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US 2006/0188195 A1Published application
Cooled high power laser lens array
AssigneeNorthrop Grumman Corporation
InventorsJames Zamel, Michael Wickham, Stephen Brosnan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An array of cylindrical end-caps with separate or integral lenses is stacked with its members in close contact, forming inter-cylinder gaps between every subset of three adjacent cylindrical lenses. Conductive fibers are disposed in the inter-cylinder gaps. Heat that would otherwise accumulate in the array is removed through the conductive fibers and transmitted to an external heat sink.
Claims17
A fiber laser lens array, comprising;
- an array of cylindrical end-caps with separate or integral lenses stacked in close contact such that an inter-cylinder gap is formed between every subset of three adjacent cylindrical end-caps in the array;
- and
- means for removing heat from the array along thermal paths that extend along the inter-cylinder gaps in the array;
- wherein the means for removing heat is biased to remove more heat from a central region of the array than from a periphery of the array:
- and
- wherein the means for removing heat comprises the use of thermally conductive fibers in the central region of the array that are larger than thermally conductive fibers used in an outer region of the array.
3 more elements
A fiber laser lens array as defined in claim 61 wherein the thermally conductive fibers are of copper.
A fiber laser lens array, comprising:
- an array of cylindrical end-caps stacked in close contact in a hexagonal stack such that an inter-cylinder gap is formed between every subset of three adjacent cylindrical lenses in the array;
- an external heat sink;
- a plurality of thermally conductive fibers extending along the inter-cylinder gaps and away from the array, and terminating in the external heat sink, wherein the plurality of thermally conductive fibers are biased to remove more heat from a central region of the array than from a periphery of the array, and wherein the plurality of thermally conductive fibers used in the central region of the array are larger than the plurality of thermally conductive fibers used in an outer region of the array;
- and
- a thermally conductive filler material surrounding each of the thermally conductive fibers and making thermal contact with the cylindrical lenses.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.