A macro-sub-laser pulse control system and method

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of laser control and driving, and relates to a macro-sub-laser pulse control system and method. The system comprises an encoding controller, one sub-pulse generating branch and a plurality of parallel macro-pulse generating branches; the encoding controller is used for encoding and setting key parameters of macro-sub-pulses and generating a macro-sub-pulse driving time sequence group; the sub-pulse generating branch and the macro-pulse generating branch respectively generate a laser sub-pulse sequence and a laser driving source working sequence according to the macro-sub-pulse driving time sequence group. The application adopts an editable encoding control mode to realize flexible configuration of key parameters of macro-sub-pulses, finally obtains the output of macro-sub-laser pulse strings, significantly improves the precision, stability and usability of the macro-sub-pulse laser, has certain advancement, and can be widely applied to new technology fields such as medical laser systems, target detection laser systems, precision machining laser systems and other scientific research laser systems.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of laser control and driving technology, and more specifically, to a macro laser pulse control system and method. Background Technology

[0002] Macro-pulse lasers output unique "macro-pulse" laser pulse trains containing rich timing-coded information, making them highly valuable for applications in advanced medicine, target detection, precision machining, and other industrial and defense fields. Current macro-pulse laser control systems utilize devices such as phase modulators and electro-optic switches to achieve pulse train output; however, these systems generally suffer from limitations in pulse train adjustment, insufficient timing control precision, a limited number of drive channels, and a lack of effective control methods. This falls short of the comprehensive performance requirements of current application industries for macro-pulse lasers, hindering their large-scale application in industrial and defense sectors. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned shortcomings, this invention provides a macro-sub-laser pulse control system and method. Employing an editable encoder controller, it enables flexible configuration of key parameters such as macro-sub-pulse delay, macro-pulse width, sub-pulse frequency, and sub-pulse quantity. A precision clock output drives a nanosecond switch driver and a laser driver, which in turn influence an electro-optic switch and a semiconductor laser module, ultimately yielding a macro-sub-laser pulse train output. This significantly improves the precision, stability, and usability of the macro-sub-pulse laser, demonstrating a certain degree of advancement.

[0004] On one hand, the present invention discloses a macro-sub-laser pulse control system, the system comprising an encoding controller, a sub-pulse generation branch and several parallel macro-pulse generation branches; The encoding controller is used to set the operating parameters of the macro sub-pulse, receive the trigger signal, and generate the macro sub-pulse drive timing group; The sub-pulse generation branch is used to generate a laser sub-pulse sequence according to the macro sub-pulse driving timing group; Each macro pulse generation branch is used to generate a laser driving source working pulse according to the macro sub-pulse driving timing group.

[0005] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a macron laser pulse control method, the method comprising: Set up a macro laser pulse control system, including one sub-pulse generation branch and several macro pulse generation branches; By setting the operating parameters of the macro sub-pulse, the macro sub-pulse encoding configuration is obtained; Receive the trigger signal and output the macro sub-pulse drive timing group according to the macro sub-pulse encoding configuration based on the trigger signal; The sub-pulse generation branch and several macro-pulse generation branches generate one laser sub-pulse sequence and several laser driver source working pulses respectively according to the control of the macro sub-pulse driving timing group.

[0006] In summary, due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: This invention patent proposes a macro-sub-laser pulse control system and method, which adopts an editable code controller to flexibly configure key parameters such as macro-sub-pulse delay, macro-pulse width, sub-pulse frequency, and sub-pulse number. The output precision clock drives the nanosecond switch driver source and the laser driver source respectively, which in turn act on the electro-optic switch and the semiconductor laser module to finally obtain the output of the macro-sub-laser pulse train. This significantly improves the precision, stability, and availability of the macro-sub-pulse laser and has certain advanced features. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the macro laser pulse control system provided by the present invention.

[0008] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the macro sub-pulse timing group provided by the present invention.

[0009] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the timing relationship of macro laser pulses provided by the present invention.

[0010] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram comparing the nanosecond switch driving timing and the output signal of the nanosecond switch driving source provided by the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0011] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Based on the embodiments in this application, other similar embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort should all fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0012] In this application, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0013] Example 1 This invention provides a macro-laser pulse control system. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the control system includes an external controller 7, an encoder controller 1, a sub-pulse generation branch, and several parallel macro-pulse generation branches 6. The macro-pulse generation branches are numbered N1, N2, ... Nn, where n is the number of branches.

[0014] The sub-pulse generation branch is used to generate nanosecond switch drive timing, and the sub-pulse generation branch includes a nanosecond switch drive source 2 and an electro-optic switch 3.

[0015] The n-channel macro pulse generation branch 6 is used to generate the working timing of the n-channel laser driver source respectively, wherein each macro pulse generation branch includes a laser driver source 4 and a semiconductor laser module 5.

[0016] The external controller 7 is used to provide external triggering signals.

[0017] The macropulse generation branch 6 serves as the laser drive and pump unit, wherein the laser drive source 4 is an adaptive pulse constant current source, and its typical load is a semiconductor laser module. The number of branches n in this system can be determined according to the specific design requirements of the laser. In a preferred embodiment, n is 10.

[0018] The main function of the nanosecond switch driver 2 is to drive and control the opening and closing of the electro-optic switch 3, realize the Q-switched output of the laser, and obtain the output signal of the nanosecond switch driver 2. S sw_out 。

[0019] The system provided in this embodiment of the invention can be adapted to various electro-optic switches 3, including but not limited to KDP crystal, BBO crystal electro-optic switches, etc.

[0020] The laser driving source 4 involved in the optimized macro laser pulse control system of this invention has adjustable pulse repetition rate, pulse width, delay, and current magnitude.

[0021] The working mechanism of the macron laser pulse control system is as follows: The encoding controller 1 operates in two modes: internal triggering and external triggering. In external triggering mode, the encoding controller 1 receives an external triggering signal provided by the external controller 7. Trigger The macro subpulse drive timing group is calculated and generated using the macro subpulse coding configuration method. S G The macro pulse drive timing group includes one nanosecond switch drive timing. S sw Working timing of n-channel laser driver source S d1 ~ S dnIn internal trigger mode, the encoder controller 1 can generate an internal trigger signal from its own internal clock, outputting macro sub-pulses to drive the timing group. S G .

[0022] n-channel laser driver timings S d1 ~ S dn The laser pump energy storage timing sequence can be considered equivalent to the laser macropulse timing sequence. The nanosecond switch drive timing sequence... S sw This refers to the sub-pulse timing. The timing of n macropulses. S d1 ~ S dn And one sub-pulse timing S sw Together they constitute the macro sub-pulse timing group S G ,like Figure 2 As shown.

[0023] Specifically, the operating timing of the n-channel laser driver source ( S d1 ~ S dn () is used to control the output timing of the n laser drive sources 4 respectively, and further drive the semiconductor laser module 5 to generate pump light through stimulated emission, providing pump energy for the laser pulse drive system.

[0024] And the timing of a nanosecond switch drive S sw The high-voltage pulse drive signal is used to control the output of the nanosecond switch drive source 2, which drives the electro-optic switch 3 in conjunction with the polarization device to realize the switching on and off of the resonant cavity, thereby outputting a laser sub-pulse sequence.

[0025] Macro sub-pulse timing group S G It is generally a cyclical operation that repeats the above process.

[0026] The key components enabling the macro-laser pulse control system described in this embodiment of the invention to achieve coded functionality are the encoder controller 1, the nanosecond switch driver 2, and the laser driver 4. The encoder controller 1 mainly consists of a logic processor, timing distribution, and driver circuitry. The logic processor is typically an FPGA, which excels in timing generation. Its main function is to run the coding algorithm and generate the macro-pulse driving timing set. S G The reference timing; the timing distribution and driving circuit is mainly used to process the reference timing generated by the logic processor through timing distribution, drive enhancement, impedance matching, electrical isolation (if necessary), etc., to form a macro sub-pulse drive timing group. SG The signals are then output to nanosecond switch driver 2 and laser driver 4, respectively.

[0027] The macro-laser pulse control system provided in this embodiment of the invention is mainly used to realize coded macro-laser pulse control, such as... Figure 3 As shown.

[0028] As a preferred embodiment, the operating timing of the laser driver source can be set independently. S d1 ~ S dn Nanosecond switch drive timing S sw Delay T d1 ~ T dn , T sw The delay range can be from nanoseconds to hundreds of microseconds. This parameter determines the operating time relationship between the electro-optic switch and the semiconductor laser module, and determines the relative timing of the macropulses.

[0029] As a preferred embodiment, the operating timing of the laser driver source can be set independently. S d1 ~ S dn macro pulse width t d1 ~t dn This parameter determines the laser pump energy storage and is also an important parameter for realizing the laser macropulse width.

[0030] As a preferred embodiment, within the allowable range of laser pump energy storage and under the premise of ensuring the stability of the laser resonator, the nanosecond switch driving timing can be set. S sw Sub-pulse frequency f sw The number of sub-pulses, m, determines the single cycle. T The time interval and number of sub-pulse trains. Based on the laser's operating mechanism, in a single cycle... T Internal nanosecond switch drive timing S sw The sub-pulses need to be constrained to the operating timing of the laser driver source. S d1 ~ S dn macro pulse width t d1 ~t dn Within. Simultaneously, the nanosecond switch drive timing... S swIt has nanosecond-level time jitter accuracy, which fully ensures the time accuracy of subpulses.

[0031] When the number of sub-pulses m is known, the sub-pulse time interval can be set within a certain range. ΔT sw1 ~ ΔT sw（m-1） .

[0032] The above refers to the delay of the macro pulse ( T d1 ~ T dn , T sw Macro pulse width ( t d1 ~t dn ), sub-pulse frequency ( f sw ), Number of sub-pulses (m), Sub-pulse time interval ( ΔT sw1 ~ ΔT sw（m-1） The flexible configuration of parameters such as () fully demonstrates the characteristics and advantages of the coded macro subpulse in the embodiments of the present invention, which is the key to the system to realize the output of laser macro subpulse in multiple states.

[0033] Example 2 This embodiment mainly describes in detail the method of adjusting the sub-pulse time interval based on the aforementioned macro-sub-laser pulse control system.

[0034] Compared to the fixed and unadjustable pulse quantity and time interval of traditional laser sources, this invention provides two methods for arbitrarily adjusting and dynamically changing the sub-pulse time interval within a certain range, given a fixed macropulse. The specific methods are as follows: (a) Time interval control methods with increasing or decreasing characteristics: As shown in formula (1), δ is the increment or decrement. For the i-th time interval, For the first time interval, The average interval time after ignoring the sub-pulse width, where i represents the index.

[0035] By setting the parameter δ, sub-pulse sequences with increasing or decreasing time intervals can be achieved.

[0036]

[0037] Formula (1) provides a typical first time interval setting. According to this setting, it can be ensured that the timing envelope of the sub-pulse train is basically in line with the working timing of the laser driver source. Sd1 ~ S dn Alignment.

[0038] In typical application scenarios such as target recognition, assuming the macro pulse width is 1ms, the number of sub-pulses... m =50, δ=100ns, the generated sub-pulse time interval sequence is [17.55μs,18.55μs,...,22.45μs].

[0039] (b) Time interval control method with pseudo-random characteristics: As shown in formula (2), d i The generated pseudo-random decimal, -1≤ d i 1, The average interval time after ignoring the sub-pulse width. As the reference time interval deviation parameter, the final calculated It has random characteristics.

[0040] This exhibits the characteristic of random pulse interval jitter, but it's necessary to avoid excessively small pulse intervals, which could prevent the laser from outputting laser light correctly. Therefore, [the following measures are needed]. The values ​​of are constrained, and typical constraint values ​​are as follows: .

[0041]

[0042] As a preferred embodiment d i It is generated using an improved linear feedback shift register (LFSR) algorithm, assuming the LFSR stage number is... k The feedback polynomial is a primitive polynomial and can be set as follows: Feedback coefficient Starting from the initial state, the state of the linear feedback shift register (LFSR) after completing t full shift operations is as follows: .

[0043] The corresponding feedback function is an XOR operation, as shown in formula (3):

[0044] The state is updated as shown in formula (4):

[0045] Generate the i-th n-digit integer as shown in equation (5):

[0046] s (i-1)n + j，m-1 Is the ( i -1) n + j The bits output by the second shift ( j =0 is the least significant bit. j=n-1 (The highest position).

[0047] If the integer is used, it is converted into a signed decimal using formula (6), ultimately ensuring that -1 ≤ d i ≤1.

[0048]

[0049] The sub-pulse time interval setting method proposed in this invention can enable macro sub-pulse lasers to exhibit more accurate performance in target recognition and significantly improve the maximum unambiguous distance in ranging applications.

[0050] Example 3 This embodiment will further describe some of the components and structures of the aforementioned macro-laser pulse control system.

[0051] Based on the driving requirements of the electro-optic switch 3, the typical output pulse amplitude of the nanosecond switch driving source 2 is 2kV~4.5kV. A key feature of the nanosecond switch driving source 2 used in this embodiment of the invention is its output signal. S sw_out Pulse count, pulse width t sw_out Parameters and nanosecond switch drive timing S sw They are approximately the same and maintain a basically consistent time characteristic, such as Figure 4 As shown. Nanosecond switch drive timing. S sw sub-pulse width t sw ≈ Output signal S sw_out pulse width t sw_out , T d_sw Due to the inherent delay in signal transmission, the high-voltage pulse width output by nanosecond switch driver 2 is typically on the order of hundreds of nanoseconds. The core function of nanosecond switch driver 2 is to determine the timing of the nanosecond switch drive. S sw pulse amplitude U sw Amplify into output signal S sw_out amplitude U sw_outEnsuring that the signal rise time is within a few nanoseconds to match the drive control requirements of the electro-optic switch is also a key factor in determining the performance and quality of macro laser pulse trains.

[0052] It should be noted that the execution order of the control methods and steps for each module does not need to be strictly limited.

[0053] The various embodiments in this invention are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to in the method section. Some or all of the modules can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of this embodiment. Those skilled in the art can understand and implement this without any creative effort.

[0054] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of the present invention using the methods and techniques disclosed above, or modify them into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solutions of the present invention shall still fall within the protection scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0055] Those skilled in the art will further recognize that the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware and software, the components and steps of the various examples have been generally described in terms of functionality in the foregoing description. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A macro-laser pulse control system for realizing the output of macro-laser pulse trains, characterized in that, The system includes an encoding controller, a sub-pulse generation branch, and several parallel macro-pulse generation branches; The encoding controller is used to set the operating parameters of the macro sub-pulse, receive the trigger signal, and generate the macro sub-pulse drive timing group; The sub-pulse generation branch is used to generate a laser sub-pulse sequence according to the macro sub-pulse driving timing group; Each macro pulse generation branch is used to generate a laser driving source working pulse according to the macro sub-pulse driving timing group.

2. The macro-laser pulse control system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sub-pulse generation branch includes a nanosecond switch driver and an electro-optic switch; each macro-pulse generation branch includes a laser driver and a semiconductor laser module.

3. A macro-laser pulse control system as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The macropulse drive timing group includes one nanosecond switch drive timing and several laser drive source working timings.

4. A macro-laser pulse control system as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The working timing of each laser driver source is used to control the output timing of one laser driver source, which further drives the semiconductor laser module to generate pump light through stimulated emission, providing pump energy; the driving timing of one nanosecond switch is used to control the output of the nanosecond switch driver source with a high-voltage pulse drive signal, which drives the electro-optic switch to realize the switching of the resonant cavity based on the high-voltage pulse drive signal, and outputs a laser sub-pulse sequence.

5. A macro-laser pulse control system as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The encoding controller generates a reference timing sequence for the macro sub-pulse drive timing sequence group, and forms the macro sub-pulse drive timing sequence group by timing distribution, drive enhancement and impedance matching, and outputs it to the nanosecond switch drive source and the laser drive source respectively.

6. A macro-laser pulse control system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The received trigger signal is either an external trigger signal or an internal trigger signal.

7. A macro-laser pulse control method, characterized in that, The method includes: The macro sub-laser pulse control system as described in any one of claims 1-6 includes a sub-pulse generation branch and several macro-pulse generation branches; By setting the operating parameters of the macro sub-pulse, the macro sub-pulse encoding configuration is obtained; Receive the trigger signal and output the macro sub-pulse drive timing group according to the macro sub-pulse encoding configuration based on the trigger signal; The sub-pulse generation branch and several macro-pulse generation branches generate one laser sub-pulse sequence and several laser driving source working pulses respectively according to the macro sub-pulse driving timing group.

8. The macro-laser pulse control method as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The operating parameters of the macro sub-pulse are set to obtain the macro sub-pulse encoding configuration, including: Set the delay of the laser driver source working timing in each macro pulse generation branch and the nanosecond switch driving timing in each sub-pulse generation branch respectively; Set the pulse width for the laser driver source's operating timing; Set the sub-pulse frequency and number of sub-pulses in the nanosecond switch drive timing, and set the sub-pulse time interval based on the number of sub-pulses.

9. A macro-laser pulse control method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The setting of the sub-pulse time interval based on the number of sub-pulses includes: By setting the increment or decrement amount and combining it with the first time interval and the average time interval, a sub-pulse sequence with increasing or decreasing time intervals can be obtained; or a pseudo-random decimal number can be generated and combined with the average time interval and the reference time interval deviation parameter to obtain a sub-pulse sequence with randomly fluctuating pulse intervals.

10. The macro-laser pulse control method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The number of pulses and the pulse width of the output signal of the nanosecond switch driver source are the same as those of the nanosecond switch driver timing, and they are consistent in terms of time characteristics.

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