Uniformity adjustment method for a diode-laser line-projector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9784957-B2
Application number	US-201615207319-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2016
Priority date	Sep 27, 2012
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

In a line projector a diode-laser beam having an elliptical cross-section is projected onto a Powell lens which spreads the beam to form a line of light. Distribution of power along the line of light is adjusted by rotating the diode-laser beam with respect to the Powell lens.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A diode laser line projector device comprising:
an elongated housing having first and second sections, said sections being rotatable with respect to each other along the longitudinal axis of the housing;
a diode laser mounted within the first section of the housing, said diode laser generating a beam of radiation having orthogonal fast and slow axes mutually perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing;
a first lens mounted within the second section of the housing, said first lens having an acylindrical surface including a vertex lying along a first axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis the housing; and
means for selectively locking the first and second sections of the housing together to prevent rotation after the vertex of the acylindrical surface of the first lens has been preferentially aligned with respect to the axes of the diode laser.

2. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein said locking means is defined by set screws extending through a wall of the housing.

3. A device as recited in claim 1 wherein said first lens is a Powell lens.

4. A device as recited in claim 1 further including a second lens mounted in the housing and positioned between the diode laser and the first lens.

5. A device as recited in claim 4 wherein said housing further includes a means for adjusting the spacing between the second lens and the diode laser.

6. A diode laser line projector device comprising:
an elongated housing having a longitudinal axis;
a diode laser mounted within the housing, said diode laser generating a beam of radiation having orthogonal fast and slow axes mutually perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the housing; and
a first lens mounted within the housing and spaced from the diode laser for projecting the beam of radiation generated therefrom along a line, said first lens having an acylindrical surface including a vertex lying along a first axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis the housing and aligned between the fast and slow axes of the diode laser at a position so that the uniformity of the intensity distribution of light along the projected line is greater than 80 percent.

7. A device as recited in claim 6 wherein said first lens is a Powell lens.

8. A device as recited in claim 6 further including a second lens mounted in the housing and positioned between the diode laser and the first lens.

9. A device as recited in claim 8 wherein said housing further includes a means for adjusting the spacing between the second lens and the diode laser.

Assignees

• Coherent Inc

Inventors

• Nackerud Erik
• Lounsbury Jimson
• Kain Patrick

Classifications

• G02B19/0014 Primary

  at least one surface having optical power · CPC title

• G02B27/0927

  Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat · CPC title

• G02B27/0966

  Cylindrical lenses (cylindrical lenses per se G02B3/06) · CPC title

• G02B27/0955

  Lenses (lenses per se G02B3/00) · CPC title

• G02B19/0052

  the light source comprising a laser diode (coupling into light guides using intermediate optical elements G02B6/4204; semiconductor lasers having optical devices external to the laser cavity H01S5/005) · CPC title