangle formed by the fixing screw is a right triangle, and the fixing screws 111 and 113 located at the hypotenuse ends of this right triangle are parallel to the X and Y axes, respectively. Two inclination adjusting members 10 and 101 of the adapter are formed within the planes P1 and P2. The fixing screws located at the vertices of the right triangle are mounted stationary and cannot be adjusted in conjunction with the aiming operation of the laser beam.

2 and 3 illustrate the construction of a sighting device constructed in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. Components that are the same as those of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the flange-like frame 8 is connected to the laser light source 2 using fixing screws 21. As shown in FIGS. The laser beam emitted from the laser light source passes through the optical path 9 formed in the frame, that is, the opening, and passes through the fixing plate 22 and the fixing screw 11. and 112 and 11. It is guided to an adapter 5 fixed to the υ frame. Adapter 5 has screw 23
A sleeve-like member 24 attached to the fixed plate 22
The optical path 6 extends through the fixed plate 22. A tubular sheet 24 with a locking ring 26 securing the lens 7 inside is screwed to the end of the frame near the light source. Lens sheet 2
A sleeve-like optical fiber fixing frame 27 is attached to the end of the tubular sheet 24 facing the fiber optic fiber 5, and the fixing frame is combined with a fixing ring 28, a ferrule provided at the end of the optical fiber, and a shoulder attachment 30. 27, the optical fiber is centered and held stationary. The optical fiber 3 is securely fixed to the fixing frame 27 using the fixing ring 28 in accordance with the above-described procedure, and the fixing ring 28 is further fixed to the seat 24 of the adapter using screws. The collimator lens 7 is fixed to the lens sheet 25 using a locking ring 26 3 and the lens sheet 25 is further fixed to the body part of the adapter using screws 31 so that By rotating the lens sheet 25, the lens 7 can be focused onto the end 4 of the optical fiber 3. The sleeve-like aperture of the lens sheet 25 is positioned parallel to and centered with the laser beam, while the lens 7 is oriented at right angles to the laser beam. It is being The end 4 of the optical fiber 3 is arranged to extend parallel to the laser beam at a distance from the lens 7 by the focal length.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the fixing screw 11. and 11
．． and 11. A three-point fixing plate 22 can be supported and fixed on the frame 8 using a three-point fixing plate 22. These fixing screws are arranged in the contour of a right triangle, and the screws located at the hypotenuse ends of the right triangle are connected to the two inclination adjustment parts 10 and 10. of the adapter. It consists of Disc springs 121, 122 and 12 are placed between the fixing plate 22 and the frame 8 of the adapter at the position where the fixing screw is located.
3 is installed.

Referring to FIG. 4, an optical fiber is connected to the frame 2 of the Terracer unit using the laser beam aiming system shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

In the case of this laser unit, the aiming device includes an independent frame 8 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.
Inner set. 7L/-A frame of a laser unit is used instead of frame 8.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view conceptually illustrating the basic design of a laser beam aiming device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway longitudinal sectional view of the aiming device of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a front view of the aiming device shown in FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the incoming laser beam; FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a state in which the aiming device according to the present invention is connected to a specific laser unit. Explanation of symbols 1... Laser aiming device, 2...
・Laser light source, 3...Optical fiber, 4...
...End of optical fiber, 5...Adapter, 6...Optical path, 7...Collimator m
- Lens, 8... Frame, 9... Optical path, 10... Inclination adjustment member, 11. ．． 11. . 11...adjustment screw, 21...fixing screw, 22...fixing plate, 23...screw,
24...Tubular sheet, 25...
Lens sheet, 26...Lock ring, 2
7... Optical fiber fixing element, 28...
・Fixing ring, 30... Shoulder attachment, 31... Screw. Representative Patent Attorney Narumi Yokomizo°11. of . L,■

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (1) An adapter 5 having an optical path 6 and a collimator lens 7, and a frame 8 having an optical path 9, and an end portion of an optical fiber and a lens are connected to the optical path 6 and the optical fiber. The laser is mounted in a stable state with respect to the focused lens at the end of the frame 8, and passes through the optical path 9 of the frame 8 to the optical path 6 of the adapter 5 and the lens.
The laser beam emitted from the laser light source 2 is connected to the end of the optical fiber 3, which is configured to stably attach a frame 8 to the laser light source to guide the beam and further collimate the laser beam to the lens. A laser beam aiming device for aiming an optical fiber 3 through an optical fiber 3, the device comprising at least one tilt adjustment member 10, wherein the adapter 5 is attached to a frame 8 by means of said tilt adjustment member 10. two adjustment surfaces (R, P2) that are supported by the laser beam and are approximately 11 parallel to the laser beam, changing the angle of inclination (α, β) of the adapter with respect to the direction of movement of the laser beam and the focus of the lens with respect to the end of the optical fiber; A laser beam aiming device characterized in that it can be adjusted within the range. Q) The device is equipped with two tilt adjustment members (10, 10,) and the adapter 5 is supported by the frame 8, and the adjustment members allow the plane (p) to be tilted approximately parallel to the laser beam. , , p, ) with respect to the frame 8. Laser beam aiming device according to claim 1, characterized in that the laser beam aiming device is adjusted with respect to the frame 8 in . (3) Laser beam aiming device according to claim 2, characterized in that the adjustment surfaces (PI, pt) extend at right angles to each other. (4) The adapter 5 has three fixing screws (l l, ,
l 12゜11s) is attached to the frame 8, and there is a spring (12, 11s) between the adapter and the frame.
. 12,. 123) and at least two of the fixing screws are adjustable and have two adjustment surfaces (R, P) approximately parallel to the laser beam.
Laser beam aiming device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that in 2) the adapter can be tilted with respect to the fixed frame. (5) The fixing screws (11, t t, , 11.) are arranged in a triangular contour in a plane extending approximately at right angles to the direction of the laser beam. Laser beam aiming device according to paragraph 4. (6) The fixing screws (11, 11, 113) are arranged on the contour of an equilateral triangle in a plane extending approximately at right angles to the direction of the beam, and are arranged at the end of the hypotenuse of the equilateral triangle. Two inclination adjustment members (10, 10,
) A laser aiming device according to claim 4, characterized in that the laser aiming device comprises: (7) The lens 7 is placed in the adapter 5, and the adapter and the lens are adjusted by #1 with the rotation wheel at the center of the lens, and the center of the lens is held substantially stationary during the adjustment. The first claim characterized in
The laser beam aiming device according to any one of paragraphs 6 through 6.