Laser attenuation device

Abstract

The invention discloses a laser attenuation device, and relates to the technical field of laser, the laser attenuation device comprises a shell, a laser emitter and an adjusting mechanism, an installation space is formed in the shell, and the side wall of the shell is provided with a light inlet and a light outlet. According to the technical scheme, the arrangement mode that the first optical element and the second optical element rotate relative to the shell is adopted, and the purpose of changing the angle of the first optical element and the angle of the second optical element can be achieved; light can transmit needed light after angle adjustment of the first optical element and then reflect unneeded light, the needed light can be transmitted and the unneeded light can be continuously reflected after angle adjustment of the second optical element, so that a part of energy is lost every time a light beam penetrates through one surface, and the light beam can be transmitted to the outside after the light beam penetrates through the other surface. Therefore, the purpose of continuous attenuation of light is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of laser technology, and in particular to a laser attenuation device. Background Art

[0002] The laser attenuator is a passive component that uses its internal structure to weaken the optical signal power transmitted by the device. Its main principle is to control the degree of reduction of light of different wavelengths by changing the path length, position or material of the attenuator. Commonly used materials for laser attenuators include silicon-based attenuators and lithium niobate modulators.

[0003] Against the background of widespread application of laser technology, the development of continuously adjustable laser attenuators has attracted much attention. Traditional laser attenuators, such as mechanical structure types and graded adjustable types, have defects such as large size, inconvenient operation, inability to continuously adjust or attenuation jumps. With the continuous advancement of optical materials and continuous improvement of coating technology, driven by the strong demand in fields such as high-power laser measurement and optical communication, the technology of continuously adjustable laser attenuators has gradually developed, providing new possibilities for achieving continuous and precise adjustment of laser attenuation.

[0004] In applications with high intensity light levels, such as laser identification applications, too much light entering the spectrometer can cause the light to exceed the detection limit of the spectrometer's highly sensitive linear array detectors. Similarly, in certain absorbance measurement experiments, excessive signals may cause the sensor to saturate, affecting the accuracy of the measurement. Summary of the invention

[0005] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a laser attenuation device, aiming to achieve the purpose of continuous attenuation of light energy.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the laser attenuation device proposed in the present invention comprises:

[0007] A housing, wherein an installation space is formed in the housing, and a light inlet and a light outlet are provided on a side wall of the housing, wherein the light inlet and the light outlet are both connected to the installation space;

[0008] A laser generator, arranged outside the housing corresponding to the light inlet, and used to generate laser light to be injected into the light inlet;

[0009] An adjustment mechanism is arranged in the installation space, and the adjustment mechanism includes a first optical element and a second optical element adjacent to the first optical element, the first optical element is close to the light inlet and can be rotatably arranged relative to the shell, and the second optical element is close to the light outlet and can be rotatably arranged relative to the shell.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first optical element comprises a thin film polarizer; and / or,

[0011] The second optical element includes a thin-film polarizer.

[0012] In one embodiment, a dielectric reflective film is provided on a surface of the first optical element on a side close to the light inlet.

[0013] In one embodiment, an anti-reflection film is disposed on a surface of the first optical element away from the light inlet; and / or,

[0014] At least one of the two surfaces of the second optical element is provided with an anti-reflection film.

[0015] In one embodiment, the installation space is extended along a first direction, and the first optical element is symmetrically distributed with the second optical element along a second direction, wherein:

[0016] The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0017] In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism further includes a driving assembly, the driving assembly includes a first gear and a second gear, the first gear is rotatably mounted on the housing, the first optical element is disposed on the first gear, the second gear is rotatably mounted on the housing, and the second optical element is disposed on the second gear; wherein,

[0018] The first gear meshes with the second gear in the first direction.

[0019] In one embodiment, the driving assembly further includes a first fixed seat and a second fixed seat, wherein one side of the first fixed seat is fixedly mounted to the first gear, and the other side is provided with a first mounting groove for mounting the first optical element, and one side of the second fixed seat is fixedly mounted to the second gear, and the other side is provided with a second mounting groove for mounting the second optical element.

[0020] In one embodiment, the laser attenuation device also includes an absorption mechanism arranged in the installation space, and the absorption mechanism includes a first absorber and a second absorber. The first absorber is arranged on the outer wall of the shell corresponding to the first optical element, and the second absorber is arranged on the outer wall of the shell corresponding to the second optical element.

[0021] In one embodiment, two absorption channels communicating with the installation space are disposed inside the first absorber and the second absorber; wherein,

[0022] Each two absorption channels are arranged close to each other and in communication with each other on one side close to the installation space;

[0023] Each two absorption channels are arranged away from each other on a side away from the installation space.

[0024] In one embodiment, water cooling channels are provided inside the first absorber and the second absorber.

[0025] The technical solution of the present invention achieves the purpose of changing the angles of the first optical element and the second optical element by adopting a setting mode in which the first optical element and the second optical element are rotated relative to the shell. When the laser generator generates laser light and injects it into the light inlet, the light can transmit the required light after the angle of the first optical element is adjusted, and then reflect the unnecessary light. After continuing to adjust the angle of the second optical element, the required light can be transmitted and the unnecessary light can be reflected. Therefore, each time the light beam passes through a surface, a part of the energy is lost, thereby achieving the purpose of continuous attenuation of light. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without paying creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a laser attenuation device provided by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure;

[0029] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure.

[0030] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0031] 100. Laser attenuation device; 1. Shell; 11. Installation space; 12. Light inlet; 13. Light outlet; 2. Laser generator; 3. Adjustment mechanism; 31. First optical element; 32. Second optical element; 33. Drive assembly; 331. First gear; 332. Second gear; 333. First fixed seat; 334. Second fixed seat; 335. First mounting groove; 336. Second mounting groove; 4. Absorption mechanism; 41. First absorber; 42. Second absorber; 43. Absorption channel; 44. Water cooling channel.

[0032] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indications are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the components in a certain specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0035] In addition, if there are descriptions involving "first", "second", etc. in the embodiments of the present invention, the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features limited to "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, if "and / or" or "and / or" appears in the full text, its meaning includes three parallel solutions. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes solution A, solution B, or solutions that satisfy both A and B. In addition, the technical solutions between the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but it must be based on the ability of ordinary technicians in this field to implement. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0036] The laser attenuator is a passive component that uses its internal structure to weaken the optical signal power transmitted by the device. Its main principle is to control the degree of reduction of light of different wavelengths by changing the path length, position or material of the attenuator. Commonly used materials for laser attenuators include silicon-based attenuators and lithium niobate modulators.

[0037] Against the background of widespread application of laser technology, the development of continuously adjustable laser attenuators has attracted much attention. Traditional laser attenuators, such as mechanical structure types and graded adjustable types, have defects such as large size, inconvenient operation, inability to continuously adjust or attenuation jumps. With the continuous advancement of optical materials and continuous improvement of coating technology, driven by the strong demand in fields such as high-power laser measurement and optical communication, the technology of continuously adjustable laser attenuators has gradually developed, providing new possibilities for achieving continuous and precise adjustment of laser attenuation.

[0038] In applications with high intensity light levels, such as laser identification applications, too much light entering the spectrometer can cause the light to exceed the detection limit of the spectrometer's highly sensitive linear array detectors. Similarly, in certain absorbance measurement experiments, excessive signals may cause the sensor to saturate, affecting the accuracy of the measurement.

[0039] The present invention provides a laser attenuation device, aiming to achieve the purpose of continuous attenuation of light energy.

[0040] See also Figures 1 to 3 In one embodiment of the present invention, the laser attenuation device 100 includes a shell 1, a laser generator 2 and an adjustment mechanism 3; an installation space 11 is formed in the shell 1, and a light inlet 12 and a light outlet 13 are provided on the side wall of the shell 1, and the light inlet 12 and the light outlet 13 are both connected to the installation space 11; the laser generator 2 is arranged outside the shell 1 corresponding to the light inlet 12, and is used to generate laser light to be injected into the light inlet 12; the adjustment mechanism 3 is arranged in the installation space 11, and the adjustment mechanism 3 includes a first optical element 31 and a second optical element 32 adjacent to the first optical element 31, the first optical element 31 is close to the light inlet 12, and is rotatable relative to the shell 1, and the second optical element 32 is close to the light outlet 13, and is rotatable relative to the shell 1.

[0041] The technical solution of the present invention achieves the purpose of changing the angles of the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 by adopting a setting mode in which the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 are rotated relative to the shell 1. When the laser generator 2 generates laser light and injects it into the light inlet 12, the light can transmit the required light after the angle of the first optical element 31 is adjusted, and then reflect the unnecessary light. After continuing to adjust the angle of the second optical element 32, the required light can be transmitted and the unnecessary light can be reflected. Therefore, a part of the energy of the light beam is lost each time it passes through a surface, thereby achieving the purpose of continuous attenuation of light.

[0042] It should be explained that the specific arrangement of the second optical element 32 adjacent to the first optical element 31 may be that a gap is left between the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 to allow a certain degree of relative movement.

[0043] It can be understood that the specific forms of the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 can be polarizers; or glass plates.

[0044] It is understandable that the specific form of the rotatable setting can be manually adjusted, such as directly or indirectly rotating the optical element through an external handwheel or knob, which is simple and intuitive; or it can be driven by a motor, and the electronic control system can be programmed to achieve an automated adjustment process with precise adjustment; or it can be magnetically driven, such as driving the internal magnetic optical element to rotate through changes in the external magnetic field.

[0045] In one embodiment, the first optical element 31 includes a thin-film polarizer.

[0046] In this way, by disposing the thin film polarizer, the first optical element 31 can transmit and reflect light, and then the required light is transmitted through the first optical element 31, and the unnecessary light is reflected.

[0047] In one embodiment, the second optical element 32 comprises a thin-film polarizer.

[0048] In this way, through the arrangement of the thin film polarizer, the second optical element 32 can transmit and reflect light, thereby transmitting the required light through the second optical element 32 and reflecting the unnecessary light.

[0049] In one embodiment, a dielectric reflective film is provided on a surface of the first optical element 31 at a side close to the light inlet 12 .

[0050] In this way, by providing the dielectric reflective film, the intensity of light passing through the first optical element 31 can be reduced, thereby enabling the first optical element 31 to achieve the purpose of attenuating the energy of the light beam.

[0051] It can be understood that the dielectric reflective film includes an attenuation film, which can absorb part of the light and reflect part of the light, while the remaining light will pass through the attenuation film to achieve the purpose of regulating the light.

[0052] In one embodiment, an anti-reflection film is disposed on a surface of the first optical element 31 away from the light inlet 12 .

[0053] In this way, the anti-reflection film can be provided to reduce the reflection of the light beam on the surface of the first optical element 31, reduce the light energy loss, and increase the transmittance.

[0054] In one embodiment, at least one of the two surfaces of the second optical element 32 is provided with an anti-reflection film.

[0055] In this way, by reducing the reflection loss of three surfaces (the surface of the first optical element 31 away from the light inlet 12 and the two surfaces of the second optical element 32), it can be ensured that more light can smoothly pass through the laser attenuation device 100, thereby improving the light energy utilization rate of the entire system. The anti-reflection film can reduce the scattering phenomenon on the surface of the optical element, reduce the generation of stray light, help improve the quality of the laser beam, reduce the divergence and distortion of the beam, and make the light more concentrated and stable during the propagation process.

[0056] In one embodiment, the installation space 11 is extended along a first direction, and the first optical element 31 is symmetrically distributed with the second optical element 32 along a second direction, wherein the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

[0057] In this way, by symmetrically arranging the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32, the optical path change of the laser between the two flat optical elements is uniform. When the laser passes through, the uniform change of the optical path helps to achieve continuous and smooth adjustment of the laser intensity, avoiding the laser intensity fluctuation caused by the uneven optical path, so that the laser attenuation device 100 can accurately control the attenuation degree of the laser. And because the flat optical element itself may introduce some aberrations, such as spherical aberration, coma, etc., when the two flat optical elements are symmetrically arranged, the aberrations they produce can offset or compensate each other to a certain extent, which helps to reduce the aberration of the entire optical system, thereby improving the beam quality of the laser after passing through the laser attenuation device 100, making the propagation of the laser more ideal. At the same time, through the symmetrical arrangement of the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32, the input light beam of the light inlet 12 and the output light beam of the light outlet 13 can be kept coaxially arranged, saving the trouble of adjusting the optical path when adjusting the attenuation value.

[0058] In one embodiment, the adjustment mechanism 3 also includes a driving assembly 33, and the driving assembly 33 includes a first gear 331 and a second gear 332, the first gear 331 is rotatably mounted on the shell 1, the first optical element 31 is disposed on the first gear 331, the second gear 332 is rotatably mounted on the shell 1, and the second optical element 32 is disposed on the second gear 332; wherein the first gear 331 is meshed with the second gear 332 in the first direction.

[0059] In this way, by means of gear meshing, the transmission reliability between the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 is strong, and the adjustment between the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 is stable.

[0060] It should be supplemented that the adjustment mechanism 3 also includes a motor, which is arranged on the outer wall of the shell 1, and the output end of the motor is transmission connected to the first gear 331 or the second gear 332, thereby driving the first gear 331 or the second gear 332 to rotate, thereby driving the first gear 331 and the second gear 332 meshing with the first gear 331 to rotate, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32.

[0061] In order to facilitate the placement of the first element and the second element, in one embodiment, the driving assembly 33 also includes a first fixed seat 333 and a second fixed seat 334, one side of the first fixed seat 333 is fixedly installed with the first gear 331, and the other side is provided with a first mounting groove 335 for the installation of the first optical element 31, and one side of the second fixed seat 334 is fixedly installed with the second gear 332, and the other side is provided with a second mounting groove 336 for the installation of the second optical element 32.

[0062] In this way, the provision of the first mounting groove 335 and the second mounting groove 336 facilitates the placement of the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32, thereby improving the stability of the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 when in use.

[0063] It can be understood that the first optical element 31 and the first mounting groove 335 are fixed in a snap-fit ​​manner. Similarly, the second optical element 32 and the second mounting groove 336 are fixed in a snap-fit ​​manner.

[0064] In one embodiment, the laser attenuation device 100 also includes an absorption mechanism 4 arranged in the installation space 11, and the absorption mechanism 4 includes a first absorber 41 and a second absorber 42, the first absorber 41 is arranged on the outer wall of the shell 1 corresponding to the first optical element 31, and the second absorber 42 is arranged on the outer wall of the shell 1 corresponding to the second optical element 32.

[0065] In this way, by setting the absorption mechanism 4 , the light reflected by the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 can be absorbed, thereby effectively processing the light and protecting the laser attenuation device 100 .

[0066] It can be understood that the first absorber 41 and the second absorber 42 may be connected to the outer wall of the shell 1 by bolting or screwing.

[0067] In one embodiment, two absorption channels 43 connected to the installation space 11 are disposed inside the first absorber 41 and the second absorber 42; wherein, each two absorption channels 43 are disposed close to and connected to each other on a side close to the installation space 11; and each two absorption channels 43 are disposed away from each other on a side away from the installation space 11.

[0068] Thus, through the arrangement of the absorption channel 43, the light reflected by the first optical element 31 and the second optical element 32 can be absorbed by the absorption channel 43 and then converted into heat energy. Since each two absorption channels 43 are arranged close to each other and connected on the side close to the installation space 11, the purpose of receiving the light reflected under different angles is achieved. By arranging each two absorption channels 43 away from the side of the installation space 11 away from each other, the absorption area of ​​the light can be increased, the possibility of the light being reflected back after reflection is reduced, and the absorption effect of the absorption mechanism 4 is improved.

[0069] It should be supplemented that the first absorber 41 and the second absorber 42 are made of metal, such as brass.

[0070] It should be noted that the side of the absorption channel 43 away from the installation space 11 is not connected to the outside, so that the reflected light can be absorbed in the absorption channel 43 to prevent the reflected light from escaping.

[0071] In order to protect the use of the laser attenuation device 100 , in one embodiment, water cooling channels 44 are disposed inside the first absorber 41 and the second absorber 42 .

[0072] In this way, by providing the water cooling channel 44, a condensation medium, such as condensed water, can be introduced into the water cooling channel 44 to cool the first absorber 41 and the second absorber 42, thereby reducing the thermal effect or stress generated by light in the shell 1 and improving the safety of the laser attenuation device 100.

[0073] It should be noted that the water cooling channel 44 has a water inlet and a water outlet arranged at both ends thereof. The condensing medium flows into the water cooling channel 44 through the water inlet and flows out through the water outlet. Water is continuously inflowed and outflowed to achieve the purpose of continuous cooling.

[0074] It is understandable that, in order to achieve the purpose of heat dissipation, heat dissipation fins may be provided on the first absorber 41 and the second absorber 42 for heat dissipation.

[0075] In other embodiments, the laser generator 2 includes a light source, and a plurality of lenses disposed between the light source and the light inlet 12, wherein the plurality of lenses include a plano-convex lens, a plano-concave lens, and a bi-concave lens disposed in sequence.

[0076] With this arrangement, the light source can pass through the plano-convex lens, the plano-concave lens and the bi-concave lens in sequence, which can be used to adjust the light path, thereby effectively reducing aberrations such as spherical aberration and coma, and improving the quality of the light beam.

[0077] The above description is only an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made by using the contents of the present invention specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A laser attenuation device, characterized in that: include: A housing, wherein an installation space is formed in the housing, and a light inlet and a light outlet are provided on a side wall of the housing, wherein the light inlet and the light outlet are both connected to the installation space; A laser generator, arranged outside the housing corresponding to the light inlet, and used to generate laser light to be injected into the light inlet; An adjustment mechanism is arranged in the installation space, and the adjustment mechanism includes a first optical element and a second optical element adjacent to the first optical element, the first optical element is close to the light inlet and can be rotatably arranged relative to the shell, and the second optical element is close to the light outlet and can be rotatably arranged relative to the shell.

2. The laser attenuation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first optical element comprises a thin film polarizer; and / or, The second optical element includes a thin-film polarizer.

3. The laser attenuation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A dielectric reflective film is provided on the surface of the first optical element at a side close to the light inlet.

4. The laser attenuation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An anti-reflection film is disposed on a surface of the first optical element away from the light inlet; and / or, At least one of the two surfaces of the second optical element is provided with an anti-reflection film.

5. The laser attenuation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The installation space is extended along a first direction, and the first optical element is symmetrically distributed with the second optical element along a second direction, wherein: The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction.

6. The laser attenuation device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustment mechanism further includes a driving assembly, the driving assembly includes a first gear and a second gear, the first gear is rotatably mounted on the housing, the first optical element is disposed on the first gear, the second gear is rotatably mounted on the housing, and the second optical element is disposed on the second gear; wherein, The first gear meshes with the second gear in the first direction.

7. The laser attenuation device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly also includes a first fixed seat and a second fixed seat, one side of the first fixed seat is fixedly mounted to the first gear, and the other side is provided with a first mounting groove for mounting the first optical element, one side of the second fixed seat is fixedly mounted to the second gear, and the other side is provided with a second mounting groove for mounting the second optical element.

8. The laser attenuation device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser attenuation device also includes an absorption mechanism arranged in the installation space, and the absorption mechanism includes a first absorber and a second absorber. The first absorber is arranged on the outer wall of the shell corresponding to the first optical element, and the second absorber is arranged on the outer wall of the shell corresponding to the second optical element.

9. The laser attenuation device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first absorber and the second absorber are both provided with two absorption channels connected to the installation space; wherein, Each two absorption channels are arranged close to each other and in communication with each other on one side close to the installation space; Each two absorption channels are arranged away from each other on a side away from the installation space.

10. The laser attenuation device according to claim 8, characterized in that: Water cooling channels are provided inside the first absorber and the second absorber.

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