Laser beam delivery structure and light treatment device including same

Abstract

The present application relates to a laser beam delivery structure comprising: a first barrel part in which a first focus of a laser beam emitted and incident from a light source is set; and a second barrel part in which a second focus of the laser beam incident from the first barrel part is set, wherein each of the first barrel part and the second barrel part includes at least one cylindrical lens.

Description

Laser beam delivery structure and phototherapy device including the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a laser beam delivery structure and a phototherapy device including the same.

[0002] An articulated arm is a device used to deliver a laser beam generated from a laser generator (laser head) to the patient's treatment area. Conventional medical laser devices require a separate delivery unit, as the laser generator and the treatment handpiece are separate. The delivery unit can either use an optical fiber or an articulated arm. When delivering laser beams using an optical fiber, high peak power laser beams can damage the fiber, limiting the delivery to low peak power beams. Therefore, laser devices with high peak power require an articulated arm comprised of multiple mirrors and joints. The articulated arm must be freely maneuverable to ensure that the laser beam generated from the fixed device can be properly delivered to the affected area. Therefore, it consists of multiple joints, each with a mirror that changes the beam path to ensure that the laser beam is delivered to the end of the arm.

[0003] In the case of phototherapy devices using refracting arms, the laser beam may be spatially interfered as it travels inside the refracting arm, which may cause a problem in that the initial uniform top hat beam profile from the laser generator cannot be maintained to the end of the arm. To solve this problem, if a pair of convex lenses is used, the beam profile can be maintained. However, if the beam is a pulsed laser beam, the beam is focused at the focal point, and the beam with high energy density causes optical breakdown, generating ionized plasma in the air, causing some of the energy to be lost and the beam profile to be deformed.

[0004] To avoid these problems, the focusing area can be set to a permanent vacuum or the focusing area can be filled with gas, but the optical surface on the vacuum side can easily be damaged by the vacuum or gas.

[0005] U.S. Patent No. 7,778,306, which is the background technology of this application, is about a laser system having a laser source and a refracting arm.

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the above-mentioned conventional technology and to provide a laser beam delivery structure and a phototherapy device including the same.

[0007] However, the technical tasks to be achieved by the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the technical tasks described above, and other technical tasks may exist.

[0008] As a technical means for achieving the above-mentioned technical task, the first aspect of the present invention relates to a laser beam delivery structure, comprising: a first barrel part in which a first focus of a laser beam emitted from a light source and incident thereon is set within; and a second barrel part in which a second focus of a laser beam incident from the first barrel part is set within; wherein the first barrel part and the second barrel part each include at least one cylindrical lens.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, a mirror unit may be further included to adjust the path of the laser beam between the first barrel unit and the second barrel unit so that the laser beam of the first barrel unit passes through the second barrel unit and is emitted to the outside, but is not limited thereto.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first lens section includes a first lens section including a first cylindrical lens, a second lens section, and a third lens section including a fourth cylindrical lens, wherein the second lens section may include a second cylindrical lens and a third cylindrical lens, or may include a first spherical lens, but is not limited thereto.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first focus may be located between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, between the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens, or between the second lens unit and the third lens unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second lens section includes a fourth lens section including a fifth cylindrical lens, a fifth lens section, and a sixth lens section including an eighth cylindrical lens, wherein the fifth lens section may include a sixth cylindrical lens and a seventh cylindrical lens or may include a second spherical lens, but is not limited thereto.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second focus may be located between the fourth lens unit and the fifth lens unit, between the sixth cylindrical lens and the seventh cylindrical lens, or between the fifth lens unit and the sixth lens unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the position of the first focus and the position of the second focus can be adjusted by the first lens unit to the sixth lens unit so that optical breakdown does not occur, but is not limited thereto.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the beam size of the laser beam emitted from the light source can be controlled by the curvature of the first lens unit to the sixth lens unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, and the fifth cylindrical lens and the eighth cylindrical lens may be arranged to be perpendicular to each other, but are not limited thereto.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, and the fifth cylindrical lens and the eighth cylindrical lens may be arranged to be parallel to each other, but are not limited thereto.

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first focus may include, but is not limited to, a focus in the x-axis direction of the laser beam emitted from the light source and a focus in the y-axis direction of the laser beam emitted from the light source.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second focus may include, but is not limited to, a focus in the x-axis direction of the laser beam incident from the first optical section and a focus in the y-axis direction of the laser beam incident from the first optical section.

[0020] Meanwhile, the second aspect of the present invention relates to a phototherapy device including a laser beam delivery structure according to the first aspect; and a laser beam generator, wherein a laser beam generated from the laser beam generator is delivered to a treatment site through the laser beam delivery structure, and the laser beam delivered to the treatment site has the same profile as the laser beam generated from the laser beam generator.

[0021] The above-described problem-solving methods are merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, additional embodiments may be included in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

[0022] The laser beam delivery structure according to the present invention can control the beam profile within the laser generator through a cylindrical lens mounted on the barrel in the air without the aid of a vacuum or gas, thereby delivering a uniform laser beam image to the end of the refracting arm.

[0023] However, the effects that can be obtained from this center are not limited to the effects described above, and other effects may exist.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a laser beam transmission structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figures 2a to 2d are schematic diagrams showing the inside of a laser beam transmission structure according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIGS. 3A to 3F are schematic diagrams showing the transmission of a laser beam within a laser beam transmission structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] FIGS. 4a to 4d illustrate beam profiles according to lens positions in a laser beam delivery structure according to one embodiment and a comparative example of the present invention.

[0028] FIGS. 5a to 5d illustrate beam profiles according to lens positions in a laser beam delivery structure according to one embodiment and a comparative example of the present invention.

[0029] Below, with reference to the attached drawings, an embodiment of the present invention is described in detail so that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can easily carry out the present invention.

[0030] However, the present invention can be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts irrelevant to the description have been omitted, and similar parts have been designated with similar drawing reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0031] Throughout this specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected" but also cases where it is "electrically connected" with another element in between.

[0032] Throughout this specification, when it is said that a member is located “on,” “above,” “upper,” “lower,” “lower” or “lower” another member, this includes not only cases where the member is in contact with the other member, but also cases where another member exists between the two members.

[0033] Throughout this specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0034] The terms "about," "substantially," and the like, as used herein, are used to mean at or near the numerical value when manufacturing and material tolerances inherent to the meanings referred to are presented, and are used to prevent unscrupulous infringers from unfairly exploiting disclosures that contain precise or absolute numerical values ​​to aid understanding of the present disclosure. Furthermore, throughout the present disclosure, the terms "step of ~" or "step of ~" do not mean "step for ~."

[0035] Throughout this specification, the term "combination thereof" included in the expressions in the Makushi format means one or more mixtures or combinations selected from the group consisting of the components described in the expressions in the Makushi format, and means including one or more selected from the group consisting of said components.

[0036] Throughout this specification, references to “A and / or B” mean “A or B, or A and B.”

[0037] Throughout this specification, references to “first focus” may not refer to only one focus.

[0038] Hereinafter, a laser beam delivery structure and a phototherapy device including the same will be described in detail with reference to implementation examples, examples, and drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these implementation examples, examples, and drawings.

[0039] As a technical means for achieving the above-mentioned technical task, the first aspect of the present invention relates to a laser beam delivery structure, which comprises a first barrel part (1100) in which a first focus of a laser beam emitted from a light source and incident thereon is set internally; and a second barrel part (1200) in which a second focus of a laser beam incident from the first barrel part is set internally; wherein the first barrel part and the second barrel part each include at least one cylindrical lens.

[0040] Throughout the present specification, the description of "first focus" means a set of foci where a laser beam emitted from the light source is formed within the first optical tube, and the description of "second focus" means a set of foci of a laser beam that passes through the first optical tube and is incident on the second optical tube. In other words, the description of "first focus" may not necessarily mean only one focus, but may mean a collection of multiple foci.

[0041] Depending on the number and arrangement of lenses arranged inside the first barrel section, the first focus may include at least one focus, and depending on the number and arrangement of lenses arranged inside the second barrel section, the second focus may include at least one focus.

[0042] In one embodiment of the present invention, a mirror unit may be further included to adjust the path of the laser beam between the first barrel unit and the second barrel unit so that the laser beam of the first barrel unit passes through the second barrel unit and is emitted to the outside, but is not limited thereto.

[0043] In general, when a spherical lens is used, the beam refracted by the spherical lens converges to a point, causing optical breakdown. However, when a cylindrical lens is used, the beam converges to a line rather than a point, so optical breakdown does not occur. However, when only a cylindrical lens arranged in one direction is used, the beam profile is maintained in the focused direction when the beam progresses, but the beam profile in the vertical direction of the focused portion may be deformed due to interference as in the case of no lens. Therefore, in order to maintain the beam profile, it is necessary to use a cylindrical lens arranged in the vertical direction and a cylindrical lens arranged in the horizontal direction at the same time.

[0044] Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a laser beam delivery structure according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 2c to 2a are schematic diagrams representing the inside of a laser beam delivery structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this regard, the cylindrical lenses of Figs. 2a to 3f are arranged in the x-axis direction or the y-axis direction so that the arrangement direction of the cylindrical lenses is vertical, and if the arrangement direction of the cylindrical lenses is vertical, they can be arranged in a direction other than the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 1, since the laser beam transmission structure according to the present invention does not have two optical sections arranged on a straight line, the laser beam passing through the first optical section can pass through the interior of the second optical section through at least two mirror sections (230 and 240 based on FIG. 1).

[0046] In addition, the laser beam delivery structure of FIG. 1 may be an articulated arm. The articulated arm can deliver a laser beam generated from a laser generator to a specific location through seven mirror units attached to seven joints, two optical tube units through which the laser beam travels, and a mechanism for fixing the mirror units and optical tube units. In this case, if the two optical tube units of FIG. 1 include only cylindrical lenses arranged in one direction (for example, horizontal or vertical direction), the beam size can be maintained through rotation of the articulated arm, but the beam profile cannot be maintained.

[0047] Therefore, in order to maintain the beam profile, it is necessary to focus in two vertical directions within the barrel section where the beam direction does not change due to the joint. In order to maintain the beam profile, the laser beam delivery structure may have the structure of FIGS. 2A to 2D, and specifically, FIG. 2A focuses the laser beam through a cylindrical lens arranged vertically and a cylindrical lens arranged horizontally within each barrel, and FIG. 2B changes some of the cylindrical lenses of FIG. 2A (the second cylindrical lens, the third cylindrical lens, the sixth cylindrical lens, and the seventh cylindrical lens to be described later) to spherical lenses (the first spherical lens and the second spherical lens) when a specific condition to be described later is satisfied. However, if necessary, the laser beam transmission structure may include a structure in which only the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens are changed to the first spherical lens and the sixth cylindrical lens and the seventh cylindrical lens are maintained, or may have a structure in which the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens are maintained and the sixth cylindrical lens and the seventh cylindrical lens are changed to the second spherical lens.

[0048] In addition, FIGS. 2C and 2D show adjustments to the position of the focus by changing the direction, curvature, and position of the first to eighth cylindrical lenses of FIG. 2A. Specifically, FIGS. 2C and 2D show adjustments to the position of focus by changing the direction, curvature, or position of the first to eighth cylindrical lenses to be arranged differently from FIG. 2A, so that the curvature, position, and arrangement direction of the first to eighth cylindrical lenses can be adjusted to adjust the position of the focus.

[0049] At this time, by adjusting the direction in which the cylindrical lens is arranged, the surface of the cylindrical lens to which the laser beam is irradiated can be changed, and thereby the curvature can be adjusted.

[0050] For example, in the case of FIG. 2c, the first cylindrical lens, the second cylindrical lens, the seventh cylindrical lens, and the eighth cylindrical lens are cylindrical lenses arranged in the x-axis direction, and the third cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, the fifth cylindrical lens, and the sixth cylindrical lens are cylindrical lenses arranged in the y-axis direction. In addition, in the case of FIG. 2d, the first cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, the fifth cylindrical lens, and the eighth cylindrical lens are cylindrical lenses arranged in the x-axis direction, and the second cylindrical lens, the third cylindrical lens, the sixth cylindrical lens, and the seventh cylindrical lens are cylindrical lenses arranged in the y-axis direction.

[0051] In addition, when comparing FIGS. 2c and 2d, it can be confirmed that some of the cylindrical lenses of FIGS. 2c and 2d have different arrangement directions. FIG. 2d shows that the position of the focus is adjusted by changing the arrangement direction of the cylindrical lenses of FIG. 2c or the curvature of the first cylindrical lens, the second cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, and the fifth cylindrical lens. In addition, FIG. 2d shows that the position of the focus is adjusted even though the curvature of the first cylindrical lens, the second cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, and the fifth cylindrical lens of FIG. 2a is the same.

[0052] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first lens unit (1100) includes a first lens unit (1110) including a first cylindrical lens (1111), a second lens unit (1120), and a third lens unit (1130) including a fourth cylindrical lens (1131). The second lens unit (1120) may include a second cylindrical lens (1121) and a third cylindrical lens (1122), or may include a first spherical lens (1123), but is not limited thereto. That is, the second lens unit (1120) may have a structure including a second cylindrical lens (1121) and a third cylindrical lens (1122), or a structure including a first spherical lens (1123).

[0053] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second lens unit (1200) includes a fourth lens unit (1210) including a fifth cylindrical lens (1211), a fifth lens unit (1220), and a sixth lens unit (1230) including an eighth cylindrical lens (1231). The fifth lens unit (1220) may include a sixth cylindrical lens (1221) and a seventh cylindrical lens (1222), or may include a second spherical lens (1223), but is not limited thereto. That is, the fifth lens unit (1220) may have a structure including a sixth cylindrical lens (1221) and a seventh cylindrical lens (1222), or a structure including a second spherical lens (1223).

[0054] Depending on the need, the first lens unit may or may not include a lens other than the first cylindrical lens, and the same applies to the second to sixth lens units.

[0055] If the curvatures of the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens are the same, they can be replaced with the first spherical lens. However, if the curvatures of the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens are different, two cylindrical lenses can be used. In addition, if the curvatures of the sixth cylindrical lens and the seventh cylindrical lens are the same, they can be replaced with the second spherical lens. However, if the curvatures of the sixth cylindrical lens and the seventh cylindrical lens are different, two cylindrical lenses can be used.

[0056] When the first spherical lens is used instead of the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens, the number of optical systems can be reduced.

[0057] Referring to FIGS. 2A to 2D, a laser beam passing through the laser beam transmission structure can pass through a first optical tube including the first lens unit, the second lens unit, and the third lens unit, and be reflected by the mirror unit to pass through a second optical tube including the fourth lens unit, the fifth lens unit, and the sixth lens unit.

[0058] The first to eighth cylindrical lenses may have their curvatures adjusted to adjust the position of the focus, or their arrangement direction may be adjusted in the x-axis direction or the y-axis direction.

[0059] For example, in a pair of cylindrical lenses including a first cylindrical lens and a second cylindrical lens, a third cylindrical lens and a fourth cylindrical lens, a fifth cylindrical lens and a sixth cylindrical lens, and a seventh cylindrical lens and an eighth cylindrical lens, if the curvatures of the two cylindrical lenses are made the same, the sizes of the incident beam and the output beam are also the same. Therefore, if the lens pairs are combined so that the curvature ratios of the cylindrical lenses arranged in the x-axis direction and the cylindrical lenses arranged in the y-axis direction are the same, the sizes of the incident beam and the output beam can be adjusted while maintaining the beam profile.

[0060] FIGS. 3A to 3F are schematic diagrams showing the transmission of a laser beam within a laser beam transmission structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the upper portion of FIGS. 3A to 3F is a view of the arrangement of lenses within the first optical tube as seen from the xz plane, and the lower portion is a view as seen from the yz plane. The first cylindrical lens (1111) arranged in the x-axis direction drawn in the upper portion (xz plane) of FIG. 3A may be arranged in the y-axis direction when viewed from the yz plane.

[0061] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first focus may be located between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, between the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens, or between the second lens unit and the third lens unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0062] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second focus may be located between the fourth lens unit and the fifth lens unit, between the sixth cylindrical lens and the seventh cylindrical lens, or between the fifth lens unit and the sixth lens unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0063] As described above, the first focus and the second focus may include at least one focus depending on the number of lenses, and the foci constituting the first focus and the second focus may be positioned between two adjacent lens units, between two cylindrical lenses constituting the second lens unit, or between two cylindrical lenses constituting the fifth lens unit.

[0064] In one embodiment of the present invention, the position of the first focus and the position of the second focus can be adjusted by the first lens unit to the sixth lens unit so that optical breakdown does not occur, but is not limited thereto.

[0065] FIGS. 3A to 3F illustrate the arrangement of foci constituting the first focal point by the first to third lens units. In FIGS. 3A to 3F, the first focal point includes an x-axis-direction focal point and a y-axis-direction focal point, but depending on the number of lens units, the first focal point may further include focal points in other directions other than the x-axis-direction focal point and the y-axis-direction focal point.

[0066] Specifically, referring to FIG. 3d, when the first cylindrical lens and the second cylindrical lens are arranged in the x-axis direction within the first optical barrel, an x-axis focus is formed between the first cylindrical lens (first lens unit) and the second cylindrical lens (second lens unit) (upper part of FIG. 3d), and a y-axis focus is formed between the third cylindrical lens (second lens unit) and the fourth cylindrical lens (third lens unit) arranged in the y-axis direction within the first optical barrel (lower part of FIG. 3d). At this time, the curvatures of the first cylindrical lens and the second cylindrical lens are the same, but the position at which the x-axis focus is formed can be adjusted by changing the curvature. In addition, the curvatures of the third cylindrical lens and the fourth cylindrical lens can be adjusted to adjust the position of the y-axis focus.

[0067] In addition, as described above, FIG. 3c shows a first spherical lens that can replace the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens when the curvatures of the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens in FIG. 3d are the same, and the x-axis focus is arranged between the first cylindrical lens and the first spherical lens arranged in the x-axis direction, and the y-axis focus is arranged between the first spherical lens and the fourth cylindrical lens.

[0068] Also, referring to FIG. 3c, the laser beam size can be adjusted by adjusting the curvature ratio of the first cylindrical lens and the first spherical lens, and / or the curvature ratio of the first spherical lens and the fourth cylindrical lens, but is not limited thereto.

[0069] In the case of FIGS. 3c to 3e, the x-axis direction focus is arranged between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, and the y-axis direction focus is arranged between the second lens unit and the third lens unit.

[0070] Meanwhile, FIGS. 3A and 3B show that the first cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens are arranged in the x-axis direction, and the second cylindrical lens and the fourth cylindrical lens are arranged in the y-axis direction. In addition, FIG. 3F shows that the first cylindrical lens and the fourth cylindrical lens are arranged in the x-axis direction, and the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens are arranged in the y-axis direction. At this time, FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3F may have different curvatures of the first cylindrical lens and the fourth cylindrical lens, and the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens.

[0071] Unlike FIGS. 3c to 3e, both the x-axis focus and the y-axis focus of FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3f are arranged between the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens.

[0072] With respect to FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 3f, if the position of the x-axis direction focus and the position of the y-axis direction focus are similar, optical breakdown may occur within the optical tube or in the laser beam delivery structure, and if the x-axis focal length and the y-axis focal length are similar, optical breakdown may occur, making it impossible to deliver a laser beam having a desired output and beam profile to a desired position. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the positions of the first focus and the second focus by adjusting the curvature or arrangement direction of the cylindrical lens within the optical tube so that optical breakdown and damage to the lens do not occur.

[0073] In addition, since the lens may be damaged if the first focus or the second focus is located near the first to fourth cylindrical lenses, the curvature and arrangement direction of the cylindrical lenses within the optical section may be arranged in consideration of the position of the focus formed by the cylindrical lenses.

[0074] Although the description of FIGS. 3a to 3f is based on the first to third lens units within the first optical tube, the same content can be equally applied to the fourth to sixth lens units within the second optical tube.

[0075] In one embodiment of the present invention, the beam size of the laser beam emitted from the light source can be controlled by the curvature of the first lens unit to the sixth lens unit, but is not limited thereto.

[0076] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, and the fifth cylindrical lens and the eighth cylindrical lens may be arranged to be perpendicular to each other, but are not limited thereto.

[0077] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, and the fifth cylindrical lens and the eighth cylindrical lens may be arranged to be parallel to each other, but are not limited thereto.

[0078] Referring to FIGS. 3A to 3F, the first cylindrical lens and the fourth cylindrical lens may be perpendicular or parallel to each other. The same may be applied to the fifth cylindrical lens and the eighth cylindrical lens.

[0079] In one embodiment of the present invention, the first focus may include, but is not limited to, a focus in the x-axis direction of the laser beam emitted from the light source and a focus in the y-axis direction of the laser beam emitted from the light source.

[0080] In one embodiment of the present invention, the second focus may include, but is not limited to, the focus in the x-axis direction of the laser beam incident from the first optical section and the focus in the y-axis direction of the laser beam emitted from the light source.

[0081] In FIGS. 3a to 3f, the focus formed at the top is expressed as an x-axis focus, and the focus formed at the bottom is expressed as a y-axis focus. However, the y-axis focus can be formed at the top and the x-axis focus can be formed at the bottom through the curvature or arrangement direction of the cylindrical lens or spherical lens constituting the first to third lens units.

[0082] In one embodiment of the present invention, the angle between the first barrel part and the second barrel part may be from 0° to 360°, but is not limited thereto. In this regard, even if the first barrel part and the second barrel part are not arranged in a straight line, since the laser beam can pass through the first barrel part and then the second barrel part by the mirror part, the arrangement of the mirror part may also vary depending on the angle between the first barrel part and the second barrel part.

[0083] Meanwhile, the second aspect of the present invention relates to a phototherapy device including a laser beam delivery structure according to the first aspect; and a laser beam generator, wherein a laser beam generated from the laser beam generator is delivered to a treatment site through the laser beam delivery structure, and the laser beam delivered to the treatment site has the same profile as the laser beam generated from the laser beam generator.

[0084] In one embodiment of the present invention, the wavelength of the laser beam generated from the laser beam generator may be from 300 nm to 1200 nm, but is not limited thereto.

[0085] The present invention will be described in more detail through the following examples; however, the following examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0086] [Example]

[0087] As shown in Fig. 1, an articulated arm comprising a first barrel section, a second barrel section, and a mirror section each having at least four cylindrical lenses therein was prepared, and a laser beam was irradiated through a laser generator. At this time, the cylindrical lenses within the first barrel section and the second barrel section were arranged as shown in Figs. 2a to 2d.

[0088] [Comparative Example 1]

[0089] No separate lenses were placed within the first and second optics (Fig. 4a, general refractive arm).

[0090] [Comparative Example 2]

[0091] Spherical lenses were placed within the first and second tube sections, and a vacuum was formed between the spherical lenses (Fig. 4b, spherical lens refracting arm).

[0092] The laser beam delivery structure in which the cylindrical lens is arranged as in Fig. 2a is named Type 4, the laser beam delivery structure in which the cylindrical lens is arranged as in Fig. 2b is named Type 2, the laser beam delivery structure in which the cylindrical lens is arranged as in Fig. 2c is named Type 1, and the laser beam delivery structure in which the cylindrical lens is arranged as in Fig. 2d is named Type 3.

[0093] [Example 1]

[0094] FIGS. 4a to 4d and 5a to 5d illustrate beam profiles according to lens positions in a laser beam delivery structure according to an embodiment and a comparative example of the present disclosure. Specifically, these are the results of simulations using Zemax for a general refracting arm of Comparative Example 1, a spherical lens refracting arm of Comparative Example 2, and Types 1 to 4 of the embodiment. In FIGS. 4a to 5b, for convenience, the refracting arm is expressed as a straight line excluding reflection by a mirror, and the beam is incident on the arm within the laser generator, passes downward through the arm, and progresses to the end, and it is confirmed how the beam profile changes at various points in the middle.

[0095] First, Fig. 4a is a laser beam delivery structure according to Comparative Example 1 of the present invention, and it can be seen that the beam pattern within the laser generator is gradually blurred due to interference as it passes through the refraction arm. In addition, Fig. 4b is an arm using spherical lenses, and it can be seen that the beam is not blurred due to compensation by the spherical lenses and the beam pattern within the laser generator is maintained until the end of the arm.

[0096] Meanwhile, in the case of Fig. 4c (Type 1) and Fig. 4d (Type 2), a cylindrical lens was used in the optical section, and the beam pattern was blurred compared to Fig. 4b, which only used a spherical lens, but the beam pattern was maintained compared to Fig. 4a.

[0097] Figures 5a and 5b are for Type 3, and Figures 5c and 5d are for Type 4. In the case of Type 3 and Type 4, the lens position and focus position must be considered to prevent lens damage and optical destruction, so the beam profile at each focus position and optical system position was also confirmed.

[0098] FIGS. 5A to 5D show the laser beam delivery structure arm divided into the xz plane and the yz plane, and confirm the position where the focus is formed, the position of the focus, the beam profile at a lens near the focus, and the beam profile at any point in time when the beam passes through the arm.

[0099] Referring to FIGS. 5a to 5d, both Type III (FIGS. 5a and 5b) and Type IV (FIGS. 5c and 5d) maintained the beam profile as the beam progressed, and the beam profile at the lens position was designed to prevent damage to the lens, and it was confirmed that the beam profile or focus at the focus position was not concentrated at one point but distributed linearly, so that no optical breakdown would occur.

[0100] The above description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be readily modified into other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined manner.

[0101] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

[0102] [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 1100: 1st Gyeongtongbu

[0104] 1110: First lens section

[0105] 1111: First cylindrical lens

[0106] 1120: Second lens section

[0107] 1121: Second cylindrical lens

[0108] 1122: Third cylindrical lens

[0109] 1123: First spherical lens

[0110] 1130: Third lens section

[0111] 1131: Fourth cylindrical lens

[0112] 1200: 2nd Gyeongtongbu

[0113] 1210: 4th lens section

[0114] 1211: Fifth cylindrical lens

[0115] 1220: 5th lens section

[0116] 1221: 6th cylindrical lens

[0117] 1222: 7th cylindrical lens

[0118] 1223: Second spherical lens

[0119] 1230: 6th lens section

[0120] 1231: 8th cylindrical lens

[0121] 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260, 270: Mirror section

Claims

1. In the laser beam transmission structure, A first optical section in which a first focus of a laser beam emitted from a light source and incident thereon is set internally; and A second optical section in which a second focus of a laser beam incident from the first optical section is set internally; The first and second cylindrical sections each include at least one cylindrical lens. Laser beam delivery structure.

2. In paragraph 1, A mirror unit that adjusts the path of the laser beam between the first and second optical tubes so that the laser beam of the first optical tube passes through the second optical tube and is emitted to the outside; A laser beam transmitting structure further comprising:

3. In paragraph 1, The first cylindrical portion includes a first lens portion including a first cylindrical lens; Second lens unit; and Including a third lens unit including a fourth cylindrical lens, A laser beam transmitting structure, wherein the second lens unit includes a second cylindrical lens and a third cylindrical lens, or includes a first spherical lens.

4. In paragraph 3, A laser beam transmission structure, wherein the first focus is located between the first lens unit and the second lens unit, between the second cylindrical lens and the third cylindrical lens, or between the second lens unit and the third lens unit.

5. In paragraph 3, The second cylindrical portion includes a fourth lens portion including a fifth cylindrical lens; Fifth lens section; and Including a sixth lens unit including an eighth cylindrical lens, A laser beam transmission structure, wherein the fifth lens unit includes a sixth cylindrical lens and a seventh cylindrical lens or includes a second spherical lens.

6. In paragraph 5, A laser beam transmission structure, wherein the second focus is located between the fourth lens unit and the fifth lens unit, between the sixth cylindrical lens and the seventh cylindrical lens, or between the fifth lens unit and the sixth lens unit.

7. In paragraph 6, A laser beam transmission structure, wherein the position of the first focus and the position of the second focus are controlled by the first lens unit to the sixth lens unit so that optical breakdown does not occur.

8. In paragraph 5, A laser beam transmission structure, wherein the beam size of the laser beam emitted from the light source is controlled by the curvature of the first lens unit to the sixth lens unit.

9. In paragraph 5, A laser beam transmission structure, wherein the first cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, the fifth cylindrical lens, and the eighth cylindrical lens are arranged to be perpendicular to each other.

10. In paragraph 5, A laser beam transmission structure, wherein the first cylindrical lens, the fourth cylindrical lens, the fifth cylindrical lens, and the eighth cylindrical lens are arranged to be parallel to each other.

11. In paragraph 1, The first focus includes a focus in the x-axis direction of the laser beam emitted from the light source and a focus in the y-axis direction of the laser beam emitted from the light source, A laser beam transmission structure, wherein the second focus includes an x-axis focus of a laser beam incident from the first optical section and a y-axis focus of a laser beam emitted from the light source.

12. A phototherapy device comprising a laser beam delivery structure according to Article 1; and a laser beam generator: A laser beam generated from the above laser beam generator is transmitted to the treatment area through the above laser beam transmission structure, The laser beam delivered to the treatment area has the same profile as the laser beam generated from the laser beam generator. Light therapy device.

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