Lasing device
AssigneePanasonic Corporation
InventorsAtsuki Yamamoto, Tetsuji Nishimura
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Upon starting the lasing device after having a stop state, gas retaining in the gas circulation path and the optical resonator is released through the gas release valve opened by the gas pressure controller. During a time calculated by the open-time calculator in response to the immediately preceding stop time of the lasing device, laser medium gas in the piping between the laser medium gas supply device and the gas supply valve is released, together with the retaining gas, through the gas supply valve opened by the gas pressure controller. The structure reduces costs by using decreased number of valves and suppresses consumption of laser medium gas.
Claims16
A lasing device providing laser medium gas continuously or intermittently from outside, comprising:
- an optical resonator;
- a gas circulation path connected to the optical resonator;
- a laser medium gas supply device for supplying laser medium gas to the gas circulation path or the optical resonator via a gas supply valve;
- a gas release pump for releasing laser medium gas from the gas circulation path of the optical resonator via a gas release valve;
- a gas pressure detector for detecting gas pressure of the laser medium gas in the gas circulation path or the optical resonator;
- a gas pressure controller for controlling the gas supply valve and the gas release valve in response to the gas pressure detected by the gas pressure detector;
- a blower disposed in the gas circulation path;
- a current detector for detecting blower driving current for the blower;
- a stop-time counter for counting a stop time of the lasing device;
- a storage for storing correlated information of the stop time with the blower driving current;
- and
- an open-time calculator for calculating an open time of the gas supply valve at a start up of the lasing device in response to the information from the storage,
- wherein, when the lasing device is turned on after having a stop state, gas retaining in the gas circulation path and the optical resonator is released through the gas release valve opened by the gas pressure controller, and
- during a time calculated by the open-time calculator in response to an immediately preceding stop time of the lasing device, laser medium gas in the piping between the laser medium gas supply device and the gas supply valve is released, together with the retaining gas, through the gas supply valve opened by the gas pressure controller.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.