First pulse control method for continuous laser

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of laser technology, and in particular to a method for controlling the first pulse of a continuous-wave laser. The method controls the laser output through a set of control signals, including a modulation signal, a power analog signal, and a charging signal. When the laser is not operating, a charging current within a preset range is continuously input to the laser under the action of the charging signal. Under the action of this charging current, the pulse height of the laser output signal is equal to the preset peak value, and no light is emitted. Beneficial effects: By adding a charging signal to the control signals, a continuous charging current is provided to the laser. When the laser is turned on, the initial energy provided by the charging current ensures that the laser's first pulse is equal to the preset peak value, solving the problem of unusable first pulses in continuous-wave lasers. Simultaneously, measuring the maximum and minimum values ​​of the charging current facilitates the setting of the charging current, avoiding situations where the charging current is too low to meet requirements or too high, resulting in light leakage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of laser technology, and in particular to a method for controlling the first pulse of a continuous laser. Background Technology

[0002] Lasers can be applied to a variety of fields such as materials processing, communication, sensing, research and development, military, and medical. Fiber lasers are currently the mainstream technology for lasers, accounting for nearly 50% of the global laser market. They have the characteristics of good beam quality, high efficiency, good heat dissipation, and compact structure, and have broad application prospects.

[0003] In precision machining, the initial laser pulse is crucial; existing continuous laser pulses, such as... Figure 1 As shown, since the energy of the optical pulse in a continuous laser increases gradually, the energy of the first pulse of its output optical signal is insufficient and cannot reach the expected peak value, resulting in the unusable first pulse of the continuous laser, indicating room for improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To overcome the technical defect of the existing technology that the first pulse is unusable, the present invention provides a first pulse control method for a continuous laser, so that the first pulse height of the continuous laser reaches the normal height.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this invention is: a first pulse control method for a continuous laser. The output of the laser is controlled by a set of control signals, including a modulation signal, a power analog signal, and a charging signal. When the laser is not working, a charging current within a preset range is continuously input to the laser under the action of the charging signal. Under the action of the charging current, the pulse height of the optical signal output by the laser is equal to the preset peak value and no light is emitted.

[0006] Furthermore, the minimum value of the preset range of charging current is obtained through the following steps:

[0007] S11: Input a charging current to the laser;

[0008] S12: Turn on the charging enable switch and turn off the laser's output switch;

[0009] S13: Give the laser a continuous modulation signal;

[0010] S14: Determine whether the pulse height of the laser output optical signal is equal to the preset peak value. When the pulse height of the output optical signal is lower than the preset peak value, turn off the charging enable switch, increase the charging current, and repeat steps S11-S14. When the pulse height of the output optical signal is equal to the preset peak value, the cycle ends and the charging current is output.

[0011] Furthermore, the maximum value of the preset range of charging current is obtained through the following steps:

[0012] S21: Input a charging current into the laser;

[0013] S22: Turn on the charging enable switch and turn off the laser's output switch;

[0014] S23: Observe whether the laser emits light. When the laser does not emit light, increase the charging current and repeat steps S21-S23. When the laser emits light, the cycle ends and the charging current is output.

[0015] Furthermore, the specific steps of step S11 or S21 are as follows:

[0016] S100: Set the charging current value;

[0017] S200: Stores the charging signal and sends it to the actuator;

[0018] S300: The actuator inputs the charging current corresponding to the charging signal into the laser.

[0019] Furthermore, in step S100, the charging current is set by a host computer.

[0020] Furthermore, the component that stores and sends the charging signal in step S200 is an MCU.

[0021] Furthermore, the actuating element in step S300 is an FPAG.

[0022] Furthermore, the pulse height of the optical signal is displayed using an oscilloscope.

[0023] In summary, the beneficial effects of this invention are: by adding a charging signal to the control signal, a continuous charging current is provided to the laser. When the laser is turned on, the initial energy provided by the charging current ensures that the first pulse of the laser is equal to the preset peak value, thus solving the problem of the unusable first pulse of the continuous laser. At the same time, by measuring the maximum and minimum values ​​of the preset range of the charging current, it is convenient to set the charging current and avoid the charging current being too low to meet the requirements or too high to cause light leakage. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a pulse from an existing continuous laser.

[0025] Figure 2 This is a pulse diagram illustrating the first pulse control method for the continuous laser of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of obtaining the minimum charging current in the first pulse control method of the continuous laser of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of obtaining the maximum charging current in the first pulse control method of the continuous laser of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this invention.

[0029] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0030] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection of two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0032] like Figure 1-4 As shown, this embodiment provides a first pulse control method for a continuous laser. The output of the laser is controlled by a set of control signals, including a modulation signal, a power analog signal, and a charging signal. The modulation signal controls whether light is emitted, and the power analog signal controls the power of the laser output. This invention adds a charging signal to the control signals. When the laser is not working, a charging current within a preset range is continuously input to the laser under the action of the charging signal. Under the action of the charging current, the pulse height of the light signal output by the laser is equal to the preset peak value and no light is emitted.

[0033] In this embodiment, the minimum value of the preset range of charging current refers to the pulse height of the laser output light signal being exactly equal to the preset peak value when the charging current is input; the maximum value of the preset range of charging current refers to the laser emitting light when the charging current is input; that is, the preset range of the input charging current is greater than or equal to the minimum value and less than the maximum value.

[0034] In this embodiment, the minimum value of the preset range of charging current is obtained through the following steps:

[0035] S11: Input a charging current to the laser;

[0036] S12: Turn on the charging enable switch and turn off the laser's output switch. At this time, the laser is in the charging state.

[0037] S13: Give the laser a continuous modulation signal, that is: turn on the laser's output switch, at which point the laser is in working condition;

[0038] S14: Determine whether the pulse height of the laser output optical signal is equal to the preset peak value. When the pulse height of the output optical signal is lower than the preset peak value, turn off the charging enable switch, increase the charging current, and repeat steps S11-S14. When the pulse height of the output optical signal is equal to the preset peak value, the cycle ends and the charging current is output.

[0039] In this embodiment, the maximum value of the preset range of charging current is obtained through the following steps:

[0040] S21: Input a charging current into the laser;

[0041] S22: Turn on the charging enable switch and turn off the laser's output switch, that is: turn off the input of the modulation signal. At this time, the laser is in the charging state.

[0042] S23: Observe whether the laser emits light. When the laser does not emit light, increase the charging current and repeat steps S21-S23. When the laser emits light, the cycle ends and the charging current is output.

[0043] In this embodiment, the specific steps of step S11 or S21 are as follows:

[0044] S100: Set the charging current value;

[0045] S200: Stores the charging signal and sends it to the actuator;

[0046] S300: The actuator inputs the charging current corresponding to the charging signal into the laser.

[0047] In this embodiment, the charging current is set by a host computer, the charging signal is stored in the MCU, and the execution element is an FPGA. After the host computer sets the charging current, the charging signal is stored in the MCU and sent to the FPGA by the MCU. The FPGA then inputs the set charging current into the continuous laser.

[0048] In this embodiment, the pulse height of the optical signal is displayed by an oscilloscope. By observing the peak value of the optical signal output by the laser through the oscilloscope, it can be determined whether the charging current meets the preset range.

[0049] Working principle: This invention adds a charging signal to the control signal. When the laser is not working, a charging current within a preset range is continuously input to the laser under the action of the charging signal. Under the action of the charging current, the pulse height of the laser output optical signal is equal to the preset peak value and no light is emitted. When a working current is input to the continuous laser, the initial energy provided by the charging current makes the first pulse of the laser equal to the preset peak value, thus solving the problem that the first pulse of the continuous laser is unusable.

[0050] The above embodiments illustrate and describe the basic principles and main features of the present invention, as well as its advantages. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the present invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the present invention without departing from its spirit and scope. All such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed, which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the first pulse of a continuous laser, characterized in that, The output of the laser is controlled by a set of control signals, including a modulation signal, a power analog signal, and a charging signal. When the laser is not working, a charging current within a preset range is continuously input to the laser under the action of the charging signal. Under the action of the charging current, the pulse height of the optical signal output by the laser is equal to the preset peak value and no light is emitted. The minimum value of the charging current within the preset range is obtained through the following steps: S11: Input a charging current to the laser; S12: Turn on the charging enable switch and turn off the laser's output switch; S13: Give the laser a continuous modulation signal; S14: Determine whether the pulse height of the laser output light signal is equal to the preset peak value. When the pulse height of the output light signal is lower than the preset peak value, turn off the charging enable switch, increase the charging current, and repeat steps S11-S14. When the pulse height of the output light signal is equal to the preset peak value, the cycle ends and the charging current is output. The maximum value of the charging current within the preset range is obtained through the following steps: S21: Input a charging current into the laser; S22: Turn on the charging enable switch and turn off the laser's output switch; S23: Observe whether the laser emits light. When the laser does not emit light, increase the charging current and repeat steps S21 and S22. When the laser emits light, the cycle ends and the charging current is output.

2. The first pulse control method for a continuous laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific steps of step S11 or S21 are as follows: S100: Set the charging current value; S200: Stores the charging signal and sends it to the actuator; S300: The actuator inputs the charging current corresponding to the charging signal into the laser.

3. The first pulse control method for a continuous laser according to claim 2, characterized in that, In step S100, the charging current is set by the host computer.

4. The first pulse control method for a continuous laser according to claim 2, characterized in that, The component that stores and sends out the charging signal in step S200 is an MCU.

5. The first pulse control method for a continuous laser according to claim 2, characterized in that, The actuator in step S300 is an FPAG.

6. The first pulse control method for a continuous laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The pulse height of the optical signal is displayed on an oscilloscope.

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