Beam Generating Apparatus Speckle Suppression via Diffuser Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Laser beams with high coherence produce interference and speckles when reflected from non-smooth surfaces, leading to non-uniform illumination and degraded optical quality in various applications.
Innovation Solution
A beam generating apparatus comprising a laser light source, a speckle suppressing module with a first and second biconic lens and a diffuser, and a driving unit that moves the diffuser to modulate the M2 ratio of the laser beam, redistributing energy and improving speckle suppression.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a laser light source is used to provide high collimation and high power, then the laser beam has high coherence and high light intensity, but when the laser beam irradiates a non-smooth surface, the reflected beam produces interference and speckles resulting in non-uniform illumination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the laser beam into multiple sub-beams using a beam splitting module, which divides the original coherent beam into several independent paths. This segmentation prevents the formation of speckle patterns by ensuring that the recombined beams have reduced coherence, thereby eliminating interference while maintaining high light intensity and uniform illumination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a nested structure where the beam splitting module, beam recombining module, and diffuser are integrated within a unified optical path. The beam splitting module divides the beam, the diffuser散射s each sub-beam, and the beam recombining module merges them back, creating a compact nested system that efficiently reduces speckles while preserving illumination intensity.
2Power
If the laser beam is highly coherent, then the laser beam has high light intensity and high power, but the reflected beam from non-smooth surfaces produces interference patterns that degrade optical quality
Solution Approach 1:
The beam splitting module divides the high-power coherent laser beam into multiple lower-power sub-beams. Each sub-beam is then processed independently through the diffuser, which reduces their coherence. When recombined, these sub-beams maintain the total power of the original beam but with significantly reduced coherence, eliminating interference patterns and improving optical quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The diffuser acts as an intermediary element between the beam splitting module and the beam recombining module. It introduces controlled scattering that reduces the coherence of each sub-beam without significantly affecting their power. This intermediary action is crucial for maintaining high laser power while improving optical quality by eliminating speckle-induced interference.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a diffuser is added to suppress speckles, then the uniformity of illumination is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional optical components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the speckle suppression function into the existing beam delivery system by integrating the diffuser within the beam splitting and recombining modules. Rather than adding a separate speckle suppression system, the diffuser is positioned within the optical path where it naturally interacts with the subdivided beams, achieving uniform illumination without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical components in the patent serve multiple functions: the beam splitting module both divides the beam and initiates the speckle reduction process; the diffuser simultaneously散射s all sub-beams and reduces their coherence; and the beam recombining module both merges the sub-beams and maintains the reduced coherence. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while achieving improved illumination uniformity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The apparatus achieves uniform illumination and enhanced optical quality by reducing speckle phenomena, resulting in improved laser beam homogenization and increased coherence.
Implementation Method 1
The diffuser is disposed on the transmission path of the laser beam from the first biconic lens
Implementation Method 2
The first biconic lens is disposed on a transmission path of the laser beam. The second biconic lens is disposed on the transmission path of the laser beam from the diffuser
Data Source
AI summary
A beam generating apparatus includes a laser light source, a speckle suppressing module, a light homogenizing module and a driving unit. The laser light source outputs a laser beam. The speckle suppressing module includes two biconic lenses and a diffuser. The first biconic lens is disposed on a transmission path of the laser beam. The diffuser is located on the transmission path of the laser beam between the first and second biconic lenses. The light homogenizing module is disposed on the transmission path of the laser beam from the second biconic lens. The driving unit drives the diffuser to move with respect to the laser beam so that the ratio of the M2 of the laser beam exiting from the second biconic lens in a first direction to the M2 thereof in a second direction is greater than 2, wherein the two directions are substantially perpendicular to each other.