Back to results
US 5,689,331 AGranted
Laser apparatus with wander correction
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorPhillip Randall Staver
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laser apparatus includes a laser for emitting a laser beam which is reflected from a primary mirror through a primary lens in a primary optical path and focused at a primary spot. A portion of the laser beam leaks through a back face of the mirror and is directed through a reference lens and focused at a reference spot in a reference optical path. Angular wander of the laser beam on the primary mirror is corrected by measuring the lateral position of the reference spot and adjusting the primary optical path to decrease lateral wander of the primary spot.
Claims11
A laser apparatus comprising:
- a laser for emitting a laser beam;
- a primary mirror aligned with said laser for reflecting said beam from a front face thereof and leaking a portion thereof through a back face;
- a primary lens aligned with said mirror front face for focusing said reflected beam at a primary focus spot, with said laser, mirror, and primary lens defining a primary optical path of said laser beam from said laser to said primary spot;
- a reference lens aligned with said mirror back face for focusing said leakage beam at a reference focus spot in a reference optical path;
- means aligned with said reference lens for measuring lateral position of said reference spot;
- and
- means coupled to said measuring means for correcting lateral wander of said primary spot in response to lateral movement of said reference spot due to angular wander of said laser beam on said mirror front face.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.