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Wide Band, High Efficiency Simmer Power Supply for a Laser Flashlamp

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Wide Band, High Efficiency Simmer Power Supply for a Laser Flashlamp Europaisches Patentamt llll III European Patent Office HUM llllll II Hill Hill Hill Hill lllll Hill lllll lllll llllll llll Office europeen des brevets (ff) Publication number: 0 250 464 B1 © EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION @ Date of publication of patent specification : @ Int CI.5 : H05B 41/34 18.09.91 Bulletin 91/38 (21) Application number : 86906527.6 (22) Date of filing : 29.09.86 (86) International application number: PCT/US86/02027 (87) International publication number: WO 87/04038 02.07.87 Gazette 87/14 (g) WIDE BAND, HIGH EFFICIENCY SIMMER POWER SUPPLY FOR A LASER FLASHLAMP. (§) Priority : 17.12.85 US 810399 (73) Proprietor : Hughes Aircraft Company 7200 Hughes Terrace P.O. Box 45066 Los Angeles, California 90045-0066 (US) © Date of publication of application : 07.01.88 Bulletin 88/01 (72) Inventor: FARNSWORTH, Robert, P. 12612 Indianapolis St @ Publication of the grant of the patent : Los Angeles, CA 90066 (US) 18.09.91 Bulletin 91/38 (74) Representative : Kuhnen, Wacker & Partner (3) Designated Contracting States : Schneggstrasse 3-5 Postfach 1553 BE CH DE FR GB IT LI NL SE W-8050 Freising (DE) (5§) References cited : WO-A-81/03596 WO-A-83/00596 GB-A- 2 095 930 00 CD in Note : Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Q. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement It shall not be deemed to have been LU filed until the opposition fee has been paid (Art. 99(1) European patent convention). Jouve, 18, rue Saint-Denis, 75001 PARIS 1 EP 0 250 464 B1 2 Description Logan describes a flashlamp drive circuit using an unsaturated transistor as a current mode switch to BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION. periodically subject a partially ionized gaseous laser excitation flashlamp to a stable, rectangular pulse of 1. U. S. Government Rights. 5 current from an incomplete discharge of an energy storage capacitor. The pulse interval is set by a mon- The United States Government has certain rights ostable multivibrator, and the pulse amplitude is con- in this invention, which was developed under Contract trolled by a feedback signal provided by a tap on an Number DAAK10-81-C-0093 awarded by the United emitter resistor. The circuit drives a flashlamp to pro- States Army. 10 vide a square wave currentflashlamp discharge. After the lamp has been placed in a partially ionized state 2. Field of the Invention. by an ignition voltage pulse from an external source, a transistor in the circuit, held below saturation in an The present invention relates to means for provi- active, common-emitter configuration, cyclically ding and controlling simmer current to a gaseous dis- 15 switches the amplitude of current between two mod- charge device such as a flashlamp associated with es- a simmer condition maintaining partial ionization laser optical pumping. and a total ionization pumping condition. The Logan patent is primarily concerned with the utilization of an 3. Description of the Technology. active device in series with a flashlamp to control 20 flashlamp current and the laser pumping process. The Laser gain media receive excitation energy from circuitry disclosed in this patent does not teach a variety of flashtube or flashlamp devices which methods or apparatus for actively controlling the sim- initiates the process of light amplification. Afiashlamp mer current. Logan explains that the simmer condition is capable of producing light from energy stored in a developed by his device fails if any load is imposed continuously ready supply. This light is generally com- 25 which severly limits the bandwidth of the simmer state posed of blackbody radiation which includes light segment of his lamp driver circuit. The Logan inven- energy having frequencies that coincide with the fre- tion appears to be more concerned with using an quencies of transition between the ground states and active device to control the shape, duration, and tim- the pumping bands of the laser medium. It is this por- ing of the laser output pulse during full, high current tion of flashlamp outputwhich stimulates the emission 30 discharge than with the regulation of simmer current. of radiation by inducing a population inversion within In United States Patent Number 4,035,691 the gain medium. Altman eta], disclose a pulsed laser excitation source It is advantageous to maintain a simmer current with light energy outputwhich is principally in the 3600 through the flashlamp at a comparatively low power to 4300 Angstrom spectral region. An envelope of ma- level compared to that needed for full firing of the 35 terial that is substantially transparent to radiation flashlamp in order to improve output energy stability within the desired spectral region contains an amount from the laser and to increase flashlamp life. Enhanc- of xenon gas which produces at least one atmosphere ing flashlamp life is a critically important design objec- of pressure in its unheated state. The envelope also tive, since systems which incorporate devices similar contains an amount of mercury which develops a to the present invention are expected to function with- 40 vapor pressure of not less than one atmosphere when out fail over a million to ten million times. The mainte- the envelope is heated to its operative temperature. nance of a steady simmer current enables a pulsed When spaced electrodes within this sealed envelope arc to be formed in the flashlamp in an almost instan- are energized by an external source of pulsed electri- taneous response to a pulsed power source. As a cal power, an electrical arc or, discharge is generated. result, the operational life of the flashlamp is 45 In one embodiment of the Altman invention, the direct increased because of reduced physical shock from current simmer current in the light source is main- the high-energy pumping pulses, reduced devitrifi- tained within the range of 15 to 25 amperes in order cation of the flashlamp envelope, and minimization of to facilitate the breakdown of the xenon gas and thus electrode sputtering and evaporation. insure pulsed arcing across the spaced electrodes in The importance of keeping a flashlamp in a sim- so virtually instantaneous response to the pulsed power mer condition so that it is ready to fire at the time the source. A preferred embodiment of this invention may main pumping energy is applied to the gain medium include a suitable direct current power source as well is well hnown to those persons ordinarily skilled in the to expedite and facilitate the breakdown of the xenon art. Several earlier devices pertain to this general area gas. of technological enterprise. Among these devices, a 55 United States Patent Number 4,005,333- few inventions have attempted to solve the problem of Nichols describes apparatus for increasing the output placing a flashlamp in a simmer condition. efficiency of an optically coupled Nd:YAG In United States Patent Number 4,398,129, (Neodymium: Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet) laser by 2 3 EP 0 250 464 B1 4 turning on a flashlamp slightly at a predetermined source. interval of time before the laser is fully energized. This Document GB, A, 2 095 930 relates to a power invention utilizes a pseudosimmer concept in which a supply for gas discharge light sources which particu- small quantity of pump energy is applied to the lar feature is to provide constant power to a gas dis- flashlamp just before the main discharge of energy is 5 charge load regardless of impedance change overthe released to stimulate the laser gain medium. Nichols life of that device. In order to maintain a constant wat- asserts that this method of triggering results in a larger tage dissipation the output voltage of a switching ionic path diameter at the time of the main energy regulator and the load current are sensed and control- release to the flashlamp. Current flow from the main led such thatthe product of the voltage and the current energy supply through the flashlamp is controlled by 10 is equal to the predetermined power to be dissipated a silicon controlled rectifier. Nichols' simmer pulse in the discharged device. This apparatus is supplied network is characterized by a capacitor that stores with alternating current which is converted in a first energy, which, when allowed to flow, is conducted stage into pulsating direct current. The invention, serially through a saturable inductor, an isolating however, relates to an apparatus which is supplied diode, and the flashlamp. 15 with direct current converted by means of a direct cur- Dere et a[. disclose an optical cavity for a rent-to-direct current converter. Furthermore, the flashlamp pumped dye laser in United States Patent apparatus of the invention is generating and control- Number 3,967,212 which includes a pumping cavity, ling the input voltage of a gaseous discharge device a birefringentfilter, and a plurality of frequency doubl- like a laser flashlamp so that a simmer current cycles ing crystals. Within the pumping cavity, the flashlamp 20 continuously within a preselected and precise range is cooled by forced air convection and is operated with of values. a direct current simmer current. The inventors of this Document WO, A1 , 83/00596 describes a flash device claim that the application of the direct current light system which may be used as emergency or arc or simmer current to the flashlamp increases the warning light. The system comprises a discharge light operational lifetime of the flashlamp. Dere et aj. also 25 source, a circuit which has a capacitor and a firing assert that their technique reduces the physical shock device for discharging the capacitor through the light of high energy pumping pulses endured by the source.
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