Smart linear pulsed laser diode driver, and method
AssigneeAnalog Modules, Inc.
InventorsIan D. Crawford, John A. Harwick, Timothy M. Ayres
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AssigneeAnalog Modules, Inc.
InventorsIan D. Crawford, John A. Harwick, Timothy M. Ayres
Estimating the term…
In a pulsed laser diode driver an energy storage capacitor is continuously being charged to a supply voltage Vr. When a pulse is initiated, energy stored in the capacitor is delivered to the laser diode load. The capacitor voltage Vd at the end of a pulse is used to control Vr to ensure that Vd is maintained above a minimum voltage Vm required to ensure operation of a current control device (such as FET) just above saturation. Test pulses (such as with attenuated currents or reduced pulsewidth) may be fired to determine an initial optimum value for Vr. After a test pulse, a slightly high estimate for Vr may be used and may be iterated (incremented) down to an optimum value Vm during a firing burst. A digital processor may be used to calculate and store data to optimize the performance. Various embodiments are disclosed.
Method of operating a load which is laser or light emitting diodes in a pulse mode with a diode driver comprising:
A driver for providing pulsed power to a load comprising laser diodes or LEDs, the driver comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.