Laser device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9784934-B2
Application number	US-201615360403-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2016
Priority date	Jul 11, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

A laser device is disclosed. The laser device includes a surface-emitting laser including a plurality of emission points, a lens array including a plurality of lenses arranged so as to correspond to a position of the surface-emitting laser; and a light condensing optical system that condenses a plurality of light fluxes emitted through the lens array and enters the condensed lights to an input end of an optical fiber. The light condensing optical system includes an aspheric lens having positive refractive power. Both of an incidence surface and an emission surface of the aspheric lens have aspheric shapes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser device comprising:
a surface-emitting laser including a plurality of emission points;
a lens array including a plurality of lenses arranged so as to correspond to a position of the surface-emitting laser; and
a light condensing optical system that condenses a plurality of light fluxes emitted through the lens array and enters the condensed lights to an input end of an optical fiber,
wherein the light condensing optical system includes an aspheric lens having positive refractive power,
wherein both of an incidence surface and an emission surface of the aspheric lens have aspheric shapes,
wherein each of the incidence surface and the emission surface of the aspheric lens has a rotational symmetry shape, and the rotational symmetry shape is configured such that a curvature of the aspheric lens has an extreme value at a height other than zero,
wherein the aspheric lens is a positive biconvex lens in which a curvature of the emission surface is larger than a curvature of the incidence surface at a lens center of the aspheric lens,
wherein the incidence surface of the aspheric lens has a positive refractive power at every lens height, and
wherein the emission surface of the aspheric lens has a positive refractive power at the lens center and the positive refractive power of the emission surface decreases towards peripheral sides of the aspheric lens such that the curvature of the emission surface changes from positive refractive power to a maximum negative refractive power at a predetermined lens height, and the refractive power increases from the predetermined lens height to the peripheral side of the aspheric lens such that the refractive power at the peripheral side is positive.

2. The laser device according to claim 1 ,
wherein at least one of the incident surface and the emission surface of the aspheric lens has an inflection point of a surface shape at the height other than zero.

3. The laser device according to claim 1 , further comprising a light condensing lens that satisfies a following condition (1),
h 1> A 1/2× d 3/ f 1  (1)

where a focal length of the lens array is f1,
an emission area diameter per 1 channel of the surface-emitting laser is A1,
a distance from the lens array to the light condensing optical system is d3, and
a lens height of the surface of the light condensing optical system at an inflection point is h1, in one of the incidence surface and the emission surface of the light condensing optical system.

4. The laser device according to claim 1 , further comprising a light condensing lens that satisfies a following condition (1),
h 1> A 1/2× d 3/ f 1  (1)

where a focal length of the lens array is f1,
an emission area diameter per 1 channel of the surface-emitting laser is A1,
a distance from the lens array to the light condensing optical system is d3, and
a lens height of the surface of the light condensing optical system at an inflection point is h1, in one of the incidence surface and the emission surface of the light condensing optical system, and
wherein at least one of the incident surface and the emission surface of the aspheric lens has an inflection point of a surface shape at the height other than zero.

Assignees

• Arai Nobuyuki
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Arai Nobuyuki

Classifications

• H01S5/18388

  Lenses · CPC title

• G02B27/0922

  the semiconductor light source comprising an array of light emitters · CPC title

• G02B3/02

  with non-spherical faces (G02B3/10 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B27/0905

  Dividing and/or superposing multiple light beams · CPC title

• H01S5/423

  having a vertical cavity · CPC title