Optical scanning

US12228505B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• TOPTICA Photonics, Inc. · DE

Inventors

• Thomas A. Puppe · Munich, DE
• Nico Vieweg · Stockdorf, DE
• Christian Rausch · Unterhaching, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 9, 2021
• Grant date: Feb 18, 2025
• Expiry date: Jun 9, 2041

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H01S3/1305
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for generating temporally spaced light pulses. Said device comprises a first light source which emits a first train of light pulses, a second light source which emits a second train of light pulses, and a phase-locked loop which regulates the relative phase of the light-pulse trains towards a target value. When the two light-pulse trains each pass through an optical transmission path to an application site that is spatially remote from the light sources, fluctuating phase differences in the light-pulse trains at the application site occur due to external influences along the transmission paths. The object of the invention is to provide an improved device for generating temporally spaced light pulses. In particular, the above-mentioned fluctuating phase differences are intended to be prevented. To do this, the invention proposes a detection apparatus that interacts with the phase-locked loop and detects a phase difference in the light-pulse trains at the application site caused by propagation-time differences along the transmission paths. In particular, the phase difference in the light-pulse trains at the application site is derived from light puls…