Laser apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10305249-B2
Application number	US-201816043910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2018
Priority date	Jan 26, 2016
Publication date	May 28, 2019
Grant date	May 28, 2019

Abstract

In a laser apparatus, transmission of vibration, which is generated in a portion that generates a cooling gas flow, to a laser unit is suppressed, and heat generated from the laser unit is efficiently dissipated. A laser unit is housed inside a box-shaped housing having a plurality of faces. A frame supports a laser unit with a first mount interposed therebetween inside the housing. The frame has a through-hole penetrating from one face side to the other face side. A blower fan generates a flow of cooling gas for cooling the laser unit. The blower fan is attached to, for example, a second housing so as to face the laser unit. The cooling gas moves through the through-hole of the frame between the blower fan and the laser unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser apparatus, comprising:
a laser unit that is housed inside a box-shaped housing having a plurality of faces;
a frame that supports the laser unit with a first mount interposed therebetween in the housing; and
a cooling gas flow generation unit that is attached to a member different from the frame and generates a flow of cooling gas for cooling the laser unit,
wherein the cooling gas flow generation unit is disposed facing the laser unit and on a side of a face having a largest area or a face opposite to the face having the largest area among the plurality of faces of the housing,
the frame has a through-hole penetrating from one face, which is a face on a side where the laser unit is supported, to the other face, and
the cooling gas moves through the through-hole of the frame between the cooling gas flow generation unit and the laser unit.

2. The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a substrate, the laser unit being mounted on one face of the substrate; and
a radiator that is attached to another face of the substrate which is opposite to the one face of the substrate.

3. The laser apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein the substrate is supported on the frame with the first mount interposed therebetween.

4. The laser apparatus according to claim 3 ,
wherein the substrate includes a first portion on which the laser unit is mounted, a second portion rising from the first portion toward the one face side on which the laser unit is mounted, and a third portion connected to the first portion through the second portion, and the substrate is supported on the frame at the third portion with the first mount interposed between the frame and the third portion.

5. The laser apparatus according to claim 4 ,
wherein at least a part of the first portion of the substrate and/or at least a part of the radiator enters the through-hole of the frame.

6. The laser apparatus according to claim 2 ,
wherein at least one of a transmission optical system, a coupling optical system, or an optical connector for connection with a probe for photoacoustic measurement is further mounted on the substrate.

7. The laser apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a heat conduction member that is connected to at least one of the laser unit or the substrate and transfers heat generated by the laser unit to the frame.

8. The laser apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the heat conduction member includes a braided shield wire formed of a material having a higher heat conductivity than that of at least one of the laser unit or the substrate.

9. The laser apparatus according to claim 7 ,
wherein the heat conduction member includes a film formed of a material having a higher heat conductivity than that of at least one of the laser unit or the substrate.

10. The laser apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least a part of the cooling gas flow generation unit enters the through-hole of the frame.

11. The laser apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a partition member that partitions a space inside the housing into a space in which the laser unit is present and a space through which the cooling gas flows.

12. The laser apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the partition member includes an air filter.

13. The laser apparatus according to claim 11 ,
wherein the partition member includes a film member.

14. The laser apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the housing includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion that are separable from each other, and
each of the first housing portion and the second housing portion is attached to the frame.

15. The laser apparatus according to claim 14 ,
wherein the frame has a protruding portion that protrudes from the first housing portion and the second housing portion.

16. The laser apparatus according to claim 15 ,
wherein the second housing portion has a vent hole through which the cooling gas passes, and
the cooling gas flow generation unit is attached to the second housing portion.

17. The laser apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the frame is attached to the housing with a second mount interposed therebetween.

18. The laser apparatus according to claim 17 , further comprising:
a cooling gas flow generation unit support member that supports the cooling gas flow generation unit.

19. The laser apparatus according to claim 18 ,
wherein the cooling gas flow generation unit support member is attached to an inside of the housing with a third mount interposed therebetween.

Assignees

• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Irisawa Kaku
• Inoue Tomoki
• Hashimoto Atsushi

Classifications

• H01S3/042 Primary

  for solid state lasers {(H01S3/0401 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• H01S5/02476

  Heat spreaders, i.e. improving heat flow between laser chip and heat dissipating elements · CPC title

• G01N29/2418

  using optoacoustic interaction with the material, e.g. laser radiation, photoacoustics (photoacoustic cells G01N21/1702; measuring characteristics of vibrations by using radiation-sensitive means G01H9/00; acousto-optical conversion techniques for short-range imaging G01S15/8965; sound-producing devices using laser bundle G10K15/046) · CPC title

• H01S5/024

  Arrangements for thermal management · CPC title

• H05K7/20

  Modifications to facilitate cooling, ventilating, or heating · CPC title