Optical assembly for variably generating a multi-focus profile

US11169387B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• TRUMPF LASER GMBH · DE

Inventors

• Christoph Tillkorn · Villingendorf, DE
• Daniel Flamm · Walnut Creek, US
• Julian Hellstern · Rottweil, DE
• Andreas Heimes · Renningen, DE
• Li-Wen Chang · Baoshan, TW
• Maike Prossotowicz · Reißer, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 15, 2021
• Grant date: Nov 9, 2021
• Expiry date: Jan 15, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B27/285
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An optical assembly includes a beam path, passing, in succession, through multiple microlens arrays and a Fourier lens assembly. The microlens arrays have a uniform aperture of their microlenses, and the entirety of the microlens arrays has an effective focal length. The optical assembly further includes an adjustment mechanism, configured to adjust a mutual optical distance of at least some of the microlens arrays in the beam path, thereby setting the effective focal length of the entirety of the microlens arrays. The adjustment mechanism has multiple adjustment positions i=1, . . . , M wherein M is a natural number ≥2, i is an adjustment position index, at which the term in each case essentially smoothly results in a natural number Ni. λ is a center wavelength, fML,i is an effective focal length fML of the entirety of the microlens arrays set by the adjustment position i.