High power fiber laser safety control system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9356415-B2
Application number	US-201514638721-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2015
Priority date	Mar 4, 2014
Publication date	May 31, 2016
Grant date	May 31, 2016

Abstract

A laser safety control system is configured with a power source module directly coupled to an AC source and including a galvanically isolated DC/DC converter with at least one output capacitor, and a safety mechanism. The safety mechanism has first and second safety channels which operate independently from one another so as to switch the normal operating regime of the power source module to the safe regime. In the normal operating regime, its DC output has a high voltage, whereas in the safe regime the DC output has a low voltage lower than the high voltage.
The safety channels each include a shutdown circuit operative to switch the DC/DC converter off and a discharging circuit operative to discharge the output capacitor. The switching off DC/DC converter and discharging of the output capacitor define the safe regime of the power source module.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A laser safety control system, comprising:
a power source module coupled to an AC source and including
a galvanically isolated DC/DC converter, and
a safety mechanism which is configured with first and second safety channels operating independently from one another and each provided with:
a shutdown circuit for switching the power source module from a normal operating regime, in which a DC output of the power source has a high voltage, to a safe regime, in which the DC output has a low voltage lower than the high voltage, and
a discharging circuit operative to discharge an output capacitor coupled to an output of the DC/DC converter to the low voltage in the safe regime;

a laser module including a high power fiber laser system and a laser pump system which receives the DC output, wherein the low voltage is lower than an emission threshold of the laser pump system; and
a safety controller configured to control an operation of the power source module in response to external signals from respective external and internal safety-related sensors, the safety controller generating enabling signals coupled into respective the first and second safety channels so as to enable the power source module in the normal operating regime when all of the external and internal sensors do not output respective external signals, and

the safety controller removing the enabling signals in response to the external signals of at least one of the internal and external sensors, either of the two safety channels being operative to switch the normal operating regime of the power source module to the safety regime and discharge the output capacitor in the absence of the enabling signals.

2. The laser safety control system of claim 1 further comprising one or more additional power source modules.

3. The laser safety control system of claim 1 further comprising an auxiliary power source coupled to the output capacitor and operative to realize the safety regime if the power supply module is deenergized.

4. A laser safety control system, comprising:
a power source module coupled to an AC source and including
a galvanically isolated DC/DC converter, and
a safety mechanism which is configured with first and second safety channels operating independently from one another and each provided with:
a shutdown circuit for switching the power source module from a normal operating regime, in which a DC output of the power source has a high voltage, to a safe regime, in which the DC output has a low voltage lower than the high voltage, and
a discharging circuit operative to discharge an output capacitor coupled to an output of the DC/DC converter to the low voltage in the safe regime; wherein the discharging circuits of respective safety channels each operate subsequently to or simultaneously with the shutdown circuit; and

a laser module including a high power fiber laser system and a laser pump system which receives the DC output, wherein the low voltage is lower than an emission threshold of the laser pump system.

5. A laser safety control system, comprising:
a power source module coupled to an AC source and including
a galvanically isolated DC/DC converter, and
a safety mechanism which is configured with first and second safety channels operating independently from one another and each provided with:
a shutdown circuit for switching the power source module from a normal operating regime, in which a DC output of the power source has a high voltage, to a safe regime, in which the DC output has a low voltage lower than the high voltage,
a discharging circuit operative to discharge an output capacitor coupled to an output of the DC/DC converter to the low voltage in the safe regime, and
a plurality of multiple sensors monitoring integrity of executive components; and

a laser module including a high power fiber laser system and a laser pump system which receives the DC output, wherein the low voltage is lower than an emission threshold of the laser pump system.

6. The laser safety control system of claim 5 , wherein the first and second safety channels each further includes a plurality of output components operative to provide respective inputs into the safety controller when the power source module is in the safe regime, and the executive components are properly functioning.

Assignees

• Ipg Photonics Corp

Inventors

• Volodin Valentyn
• Guskov Sergey

Classifications

• H01S5/4025

  Array arrangements, e.g. constituted by discrete laser diodes or laser bar (H01S5/42 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/094076

  Pulsed or modulated pumping (H01S3/1024 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H01S3/0912

  Electronics or drivers for the pump source, i.e. details of drivers or circuitry specific for laser pumping (laser diode drivers H01S5/042) · CPC title

• H01S3/067 Primary

  Fibre lasers · CPC title

• H01S3/094042

  of a fibre laser · CPC title