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AssigneeLumonics Inc.
InventorsJulian D. C. Jones, Daoning Su, Alvaro A. P. Boechat, Clive L. M. Ireland
Estimating the term…
A laser system comprises a laser (500) whose output beam is delivered to a workpiece (504) by an optical fiber (502). A transducer (506) detects the power of light propagating in the cladding layer of fiber (502) at a position near its input end. The transducer (506) also strips out the light travelling in the cladding layer. The output of transducer (506) is divided by the output of a transducer (507), which detects the power of the output beam of laser (500), to produce a signal indicative of misalignment between the laser beam and the core of fiber (502) at the input face. A transducer (505) comprises a second fiber (508) optically coupled with the cladding layer of fiber (502). Light emitted from the ends of fiber (508) is detected by a pair of detectors (509, 510), whose outputs are indicated on displays (512, 514). Display (512) provides information on the integrity of transmissions of the laser beam through fiber (502). Display ( 514) provides information on the material processing operation performed on workpiece (504), and also on the focus of the beam onto the workpiece.
In a laser system which is performing a material processing operation on a workpiece and which includes a laser, an optical fiber comprising a core and at least one outer layer and having an input end and an output end, means for coupling the output beam of the laser with the input end of the optical fiber, and means for directing the output beam of the optical fiber onto a workpiece, a method of monitoring the state of the material processing operation, said method comprising the steps of detecting the power of light propagating in the or one of the outer layers of the optical fiber from the output end towards the input end at a position between the output end and the input end, and producing an output signal indicative of the magnitude of said power, said output signal indicating the state of the material processing operation.
A laser system for performing a material processing operation on a workpiece comprising a laser, an optical fiber comprising a core and at least one outer layer and having an input end and an output end, means for coupling the output beam of the laser with the input end of the fiber,means for directing the output beam of the optical fiber onto a workpiece, means for detecting the power of light propagating in the or one of the output layers of the optical fiber from the output end towards the input end at a position between the output end and the input end, and means responsive to said detecting means for producing an output signal indicative of said power, said output signal indicating the state of the material processing operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.