A connecting piece of a folding carbon dioxide laser and a lens patching method

Abstract

The application discloses a connecting piece of a folding type carbon dioxide laser and a mirror patching method, wherein the end of each mirror mounting port is provided with a first spherical surface, the coating surface of each reflecting mirror is provided with a reflecting coating, and the periphery of the coating surface is provided with a second spherical surface matched with the first spherical surface, so that when the reflecting mirror is mounted on the mirror mounting port, the angle can be adjusted through the spherical surface contact of the matched second spherical surface and the first spherical surface. The first spherical surface of the mirror mounting port and the second spherical surface of the reflecting mirror of the patent are consistent in curvature, can be completely fitted, do not need to be manually ground again, and only need to rotate the reflecting mirror to quickly find a suitable angle, which is favorable for reducing the patching difficulty and labor cost, greatly improving the patching efficiency and the yield, increasing the coating area through the two spherical surfaces, firmly bonding after coating and not easily leaking air, and the overall structure is relatively simple and can meet the needs of large-scale batch production.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of lasers, and in particular to a connector and lens mounting method for a folded carbon dioxide laser. Background Technology

[0002] A carbon dioxide laser is a type of laser that stores carbon dioxide or other gases in a gas storage tube. The two ends of the storage tube serve as mounting points for the laser within a laser machine. The storage tube also acts as a mounting frame for the reflecting and output mirrors. In a carbon dioxide laser, when a high voltage is applied to the electrodes, a glow discharge is generated in the discharge tube. This glow discharge is reflected by the resonant cavity formed by the reflecting mirror, the discharge tube, and the output mirror, forming a laser beam that exits from the output mirror. It has found wide applications in mechanical, military, medical, and chemical industries.

[0003] High-power carbon dioxide lasers increase power through folding, and the main challenge in manufacturing these high-power folded tubes lies in the mounting process. Current mounting processes rely on traditional manual grinding, where the beveled surface of the elbow (or U-shaped tube, right-angle bend, used to connect two laser folded tubes) and the contact surface of the lens are both flat. By observing the collimator, the offset direction and number of divisions are determined, and the beveled surface of the elbow is repeatedly ground manually using a flat grinding wheel until the optical path is perfectly aligned. The adhesive is then applied to the flat reflective lens and dried.

[0004] This process requires a very high level of skill from the installer, and skilled technicians are difficult to train. It is difficult to grind the beveled surface of the bend to achieve an absolutely flat surface, but the lens is also flat, so the two are difficult to fit together completely. This results in changes in the light spot pattern after the finished product is made, and the probability of air leakage is relatively high. The labor and time costs of manual grinding and installation are too high, and consistency is difficult to guarantee. In addition, the dust generated by manual grinding is also harmful to the technician's health. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the defects of the prior art and provide a connector and lens patching method for a foldable carbon dioxide laser, thereby solving the problems of high labor costs, poor consistency and low production efficiency.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0007] This invention discloses a connector and lens mounting method for a foldable carbon dioxide laser, comprising an elbow and two reflective lenses. The elbow is a hollow tube with flange openings at both ends. Each bend of the elbow has a lens mounting port for mounting the reflective lenses. Each lens mounting port has a first spherical surface at its end. Each reflective lens has a reflective coating on its coated surface, and a second spherical surface adapted to the first spherical surface is provided around the coated surface. This allows the reflective lens to be mounted on the lens mounting port, with the angle adjustable through the spherical contact between the adapted second spherical surface and the first spherical surface.

[0008] The radius of curvature of the second spherical surface of the reflecting lens is R = 20 mm - 200 mm, and the radius of curvature of the first spherical surface of the elbow is R = 20 mm - 200 mm.

[0009] The reflective lens is a cylindrical thin silicon wafer, and the reflective coating is provided on the plane of the reflective lens.

[0010] The reflective lens is a trapezoidal silicon wafer, and the reflective coating is provided on the plane of the protrusion of the reflective lens.

[0011] The elbow is made of glass, and the reflective coating is a high-reflective film of any medium and any number of layers.

[0012] A heat dissipation unit is provided at the end of the reflective lens away from the reflective coating.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for attaching a lens to a connector of a foldable carbon dioxide laser, comprising the following steps: S1, select the corresponding substrates to process the blanks of the elbow and the reflective lens respectively; S2, the lens mounting port of the elbow and the coated surface of the reflective lens are processed respectively to obtain the first spherical surface and the second spherical surface respectively; S3, The coating surface of the reflective lens is processed to obtain a reflective coating; S4. After installing the elbow at the ends of the two laser tube housings, install the reflective lens on the corresponding lens mounting port, adjust it to the appropriate position, and then fix it.

[0014] S1 further includes the following sub-steps: S11, the elbow made of glass is formed by firing to obtain the pipe shell flange and lens mounting port; S12, the reflective lens is made of monocrystalline silicon.

[0015] S2 includes the following sub-steps: S21, the first spherical surface is water-polished by the corresponding grinding head of the high-speed motor, and after processing, the thickness surface of the lens mounting opening is spherical, and the spherical surface does not need to be polished. S22, the second spherical surface is processed by a high-precision CNC grinding machine or a precision engraving machine to process the side part of the coated surface of the reflective lens, and the spherical surface does not need to be polished. S3 includes the following sub-steps: S31, the reflective coating is obtained by first precision polishing the reflective lens through cold processing, and then coating it with a coating machine.

[0016] S4 includes the following sub-steps: S41, the elbow is glued to the housings of the two lasers; S42, place the two reflective lenses on the corresponding lens mounting ports and clamp them with a clamp; S43, the angles of the two reflective lenses are adjusted by the clamps so that the sum of the reflection angles of the two reflective lenses is 90°; S44, the two reflective lenses are glued to the corresponding lens mounting openings.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The first spherical surface of the lens mounting port of this patent has the same curvature as the second spherical surface of the reflective lens, which can achieve a perfect fit. There is no need for manual grinding. The appropriate angle can be found quickly by simply rotating the reflective lens, which helps to reduce the difficulty of patching and labor costs, and greatly improves patching efficiency and yield. The two spherical surfaces increase the adhesive area, and the adhesive is strong and not easy to leak after application. The overall structure is relatively simple and can meet the needs of mass production. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used in conjunction with embodiments of the invention to explain the invention and do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the connector of the present invention; Figure 2 This is one of the structural diagrams of the reflective lens in one embodiment of the connector of the present invention; Figure 3 This is an enlarged view of point A of the connector of the present invention; Figure 4 This is the second structural diagram of the reflective lens of the connector of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of another embodiment of the connector of the present invention; Figure 6This is a structural diagram of the elbow connector of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the steps of the method of the present invention; In the diagram: 1. Elbow; 2. Pipe flange; 3. Lens mounting port; 4. First spherical surface; 5. Reflecting lens; 6. Second spherical surface; 7. Heat dissipation unit; 8. Reflective coating; 9. Laser. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0020] In the attached diagram, all identical reference numerals refer to the same components.

[0021] like Figure 1-6 As shown, the present invention provides a connector and lens mounting method for a foldable carbon dioxide laser, including an elbow 1 and two reflective lenses 5. The elbow 1 is a hollow tube with a tube flange 2 at both ends. Each bend of the elbow 1 has a lens mounting port 3 for mounting the reflective lenses 5. Each lens mounting port 3 has a first spherical surface 4 at its end. Each reflective lens 5 has a reflective coating 8 on its coated surface, and a second spherical surface 6 that matches the first spherical surface 4 is provided around the coated surface, so that when the reflective lens 5 is mounted on the lens mounting port 3, the angle can be adjusted by the spherical contact between the matched second spherical surface 6 and the first spherical surface 4.

[0022] Among them, elbow 1 is usually U-shaped. Elbow 1 is connected to the tube shell of two carbon dioxide lasers through the tube shell flange 2 at both ends. Each elbow 1 has a reflective lens 5 installed at the lens mounting port 3. The reflective lens 5 reflects the laser emitted by the laser through the reflective coating 8 on its surface. The laser emitted by the laser is reflected by the reflective coating 8 on the two reflective mirrors 5, thus forming a complete optical path; To form a complete optical path, the optical path reflected by the reflective lens 5 needs to be parallel to the incident optical path. Therefore, the angle of the reflective lens 5 on the elbow 1 needs to be adjusted so that the sum of the angles of the two reflective lenses 5 is 90°. Specifically, the second spherical surface 6 on the reflecting lens 5 can be adapted to the first spherical surface 4 on the lens mounting port 3. That is, if the second spherical surface 6 is the inner spherical surface, the first spherical surface 4 is the outer spherical surface, and vice versa.

[0023] The radius of curvature of the second spherical surface 6 of the reflecting lens 5 is R = 20 mm - 200 mm, and the radius of curvature of the first spherical surface 4 of the elbow 1 is R = 20 mm - 200 mm.

[0024] The first spherical surface 4 and the second spherical surface 6 have the same radius of curvature, so that they can fit together when they are in contact and the reflective lens 5 can be rotated easily.

[0025] The reflective lens 5 is a cylindrical thin silicon wafer, and the reflective coating 8 is provided on the plane of the reflective lens 5.

[0026] Reflector 5 is a trapezoidal silicon wafer; its specific shape can be found in the reference document. Figure 5 The reflective coating 8 has a raised portion on the plane of the reflective lens 5. The outer diameter of the raised portion of the trapezoidal silicon wafer is smaller than the inner diameter of the lens mounting opening 3 to facilitate rotation.

[0027] Elbow 1 is made of glass, and reflective coating 8 is a high-reflective film with any medium and any number of layers.

[0028] A heat dissipation unit 7 is provided at the end of the reflective lens 5 that is away from the reflective coating 8.

[0029] Among them, the heat dissipation unit 7 can be a suitable heat dissipation structure, such as fins, for heat dissipation.

[0030] like Figure 7 As shown, the present invention also provides a method for attaching a lens to a connector of a foldable carbon dioxide laser 9, characterized by comprising the following steps: First, execute S1 to select the corresponding substrates to process the blanks of elbow 1 and reflective lens 5 respectively.

[0031] First, S11 is executed, in which the elbow 1, made of high borosilicate glass, is formed by firing. The specific dimensions of the elbow 1 and the flange port 2 of the tube shell need to be compatible with the width and spacing of the shell of the laser 9 to which it is connected. The diameter of the lens mounting port 3 is compatible with the reflective lens 5.

[0032] Then execute S12. The reflective lens 5 is made of monocrystalline silicon and can be processed into a rectangular or trapezoidal cross section according to actual needs.

[0033] Then execute S2 to process the lens mounting port 3 of the elbow 1 and the coated surface of the reflective lens 5 respectively, to obtain the first spherical surface 4 and the second spherical surface 6 respectively.

[0034] First, S21 is executed, where the first spherical surface 4 is ground by water through the corresponding grinding head of the high-speed motor. After processing, the thickness surface of the lens mounting port 3 becomes spherical, and this spherical surface does not require polishing.

[0035] Then, S22 is executed, and the second spherical surface 6 is processed by a high-precision CNC grinding machine or a precision engraving machine to process the side part of the coated surface of the reflective lens 5. After processing, it presents a spherical surface, and the spherical surface does not need to be polished.

[0036] Specifically, the unpolished first spherical surface 4 and the second spherical surface 6 are ground surfaces to allow the adhesive to penetrate more easily and to ensure firmness and airtightness.

[0037] Then execute S3 to process the coating surface of the reflective lens 5 to obtain the reflective coating 8.

[0038] In step S31, the reflective coating 8 is obtained by first cold-processing precision polishing of the reflective lens 5, and then coating by a coating machine. This coating can be any medium and any number of high-reflectivity coatings. A heat dissipation unit 7 for heat dissipation can be installed on the back of the reflective coating 8.

[0039] Then execute S4, install the elbow 1 on the ends of the two laser tubes 9, install the reflective lens 5 on the corresponding lens mounting port 3, adjust it to the appropriate position, and then fix it.

[0040] First, S41 is executed, which glues the elbow 1 to the housings of the two lasers 9 together. Specifically, first, fix the glass tube shell of laser 9 firmly to the bracket, then glue the elbow 1 to the high-pressure end flange of the tube shell, and wait for it to fully cure.

[0041] Then execute S42 and S43 to place the two reflective lenses 5 on the corresponding lens mounting ports 3 and clamp them with clamps; adjust the angles of the two reflective lenses 5 with clamps so that the sum of the reflection angles of the two reflective lenses 5 is 90°.

[0042] Specifically, firstly, two reflective lenses 5 are attached to the corresponding lens mounting openings 3 of the elbow 1 so that the first spherical surface 4 and the second spherical surface 6 are attached. Then, the reflective lenses 5 are clamped in the corresponding lens mounting openings 3 using the matching clamps. When clamping, it is not necessary to completely fix the reflective lenses 5 in place. It is necessary to give the reflective lenses 5 a certain amount of room to move so as to adjust the angle of the reflective lenses 5. After clamping, the installation angle of the reflective lens 5 is finely adjusted by multiple screws arranged around the outer periphery of the reflective lens 5 on the clamp. Specifically, the length of the screw extension is changed by rotating the screw, thereby pressing against and pushing the reflective lens 5 within the range of the lens mounting opening 3 for fine adjustment. The principle is to use the matching curvature of the first spherical surface 4 and the second spherical surface 6 so that the pushing operation of the screw can change the installation angle of the reflective lens 5.

[0043] While the reflector 5 is being fine-tuned, the technician observes the outer ring of the discharge tube inside the housing of the laser 9 through the collimator (internal focusing telescope). The two reflectors 5 are fine-tuned and rotated through the two spherical surfaces until the sum of the two reflection angles is 90°. To verify whether the sum of the two reflection angles is 90°, it is necessary to observe whether the center point of the discharge tube coincides with the center point of the reflector by looking at the crosshair scale of the collimator. If they do not coincide, the reflector 5 is swung to make them coincide. After multiple adjustments, the discharge tubes of the multiple lasers 9 are finally reflected by the reflector 5 and still located at the same center.

[0044] Finally, execute S44 to glue the two reflective lenses 5 to the corresponding lens mounting ports 3 and then bake them dry to cure.

[0045] Specifically, after the reflector 5 is adjusted to the correct position, glue is applied directly to the connection between the reflector 5 and the corresponding lens mounting port 3. The glue is a special glue for carbon dioxide lasers using existing technology. The glue can penetrate between the reflector 5 and the lens mounting port 3. After the glue has completely penetrated, it is baked dry and cured, and the reflector 5 is installed.

[0046] The above method for processing and installing reflective lenses 5 can significantly shorten the processing and installation time, reduce the skill requirements for technicians, and reduce the harm of dust to technicians' health.

[0047] This application primarily describes a double-folded carbon dioxide laser, which consists of two glass tubes. If it is a multi-folded laser, consisting of multiple glass tubes, then the same method is used to install, verify, and adjust two adjacent reflecting mirrors 5.

[0048] In one embodiment, the radius of curvature of both the first spherical surface 4 and the second spherical surface 6 is R=20 mm. Testing revealed that the curvature is too small when R=20 mm. This may lead to the following situation: when the reflecting lens 5 rotates at the lens mounting opening 3 via the two spherical surfaces, the small curvature causes even a slight rotation of the reflecting lens 5 to result in a significant change in its angle. Therefore, the excessively small curvature makes it difficult to control the rotation angle of the reflecting lens 5.

[0049] In another embodiment, the radius of curvature of both the first spherical surface 4 and the second spherical surface 6 is R=200 mm. Testing revealed that R=200 mm represents excessive curvature. This may lead to two situations: First, when the reflecting lens 5 rotates at the lens mounting opening 3 via the two spherical surfaces, the excessive curvature results in a small change in the angle of the reflecting lens 5 after rotation. Therefore, excessive curvature may prevent the reflecting lens 5 from reaching the required angle after rotation. Second, the space occupied by the reflecting lens 5 and the spherical surfaces on the lens mounting opening 3 becomes too large, requiring a thicker wall for the lens mounting opening 3 and a larger surface area for the coated surface of the reflecting lens 5 to accommodate the spherical surfaces.

[0050] In a preferred embodiment, the radius of curvature of the first spherical surface 4 and the second spherical surface 6 is R=100 mm. After testing, it was found that the curvature is appropriate when R=100 mm, the space occupied by the spherical surface on the reflective lens 5 and the lens mounting port 3 is appropriate, and it does not affect the rotation of the reflective lens 5.

[0051] Finally, it should be noted that the above descriptions are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A connector for a foldable carbon dioxide laser, comprising an elbow (1) and two reflective lenses (5), wherein the elbow (1) is a hollow tube with flange openings (2) at both ends, and each bend of the elbow (1) has a lens mounting opening (3) for mounting the reflective lenses (5), characterized in that, Each of the lens mounting ports (3) has a first spherical surface (4) at its end, and each of the reflective lenses (5) has a reflective coating (8) on its coated surface. A second spherical surface (6) that is adapted to the first spherical surface (4) is provided around the coated surface, so that when the reflective lens (5) is mounted on the lens mounting port (3), the angle can be adjusted by the spherical contact between the adapted second spherical surface (6) and the first spherical surface (4).

2. The connector for a foldable carbon dioxide laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The radius of curvature R of the second spherical surface (6) of the reflective lens (5) is 20 mm - 200 mm, and the radius of curvature R of the first spherical surface (4) of the elbow (1) is 20 mm - 200 mm.

3. The connector for a foldable carbon dioxide laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective lens (5) is a cylindrical thin silicon wafer, and the reflective coating (8) is provided on the plane of the reflective lens (5).

4. The connector for a foldable carbon dioxide laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reflective lens (5) is a trapezoidal silicon wafer, and the reflective coating (8) is provided on the plane of the protrusion of the reflective lens (5).

5. The connector for a foldable carbon dioxide laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elbow (1) is made of glass, and the reflective coating (8) is a high-reflective film of any medium and any number of layers.

6. The connector for a foldable carbon dioxide laser according to claim 1, characterized in that, A heat dissipation unit (7) is provided at the end of the reflective lens (5) away from the reflective coating (8).

7. A method for attaching a lens to a connector of a foldable carbon dioxide laser, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, select the corresponding base material to process the blank of the elbow (1) and the blank of the reflective lens (5); S2, the lens mounting port (3) of the elbow (1) and the coated surface of the reflective lens (5) are processed respectively to obtain the first spherical surface (4) and the second spherical surface (6); S3, the coating surface of the reflective lens (5) is processed to obtain a reflective coating (8); S4. After installing the elbow (1) at the end of the housing of the two lasers (9), install the reflective lens (5) on the corresponding lens mounting port (3) and adjust it to a suitable position before fixing it.

8. A method for attaching a lens patch to a connector of a foldable carbon dioxide laser, characterized in that, S1 further includes the following sub-steps: S11, the elbow (1) made of glass is formed by firing to obtain the pipe shell flange (2) and the lens mounting port (3); S12, the reflective lens (5) is made of monocrystalline silicon; S2 includes the following sub-steps: S21, the first spherical surface (4) is ground by water through the corresponding grinding head of the high-speed motor. After processing, the thickness surface of the lens mounting port (3) is spherical, and the spherical surface does not need to be polished. S22, the second spherical surface (6) is processed by a high-precision CNC grinding machine or a precision engraving machine to process the side part of the coated surface of the reflective lens (5), and the spherical surface is formed after processing, and the spherical surface does not need to be polished.

9. A method for attaching a lens patch to a connector of a foldable carbon dioxide laser, characterized in that, S3 includes the following sub-steps: S31, the reflective coating (8) is obtained by first cold-processing precision polishing of the reflective lens (5), and then coating by a coating machine.

10. A method for attaching a lens patch to a connector of a foldable carbon dioxide laser, characterized in that, S4 includes the following sub-steps: S41, the elbow (1) is glued to the housing of the two lasers (9); S42, place the two reflective lenses (5) on the corresponding lens mounting ports (3) and clamp them with a clamp; S43, the angles of the two reflective lenses (5) are adjusted by the clamps respectively, so that the sum of the reflection angles of the two reflective lenses (5) is 90°; S44, the two reflective lenses (5) are glued to the corresponding lens mounting ports (3) and the glue is baked dry and cured.

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