Uniformity adjustment method for a diode-laser line-projector
First Claim
1. A method of manufacturing a diode laser line projector device, said device including a diode laser generating a beam of radiation having orthogonal fast and slow axes, said device including a first lens having an acylindrical surface lying along a first axis, said diode laser and the first lens being mounted and aligned in an elongated housing along the propagation axis of the diode laser beam, said housing permitting the first lens to be rotated about the propagation axis, said method comprising the steps of:
- incrementally rotating the first lens about the propagation axis of the beam to vary the azimuthal angle of the first axis of the first lens with respect to the fast and slow axes of the diode laser;
measuring the uniformity of the intensity of the line of light projected by the first lens at various azimuthal angles of the first lens; and
locking the housing to define a fixed azimuthal position between the first axis of the first lens and the axes of the diode laser, said fixed position being based on the measurements.
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a line projector a diode-laser beam having an elliptical cross-section is projected onto a Powell lens which spreads the beam to form a line of light. Distribution of power along the line of light is adjusted by rotating the diode-laser beam with respect to the Powell lens.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method of manufacturing a diode laser line projector device, said device including a diode laser generating a beam of radiation having orthogonal fast and slow axes, said device including a first lens having an acylindrical surface lying along a first axis, said diode laser and the first lens being mounted and aligned in an elongated housing along the propagation axis of the diode laser beam, said housing permitting the first lens to be rotated about the propagation axis, said method comprising the steps of:
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incrementally rotating the first lens about the propagation axis of the beam to vary the azimuthal angle of the first axis of the first lens with respect to the fast and slow axes of the diode laser; measuring the uniformity of the intensity of the line of light projected by the first lens at various azimuthal angles of the first lens; and locking the housing to define a fixed azimuthal position between the first axis of the first lens and the axes of the diode laser, said fixed position being based on the measurements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. In an optical apparatus including a diode laser generating a beam having fast and slow axes perpendicular to each other and perpendicular to the propagation axis thereof, said beam being projected onto an acylindrical lens having orthogonal first and second axes perpendicular to the propagation axis, and which spreads the beam in the first axis to form a line of light having a length in the first axis and a height in the second axis, a method of adjusting the intensity distribution of the illumination along the length of the line of light, comprising:
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selecting an initial alignment of the fast and slow axes of the diode laser beam with the first and second axes of the acylindrical lens; measuring the distribution of intensity along the length of the line of light; and if the uniformity of the measured distribution of intensity is less than 80 percent along the line of light, incrementally changing the rotational orientation of the fast and slow axes of the diode laser beam with respect to the first and second axes of the acylindrical lens until the uniformity of the measured distribution of intensity is greater than 80 percent along the line of light and then fixing the rotational orientation of the fast and slow axes of the diode laser beam with the first and second axes of the acylindrical lens, wherein the fixed rotational orientation of the fast and slow axes of the diode laser beam with the first and second axes of the acylindrical lens are non-aligned. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification