Eye safety interlock for fiber-coupled high power laser sources
US12345595B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 27, 2021 |
| Grant date | Jul 1, 2025 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 5, 2044 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH01S5/0683
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A system is proposed for continuously monitoring the integrity of a transmission fiber coupled to a laser source and immediately shutting down the laser source upon recognition of any type of cut, break or disconnect along the transmission fiber. A pair of monitoring photodiodes is included with the laser source and used to look at the ratio of reflected light to transmitted light, shutting down the laser if the ratio exceeds a given threshold. If a break is present, the power of the reflected light will be higher than normal, where a defined threshold is used to determine of the calculated intensity is indicative of a break. By using measurements performed in terms of decibels, the monitoring system needs only to take the difference in intensities to generate the reflection/transmission ratio output.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.