Method and system for communicating with a laser power driver

• US 9,711,943 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2011
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: Lawrence Livermore National Security LLC (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Telford, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Van Roy, Tod T
• Application Number:
  US13/290,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20130114632A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,080 Days
• Field of Search: 372 3802, 372 3807, 372 29015, 372 50122
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0021 Degradation or life time measurements
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/0428 for applying pulses to the laser
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/06216 Pulse modulation or generation
• CPC Class Codes: H01S 5/4025 Array arrangements, e.g. constituted by discrete laser diodes or laser bar H01S5/42 takes precedence

Abstract

A system for controlling a plurality of laser diodes includes an optical transmitter coupled to the laser diode driver for each laser diode. An optical signal including bi-phase encoded data is provided to each laser diode driver. The optical signal includes current level and pulse duration information at which each of the diodes is to be driven. Upon receiving a trigger signal, the laser diode drivers operate the laser diodes using the current level and pulse duration information to output a laser beam.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a plurality of laser diode drivers, each coupled to a corresponding optical receiver including a photo diode;

wherein each of the plurality of laser diode drivers includes a processor;

providing a laser source coupled to each of the plurality of laser diode drivers;

providing a beam control system operable to provide an optical signal associated with each of the laser sources coupled to each of the plurality of laser diode drivers, wherein the optical signal includes information about a current value for operating each of the laser sources, a duration for which each laser source is to be turned on, and a trigger signal;

receiving, by the photo diode of each of the corresponding optical receivers, the optical signal including the information about the current value for operating each of the laser sources, the duration for which each laser source is to be turned on, and the trigger signal;

analyzing, by each of the plurality of laser diode drivers, the optical signal to determine the current value and the duration for the laser source coupled to each of the plurality of laser diode drivers; and

in response to the trigger signal, synchronously, operating, by each of the plurality of laser diode drivers, the laser source coupled to each of the plurality of laser diode drivers based on the current value and the duration.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the current value is between 0 amperes and 550 amperes.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the duration ranges from about 1 μ

s to about 300 μ

s.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the optical signal further includes address information associated with each of the plurality of laser diode drivers.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

analyzing the optical signal to decode the address information;

determining that the address information matches an address associated with the laser diode driver; and

extracting the current value and the duration in response to the determination.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the address information and the trigger signal are both encoded as bits in a data frame.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the duration value is independent of the trigger signal.

8. A laser diode array comprising:

a plurality of laser diodes;

a plurality of laser diode drivers, wherein each of the plurality of laser diode drivers is coupled to at least one laser diode from the plurality of laser diodes and a corresponding optical receiver including a photo diode;

a beam control sub-system operable to provide a current value for operating each of the laser diodes in the plurality of laser diodes, a time duration for which the current value is to be applied to each of the laser diodes in the plurality of laser diodes, and a trigger signal;

a signal generator coupled to the beam control sub-system; and

an optical transmitter coupled to the signal generator and operable to transmit an optical signal including information about the current value, the time duration, and the trigger signal for each of the laser diodes in the plurality of laser diodes;

wherein each of the plurality of laser diode drivers in conjunction with the corresponding optical receiver is configured to;

receive, at the photo diode of the optical receiver, the optical signal including the current value for operating each of the laser diodes in the plurality of laser diodes, the time duration for which the current value is to be applied to each of the laser diodes in the plurality of laser diodes, and the trigger signal;

analyze the optical signal to extract the current value, the time duration, and the trigger signal for each of the plurality of laser diodes; and

in response to the trigger signal, synchronously provide to the plurality of laser diodes, a current equal to the current value for each of the plurality of laser diodes for the time duration specified for each of the plurality of laser diodes in the optical signal.

9. The laser diode array of claim 8 wherein each laser diode driver has a unique address associated with it and the optical signal comprises a plurality of addresses for communicating with the plurality of laser diode drivers.

10. The laser diode array of claim 9 wherein each of the plurality of laser diode drivers in conjunction with the optical receiver is further configured to:

analyze the optical signal to determine whether the optical signal includes an address that matches its unique address;

if the optical signal includes the address that matches its unique address, extracting the current value and the time information from the optical signal; and

if the optical signal does not include the address that matches its unique address, ignoring the optical signal.

11. The laser diode array of claim 9 wherein the unique address and the triggers signal are both encoded as bits in a data frame.

12. The laser diode array of claim 8 wherein the current value ranges between 0 amperes and 550 amperes.

13. The laser diode array of claim 8 wherein the time duration ranges from about 1 us to about 300 μ

s.

14. The laser diode array of claim 8 wherein the plurality of laser diodes comprise more than 500 laser diodes.

15. The laser diode array of claim 8 wherein each of the plurality of laser diode drivers in conjunction with the optical receiver is configured to:

analyze a subsequent optical signal only if the subsequent optical signal includes current value and time duration for each of the plurality of laser diodes that are different from previously received current value and time duration for each of the plurality of laser diodes.

16. The laser diode array of claim 8 wherein the time duration is independent of the trigger signal.

17. A system comprising:

a laser diode controller configured to provide a first current value and a first duration value for a first laser diode, a second current value and a second duration value for a second laser diode, and a trigger signal for operating the first laser diode and the second laser diode;

an optical signal generator coupled to the laser diode controller, wherein the optical signal generator is configured to;

receive the first current value, the first duration value, the second current value, the second duration value, and the trigger signal from the laser diode controller; and

generate an optical signal comprising encoded data that includes the first current value, the first duration value, the second current value, the second duration value, and the trigger signal;

an optical transmitter coupled to the optical signal generator and configured to transmit the optical signal;

a first laser diode driver coupled to the optical transmitter, a first optical receiver including a first photo diode, and to the first laser diode, wherein the first laser diode driver in conjunction with the first optical receiver is configured to;

receive, at the first photo diode, the optical signal including the encoded data that includes the first current value, the first duration value, the second current value, the second duration value, and the trigger signal;

decode the encoded data to determine the first current value, the first duration value, and the trigger signal; and

in response to the trigger signal, provide a current equal to the first current value to the first laser diode and for a time equal to the first duration value;

a second laser diode driver coupled to the optical transmitter, a second optical receiver including a second photo diode, and to the second laser diode, wherein the second laser diode driver in conjunction with the second optical receiver is configured to;

receive, at the second photo diode, the optical signal including the encoded data that includes the first current value, the first duration value, the second current value, the second duration value, and the trigger signal;

decode the encoded data to determine the second current value, the second duration value, and the trigger signal; and

in response to the trigger signal, provide a current equal to the second current value to the second laser diode and for a time equal to the second duration value.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the first current value and the second current value are between 1 amperes and 550 amperes.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein the first duration value and the second duration value range from about 1 us to about 300 μ

s.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the first laser diode driver and the second laser diode driver are each addressable using a unique address value.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the unique address value is represented by a 10-bit sequence.

22. The system of claim 20 wherein the unique address value is included in the optical signal.

23. The system of claim 20 wherein the unique address values and the trigger signal are both encoded as bits in a data frame.

24. The system of claim 17 wherein the first duration value and the second duration value are independent of the trigger signal.