Laser transformer lens

• US 10,422,998 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2015
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark Belloni
• Original Assignee: Mark Belloni
• Inventors: Belloni, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Pyo, Kevin K
• Application Number:
  US14/869,931
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 250216, 250221, 356124
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/14 for measuring distance or clearance between spaced objects or spaced apertures G01B11/26 takes precedence; rangefinders G01C3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4811 common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 1/10 Optical coatings produced by application to, or surface treatment of, optical elements G02B1/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0927 Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/0955 Lenses lenses per se G02B3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 3/02 with non-spherical faces G02B3/10 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/32 Holograms used as optical elements

Abstract

The laser transformer lens is a hollow shaped translucent lens that transforms a laser beam into a laser sheet substantially which is capable of spanning a planar space nearly. In the event that the optical characteristics of the laser beam and the laser transformer lens are designed properly, a laser sheet of controlled form may be developed as the laser light enters, traverses, and exits the lens. The projection of the transmitted laser sheet, as it impinges on an opaque surface remote from the laser transformer lens results in a laser curve along the surface area which the laser sheet strikes. Moreover, hybrid designs of the laser transformer lens may tune substantially the waveform characteristics such as: wave speed, phase velocity, group velocity, reflection, transmission, refraction, amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, attenuation, fan angle, and wave width.

Claims

1. A device configured to transform an impinging laser beam into a laser sheet, the device comprising:

a lens having a solid portion and a cavity, a shape of the lens being defined by an exterior wall and a shape of the cavity being defined by an interior wall, and the solid portion being bounded by the interior wall and the exterior wall,

wherein the lens is configured to transform the impinging laser beam into the laser sheet at a subtended angle of at least greater than 180 degrees wherein a distance between a source of the impinging light and the lens, and a distance between the lens and a surface on which the laser sheet is projected, are each less a distance between a center of the projected laser sheet and an edge of the projected laser sheet.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein in a cross-section of the lens through the cavity, the exterior wall is defined by a first conic shape and the interior wall is defined the first conic shape of a smaller proportion.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein a center of the first conic shape defining the exterior wall is at the same location as a center of the smaller first conic shape defining the interior wall.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein a center of the first conic shape defining the exterior wall is offset from a center of the smaller first conic shape defining the interior wall.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the first conic shape is a circle.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the first conic shape is an ellipse.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein in a cross-section of the lens through the cavity, the exterior wall is defined by a first conic shape and the interior wall is defined by a second conic shape, the first conic shape being different from a not proportional to the first conic shape.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein a center of the first conic shape defining the exterior wall is at the same location as a center of the second conic shape defining the interior wall.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein a center of the first conic shape defining the exterior wall is offset from a center of the second conic shape defining the interior wall.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the first conic shape or the second conic shape is a circle.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein the first conic shape or the second conic shape is an ellipse.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the solid portion has a uniform thickness.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the lens has at least two cavities, and

in a cross-section of the lens through the at least two cavities, the exterior wall and the interior wall are defined by a single arbitrary curve.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the lens has at least two cavities, and

in a cross-section of the lens through the at least two cavities, the exterior wall and interior walls defining each of the at least two cavities are each defined by separate arbitrary curves.

15. The device of claim 1, further comprising a coating applied to the exterior wall and/or the interior wall.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the cavity is hollow.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the cavity is filled with a material that is different from a material of the solid portion.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the material in the cavity or a material of the solid portion is a dielectric.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the cavity is simply connected as defined by a plurality of curves.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the shape of the cavity is multiply connected as defined by a plurality of curves.

21. The device of claim 1, further comprising two cavities, wherein the shape of a first of the two cavities is simply connected as defined by a first plurality of curves and the shape of a second of the cavities is multiply connected as defined by a second plurality of curves.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the interior wall defining the shape of the cavity is a straight.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the interior wall defining the shape of the cavity is a curved.